Good ol' Rural Boys.

The title reflects what my mom and dad say about NHL players. It is a different make-up of stars than you will find in other professional sports. I grew outside a town, Fairview, Alberta that was composed of one large building - the rink. Fairview represents where most of the NHL hockey players found their way to a professional league getting paid millions. I might also add that the NHL has salary caps that aren't found in other leagues. But this is what hit me last night...

The Pittsburg Penguins, although underdogs, beat the Detroit Red Wings in 7 games. Mario Lemieux, an icon in his sport, and contemporary to Wayne Gretzky, is part-owner and President of the Penguins. During the celebration, he was interviewed by Pierre McGuire. Pierre asked, "so is Syd going to keep living with you?" For those who don't know hockey, Syd Crosby is a 21 year old phenomenon. I saw him once put the puck between his legs, back to his stick and score a goal, all while skating at fast speeds with a defender on him. It turns out, that for his four years in the NHL, he has been living with Mario and his family! Mario said, "he's 21. What is he going to do? Buy a big house and live in it all

alone? What he needs is a strong structure - a family. He has a place in my family. He can live with us as long as he wants".

WHAT?????? Have you ever heard of a 21 year old NBA player making millions of dollars, living with a family because that is a clean, structured, environment? - imagine the difference if they did?

The NHL is what is right with the world. I'm proud to be a Canadian.