In the last couple of days I’ve been getting e-mails from a couple of individuals who are not happy with my choice of photos. They are lobbying to have the photo of a disappointed Kevin Hill taken off the blog. It’s not coming down. That is a fantastic photo and shows exactly what every kid on the Suffern roster felt in the emotional moments following a difficult loss to Saratoga.
You saw a similar photo of Thomas Brill dealing with a tidal wave of emotion the week before.
while those shots do single out an individual performer, they also show just how much these kids have invested over the course of years. Hill deserves a measure of praise for not being afraid to give us a glimpse of the raw emotion he and all of his teammates felt. Most of these kids grew up dreaming of the moment. What are we supposed to do, hide the fact that they care very deeply about the school and the program and their friends?
Hockey, in general, produces more postgame hurt than any other high school sport I’ve been around. No matter how many wins are produced in a season, only two schools in the state celebrate at the end. And there are tears.
Suffern and Mamaroneck both deserve credit for not storming off the ice and breaking something.
And since we’re handing out accolades, how about some noise for Anthony Carudo and Nick Jaeger who came off the ice, wiped away tears and spoke very well about the loss and what the last four years meant. These kids know what it is to sacrifice, and they get up early and work long hours to be part of this experience. Scroll down and look at the picture again. Hopefully, it’s a little clearer now.
51 Comments
Well said Mike. Kevin Devaney once said high school sports aren’t about the stats, players, or coaches, but the moments. It’s the moments, good or bad, that we love and remember about high school sports. Those pictures remind us why we care.
Mike, it is a perfect “Agony of Defeat” photo. I think it captures the moment succinctly.
Is that it is a morbid looking photo, rather than what it depicts.
Suffern Mounty Pride huh? In all seriousness… for a community that acts like they “get it”. They really don’t. So when other kids on other teams are on the ice crying, with Mounties nearby celebrating… that is a good picture. But when it hits home, and a mounty is crying on the ice… it is unacceptable.
Some Suffern bloggers really have it all wrong. People are not jealous of Suffern success. They are sickened by their entitlement… and perhaps their alleged recrruiting practices. It really is comically immature that people actually called or wrote to have that picture taken down. I think I’ll take that pic and make it my screensaver on my phone.
They were fortunate enough to steal the section championship by the skin of their teeth with a mediocre (by suffern standards) team. Yet they still cry about a picture???? Talk about have NO PERSPECTIVE. Get a life to anyone who emailed and complained. There are a LOT more terrible things going on in the world to complain about.
I totally disagree with Mike…i didn’t actually read what he wrote but so what. He is probably wrong.
He got lucky saying that john jay was a top team all season long…
A question:
roman hamrlik is:
A) An all section mamo blogger?
B) Postman’s favorite bedroom move?
C) newest NY Ranger player?
Mike – you bring up some great points, especailly the one about the “hurt” aspect of the game. Here’s why I think it this way: Along with the tremendous amount of dedication that is required to play the sport even remotely competently, hockey is one of the few sports that kids play together on a common team for basically their entire careers. Couple that with the tremendous amount of cooperation that is required by those on the ice in order to achieve success, players and teams build bonds that are difficult for those that don’t play the sport to understand.
When teams fall short of achieving their desired goal, that they have worked toward collectively with their best friends and teammates for what amounts to a good part of their brief lives, AND it all ends in an instant (like the Mamo Suffern game), the emotion is overwhelming. There will be no more games, practices, bus trips, tournaments, team meals etc.,, Its over (when in reality their young lives are just beginning!) The finality of the situation creates a tidal wave of emotion that is tough for these young adults to handle.
But ya know what, ask any of em. They wouldn’t trade their experiences for anything.
Best description I’ve seen of what it means to be a hockey player is at the end of the Rangers / Flyers 24/7 series from HBO (the above paraphrases and borrows from it a bit).
Here’s the link. If you haven’t seen it (which I would think almost everyone on this blog probably has), its awesome….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26yoP8Nc56Q
One more thing – I am creeped out that Bigby and I were typing to post a blog entry at the same time….
Not an inappropriate photo.
While we are celebrating Khalil Edney’s miracle play (Bobby Thompson) there is a Mt. Vernon basketball player that threw that pass (Ralph Branca).
