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Rob_Zepp

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Yup, it is a few days early but somethings happened to me in the past week that compelled me to put something out there for all to consider.   I am assuming the vast majority of those posting/reading CDC are very much living with what I will term "first world problems" in that getting food, shelter and medical care is pretty much a given.  I don't for a second assume that none of you or yours is 100% healthy or isn't facing some big challenge in life and maybe even facing mortality but, again, I assume that most are having pretty minor challenges in life and having spirited hockey discussions can therefore become an important thing in life.  Wouldn't it be nice if the entire world could have such a luxury - that having silly chats about professional hockey players was important as all the other things were under control?

 

If you are with me to this point, try and stay here for the the following that I have only tweaked a little to protect the kid/family if anyone should recognize this.

 

  • At a hockey camp for kids recently, one kid came the first day with full goalie gear that was so ill-fitting and, too boot, he simply horrible.  I mean the type of horrible when you know that no matter how many hockey camps his parents would invest in, he would be marginally better at his absolute peak than air in stopping anyone from scoring from pretty much anywhere on the ice and perhaps even from the stands.   He also had one of the most ridiculous haircuts ever for a goalie - hair was always in his face and it bugged me to the point I almost screamed a few times "you will see the bloody puck better if you could actually see anything!!!".  However, the kid showed up each and every day until the last day when he was missing.   I selfishly thought "whew, I don't have to struggle showing him stuff that he won't ever really use today and can concentrate on the 'better' kids".   At the end of the session, was signing the little certificates all the kids get when this lady is waiting for me to come off the ice and identifies herself as the missing kid's mom.   Her eyes are red - from crying I guess, perhaps had a fight with the kid...whatever, I am late for an appointment.  I am selfishly thinking that she is going to want something done for her son missing due to some lame excuse.   She comes to me and hands me a card - a hand-drawn Christmas card with a big goalie holding the hand of a little goalie - it is from the kid.   He says how much he loved the camp and loved me showing him stuff.  He says it made him feel like a real goalie He is sorry he couldn't be at the last session as his chemo was moved up a day (I see the word "chemo" and my head explodes....dark spots around the edges stuff).   It got worse.  He went on to say on the back that he hopes he can come to the next camp if the doctors allow it but it was a big deal this time and they are not so sure he can come.  He said he loved me for being his friend and wished me a wonderful Christmas.  He thanked me for not bugging him about his hair wig like all the kids in the dressing room did (I don't dress with the kids, we use the officials room - explains the hair...yup, I am officially an awful human).  I was (and am while writing this) a teary mess.   I spoke to his mom - he has brain cancer.   He will be lucky to make it to the summer if they cannot get the latest course of treatment to shrink the inoperable tumour.   I went home and cried for about an hour.   

 

To everyone on CDC, particularly those I spar with on occasion (often?) - MERRY CHRISTMAS AND ALL THE BEST FOR 2018.  I say this sincerely and from the heart.   Life is short.   I am young but not so young as to be as short-sighted as I was to have a kid snap me out of it.   A kid that may not live for all of 2018 let alone get to be my age and get to argue about silly things on a hockey chat site.  Please enjoy your time, your friends, your SO, your family and most of all your life.   

 

I started a thread so that if ANYONE else wants to share a story or simply wish the rest of CDC good wishes at this time of year, please partake.   Moderators, please feel free to delete if you must and I will cut/paste onto a status update but either way I hope any/all that read this think hard about what is really important.

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Thank you Rob, very touching story, felt a lump in my throat as well. Still do. My heart goes out to him and his Mom. Hockey is a game to be enjoyed by everyone, but it's just a game. This is real life stuff. Try not to beat yourself up, that doesn't do any good. Take solace that this young guy appreciated being taught by you and spending time with the team. If anything, you helped make him happy during those practice sessions. Hope you have a Merry Christmas.

