5...4....3.....2.........1...and the buzzer sounds. For a second or two the air is full of sticks and gloves and the players all crowd around and on top of their poor goalie. Players pair off in hugs and high fives. There is no better feeling in hockey to get to the league final and win the championship. Looking for gloves and sticks on the ice has to be a feeling that never gets old.
Many of the players in the hockey world never get to experience that feeling. This year two of my kids played hockey. One made it to the semi-final, just one win away from the league final; and the other made it through to the end...eventually capturing the title. He called it back in October while we were at White Point Beach Resort. A mother from another player saw that he had his logo on and asked him how he did last season. He said, "We won the whole thing...and we are going to do it again". True to his word, that is how things played out!
The crazy part is that his team won the league last year, then proceeded to win the baseball league, then again in hockey this year. I keep telling him that this is rare air he is breathing, but to him it is the accepted norm now. In my mind, it is a bumper crop of talented young kids at his age group that are just happy to compete. I don't remember winning the whole league when I was younger, though I don't remember much about stats. We did get the opportunity to hoist the cup when I was with Acadia University, but I was support staff in that role. I've definitely experienced winning tournaments in different sports but the league championship...I honestly cannot remember if we did which tells me that I likely haven't.
I know the old saying it isn't about winning or losing, but I can tell you this...you don't forget the people you win with. Even as support staff at Acadia, I can tell you almost everything that happened that day, how the walk to the Maple Leafs Gardens felt, how it felt as the time ticked down against Waterloo; the celebration in the locker room; how the night felt in my new black suit that I got at the Eaton centre that trip. What I truly cherish is the memories on the bus that year, and the weeks after the championship celebrating with the team. Someone once told me you never forget who you win with, and I believe that is truth.
I truly love sport, and I believe there are so many lessons that people can and do learn from them. I wish that every kid could experience the feeling of gloves on the ice. That every parent could experience that feeling from the stands. That every coach could feel like a kid again jumping up and down on the bench with that big win. Until that happens, you don't need to get the big win to celebrate. Celebrate the small ones. I believe that winning does matter. It can be habit forming. Enjoy every success no matter how large or small the victory then move on to the next one.....and when you get the chance fire those gloves on the ice and hope that someone is taking pictures.