Despite the continuing deluge of mass media hysteria regarding hearsay, innuendo and outright fabrications, life continues. Youths are flocking to ice rinks all over the world and the NHL begins the annual slog toward the Stanley Cup. The excitement of seeing a 4-year-old put on his/her first pair of ice skates all the way through 18-year olds making the opening roster for an NHL team sustains me on those days when the world seems crazy. Hope springs eternal that my beloved Chicago Blackhawks will once again return to glory and hoist the Cup.
If you need to take a pause from all the discontent thrown at you, stop by a nearby rink and watch the unbridled joy of kids playing the great game of ice hockey. So often they are performing something that their parents can’t do; ice skate. It gives them a real sense of accomplishment and a growing confidence. As they begin to play the game, the norms of hockey shape their character. Hockey is a team sport where the individual sublimates him/herself for the good of the team. It demands respect for their teammates, coaches and, importantly these days, the officials. These attributes carry over into everyday life and can’t be better for the player and the world.
Want a better world? Play hockey! GO HAWKS!
Current Day Publius 