A Dream Come True

by user Pbcoyotes

In sports, we have legends, ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. Athletes that can do things that we can't. People who can command the market place with style and certainty, where people will plunk down huge amounts of hard earned cash, just to see their heroes in action. The behavior is nothing new - people have been doing it for centuries. However, what about the possibility of actually playing for the legend one grew up watching?

In my career, I can't duplicate it. There is no legend in my day-to-day job where I would give up everything just to work for that person and I suspect that many can't duplicate "playing for a legend" in their daily occupations either. Say what you will about the abilities of Wayne Gretzky the coach, and many have already done so (I would consider paying people lots of money to question his coaching acumen to his face and then be able to do the job themselves), but the cache of Wayne Gretzky, and the chance to play for him, is significant for many hockey players, young and old.

In fact, I'd wager that if anyone had the good fortune to work for him, or any other legend be it Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr (and the list would go on) he or she would absolutely jump at the chance. Would anyone turn down a job if his or her hero called them today and said, "I like you. Come work for me?" Probably not. The first three draft picks of the Phoenix Coyotes have clear pictures in their minds about the honor to play for someone who was the best in the league - to play for a legend. They can't wait for the opportunity and they understand  its significance. I'm sure the other prospects think the same way. I know that if Gretzky called me today to offer me a job working for him in some hockey capacity, I would be hard pressed to say no.

When we look at the jaded and cynical perceptions of our current lives, we might remember what it was like to be young and full of hope. I still thought at 22 I could change the world, and I wasn't playing any sport, or working for someone that people admired outside of my industry. Therefore, we can say what we'd like about Wayne Gretzky, but through the eyes of these players, present and future, playing for someone that they looked up to, that they (or their parents) saw play in real life or on television, and that many consider a legend in the game, is possibly the best realization of a dream come true. If I were in their situation, I'd feel the same way.