Journal Entry 1

                                    

                                          
Wednesday October 19th 2016
                          
Morning time, 6:27 am
                          
Like many times before, my mind won't shut off and I'm becoming consumed in my thoughts, so I came here to my studio to write down my thoughts. As my childhood struggle continue to reek havoc on my mind I find it easier just to stay awake. A feeling that I know all too well. About a week into the season and I've already learned so much about hockey, the players, and what it really means to be in the NHL. The NHL is unlike any other professional league. There isn't much trash talk before games or blaming one player. In fact all the team does is compliment each other every chance they get. They put their money where their mouth is and give it their all every game. Hockey players are like big (okay really big) huggable bears. But it's funny because on the ice they're so... aggressive. They will do anything, and I mean anything, to compete. Like throwing yourself in front of a piece of rubber flying over 100 miles per hour doesn't seem sane, and it's not. Or how they seem to know where each other are while avoiding being thrown into a wall going full speed. How they move and multi task is exciting, and that comes from true talent and hard work. That's what makes hockey players so special. And no matter what happens on the ice they want to get better. Up by 50? Keep going. 
I'm lucky enough to be with Artemi, one of the great young minds in the game. He's something else. Every day he surprises me in the best ways. Now I wouldn't say he's the conventional hockey player, he is Russian after all. But I find myself rooting for the Russian players more times than not, they're magical. Anyway, something I noticed was how much he cared, not about how good he was, rather how good he was for everyone else. Hockey is the ultimate team sport. He understands what's expected from him then raises the bar ten fold. It's like he doesn't know how good he really is. The motivation and desire in this kid, its unmatched. He treats a win like a loss and is so hard on himself. But what player isn't. To think about the fact he came over at the ripe age of 23 to a whole new world basically, and did what he did. No matter who you are you have to appreciate what he did last year. He has grown so much and took the challenge handed to him then turned it into a accomolishment. After his line finally broke out last night his eyes seem a bit brighter and there's a pep in his step. He won't admit it, but this first three games were hard on him. Athletes don't like to sit in the past but it stung, you could tell. But just one good shift can change everything. I'm lucky, I'm studying the greatest mind in all of hockey in Patrick Kane, the most reliable and powerful player in Jonathan Toews, and the most absorbent and unique mind in Artemi Panarin. This team, its special, there will never be such a dominate group like what this team has done in the past 7 years. 
The big 6, they're amazing to watch, that's why there's been such a winning atmosphere around this team. Hossa, Seabrook, Kane, Toews, Keith, Hammer, they're legendary. 18 Stanley cup rings between the six of them, that's unheard of and will remain unmatched. But take these guys off the ice, and they just want to enjoy life. They have the money to indulge in things, and they do not hesitate to do so. But it's never about the money. When they were just little boys learning to skate for the first time or scoring 6 goals in a little game it wasn't for money, it was for the love of the game. That part of them never died. They eat sleep and breath hockey. These guys have a lot of winning left in them, I know it. Now with guys like Crow and Artemi and Tyler coming in it just makes the atmosphere around here always exciting and positive.
I want my book to show what it's like to be inside their mind, how they feel, what they think. But I also want to show that people they are still human. They're super human, but still human. They feel the same things we do, but among the power plays and shootouts we forget that. They don't want to do bad, but nobody's perfect. They're hard enough on themselves, the coaches and media and fans on their case does absolutely nothing to help. I want to write about what happens once they step off the ice, what their significant others feel about this, the family woes, but how all that comes back to being a part of a dynasty such as the Blackhawks. This team means a lot for this city. I mean the last 3 championships in the town are from the Blackhawks, in a sports town like this that means a lot. I'm excited to be following them on this journey and to do it alongside someone as special as Artemi.