Playing hockey and having the name “Verbeek” is more than enough to turn heads.

You’re normally assumed to have the same character traits as the person who made the name famous. Your games are often compared. Your physical characteristics are often compared.

Tim Verbeek could get sick of being asked what it’s like to have former NHL veteran Pat Verbeek as a brother. Yet, he never does.

In fact, when asked this recently in the Thunder dressing room after a late-morning practice, he didn’t even flinch.

“It’s happened a lot,” said Verbeek, whose brother, Pat, spent 21 seasons in the NHL with five teams. “It’s an honor. I try to emulate what he did on the ice, because if I can do an ounce of what he did in this game, I’d call it a successful career.”

Pat won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and was an All-Star in 1991 with the Hartford Whalers. He is also a member of the NHL’s elite 500-goal club.

Tim is in his late 20’s – and Pat having already finished his playing career has a huge head-start in collecting the hockey hardware. The accolades that Pat has collected over his career don’t take away the value that “little brother” brings with his game. Tim provides his teams with speed, an NHL-bred hockey sense, and the Verbeek-method of getting under the opponent’s skin.

It’s what caused Pat to earn the nickname “Little Ball of Hate” while in the NHL. When he was under contract to the Detroit Red Wings and participated in training camp in 2001, a sportswriter tried to give him a similar moniker. 

“Some sportswriter came up to me and branded me ‘The Little Wad of Ill Will,” said Verbeek. “It never really materialized after that but it got a nice laugh.”

Throughout his career, Tim has relished the role of throwing opposing players off their game the way Pat did, using his physical playing style mixed with a little trash-talking. Sometimes emotions will boil over and a fight ensues, as it did earlier this season between Verbeek and Lance Galbraith of the Idaho Steelheads.

“Honestly, it’s part of my nature,” said Verbeek. “It’s the way my parents raised us on our farm back in Sarnia, Ontario. If we didn’t work hard, we’d get our butts kicked. They constantly drilled us – ‘compete, compete, compete!.’ With that, you develop a knack to get under the opponent’s skin.”

Verbeek admits its part of the lifestyle that surrounded him in Sarnia, where he still calls home. The lifestyle is simple, no-nonsense, and the main task at-hand is to get the job done. Another former NHL veteran, Dale Hunter who was both feared and revered for his similar playing style, grew up just minutes away from the family home.

Verbeek may be a born-and-bred hockey player from the middle of Canada finds himself living in California and enjoying the very different local culture.

Known as one of the best-dressed players on the team, you would think his wardrobe comes straight from an upscale department store from San Francisco. His girlfriend since December, Bonnie, has already been his tour guide in exploring the many famous and laid-back sites the state is known for.

When asked his favorite part of life in California, he responds with a seemingly obvious answer. “The weather is gorgeous out here,” said Verbeek.

There’s nothing foreign to the value that Verbeek brings to the Thunder locker room. Signed as a free agent this past summer to help upgrade team speed and leadership, Verbeek currently wears an “A” on his chest to signify his appointed status of alternate captain.

To get Verbeek here, it took a phone call from Thunder head coach Chris Cichocki and a little prodding from fellow alternate captain Brendon Hodge, who was a teammate of Verbeek last season in Wheeling.

“It’s great to have him out here,” said Hodge. “I didn’t know anyone here originally, plus I knew what type of guy he was as far as providing leadership and productivity for our dressing room.”

It’s leaders like Hodge and Verbeek who have been brought in to show the many young guns that grace the Thunder roster the right way to win games in crunch time. In the month of March with the playoffs fast approaching, Verbeek falls back on leadership values that come from being raised with the game.

“Lead by example,” said Verbeek. “In the playoffs, it comes down to doing the little things right and having a killer instinct. Between two teams, it comes down to who pushes the envelope the furthest. There’s a price to pay and I’m willing to pay that.”

The elder Pat won a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars on grit, determination, and gamesmanship – the same qualities that make up the younger Tim as the Thunder is on the cusp of its first playoff trip.

Not bad to have a name like Verbeek in the dressing room at this time of year. 

