The Rookie's Dream.
a short story and clever analogy told over AIM
by Joseph Parcell

JoFish19: There's this kid...
JoFish19: and he's a hockey player
JoFish19: He gets drafted into the NHL in the first round.
JoFish19: the GM for Dallas picks him in the first round.
JoFish19: because he's heard nothing but good things about this kid.
JoFish19: From his high school coach and his college coach, they all tell him that this kid is simply awesome.
JoFish19: So on the strength of that, the Stars pick him up.
JoFish19: So he plays for Dallas.
JoFish19: Not the best team in the NHL but not the worst.
JoFish19: They'll make the playoffs.
JoFish19: So, the season starts up, and this kid goes out onto the ice.

JoFish19: And he sucks.

JoFish19: Not really, but he's nowhere near as good as his coaches built him up to be.
JoFish19: He's making bad passes, he stumbles.
JoFish19: He gets an assist every few games, he gets a few goals.
JoFish19: He ends the regular season with 19 assists and 8 goals.
JoFish19: He's a huge disappointment.

JoFish19: But then the playoffs start.

JoFish19: And this kid is en fuego.

JoFish19: He's getting 2, 3, 4 goals a game. Making great plays, he's juking and jiving, he's passing awesomely, he's a human highlight film.
JoFish19: And his teammates are like, "Dude, why didn't you play like this during the season?"

JoFish19: And he's like "My heart wasn't in it."
JoFish19: "This is the kind of game I want to play."
JoFish19: "In the playoffs, it's put up or shut up. Go hard or go home."
JoFish19: "During the regular season, it's just not the same."
JoFish19: "It's boring, it feels redundant."'
JoFish19: "It's not that I wouldn't play like I am now, it's that I couldn't."
JoFish19: "I couldn't get into the game enough to let this out. The instincts that come when you are really into it never showed because I was never really into it."

JoFish19: As the playoffs go on, this kid is doing better and better.
JoFish19: They get to game seven of the conference finals and something happens.
JoFish19: He makes a bad pass in overtime and Dallas loses the game.
JoFish19: They're out of the playoffs.
JoFish19: And now this kids dreams of holding up the Stanley Cup are gone for the year.

JoFish19: The next season comes around, and again, he sucks during the season, and rocks during the playoffs.
JoFish19: This time they lose in the conference semi's.
JoFish19: And again, his dreams of drinking from the cup go unfulfilled.

JoFish19: So he gears up for next season.
JoFish19: Same thing. Bad season, good playoffs.
JoFish19: And they get past the semi's, past the conference finals into the Stanley Cup championship.
JoFish19: And they're beaten in six.

JoFish19: He goes home after the game, feeling miserable.
JoFish19: He thinks to himself, "Maybe thats as close as I'll ever get to holding up the cup."
JoFish19: He hates that thought and tries to dismiss it as pessimistic. There's always next year, as long as he's still playing he can still win.
JoFish19: But the thought remains, like an echo in a cave, nagging at him from the back of his mind. Maybe that's as close as I'll ever get.

JoFish19: But he still laces up his skates.
JoFish19: He still plays when it truly matters.
JoFish19: He still keeps his chin up, and tries to ignore the thought.
JoFish19: And now in March of 2002, after the Olympic break, the NHL regular season is drawing to a close, and now Dallas and Phoenix are fighting for that last playoff spot. He might not even make it to the playoffs this year.

JoFish19: So here's to hoping the Coyotes hit a losing streak.
JoFish19: And here's to hoping he gets another run at his dream.

JoFish19: --The End--