The year was moving along at a rapid pace as our world was still revolving around Joe. Lori and I knew that leaving him up in Toronto at a Prep School might be a bad idea. Joe and school were like oil and water. A volatile mix. Sure, the hockey would be fine, but he had graduated high school already. Extra high school was going to be a tough go. Virtual torture for him. One month in and all was well. He was captaining the Varsity team and towing the academic line. At least we thought so. Joe was starting to feel a lot better. The antibiotics had done their job and the school fed him well. He was gaining strength and weight. Lori and I spoke with the coach and he felt that within three to four months Joe would be in much better condition to maybe move on and join a Junior team. He was very happy to have him and his skill on his squad for the season.
I was preparing for the fall at the store and the upcoming holiday season. Feeling good and fresh off of another annual successful blood test, the weight of the world was off of my chest for another year. Nick was doing great at Temple and working with a friend of mine in the Real Estate game, loving every minute of it. But Joe…c’mon bud. We got calls from the school headmaster, the coach, the junior coach from Ottowa and Joey. He had one day to vacate his dorm room. He was done. I couldn’t believe what was going on and needed to book him into a hotel room right away. Apparently, Joe wasn’t happy with his situation. He called a local GM for the Burlington Cougars in the Ontario Junior Hockey league and asked to skate with them. The Coach had him practicing with the team for a week and signed him to a contract. As soon as the school found out they went ballistic! Joe would begin playing games that weekend. Here we go again, another road trip to Canada. I wasn’t so sure that he was ready to play full time at that level yet. Let’s go Lor…might have to bring him home.
So now, we’re paying for a hotel for Joe until he passes muster and crossing our fingers that he stays put somewhere. Burlington is a nice town, a Toronto suburb to the west of the city. The Cougars played in a big arena with a packed crowd. I was so used to hearing the Canadian National Anthem, “Oh Canada”, I knew the words. The game, of course, was fast and furious. Joe played well for a player that was jumping in a month into the season. Hockey coaches use various systems of play that the longer you have practiced with the team, the more integrated you become. It takes time to acclimate to a new system. Anyway, he played well and we were relieved. If Joe lasted another week, the team would get him housing. Sunday’s game went well too. Until he took a puck to the groin. Blocking an eighty five mile per hour slapshot is a dangerous endeavor. One that Hockey players must endure. It’s part of the game. After a trip to the locker room for about fifteen minutes, he was back on the ice. Lori and I took him to dinner after the game. I could tell that he was still struggling. So could the trainer and the coach. We headed home only to find out that he would be released that week. It was a choice between the coach keeping Joe and allowing him the time to get up to speed or another player that was coming back from an injury that week and allowing him the time to heal while playing. That player was a veteran and Canadian. That’s the way it goes.
Lucky for Joe, the Burlington trainer really liked him and knew a GM that would really like him too. The next day he signed with another team. The GMHL was another Ontario Junior League. Not as prestigious or on the level of the OJHL but it was an offer of a full season, lodging and the chance to heal. The Orangeville Americans it was. About an hour north of Toronto and no chance of being released while he regained his form. I was able to go and watch him play in the league All-star game at the end of the season in the northern tundra of Canada. Meaford, Ontario…in a blizzard. They have banners of the Queen of England hanging in the arena. The two hour ride back to Orangeville in a Canadian whiteout is a story in itself. But he was finally happy. We were happy. The things we do.
Next Up: A Huge Decision