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Titan · 02-14-2021, 02:36 PM

As the final horn sounded to end the 7th game of the Knights first round series vs the St. Louis Scarecrows, a flood of emotions overcame some of the veteran players of the team. For Teddy Park (@trashae), this was his last game in a Knights uniform, the end of a storied career. Park had served as the team’s captain and was a pivotal piece to the Knights defense. He dreamed of leading the team to a 4 Star Cup before being called up and celebrating with the friends he had made along the way. But, after an up and down series, the Knights came up short.

I have been with the Knights for 3 seasons now, and Teddy was my captain for the first two. This is my first go around in the SHL, and I have to say I couldn’t have asked for a better captain, mentor, and friend than I got in good ole Teddy Park. He is a guy that just made the locker room a great place to be, in wins and in losses. When I signed with the Knights, he was the first guy to meet me in the locker room and shake my hand. He introduced me to all the lads I would be playing with, showed me to my locker, and even was the one who had filled it with shaving cream! I’m not special in this regard, he did this to every new guy. And that was Teddy, making sure that every player was made to feel like you fit in to the team right from the start.

During our first season together, Teddy and I had many talks about the SHL and what it would take to be a player that was good enough to compete at the top. While we played different positions and had a different path to take, there was a clear message for him to give to me about being a SHL player: Work harder than the other guys in your position. And that stuck with me. There is nothing given to you in the SHL, you have to earn it. And I remember the moment when it really clicked that you have to give everything. It was a few games into the season and we were losing early. But Teddy wasn’t giving up and he made sure we weren’t going to either. He looked me dead in the eye and said “We gotta keep fighting, kid” and jumped over the boards. I thought he meant on the scoreboard, but it turned out he was literally looking for a fight. He grabbed the nearest opponent and instantly dropped the gloves and went to town. He lost that fight, but the idea behind it hit right on the spot. “You might be better than me, but you won’t be working harder than me.”

Last season was different than the first in the sense that there was real expectations around Kelowna. After winning our first round series in 7 games in my first season, we started to believe that things were coming together and we were building a great team. With the additions made at the draft, we were upbeat about what our season could become. Our regular season greatly improved, and the team’s offense was clicking even with my poor play. Each and every game, tho, Teddy was right there cheering me on and keeping my spirits up. “You’re doing the right things, kid. Just play your game, the points will come.” It meant the world to have the captain in my corner, keeping my eye focused on the prize. Teddy never lost sight of his goals, and he made sure we all didn’t lose that sight as well. He helped us become a team, become brothers, and become great friends.

I wish we could have won one for our captain. There won’t be another one like Teddy, especially in the near future since Vlastislav Malik was just named the new captain. His heart, grit, and determination were a step above all the others and it really is a competition for second place when you start talking about the best captains in history (Don’t come at me, this is my opinion). I miss playing with Teddy. I miss our pregame ritual (Hitting each other in the tunnel and crashing the net on the warm-up shots). But most of all, I miss my friend.

This season Teddy is up in the SHL playing for the Baltimore Platoon. He has 4 points in his first few games and I couldn’t be prouder of my friend. I know he’s going to rock the SHL, and lose a whole bunch of fights along the way. I just hope that everyone gets to know the Teddy that I did. The worker. The leader. The captain. The friend.

Good luck, Teddy. Maybe we will play together again one day!

Your friend,
Cian

832 Words

Kierkan · 02-14-2021, 02:47 PM

Awesome piece! Miss you Teddy! Knights

DeletedAtUserRequest · 02-14-2021, 03:26 PM

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**leafs1997** · 02-14-2021, 06:03 PM

Teddyyyyy

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