It has been a trying time for the Hosers and for me.  I have been fired as coach of our hockey team after a disastrous Beaver Cup performance, where we went 0-3, outscored 21-2 in our first game.  A terrific comeback in our second game fell short as we lost by a single goal - but we couldn’t keep that momentum going.  We were moments away from getting our first win in our third game, until the other team showed up and avoided the forfeit.

     It’s the guys I feel bad for.  Craig, whose offensive skills and speed were largely wasted by my inability to get him the puck.  Mark, whose two goals in the first game consisted of our entire offensive output, and were overshadowed by the 21 goals scored by the opposing team.  John MacLean, who, like his Die Hard namesake, didn’t need shoes OR socks to get the job done – rather than running over broken glass, he ran barefoot over the ice on the canal.  Josh, a broomball star who remained in good spirits through the losses, even though he was clearly accustomed to victories.  Mike P, who was willing to play the team system and stuck to his position even when that system broke down all around him.  And Mike T, who stayed late for the last game even when I told him the wrong time, and was late for his Valentine’s dinner with his wife just to help out the team.

     We let the fans down as well.  Little Nadia, who was there from 8:00 in the morning watching that first drubbing, who coloured us a picture of Dora The Explorer and Boots saying “Go Hosers” – a picture that may have inspired us to a much better team effort in the second game.  The good people at Malones, the bar in the Dows Lake Pavilion, whose tequila may have inspired us for that second game as well.  The Works, who fueled us up with burgers – maybe THEY helped create that effort as well.  And good ol’ Bruce and his family, who came to see the final game and politely clapped for the one solid defensive stop I made all day.

     In the end, it was all about camaraderie, burgers, beer and fun.  It had to be – it couldn’t be about wins!  And we did have a blast.  Great bunch of guys, too bad next year will be an all new team.  With an all new coach!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 5:51 am and is filed under CHEZ, Hockey, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.