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10 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Yup, it is a few days early but somethings happened to me in the past week that compelled me to put something out there for all to consider.   I am assuming the vast majority of those posting/reading CDC are very much living with what I will term "first world problems" in that getting food, shelter and medical care is pretty much a given.  I don't for a second assume that none of you or yours is 100% healthy or isn't facing some big challenge in life and maybe even facing mortality but, again, I assume that most are having pretty minor challenges in life and having spirited hockey discussions can therefore become an important thing in life.  Wouldn't it be nice if the entire world could have such a luxury - that having silly chats about professional hockey players was important as all the other things were under control?

 

If you are with me to this point, try and stay here for the the following that I have only tweaked a little to protect the kid/family if anyone should recognize this.

 

  • At a hockey camp for kids recently, one kid came the first day with full goalie gear that was so ill-fitting and, too boot, he simply horrible.  I mean the type of horrible when you know that no matter how many hockey camps his parents would invest in, he would be marginally better at his absolute peak than air in stopping anyone from scoring from pretty much anywhere on the ice and perhaps even from the stands.   He also had one of the most ridiculous haircuts ever for a goalie - hair was always in his face and it bugged me to the point I almost screamed a few times "you will see the bloody puck better if you could actually see anything!!!".  However, the kid showed up each and every day until the last day when he was missing.   I selfishly thought "whew, I don't have to struggle showing him stuff that he won't ever really use today and can concentrate on the 'better' kids".   At the end of the session, was signing the little certificates all the kids get when this lady is waiting for me to come off the ice and identifies herself as the missing kid's mom.   Her eyes are red - from crying I guess, perhaps had a fight with the kid...whatever, I am late for an appointment.  I am selfishly thinking that she is going to want something done for her son missing due to some lame excuse.   She comes to me and hands me a card - a hand-drawn Christmas card with a big goalie holding the hand of a little goalie - it is from the kid.   He says how much he loved the camp and loved me showing him stuff.  He says it made him feel like a real goalie He is sorry he couldn't be at the last session as his chemo was moved up a day (I see the word "chemo" and my head explodes....dark spots around the edges stuff).   It got worse.  He went on to say on the back that he hopes he can come to the next camp if the doctors allow it but it was a big deal this time and they are not so sure he can come.  He said he loved me for being his friend and wished me a wonderful Christmas.  He thanked me for not bugging him about his hair wig like all the kids in the dressing room did (I don't dress with the kids, we use the officials room - explains the hair...yup, I am officially an awful human).  I was (and am while writing this) a teary mess.   I spoke to his mom - he has brain cancer.   He will be lucky to make it to the summer if they cannot get the latest course of treatment to shrink the inoperable tumour.   I went home and cried for about an hour.   

 

To everyone on CDC, particularly those I spar with on occasion (often?) - MERRY CHRISTMAS AND ALL THE BEST FOR 2018.  I say this sincerely and from the heart.   Life is short.   I am young but not so young as to be as short-sighted as I was to have a kid snap me out of it.   A kid that may not live for all of 2018 let alone get to be my age and get to argue about silly things on a hockey chat site.  Please enjoy your time, your friends, your SO, your family and most of all your life.   

 

I started a thread so that if ANYONE else wants to share a story or simply wish the rest of CDC good wishes at this time of year, please partake.   Moderators, please feel free to delete if you must and I will cut/paste onto a status update but either way I hope any/all that read this think hard about what is really important.

Thanks for sharing Rob. It should serve as a reminder what is truly important for all of us, health and happiness to all for the Holiday Season!

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I'm watching my Christmas movies.  I watch one a day, and today was the original Robo Cop.  Classic Christmas Tale.  Tomorrow it's Die Hard.  There's nothing like a good Christmas movie, with plenty of humor, to get Alf into the Christmas spirit.

"Give the man a hand".  Too funny!!!!!!!  Had to play that scene twice!!!

 

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45 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Yup, it is a few days early but somethings happened to me in the past week that compelled me to put something out there for all to consider.   I am assuming the vast majority of those posting/reading CDC are very much living with what I will term "first world problems" in that getting food, shelter and medical care is pretty much a given.  I don't for a second assume that none of you or yours is 100% healthy or isn't facing some big challenge in life and maybe even facing mortality but, again, I assume that most are having pretty minor challenges in life and having spirited hockey discussions can therefore become an important thing in life.  Wouldn't it be nice if the entire world could have such a luxury - that having silly chats about professional hockey players was important as all the other things were under control?

