He is MY First Rounder

“I had a friend who was a big baseball player, back in high school……He could throw that speed ball by you, make you look like a fool……”Glory Days
Bruce Springsteen

The other day I was sitting in my office looking at a picture of myself on NHL Draft day a very  long time ago….(1986). I was a First Round Pick in the NHL. It is true that all ex-professional players every once in a while get caught up dreaming of days gone past. On this particular day though, that wasn’t the case. I was looking at the picture and shocked at how much my 18 year old son now looks like me in that picture…and how fast the time has passed. A lot of you know that the majority of the blog this season has related to my seven year old son and our escapades with the Mite team he has been a part of.  As I think about my two sons this blog is not really so different.   Things are all tied together.

Recently my 18 year son was accepted to the University of South Florida in Tampa for the fall term.   It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that he was the same size as my current little mite player. I am every bit as proud of him as I am sure my parents were of me when I got drafted. I am very lucky that the company I created has the pleasure of working with families and players to facilitate their journey to getting into a great college.   I find it very rewarding when all their hard work pays off and a player gets into the school they want partially because of what they have accomplished in hockey. My older son didn’t play hockey and really isn’t that interested in it. After seeing him accomplish his goal of getting accepted to a good school there wasn’t a thing he could have achieved in hockey that would have made me any more proud of him than I am right now. When it comes to kids getting a great education in this world today I believe it outweighs any accomplishment they could achieve in hockey.  It has to. I played with a lot of great guys that came from college and over the years I have become very envious of them. In fact I am very envious of my 18 year old and what he has accomplished. Something I never did. The game of hockey ends for everyone at some point. A quality education lasts a lifetime. (Much like golf!)

I guess I am thinking about all these things because of the time of the year it is in the hockey season.   Right now there are a lot of parents of young players caught up in Playdowns or Play-offs or whatever you call them. Soon the same parents will be caught up in Try-Outs (I mean Evaluations……whatever….).  Just a reminder, it is fine to emphasize being competitive and making a team, but let’s push the kids to understand what is really important long term.

That and remember to enjoy it……..it goes by very, very fast. 

“I hope when I get older I don’t sit around thinkin about it……..but I probably will…….” J
Glory Days
Bruce Springsteen

Have a great week everyone!!!!