A letter to the Saint Ignace hockey program

On the Saint Ignace hockey program,

Tears will fall as I write this. They will flow like memories. They will flow like the water pressure from the right sink of cloakroom D where I filled thousands of blue Powerade bottles.

This team was special. Now that the official word has come that this season is over, it’s time to reflect on the greatness of the 2019-2020 Saint-Ignace hockey team. This team was deep: 24 players with tons of skill and love for each other, six coaches who have worked together for years and have real care for their players, and six coaches for the course to testify to the greatness.

Everyone loved and cared for each other. In the years to come, when I think back to this team, that’s what will stay with me the most. The bond was formed by a group of individuals who became one. At the end of each group, the captains yelled “we all got”, which was answered with “we all need us”, who then followed a “family on the 3rd, 1-2-3 Family!” These teens found something more to worry about than they did and really became a family.

I have had the chance to spend the last four winters (in reality, more like 16) of my life around this team. With Pat Keane, I have had the chance to broadcast all the matches in which this team has participated. Even the oldest players, senior captains Michael Boehm and Greg Langermeier, we have seen beginnings. Really from day one, we had the chance to watch the hockey careers of each of these players. Unfortunately, the elders were unable to reach their final goal.

But as I reflect more and more on this end goal – the 2020 OHSAA State Ice Hockey Championship trophy – I realize that it was not the goal. I would have loved nothing more than to celebrate on the ice at Nationwide Arena with this group, having watched them achieve their goal. But, thinking about it more and more, I realize that the reason I cried at the John M. Coyne Recreation Center on Thursday March 12 was not because I couldn’t watch this team in the Frozen Oven. These tears came because the trip with the players, coaches and managers was officially over. I hope to see them all at graduation parties, reunions and, hopefully, an annual trip to Rustic, but this crazy race we did is over. That’s why I cried. I cried because apart from my blood family, I love no one on Earth more than my hockey family. These players, coaches, parents and managers were all very kind to me and loved me in return.

I realized that the sadness was coming because I would not be broadcasting in the stands of a random city in the American Midwest with Pat and Ethan. I will no longer speak to my father and the other coaches on a bus ride. I will not stay in a hotel room for hours with these friends. It’s heartbreaking, but I have been fortunate to have had this family for four years. And as it says in The Shawshank Redemption, “no good thing ever really dies.” So I sit here with a tear in my eye, but a smile on my face. The memories run through my head and these will be some of the best memories of my life. Because this family has given me so many memories, I must thank the people involved.

As a broadcaster, besides my partners, the biggest connection we have is with the fans. For me, it was an honor to start growing up on the microphone and to tell fans and parents about the impressive exploits of these superhero characters on the ice. From everyone at SIBN, I would like to thank the listeners. Without the listeners, we could not do what we love.

One of the most special things about this program is the dedication and love of the parents. Parents regularly filled their works of bodily mercy by feeding the hungry. When a game takes place in the middle of Michigan and a student section cannot be organized, parents wanting their children to win are special to watch. Mr. Kovatch with just one AirPod ready to tune always made us smile. We cannot thank the team’s momagers enough for what they do. Ms. Kurtz and Ms. Boehm really sacrificed so much time to make sure the hotels, food and reservations worked well. Without their help, we would be sleeping on a bus eating cold meats.

Broadcasting high school hockey is generally not the coolest job in the world for small children. When you say, “No, I’m broadcasting the games,” kids usually say a resounding “Oh.” That being said, it was always cool for broadcasters when our group of little assistants came with us. Thanks to Johnny Sticks, Paddy, Bobby, Garrett, Luke and Jake for always being with us during the matches. Of course, also to my mother, for having found Bobby only to find him with a helmet. I will never forget the first game that Garrett played with us when his older brother Ryce scored his first goal. It will always be one of my favorite broadcast moments.

To my broadcast partners: Thank you for pushing me to every game. Thanks for being so exciting about these games, so I had no choice but to match this intensity. Thank you for taking bus trips to random locations and for carrying heavy equipment and for sitting in the stands, kneeling near a power outlet to bring people to Wildcat hockey. Ethan, the best choice I ever made in broadcasting brought you this year. Recruiting you to join us will always make me smile. Your love for the game continues to grow and your love for the team is matched by little. Anyone who wants to play a good part of NHL 20 should call them. Pat Keane is synonymous with SIBN in my book. For four years, Pat gave up on his winters to become manager of his favorite team. The many car trips and shows I have had with Pat are something I will always cherish. Pat’s energy and love for everything he does will take him so far into this world. Mr. Ginley deserves a huge thank you. With Cooper and Nate, Mr. Ginley attended all the games he could, while balancing countless other sports. Mr. Ginley made Wildcat fans feel on their phones that they were there with highlights galore. He was also the man who tried his luck on Pat, Joe, Connor and me and allowed us to carry the equipment to different places when I was a freshman, offering Wildcat hockey coverage that few teams are getting nationwide. Learning to configure the equipment and the countless phone calls when I got it wrong will always be a laugh, but it’s worth it if we could try to put every game on people’s computers.

