At the end of every calendar, most of us say goodbye to friends and strangers with a short, standard set of best wishes for the year to come. Well, (a) not me; (b) at least, not as 2015 turns into 2016; and (c) not when I’ve got a column to write. Sure, I’m going to start by saying happy new year as a one-size-fits-all general hope for the hockey community, but I’m also going to get specific in the ways I hope that happiness manifests among different groups.
If you’re a youngster or newcomer to the sport, I hope in 2016 you fall in love with it the way so many of us have. I hope the game's little things – the spine-straightening blast of cold arena air; the dampness in the wooden or stone shell of a typical small-town hockey barn; the unmistakeable odor of hotdogs drowned in condiments; the supercharged emotions and roving packs of human bonding experiments making like bumper cars inside a rink during a kids’ tournament – and its larger lessons of teamwork, compromise and sacrifice resonate with you and deepen your affection for it.
If you’re a youngster or newcomer to hockey who also doesn’t fit the mold of a “traditional… (read: caucasian and male) fan or participant, I hope you understand that, in this day and age, there are enough of us out there who are more than happy to have you involved with the game irrespective of your ethnicity, faith, or any label someone might use to describe you. Muslims, Baptists, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists all are welcome under this umbrella. If you’re part of the LGBT community, you’re equally welcome. If you’re from China, Pakistan, Jamaica, Sudan or any other part of the planet, you’re entitled to a spot on the ice and in the stands. If you suffer from a form of mental illness, we don’t think any less of you – indeed, we think you're brave and strong for speaking out about it, and we're thrilled hockey provides some solace for you. Whether you’re into advanced stats, or whether you believe The Eye Test is the only lens through which you need to view the sport, there’s a place for you here. Hockey doesn’t discriminate, and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
If you’re one of the the pioneers of women’s hockey – and by that, I mean everybody from Hockey Hall-of-Famers Geraldine Heaney and Cammi Granato to everyone with a connection to the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and National Women’s Hockey League to every young girl playing in a rec league, national program or frozen pond – I hope you keep seeing interest and financial commitment grow at all levels. It’s still an inspiring wonder to measure how far the women’s game has come over the course of the past few decades, and the fact the NHL is now working with the two women’s pro leagues to provide the product with increased exposure is a terrific harbinger of better days ahead. It may not have a perfectly smooth evolution as we move along, but women’s hockey deserves the chance to win over even more people than the millions it already has. Here’s hoping that trend of growth only accelerates.
If you’re a fan of an NHL team – any NHL team – I hope 2016 brings you genuine hope, if not in regard to the immediate games of the current season, then for a year or two or five from now. There’s nothing worse than rooting for a team that appears destined to lose at every turn, which is why, no matter how you get to a place of optimism – via a dynamic young prospect or group of prospects; via a change in ownership, management or to the roster; via a move to a new arena or a sudden and inexplicable, probably unsustainable improvement in on-ice fortunes – I hope you find at least a decent reward for the time and emotion you invest in your favorite franchise.
If you’re an elite player in 2016, I wish you courage, but courage in all forms: yes, the courage to fight through a certain amount of physical pain and adversity in the heat of competition, but also the courage to know when to say enough’s enough (especially regarding head injuries) and not jeopardize your quality of life away from the sport to serve someone’s false construct of machismo. And I wish you the courage to follow your conscience the way Ontario League sophomore player Tyler Boston did this week when the Guelph Storm forward – second in scoring for his team this season – abruptly left the team to focus on his education. There’s something admirable about chasing your hockey dreams, but there’s something just as admirable about allowing reality to catch up with you and being honest about your passions.
Most of all, I hope everyone in every corner of the hockey world takes time this year to let people close to them know what they mean to their lives. Each year brings sad reminders of our innate fragilities, and we shouldn’t need any more examples to make a point of being earnest and vocal in our appreciation of those with whom we enjoy sharing the game.
The very best to you and yours in 2016.