Blood, Sweat, and Beers!
Friday, August 13, 2004
Posted by GSH-Webby
By: Jason Fortier – Contributing GSH.com Writer
 | The long bus trips and swapping war stories, while playing cards, and sipping the odd beer. Those were some of the best times I endured as a hockey player. The game I loved playing as a child has changed some, but not as much as I have changed in the last couple years. |
Hockey isn’t just a game, it’s a lifestyle. We’ve all had the dream of playing in the NHL, but reality is only a few make it. I never did make the NHL, but I still got paid to play this wonderful game. I had the chance to live out part of my dream, and who knows where I’d be if it had not been for hockey. I learned about pride, honor, respect, teamwork, all skills I picked up from hockey were not just for the game. I learned life skills, and they have helped me mature into a much better person.
Scoring goals, making great plays, laying a solid body check, and dropping the gloves! All these things I loved doing, and they lead to one thing we all wanted, or enjoyed during our time playing the game. Winning a Championship! Celebrating with your teammates, laughing over a few beers, singing songs, and the biggest thrill is watching your buddies smile with pride for weeks on end.
The key to this game isn’t who skates the fastest, or scores the most goals because in my years I’ve noticed that the best players don’t always make it, often it was the guy who had the most fun playing. The guy who loved coming to the rink for extra skates, playing street hockey all day, and if you don’t have fun, you might as well hang’em up now! I am now employed managing a hockey store, and I coach AAA minor hockey too. The game of hockey has given me a channel in which I have the ability to stay in an environment I love, and earn a living. I work in the hockey industry, and coach minor hockey too. It’s easy to say hockey is still my biggest passion.
I’ve been asked what I miss most now that I’m not playing. Easy! I miss being around my teammates. I loved the game, but being a part of something special, and trying to win a Championship was the most fun I ever had! The dressing room was our home, and was a sacred place in which we talked about everything. Whatever’s said in the room, stayed in the room! Those were sacred words, and if you broke’em, you paid the price. I had so much fun during my days of playing; I can only hope I have just as much fun coaching.
If we all could skate like the wind, the game would be a breeze!
Visit Jason Fortier at:
Westwood Arena
90 Woodbine Downs Blvd.
Etobicoke, Ontario
Canada