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“They actually had a guy in back who spoke Spanish. He’s talking to Johnny … and they’re going back and forth for a couple minutes, and then the guy goes, ‘Well, he really liked the car, but he was hoping to go to Ikea.”

“So we went to Ikea. That was a good lesson learned.”

“We try to make it as easy as possible for a player to transition into the club,” added Georgica, who has held similar jobs with the Vancouver Canucks, B.C. Lions and Ottawa Senators over his 38-year career.

“We try to make it their job to focus on football. And our job is to look after them, their families, their kids, and get them into schools and daycares. We bring a player in January and try to get a kid into school — and that’s not easy in Vancouver. So, we have to have good connections, and hopefully it all works out.”

Their roles mean working closely with the players and their families, and relationships invariably develop — some closer than others. Other players and their families migrate away as part of the turnstile that is business in pro sports.

“After 38 years, you become harder … with the transactions of players. But you do get a bond, and you do get to understand them, and hopefully you can keep a relationship. But that’s not too often,” said Georgica, who met up with Jordan Harvey and his family for the former Whitecaps fullback’s birthday while in L.A.

From Hershfield finding the passport for former Caps winger Bernie Ibini two years after he was first in her car, to Georgica picking up a player’s dog from the airport and then having to figure out where to get vaccinations, the trio does a variety of tasks that don’t fit under the umbrella of their official job descriptions.

But they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Because of my age, I’m one of the older individuals in the group, and the experiences I’ve had,” said Georgica. “I’ve been blessed by players sitting down and asking serious questions about relationships, and deaths in families, and how do you get through that grief …

“I’ve drank a lot of coffee over the years, and had a lot of conversations, and that’s what makes it so special to be in the role I am.”

jadams@postmedia.com

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