Connor McDavid lunged for the ball. Leon Draisaitl was nearby awaiting his turn.
A number of teammates were also in the mix as shoes squeaked on concrete floors underneath Florida's Amerant Bank Arena concourse. Cheers went up when a player was eliminated. Cat calls and friendly barbs echoed down hallways in every direction.
The Edmonton Oilers were just over an hour from the biggest moment of their sporting lives. The Stanley Cup final's winner-take-all showdown was around the next corner.
And their routine, including a game called "sewer ball" that's popular across NHL locker rooms, wasn't about to change.
"It does a lot more things than just a warmup," McDavid said. "It keeps us loose."
The game — also sometimes called "two touch" — is played with a soccer ball and sees individual participants pitted against one another. Players form a circle and are allowed two touches of the ball without using their hands before it has to be passed to another competitor. If the ball hits the ground or doesn't go near a teammate, the player it last touched is eliminated.
There is, of course, strategy. Rivals will look to neutralize threats. Sometimes players form alliances.
St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas said proceedings can get heated.
"Everyone thinks they're the best," he said. "Your last three months of the year, it's the same guys going after the same guys.
"You game for the people you know you're going after. It's pretty competitive."
But what about the risk of injury? Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon said they happen.
"Guys rolling their ankles before games," he said. "It got super competitive on our team. Kind of crazy."
Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard said the Saskatoon Blades had a sewer ball ranking system when he suited up in the Western Hockey League.
"We played like two hours a day in junior," he said with a grin. "Got told to rein it back a little bit. It's a lot of fun … probably the best part of the pre-game."
Dallas Stars centre Wyatt Johnston said his NHL team has a leaderboard maintained by winger Mason Marchment.
"The self-proclaimed captain," Johnston quipped. "He decides where everyone's ranked. Of course, he puts himself first. It's a joke."
But the benefits can be wide-ranging as teams prepare for the on-ice battle, Johnston added.
"You get your heart rate up," he said. "It's good bonding. Everyone's playing and gets the chirping going. It gets you in that competitive mindset. Everyone wants to win sewer … gets you ready mentally and also physically."
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, however, is skeptical of sewer ball's true worth.
"I can't say it gets anyone prepared," he said. "(But) if you don't play, what are you doing? You've got a lot of time before the game."
And then there are the players on the sewer sidelines. As careers go on, bodies need more attention to get ready for the actual competition.
"I played more at the start of my career," Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart said. "I just do too many other things to prepare for the game now that it doesn't fit in."
Minnesota Wild defenceman Brock Faber, 22, is an NHL youngster but takes in the action from afar.
"It's fun," he said. "I'm warming up over here watching."
Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg looks forward to each and every sewer ball encounter.
"The games are the best part, but that's the second-best," he said. "I love it. I'm a massive soccer fan, and take a lot of pride in that game."
Ottawa Senators centre Shane Pinto takes considerably less pride in his ability but still enjoys the camaraderie.
"When I'm getting ready for games, that's probably my favourite part," he said. "It loosens me up, makes me realize I gotta have a little bit of fun."
Pinto added the potential of getting hurt doesn't cross his mind.
"Heard a few stories," he said. "I don't think you live in fear like that. Injuries can happen when you walk outside."
But the competition is certainly intense.
"Guys are going Game 7 out there," Pinto said. "We've got (Ottawa teammates) Claude Giroux and Timmy Stutzle going at it. I'm not that good. I try to compete, but these guys are unreal.
"It gets the juices flowing."
Hockey players remain creatures of both routine and habit.
McDavid, whose Oilers fell just short against the Panthers in last season's final, said the consistency of kicking the ball around as a group — moments before performing under bright lights — has value across a long season.
"You play in so many big games throughout the year, over the course of a playoff run, but that sewer ball game remains the same," he said. "It's light, guys get at each other, and it makes it fun.
"It brings our room together."
One desperate, lunging effort at a time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2024.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
