Growing Up
Joe Sakic. Taken from hespelerbob's Flickr. All credits go to him.
Joe Sakic was drafted the same year I was born. The first rink I ever skated in was the same rink that Joe Sakic played hockey in as a kid. Somebody somewhere told me that and I was damn proud of it, although my childhood was spent in the swimming pool next door a lot more than the ice rink. Although I spent the majority of my childhood in the Tri-Cities Coquitlam area, Burnaby has always served as my first home and for as long as I could remember, i followed Joe Sakic’s career. It wow-ed me that he was so good, so respected, so classy and so loyal (the last one hurts because I would have given anything for him to be in a Canucks uniform instead of hitting milestone goals on us with his beloved Avalanche team). Everything I knew about him screamed role model to me. I felt a connection to him as a fan, as if I could share in his successes since he was from BC and lets face it – we’re not exactly the city of champions when it comes to sports. So as he retired today, I also felt like I have moved on to a different part of my life as well. When I talk to younger hockey fans now, I’ll be bringing up “old time greats” like Sakic and Markus Naslund and they won’t know who the hell I’m talking about, because when it comes down to it, these guys weren’t just my favourite athletes, they were my role models. I will always love the game of hockey and sports in general, but I will never call Sidney Crosby or Lebron James my role model. Hell, Crosby is 5 months and 1 day older than me.
Watching Sakic play and the way he carried himself through his career taught me tons about sportsmanship and having the right attitude. When I look back at his highlights, its a reminder that there are still people who can succeed immensely the right way – even through this cut-throat ruthless business world. This is the same league where owners didn’t give a damn when their loyal captain of 13 years leaves (Saku Koivu) and Brian Burke personally escorts soon to be ex-players to the airport because they ain’t worth the money (Peter Schaefer). When I watched the press conference today, it made me realize how great a person Joe Sakic must be off the ice. How many of you in your jobs today can say that when you retire, your boss will be reduced to tears because he’s so happy for you? Not even Michael Jordan got that treatment.
I realize that I’m making it sound like he died when he’s really just retiring, and with all the deaths lately, we really don’t need this kind of talk. I also realize that I’m bordering on insane sports idolatry. I guess what I’m trying to say is that watching one of my last sports role models retire has made me recognize that I’m exiting the stage where I can simply follow and appreciate other’s deeds and greatness, and that it is going to be my turn to have the opportunity to impact others. No, I’m not going to be an athlete, but as Joe Sakic set the example, leaders come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, forms, and personalities. If one day, I can impact some kid (who probably isn’t born yet), I’ll look back at whatever I’ll have done and call it a success.
But damn, in a normal, healthy, simple sports fan kind of way, I’m sure going to miss Joe Sakic. It indeed is the end of an era. Here’s the highlights:
