Sports can be one of the highlights from a child's life.
Ask them about their experiences years later.
Yes, there are those who don't have positive times in hockey, baseball or other sports and it will dampen their enthusiasm for the game in the future. Others will say they had a mixture of good and bad, but most will have largely positive reflections.
It's particularly wonderful at the younger ages. Watch the kids when they're playing in the Estevan Minor Hockey Association's U7 tournament. They're just learning the sport. Many of them are in their first season of hockey. You'll see all of them gathered in the corner for a prolonged stretch of time, all trying to retrieve the puck. And shortly after the black, hard rubber disc is freed, it's lodged in another corner, and the players are battling for it again.
There'll be that one player on each team who is more advanced than everyone else and skates circles around opponents. In the end, though, there's no scorekeeping, no player of the game awards, no wins or losses record and no tournament all-stars. It's just about having fun.
As they get older, you can add all of these elements to the game.
Minor hockey isn't just about learning the fundamentals of the sport. It's about life lessons. Even at the U7 age, kids learn about teamwork and feeling great when a teammate enjoys success.
And they get to have fun, both on and off the ice. The cherished memories aren't just about the games. They remember going for food with hockey pals after the game and joking around with them in the dressing room. As they get older, they have the memory of road trips and travelling with friends.
Our annual Salute to Minor Hockey can be found in this week's edition of the Mercury. Take a look at the photos in the paper and on our website at SaskToday.ca. You'll see all sorts of smiling faces from the kids. They're happy to be on the ice and on a team, and to play a game they love.
Of course, we get to celebrate those who have gone on to enjoy success at the highest levels. As a community, we were so proud when Brayden Pachal won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights last year, and thrilled when he brought the greatest trophy in sports home to Estevan a few weeks later. And communities are so proud whenever anyone makes it to the show.
But minor hockey can't be just about players making it to the NHL, the new Professional Women's Hockey League or playing in another pro league. Only a select few get to play at those highest levels.
It's great when they do make it to higher levels, but in the end, the most important parts are the fun, the skills development and the positive memories.
It's also important to celebrate the volunteers whenever possible.
The last couple of years have not been kind to hockey. The scandal involving Team Canada's 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship team has justifiably left a sour taste in the mouths of a lot of people. Now we've found out that five members of that team have been charged with sexual assault. You hope that they're held criminally responsible for any wrongdoing.
We hear the talk about hockey's "toxic culture", thanks to the conduct of some players at the higher levels of the game.
But are you going to find that toxic culture at the youngest levels of the sport? No. You're going to find a bunch of kids out there having fun, learning the sport and making new friends. And they're learning things that will help them for the rest of their lives.
We should be celebrating hockey, the majority of the people who play the game and the volunteers and officials who make it all possible. Are there issues to be resolved? Absolutely. But there's still far more that's good than bad in our national winter sport.
