If you can keep your head when all those around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you but make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master,
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings- nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

The cockiest, dirtiest, most irresponsible group of athletes in the
world. Will do anything just to be able to tell his teammates a great
story in the dressing room. Live the dream until they are 35 then
realize they never made it. Ladies love us, guys want to be Us, we are
the soul of the universe. You lace up the skates, put on the gloves,
strap on the helmet, and walk on to the ice and nothing else matters. It
doesn't matter that you failed a test, your girl is being a bitch, or
that you got a ticket on the way there...you're world is absolutely
perfect for the next couple hours. Here's to face-offs, goals, assists,
overtime, living on the road, cold rinks, early mornings, breakaways,
going top cheese, countless hours of practice, bag skates, puking,
thousands of dollars, dangling d-men, end to end rushes, big hits,
broken twigs, new skates, packing bombs, dropping the mitts, wheelin'
broads, coaches, adding the letter "y" to the end of everyone's last
name, the word "fuck", pick up, tape to tape sauce, let downs, miracles
and most of all - the game of Hockey. Why?

Why do we skate back and forth night after night? Skating so hard we
throw up. Skating so hard your heart beat rings in your head, while your
lungs are grasping for air. Late nights, early mornings, Friday nights,
Saturday evenings, broken bones, torn muscles and deep bruises. We skate
through it all. Because we live off our adrenaline, because the game
frees your spirit, because the party in the locker room is second to
none, because you're invincible once you step on the ice, because one
shot can make you smile all night, sniping the twine, top shelf where
momma keeps the peanut butter, the rattling of the boards, the feel of
the puck, and skates carving into the ice is a rhythm to live by,
because its possible to skate fast enough to leave all your worries
behind. Sweat is the cologne of our accomplishment. Why?

Why would someone push themselves so hard the uneducated pussies always
ask? HOUSE LEAGUE, A, AA, AAA, JR.A, OHL, US COLLEGE, PRO ... It's never
been for the fucking the money, it's not for the girls, and it's not for
the fame. 'The Boys' play because we fucking love it ...

If you are a hockey player and you are proud to be one, pass this

shit on with pride mother fucker, and let everyone know the
definition of man