This is an in depth weekly series that chronicles the quest of a boutique hockey agency, VSM Hockey, to reach the top of the NHL hockey agent world. Its story is narrated by its president and founder, Nikolaï Ray.
Life is short and fragile. One never knows when it may end. This is why it is important to live every day in the present moment and not get too caught up in the past and the future.
This past week has been very saddening! Our G.M. lost his 20 year old daughter, as she passed away at too young of an age…
I have been deeply affected by this. Michel (our GM) and I have grown very close ever since he joined VSM. I consider him a colleague but I also consider him as a friend and even a mentor. When he called be me last Wednesday morning, I was expecting his call; but not for this reason. So, needless to say, I was in total shock. It is so ironic how suddenly so many things in our “day to day” simply become insignificant. Let me rephrase that; we suddenly realize how some things are simply insignificant. I would not wish what happened to Michel and his family on my worst enemy and I feel their loss as if it was my own. So, please take a minute here to reflect… reflect on your commitment to becoming a better person, a better son or daughter, or father or mother. Reflect on your dealing with family, friends, coworkers, clients and competitors. Unless we all strive to become better, we are all winding down a road with no real destination… (1 minute pause).
As Woody Allen would say, “life goes on”. So back to our duties! Our pro’ goalie is doing great since going to the ECHL. He started off with 4 straight wins. His confidence is back and he seems to be out of his mini mental slump. I had a good chat with him last week before his 4 games streak and I could feel that he was really going to step up. We talked last night and he was pretty pleased. Of course, being the champion that he is, he was actually disappointed because he lost the fifth game and said he did not play too well. 5 games in 8 nights, “c’mon kid, don’t be too hard on yourself!” But, that is part of his personal makeup that has allowed him to get where he is despite all of the challenges he has faced. The team is playing 4 games in only 5 days, and he is starting every game. He tweaked his groin a little bit in practice yesterday, but I just gave him a protocol that will keep him going. Part of going through such a grueling pro’ season is managing pain, so that it does not become an injury. I’m excited to see how he performs this week. Pain and fatigue will definitely be a factor, but we have provided him with techniques and knowledge to help him get through this!
That is it for this week, as you can all surely understand. I will be back next week with some updates on some exciting projects we are working on.
Until next time, stay strong, and put some time aside for family, friends and all the little important things in life!