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TheHammer43 · 06-02-2023, 06:43 AM

Sorry, I didn't make this a long time ago. I got a call one day shortly after the SMJHL season had wrapped up, I looked at my phone and didn't recognize the number, now usually I just decline these calls but something just told me I should answer this one for "Funzy's" I hit accept on my phone, and on the other side of the phone I hear an "excited" expression "Heyy Hammer how are you doing?" I'm great thank you, who is this? I replied, "It's Luke up in New England's head office just wanted to ask you something if you have some free time?" This is odd to me, I've never had someone from the SHL let alone an SHL team reach out to me before. "Yeah now's great, what's up Luke how are you doing?" I asked. "Oh I'd say I'm doing fantastic, but let's get to business good sir, how would you like to be co-general manager for the New England Wolfpack?" When I tell you I couldn't speak, I mean it, I just paused and had to really soak in the question. "Hello? Hammer? You there?" called out from the cell phone that I held beside my hip due to the fact that I had been blindsided by this amazing offer. "I....I...I don't know what to say, Luke." "Well how about this I'll give you till the end of the week to get back to me about this offer, BUT this offer expires Sunday at eleven fifty-nine PM" Okay I'll get back to you Luke, I replied.

I sat back in my chair and just stared at the ceiling, this was a HUGE deal for me. I've been general manager for the Kelowna Knights for five years now and I've gained such a soft spot for them in my heart, all I ever wanted is to help shape these young athlete's into great players and role models, I've never seen myself in a position like this ever, I went from coaching teenagers at a higher level to general managing a minor league team and I truly thought that THIS was the highest I would ever go. Again it's a big decision for me not only have I established a living here in Kelowna but so has my family and yes I know that this will open more doors for me in the long run but do the pros outweigh the cons?

Two days later after some thought I decided it was time to break the news to my wife after dinner, we sat down at the table and we had our normal family dinner around six PM, the kids chatted about their school life, and I asked the wife how work has been and she gives me more details about that then the kids tell me about school. After we finish eating our lasagna, we all collectively clean the dinner table and the kids run off upstairs to do whatever it is that kids do nowadays, and I'm assisting the "Old lady" with the dishes. "Their teacher called me this afternoon to tell me that they've been very impressed with how they're progressing in class," my wife says to me. That's fantastic, I reply. I'm on the verge of sweating bullets not knowing how to only start the conversation but how she will take the news. As I wash the dishes, I'm making nothing but solid eye contact with this lasagna stain on a plate and thinking to myself;f "you're running out of time to accept or decline this offer, which will only make it worse, you need to just rip the bandaid off and see how it goes." I rest the plate gently in the sink, slowly turn towards Courtney(my wife) and I look her dead in the eyes. "What is it?" she asks. I pause for a moment, I open my mouth slightly, but cannot speak, she tilts her head in confusion, and I finally manage to utter the words "I GOT A JOB OFFER" She shakes her head in surprise, "WAIT! What?? Say that again?" I got a job offer I repeat, "Where? From who? You're already a general manager of a hockey team what else is there?" she asked, I exhale in immense relief, "Finally got that off the shoulders, she's taking this extremely well, I don't know what I was so worried about?" I say to myself, "Well it's another general managing position, but it's in the majors, I guess someone stepped down from the team that gave me the offer and they must like me enough to want to give me a job offer" I answered. "Well for starters, CONGRATULATIONS! And secondly, where is this new job offer?" Courtney asks. "Here we go," I say to myself again, "The job offer" I pause..."Is in New England." The look in Courtney's eyes I will never forget, "But we've done so much to fit in here, we left Quebec with nothing and built a life here in Kelowna" She explained. I knew this was going to be a difficult conversation. "Look I understand that this is a big decision, and this decision doesn't have to be made this second I have until Sunday to respond and I of course wanted to talk things over with you first, it's better pay than what I'm making now, we have enough money to buy a house there right now, from what I hear they have great schools in New England and the rest is taken care of. I explain. Courtney lowers her shoulders, looks me dead in the eyes, and smiles. "I think this is an amazing opportunity for us, I remember back when you got your first job offer and the fear I felt when I realized we were moving across the country but then I realized how great of life we could have here and we did, so....once again I am going to trust you and I will be on your side with this...It's a leap of faith yet again but you have my full support, I will break the news to the kids tonight, but you need to tell me when we are officially leaving okay?" I nod my head with a smile and proceed to my office to give Luke a call.

I accepted the job offer and now it was time to go back to my office in the Kelowna Knights and break the news to my players and staff. I called ahead of time to let everyone know that we were going to be having a team meeting at noon. I walk into the building for what feels like my first time, I'm taking my time to really soak in the moment, looking at trophies from previous years, team photos some that I am in and lots that I am not in, the murals on the wall of hall of fame players from way back when Kelowna first became an SMJHL team, I truly will miss this place and everyone that I have encountered. I walk through the hallway and open the door into the locker room, everyone sitting in their "cubbies" chitchatting and whatnot, "the gangs all here" I say to myself. The room goes from loud to silent as soon as I walk in, I walk around to see nothing but smiles and I start greeting all of the players and staff, handshakes and pats on the shoulders all that stuff. After I have given everyone a "hardy handshake" and a pat on the back I stand in the middle of the room, right in front of the Kelowna Knights logo that lies on the floor. "Ladies and gentlemen, I moved here to Kelowna, five years ago, and this city has been nothing but nice to me, and I had a few goals set for myself when I became the general manager of this team, One, to help make you and all the players I managed before you even better hockey players and amazing role models, I feel as if I have successfully completed that goal. Two, to give back to the city of Kelowna, they took me in, helped me out in my time of need and were behind me every step of the way as I took control of this team, and I also feel like I have successfully completed that goal, and unfortunately I was close but not close enough to completing my third goal which was bringing a cup to Kelowna, I look at you now and I have nothing to say to you but I am sorry, I'm sorry I was not able to help each and every one of you complete this task with me" I announced to the team, the Kelowna knights players and staff looked at me in silence, some shaking their heads and some just sitting their staring in silence. "I asked you all to come here today to let you all know, that I have received a job offer to manage a team in the SHL." The room erupts with quiet gasps and chatter. "Now listen, I have done my job here, I look at this crowd of men and women and see nothing but class-act citizens and tough hockey players ready for whatever the world has to throw at them, and that's exactly what I wanted, everyone wants to win championships, but no one wants to do the dirty work behind the scenes to make champions." "I leave you with everything I have taught you, and don't worry I have already filled the general manager position with a new general manager from Finland, I wouldn't leave you all hanging out to dry. I want to thank each and every one of you for making this job such an amazing experience and I will think of all of you when I'm in New England."

The meeting ends, I chatted with some of the players and staff and I went home. In the following weeks, I found a nice home to live in, found a great private school for my kids, and the Hammer family was packed and ready for the move to New England, it was an extremely long trip but it was nice to travel a little with the family, we took a big UHAUL from Kelowna all the way to New England, we even made a vacation out of the opportunity, we stopped in just about every province along the way, and when we finally pulled up to our new house in New England I looked at the front of the building and new that I had made the right decision.

(Please do not @ me for my shitty grammar and story telling!)

spidey · 06-02-2023, 11:23 AM

Miss you

***MikeLiut*** · 06-02-2023, 11:45 AM

@TheHammer43 you because you'll do an amazing job in NEW.

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