Ice Pack A Team of Destiny. Sabotaged by Fate. The 1995-96 London Lanterns Face a Season Like No Other

Ice Pack chronicles the 1995-96 campaign of the Ontario Southern Hockey League's London Lanterns; a season unlike any in their rich history of mediocrity and underachievement. A perennial bunch of also-rans, the Lanterns have a new angle for the new season, bringing in the showcase tandem of rehabbing NHL star Sandy Burnette and veteran Jerry “Bomb” McDunn to lead a witch’s brew of veterans, rookies, and misfits with names to match — Chachi, Candy, Milk, Dumb Ass, Baby Jesus, Mo, and Ron. C-list coach Brew Benedict is the bench boss embarking on yet another opportunity to outskate his past failings. Off the ice, the team enjoys all the celebrity a working-class town can provide. High-fives and buy-backs are common, but in the OSHL the only guarantee is nothing is guaranteed. At home and on the road, puck bunnies are the perk of choice, though booze is a much more reliable companion. Both are constant reminders of the minor leaguer's nomadic calling. So while love connections are rare, they offer more than any barkeep can deliver, and they’re held tight as a hedge against the day the skates are hung up for good. On the ice, the Lanterns squad bursts from the gate like trained thoroughbreds, running off convincing victories against every OSHL rival. As the wins continue to pile up, competing for the league’s prized Darcy Cup championship trophy (a.k.a. the Jug) grows ever more real. So do expectations. The team is on cruise control, but the road is unforgiving. When fate intervenes, the Lanterns will discover that life is much more than hockey and hook-ups. Their bond, their brotherhood, and their very sense of being will be put to the ultimate test, as the season — and the chase for the Jug — teeters on the brink of collapse.