Hockey Players
Friday, July 09, 2010

Posted by iceman88

There’s something special about hockey boys, no matter how old they are, or who they play for, whether they’re trying to make it pro, just living the dream for another year, or reliving the past glories in men’s leagues. Everyone who plays hockey shares a bond, a connection with everyone else who has ever laced ‘em up. Everyone who missed Fridays in middle school for road trips, everyone who moved away from home at 16, everyone who’s struggled to get out of bed for 6am practice, everyone who’s gone bardown from the top of the circles, and everyone who knows…how you look is just as important as how you play.

People outside the circle just don’t understand. They don’t get the culture – the chirps, the chews, the brews, the babes, and most importantly, the game itself. Other guys try to fight us, girls think we’re cocky assholes and are disgusted when we pack a lip in the back of class. But we all know that there’s something special we share from all the blood on the ice, sweat in the weight room, beaks in the locker room, and laughs at the bars.

Half the reason people don’t get hockey players is because they have no idea what we’re saying. One time we’re talking to these girls at the bar, and our goalie starts slurring in his Alberta accent, “So I’m chirpin’ this plug for his bender boots..” The one broad looks at me like what-did-he-just-say, and I tell her, “He was beakin’ a guy for his dusty wheels…uh I mean he was making fun of someone for having bad skates” Not the first time it happened, and it definitely won’t be the last. If someone listened in to a hockey team talk for a day, they’d have no clue what’s going on. Snipe, dangle, wheel, duster, gongshow, chirp, the list goes on. We take it for granted, but it’s another thing that separates us from the rest.

The hockey lifestyle makes us one-of-a-kind. Our priorities are different, we are consumed by the game. Early morning workouts, late night praccys, and weekend road trips make our schedules different from everyone else. How many times has someone talked about a party on Friday night, and you had to say “I can’t….I have hockey.” Still, we all know it’s not just about playing the game…it’s about living it. When we’re not at the rink, we’re probably playing NHL10 on Xbox, watching a game on TV, or reading about trades online. Or else we’re posted up at the bar with the beauties on our team. Everyone flocks to us, the owner sends over free drinks, and we run the place. When you wake up, you swear she didn’t look this bad last night, and plus hey, it’s for the story in the locker room anyway. As hard as we work, we play just as hard.

Hockey teams are different from teams in any other sport. Our team is our family, our brother who we’d do anything for. Good hockey teams are built on hard work, loyalty, respect, and sacrifice. I know I’d do anything for my teammates on or off the ice, and I’m sure most hockey players would say the same about their team. There’s something special you share with the people in that locker room. The stories, the laughs, the blood, the tears…they all go into making that group. After a season-ending loss you’re sad and pissed off, but the next day is even worse when you realize that you’ll probably never play with that exact same group of guys again.

Even the best players in the world are the same as the rest of us. The Ducks were practicing at the rink before our game one time, and they’re exactly like us, just a lot better and a lot richer. Ryan Getzlaf, a Stanley Cup champion, absolute slampiece, Gold Medal, All-Star, everything, cellied after every goal and would chirp whatever defenseman he walked then the goalie he sniped. Yeah, they’re in the show, but they play hockey for the exact same reason as us…they love the game. NHLers are always talked about as the nicest pro athletes, cool people, and good to hang out with at the bar. One time we were out in St. Louis, and I was wearing a Gongshow hat. Next thing I know, Patrik Berglund sees the hat and asks if I’m a hockey player. We talked for the next hour like we were best friends.

Hockey players are the same no matter where you go. And it’s the same at all levels, NHL, minors, NCAA, CHL, midgets, high school, ACHA, it doesn’t matter. All the kids livin’ the dream, all the kids trying to make it, all the kids who play just because it’s what they’ve done their whole life…we all share something special. We share a lifestyle, we share a culture, we share a language. Girls might get pissed at us, guys might try to fight us. People will say we’re arrogant, selfish, and that we’re assholes who think we’re better than everyone else. But ya know what? We play hockey…so we are better than everyone else.