The Word Junior Championship wrapped up a few months ago, seeing our Team USA take home Silver, which is nothing to shake a stick at considering we lost gold to our neighbors up North. Team Canada was a force to be reckoned with this year and our boys just couldn’t quite keep up. While our home town boy didn’t produce nearly as much as he did in the regular season of the SMJHL, he did get some solid championship ice time. He keeps stacking time and experience upon each other in all the aspects of his game. Most rookies do not get to see multiple rounds of playoff hockey while averaging 16 minutes of ice time along with winning the Silver at worlds while averaging over 10 minutes of ice time a game. Sure it was less minutes than with Maine, but those minutes are spent playing with the cream of the crop in the nation. Next year holds big things for Sean. Maine is losing some major pieces to the SHL, so Sean’s playtime should increase significantly along with his stat lines. Ice time is not only the thing that Sean is looking forward to, he is also looking forward to the SHL Draft and has been for months. He has been back in Denver with his family since April. Spending almost all of his time at the DU weight room and practice facility.
On a beautiful April day around 2pm is when I was able to catch up with Sean after a skating session at the Dive Inn for some beers and chicken fingers. Luckily we were able to snag the boat in the middle of the bar which granted us a nice reprieve from the pool and ping pong tables scattered around the bar. (For those who have not been to this establishment, it is famous for having a boat in the middle of the bar that acts as a little island in the sea of revelry. Their fried chicken is also phenomenal) I questioned why he wanted to grab drinks inside a bar instead of on one of the hundred patios the city had to offer.
“Im dodging Nancy right now.” Sean said. I asked what he meant by that. Why would he be dodging his Manager/agent? “I'm just burnt out James. All I do is workout, skate, and talk with GMs with Nancy. I haven’t had time for myself in weeks. When you asked to grab a drink, I pounced at the opportunity. I dont want to be on a patio because I dont want someone to see me and relay that information to Nancy. But also, I just REALLY needed these chicken fingers. No one in the city makes them quite like this James.” He was right, these chicken fingers were the best in the city. When Sean suggested the Dive Inn, I wasn’t upset by the idea.
Sean, are you having second thoughts on the SHL? Are you not enjoying yourself anymore? I thought this was your dream. After a long swig off of a Banquet stubby, Sean looked at me and smiled. “Are you kidding? I LOVE WHAT IM DOING, this is my dream. I just need a break from it some times, you know?. You love your wife and kids right? You need breaks from them too, right?” The kid caught me off guard, he really did. What started out as me being slightly concerned about his future quickly faded away and I was once again very proud of our (Denver’s) son. “This offseason has had zero breaks James, this is the first time in weeks that Ive been able to get away from it all!”
I assume you are mainly talking about the SHL scouts and GMs right? I almost asked again as it seemed Sean was paying more attention to all the patrons in the bar playing games. Quickly though he looked back at me and said “Yes, thats what im talking about. I dont care about the weight room sessions, I dont care about 5AM bag skates, what is killing me is talking to GM after GM.” Well Sean that’s the name of the game, and you just have to grin and bear it even though you hate doing it. He looked up at me with a chicken finger hanging out of his mouth like a wild animal mid kill. “I dont hate it James! I have honestly liked talking to every single scout/GM that Nancy has put me in the room with.” Confusion stretches across my face. “Wait, then why are you getting burnt out, why are you getting tired of this, this makes no sense.”
“James, have you ever watched the Bachelor or the Bachelorette?” I almost spit out my beer from that question. “Sean, of course I have, what does this have to do with anything?” Smiling, Sean says “Imagine you are in the Bachelor’s shoes, you are meeting 18 different women, all of whom are showing interest in you. Sure its a fun process and everyone is nice, but its mentally draining” “Sean how is it draining?” Sean takes his last swig of Banquet and motions to the bartender for another “Its draining because in the process of meeting all these people, you pick a few favorites and it feels like you have already made up your mind on who you want to dance with. Then talking with everyone else seems disingenuous.” “Oh I see, you already know where you want to go, and now talking with other teams seems like you are cheating on them a little bit. Is this where you are going with this?”
The bartender drops off two more Banquets in front of us, as he is about to leave the bartender whispers “Go Timber!” Sean winks at him and says thanks.
“Yes this is where I am going with this James. I have my eyes set on 3 teams, and the rest are just kinda meh to me.” “So who do you have eyes for Sean?!” “Are you kidding me James? I am not telling a reporter, pre draft on where I want to go. I obviously will be happy to play anywhere in the SHL. For a team to find out that I would have rather gone elsewhere isn’t good for any locker room. With the exception of teams that have been accused of cheating in the past, I want to have an open mind to any locker room. Everyone remembers Deflategate and I don’t want to have my name associated with a team like the Patriots even if they win a ton.”
Can you at least tell me who you have talked to so far? Looking up with a smirk “Yeah, Ive talked to quite a few teams. San Francisco, New Orleans, LA, Winnipeg, New England, Manhattan, and Atlanta.”
Wait, so you are telling me that you feel all of this and you’ve only talked to 7 of the 18 teams? Sean, come on, dont you think you are being a bit dramatic about this whole thing?
“James, it's only April, and the draft isn’t until June. There is still plenty of time for more teams to reach out. And if I know Nancy like I think I do, I have a feeling I will be hearing from many more. I'm getting burnt out because I know whoever reaches out is gonna be nice and there is a potential that I find a new team that I want to be a part of. Then come draft, I just go to whoever takes me.” Sean pauses a second. “Now that I say it like this, it feels like the absolute opposite of the Bachelor. I am meeting a ton of people, who all seem cool, but I have no control over who picks me.”
As soon as Sean said all of that, it’s almost like he had never said it out loud and he all of a sudden had a new realization on the whole draft situation. He sat back and just stared at the empty chicken basket and half full Banquet. A smile crept across his face “I have no control!”
"Why didn’t I think about it like this sooner, it changes my entire thought process. There isn’t a reason to dread talking to new teams. I should be embracing it! James, I need to call Nancy now I need to get talking to everyone!”
Sean ordered another round for our boat, excused himself for a brief second, walked out into the sunny day onto the sidewalk along South Broadway and promptly called Nancy. He bounded back inside 5 minutes later like a dog coming home for dinner. We stayed at the Dive Inn for a few more hours playing pool and ping pong.
Leaving the bar that night Sean seemed to have a new lease on life.
I haven’t seen Sean since that beautiful April day, and I am pretty sure I know why. With the draft right around the corner I have a feeling he has been spending all of his “down time” with Nancy and the other GMs of the SHL. Whichever SHL team takes our boy, they will be glad to have him.
SewingWithNancy
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