I bleed Rebel red.
This is going to be one of those lame, sentimental posts (although not about a girl). Just be warned.
I grew up all over the country. In my childhood, I saw 13 different houses in six different states, Growing up like that, you learn a couple things. First, you learn to be comfortable with adjusting to new surroundings, which isn’t an easy thing for most people. Secondly, and more importantly, you learn the value of loyalty. You learn that friends are important, and if they are loyal to you, then you must pay them the same courtesy.
That said, my hockey team, the Rebels, has had a rough go if it these past six months. We haven’t won a game since August and I fear that I have failed them as a leader. Yet, season after season, they keep coming back. They keep looking to me for leadership and they keep giving 110%. I can’t explain it, but their loyalty to the team is astounding.
So right out of the gate this season, things aren’t much different. We’re 0-2 and at times, we looked like the damn Keystone Cops out there. Everybody keeps trying though, and they keep looking to me to lead. Meanwhile, in the same division, is a team called the Nordiques, made up of some of my other friends, including my brother, cousin and friend Chav. Their team did significantly better than ours last season, and complete with their lineup of ringers, should do better again this season.
That’s where the point of this story comes. You see, we have one particularly hard worker on our team. He’s a grinder with great puck control named Rick. Chav, the captain of the Nordiques calls me every other day asking me to join his team next season and bring Rick with me. “Don’t you want to be part of a winner?” he asks. The last voicemail I got, he said he was going to cut another player loose, one who has been on the team since we started playing. Meanwhile, our team took on a player whose skills are admittedly marginal at best. He’s our friend and was a part of the original squad back in the day, however, and he’s got more heart than anyone on the Nordiques. Was it a smart decision in regards to improving the team’s skill level? Probably not, but it’s about loyalty, and that’s the thing Chav just can’t understand.
It’s not just about hockey though, it’s about life. I cherish my friends and would do anything for them. I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve managed to surround myself with a group of people who feel the same way. There’s no better feeling in the world than knowing that your friends have your back, no matter what.
So fuck the Nordiques. We may lose games, but we do it as a team. If I’m going to go down in flames, it’s good to know my friends will be there right beside me.
