Austin Parmiter and former Storm locker-room attendant Ryan Roznowsky celebrate Roznowsky's final game with the club. Photo Credit: @WRoznowsky Twitter.

By Shane Clausing

Inspired by Moss

Joey Moss helped pave the way for former Storm locker-room attendant Ryan Roznowsky

Oct 28, 2020 | 2:05 PM

Residents of the City of Edmonton and fans of the Edmonton Oilers are mourning the loss of long-time locker-room attendant Joey Moss this week.

Moss passed away on October 26 at the age of 57. He spent from 1984-2020 in the Oilers locker room as the club’s locker room attendant.

Moss, who had down syndrome, also played a big roll in raising awareness for people with down syndrome in the City of Edmonton and across Canada.

READ MORE: Wayne Gretzky reflects on the life, legacy of Joey Moss: ‘He gave parents hope’

Ryan Roznowsky is a former Grande Prairie resident and spent from 2006-2015 living in the City. In 2014, Ryan was presented with the opportunity to work as a dressing room assistant for the Grande Prairie Storm.

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Ryan, like Joey, has down syndrome. Ryan’s father Wayne, spoke about how the job with the Storm came to be.

“We met with Dave Campbell who was the Head Trainer and Equipment Manager, and we were connected through a hockey source and Ryan was always really interested in hockey and interested in following in Joey Moss’s footsteps and helping out with the hockey team.”

“Ryan ended up helping Dave and did things like washed socks, towels and helped the guys out. It was a great experience.”

Wayne tells EverythingGP that Campbell and the Storm took Ryan in like one of their own.

“The players were great to him. They accepted him with open arms and gave him a hard time, like they would to each other, and it was all good.”

He added that Ryan also kept the players in the Storm room loose and put a smile on their face.

“There were some real good life lessons for not just Ryan, but I think the players too. It really is kind of a life changing experience.”

Ryan says that while he never met Joey Moss, Moss meant a lot to him in his personal life.

“He’s an experienced guy who knows what he’s doing and he’s a good guy and helped get me to where I wanted to be.”

Wayne says that Ryan learned about Joey from watching Oilers games and that he admired his passion and his impact he had in the community and in the locker room.

Ryan added that before his final game in 2015, the team presented him with a jersey (pictured above) thanking him for his hard work. He also mentions that he still remains in contact with some of the Storm players from the teams he worked with.

With his solid work ethic in Grande Prairie, when the family moved close to Lethbridge, Ryan decided to contact the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, to see if they would have a position open for him.

On Ryan’s resume, Dave Campbell gave Ryan a good reference and recommended him to Hurricanes General Manager Peter Anholt.

Anholt hired Ryan, where Ryan continues to serve as the team’s Game Day Assistant, where he helps around the rink wherever he can.

Ryan says that he hopes that Moss is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the near future.