The purpose of this piece wasn't to elevate these players to god-like statuses. Most young kids idolize a player because they're good at what they do, and it's healthy to have a kid looking up to someone who's dedicated countless hours to perfecting a craft as it would help with the realization that sacrifice and commitment are necessary to achieve your goals. Does that mean that idolizing a doctor or teacher or a parent is worthless or wrong? Not at all, but you have the respect the mental and physical grind that an NHL player goes through as compared to other careers, particularly those that train at an elite level. Perhaps the primary difference between being an NHL hockey player and other jobs, is that for the most part when one leaves the office or their place of work, they have some 'time off' so to speak. Take a nurse, for example. Tiring and draining 12 hour shifts that require an incredible amount of emotional and mental stability (and dedication to studying throughout the necessary schooling) but when they get home, they have time to see their families (and catch up on sleep!). Professional athletes, and more specifically hockey players in big markets like TO, have every aspect of their lives dissected and judged on a massive scale with tons of media and fans looking for the latest on a daily basis. Even if the latest means who you're marrying, what you do on weekends, what you're eating, and what your kids' names are. There's something to be said for all this "behind the scenes" stuff that players deal with on a daily basis all while trying to keep focus on their physically demanding jobs. Now, are all hockey players the model of perfection and worthy of young fans' fervent adoration? No. Didn't even come close to suggesting that. Evidently some have missed the point, so I figured I'd clarify: the crux of the article was meant to simply show that conditioning, training and nutrition have undergone a significant revolution of late, and those that commit themselves to rigorous regimens deserve respect. This has nothing to do with taking away respect from others who work hard in different fields....there's plenty to go around.
Pelicans Lahti @ Tappara Tampere - Tappara leads series 2-0Wagers: 1Staked: $14,588.00Event closes
