On hockey, loss, and perspective

"How would you like a job where, every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?"
Jacques Plante

Mr. Plante is as close to hockey royalty is you can get, so I'll defer to his wisdom as Canada wakes up to news that its World Junior Hockey team lost its semifinal game 5-1 to the U.S. and must now play for the bronze medal.

In a country like Canada, especially during the NHL lockout, losses like this are felt on a somewhat deeper level. And a quick scan of Twitter and Facebook this morning suggests coast-to-coast-to-coast unhappiness at the outcome.

I hate to sound like a killjoy, but in sports someone's always going to win and someone's always going to lose. When the game's over, someone gets a prize and someone goes home empty-handed. Then, before long, there's another game. And life goes on.

Key word: game. Another key word: perspective. No one died. No one got sick. No tragedy was recorded. A bunch of young players represented their country (and incredibly well, I might add) and couldn't win a game. We're all, thankfully, still here to ruminate over the game. And we'll all, thankfully and hopefully, still be around to ruminate over the next one.

Because in the end, it's just a game.