Every once in a while I read an article that reminds me exactly why I love the game of hockey so much.
“Every leader needs a climactic story point that illustrates his character. For John McCain, it’s his time in a POW camp; for Barack Obama, it’s his speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention. For Ovechkin, it’s a game in Pittsburgh last season when he took a skate to the leg and left the Igloo with a six-inch gash. None of the Caps would have blamed him for returning to DC to heal, but Ovechkin traveled with the team to Ottawa and played two nights later, scoring four goals and an assist in an 8-6 win. “Every time he moved, the stitches opened,” says Boudreau. “And he played through it.” Fans may remember the ass-over-teakettle goal he netted in a 6-1 win over Phoenix in 2006, but Caps officials cherish that cold night in Ottawa when their leader proved he could be counted on when needed most.”
~ Eric Adelson
Hockey has leaders and characters that are easy to respect and admire. They show a lot more courage and determination than you see in other sports. Guys don’t just play hurt in hockey, they play bleeding and broken. Team always comes first.
Quite often you’ll see hockey players referred to as Gladiators on Ice. These are people who just don’t understand the game. In reality hockey holds the last vestige of honour in the sporting world.
Slowly it is starting to be corrupted like the other major sports around the world, where it is more about the money than the passion for and the honour of the game. Where the sport becomes a business instead of game.
Hockey, more than any other game, is blue collar. Every player understand that you need to work hard for every second of every shift. You give it your all. If you aren’t gasping for air then you’re doing something wrong. You don’t complain; you just do your job.
When you see an interview for an NFL or NBA superstar, you’ll see a lot of chest thumping and arm pumping. They’ll say that they won the game on their own. They’ll boast that no one can stop them. They’ll trash talk at the press conference.
If you watch an interview with an NHL player they’ll tell you how it was a team effort. They’ll say that they are just one guy. They are just trying to do the best that they can. They’ll point out a great blocked shot that was a turning point in a game, or a great penalty kill by a specialist. They will spread the credit around. They will even go so far as to try and push it away from themselves.
In what other sport will the greatest player to ever play the game take a contract for a million dollars, when he could get so much more, because he wants to play with his old friend again before they both retire?
In what other sport can the hottest commodity in the free argent market be signed for millions and millions below “market” value (probably ~11 million a season) because the team he wants to play with tells him that no one gets paid more than the captain, and the captain is making just seven million a year?
Team always comes first.
Broken hands. Broken teeth. Broken feet. Broken ankles. Ripping stitches. Pulled muscles. Reconstructed body parts. Give it everything, or give it nothing.
Bleeding and broken, the path to glory awaits.
God I love this game!