This has been an exciting couple of weeks for Marlies hockey fans. With the 5th consecutive world juniors crown for Canada, Max Taylor's first AHL career hat trick, the Marlies on a roll, Sifers appoinmentment to the Planet USA all stars, and more recently the signing of Brad May to the Leafs and Kulemin's transfer to the Marlies, it is hard to believe that we're less than 8 days into 2009!
When 2009 was rung in, the Rideau Canal in Ottawa opened up for recreational skating for the first time this season. It reminded me personally that we are a northern people.....we are a nation of skaters, and more importantly a hockey nation. Regardless of your political views or views on whether the Governor General should have proroged Parliament, the nation was united in Ottawa at a time of great political turmoil in our nation's capital, rallying around a group of teenagers who understand better than many of us (particularly those on "the Hill") do what it means to wear the maple leaf. Watching Team Canada on television and having the privilege of seeing them in person at Scotiabank Place win the Gold medal at the WJHC and seeing the crowd cheer for the team was an experience that, like the players on the ice, is something I will never forget. As Canadians, we may not always finish first, but we finish first in HOCKEY or it is a national tragedy!
What does this mean for the Marlies and the Leafs?
I think that both franchises have a lot to learn from our world juniors team and from both Max Taylor and Jaime Sifers. To succeed, the formula is simple........love what you do and strive for 100% success. For too long, we, as "Leafs Nation" citizens, have accepted the business of hockey (over winning) as a way of life for us. We're learning that for us to be successful (and profitable), the key is to have fun and to want to win. Sifers and Taylor, Subban, Tavares and the rest of Team Canada are a testament to this need to have fun and want to win.
With the Marlies on the road for the next few weeks, the Leafs getting ready for Burke's wheeling and dealing which will mean a change to the composition of their dressing room at the ACC, it is important for the whole team to take a page out of the Timbits hockey book....the first goal really should be to have fun, with hopefully many, many, many goals against your opponents coming next. Sifers knows it. Taylor knows it. And Subban really knows it. Just ask his teammates!
When 2009 was rung in, the Rideau Canal in Ottawa opened up for recreational skating for the first time this season. It reminded me personally that we are a northern people.....we are a nation of skaters, and more importantly a hockey nation. Regardless of your political views or views on whether the Governor General should have proroged Parliament, the nation was united in Ottawa at a time of great political turmoil in our nation's capital, rallying around a group of teenagers who understand better than many of us (particularly those on "the Hill") do what it means to wear the maple leaf. Watching Team Canada on television and having the privilege of seeing them in person at Scotiabank Place win the Gold medal at the WJHC and seeing the crowd cheer for the team was an experience that, like the players on the ice, is something I will never forget. As Canadians, we may not always finish first, but we finish first in HOCKEY or it is a national tragedy!
What does this mean for the Marlies and the Leafs?
I think that both franchises have a lot to learn from our world juniors team and from both Max Taylor and Jaime Sifers. To succeed, the formula is simple........love what you do and strive for 100% success. For too long, we, as "Leafs Nation" citizens, have accepted the business of hockey (over winning) as a way of life for us. We're learning that for us to be successful (and profitable), the key is to have fun and to want to win. Sifers and Taylor, Subban, Tavares and the rest of Team Canada are a testament to this need to have fun and want to win.
With the Marlies on the road for the next few weeks, the Leafs getting ready for Burke's wheeling and dealing which will mean a change to the composition of their dressing room at the ACC, it is important for the whole team to take a page out of the Timbits hockey book....the first goal really should be to have fun, with hopefully many, many, many goals against your opponents coming next. Sifers knows it. Taylor knows it. And Subban really knows it. Just ask his teammates!
No comments:
Post a Comment