"There’s an end to every storm. Once all the trees have been uprooted. Once all the houses have been ripped apart. The wind will hush. The clouds will part. The rain will stop. The sky will clear in an instant and only then, in those quiet moments after the storm, do we learn who was strong enough to survive it."-Meredith Grey
Now maybe Hockey isn't exactly like this. For one thing, it's indoor so there are no chances of wind or rain disturbing the game. But in a way, this can be the way it goes for hockey players. Some get in slump, some lose their touch, some grow old and it's game over for them. In particular, this applies to the Ottawa Senators. What a year it was for the underdog team. They were hit with every storm imaginable. The short season, injuries, sickness, and loss. Their two stars were injured and out for the majority of the season. And in Erik Karlsson's case, his offender didn't even get a penalty for slicing his ankle open. For the Senators the storm raged on and on and showed no sign of ending. But the end did come. After ll the tests they faced, after the commotion and despair, the end arrived. The storm calmed and the clouds fled. And that's when we learned how strong they were. With courage and strength they conquered their storm and stood fast against it. They played on, the veterans leading the way while the new young ones stepped up to fill the empty spaces. They even made it to the playoffs. How many times did I hear "I'm giving up on the Senators, they're over now." A hundred times. "This is too big a storm now." Well in the quiet moments, when no one was judging or giving up hope is when you could learn who was strong enough to surivive it. So here is to the strong ones, not only the Senators, but the fans who never gave up. Who stood by them against all odds. We survived.
Tuesday 4 June 2013
Monday 27 May 2013
It might all be gone tomorrow
There was this quote from a TV Show that I liked: "Did you say it? I love you. I don’t ever want to live without you. You
changed my life. Did you say it? Make a plan. Set a goal. Work toward it
but every now and then look around. Drink it in cause this is it. It
might all be gone tomorrow." -Greys Anatomy
What does this have to do with Hockey? Sure, when I first read this quote, Hockey was not the first thing that jumped into my mind. However, as I watched the final Sens game on Friday Night, I found this quote echoing in the back of my mind. I watched as the clock ticked down, as the Penguin's score grew bigger, and the Senators hope slipped away into the night. I saw them accept defeat as the final seconds disappeared. A crushing defeat after doing so well, after overcoming so many obstacles. But there's always next year. Another chance, more time. It's not over yet. But what about Alfredsson? What about the 40 year old veteran captain of the team? Can he come back and play again? Will he be able to...or allowed to? Those last few moments on the Ice may have been his last. He may never play again, it will all be over...It might all be gone tomorrow. The last game at ScotiaBank place may have been the last time he was surrounded by fans or played on home Ice. Did he take a chance to look around and drink it in - appreciate all that he saw, understand how loved he was, how important he was to so many? Did he tell his teammates how great it was to meet them, to play with them, that he cared about them? Did he have a dream, did he have a goal that he worked towards? Because, like the quote, after a single moment, a single shot, a single game - "It might all be gone tomorrow".
What does this have to do with Hockey? Sure, when I first read this quote, Hockey was not the first thing that jumped into my mind. However, as I watched the final Sens game on Friday Night, I found this quote echoing in the back of my mind. I watched as the clock ticked down, as the Penguin's score grew bigger, and the Senators hope slipped away into the night. I saw them accept defeat as the final seconds disappeared. A crushing defeat after doing so well, after overcoming so many obstacles. But there's always next year. Another chance, more time. It's not over yet. But what about Alfredsson? What about the 40 year old veteran captain of the team? Can he come back and play again? Will he be able to...or allowed to? Those last few moments on the Ice may have been his last. He may never play again, it will all be over...It might all be gone tomorrow. The last game at ScotiaBank place may have been the last time he was surrounded by fans or played on home Ice. Did he take a chance to look around and drink it in - appreciate all that he saw, understand how loved he was, how important he was to so many? Did he tell his teammates how great it was to meet them, to play with them, that he cared about them? Did he have a dream, did he have a goal that he worked towards? Because, like the quote, after a single moment, a single shot, a single game - "It might all be gone tomorrow".
Pageau, Pageau, Pageau, Pageau!!!
Pageau. A small French Canadian from Gatineau. Who would have ever suspected he would be the hero of a game - a Playoff game. I suppose that's a lesson to never judge a book by its cover. When 20 year old Pageau stepped onto the ice, I'm sure the Montreal Canadians didn't think much of him. Neither did the crowd. A tiny little player called up to finish off the year- no one would suspect too much. Many other players have been called up and have done a considerable job. However they never really stood out or made miraculous plays. Pageau would change this. Not only was game three of this series filled with passion and fantastic hockey, but it was a shocker for so many Ottawa fans; maybe even the Ottawa Senators themselves. For Pageau did not only score his first playoff goal ever, he didn't score twice even. He scored an unbelievable Hat-Trick. 3 goals. And might I add, they were beautiful. He didn't score "garbage goals", he made three beautiful plays that resulted in three jaw dropping goals. Th crowd, equally as astonished as Pageau, littered the ice with their hats and filled the arena with cheers and whistles. My favorite cheer was the rewriting of the Canadians famous cheer "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole", replacing Ole with Pageau. A the Montreal fans would sing this in the third period to taunt the visiting team if they were losing. Finally the game was over and Pageau was given the first star. His teammates even greeted him at the door of the dressing room, high fiving him and shouting his name. The Pageau chant echoed through the halls of ScotiaBank place as happy Sens fans celebrated their victory.
So what was that old saying? Never judge a book by its cover? Well, for the most part I have to agree. But at the same time, isn't it nice to be surprised once in a while? If we had hired a superstar player who scored a hat trick, would it be the same? I think a lot of the joy and amazement came from the fact that the underdog, the small Rookie from Gatineau became the hero of the game. Even the series. So maybe it's okay to judge or expect less sometimes. You might just be surprised.
So what was that old saying? Never judge a book by its cover? Well, for the most part I have to agree. But at the same time, isn't it nice to be surprised once in a while? If we had hired a superstar player who scored a hat trick, would it be the same? I think a lot of the joy and amazement came from the fact that the underdog, the small Rookie from Gatineau became the hero of the game. Even the series. So maybe it's okay to judge or expect less sometimes. You might just be surprised.
Sunday 28 April 2013
It's been so long since I last posted. Busy with the Play and schoolwork. My hockey season came to an end, and the Ottawa Senators have clinched a playoff spot. And so it came to be, that after seven years of playing hockey, my team would come in first place in the league. Seven years. We never won a tournament, never won the season. We would sometimes come very close, but usually something would go awry. However here we stand today, MOGL champions. I don't know exactly why this was the year. We had a good team, but we've had good teams in the past. We played together well, and we all got along. It just seems so coincidental that my last year playing would be the year that we took home the gold. It's a pretty fantastic feeling, knowing that in the end we triumphed. To all the girls that made my last year so memorable, to the times we won, to the times we lost, to all the little things that made me smile this year: Thank You.
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