The outdoor hockey rinks recently opened here in downtown Toronto. It's pretty common to see skaters wearing NHL jerseys... while some are just cool looking jerseys, I'd say most are of favorite teams and/or players.
I've never been one to rock a jersey playing outdoor but decided this year to dig out my old Lemieux jersey from my parents house... I think I got it for my birthday in grade 6. It was pretty big on me back then and I didn't wear it much out of fear I'd ruin it. I wore it to school one day and ended up getting blue pen on the sleeve... that's also about the time girls started wearing lipstick... so it just wasn't worth the risk. For the most part it stayed hung up in my closet. Growing up, most kids' hero's and idols are either athletes, actors, and musicians. When I was young, the Pittsburg Penguins were the shit and Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were the shit... but Lemieux got the edge because of the Canadian factor. Regardless, Penguins or Team Canada, whatever jersey that guy put on, he stood out and dominated. When Mario went public with his illness and departed from the game, possibly for good, I was pretty sad. Sports are a good way to help kids learn about reality in small doses. It's one thing when your favorite player is out with a broken arm... it's another to try and understand when you're 10 years old what cancer is... and why they make it sound like such a big deal... as if he's going to die or something. I can't remember what year it was... but for Christmas one of my older brothers surprised my dad and I with tickets to see Pittsburg vs Ottawa (Leafs tickets were insanely expensive and out of the question). I was floored... I was going to get to see Lemieux! It was later in his career, post comeback, but at this point in my life, being in the same building is just as good as hanging out at his house or something. I'd watch TSN highlights every morning and for the first time I'd be able to watch it and think to myself "I was there!" During warm up, the unhelmeted Lemieux had the calm and cocky swagger that's expected from elite pro athletes... but during most of the game he stood with his ass against the boards at the blue line, waiting for the long bomb pass... which would result in a breakaway... and chances are a goal... but it was just so disappointing to see. Where was the team play? Where was the grinding in front of the net? Where was going end to end making the Senator's look like a bunch of clowns? Where was the dominate player I'd grew up watching... what the fuck did they do with Lemieux??? I was confused. Disappointed is an understatement. It wasn't until years later a few more athletes started following the same path... they became shadows of their former self. People complain pro athletes are over paid... but I imagine none of them care about the money the minute they realize they can't play like they use to... injuries, illness, or just old age. The thing that defined them has been taken away, from the outside in, in most cases. If the mind still works, experience will always trump a rookie, but when the body can't keep up, it levels the playing field... ultimately tilting so far out of their favor... all they can do is watch. Memories are snapshots... greatness is a snapshot. We remember the good times and the bad times... not much in between. When we think of a past relationship and miss someone, we tend to think of the good times... or I guess the great times. When something is working so well, and then all of a sudden seemingly not, we question what happened. Our expectations of when things were great become our expectation of normal. We ignore that most things have a curve... a rise and fall... perhaps if we're lucky it'll plateau and just "end" abruptly... it's pretty sad in reality though when that happens. Musicians, athletes, actors... they all sorta fall under this disposable celebrity 0nce the public (or owners) feel they're past their prime... but I think it's important to remember at the heart of it, they're just people with jobs, who've sacrificed a lot to follow their dream. Lots of people die (from the outside in) trying and don't even come close! Meanwhile, even more are too afraid to even try, for fear of failure. Where I'm going with all this? Not really sure... I just thought I'd share some thoughts on something that affects everyone's life... our memories and expectations of others... and I guess "things" to a point. It's almost impossible to achieve greatness... and even harder to maintain that memory of greatness in others once it's past it's prime. I think it'd be good if we could all keep that in mind whenever we cross paths with someone who's deemed "past their prime"... since it's probably our opinions that shape who they see in the mirror.
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Mike Langford - Official BlogBeing on both sides of the glass, I get the chance to wear many hats in the music industry. This is a place to share my thoughts, views, predictions, rants, stories and news! Categories
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