The unsung heroes of the water bottles and the Manny Lounge cannot be forgotten either. Mac Spellacy and Max Marazzi have spent the past three years taking sticks from the bench and filling the water without complaint. Max also has some of the most highly rated lines in the history of SIBN to his credit. Mac really cared about this team. Mac left work to come to the rink one last time. Mac loved being on the team with his dance and pre-game coffee. If it shows how much he cared about him, Mac’s hugs and care rivaled longtime veterans. Last but not least, Josh Maciu is an excellent manager and friend at every training and roadie.

To the superheroes: calling these games and tweeting about them and filling these bottles was not because of the name “Saint Ignace hockey”, but because of the composition of Saint Ignace hockey. Tied goals and windmill stops were more than that. For a hockey fan who loves this team, it was heroism. These players were really larger than life in some ways. Seeing them succeed was so special because they weren’t a bunch of free NBA agents and trades leading to success. They were a group of children with whom I watched their development and who had first-year theology. It was a pleasure to see the links deepen and develop. The smiles and hugs after goals and hitting Kovi’s pads after big stops were special. I would do my best to broadcast, tweet and manage one more game. Because of these people, it was really special for us. I will never forget the bus routes, the chants in the locker rooms, the hotel lobbies and the best dressed team in Ohio State. This team made every second pleasant. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of a player or a moment that makes me laugh. NHL games, TV shows and card games have always been fun. As the song says, “We don’t even have to try, it’s always a good time.” Special moments were not uncommon. In addition to the district championship victory, one of the last best memories I had was the whole team that was together and together at Friday morning mass.

To the coaching staff. This is the most difficult. I have shared a decade of winters with some of you. Coach Zdolshek was the first Saint Ignace hockey player I remember very well. It was cool to me that one of my first heroes joined the trip again as a coach in the last year of my trip. Our hockey chaplain, Mr. Brennan, whom I was fortunate to have in class, is an excellent role model. I always enjoyed sitting and talking with Zak Kovatch before I went to a chat with Mr. Brennan. I have known Coach Geither for as long as I can remember. Whether it’s Tribe chats, socks with sandals or simple conversations, Coach Geither knows how to make anyone smile. Watching Liam and Matty and sitting with Clare in the stands was always fun when I was a kid. Coach Holz is another of my original heroes. It was a joy to see him return to his famous playoff blazer. Coach Holz is one of the smartest people I know and one of the funniest. Coach Gramc is another coach I have known for a very long time. The Gramc trainer taught me some social media skills and is one of the most knowledgeable people in sports I know. Coach Gramc’s love for the program is rivaled by few and is one of the people I will miss the most when I go to college. Coach Schoenholz, like Coach Holz, is also one of the funniest and most intelligent people I know. Being around Coach Schoenholz always makes me happy, because his real care is so obvious. I remember the birth of her children and it makes me smile when I see them and my own brothers running in the locker room as I did at their age (and still do).

This one is really the most difficult. To my father. Spending those winters on the ice with you was the most fun of my life. I cry now thinking of all the memories that these years have brought me and the pleasure it has been. From walks to the ice rink for games and training in the lucky years when you had to win a gold trophy in the back seat on the way to our house, it was so much fun. The hundreds of players, parents, games, and more, I forget that I was able to experience it thanks to you, it’s really a blessing. I can never thank you enough and I hope to continue to attend as many games as possible for my favorite team. You are a humble man, but whether you admit it or not, your love and attention for your players is one of the main causes of the cause and effect relationship of this “family”. The next day, a new group will go to the locker room and kiss and cry in your arms and in each other’s arms after the last practice, because they too have made friends for life. To go to Meadville, Toronto, Brooklyn and everywhere else, it was an honor to share my favorite part of high school with you. The two words are not enough for a feeling but all I can really think of to say is thank you.

A chapter of the Saint Ignace hockey program has been written, but the book is not yet finished. To you failing hands, we throw the torch at you to hold it high.

Love,

Jack O’Rourke ‘20