Post by Gerard on Mar 5, 2002 21:38:44 GMT -5
This isn't NHL-related nor is it non-hockey so I settled to put it here b/c it's certainly hockey. My 16 yr old played last night in a p/off (of sorts) vs a team in the 3rd game of a best of 3 set-up. The winner would represent the area in the provincial playdowns in Cape Breton.
My son isn't a flashy goal scorer but he's very dependable d-man who has played in plenty of games in the last 11 or so years. As luck would have it it went into OT and they scored the winner while my son was on the ice. He saw himself as a major contributor to the loss as the play came from his side of the ice. What he wasn't able to see was that their 3 forwards had all but stayed up-ice hoping for a pass so that they could score the winner.
As the puck trickled across the line, to the delight of the hometown crowd, my son was devastated like few times I have ever saw him. As he was on the ice, on his hands/knees, I could tell he was crying and, as any father would, my heart was crushed. It's even hard to write about.
Over the next few minutes, while the other team celebrated, he ended up at the other end of the ice staring out past the glass unaware of the handshaking which had begun behind him. But when he turned and saw the ritual that all hockey players accept he joined in on the congratulatory offering. I know he would have rather been anywhere else but at center ice which makes me even more proud of him. He could easily have stayed by the end glass.
My responsibility on the hour+ drive home was not to tell him not to feel his emotions but to help him realize that it takes a whole team to win and a whole team to lose. When you lose you can often take on much of the blame b/c you forget about all the good plays you made and concentrate on the last minute. Maybe that's just human nature.
I will remember my son shaking hands for many years. If he learns nothing from this great game other than sportsmanship he's learned a lesson that he will be able to carry over (in time) to his own children. What more can I say?? Thanks.
My son isn't a flashy goal scorer but he's very dependable d-man who has played in plenty of games in the last 11 or so years. As luck would have it it went into OT and they scored the winner while my son was on the ice. He saw himself as a major contributor to the loss as the play came from his side of the ice. What he wasn't able to see was that their 3 forwards had all but stayed up-ice hoping for a pass so that they could score the winner.
As the puck trickled across the line, to the delight of the hometown crowd, my son was devastated like few times I have ever saw him. As he was on the ice, on his hands/knees, I could tell he was crying and, as any father would, my heart was crushed. It's even hard to write about.
Over the next few minutes, while the other team celebrated, he ended up at the other end of the ice staring out past the glass unaware of the handshaking which had begun behind him. But when he turned and saw the ritual that all hockey players accept he joined in on the congratulatory offering. I know he would have rather been anywhere else but at center ice which makes me even more proud of him. He could easily have stayed by the end glass.
My responsibility on the hour+ drive home was not to tell him not to feel his emotions but to help him realize that it takes a whole team to win and a whole team to lose. When you lose you can often take on much of the blame b/c you forget about all the good plays you made and concentrate on the last minute. Maybe that's just human nature.
I will remember my son shaking hands for many years. If he learns nothing from this great game other than sportsmanship he's learned a lesson that he will be able to carry over (in time) to his own children. What more can I say?? Thanks.