So last year I toyed with the idea of blogging about my first year playing hockey in England. That failed monumentally. The task of recapping each game while balancing a busy teaching scheduled was too much and as a result the blog was abandoned. However here I am again. I feel that a fresh year deserves a fresh attempt at this endeavour.
I’ll start off with the pain and anguish that my first year ended with. Advancing to the Southern Conference Cup final in my first year felt like a dream come true. Everything seemed to be clicking. Winning the 1st leg at home in front of easily the biggest crowd I have every played in front of was an amazing feeling. Then came the feeling of dread; knowing that I wouldn’t be able to play in the 2nd away leg due to needing a new visa to live and work here in the UK. I said farewell to the boys and departed for home to await the new visa that would mean a further 5 years of being able to live away from home.
The date of the final arrived and where was I? Stuck in my parents basement in Toronto. Nowhere near Bracknell and the 2nd leg. Watching our defeat through Facebook updates was unbelievably frustrating. The sickening feeling of frustration washed over me as our shot at the Cup escaped our grasp. But one thing I’ve learned from playing hockey, amongst many others, is that defeat only pushes you more. It creates more desire, more passion – something that a hockey player needs to keep them going. And that’s why coming back to the ‘Canes this year means so much. In late September we held our end of year awards night and it was the first time since my return to the country that I got to see the guys. After a summer of feeling separated from what had become so routine, seeing the ‘Canes family all together again brought some clarity back to my life.
The month of October is about getting our feet back under us. Taking stock of what we learned from last year. Some have left and there is talk of new arrivals to the team. Next Monday should prove to be interesting.
In the meantime, a few of the boys decided to check out the MK Lightning match mid-week (a rarity for UK hockey). We dubbed ourselves the ‘Canes Corner’ and had a solid night watching MK pound 6 goals past Manchester. There was beer, banter, and the occasional ‘baaabe’ – if you’re not a ‘Cane, you won’t get that last part.
Coming off of that strong season last year is only going to give us motivation to push ourselves harder to reach our goal of lifting the Cup. Stay tuned.
Rock You Like a Hurricane 