The passing of Ek’s father has reminded me of the two occasions, while a blogger on hockeybuzz.com, that have shown me that, in times like this, life is bigger than hockey. Given those experiences, I harken back to those articles. Hopefully, some of the messages contained within these articles will provide hope that despite the present pain, the process of grief is worth going through and, when we come out on the other side, we are often made better people and gain an appreciation for the one life we have and how we spend our time, both inside and outside of hockey.
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"Life is Bigger than Hockey" (August, 2007)

The last 24 hours here in Minneapolis, Minnesota has transformed the State of Hockey into a State of Disbelief. For those of you living in hockey cocoons, hibernating until the cooler weather is once again upon us, a MAJOR bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed last night at 6:05 pm during the evening rush hour. The over 1,000 foot bridge that supports over 140,000 cars each day (a conservative and probably outdated estimate) entirely collapsed, both northbound and southbound lanes. Some cars and their occupants were thrown into the river. Some fell with the bridge. Thankfully, many survived. Unfortunately, death reared her ugly head taking many hard working, fun loving Minnesotan's well before their time. This is perhaps the biggest local tragedy our community has ever faced, overshadowing everything else out there including sports and hockey. Few can even remember a few days earlier when the Big Ticket, KG, was traded from the Timberwolves to the Celtics or the ugly remarks of frustrated Twins pitchers over the lack of movement prior to baseball's trade deadline. Indeed, at a time like this, it is even hard to be excited about the coolest game on earth. What we once assumed was safe, now has been shaken. In fact, only about an hour before the bridge's collapse, I successfully traveled over that very thoroughfare bringing my nephew from the airport to his mother, points north of the local metro area. I bring that up not to put the focus on me, but to point out that the structural failure could have as easily occurred an hour earlier while we were on it and that it was only the luck of the draw that spared me and my nephew and many others yesterday. For those of you who know someone who was injured or killed, my heart goes out to you and your family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. May God comfort you and your families and friends. For everyone else observing, take a moment out of your busy life to let those you love and hold close to know how you really feel because tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.
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"The Passing of My Mother-In-Law" (September/October, 2007)

Thanks for all of your well wishes. It's been a mind numbing 24 hours since my wife's mom passed away. Making final arrangements was no picnic. It's been a profoundly sad and happy time in a weird sense.

As the shock of my mother in-law's passing wears off and as all of the final arrangements have been made, our grief is subsiding as we stroll down memory lane. Some regrets, a lot of laughs when remembering the good times, followed by tears transforming from sorrow to joy given her final destination is without question and the fact that one day we will be together again. Until then, life simply goes on. Thanks again for your sympathies and well wishes. Thanks even more for your thoughts on the upcoming season. I never really understood after 9-11 what they meant when they focused on the importance of the baseball, football and hockey games resuming. But, in that case, I was not directly affected. Here, I am. And let me tell you, it's good to have hockey! I might not be as fired up this year for the beginning of the season, but I am certainly looking forward to the opener on Thursday, after Mimi's funeral. The funeral will be a celebration of her life, while the opener will be just celebrating life and being alive. It will be good bonding time for my almost 8 year old son and myself. And when the players hit the ice and we stand to cheer them on, we do so with fond memories of my mother in-law, while creating new memories which hopefully one day will be remembered with fondness when it is my time to pass from this life to the next. The beginning and the end are the same for all of us. After cementing our faith, it's what we do with the time we have with those we love that really counts. Come Thursday, we will stand and cheer with 18,000+ inside the stadium and countless others watching from the comfort of home. Because we are alive, because hockey is back and because the Wild is our team. Go Wild!!!!!
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Ek, from all of us at hockeybuzz.com, you are our friend. When you hurt, we hurt. May your pain be replaced with all of the happiness, joy and hockey that your father started in you and that you will always remember about him. From what you have shared about him over time, he sounds like he was one heck of a guy. May his legacy live on long and strong in you and your children for many, many generations!

From all of us at hockey buzz.com, our deepest sympathies on your loss. You and your family are in all of our thoughts and prayers.

Go Ek, Mrs. Ek and the little Ek-lings, not to forget Grandma Ek. Here's to Grandpa Ek. Cheers!

Last thought: How great is it that his dad was able to see his team win the Stanley Cup in the last year of his life. May we all be so fortunate!

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