Editor’s Note By Andrew Chong /
The start of another season means hockey parents across the country will once again be assuming their roles as some of the greatest people on the planet.
To start –– and this is no great revelation — hockey’s expensive. Parents make massive financial sacrifices for their kids to play. Forbes.com lists ice hockey as one of the world’s top ten most expensive sports alongside polo, yacht racing, and aerobatics (yes, that’s flying planes for fun).
And unlike the sunny skies associated with the aforementioned luxury sports, hockey parents chauffeur their kids through rain and snow and rush hour traffic only to arrive at a cold, dim arena. They wake up too-early, go to bed too-late, work too many volunteer hours and pay too much money — but most hockey parents will tell you it’s all worth it. In fact, I’ve never actually heard otherwise.
As 2009/10 kicks off, Hockey Now salutes the hockey parents of Canada. Thanks for all you do. Your generosity is ridiculous—and we mean that in the same way that Pavel Datsyuk’s dangles are ridiculous (see stickhandling video at hockeynow.ca).
So, enjoy something from the hockey world that’s actually free – this latest edition of Hockey Now.
SHARKS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING
It would appear the Heatley-injected San Jose Sharks have developed a striking resemblance to the 2004 Stanley Cup Champions – the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The pre-lockout Bolts built their team around three high-priced Canadian forwards (Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards), Dan Boyle anchoring the defence, and arguably the best Russian goaltender on earth at the time in Nikolai Khabibulin.
Coincidentally, this year’s Sharks team is built around three high-priced Canadian forwards (Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley), Dan Boyle anchoring the defence, and arguably the best Russian goaltender on earth in Evgeni Nabokov.
We’ll soon find out if the Lightning Stanley Cup model can strike twice.
STAY COOL AND GO HOME HAPPY
A final thought to rec players of all ages — and please forgive the Dr. Phil-ness of this little point — but when you leave the rink, feel better than you did than when you arrived. I know I’m not the only one who has had those nights where you get all riled up and upset and maybe do something or say something stupid and you leave the rink feeling worse than when you came.
Particularly at the adult rec level, hockey should be about getting exercise and enjoying the game. Why pay all that money and devote all that time and energy to it if you’re in a worse mood when you leave the rink?
I totally understand mourning a tough loss, being disappointed over poor play or being upset about a dirty play against you. But let’s not take the rest of it too seriously because the vast, vast majority of us are not going to the NHL or anywhere even close.
So enjoy yourself, rec players. Go home feeling good. You pay too much not to. |
