Showing Up

I was at my family’s house this weekend for Father’s Day dinner and was blown away by how awesome this story is, so I hope through writing this I can effectively share a story about a hockey team showing up for their teammate.

My cousin’s bantam teammate, Peter Harrington, was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis in early May this year. The rare infection affects the brain and spinal cord and can be deadly. If you’ve heard of it before, you probably know how serious it can be. It is typically associated with some pretty nasty outcomes. It progresses quickly and if not treated immediately, death is a high possibility.

My cousins and aunt. (From left to right) Griffin, Elizabeth, my aunt Trisha, Gavin, and Gunner Bourassa

Peter was placed in a medically induced coma in order for doctors to treat him. From his Caring Bridge page, you can see that the team of physicians working with him were not able to give any predictions of the situation. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be watching your child in this position. However, the amount of positivity in the posts on the Caring Bridge site by his family is nothing short of amazing.

After two weeks of being in a medically induced coma, Peter was able to respond to tests and eventually was weaned off of his sedatives. From what I understand and from what I’m told, the recovery that he has made is a miracle. Plain and simple. His medical team is amazed at the progress he has made and all the people that I have spoken with that know him are ecstatic to see his improvement.

I had spoken to my uncle and aunt a few times throughout the past two months about Peter. From the first time that I heard about his condition, I could tell how much it weighed on them. It was difficult for them to watch a family that they are close to, go through the whole ordeal, but also how difficult the situation was for their own children. My cousin was torn up to see his teammate and good buddy in such a fragile condition. He wasn’t able to visit much of the time and that made it even harder for him. All the kids in the family wanted to show their support for Peter.

So last weekend when I was over at my family’s house for dinner, I noticed that their backyard wiffle ball field(this thing Is no joke) was in great shape. Grass was cut perfectly, lines drawn out and even a mulched warning track. In the past, my uncle and aunt had put on wiffle ball tourney’s that were day long events and all proceeds from the team entry fees went towards the Susan G. Komen fund for breast cancer research. One year there were over 150 players and spectators who showed up. I asked if they were getting ready for another tournament, but my cousin answered proudly that they started a league.

This is the “showing up” part. My cousins, their teammates from multiple teams and hockey players from Centennial, the town over started a wiffle ball league. It gives me chills writing this because of how great and clever I think it is (and to be honest, how extremely proud I am of these guys!). My cousin told me they have sixteen teams, all consisting of five players each and play a full “regular season” of seven games per team. They meet up every Friday at their field in New Brighton, Minn. and at the end of the summer they will have playoffs. The league entry fee was $50 per team, but people have brought more than just the minimum. They will be donating all the money to Peter’s medical expenses.

The first ever Little League World Series: Wiffle Ball edition will be held at Bourassa field! #whosonyourteam pic.twitter.com/jHJlWZZGlL

— Gun (@GunnerBourassa) June 3, 2015

My aunt said it is funny because when they “had the tournaments in the past, the entire block would be lined with cars. Since most of the kids that play aren’t old enough to drive, you can barely tell there are 80 kids over”. She also said that the cops showed up this week…. Just to watch though! 

I think this speaks volumes to the character of these kids and the support they showed and continue to show for one of their buddies. I also think it is just one of many stories of how teammates and players show up for each other. Think back to the outreach of the hockey community that was sparked when tragedy occurred for Jack Jablonski with a hit that rendered him paralyzed, or the stories of the D-1 goaltender Joe Rogers who has helped inspire kids with similar disabilities and many more . Not only are these great examples of teammates and the hockey community showing up for each other, they also put things into perspective. 

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor

Some squad pictures

What are you Playing For?

Team Blade had a big win last night in our first Tuesday Night C-Division Men’s League game of the season. 5-0 with some pretty nifty goals for the boys. The semi-primetime game at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. was attended by zero fans, but that is beside the fact. Two goalies on either end and a few extras on the bench can still prove for a good game.

After playing junior hockey, I really didn’t think that I would lace ‘em up again competitively. I wasn’t planning on it, but wound up having a defense coach take a chance on me at D-3 school pretty last minute.