There is an agony of defeat…the Hill photo illustrated it.
@Dumb and Chase, Please tell me about Sufferns Entitlements’ Its not entitlements its about guys like you who deep down are so Jealous of Suffern, Really a Mediocre Team, which team did your son play for, if your saying Suffern is Mediocre than what are you saying about the other section one teams, are you saying they really suck?.... What are you really trying to say dumb and chase, And this team was all home grown so stop crying about the recruitting garbage, thats just more whinning…..And for your Info I have no problem with the picture, Kiven Hill Gives it his all every time and as a Suffern Fan I wouldn’t want a kid just to walk of the Ice, like it was no big deal, to me the picture shows his heart and Soul about what Suffern Hockey and Competing hard is all about.
I too love that HBO 24/7 ending because it so accurately captures the raw emotion of hockey and those that play the game. The pictures of Hill and the Mamaroneck goalie illustrate that raw emotion like no words could ever hope to. There is no shame in that emotion and I see no reason for the photos to be taken down.
Dump and Chase – entitlement, recruiting, jealousy, stolen section championship, mediocre Suffern team…that’s a lot of deep-seated anger for one post. I’m glad you were able to get that off your chest and move on with your day.
“Suffern and Mamaroneck both deserve credit for not storming off the ice and breaking something” they deserve credit for not exhibiting extremely poor sportsmanship?
my how far we have fallen
You may not want to hear my take on this, but here it is.
nothing is worse than what MT. Vernon went through…. and I did not see one Mt. Vernon kid collapse on the hard wood, crying their eyes out on the floor, holding each other like it was the apocalypse.
Mt. Vernon basketball handled that loss as well as anyone can every ask. They manned up. I’m sure there were tears in the locker room, but no collapsing and hysterics.
They say a picture says a thousand words. I thought the pictures of the Mamaroneck players laying on the ice after that heart wrenching loss were perfectly noble depictions of their big hearts. We are honored to witness such efforts and that proof that they gave it all they had.
Literally and figuratively they left it on the ice.
If you don’t want a video or picture of yourself crying on the ice… collapsing on the ice and carrying on…. don’t cry on the ice, don’t lay down on the ice with your hands over your face. Keep your helmet on, shake hands and save it for the locker room or the ride home in the car.
You can’t choose how you feel (which was obviously upset you lost a hockey game and your hockey is over), but you can certainly choose how you react to it.
Mike, I had no issue with the photo and the kid on the ice is my son. In one week, elation to agony. I wouldn’t describe the photo as crying on the ice. And some of RF’s team’s players displayed similar emotion which tells me that maybe RF doesn’t understand how much some of these kids actually put into this and when the reality hits that you fell short, all the effort and emotion related to that effort, floods to the surface. I think RF’s Mt. Vernon example falls a little short. I think that there was so much confusion and shock in that scene that the stunned reaction was more predictable. Mike, again, thanks for the coverage. Not sure who complained, but it wasn’t anyone in this family. Although we still think we’re going to Utica this weekend. You mean we’re out? I hope we get a JJ celebration picture this weekend.
Biff,
Thank you for handling it with class, as usual.
Rocket Fuel,
You’re mom called, she told me you were adopted.
I can’t imagine Bobby Cimmino’s team lying on the court crying regardless. Can’t picture New Rochelle doing it either. Maybe they are hardened city kids?
I think the players in the future have learned something…. the camera is always watching…always.
BTW, I know full well what everyone puts in to it. And guess what? Even if you are not Suffern or Mamk… kids from Ossining, Tappan Zee, Mahopac… all have the same emotions. Many of them put in just as much effort and love in to what they do. They may not be commoners to the state playoffs or sectional finals… but could you imagine if every team did this after a playoff loss? You’d have to buy an extra half hour of ice time just to cart these young men off.
Here’s to Jay tears of joy Sunday afternoon.
Mike,
I was born a poor black child… (The Jerk).
I can dance…. I can dance, I got rhythm….
The adoption thing makes sense. Maybe I’ll get a job as a gas pumper, or carnival guessing weight and then invent the opti-grab.
Hey, I’m not trying to be Bobby Knight… I just think it was over the top, and the players can suck it up a little better. I guess I am The Jerk.
..”The phone book is here!! The phone book is here!!”
