Coming to an End

N's team played in the state championship game this past weekend, ultimately falling to their opponents and ending their season. They played a great game and I think many of them progressed as players, especially N. I still have a bad taste in mouth with how DW and the board put together these teams, but I'm not in a position to make a stink, and in the end, N had a good season and grew as a player. There's no question in my mind that N deserved to be on the "other team," if only for the fact that he's been a loyal player with this program and had grown up in it, but mostly because, more than anyone else on his team (in my opinion), he's just as skilled as the guys on the "other team". But, as I mentioned, I can't make a stink because it's just me whining about feeling wronged, and it's not my decision to make. Everyone else loves this coach because he's a winner, and they all want their kids to be on a winning team. Screw the other guy as long as my kid gets to be a champion, right?

N's team definitely had more of a festive atmosphere, and despite an overall lack of commitment and drive, they had fun. I know that's what it's all about, but sometimes I think these kids could benefit from a little more passion. I would say that only about 1/2 of the team, for various reasons, skated and played as hard as they could whenever they were on the ice. I can only hope their attitude will change if they ever play high school hockey, because coaches at that level will not put up with that BS.

I will say this, and I think N concurs with me, I feel a sense of relief now that the big game is over. Sure, we're disappointed, especially since we had to watch the other team win the championship (they played right before us) while we lost. There are, however, valuable life lessons in there, and sometimes that's the best thing to come out of these situations. I know N is pretty level headed about it, and I most definitely am not as bummed as I was last season when we lost a heartbreaker in the championship. This year I feel like the team went out and did their best and now we can move on with our lives.

So maybe I'll do just that. Now if I can only get over my bitterness, which for the record will probably never happen. Plus, there is still more hockey to be played, so that means running into a certain unsavory individual some more. I guess that's part of the character building process, right? The question is, what the hell am I supposed to do with all this character?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Stephane Rougon for the pic.

-->