By Michael Mastarciyan
Every time Canadian Cowboys speed specialist Jan Hudec invites me to Calgary for a visit he dangles the prospect of going to see his favourite Rock'n'R oll band in the world as an extra enticement.
Hudec's siren call is always the same..."Dude, Calgary is home to the best 80s hair band cover group in the world - Broken Toyz! You've got to come and see them. Everyone dresses up and rocks out, it's like head banger heaven. The drummer has even played with Motley Crue!"
Head banger heaven? What self-respecting heavy metal fan could pass that up?
So I decided to take Hudec up on his offer in late March after the GMC Canadian Championships wrapped up.
Having just finished a volunteer stint on the race timing crew, I was invited to the Candian Cowboys speed team season ending BBQ at The Manor (Manuel Osborne-Paradis and Robbie Dixon's famed Calgary home).
"Robbie's making steak and then we're heading out to the Broken Toyz concert. You don't want to miss this," Osborne-Paradis playfully told me after the last race of the 2009/2010 campaign was in the books.
So I put on my best torn denim jeans and cowboy boots, threw on my favourite Led Zeppelin t-shirt for good measure and headed down to The Manor.
The BBQ/Rock Show guest list was impressive. Cowboys head coach Paul Kristofic (the biggest Motley Crue fan in the world), Cowboys ski service tech Shawn Gaisford, former Canadian Cowboy Gareth Sine, Lana McIntosh (Manny O-P's better half) and our gracious hosts Messieurs Dixon and Osborne-Paradis. John Kucera and Jan Hudec, I was informed, would meet us at the concert venue after dinner.
The only missing member in this motley crew of Motley Crue fans was newly crowned World Cup Super-G overall champ Erik Guay.
"Erik's not coming," Dixon announced to the room after picking up a phone call.
"Baby Logan is a bit cranky so Erik and Karen (Guay's wife) are going to take a pass on the concert."
After an excellent meal (Dixon is one heck of a BBQ chef) we pointed ourselves toward Calgary's famed Red Mile (17th Avenue) for the big rock show at a local club.
Upon arrival we were greeted by a very muscled up John Kucera who had clearly been spending his leg re-hab time in the gym working on his upper body too.
"What can I say," Kucera told me with a big smile when I commented on his bigger, buffer physique. "I love to pump iron and I had a lot of time on my hands after crashing in Lake Louise last November!"
With the concert about to start and a packed house full of big-haired heavy metal aficionados decked out in their best leather and spandex 80s-issue rock wear I noticed the conspicuous absence of the biggest rocker in the Canadian Cowboys/Brokentoyz Appreciation Society - Jan Hudec.
"Where's Jan at?" I asked Osborne-Paradis, "He's been going on and on about this concert and he's not even here."
"He's right there," Osborne-Paradis quickly replied.
"Where?" I said with an incredulous look.
"There!" Osborne-Paradis replied again with his finger pointed at a long-haired rock dude wearing a bedazzled sports jacket with a huge sparkly Mickey Mouse on the back.
So I walked over to the mystery rock dude and tapped on his shoulder.
"Marsy!" the long-haired rocker with dark glasses gleefully shouted at me over the blaring music.
"Jan?!" I shouted back in initial disbelief before finally recognizing Hudec through his heavy metal disguise.
"I can't believe you're finally going to see the best band in the world! It's going to be sick! I'm so psyched we're all going to see this show together! It's going to be awesome, just wait and see!" Hudec said with a very timely head banger fist pump aimed at the stage as Broken Toyz made their extravagant entrance.
The show was amazing. The play list - a little Guns'n'Roses, a little Bon Jovi, a little Poison and a whole lotta Mötley Crue!
"This is the perfect way to wind down after a long race season," Kristofic told me with a rapturous smile on his face as the band broke into his favourite Mötley Crue hit "Home Sweet Home."
"We spend a lot of time working really hard together all year long on the road. It's nice to see the team together in a more relaxed environment away from work - listening to some of the best tunes ever made here in our own home sweet home!"
