Oshie deflects “hero” label
The Olympic athlete who scored four goals against the evil Russians yesterday during their hockey match, T.J. Oshie was asked how it felt to be heralded as a “national hero”. His response should be etched in every locker room;
“The American heroes are wearing camo,” he replied. “That’s not me.”
Of course, to be truthful, even those heroes in camouflage would humbly deflect the label, too. All real heroes do. That’s why we find so many phonies in the media. Heroes don’t live for the glory, they’re the ones who’ll be the first to tell you that they were only doing their job, that they did it to bring their friends home.
Bull Halsey once summed up where heroes come from; “There are no extraordinary men…just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with.”
ADDED: Speaking of patriotic hockey players, you should check out goalie Jonathon Quick’s mask.
Category: Who knows
I have very quickly become an Oshie fan! That kid is amazing!!!
Way to go Oshie! Not just in hockey play but in his attitude of humility. Great guy in my book.
Someone had posted that on my facebook. I wish more atheletes were as humble as him.
Class act.
We need more guys like him.
Classy for sure – I just sent this link to my sons, who wear, or who did wear camo.
I know that hockey guys are a pretty humble and patriotic bunch compared to other professional sports, which really doesn’t surprise me. YMMV.
NHSparky: When I was a Platoon Sergeant I had a Team Leader that had been drafted into the NHL. His rookie year was the year they went on strike and his contract was bought out. He was sitting on his boat in Florida when he decided to join the Army.
Just as a small addition to the hockey masks, the US women’s hockey team goalie Jessie Vetter was told by the IOC she could not use here mask because it had a depiction of the Constitution on it. (Well, actually it had “We the People” on it.”)
Amongst many sources: http://nhl.si.com/2014/01/16/ioc-forces-u-s-goalie-to-remove-constitution-from-mask-for-sochi/
Let’s Go Blues!
I was oohh-ing and aahhh-ing over the hockey masks, until I hit #1 Mr Quick’s. Then the room suddenly got dusty.
Oshie’s a class act. As a Blues fan, I have followed his career for a number of years and while he did go through a rash of immature things a few years ago, he’s wised up. Heck, he’s earned one of the As for the StL Blues. Classy guy. Always good to see hockey mentioned in a good way.
Andy Kravetz, reporter
Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star
Quick is a graduate of the finest state public school in the world too, the University of Massachusetts.
I use another of Admiral Bull Halsey’s quotes in my e-mail signature:
“There are no great people in this world,
only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet.”
Or maybe it’s just a modified version of what he said that you posted above. Actually been using it for years and it was BULLNAV who years ago pointed out to me that the quote should be attributed to Admiral Halsey. I think the original attribution I had was simply to William “Bull” Halsey and he pointed out that he was actually an Admiral in the US Navy.
Oshie … Unfriggin’ Believable. Re-lived emotions and pride of 1980 all over again.
From the article about Quick’s lid:
“Wipe the tear from your eye, and then get ready to play some fucking hockey for your country.”
OUTSTANDING!
Not the first time Quick has had a helmet dedicated to honoring our troops and fallen. In 2010 he was forced to remove “Support Our Troops” from his dome by the IOC.
Hockey players in general are a class act far above the other professional sports
I saw this response after watching the game and was really impressed with this young man, and with the keeper wearing a helmet like that. It is refreshing to see gifted athletes who understand how lucky they are, and who understand what the world really is in terms of what words like “hero” mean.
I hope these men have long and enjoyable careers before retiring to enjoy the rest of their lives in comfort.
Regarding Ms. Vetter it’s not hard to see what the IOC did what they did on her helmet, after all the idea that “We the People, in order to form a perfect union….” won’t sit well in countries where the people are routinely rounded up and executed or imprisoned…or to countries that still have monarchies, the idea that all people are born equal is diametrically opposed to the notion of royalty where some are clearly born as betters to the rest…the IOC isn’t about promoting anything even remotely resembling a call to decency or respect for human rights, it’s about selling a product to the highest bidders while pretending that money isn’t a deciding factor in the outcomes of every event….