A few things first.....
- Stopped by Wolverines practice tonight. Richard Hubscher has insanely smooth hands and his line could be the key to success in the series. A pleasure to watch him move the puck tonight. Mitch Ternan, once again, picked corners like no tomorrow in practice. Would be great to see him get it done during the games. Game 1 will be at 8pm tomorrow. Jordan James will be joining me for color commentary for Friday's game. Aaron Rawlake, the president of the Northeast league will join me on Saturday morning. And if the team goes beyond, Jordan will join for the rest.
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Bang?
Bang. That's the title of this entry. What do you think of when you see that word? A gun, obviously, right? Maybe a string of hair along the front of your face.....in which I would know nothing about. Or the sound of something crashing into the ground.....or the boards.
Bang!
Would be the sound of a missile launching, a train wreck or a body smashing into the glass. But lets stick with the sound of a bullet firing out of a gun. You blink, and its gone.
Bang. Just like that.
September 26th, 2010 the Grande Prairie Wheelers beat the Whitecourt Wolverines 3-1 at the Coca Cola Centre. I interviewed Brandon Kunz after the game and asked him what it was like to play his first game of junior hockey. I chatted with Wheelers head coach Jesse Reed who was standing outside of a very, very pumped up dressing room. He said "we wanted to come out and stick it back in their face after they embarrassed us in the finals last year." (And 11-3 loss for the championship.) Whitecourt outshot GP 57-21 during that game, and went 0-14 on the powerplay.
Bang! Or I guess, oh snap?
Whitecourt started off the year on an 8 game road trip due to the arena renovations, and the first game back on home ice was a pair of wins against the same Grande Prairie Wheelers. The 2nd, was a beauty top shelf OT winner by Zach Mills.
When I read back on all of that, it honestly seems like yesterday. I can remember where I was standing in the booth, what joking comments I made about certain situations and how stinking cold it was outside. I remember thinking to myself "good, we finally have some competition this year" after that OT win.
And just like that, we are in April. Well, March. Nearly April. I can't believe we are already back here again. You know what else I remember very well? Last April. The 7-0 loss to Beaumont in the finals. How hard it was on a few players who really gave it their all, and some others that well just couldn't pull the trigger to break the goose egg.
Bang.
We are back here again. To provincials. Another kick at the can for the Whitecourt Wolverines. There are only a hand full of players left from last year who can remember that feeling of leaving Peace River, totally humiliated by their fortune. If only a few bounces went this way, and that way, and this way. They waited an entire year to get another shot at Lloyd, and destroyed them in the semi finals. Only to get pumped by Beaumont in the final. The team, that if they didn't score in the last minute of the final round robin game against Whitecourt, would not have even made the semis. A Wolverines 5-3 win rather than 5-4 would have put Blackfalds in there by goal formula. Something as simple as that. Every little bit counts. Every shot, and every hit. And what sound do those make? Shots and hits? Yup.
Bang.
That is really what this is about. Finishing the checks. Shooting. Smack and crash and boom and pound you to the ground, make you bleed and ice your wounds hockey. No fear. No regrets. The desire to go out and run over everyone and anyone in your way. No holding back. Just go. 100 percent. Because guess what? To put it bluntly, no one remembers the runners up when you look back through history. No one says "wow, that guy was the best 2nd leading scorer in the history of that league." Or "wow that team was so good at losing 1 goal games." If the Whitecourt Wolverines want to do what a Northwest Junior Hockey League team has never done in history, and win the big one. To beat their own demons. To right the wrong from the last 2 years, they need to be fully aware of the task that lies ahead.
Bang.
And here come the comments of "its just as important to win silver as it is gold." I'm not denying that. And I'm not downplaying the achievement of a medal at any level. But true memories are made by championships. A gold medal. A league title. A broken leg from a blocked shot that sets up an OT winner. Sacrificing your body on a big hit at center to set up an odd man rush for your team. Or laying out a thunderous hit to wear a team down. They all have one thing in common.
Pain.
I don't know what you think of when you hear the word "bang." But, for me, its a startling sound. It makes me jump back. My heart skip a beat. Well, I know that's how quite a few of these players will be feeling heading into the provincials this weekend. Nervous. startled. And maybe even a racing heart. And, the select few will only be able to remember pain from recent memory.
What do you think of when you hear the word "bang?" Are you one to run and hide, or do you head to the action? I know that when Coach Shawn Gervais gave the speech that inspired this entry in Dawson Creek, he referred to intensity. No regrets.
And that is what this weekend in Leduc is about. One last shot at the gold. No looking back.
Because before you know it......................
Bang. Its over.
Just like that.
