The Journey

And so another year has come and gone.

Still no Stanley Cup.

If you are anything like me, you are more than just a fan. There are those that occasionally go to a game. They might catch up on the highlights to see the score or maybe even check in on Custance from time to time to try and stay in the loop.

Then there are the rest of us. No we are not large in number, but we are passionate. We are the kind that go to every single game. We sit there and root on our team through the good and the bad. What we put in this team is more than just our money and time. It is an honest to God emotional investment. I have been lucky enough to be here from Day 1, but that doesn't make my investment any more special than someone who has just picked up the sport and team. All of us are unbelievably disappointed in how this year has turned out.

A few weeks ago when I came to the conclusion that we were missing the playoffs I started to think... how great would it be if we could someday win the Cup? That lead me to some deeper thoughts. Is the Stanley Cup really everything? Of course to us hockey folk it is the Holy Grail. But let's not lose site of something in our quest for said Grail. As in most things in life, once you obtain a great goal you look back on how you got there and realize what a special road you were on. You might not have known it at the time, but perhaps the goal you achieved was secondary to the Journey that brought you to the goal.

The Journey. That is what we are on my friends. Enjoy every step of the way. Some steps are forward. Some steps are backward. That is just how things work in this crazy world. Sure we have taken a step backward this year. Does that make me sad that I'm still on The Journey with all my friends? Absolutely not. I cherish every game I get to see, even the bad ones. Because I know one day we will get to that great goal. And when we get there I will be able to say that I realized how special this Journey really is. You even hear players talk about it after they win the Cup. They talk about the Journey they were on with their teammates. And how tough it was. And how they shared it together.

Hockey is one of my favorite things in all the world. It is where I am making most of my memories with all my friends. It is a sport that brings people together. All of us share a special bond. Let's not let the The Journey pass us by. I read comments from fans saying how the Thrashers suck and they won't come back until Waddell is gone and the team is better. You know the kind. They go on. And on. And on. I read their comments and just feel sorry for them. Because I can see that they just don't get it. They don't care about or even notice The Journey. They just want to root for a winner and have everything come easy to them. Let me tell you something folks... if everything comes easy to you and you don't have to work for it, it really doesn't mean all that much. The great things in life are accomplished only after much hard work and some real tough times. One day the Thrashers will win the Stanley Cup. How awesome will that be! After the dust settles and we come down from our high of winning, we will look back on all the years.

And quite possibly, we will see that while winning the Cup was great, it maybe was not as important as the road that took us there...

The Journey.



For The Blueland Chronicle, I'm Big Shooter.