It is no coincidence that close knit teams are the basis for success in hockey. The strength to be victorious comes from unity, which in turn is the result of selflessness, dedication and pride in each other.
“I am a member of the team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.”
― Mia Hamm
Whether you consider the basis of an NHL dynasty in becoming, where Toews and Kane will commit, without the shadow of a doubt, to the Blackhawks in spite of the money and wealth offered to them throughout the whole NHL, or whether you look at a 13 years old athlete ready to spend 10 hours of his day to travel, injured, to a game with his team which he's ready to sacrifice for the good of his team, where the teams come first, the team is first.
This weekend is nothing short of an outstanding beginning to a very promising season. Our athletes have displayed character coupled with a very positive work ethic to yield a relentless effort from start to finish. It isn't always easy to keep it coming. Bruises, hits and even injuries have made it a lot harder to keep our head up high and keep fighting. Yet they kept showing up. Shift after shift, taking the battle right to them.
During our home opener on Saturday, we have known great success thanks to discipline and team work. Showing already a lot of growth since the past weekend's tournament, we added a lesson on the importance of continuous hard work until the end of the third. This effort was the basis for a well-earned 5-2 victory against the Ajax-Pickering Raiders.
Taking it on the road, just out of a great game, we managed to show up, this time, from start to finish, learning about discipline. Taking the high road on the ice translated in many power play occasions which in turn gave us the edge on the game. The 3-1 win in Markham is no luck; it is the sum of team efforts and the restraint to play the game, with heart, from whistle to whistle.
This is a very encouraging start to the season. Moving forward and building on the basis of structured, disciplined, united team, we are back to work on Wednesday to get ready for bigger and stronger teams. We will get ourselves ready to prevail, as one.
Proud of the guys! Keep up the good work!