Off the Lightning beat today, in favor of a personal note to the guy who always says he created a monster when he introduced me to the game of hockey all those years ago.
Happy 60th birthday today to my father, Chuck Jordan, a guy who ...
... shared stories about his time as a season ticket holder, during the dynasty years of the New York Islanders, which made me fall in love with hockey in the first place.
... purchased my first hockey stick and taught me to shoot (still the only thing I do left-handed).
... strapped the pads on in the driveway, even in Florida's summer heat, to give his hockey-crazed kid something to shoot at when his neighborhood friends declined so that they could go surfing.
... suffered many a bruise when that same kid finally managed to develop a half-way decent shot.
... put personal interests aside time and again to drive me well over an hour just to find ice.
... paid close enough attention to provide detailed scouting reports of my game performances on the ride home every time, complete with an "A through F" final grade.
... sent me on trips to upstate New York and Canada on multiple occasions, to see how a Florida kid's game measured up (a sobering - and necessary - dose of reality).
... was the only voice I ever noticed from the crowd during games, most notably (during a particularly feisty tournament in college) banging on the glass right next to me and screaming,
"Kick his ass, Jonny!"
... comforted his kid through the extremely difficult decision to stop playing and treated it with the respect that a retiring 20-year-pro might receive.
... tells his favorite story - about the time he and I tussled (victoriously) with fans in the stands here in Tampa - about 100 times every year (and it gets better every time).
... loved Michael Peca as captain of the Isles, pretty much just so he could say "Peca" this and "Peca" that.
... was the inspiration for
this story, the submission that earned me inclusion in the inaugural NYI Blog Box, which sparked my desire to write again and has led me to where I am today with my Lightning coverage.
... still thinks the biggest problem for the Islanders is their lack of a defenseman
"Who can rush the puck like Denis Potvin."
... now wears Lightning gear, supporting the team I spend so much time with, when in attendance at the St. Pete Times Forum (unless, of course, a certain team from Long Island is visiting).
... got a real kick out of peering into the press box last season and seeing his son chatting up John Muckler, who he remembered as a player from the Eastern League's Long Island Ducks. (Muckler's response when I told him my father was a fan:
"Your Dad must be old!")
... will find it apropos that I chose a picture of a young, attractive "Icegirl" for this particular piece.
... continues to be my biggest fan, in the second phase of this hockey dream of mine, making a point to read as much of my work as he possibly can, despite computer literacy rivaling that of his 11-month-old grandson.
... most importantly of all, has provided countless laughs, lessons and memories for our family and friends that will last forever.
Happy birthday, Dad!
You're the best.
"I used to think I was nuts with this hockey stuff ... But my kid's insane!" - Dad, sometime in the early nineties, as overheard in conversation with a friend.
Three generations of the Jordan boys
JJ
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