Lifelong best friends Jared Spurgeon and Tyler Ennis were working out together at a West Edmonton, Alberta, gym a few weeks ago when a ringing cell phone interrupted them.

Ennis stopped his lift and rushed over to answer.

It was his agent, Eustace King, calling to say the Buffalo Sabres had traded Ennis, along with winger Marcus Foligno, to the Minnesota Wild for defenseman Marco Scandella and winger Jason Pominville.

The next few seconds were a blur as Spurgeon and Ennis burst into celebration.

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It was a blissful moment for Spurgeon and Ennis — best friends who grew up on the same street, both constantly told they were too small to make it, both spending their days on ice trying to silence critics — as they were finally reunited at the NHL level .

“It’s pretty crazy how it worked out,” Spurgeon said.

“Absolutely,” Ennis agreed. “It’s pretty special to play together again.”

PROVING PEOPLE WRONG

This converging journey for Spurgeon and Ennis started years ago on the streets of West Edmonton.

“We always talked about winning a Stanley Cup together when we were kids playing street hockey,” Spurgeon said. “You get a bit older and realize how hard that might actually be to even make the NHL let alone be on the same team.”

Their long odds were exacerbated by the fact that both players are, at best, undersized. Spurgeon is a 5-foot-9, 165-pound defenseman, and Ennis is a 5-foot-9 170-pound winger. Born two months apart, they were both cut from the same team as teenagers, which fueled an internal fire for both players.

“We have always talked about it,” Spurgeon said. “You always want to prove people wrong. … That extra motivation is huge for us and we use it all the time.”

Both players started to make a name for themselves in the Western Hockey League — Spurgeon as a puck-moving blue liner for the Spokane Chiefs and Ennis as a sniper for the Medicine Hat Tigers.

The NHL took notice, and in the 2008 draft, Ennis went No. 26 overall to the Sabres, while Spurgeon was picked No. 156 overall by the New York Islanders.

Both returned to the WHL — Ennis for one season and Spurgeon for two — before making it to the next level.

Ennis debuted with the Sabres a little more than a year after getting drafted. Spurgeon’s road was rockier; he signed with the Wild only after the Islanders let him walk away without a contract.

Since then, their roles have reversed.

Ennis has gone from a three-time 20-goal scorer to a player who needs to prove himself all over again. He has played in only 74 games with the Sabres the past two years, slowed by a concussion and double sports hernia surgery.

Spurgeon, meanwhile, has become one of the most valuable players on the Wild. He makes up for his lack of size with incredible feel, and is one of general manager Chuck Fletcher’s favorite players.

Secure in his place with the Wild, Spurgeon thinks the change of scenery might be exactly what Ennis needs to get back on track.

“He’s definitely a guy that when we were growing up he was always scoring a lot of goals,” Spurgeon said. “His first couple years in the NHL he was doing that as well. He’s had some highlight-reel goals. A couple of injuries can set anyone back. I know he’s very excited to get here and prove himself again.”

Ennis called the trade the “fresh start” he needed.

“I’ve got a lot of people to prove wrong and I’ve got a lot of motivation to have a great season,” Ennis said. “I can’t wait to get going.”

FUTURE NEIGHBORS?

With the season still more than two months away, Ennis was in town last weekend. He toured the Twin Cities with Spurgeon and participated in the “Wild On The Water Bass Fishing Tournament” on Mille Lacs Lake.

“It was a perfect time for him to come down and check things out,” Spurgeon said. “It worked out pretty well. … To be able to bring him in and show him the ropes around here before he has to come back for training camp is huge.”

Ennis sported a toothy grin as he toured the Xcel Energy Center last week. He chewed the fat with Spurgeon outside of the Wild locker room before meeting with management.

“I think what I’m most excited about is winning,” Ennis said. “It’s been tough in Buffalo for the last little bit. Just the mentality of this team is what I’m really excited for right now. … To be able to play for a team that’s contending for a Stanley Cup and has that mind-set is great. And getting the opportunity to play with my best friend again is pretty special.”

Ennis has some loose ends to tie up on the East Coast before making the permanent move to the Twin Cities.

“I’ve been looking for places,” he said. “I guess that’s the first step.”

You can bet that Ennis will choose to live near his good buddy. Unfortunately, the home next to Spurgeon aren’t currently on the market. “Maybe,” Ennis said with a smile, “I’ll just live in their basement.”