Time of Your Life

I’ve been in that locker room before. I’ve skated off that same ice before. I’ve choked back those same tears, and I’ve sat and stared at a similar floor. Nothing that anyone can say or do will help you overcome the sadness, the frustration, and the sickness you feel after coming so close, dedicating your life to the game, but after a long season, ultimately coming up just short of your goal.

Perhaps some have already started to put things in perspective. For others, it will take a few days, or weeks, or more – but come a few months from now, each one of those players will be able to look back at everything they have accomplished, the triumphs and the setbacks, the times they shared, and the friendships they made, and realize that they had the time of their lives.

Before the tourney started, John Davidson and Yan Stasny stood before every player at the banquet and essentially tried to share the same idea – cherish these times, take it all in, because you might never be here again. Very few people in hockey, or in sports, and even a fewer percentage of people in the world will ever earn the right to play for a National Championship those guys said. So take it all in, because someday you will look back and smile and just wonder where the time went.

Beginning on Thursday night against St. Louis, the Phantoms started playing their game. Sixty minutes turned into 120, and 120 into 180 and 240. The Phantoms played 240 minutes of quality hockey in their final days of the season. Beat up, injured, gassed, and exhausted, each one of them sacrificed, fought and clawed their way into the final and then left it all out on the ice – and that is all that you can ask for, and that is all that you can do.

There really is not a whole lot else to say. Over the summer, on the website, look for updates on the Golf Outing – which is scheduled for July 21 – look for updates from the Try-Out Camps – May 15-18 in Plymouth, Michigan and May 29-June 1 in Boardman, and the main camp sometime after that. The pre-season for players has essentially already started, but things will start getting busy here again in August before the Showcase again probably in mid-September.

It was great to see all the support out in Missouri from fans, families, friends, girlfriends, and billets. It was a good time out in St. Louis. I had a lot of fun hanging out with everyone.

I had a great time following, writing, and calling the games for the team this year. Thank you for all of your kind comments. This is my 35th and final Cameron’s Corner for the season. Thank you for reading and commenting. It was great year, I had a lot of fun, and this was a great team to be a part of.

Again, congratulations to the team and the players for another great season – good luck in all your future endeavors, and thanks for everything.