I remember this as if it was last night, but it was 1994. Friday night of Memorial Day Weekend. I was packing for a business trip to Israel while concentrating on Game 7 of the Conference Finals between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils. The winning team goes on to play for the coveted Stanley Cup; losing team heads home. The Rangers were the team to beat and they were up by a goal with the clock winding down. My sister Sherri was at the game. I was on the phone with my father and we were counting down the time: one minute…45 seconds…30 seconds…20…10, 9, 8, 7.7…and the Devils score to tie the game!
To this day I’m convinced my father stopped breathing and I was scared. I said, “Dad, are you there?” His solemn reply, “J-O, it’s not going to happen. They’re [the Devils] going to win.” At that time I didn’t know about the Law of Attraction. I wanted to stay positive but I was worried. ANYTHING can happen in “sudden death” overtime. But, first, there’s a break. So we had to wait while the teams go into their locker rooms and the ice is cleaned up. It was torture.
My father had season tickets to the New York Rangers since 1969. I’d been going to games with him since 1972. Over twenty years (for me) of rooting for a team and not experiencing a championship season. 1994 was supposed to be the year and New York City was ready for it! Only time would tell…
The rest, as they say, is hockey history. The Rangers beat the Devils in the second overtime and went on to win the Stanley Cup on June 14. My sister, Sherri, and I were there with my father. It was Hockey Heaven!
Fast forward to May 25, 2012. Friday night of Memorial Day Weekend. This time it’s Game 6 of the Conference Finals between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils and once again, the Rangers were the higher-seeded team. The Devils go up, 2-0. My father and I were talking and texting throughout the game. He sent a message, “Why did I ever start rooting for the Rangers?” I couldn’t answer that and a minute or two later he sent another text, “It started in 1945. There were only six teams. Who knew?”
The Rangers tied the game and it goes into overtime. Seriously? Now I know about the Law of Attraction. I know that we must remain positive and believe that our team has the power, strength, talent and tenacity to win. And, I did believe it. The Rangers had a fun, exciting, winning season from October through April. They’d fought through two tough playoff series. Hockey is life. Life is good. Couldn’t wait to celebrate…
Just over a minute into overtime, The New Jersey Devils scored. They were going to play for the Stanley Cup and the Rangers were finished. D-O-N-E done, as my sister says to my nephews. I’ll admit it: I got emotional. I don’t like losing. I’m a perfectionist and spent more than 40 years of my life trying to live up to others’ expectations.
My belief: if you lose, you are not good enough AND something is wrong with you. If that’s not reason enough to go eat a pound of gummy bears and drown my sorrows in ice cream, I don’t know what is.
HOLD ON a minute. That belief is where I was in 1994, not 2012. Of course, losing a playoff game is frustrating, sad and disheartening. If my hockey-crazed family is feeling this way, imagine how the players are feeling. There does need to be a period of assessment by the team: What was executed well? What went wrong? Why weren’t we able to score more goals? Did we have the right mindset? Did we believe strongly enough in ourselves? What changes need to be made for next season?
There are many lessons to be learned from this loss, or failure. There, I said the word: The Rangers failed to win the series and therefore did not go on to play for the Stanley Cup. But, let’s face it – they are a great hockey team in the sport’s most prestigious league. The players may have failed to advance to the next round, but they are not failures.
What a refreshing concept for me to hold on to! My mistakes (and who doesn’t make mistakes?) don’t mean I’m a failure. They are lessons for me to learn from and grow from and use to create my healthy, happy, fulfilled life. (And trust me when I tell you sugar won’t do that for you.)
I bet when my father started rooting for the New York Rangers in 1945 he had no idea a daughter of his would learn such valuable life lessons from the team.
Next Steps:
- Believe in yourself.
- Remember to write in your gratitude journal about all the good in your life.
- Identify what is not working as well as you would like and ways to make changes.
- Commit to being the healthiest, happiest YOU.
These steps will help you feel more confident and understand how you can create a happy, healthy, fulfilled life. If you are concerned about your diet or if your lifestyle is not supporting your health and well-being,Contact me or call 413-282-7286. At Bravo! Wellness, I work with my clients to create manageable lifestyle changes so they are able to achieve their greatest potential in their professional and personal lives. Start living your best life today! I’m here to support you.
Jodi,
I couldn’t care less about professional hockey, except of course when the Bruins are in the Stanley Cup finals. That said, I completely take your points to heart. I too have held the belief “if you lose, you are not good enough AND something is wrong with you.” You are so right that we need to believe in ourselves, whether we win or lose at each moment, and keep our eyes on the next available prize. Thank you for these fabulous reminders wrapped in a story that felt gripping even for this fair weather hockey fan!
Wow that totally explains how people can take their sports to a whole new level. Love the story tie in to your father.
I know I once became a fan of the Yankees after my then boyfriend turned it into a soap opera. We broke up and I lost interest in the non soap opera take on the game.
As a Florida girl, I don’t know hockey but as a girl who likes the underdog team, way to believe.
I agree with “believe in yourself” very strongly because that inner voice that we all have can get so strong that we really start believing it. I write in my journal once in awhile, but I do love the idea of a gratitude journal. Thanks for all the “happy” advice, Jodi.