For the past 15 years, I have played Hockey in the grownup league in Lansing, MI. Until this year I always signed up with Dr. Richard Enbody of the Michigan State Computer Science Department. Rich is my Phd. Thesis advisor and a good friend. He is a much better hockey player than me – he played Club Hockey in college and plays center – I play right wing. After 15 years we play pretty well together – primarily because I do dumb things like pass the puck without looking first – but he is the only person on the ice who knows where the puck is going and he gets there – he turns my mistakes into brilliant plays because no one on the ice is expecting it.
This past year, I was travelling for Sakai during August and a bit distracted as the signup deadline approached – Rich signed up on time – but I did not. I got a lucky spot after the deadline – but on a team other than Rich’s. So this season we played on different teams for the first time in 10 years.
We played against one another only once during the regular season – primarily due to a combination of his travel schedule and my travel schedule – his team won the game handily and I just was lousy.
So my team finishes the season in 7th place and his team finishes the season in 8th place. But the playoffs is a different story in this league – the intensity upps quite a bit and the more balanced and defensive teams tend to win in the playoffs.
Almost as if it were a Disney script, both teams have made the finals – today at 7:20 PM at the Suburban Ice Arena. So I am playing against Rich for the championship.
We have not even been in the finals for about 8 years – we lost that game 3-2 – I distinctly remember a goal we gave up that turned out to to be the winning goal. We were facing off in the defensive zone against the other team’s weaker line and a much weaker center than Rich. We have had a play that we have done for years in this kind of situation – we don’t even need to look at each other to call the play. We both push forward and try to make a very high speed breakout, catching the defense on flat footed. It works wonderfully when it works.
On this particular face off (8 years ago) we both broke away – but we lost the puck and the other center (a relatively weak player) shot it right in the net – we lost the game. The further irony is that the team we lost to back then was led by an outstanding player named Scott Crilley – and Scott is on my team this year in the finals.
So this is pretty intense and layered with irony. The funny thing is that we cannot both win the championship – one will win and the other will lose – and in future years – we will again play togther – so we will have a good time but likely never get to another championship game – ever.
So this game is likely to be bragging rights for the next 20 years.
Just to make it more fun – last week in the semifinal game I broke my left index finger.
Click here for the X-ray image.
But I will not miss this game for the world – so it is all taped up and off we go. I am sure it will hurt some – but heck – that is hockey and this is bragging rights for a long time – even if I lose – I want to be on the ice.
In 12 hours – one will win and one will lose and history will be made – for a long time. Either way – it is a cool story.
P.S. Happy Mother’s day