..”those cans, those cans, stay away from those cans!!”
2 favorite “The Jerk” scenes..
@RF…if we needed to buy an extra ice slot the parents would have like we’ve done for years.
I didn’t think the photo was meant to be anything more than showing the devastation that the players felt. Then I tried to put myself in Mr. and Mrs. Biffs shoes and wonder what I would have felt if it was my kid in the photo. I don’t think I would have had an issue with it either.
I must admit that over the last 4 years I would sometimes shake my head on how serious Suffern was about their team. A sectional title (4 in a row now), one in which most kids around here only dream of, is an expectation. Win at all costs, play 9 kids if we have to, the next shift, or period, or game, no matter who the opponent, was the biggest one yet. I’ve always admired the kids who didn’t play and stuck with it as much as the kids who did play every other shift.
So I can see why (with those expectations) it hit the Suffern kids hard and I know it hits other programs hard too. Not every kid handles it the same way I don’t think there is a “How to handle a devastating loss” guide for these kids it just hits them. I’m not going to judge any of them just because the camera’s are rolling. I know from a personal standpoint, as a parent, I was as proud of my son after the loss to Saratoga as I was after last years state championship game in the way he conducted himself. There was no shame in losing to that team.
Saratoga earned their trip to the final four but we were right there with a chance to the final buzzer sounded. It hit these boys hard and we can say whatever we want but at the end of the day they are just kids just look at their faces with their helmets off.
Maybe we are getting spoiled but at least we get these discussions. Look at other websites around the state they don’t even come close to what Mike gives us with his coverage not to mention the amazing site that Cliff provides to us.
I HAVE A SPECIAL PURPOSE!!!!!!!
Maybe Dump and Chase has a Point and I judge his intent wrong when it comes to Suffern being mediocre lets take a quick Look….
Final Record 19-4 yeah mediocre
Beat a Clarkstown Team 8-1 in play-offs after they destroyed JFK 12-1 Mediocre
Beat New Ro 8-0 in play-offs after New Ro beat a good White Plains team – Mediocre
Beat Mamaroneck 3-2
in over time in play-offs who beat a good LP Team and Mamaroneck was every bit as good as TogaMediocreLost to Saratago 3-2 – Now thats Really Mediocre
I guess dump you are right, when you look at it this way!!
That picture of KH is an instant classic, if I was Schelling that would be framed and hung in the locker room next year. Losing hurts, and the further you go, the more it stings.
Anyway…. Since RF bought up the MV vs. NR basketball game, watch this video of the game from another angle… Watch the referee’s at around 1:08, as soon as they made the call that the basket counted, they b-lined off the court. I think he realized at that point, that he was at a Mount Vernon \ New Rochelle game and not a Scarsdale \ Rye game….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5ulADI28zI
I just think it is a Great photo that captures that moment in time. That picture speaks more than a thousand words.
Suffmountie, let it go. He said by Suffern standards it was a mediocre team. In my opinion, this team was decent… but overachieved greatly. I don’t think they are nearly as talented as last year…and maybe that is unfair to compare, but saying they overachieved is a compliment… not a dis. They are not overly fast, not overly physical, defense is sound as usual, but no major standouts. The coaches might have had their best season ever in my opinion. They melded this group in to a #1 ranked team in the state. However, when it was said and done, Mamk was better talent wise, even though they lost. Toga was also better, lets not forget the loss to White Plains.
When I watched them, I could not figure out how they were winning so many upstate games… I just never saw it… but they knew how to win. Perhaps next year… they will be a dominant team, go undefeated in section 1 again… and go even further. But if you thought this years team was one of sufferns best… you are on glue. But like I said, we are comparing them to other suffern teams. Not the rest of section 1.
It’s a great picture and it speaks volumes about section one hockey, not just suffern hockey. Over the years section one has been treated like the step child of NYS HS hockey (largely by the section power houses). Part of the charge of our sections teams is to continuously dispell this mis conception. Many of the other non crying sports don’t carry this burden.
