Before the start of his debut season, Potts took the time to go back to where it all started in Atlanta, Georgia at the former home of the Atlanta Thrashers, State Farm Arena. Potts would spend hours on hours each week working on drills with his Father to ensure he could become the best hockey player he could possibly be. SLATT figured there would be no better way to go and connect with his community other than to go back to where it all started and speak with some kids who have dreams and aspirations to be like him one day. SLATT spoke about always going the extra mile, practicing on your own and not just with your team to separate you from the pack. If you don't have the desire to work to be the best, don't expect to one day wake up and be the best. It seemed as if this speech was received well as many kids were chomping at the bit to speak with SLATT after his speech, and during everyone was very attentive. There is no doubt these kids look up to Potts and want to be just like him one day.
"When you're young, the sky is the limit. You feel like you can do and accomplish anything. I'm here to tell you that with hard work, you can. I knew I wanted to play hockey at the highest level since elementary school. Some people tried to discourage me from focusing on sports, but I believed in my abilities. You may want to play sports, or you may have another dream in mind, but do not let anyone, no matter how special they are to you, steer you away from your dreams. The only person you really need to believe in yourself is you. You have the power over your own destiny, the strength to achieve anything. Anyone at the top of any profession didn't get there through luck, well at least not most of them. They kept going through thick and thin, they tried to better themselves, they persevered against the odds. They stared adversity in the face and never wavered. Nothing can break you if you stay true to yourself and follow your heart. It may sound cheesy but it's true, you are the master of your own fate. If you want to play in the SHL, I expect to see you on the ice facing off against me when my corpse is still out there in 10 seasons."
07-28-2020, 02:57 PM(This post was last modified: 07-30-2020, 04:13 PM by Mazatt.)
Coming home after a long fought season, the last thing on Foley's mind was high school. But lo and behold, he had an offer from his old stomping grounds to give a speech. That's just an instant accept right there. Planning for a speech where you're only two years up on the target audience is... tough. Real tough. Especially when you know them and went to school with them. But that audience will love Foley no matter what, the main concern comes in the group that doesn't know him--not in any sense of the word. To them he's just the bottom pairing rookie in a junior league. He needs something to captivate them. Cue the manic scheduling, cause Foley had a plan...
That will come later. His ace up the sleeve, so to speak. Before that bomb dropping he needs something to captivate the kids with talking about his passions. If he can balance his passion for music and growing as a player, why can't the kids do it? So after a quick opener on his performance in Carolina, and hyping the boys up that they can see him in Edmonton later, the speech can transition to balancing passions. Then he can take some questions, and go off script. That's where some problems could arise--hockey players aren't known for being deep thinkers or eloquent speakers, and Foley has said some... fucking dumb things in the past. But if that goes wrong, that's where the trump card comes into play--Foley's day with the cup has been planned for the same day as the speech. He gets to show some high schoolers the cup, there's no way they could hate it!
In reality the speech was okay. It was scheduled for the end of the school day, and Foley didn't feel like waiting until 3PM to celebrate the cup so he was a liiiittle bit sauced by the time the speech came around, and that led to some interesting statements during the question period. For example, a student who was in grade 12 (grade 10 in Foley's graduating class) was familiar with Foley, asked a silly question, and Foley responded "dumb question bitch boy, next." The faculty wasn't happy with that. He also tried to sing for the students while talking about his passion for music--turns out "Fergalicious" isn't a great song to choose, and it's a bit harder to remember after a few drinks. On the other end of things, those kids have some unforgettable stories to tell once Foley cements himself as a player in the SHL, they can turn to their friends and say "hey, he showed up to our school drunk and tried to be Fergie for a bit," and that's ok. Plus they got to touch the four star cup, which really redeems any wrong-doings from Foley. If there was a future SHL star in the crowd, let's hope and pray they didn't pay a lot of attention to this speech.
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thedangazone Rookie Mentor Committee
S40 & S42 Challenge Cup Champion
So going back to my old stomping grounds was a wild but very thrilling experience. It was nice to go back to Texas and see my family and some old friends who I have not seen in a very long time either. Now hockey came in college for me so going back as a hockey star was quite weird feeling when my old stories from my high school are my football playing days. The kids were awesome though. Everyone was so thrilled to see me and they all got so excited to hear my story from that small Texas high school to the big leagues. While I stumbled my chubby ass up to the podium I was happy to see the smiles as it helps give you the confidence in front of people. I told those kids exactly what they needed to hear. If you work hard and give it your all, it does not matter where you came from or what you think you may be good at. You can and will make a name for youself if you believe. Just like I did coming out of a highschool in the middle of no name Texas I was able to give it my all in hockey, something that I took an interest in late, and actually make it to the big leagues to make millions of dollars. And they can too.
