STC
Registered User
- Oct 29, 2012
- 1,682
- 1
"I stink. I'm really bad." He is right, it was actually kind of sad seeing just how bad he is now.
I don't think its sad at all. Doesn't matter how great you were, age is the great equalizer. Age affects different people at different times. Wayne shouldn't feel embarrassed or let down because guys he used to skate circles around when it mattered have now passed him up 30 years well after the fact.
If guys want to stay in shape and keep playing and are LUCKY enough to avoid serious injuries and their lingering affects all power to them, I think that's awesome. I know guys who still play in their 70s. Its fantastic for guys who can keep playing this awesome game so late in life.
But, if a guy decides he's had enough and wants to let himself go, or doesn't want to deal with the pain anymore that comes from a lifetime of playing and only wants to put the gear on once a year for charity games I say good for those guys as well. They've earned it! And I still want to see those guys play just as much as the guys like Messier who actually still can play. I don't care if Gretzky dangles through 5 guys and makes amazing passes all day. I'm happy to see him out there laughing and grinning and having a great time with the players I grew up watching. Just seeing Gretz on the ice or even the bench gives me chills, doesn't even matter if he touches the puck.
I know as a competitor its hard for Wayne to look at it that way, but hopefully he finds peace with his diminished on ice abilities and learns to have a good time at these events. We all know they wouldn't be the same without him.