REDLIGHT'S
TRIANGLE
by Andre Retel
Jan. 28, 2000: Give Me the Reason
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I had the opportunity to reflect on last nights 10 - 4 loss to the Skyhawks. I saw frustration on the faces of my teammates both on the ice and off. No one person could be faulted for the loss. We play as a team, win as a team and lose as a team. That has always been the Cowboy philosophy. What I think is lacking in this year's team is pride and commitment.
I
believe that there is an element of complacency that has infected us
all.
There is a real need to re-evaluate the reasons why we play hockey
and what
keeps us coming back to the rink week after week. I realized
for myself
that it was for the love of hockey. It is a sanctuary of innocence
lost. A
place where I could live out my childhood fantasy; to act out what
I have
always dreamed about as a child.There is no other place in the world like a hockey rink. The cold
stale air
in the arena, the musty smell of hockey equipment, the sound of the
zamboni
polishing the ice surface for the next group of dreamers. These
are the When I stop feeling this passion for hockey, that will be the time I will decide to quit. I think we all need to search deep within ourselves and try to understand what makes us come back to hockey week in and week out. When we find what these reasons are, that is when hockey as we know it will come back to our team. -by Andre "Redlight" Retel
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Feb. 16, 2000: We Won...or did we?
Well, we managed
to hang on last night and win our second game in a row; which by the way
is the longest winning streak the Cowboys have been able to maintain all
season long. Despite the win, I personally felt that it was a hollow
victory. The Sky Hawks only had one extra player on the bench and
yet managed to take advantage of all of their scoring opportunities to
make it a close 7 - 6 win for the Cowboys.
We had tremendous pressure in the Sky Hawks end which I attribute to exhaustion on their part, and if it wasn't for some fine saves by their "Doug Collins Induced" frustrated goalie, the score could have well exceeded the seven goals that we did manage to get. At the same time, I don't feel that we played all that well last night. The fact that they were able to score six times concerned me. The goals that were scored were good goals. Most of them scored because we were out hustled, and that includes me as well. In retrospect I could have played the puck differently on some plays, but then again hind sight is 20/20, right? Hell, Rick got his hat trick and we ended up with two points. We are also on a winning streak...so why don't I just shut the _____ up and accept that. I can sleep with that! -by Andre "Redlight" Retel |
Feb. 23, 2000: Commit or get lost!
Lately, I have
had a problem with this word "Commitment" and the whole meaning behind
it. Everyday we have some type of commitment that we are tied to.
We get up, we go to work, at least most of us. We pay rent or a mortgage,
at least most of us. We spend quality time with friends or loved ones,
at least most of us. We feed our children or our pets, at least most
of us. All of these events display some type of commitment in one
form or another. And each one of these commitments would have a deleterious
effect should we decide to abandon our responsibility to see them through.
When we make a commitment, others become dependent and rely on the fact that we fulfill our responsibilities to the end of that commitment. If that doesn't happen, we end up disappointing many people along the way. This unfortunately has been happening to our hockey team. When people say that they will come out to hockey games...that is a COMMITMENT! If we can't show up for hockey, is it too much to ask to CALL the person in charge? When we can't show up for work, don't we let someone at work know that we are not coming in? I respect those players that call or let Doug Collins know that they can't make it to a game for whatever reason, but I have no respect for those players that don't even have the decency to let him know that they won't be coming to a game. It is not much fun playing a hockey game with only two players on the bench. We are all adults here. We should start acting like ones. If you couldn't commit to the team, then why would you say you could at the beginning of the season. I don't understand the reasoning behind that type of attitude. It saddens me to see the players that do show up regularly, knowing that they don't even have a fighting chance before they even hit the ice. For those that have been committed to the team throughout the season, I applaud you! For those of you Primadonas that come out to hockey only when it suits your needs, I have nothing but condemnation for you. It's time we say "Commit or get lost!".
And I mean "Get LOST!!!".
- by Andre Retel |
Mar. 13, 2000: Spirit or 100 proof?