Rookies and Veterans

Hockey just isn’t that important today.

Maybe I look at things a bit differently now knowing that my oldest son has committed to serve in the armed forces for this great country. It doesn’t even need to be said. I couldn’t be more proud of him.

In the hockey world, this time of year there is always talk of how impressive the Rookies are.  Today it is not about the Rookies it is about the Veterans. The important Veterans……

I hope everyone can have the opportunity to say thank you today to a member of our armed services. Current or former.

Whether you are American or Canadian, please take time away from hockey and sports to reflect and think about the true heroes of our countries. Not someone who got a hat trick last night or scored a game winning goal.
Heroes who give us the freedom and ability to enjoy hockey and all the other things we take for granted.

It is so easy to get caught up in our day to day lives and focus on scores, highlights and how our teams and young players are doing.  Just remember though that we are all part of a team that is fighting for something way more important than a playoff spot.

There are daily injury reports that are not putting players on a 7 to 10 day unable to perform list. There are members of our team every day going on an injured reserve list that will last forever….Remember that. Be grateful for their sacrifice. Be thankful for their service and if you can let one of our players know that, make sure you do. These are people who are not looking for a new contract, a highlight on Sportscenter or a scholarship. They are usually just appreciative of a warm thank you. A lot of them deserve our support now and will really need it when they are no longer in the service.

So today, let’s stop for a moment focusing on the horrifying story involving Penn State University and all the other negative news stories and spend some time thinking about the positive role models and people who secure our freedom every day. Rarely are they in front of a camera defending or explaining themselves. They just do their jobs and make sure we can go about doing ours every day.

There is always the weekend to go back to our mite games, our junior games, our pro games and all the fun that goes with it.

But today and every day, remember who really the true All Stars in this world are.