Former Flin Flon Bomber Deven Stillar says his current occupation as an actor and his athletic past have some things in common.
“It surprisingly has a few things in common with hockey,” Stillar says of acting. “It’s a very competitive business, tough to make a living doing it, etcetera.”
Stillar has spent the past three years in Toronto pursuing his new career. This month he is moving to Los Angeles to attend the Stella Adler Academy of Acting.
The school counts Henry Winkler, Mark Ruffalo and Benicio del Toro, among others, as alumni.
“I’ve always been enthralled with film, especially acting,” Stillar says. “I enjoy the playing aspect of it, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and trying to understand what motivates them and makes them tick.”
Stillar’s credits include the straight-to-DVD movie A Fighting Man, whose stars included James Caan and Louis Gossett Jr. He also has an appearance in the TV show Slasher, which will air this spring, and is in the musical Country Crush, which filmed last summer.
Last year Stillar earned some attention when Sportsnet.ca and The Reminder profiled his friendship with current Chicago Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling.
The pair were teammates on the Mississippi RiverKings in the Southern Professional Hockey League in 2011-12. It was Stillar’s lone pro season while Darling used it as a chance to start rebuilding his career after overcoming alcoholism.
Originally from Sudbury, Ontario, Stillar spent his first season and a half in junior hockey with Melfort before being traded to Flin Flon at the 2010 trade deadline. He had 79 points in 67 games with the Bombers, according to Eliteprospects.com.
Stillar looks back on his time with Flin Flon with much fondness and notes it is hard to choose the one thing he enjoyed the most.
“Flin Flon offers so much away from the rink in what is a relatively small-town setting,” Stillar says. “I thoroughly enjoyed the people of Flin Flon. They were very welcoming when I arrived and very supportive while I played for the Bombers. But I would have to say it was the home games.
“There used to be something in the air on the day of the game. Showing up to the rink with your jersey hung in your locker, coming on the ice to screaming fans. I get chills
just thinking about it.”
Stillar is thankful for head coach Mike Reagan and the Bombers bringing him to Flin Flon and supporting him there.
He says his billet mom, Lorraine Krokosz, played a big role in making his stay in Flin Flon a positive one, and expressed appreciation for all billet families.
“I’m not sure if you truly know how large of an impact you have on these young men,” he says. “Without you, they would not be who they grow up to become, and without you, junior hockey wouldn’t be possible.”
Stillar also loved the Bombers fans and the atmosphere they created at the Whitney Forum.
“I’ve had the chance to have the fans against me as an opposing player and cheering for me as a player for the home team,” he says, “and I can assure you it was much nicer having you guys on my side than against me.”
