The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. I’m not sure this is earth-shattering news, unless you live in Raleigh, North Carolina. I suppose if you live in Hartford, Connecticut, you may be celebrating too. Remember when the Hurricanes were the Whalers? Personally, I checked out of the playoffs when Montreal was eliminated, erasing any chance of the Cup landing north of the border. I heard, though, that it was a tremendous series against the Vegas Golden Knights (sorry, not sorry Mitch!!)
Although I was not invested in the Stanley Cup finals, I was inspired by a story that came out of it. The Conn Smythe winner (series MVP) was the Captain of the Hurricanes, Jordan Staal. At the age of 37, he is the oldest recipient of the award. Jordan Staal was drafted by the Hurricanes 17 years ago when he was 20 years old. Despite offers throughout his career to go to other teams that were Stanley Cup contenders, he didn’t leave the Hurricanes. He rode the ups and downs that come with any professional sports franchise. Even in their darkest days when they couldn’t make the playoffs, he stuck it out. In the end, he was rewarded not only with a Stanley Cup but with an MVP honour that almost certainly will secure him a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame. In a post-game interview, he was asked why he stayed with the team for as long as he did. Fighting back tears, he said, “I stayed with them because I believed in them”
He believed in the team, he believed in his coaches, and he believed in the fans.
Jordan Staal is a unicorn when it comes to professional athletes. He joins a very short list of elite players who have stuck by their team, regardless of their fortunes. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are other examples from the hockey world. Other sports have them too. Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors makes the list. The loyalty of these athletes makes them stand out in a business where, often, the best of the best willingly abandon their team of origin in search of a team that might better secure them their league’s highest honour. LeBron James is a good example. I’ve lost track of the teams he has played for as he tries to win the NBA’s top prize again.
No one can fault an athlete for seeking out greener pastures when their team falters, but there is something very satisfying in watching the top prize go to the guy who stuck it out when things bottomed out.
The word “loyal” comes from an old French word “loial”, which means “of good quality.” A loyal person is a person of good quality. They evoke trust, good-will and quickly and easily win the admiration and respect of those around them.
My favourite story of loyalty is the story of Hachiko, the famous Akita dog of 1920’s Japan. Every afternoon at 4 pm, Hachiko would arrive at the train station to greet his owner, Professor Ueno, who worked at the local university. One day, Professor Ueno suffered a fatal stroke at work and never came home again. Every day, for nine years following his death, Hachiko arrived at the train station at 4 pm in case his master finally came home. He didn’t do it for a reward but from pure devotion.
Congratulations to Jordan Staal. Loyalty is its own reward, but it’s nice sometimes to see it rewarded.
