Management

Hi! My name is Gab-Riel but at Aikens, people call me Pit.

2024 marks my 35th season at Aikens.

When I'm not working at Aikens, I’m no longer coaching hockey next winter because Marty has graduated high school... so I don't really know what I'm going to be doing haha! But I'm sure I'll be watching hockey and playing hockey a lot anyways.

If I was in the NHL, my "goal song" would be… Season 1 would be “Timber” by Pitbull, no doubt about it. Season 2 would be “Home for a Rest” by Spirit of the West, an old song that used to get the crowd swinging at a bar I used to bartend at. If I stuck around long enough for a 3rd season, maybe it would “Let Me Clear My Throat?!” We'll just take it a few seasons at a time for now, but either way I want the crowd jumping when I tuck a biscuit in the basket!

The best trip I've ever taken is my first trip overseas with Julie was to Spain and it was a super memorable experience. We didn't plan much in advance other than hotels and we spent the first part in Madrid, the second chapter in Sevilla, and then ended it off in Barcelona. Every day we set out for a new adventure... we never knew where the day would take us when we would wake up. Just living for the moment in a foreign land and it was perfect!

My favourite way to spend a day off at Aikens is… First of all I would sleep in haha! Then I would go out in the boat and find some of my old finned friends in the lake, if they're biting. After shorelunch I would spend the afternoon on the Lone Coyote Beach (hopefully the sun is shining the lake is calm and Jus brings his margarita machine out!). Spend happy hour on the beach. Finally I would end the day in Big Molly's Bar for some laughs and tales of glory.

Do you have any pets? If so, tell us about them! Yes, Gibson is the chocolate lab in camp. He helps keep the bears away and loves his summers at the lodge.

What's the most memorable concert or live event you've ever attended? It's funny to say because it wasn't a huge concert, but during the Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg one year, Julie and I went out with no particular plans for Valentine's Day. We ended up in the Sugar Shack and discovered a band called the Dead South. They were goofy but the music was great. We ended up running into a bunch of old friends in the crowd and had an epic night of fun! I still love listening to their songs and in fact we are going to see them play in Winnipeg again this fall... although their tour is much larger than the first time we saw them LOL.