The Final Game
The Final Game
I’m not normally a morning person, usually I can’t stand the heat of the sun beaming against my face as the rays sneak through the blinds the ruthlessly wake me up, but today was a different kind of morning. Right from the get go I knew this was no average day, my stomach was turning as my mind wandered. I was freaking out, my nerves were running like a thundering herd because I knew that today was different, today was the Regional Championship against Catholic Central. I woke up facing a harsh reality, win and continue playing hockey, lose and you have played your last meaningful game with all of your friends. That reality came with a crushing truth, my life for the last twelve years would either continue on as normal or it would face a dramatic truth that hockey was no longer going to be my everything. As nervous as I was, I was also anxious, I wanted nothing more than to end CC’s season and live to play another game with my best friends. I knew there was only one way to do this, I had to be a contributing member of the Spartans lineup, and I had to help my teammates bring the Shamrocks crumbling to their knees to suffer the agonizing pain of defeat.
The time on the road has always been one of my favorite things about playing High School hockey with my friends. Those bus trips were filled with shenanigans and irreplaceable memories. After a while you’re able to develop a natural instinct that helps you sense when the ride is coming to an end. Today was no different, as we were turning onto Nick Lidstrom drive I could tell it was time. The bus slowly came to a stop and as I looked up I saw the green and white awning of Novi Ice Arena, the awning read “Welcome to Novi Ice Arena”. I looked at my line mate and nodded as a confident grin appeared on my face, he nodded back as we stood up to make our way out of the bus for the big game.
I grabbed my equipment bag and threw it over my right shoulder, shortly after I put my head phones on and
I’m not normally a morning person, usually I can’t stand the heat of the sun beaming against my face as the rays sneak through the blinds the ruthlessly wake me up, but today was a different kind of morning. Right from the get go I knew this was no average day, my stomach was turning as my mind wandered. I was freaking out, my nerves were running like a thundering herd because I knew that today was different, today was the Regional Championship against Catholic Central. I woke up facing a harsh reality, win and continue playing hockey, lose and you have played your last meaningful game with all of your friends. That reality came with a crushing truth, my life for the last twelve years would either continue on as normal or it would face a dramatic truth that hockey was no longer going to be my everything. As nervous as I was, I was also anxious, I wanted nothing more than to end CC’s season and live to play another game with my best friends. I knew there was only one way to do this, I had to be a contributing member of the Spartans lineup, and I had to help my teammates bring the Shamrocks crumbling to their knees to suffer the agonizing pain of defeat.
The time on the road has always been one of my favorite things about playing High School hockey with my friends. Those bus trips were filled with shenanigans and irreplaceable memories. After a while you’re able to develop a natural instinct that helps you sense when the ride is coming to an end. Today was no different, as we were turning onto Nick Lidstrom drive I could tell it was time. The bus slowly came to a stop and as I looked up I saw the green and white awning of Novi Ice Arena, the awning read “Welcome to Novi Ice Arena”. I looked at my line mate and nodded as a confident grin appeared on my face, he nodded back as we stood up to make our way out of the bus for the big game.
I grabbed my equipment bag and threw it over my right shoulder, shortly after I put my head phones on and