Going back to my hometown of Vienna was nothing new to me as I travel back every off season. What was new to me was this was smack dab in the middle of the season as I had been asked to speak to my former elementary school about what it was like to play in the SHL. I['m not the most engaging speaker and had a lot of "umm" and "uhh" in my speech, but in the end I think I got through to them. I asked how many wanted to play in the SHL when they grew up and just about every child there put their hand up. I was amazed. I said "Well considering less then 1% of hockey players worldwide will ever come even close to the league, kiss those dreams good bye and get an education." I really feel like I connected with those kids, unfortuntaely I was informed that I wouldn't be asked back for a follow up.
Nick would head back to the Hutchinson Academy in Shrewsbury, England to do a speech, inspiring the local youth. Nick is no super great shakes in front of a large crowd, but would be competent enough in public speaking to get a point across. Nick would talk about the value of professionalism, perseverance and dedication in life, pointing out his win of the Zach Miller Award in the SMJHL for dedication in the sport of hockey. Nick as well would talk about those values helping him be a winner of 6 IIHF medals (2 each of gold, silver, and bronze), taking up various underappreciated defensive forward roles within the team.
After the speech Nick would sign autographs for the youngsters, and have a shootaround in the gym after school, giving out free CCM GoalieKiller 9000s. Nick would demonstrate one of their effects on a cardboard cutout of Kata Vilde to the awe of the kids watching. After the subsequent tornado damage and utter destruction of the Vilde effigy, the stick would subsequently go on to be re-banned yet again from the world of organised hockey.
After Bud Weiser gave a speech at his high school alma mater which remains around 250 students, he decided to do a Q&A session which determined why he would never be invited back. Below are the questions and responses.
Q- What is the feeling to being inducted into the HoF here?
A- "Well, I guess it is cool. It is not like there was much competition. The school is around 250 students and most are farm boys who just shoot guns and don’t play sports. Honestly, I would have been disappointed and possibly purchased the school myself if I did not get voted in. If I own the school, I would definitely be in."
Q- What was it like being drafted into the SMJHL?
A- "Well, uhhhh…..it was an honor. This is the second best league in the world and I am aspiring to be the best. But, what makes the better is to be drafted by my hometown team and being able to play in front of friends and family. To continue on with my answer, I have already laid some roots from growing up here and know the best bars in town and where to wheel off the ice."
Moderator- “Thank you for your response. Let’s please remember these are still high school students and let’s try to keep this age appropriate.
Bud- “Sorry, I was just trying to play to my fan base, Bud is King of Beers and packing fatty chews!”
Moderator- “Thank you for your time Bud, but I think that is all we have time for today and remember, GO SCARECROWS!”
My speech is on change. Change is hard, its one thing that you can never really expect and never really prepare for. One minute you're at the top of the mark and then on some idle Tuesday your life changes forever. I've been grateful to have an amazing career in the SHL but I wouldn't be there if it weren't for my parents and my friends to keep me centered and level. I've had some changes, some bad like being traded away from my friends and family and support team to Winnipeg and some good which is winning a Challenge Cup, a Bojo Biscuit and of course returning to Buffalo. Some people set the bar so high for themselves that their also unwilling to change and it brings them down, some people are just incapable of changing their lives to fit the real world. My advice to my new friends would be to embrace change and to work to better themselves whenever they can. It will go a long way in improving happiness and making life just a little more manageable, especially in stressful situations.
Rangerjase Commissioner
first site "billionaire" https://simulationhockey.com/gcalendar.php
They don’t let Zoltan do recruiting events with children anymore. They actually don’t let him do recruiting events at all. The last time Zoltan did a recruiting event it was at a local high school recruiting for his local NCAA schools hockey team. This was right around the time Zoltan was recruited to the Cult of Zoltan. To make a Long story short, there were more kids that joined the cult than ended up playing hockey for the university. There were some elements of hockey sprinkled in there but just enough to get the recruiter and school official to leave the room. Everything started out fine with Zoltan going over a “season in the life” of an NCAA hockey star. Going to class, trying to stick to the nutritional plan the coaches were provided even though that Mac and Cheese and Tendies at the cafeteria actually looked appetizing for a change. Then it went south. Something just clicked and Zoltan went into FULL recruiting mode. He ripped off his Jersey revealing a full bubble wrap outfit underneath. Preaching the word of the Lord Zoltan. Luckily security was watching him speak in the office and the trip was cut short...
rum_ham Registered
S24, S26 Challenge Cup Champion
Colin Lambert shed a tear as he finished watching the movie, "Dead Poet's Society", on his flight from St. Louis to his high school in Defiance, Ohio. Immediatley after landing, he went to the nearest tattoo shop and got "Carpe Diem" inked onto his left arm, placed right beside his tattoo of Millhouse from the Simpsons.
Heavily inspired by the movie, Lambert's speech contained themes and messages about living in the moment. He told the kids not to worry too much about school, or sports, because when you live in the present and do things that make you happy, you're life will be fulfilling.
He invited all of the kids in the gymnasium to stand up on their chairs. It took some convincing, but the kids and the teachers all stood on their chairs in unison. Unfortunatley, there was a small earthquake that occured just after everyone stood up, which caused the entire high school to fall down. 75% of the students and faculty in attendance were severly injured by the incident and Colin Lambert was banned from returning to his Alma Mater.
