Wayne “Sodbuster” James is one of the more versatile players of the Red Army, but not on the ice. Not much is known (or cared) about Wayne before he started with the Red Army. After signing with the team as a free agent in 1992, the native of Beausejour, Manitoba has managed to establish a permanent position for himself on the team.

It wasn't easy though, as Wayne was repeatedly warned that he was on shaky ground in the early years. After attending several sessions of Artie's Hockey School to hone his skills, he is now relatively secure in his fifth line position. He has finally graduated from both of the first two levels at the school and is gearing up for the “elite” level. In order to pay Watanabe the $2,995 session fee, he has been forced to moonlight at 4 separate jobs – farmer, busker, musician and gigolo. “I’ll do anything to learn hockey from the Master”. Watanabe, the former Shaolin Monk, has been unusually complimentary towards the Sodbuster’s work ethic. “He’s a bum and he always will be, but his money puts gas in my limo.”

Avoiding the limelight and refusing all interviews, Wayne quietly gets the job done. A career journeyman player, James associates himself with the unsung heroes of hockey. “I’ve always been a fan of guys like Larry Playfair, Gates Battaglia and Jim Dowd. No one notices them on the ice, they don’t score, get assists, or rack up the penalty minutes but they are always there when the coach taps them on the shoulder to get water for the injured superstar or when the GM hands them a bus ticket for reassignment to Adirondack or Hershey.

The fact that he is one of the few Red Army players who back checks does not go unnoticed by the team goalies. “He’s a pretty good defensive player,” quipped Kip Alexander“ he’s the guy who wears the green helmet, right?” He is also popular with goalies John Becker and Jeff Prociuk who discard their trappers when Sodbuster shoots on them during the pre-game warm-ups. “We get a better feel for the puck and the game catching his slap shots with our bare hands.”

In the off-season, Wayne tours with his Celtic Rap Band "AR DRI". In 1999, Wayne took over the critical role of Musical Director for the Red Army. Wayne and rock legend Joey Gregorash are the opening acts this summer for Nestor Pistor at the Hamiota Hog Barn and Arena Complex! Tickets are going fast for the June 17th event.

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