More than Just a Game

 

  I began this blog thing late in the playoffs and for that reason; blogs have been few and far between over the past few months. Much to the excitement of hockey fans everywhere, training camps have opened and the preseason is under way! Through the course of this season I plan to blog on various topics a couple times a month, but I wanted to kick things off a little differently. For those who have read any of my previous posts (thanks for coming back!)you know that I usually make predications and assessments as the wannabe hockey insider I dream to be. Tonight however, I am going to talk about how hockey is more than just a game; not only to me but to all fans! It’s true to say there’s more to life than hockey, but it’s also true to say there’s more to hockey than the game. To fans of this great sport, hockey is a life parallel, a sense of who we are, and a captivating real-life storybook.

  To some, hockey is a game where two teams chase a puck around the ice, one trying to outscore the other. To hockey fans, hockey is a parallel to the life they live. There are so many hockey fans that compare winning the Stanley cup to a significant life accomplishment.  It may be a university degree, getting a dream job or even marriage. Few things in this life come easy; it takes hard work, dedication and resilience to get where you want to go. Similarly, in hockey success is hard to come by and it takes years of learning what you have to do to win. Both in life and hockey there are ups and downs along the way, obstacles, challenges, pain, heartache, setbacks and disappointment. It’s the experiences that we have day in and day out that help us learn what it takes to get where we need to go. Likewise, in hockey it takes both wins and losses, good and bad to help players learn to be successful. Failure in life and hockey is not an endpoint, but an obstacle. While disappointing, failure is a lesson learned and the motivation to find success.  Also, in life it’s easy to get caught up in the big things, but it is the little things that lead to these big things. Be it putting in an extra effort with the books, taking time outside of work to try and perfect what it is you do, or catching a loved one off guard with flowers; the little things are what lead to the greatest rewards. In hockey, it’s the goals that get all the glory but it is the won faceoff, extra effort along the boards, or perfect breakout pass that made it all happen. It takes the little things to create the big things. With parallels such as these, it is easy to see how people can find away to relate a situation in life to hockey. Whenever I hear someone remark on how silly this sounds, I can’t help but recall a cancer patient who made the parallel between hockey and his chemo treatment. He took each treatment as one game in a 7 game series and every “game” he would proudly wear his jersey. By the way, the series went 7 and he pulled out the victory! There perhaps lies the greatest example of how important this game can be and how strong the parallel to life truly is.

  Just as hockey draws many parallels to life, it also gives us hockey fans a sense of who we are. For most hockey fans, hockey is a huge chunk of their lives. For whatever reason, at a young age we become drawn to a particular team. Perhaps it’s our dad’s favorite, our friend’s favorite or a particular player we like leads us to picking his team. From there we have our favorite team and as time goes on we become more and more enthralled in that team. When you become that big of a fan, you feel you become part of the team. There is a sense of belonging that maybe a person doesn’t get in other aspects of life. When you sit down to watch the game, you’re right there with the team throughout the game’s ups and downs. This goes on for years and though there might be a lot of times of disappoint, you still tune in to watch and never give up hope. The Toronto Maple Leafs carry the largest fan base in hockey and one of the biggest in sports, yet haven’t won a Stanley cup since 1967 (sorry to remind you guys). While many times have been tough, the true fans are still there and anxious to see if the squad is finally nearing triumph. Fans of teams come together to show their support, leading to lifelong friendships, bonds and a comradery that can rarely be matched. Not only does the team become part of who we are but it also helps shape who we are. When a team and group of players are followed so closely by someone, it begins to rub off on the person. It maybe the work ethic of a player that inspires a person to show similar effort at school or work, or perhaps it’s the never say die attitude of the team that inspires a person to not allow obstacles or setbacks to take them down.  Therefore, either through the sense of belonging we get from being “part of the team” or through the styles of favorite teams and players becoming styles of our own, hockey becomes part of who we are.

  Perhaps the greatest thing that hockey fans take from hockey is the sport’s ability to act as a captivating real life story book. In a time when some major sports are over shadowed with steroids and arrests, hockey just hits us with story after story fit to be made into a movie. In a sport that can be so physical and grueling at times, it can also deliver so many moments that really appeal to the heart. A novel could probably be written on all of these fantastic stories but I feel the need just to list a few that come to my mind from my time as a hockey fan. I think of the response in Montreal when Saku Koivu returned to the ice after winning his battle with cancer. Koivu didn’t even miss an entire season and continues to play some 11 years later, surely a motivator for so many cancer patients. Then there’s Mario Lemieux getting an assist on his first shift of his first game in four years, later followed by a goal. More recently is Josh Harding, who while dealing with MS continues to play stellar and started for the Minnesota Wild in the playoffs. Those are just a couple of examples of players overcoming odds and helping give others with similar issues the motivation to battle on. There are also a couple of stories that stick out for me; both being “third time’s a charm” circumstances. The first was in 2001 when Ray Bourque finally hoisted the Stanley cup after 22 years and two previous cup final losses! The second was more recent when Alex Burrows scored the game 7 overtime goal to propel the Canucks over the Blackhawks. I’m no Canucks fan but after being eliminated from the playoffs by the Blackhawks the previous two seasons, and then finally getting over the hill in 2010, it was quite the story. I’ll always remember Jim Hughson state “It’s a great day for an exorcism.” In both situations I can only imagine the feeling of relief when they finally got the job done and they give the message that being knocked down doesn’t mean you can’t get back up! Also, there are the historical events such as Gretzky scoring his 802^nd goal, Roy breaking Sawchuk’s wins record, Philly coming back from down 3-0 to the Bruins, etc. etc. The game itself is like a story book, every day a new page is written and fans are engulfed with fascination and amazement.

  In conclusion, there’s no debating that hockey is a game. However, it is a game which can have a major impact on a person, whether it is a 4 year old taking to the ice for the first time, a 20 year old going through the challenges associated with school or a 40 year old dealing with a serious illness. Indeed hockey is a game, but one that teaches, motivates, inspires, creates dreams and bonds, brings people together, shapes people and makes moments remembered for a life time. For all these reasons and so many more, hockey is more than just a game.

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