Steve Harrington is a single mother of too many to count children. This gives him an interest in helping the young people set goals and achieve their dreams. He knows that none of his own children are any good at hockey so he might never see one of them take his place in the future. Though he admits he wasn't any good at hockey either until he was for some reason drafted into the SMJHL. But he likes to go around to high schools teaching kids the importance of getting out there and trying new stuff seeing as how he would have never become a star hockey player if he hadn't read a random reddit post. Perhaps their calling is just a reddit post away. Probably none of them will ever be professional hockey players but its worth a shot. Its also worth it to remind them that I was prom king.
The speech wouldn’t be made of anything fancy. Minamino unfortunately is like most other people where it ends up being a rambling mess where the metaphor about something to do with the journey of life is poorly relayed and ends up confusing the majority of kids listening to the speech wondering whether he’s talking about the difficulties of the uncertainty in dealing with the future, reaching out for your goals and putting your best effort in, or something to do with a salad bowl, train and a conductor's hat. However, the main card that he’ll use to play in his speech is drawn from Modern Family as apparently the secret isn’t actually the words that’s being said during the speech. Rather it’s about making sure that the words to end the speech are part of the popular pop song that’s currently in season. Given the lack of ability to keep up with what songs the kids are listening to these days despite not being that much older, he could only rely on Cascada’s “Listen to Your Heart” which didn’t really help.
Written Option A (150 words min.): What is the speech about? How are you going to try and inspire (or at least entertain) these kids? How does it go? Do you wind up mumbling on stage because you are a big buffoon who isn't can word good or are you an eloquent and captivating orator? Do you think the next [you] is out there in the audience listening?
My speech is to the kids of Dimond High School in Anchorage, Alaska and is about inspiring the young adults of the school to find what they enjoy the most, their passion as it were, and not let anyone stop them from following their heart. While it seems that many people think that money and physical objects are the most important parts to being an “adult”, the reality is that without passion life and happiness in general is just less optimal than it could be. I feel, whether right or wrong, that people view money and material things as the end all be all or as a substitute for happiness and self-actualization and that just should not be the case. Can money and material things help find happiness? Sure, but they probably are not the thing that provides that happiness. Instead, I would contend, that purpose and passion is what provides happiness. If you can find those one or two things that you are really passionate about then it can change your life and provide the happiness that really makes life worth living.
I know you didn’t mean this to be hurtful, but Cassius Darrow can’t return to his hometown. Germany is still locked down and barring those coming from America entry to the country. Darrow hasn’t seen his family in three seasons now, and it’s wrecked his mental health.
Regardless, he did what he could and live streamed his speech from the comfort of his Buffalo, NY apartment. Some highlights follow:
“Life is a series of challenges. A life without challenge is a life unfulfilled. The magic of life—the joy, the pain, the sadness, the growth—comes from pushing yourself beyond what is comfortable. You must be willing to take the challenges that appear in your life and learn from them…
This is not to say that challenges will always be good. Many times challenges cross your path that can hurt you in a deep way and destroy the fragile fabric of the life you were pursuing. We are all facing multitudes of challenge today, multidimensional traumas associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The life we knew before and expected may never return. This is unfair, and this is life.
All we can do is make the most of the world given to us and try to make it better—safer, fairer, grander—than it was for our parents, grandparents, and so on. The leaders who will shape the next seven generations, to take from a proverb amongst the American Indian tribes, are in this room. You are young and you are powerful. You are young and you have wisdom. You are young and you can shape our world for the better…”
Thank you karey, OrbitingDeath Ragnar, and sköldpaddor for sigs!
Tom Fiddler strides onto stage to the sound of middling applause. It was an early flight that got him here and he had not yet wrested control of himself from Sleepy Carl, his bed-time alter ego. Groggy, hair matted on the side, the warm glow of half a flask of whisky inside his stomach. A single half-smoked, unlit cigarette hangs from his lip. Tom Fiddler is well dressed, but it looks like he might have gotten into a fight, although he had not. Unless you count the fight of getting out of bed at 3 am to fly down to some podunk school in detroit.
"if you dream it, you can learn it", He mumbles. A long pause as he stares at the mute faces of so many children. Did any of them even know who he was? He played for Tampa Bay, after all, not exactly a memorable team for kids to follow. He walks off stage, rips a check from the fingers of a stunned principal. Mission accomplished, children inspired. He returned home.
Rindiee![[Image: minadsslatt.png]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/831282703767830599/934979130385129572/minadsslatt.png)
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Colin Lambert ll Left Defence ll Barracuda![[Image: NA3IV5m.png]](https://i.imgur.com/NA3IV5m.png)
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FINN RHYS ![[Image: hockey__27674.1518661372.1000.1200.jpg?c=2]](https://cdn10.bigcommerce.com/s-ybi5u8mnac/products/732/images/1241/hockey__27674.1518661372.1000.1200.jpg?c=2)
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