I can’t speak for Kevin Hill but what is sorely missed by RF is that the “agony” is not just about the winning and losing. Suffern Hockey as I’m sure it is for other districts is part of the community fabric…...it starts for the kids at mites. Every Suffern player dreams of playing Varsity and dreads the day it ends. So much of the emotion is this realization by the Seniors only to be shared by the under classmen. It’s the end of something tied to their childhood and the devastation is sympathetically felt by those with time still left on the varsity clock. Part of the dynamic is that the obligation the under classman feel they owe to the Seniors wasn’t met. It’s connected to the winning and losing but it’s so much more of what all the disappointment is all about.
The bond these kids share having been built over so many of their young years is lost on someone who only sees crying over the losing.
It’s not lost on me. You can’t choose how you feel emotionally… but you sure can choose how you react to losing.
I agree with you rocket fuel, that this team isn’t as talanted as last years team, never said they were, but this is a far younger team than last years team, But going forward they are only going to get better, they still will have a terriffic goalie in Modica and really good D-men and some very talanted forwards in Hill and Tiso who blew by Mamaroneck like they were standing still in the over time winning goal….so much for no speed and many other young players as in Redgate and more.
What I hope is evident in my post is the high regard I hold for how these young men treat each other. I speak of “devastation” and “agony” but those are big words for something that is just a passing of the torch.
RF, the public display of their reaction is of no concern to them in consideration of the compassion and regard they hold for each other. The picture in question is nothing short of “manning up”.
Thought this was relevant with regard to the emotions that surface when the hockey journey ends, whether that be in the regular season or playoffs, be it high school, college or juniors. It really is more than just a game…
A Fathers Letter To His Son At The End Of His Hockey Playing Career:
This letter was sent to us by a player who received it from his Father. The player said one thing before attaching the letter; “this is what its all about.” I think that this is something that all of us hockey parents will one day wish we have written to our sons:
Dear _,
Has it really been 18 years since I first took you skating? It feels like it was yesterday. I can remember the very first time, and the look on your face as you struggled to balance on those skates.
Has it really been 16 seasons of watching you play? Where has the time gone, how many hundreds of hours have we spent at the rink and in the car? How many trips to Tim Hortons have we made?
I find it hard to believe now, that in a few short weeks it will all come to an end. The practices, the games, the trips to buy new gear in the summer, and all the camps.
While there is a part of me that is tremendously sad that it is ending, I would not trade the sadness I feel for anything in the world. I am sad not only because of the end, but because I know how you will feel a year from now.
While it would be easy for me to be selfish and complain about it ending, I can only hope you can find a way to replace what you have always known as routine. While you may be leaving the game as a competitive player, the game should always be a part of you. The memories you have should last a lifetime. The friends you have made will always be your friends.
Take these last games and relish every minute of them. Play with a passion that will allow you to let the game go as a player and remain full with the memories it has given you. Hockey may no longer consume you, but it will always be a part of you. As you walk away, know that one day you will come back.
This is a circle. It is a family thing. One day I hope you will experience the sadness I feel today with your own son. Why? Because there is joy behind the sadness.
Through this adventure we have taken as a family, you have grown into a man. A man that any parent would be proud of. You have a future, you understand rules, and you know what it is to be a team player. You have learned to give back, and you understand what it takes to push yourself beyond what you thought you could achieve.
My joy in having watched you grow into the person that you are today will outweigh the sadness of watching these last games knowing they will be the last. My joy will one day be in watching you tie your sons skates as you pass on this tradition.
I am proud of you. Thank you for allowing me to come along this journey with you. I wouldnt trade one minute of this experience for anything.
Dad
WOW… Great Post Old School Mountie, so true in so many ways as my son has played and moved on with his life, that really brings it home. Thanks for posting that!!
First, I must confess that I am Rocket Fuel’s long lost father who went to the dark side.
Second, why is Mike even posting a blog addressing the subject of comments on this photo?
The Journal News is a private communications company that publishes news and information. It is covered by our most basic laws and principles of freedom of speech etc… There is nothing in the photo (which personally I think is a great example of Photo Journalism) that even comes remotely close to crossing ANY line of inquiry.
That’s all I got and feel the force of Rocket Fuel is very close.
Ta-Da,
Given the over-emotional investment many communities put into youth sports, I can’t really say that a Scarsdale/Rye basketball game (not MV-NewRo) would have lessoned the “ref abuse” factor had the wrong call been made.
Wow. It only took 6 months, but I finally agree with one of Smart Hockey’s posts!!