Playing hockey and having the name “Verbeek” is more than enough to turn heads.

You’re normally assumed to have the same character traits as the person who made the name famous. Your games are often compared. Your physical characteristics are often compared.

Tim Verbeek could get sick of being asked what it’s like to have former NHL veteran Pat Verbeek as a brother. Yet, he never does.

In fact, when asked this recently in the Thunder dressing room after a late-morning practice, he didn’t even flinch.

“It’s happened a lot,” said Verbeek, whose brother, Pat, spent 21 seasons in the NHL with five teams. “It’s an honor. I try to emulate what he did on the ice, because if I can do an ounce of what he did in this game, I’d call it a successful career.”

Pat won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and was an All-Star in 1991 with the Hartford Whalers. He is also a member of the NHL’s elite 500-goal club.

Tim is in his late 20’s – and Pat having already finished his playing career has a huge head-start in collecting the hockey hardware. The accolades that Pat has collected over his career don’t take away the value that “little brother” brings with his game. Tim provides his teams with speed, an NHL-bred hockey sense, and the Verbeek-method of getting under the opponent’s skin.

It’s what caused Pat to earn the nickname “Little Ball of Hate” while in the NHL. When he was under contract to the Detroit Red Wings and participated in training camp in 2001, a sportswriter tried to give him a similar moniker. 

“Some sportswriter came up to me and branded me ‘The Little Wad of Ill Will,” said Verbeek. “It never really materialized after that but it got a nice laugh.”

Throughout his career, Tim has relished the role of throwing opposing players off their game the way Pat did, using his physical playing style mixed with a little trash-talking. Sometimes emotions will boil over and a fight ensues, as it did earlier this season between Verbeek and Lance Galbraith of the Idaho Steelheads.

“Honestly, it’s part of my nature,” said Verbeek. “It’s the way my parents raised us on our farm back in Sarnia, Ontario. If we didn’t work hard, we’d get our butts kicked. They constantly drilled us – ‘compete, compete, compete!.’ With that, you develop a knack to get under the opponent’s skin.”

Verbeek admits its part of the lifestyle that surrounded him in Sarnia, where he still calls home. The lifestyle is simple, no-nonsense, and the main task at-hand is to get the job done. Another former NHL veteran, Dale Hunter who was both feared and revered for his similar playing style, grew up just minutes away from the family home.

Verbeek may be a born-and-bred hockey player from the middle of Canada finds himself living in California and enjoying the very different local culture.

Known as one of the best-dressed players on the team, you would think his wardrobe comes straight from an upscale department store from San Francisco. His girlfriend since December, Bonnie, has already been his tour guide in exploring the many famous and laid-back sites the state is known for.

When asked his favorite part of life in California, he responds with a seemingly obvious answer. “The weather is gorgeous out here,” said Verbeek.

There’s nothing foreign to the value that Verbeek brings to the Thunder locker room. Signed as a free agent this past summer to help upgrade team speed and leadership, Verbeek currently wears an “A” on his chest to signify his appointed status of alternate captain.

To get Verbeek here, it took a phone call from Thunder head coach Chris Cichocki and a little prodding from fellow alternate captain Brendon Hodge, who was a teammate of Verbeek last season in Wheeling.

“It’s great to have him out here,” said Hodge. “I didn’t know anyone here originally, plus I knew what type of guy he was as far as providing leadership and productivity for our dressing room.”

It’s leaders like Hodge and Verbeek who have been brought in to show the many young guns that grace the Thunder roster the right way to win games in crunch time. In the month of March with the playoffs fast approaching, Verbeek falls back on leadership values that come from being raised with the game.

“Lead by example,” said Verbeek. “In the playoffs, it comes down to doing the little things right and having a killer instinct. Between two teams, it comes down to who pushes the envelope the furthest. There’s a price to pay and I’m willing to pay that.”

The elder Pat won a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars on grit, determination, and gamesmanship – the same qualities that make up the younger Tim as the Thunder is on the cusp of its first playoff trip.

Not bad to have a name like Verbeek in the dressing room at this time of year.