Who’s going to save sport? Answer: 21st-century philosopher and wordsmith. Shoresy.
“So your sweetie finally comes to a game, and you barely play. Is that more awkward than puberty, or is it pretty close?”
Gold! The lines are gold because the guy’s no muffin.
But behind the quick-witted banter is something we’ve almost forgotten. Sport has meaning. Shoresy reminds us that hockey is simple. You put the biscuit in the basket. You play to score goals. How? Any way you can. Because there’s a part of you that has to.
Across every season, nobody explains hockey. There are no whiteboards. No systems clinics. No endless talk about tactics. Because that’s never been the point.
The point is the room. The point is the crest. The point is the person beside you.
Photo courtesy Deadline
Sport isn’t built on systems. It’s built on values. On passion. On reverence.
For earning the right to wear the jersey. For emptying the tank for the people beside you.
That’s why Shoresy has no patience for passengers.
Set the tone. Play for the right reasons. Or get chirped. Those are the options.
Frankly, youth sports—and the Toronto Maple Leafs—could use a little more chirping.
We’ve spent decades trying to save sports with better coaching, better data, better facilities, better technology.
Shoresy reminds us that sports never needed saving. We did.