After my short college stint, I knew that that would be the end of my competitive “career”. I knew there wasn’t a next step for me. But that really isn’t the reason we play the game.

We play the game because we love it.

That’s why on any given weeknight at the rink I play at there can be 15 guys on a men’s league team showing up to play some hockey, despite it being 10:30PM on a Tuesday and everyone still having to get up for work early the next day. It’s the reason why the park rinks can get almost too packed in the winter to even make a move without running someone over, but you still keep playing.

There was a great article in City Pages a little while back that discussed the culture of hockey and the want of players to move through the ranks as quick as possible. It isn't a bad thing to want to move up, that is a huge reason why hockey is so competitive.  One question that really stuck out to me in the article was posed by an ex-NHLer and now agent, Neil Sheehy. He asks each one of the younger clients that he councils this question.

Why do you play hockey?

Players usually think it is a trick and he has to assure them that it is a very basic question with a simple answer. He is looking for players who 1) love hockey and 2) love hockey because it is fun.

I’ve lost about two steps to my game. My buddy on the way home last night after our game said that it looks like I still think I can fly on the ice. I’m still a decent skater, but I know my hands get me into trouble because my feet can’t keep up anymore.

I loved my time playing competitively and it felt great moving through the ranks even when it was uncertain. But it is still just as fun for me to play once a week in a summer men’s league. It is still great to play pickup hockey at the park with a few buddies and some people you just met. It is fun being able to step on the ice and get better (even if my feet don't keep up the same way anymore). So why do you play? And if it isn’t for the love of the game, what are you playing for?

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor

Zurowski, Cory. "Game Misconduct: The Assault on the State of Hockey." Weblog post. CityPages. N.p., 21 Jan. 2015. Web.

The Small World of Hockey

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to set up at the Stick it to Cancer tournament in Blaine, MN. For those of you who have been to the National Sports Center, it is pretty commonplace in our hockey lives; but I know first hand that watching someone see if for the first time is entertaining. Eight rinks in one complex is pretty dang impressive. As the tourney proved, the place is a Rink Rat’s dream. Give your kids a few quarters and they’ll keep themselves entertained for hours (a few at our booth).

The Stick it to Cancer tournament is a benefit event to help fight breast cancer. All of the 64 teams participating volunteer six combined hours of their time for helping run the tournament. The referees are also volunteering their time. It is an undeniably great cause and absolutely great to see so many people turn out to raise money for cancer research. 

There is a theory floating around out there that I share with others (this Lets Play Hockey piece by John Hamre nails it). It might also tie into the success of this tournament as well. I’ve discussed it with other hockey players too, they all agree with me.

There is something about the hockey community that makes it feel a lot more connected than other social circles.

I was set up at a booth with Travis Baker from Blade Hockey (go check them out) and each person that we spoke with for more than three minutes we could figure out that at the very least, we knew someone who knew someone in common. I know that isn’t the greatest example, but think about the circles we plug ourselves into through the sport. Our core team, our hockey camps, our spring leagues, the coaches we know, our opponents; it is all part of the same ecosystem that keeps evolving and creating more bonds. And maybe there are other sports that do this, but I haven’t heard of too many stories that could rival hockey narratives.

Think about the connections you have made through hockey. Think of all the people that you know because you share the same love of the sport.

My Easter was spent with family and friends, as usual, and I am extremely lucky to have so many of those people in this area. But my family consists of ex-pro hockey players, a USHL player, youth hockey players, a DEL coach, an NCAA coach, high school hockey coaches, all around enthusiasts; and because of the friendships that have formed over the years through hockey, an MN Wild beat writer and another ex-pro-now-coach.

Through running Pügi's social media pages, I see the hockey community growing even faster and with a wider reach than in prior generations. There are kids with awesome Instagram accounts showing off their mitts and connecting with other hockey players from around the world, there are guys like Jeremy Rupke running websites and posting YouTube video tutorials helping coach kids and adults that want to get better and endless pick-up games formed. Let’s keep the community growing and thriving; make some buddies the next time you’re at the rink! You never know what teams they've played for, who they've coached or have been coached by or who they are related to in some form.

