We do fantasy.  We do real life.  We.  Go.  Hard.  Some more than others.  We are the Key Makers.  We are the Architects; and for some of us we are the Enginerds.  Our only mission in the NHFL is to be the best and we do this by drafting the best possible team or making shrewd, calculated, and lucky trades.  Achieving elite status is no easy feat when we consider our reliance on professional athletes to perform to their career average or career best.  So many variables come in to play.  Some more real than others.  We need to consider deployment, a new Coach, line mates, age, split stats, contract year – the list goes on.  But what about life outside of the game?  Just recently it was brought to my attention that we should consider fatherhood and how a newborn can impact performance.  For example, the Pietrangelo family just had triplets.  The Tavares clan brought their first child into the world this year as did the Stamkos’.  Are these three players performing below, at, or above career average?  Enjoy the rabbit hole. 

 

Variables come in many shapes and sizes; some public, some not, but rest assured we are always challenged to overcome.  There is no exception – even for NHLers.  What transpired last season impacted my point of view quite substantially.  Historically, my preference has always been to align my fandom to a superstar in any sport.  We are all guilty of doing this.  After all, these athletes are the best in their craft and are the most marketed.  But as I get older my point of view is evolving.  Maybe it’s because I’m a husband, a father, and all around provider.  Yes, I will still make time to enjoy Ovechkin and Crosby et al because of talent, but my shift in perception is geared toward supporting the journeymen such as Nick Foligno and Jordan Staal.  Like them, I’m not a superstar in my craft, but rather a journeyman who puts in the effort in order to produce a quality outcome.  There’s nothing flashy about us, but there is heart and hustle in all aspects of life.  For those that weren’t paying any attention to life outside of hockey, both Foligno and Staal experienced gut wrenching life events last year.  Foligno’s daughter was born with a heart disease that required major surgery and Staal’s infant daughter passed away from a terminal birth defect.  Both life events would cripple any one of us.  Yet, both Foligno and Staal managed to produce for their family and team – no matter the challenge.  These are just two examples; life happens to us all.  But it’s stories like these that help re-position my guidelines for superstar qualification. 

 

Flags fly forever, but honoring those that did more than just put up 90 points needs contemplation.  If you ever find yourself winning the ’50 Mission Cup’, I challenge you to research your championship jersey of choice.  Perhaps there’s a Foligno or Staal on your team that deserves consideration for producing both on and off the ice. 

 

Persevere.  Produce.  Be human. 

 

ANCASTER VILLAGERS

3 X 50 Mission Cup Champion