Ooooh. I just threw up in my mouth a little when I typed that.
That letter says to me. “I’ve been living through you for 18 years son. Now when you go to college and my shadow isn’t constantly looming over you. And you realize how smothering I was. I hope you don’t resent me the way so many kids who are pushed in sports or drama or music do. I’m guessing you’ll move fat away from me soon. To get away from my controlling nature. ”
Mike,
You are right not to take down the photo. If Kevin is like most boys, he is already thinking about next year. I’m glad to see you are not invested in Grief Management, Sympatic Expression and Conflict Resolution. The next thing the “Removal Folks’’ will want is not to keep score so as not to damage self esteem. Look at the photo archives from around the state , you will see lots of disapointed faces.
At the end of the Mamaroneck Suffern heartbreaking section championship, #15 on Suffern (which I now know is Kevin Hill) skated over to the Mamo side. I was starting to get angry because I thought he was going to make a classless move and try to talk smack or something along those lines. Wow was I wrong. He went down on one knee next to Mamo’s #4 Teddy Bellis and said a few consoling words followed by giving Teddy a hug in his last game ever.
Not many people saw it because everyone was either going crazy on the Suffern end or just couldn’t bear to watch from the Mamo end. I saw it though, and I’ll never forget it. It’s hard to like Suffern if you’re from Mamo but in that moment I gained so much respect for Suffern, and especially #15…I was sad to see them lose and to see that picture, but that picture is only motivation for next season.
@Mamo Parent
Thanks for a great post. As most of us know and have experienced, the majority of the trash talk (especially on the blogs and at certain games) comes from the fans and yes, the parents and not from the players.
thanks Mamo Parent. One of the Saratoga captains (#27) did the same for Kevin after the game and I congratulated 27 in the lobby for an awesome game and a great display of sportsmanship.
Its a couple of bloggers, maybe not even Suffern fans, that objected to the Hill photo.
I think we all know that people put things out there on the blog to incite.
Suffern fans had no problem whatsoever with it. As fans we all know that we felt gutted just like Kevin and it captured the moment. We are already thinking of next year and not worried about a photo. Thanks for a great year Mike.
The bottom line is that after you have been involved in hockey for over 60 years,I came to realize ALL HOCKEY Players become members of the “Hockey Family” regardless of who you played for and how bitter the rivalry.
I love the photo.. Biff, I’m going to use it as my backround for my phone!!
On a different note.. Rockey, are you OK? I used to really like reading your posts, they were funny, insightful for the most part, had a good amount of sarcasm, even you being anti suffern and a Mamo fan,. Now…. UUMMM..WELL…
YOU ARE JUST AN A$$HOL3! NOT FUNNY, POINTS DONT MAKE ANY SENSE, JUST ANGRY.. Go get some help!!!
Postman, I have a buddy who used to like George Carlin. Then he hated him because Carlin would focus his humor/disgust with the Catholic Church. From then on he hated Carlin.
My friend is an idiot. Use your deductive reasoning skills and figure out what you are as well…
Let remember to thank the refs for all the work they put into the season as well
again!! a major fail at trying to be witty.. I think you are getting burned out.. take some time off. Season is almost over, take a few months to regroup. you will be back to your ol’ self next year. By the way, I pray to joe pesci too..
Fuel, you did not take that season ending loss well at all. Losing to a mediocre, overachieving Suffern team that, as you said, was “not overly fast, not overly physical, defense is sound as usual, but no major standouts”, must be friggin’ killing you. As you once said – “STRUT, STRUT, STRUT”. Have a good off-season and get back on your meds.
@OSM: as I sit here and read your thoughtful post I literally have tears in my eyes. This IS what it is all about. I wouldn’t trade the time I have been able to spend with my sons during hockey for ANYTHING win or lose. Great post! Try to remember why we love this game….
I’d love to get all that money back from my son playing 12 years of hockey. I wish he played basketball. If he did I could afford a college for him besides rockland CC.
Btw. I thought RF was being nice when he said suffern overachieved. Suffern lost to a mediocre WP team and a good mamk team. They were less than a minute from losing the section. The fact that they went this far was a nice achievement for that group. You want everyone to lie and say they were surprised that suffern didn’t repeat?