The South Carolina Stingrays’ bus pulled into Reading, Pa., early in the morning after a four-hour drive from Elmira, N.Y.

As the players piled off the bus and headed to their hotel rooms, head coach Spencer Carbery announced that there would be an optional skate later that morning for anyone interested.

Since players were not obligated to take part in the optional skate and Carbery wouldn’t be taking attendance, he figured that most would prefer to sleep in and get ready for their game later that night against the Reading Royals.

After catching a few hours of sleep, Carbery went to the rink and was surprised to discover Scott Ford lacing up his skates in the locker room.

Ford, who will turn 35 on Christmas Eve, is a veteran of more than 600 games at the American Hockey League level and one of the oldest players in the ECHL. He is older than both Carbery (33) and Stingrays assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky (27). If there was one player with nothing to prove to his teammates or the coaching staff, it was Ford. If there was one player who had earned a little extra sleep and a few hours away from the rink, it was Ford.

“Scott isn’t a consummate professional, he’s the ultimate professional,” Carbery said. “Here’s a guy that has been a captain in the American League, has played at the pro level for 10 years, and he’s out there for an optional skate with a team he’d just joined a couple of days before. He’s got the resume. He wasn’t there to impress anyone or make a statement. He was there to improve as a player.

“I think that shows you what kind of passion and love Scott still has for the game. There are just not many guys in professional hockey at any level that have his dedication to his profession.”

Ford doesn’t know any other way to approach his craft. Even after nearly a decade of professional hockey, Ford believes he has the greatest job in the world. He still approaches each season like an unproven rookie trying to earn a spot on the roster.

“I still love coming to the rink every day,” Ford said. “I don’t see why age is an issue or why my dedication or love for the game should diminish because I’ve been playing at the pro level for a long time. I still have that desire to improve every day, to learn something new every day. I think my love for the game has only increased over my career.”

After graduating from Brown University in 2004, Ford bounced between the AHL and the ECHL for the next four seasons. He finally found a more permanent home when he joined the Milwaukee Admirals for the 2008-09 season. Ford spent the next five years with the Admirals, including three as the team’s captain.

“Milwaukee is my home away from home,” said Ford, who is a native of Fort St. John, British Columbia. “I spend a lot of time during the summers in Milwaukee and I think it’s a place I’d like to settle after my playing career is over.”

This summer Ford waited for a call from an AHL team. But the demand for a 30-something defenseman that was a veteran under AHL rules wasn’t very high and the call never came.

“It was a tough summer and I admit I was looking at other avenues outside of the game,” Ford said. “The problem for me was that I still wanted to play.”

As October turned into November, and Ford’s phone remained silent, he realized that his chances of playing in the AHL were quickly fading. He started to look at other leagues for employment. He thought about going overseas and playing in Europe, but in the end wanted to remain in North America. He had played in more than 130 games in the ECHL, but hadn’t been in the league since 2007-08 season when he skated in 23 games with the Utah Grizzlies.

By Thanksgiving, the Stingrays were in a free-fall as players were injured or called up to the AHL. The Stingrays needed help with a young defensive core. Carbery heard through the grapevine that Ford was looking for a team and jumped at the chance to sign the veteran player.

“We had guys up in the American League and guys on injured reserve, and as a result we had a little flexibility with the salary cap,” Carbery said.

The Stingrays’ blue line was in dire need of a calming, veteran presence, and Ford has filled that role nicely for the Stingrays since joining the team on Dec. 5. The Stingrays are 5-1-0 with Ford in the lineup.

“Scott has been a big part of our recent success,” Carbery said. “We’ve got five or six defensemen that are either rookies or second-year pros. We needed someone like Scott to come in and steady those guys.”

As practice wrapped up Thursday, Ford hung around to shoot on some of the younger goalies and work with Washington Capitals developmental coach Olaf Kolzig.

“If I get back to the AHL, great, but if it doesn’t happen then I’ve got no regrets,” Ford said. “The day I don’t come to the rink with a smile on my face is the day I hang up my skates.

I was just out on the ice with Olaf Kolzig. I grew up idolizing him. I can’t wait to get back to my room and call my dad and tell him I got to hang out with Kolzig. I mean, that’s fantastic. I’ve got the best job in the world.”