Ready for Grading!

WC: 1614 words

Double Media Week!

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The following is a letter written by Finn Krüger, written the night before the SMJHL Draft, for his former German Juniors team.

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Well, brothers. Here we are. The night before the big day.

I’m hoping that Coach will be reading this to you the night after the SMJHL Draft. But as you’re all well aware by now, I’ve left the country and everything in it behind to do what every single one of us wants to achieve. I’ve left and declared myself draft eligible for the SHL--or, at the very least, for the Major Juniors draft. It was not a decision I took lightly. In fact, I spent several years agonizing over whether or not I would leave my family for what felt like (and still feels like) much greener pastures. When I say family, by the way, that does include all of you. Every single one of you boys has had an impact on me that I don’t think I can quantify in any way that would be understandable. Just know that everything that I’m doing out there is in your names.

I turn 20 in less than a month now and having played this amazing sport for eight years now, I’ve learned a lot of things. Little tips, important tricks, and the outright way to survive in this sport. All of you will likely have learned the same lessons already, but nonetheless, there are new, young guys coming onto this team and they won’t have learned it yet. To save a bit of time for them (and for you, of course), I wanted to simply offer a few pieces of advice that I’ve learned in my time with you all and in my time here in America. Hopefully, they will save you from what they saved me from.

The first, and arguably the most important tip I can offer is this: have eyes everywhere on the ice. Not just in front of you, but behind you and to the sides of you. I do realize that you’ve only got two eyes, so use your ears as your secondary set and use your teammates as your tertiary set. Your ears will always hear someone’s skates rapidly approaching, so long as you’re paying ample attention to everything on the ice. Your teammates will always be calling for the approach and people behind you--don’t take that for granted. They aren’t doing it for their health, they’re doing it to save you from getting flattened or worse, injured. Eyes everywhere, brothers.

The second is for my defenders--Tobias, Otto, and of course, Finn (who I will forever share that damned namesake bond with)--and this is important. Don’t take your forwards for granted. They’re the first line of defense, but you’re the second. I don’t care how defensively sound your forwards are, they will make mistakes. We all make mistakes. And if you’re complacent when the moment strikes that they slip up and let an opposing player gain possession of the puck, then you will make the same mistake that they did. You’re defenders for a reason--forever vigilant, forever watching. If you let complacency overtake you, then you’ll never succeed as much as you want to. I say this out of love, of course, and I expect you to take this advice. Everything else I may say in this letter is to be ignored, but that? If I find out that my defensive corps have been getting complacent, I will personally make my way back to Cologne and discipline each and every one of you myself. That is a promise I intend to keep.

I know not why I count the list of advice I give to you--if I had my way, the list would be long and the lecture would be more than a couple of hours. But to continue, you all have the skills on-ce to succeed as defenders in whatever league you choose to play in. Be that our League, be that the Swiss League, even the SHL--you can do it. I don’t need to lecture you about your on-ice habits as much as I could and would. Therefore, the rest of this letter will simply touch on what I’ve learned off the ice in my twenty years alive. These apply not just to hockey, but to life.

Make the most of every opportunity you get. I had the chance to try and make a name for myself in the SMJHL, and look where I am now. I did the combine, I came to America. I spent two years learning English because this was the opportunity that I knew I was good enough for and I took it to the fullest. Nobody wants someone who half-asses their chances, and nobody who half-asses their chances ever goes anywhere. If you want to succeed in this world, be it in hockey or other walks of life, you need to give every opportunity 110% every night. You already do this on the ice, but you must do it in the rest of your life if you expect to go anywhere and do anything.

Try not to burn too many bridges. Everyone’s an ally so long as you try not to make anyone your enemy. Don’t misunderstand me, there will be people who simply cannot help but make an enemy out of you, but you should never actively seek out an enemy. A rival? Certainly, a rival is one thing--but burning your bridges is the best way to make sure that when the moment comes that you need help the most, no one will be there to offer it. Try to be pleasant with everyone, because everyone deserves even some semblance of a chance. You wouldn’t want a future teammate (or rival) to make you out as not worth their time, and as such, no one should be a waste of your time either. Make friends, make memories, and make some friendly rivlaries.

Please, please, please be well-spoken. That may sound rude and a bit condescending, but there is nothing more impressive than a well-spoken and rational person. Being calm in moments of panic and pressure is an admirable trait that very few can claim to have (and I mean both on and off the ice) and so if you can make yourself that person, people will be immediately attracted to you. Speaking well is a sign of dignity and poise, and as Germans that are always representing our country, I expect that you all carry yourselves with the dignity and poise that we all should.

Have a filter. Swearing and cracking jokes and taking jabs at people, that’s all fine on the ice, but when you’re in a very public light and speaking with important people, you must conduct yourself with the utmost respect. Know when to speak and what to say to the right groups of people--tact is another trait that many people in this day and age lack, and having it is invaluable. You never know who you may or may not make angry with one simple sentence.

I realize that this letter is getting long and you’ve all likely stopped listening to what I’ve had to say a long time ago. Probably as soon as I started talking on the topic of off-ice conduct. So where I could continue to rant and explain myself further about everything else I have to say, it may be better for me to simply start spewing them at you in a rapid-fire manner. So then:

Laugh often, and for the right reasons. Laugh for the wrong reasons when it’s appropriate. Never let a chance pass you by. Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions because we all have stupid questions to ask. Get to know everyone in your locker room on more than just a surface level. Respect your elders. Go out onto the ice every night and give it everything that you possibly can. Add one more rep to your workout sets--I know that you can do it. Find love, but don’t rush it. Make sure your parents know that you love them because most parents don’t hear it often enough. Listen to those with more experience than you, but don’t take it as divine knowledge (yes, I do realize the irony). Make the most of every bad situation. Never get complacent.

But most importantly. Please, for the love of God, have fun in everything that you do. Don’t think about making it in the SHL, like I did. Don’t worry about winning the championship, like I did. Don’t even worry about the next game ahead, like I did. Focus on the minute that you’re a part of in that very moment and have some fun with it. If you spend all your time worrying about the future, like I did and still do, you’re going to find yourself stressed and on the verge of simply dropping everything to let go of the weight that’s pressed itself onto your chest.

Have fun and think about the minute that you’re in. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Do that, and I promise that you will succeed. I promise.

If I find my name called and my future in the sweater of an SMJHL team, then know that I have succeeded. And know that if a rascally little kid like me can do it, then there’s no reason any of you can’t do it too.

I love you, brothers. I’ll be keeping tabs on all of you and I expect nothing but the best effort that you can possibly muster--night in, and night out.

With love, respect, and pride
Finn Krüger, SMJHL Prospect, and proud German
4/5/17