Sacrifices

When you ask an NHL professional what would you give up to win the Stanley Cup, you might hear a variety of answers, mainly involving giving up a great deal of limbs. I have to agree, again with biass, that in the world of sport there is nothing greater than the Stanley Cup. It is ultimately the toughest trophy in all of professional sports to win. You battle through 82 games to get to the playoffs and then you have to pull out 16 wins to obtain the cup.

People make unbelievable sacrifices in their lives. In sports, athletes put everything on the line to achieve their dreams. You might let go of dreams in order to support others or vice versa. I have to say that people have sacrificed for me to achieve things in life and I am eternally grateful to those who have made everything I have today possible.

Sacrifices are something that people on this level of playing know all too well. Every single one of the 35 guys on the team sacrifice their time when I'm sure that we all could be in our warm beds or spend time with our families. There are the long weekends when you plan everything around the games. Obviously the other thing we all give up is the chance to enjoy the summer. On the off chance that there is a sunny day you'll probably find most of the guys playing in the summer cup holed up at the rink. Plus then there is the money. Think of the hundreds or thousands of pounds we bleed into the game.

To be truly succesfull at anything you must be willing to sacrifice. People need to determine whether a night out with friends is worth putting before your team. I'm not saying that you need to become a complete hermit and ignore your friends, but its something we all deal with from April to August. What would I be willing to sacrifice to achieve greatness? I would be willing to lay everything on the line. If it means that my living room is the gym and my second home is the rink, then so damn well be it. I have a great group of friends and it seems that they understand my choices, so I hope they are not offended if I choose an hour at the gym over a few cold ones. It is weird. We are 'only' playing for a summer cup in a recreational league, which is something that will hardly make the pages of your local news paper, but I would be willing to give up a few of my limbs to be the winning team at the end of the season.

Do I think we have a chance? Yes, if we all put in the same effort and sacrifice our bodies, minds and souls for a few months of the year. It is a small price to pay for something that will live on with us till we all become old and senile.