How do you know when to walk away? I find that this is one of those questions that I ask myself rather frequently. I believe that life is all about finding the right balance between passion and reality. So, what happens when passion crashes into reality and your wheels spin out? Well, you might just find yourself in the same boat as Sidney Crosby.
As anyone who pays attention to the NHL can tell you, Crosby hasn’t played hockey in a long time — a statistic that does not bode well for the 2005 No. 1 draft pick. After suffering a blindside hit at the 2011 Winter Classic by then-Capitals center David Steckel, Crosby found himself in a bit of a daze. Only four days later, the captain found himself making head-to-boards contact again; however, this hit left the then-league leader skating for the sidelines, where he would find himself warming the bench … indefinitely.
Now I’m going to get on my soap box and talk some Crosby because the Pens beat the Stars in a shoot-out Wednesday night, so I’m happy as a clam right now.
I was trying to imagine what it must be like for Crosby to wake up each day, unable to take to the ice and play the game that has been his defining feature for such a long time. How would you feel if you were told that you couldn’t do the one thing you loved anymore? Pretty darn lousy, I am sure.
As an avid (read: fanatic #sorryimnotsorry) Pittsburgh fan, I will rep Team Crosby for as long as he is with the Pens (which I hope is a really long time). However, being the realist my mama raised me to be, I wonder if the captain’s indefinite vacation will soon become permanent. I think that there might come a time, as much as it pains me to say, that Crosby will have to walk away from the sport that made him a household name. But, when do you know when to walk away? Is it when the doctors tell you that you won’t play again, but then you score 12 points in eight games as you try to stage an epic return? Or, is it when you wake up with concussion-like symptoms every day that never seem to go away? I really can’t say. I hope that Sid the Kid returns to hockey soon, since my throwback Winter Classic jersey is starting to collect dust in my closet; however, if he doesn’t, I won’t be entirely surprised. Sometimes you just have to walk away from something — even if it is the only thing that makes you happy.
Original Author: Lauren Ritter