Life is More than a Game

If you had told me that I would be writing a blog post regarding sports, I would have told you that you were crazy, but once upon a time I was an athlete...at least a semi-athlete..I'm not saying I was good by any means, but I played a few sports during my childhood years. Most importantly however, I was a huge Philadelphia Flyers hockey fan. Over the years it became clear that the reason for my super fandom was because of one man and that man is Eric Lindros.

Most of you sports fanatics probably know his story. He came into the league fresh at eighteen years old and was originally the number one draft pick by the Quebec Nordiques. He was deemed the next "great one" aka Wayne Gretzky. Eric didn't want to play for them and held out which didn't exactly make him a fan favorite in Quebec, but I for one (most likely along with many other Philadelphia fans) am glad he did because then he came to us and eventually turned the Flyers from horrible losers to winners.

I remember watching a hockey game, probably around the young age of nine with my dad one day when I first saw Eric. The picture is forever ingrained in my memory. He was young, around nineteen or twenty years old. His hair was long and wavy and his playing style and technique captivated me. (And no, it wasn't just because he was tall, dark and handsome...long hair's not my thing, but when he cut it, well, that was a different story). He had such an unexplainable finesse. I never saw someone command the ice in the way Eric did, even when he didn't have the puck. He had such great strength and what he could do with that strength was unbelievable. No one got in his way. If they tried, he would run right over them like they weren't even there.

Eric quickly became an important part of my childhood. I never missed a game he played. I collected every picture of him I could find. I studied him - how he played the game, and how he played life. I knew when he was ready for a fight on the ice or when he was open for a clear shot, but I also knew the little things about him. I knew that he named his Great Dane dogs after Greek and Roman gods. I knew that he loved kids. And I knew that for such a strong man, he was also very emotional and sensitive. He cried when he won the Hart Trophy and when he had a press conference after suffering a collapsed lung (a threat to his life). From one emotionally sensitive person to another, I loved him for it.

As the years went on, Eric faced some problems, namely a multitude of concussions. For a man of such great size, it was unfathomable to see him start getting knocked down. From then on, every time an opposing player came near him, I held my breath. Gone were the days of his classic steamrolling.

Eric was eventually traded from Philadelphia - first to the New York Rangers, then to Toronto for a brief year with the Maple Leafs, and finally in Dallas where he finished with the Stars. The further away Eric went from Philadelphia, the further disconnected I became with hockey.

But something happened yesterday. Eric retired from hockey. As I read through the AP's coverage ( Eric Lindros Retires After 13 Seasons ) and photographs, I was surprised to see that Eric's hair had grayed a bit. It reminded me how many years I must have lost following his career, but most importantly, Eric was still smiling.

I believe that says something great about him. Hockey is the only life he's ever known. Certain life threatening circumstances occurred taking that away from him, but he's still able to smile. He's still able to realize that there's more to life, there's more out there than he knows and he's excited for it.

A blogger on deadspin.com said that Eric would probably go down in hockey history as "the guy who had about 50 concussions and a collapsed lung", but I know that's not true. I'll be completely astonished if there's not others out there who were incredibly touched by Eric's ability. He made me appreciate the sport of hockey, and I know I'll never be able to appreciate it the same way again, but most importantly, he made me realize what a great man he is for coming out of this so positive. He reconfirmed that life is really more than just a game.