The most inspirational hockey performance on Tuesday wasn't Jeremy Roenick's heroics in leading the San Jose Sharks to a Game 7 victory over the Calgary Flames or the Philadelphia Flyers dodging the Alexander Ovechkin bullet to get to the second round.
It took place that morning at St. Marguerite d'Youville Catholic School in Whitby, Ont.
A game of ball hockey was played between the Grade 8 students and their teachers there but this was no run of the mill student-teacher activity. This was a full-scale game-day presentation that could put some NHL teams to shame and this was an event with a higher purpose, of that there is no doubt.
The game was part of an ongoing effort by the school's staff and students to honor a sweet little Grade 1 student Joshua Liscio, who is waging a courageous albeit difficult battle against serious illness, and assist his family through the long, hard and costly ordeal.
The Liscios – Dad Victor and Mom Janet, Josh and little brother Ethan – are huge Montreal Canadiens' fans and were wearing their Hab sweaters to prove it.
Josh wears a Mike Komisarek No. 8 sweater because that's his favorite player and the player he got to meet and who had such a profound impact on him when, during treatment in Toronto last fall, he attended a Canadiens' game-day skate at the Air Canada Centre.
The game was the centerpiece of a multi-layered effort by staff and students to raise some money to help ease the Liscio family's financial burden but also show how much they all care for Josh and his family.
And honored as I was to be invited to attend the game and provide some guest commentary, it was difficult not to be overwhelmed by the level of caring by the staff and students and the incredible attention to detail to make the game seem every bit as big-league as a Stanley Cup playoff game.
If teacher Mike Hamill, resplendent yesterday in his Toronto Maple Leaf sweater, missed anything, I'm not aware of it. But then he had a lot of help. Referee Janine Bowyer, who happens to be the St. Marguerite principal, said once Hamill was the driving force behind the game, more and more ideas kept coming from the entire staff and before long, the event had taken on a life of its own.
The gym was converted to a big-league arena. Tables and foam pads turned on their sides created "boards". We Will Rock You blared from a boom box as the entire student body filed into the gym to fill the "stands" on the stage and around the rink. Benches and a penalty box were created. There was even a light show – two students twirling flashlights in the darkened gym.
I wasn't the only hockey broadcaster there. For this day only, Ron and Don joined me, although this "Ron" had red hair and freckles and this "Don" had a couple of earrings in his left ear. Go figure. There was a cardboard mic flash with TSN on it and the budding broadcasters were terrific partners in the broadcast booth.
School principal Janine Bowyer, Bob McKenzie, Joshua Liscio and teacher Mike Hamill at the Good, Old Hockey Game. |
There were player introductions, which gave everyone a chance to make fun of the teachers who were wearing their favorite teams' sweaters, with their last names written on masking tape on their backs. As the two teams warmed up, they were absolutely Sean Avery like in the trash talking and crossing of the center red line, keeping referee Bowyer busy before the drop of the first puck. Teacher Chad Richard, proudly wearing his Oshawa Generals' sweater, strapped on his guitar and led the way on a rousing sing-along rendition of Stompin' Tom's The Hockey Song. Then it was time for the national anthem and the ceremonial faceoff
I was honored to be asked to drop the puck, er, ball, and was joined by one lucky student who was chosen at random (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) from the crowd. It was little Joshua, who was never told ahead of time that this whole thing was for him and his family, so as to not make him feel too self-conscious.
With the pre-game festivities done, it was time to play. The game featured lots of good action and lots of good hijinks between the students and teachers.
I will tell you this, they didn't miss much. The "Zamboni" came out between periods although it looked an awful lot like a baby stroller or carriage. "Ron" and "Don" and myself did intermission interviews.
The students in the crowd were doing the wave.
For the record, the students won 2-0. The teachers had planned to let the kids win, but as it turned out, they didn't really have any say in the matter.
The three stars were rewarded handsomely - each with their own (toy) car.
The whole affair was sensory overload. As I watched it all unfolding in front of me, seeing the teachers interacting so sincerely and earnestly with the students, it made me realize the importance and value of the teaching community and when it's done the right way, the way it was done at this school on this day, what extraordinary value there is for kids to be in such a loving and caring environment. Teaching really is a noble profession -- the effort and heart these teachers and staff put into this project was so off the scale that words do not do it justice.
Then there's the money. About $1,700 was raised in efforts - raffles etc. - related to the game itself, another $1,250 from a pizza promotion run by the local Dominos Pizza and there are still more projects in the works. It's hard enough what any family goes through when illness of this magnitude strikes but that it also creates financial pressures on any family is unfathomable.
I've always subscribed to the theory that many of the worst things in life tend to bring out the absolute best qualities in everybody, and so it was on this day for this cause.
Truth be told, it would be wonderful if the need for this particular game did not exist, because I don't think there's anything more insidious or heart-breaking than serious illness afflicting innocent little children. But as we all know only too well, that's not the way of the world and the need for this day was there and the entire St. Marguerite d'Youville school community stepped up, embraced it, took it into their hearts and then poured it all back out ten-fold.
I left there Tuesday morning to prepare for that night's Game 7s in the Stanley Cup playoffs - Philadelphia at Washington and Calgary at San Jose -- but I already knew there would be nothing in those games that could compare to the emotion and inspiration on display at this school gym in Whitby.
You want champions, there's your champions.