Enough about Lebron...Why I still prefer hockey players

I have officially had to turn off SportsCenter in my house.  I am so tired of hearing about LeBron James. Sure, he is a great basketball player and I'm sure this new trio of powerhouse players in Miami will turn some heads next season...but having to listen to this particular basketball player discuss his need to be a winner just reminds me why I prefer hockey players.

Recently I had the opportunity to write an article about eight young hockey players from the Chicagoland area who were invited to tryout for a Canadian Junior A hockey team.  These players had to attend a few tryout sessions to get where they are now...heading up to Brockville, Ontario, Canada next week for the Big Event!  And yet...in speaking with these players, not one of them spoke of their strong personal talents.  Each one attributed his abilities to coaches, parents, brothers, or teammates that helped them get to where they are today.

This is the thing I've noticed about hockey players at any level--including the NHL--they are not about themselves. They are about the sport and about their team.  You will always hear a goalie complimenting his defensemen, a captain complimenting his lines, defensemen complimenting the forwards, all players complimenting the goalie, and so on.  It's always about the team and never about the individual.  This mindset begins very early on in the youth hockey programs.  And those players who do tend to talk more about their own play or place blame on teammates don't usually make it very far.  Selfish play is not tolerated in hockey...puckhogs are not appreciated.

So at this time when Chicago is still celebrating the victory of our Blackhawks earning the Stanley Cup, it was refreshing to speak with young players (18-20 years old) who see this opportunity not only as a stepping stone to further their hockey dreams but also as an opportunity to move on to a NCAA Division I program. 

The team I am writing for, the Brockville Braves, is the second oldest Canadian Junior A hockey team in the CHL.  In fact, after winning the Fred Page Cup this past season (kinda like winning the Stanley Cup for Junior A Canadian hockey), the Braves placed nine players in NCAA Division I programs!  And if promoting higher education wasn't enough...this team provides Chicago-area fans with immediate appeal--their logo was borrowed from our very own Chicago Blackhawks in the early 1960s.  As a new team, the Chicago Blackhawks sent equipment and jerseys to the Braves in the 1960s, and while no formal relationship exists between the two teams, the Braves have been given permission to continue using the similar jerseys and logo ever since.

Of the 14 players invited to the Big Tryouts next weekend, 8 are from our Chicagoland area.  While I don't know what fate holds for these players, they were a pleasure to speak with and to write about.  Just another reminder of why I like hockey...and why my son plays hockey!

Chicago-area Hockey Players Head for Canadian Tryouts - Triblocal - Voice of the town