 

If you are with me to this point, try and stay here for the the following that I have only tweaked a little to protect the kid/family if anyone should recognize this.

 

  • At a hockey camp for kids recently, one kid came the first day with full goalie gear that was so ill-fitting and, too boot, he simply horrible.  I mean the type of horrible when you know that no matter how many hockey camps his parents would invest in, he would be marginally better at his absolute peak than air in stopping anyone from scoring from pretty much anywhere on the ice and perhaps even from the stands.   He also had one of the most ridiculous haircuts ever for a goalie - hair was always in his face and it bugged me to the point I almost screamed a few times "you will see the bloody puck better if you could actually see anything!!!".  However, the kid showed up each and every day until the last day when he was missing.   I selfishly thought "whew, I don't have to struggle showing him stuff that he won't ever really use today and can concentrate on the 'better' kids".   At the end of the session, was signing the little certificates all the kids get when this lady is waiting for me to come off the ice and identifies herself as the missing kid's mom.   Her eyes are red - from crying I guess, perhaps had a fight with the kid...whatever, I am late for an appointment.  I am selfishly thinking that she is going to want something done for her son missing due to some lame excuse.   She comes to me and hands me a card - a hand-drawn Christmas card with a big goalie holding the hand of a little goalie - it is from the kid.   He says how much he loved the camp and loved me showing him stuff.  He says it made him feel like a real goalie He is sorry he couldn't be at the last session as his chemo was moved up a day (I see the word "chemo" and my head explodes....dark spots around the edges stuff).   It got worse.  He went on to say on the back that he hopes he can come to the next camp if the doctors allow it but it was a big deal this time and they are not so sure he can come.  He said he loved me for being his friend and wished me a wonderful Christmas.  He thanked me for not bugging him about his hair wig like all the kids in the dressing room did (I don't dress with the kids, we use the officials room - explains the hair...yup, I am officially an awful human).  I was (and am while writing this) a teary mess.   I spoke to his mom - he has brain cancer.   He will be lucky to make it to the summer if they cannot get the latest course of treatment to shrink the inoperable tumour.   I went home and cried for about an hour.   

 

To everyone on CDC, particularly those I spar with on occasion (often?) - MERRY CHRISTMAS AND ALL THE BEST FOR 2018.  I say this sincerely and from the heart.   Life is short.   I am young but not so young as to be as short-sighted as I was to have a kid snap me out of it.   A kid that may not live for all of 2018 let alone get to be my age and get to argue about silly things on a hockey chat site.  Please enjoy your time, your friends, your SO, your family and most of all your life.   

 

I started a thread so that if ANYONE else wants to share a story or simply wish the rest of CDC good wishes at this time of year, please partake.   Moderators, please feel free to delete if you must and I will cut/paste onto a status update but either way I hope any/all that read this think hard about what is really important.

very similar to the story of ray. thanks for sharing. we are never too old or young to learn what is really important in life.

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Rob, thanks for sharing that story, it's a great reminder that so much of what we get into a lather about is so trivial in the grand scheme of things.  What that boy and his family are facing is the real deal in terms of what is important.  I'm sitting here wiping tears from my eyes, so I apologize for any spelling mistakes.  

 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all the best wishes of the season to everyone!  May we all gather together throughout 2018 to gently bicker about the finer points of the Canucks play, management, hockey and life in general.  

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Thanks Rob for reminding us how easily we can become complacent and inadvertently judge someone without even realizing it. It is a strong reminder for all of us to treat each other as how we would like to be treated and respect all that we encounter. We should concentrate on seeing the similarities we have with people instead of looking at our differences. Thanks again Rob and I hope everyone a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season.

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@Rob_Zepp

 

 

Making me cry before Christmas!!!!  Tearing up while I read it, and trying to relay the story to my wife was very difficult to get through.  What an incredible story, and definitely humbling. 

 

Merry Christmas to all, and here's to some improved health for our favorite hockey team!

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