The Hardest Thing

Last night I watched Canada dismantle Russia in Men's Hockey at Mike Place, the graduate student pub here on campus. It was a fun atmosphere. At one point, near the end of the second period, I was in line for a beer. There was a gentleman standing near the line wearing a Team Canada Hockey jersey. He looked visibly uncomfortable and was pacing back and forth as if he were trying to work up the nerve for something. I couldn't tell if he was trying to talk himself into or out of another beer.

With just a few minutes left to play in the second, I heard him mutter to himself (and perhaps the hockey gods), "This is the hardest thing I ever had to do." He quickly averted his eyes from the television. He might have even held his breath. Then he ducked his head and hurried quickly out the door.

I'll never know what it was that ripped this poor, tortured soul from his beloved team, but here's hoping it will always be the hardest thing he ever has to do.