Maybe the reason that it is such a strong community is that we enjoy both hearing and telling those kind of stories; it becomes a sort of verbal history that we get to pass on to others. We have a culture of our own that shapes its history through goals, assists, hits, blocked shots, missing teeth, nights on the town, training, off seasons, playoffs, wins and loses. 

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor

P.S. ScramBoll Eggs- the sleeper product in our lineup! They were flying off the table. The last day of the tournament, we were using our training tools in front of the booth and folks had to stop by and ask, try and then walk away with a couple. The ScramBoll Eggs work wonderfully. Instead of rolling predictably, they bounce and get away from you like a puck might when it is being battled for. They are a great tool to toss in your bag or for the driveway. Well, that is my pitch on those.

Sioux Falls Stampede and Skating on Stilts

I went down to Sioux Falls to watch my cousin Parker Tuomie play Friday night. He's a winger for the Stampede, a gritty player that forechecks relentlessly, gets pucks on the net and really reminds me of Martin St. Louis' playing style. I hadn't seen him play in person since 2010 when I was living with his parents in Bremerhaven, Germany, so it was great seeing him play. They are just about to head into their playoffs, they clinched with a win on Saturday night.  

I made the trek down from Minneapolis to watch both the Stampede play the Tri-City Storm and to watch a family friend perform during the game(more on that later). I have never been to the Denny Sanford Premier Center before, I was impressed. It was built last year and seats 12,000 people. For the Friday night game they had just over 6,000 fans, pretty impressive draw in my mind. The Stampede were down 5-1 going into the third period, Tri-City had a few really nice goals in the first period off of some heavy shots. Tri-City wound up scoring two more in the third to make it 7-1. With four minutes to go in the third period though, it seemed like every shot the Stampede took went in.

Had to have been the biggest comeback I have seen, despite Sioux Falls still having lost. The final score wound up being 7-6 and they had a few quality chances to tie it up.

My cousin had two goals within less than 30 seconds of each other, which was great to see! The Stampede currently have 20 players committed to a D1 team and it was great to be watching players that young play in a setting like that.

Too Tall Ike; The man, the myth, the legend. A good family friend, Dave Isaacson, started skating on stilts in 2009.  He saw someone do this about thirty years ago when he was a student at UMD. In general, he’s a tall man, but on stilts he stands at just about ten feet tall and is able to stick handle and shoot with an eight foot tall made 3-piece stick. He wears a Charleston Chiefs jersey and obligatory Hanson Brother glasses. The stilts are custom made sheet rocker stilts with goalie blades on the bottom for a little more steel on the ice. He skated around after the first period of Friday’s game. Laughing about it afterwards, he was specifically told to make sure he waited until the “Cadillac” was off the ice to start, the local dealership had to have been a little nervous about a ten foot tall guy on stilts next to the brand new car.

Walking into the game, I asked him when he started doing this at games. He said his first game was a junior game in Des Moines. He said it was dollar beer night and guys were carrying around five beers in a tray up to the stands when he was getting ready. "The people were loose", he said. He’s done junior games, college, and even a Columbus Blue Jackets game. Check out his Facebook, pretty great pictures!

Play hard, play fair, and have fun

-Taylor

The Importance of Great Goaltending

If your NCAA Bracket looked anything like mine after the first two rounds of the tourney, you probably aren’t too happy with Minnesota teams. I had the U of M winning it all, beating Mankato in the Championship.

But if this weekend of hockey proved anything, it is the importance of goaltending. Eight of the twelve games played in the tournament were won by teams with four or more goals. In six of those games, the winning team held their opponents to only one goal.

At all levels we see good goalies influence his/her team’s play. It is easy to rally behind a goalie that you can trust. I might be partial since I am from here, but let’s take a look at the Minnesota Wild. Since Devan Dubnyk has joined the team, his record in net has been 26-6-1. He was just named the NHL’s player of the week for the second time this season.

Having the ability to play knowing that you have solid goaltending gives a team the ability to go out, score goals and not have to worry as much about their defensive zone. I guess we will see what happens in Boston for the #FrozenFour and also in the NHL Playoffs.

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25127031/watch-goalie-scores-goal-finnish-announcer-completely-loses-it

But, then again, maybe we should just hope for goalies who can pull that off.

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor