Hockey is more than just a game, it is a privilege. I was lucky enough to be able to play this game for 17 years where I learned so many life lessons, met so many great people, and made so many great memories. As my career recently came to an end against the Ayr Centennials in a heartbreaking game 7 loss, I've had some time to reflect on my journey and what I will miss most from the game of hockey.

It was that rush you felt after scoring a goal, after making a big shot block, and most importantly, celebrating a win with your teammates in the dressing room that was the most contagious. These were the feelings I woke up every day thinking about and was always excited to go to the rink. Hockey was the greatest escape you could ask for from your personal life. No matter what was going on, walking through the front doors of your rink and competing with your teammates and coaches was all that mattered. Playing hockey 4 nights a week did not make it easy to have a “normal” social life. Many weekends and weeknights were sacrificed to play this game for which I have no regrets. As my teammate and best friend Davis McLean said “It’s because we love it” and it is the most accurate representation of why we play. 

So how just did my junior career start? After my Minor Midget year with the Markham Waxers AAA team and not getting drafted, I had a choice to make. Go back and play Midget with all my buddies or take a chance on being the only 16 year-old for the Schomberg Cougars Junior C team which I knew no one.  I chose the latter and did not realize at the time just how much this choice would influence the rest of my career. This is where I met my coach of 4 years, Lee Umansky and wonderful owners in the Hull family. I thank you for making my transition into junior hockey effortless and for supporting me over the years. I learned a lot in my first year from how to play with older players, how to accept roles you may not be accustomed to, and even how to survive a 15-minute warmup which I was not used to in minor hockey. As a rookie on the team, I tried to earn the respect from my teammates and coaches by bringing a consistent, strong work ethic to every practice and game which I continued the rest of my junior career. I would return for a second year to Schomberg after just missing out on an opportunity to play with the Lindsay Muskies Junior A team. I would take on a bigger role this year on the team and have a career year with 60 points. I had some Junior B opportunities after this, which I would turn down as I was not ready to billet and move away from my family. I would play two more years with Schomberg, my final year being played while adjusting to my first year of university at Wilfrid Laurier. It was about an hour and half commute from school which limited me to only playing about half the season.

This is when I became aware of the opportunity to finish my career with my best friend and roommate, Davis, for the Paris Mounties which was a lot closer to school, an option I couldn’t turn down. When arriving to the rink for the first time I was introduced to Todd, Paris Mounties owner who I now can call a friend. It is safe to say that Todd treated all his players like they were his own and wanted nothing but the best on and off the ice for each and every one of us. Thank you for making my time here so memorable. Another thank you to my head coach of 2 years, Jonesy, and assistant coaches in Dalpe’s, Mike, Kyle, and Brock for supporting me and putting me in positions to succeed on this team and develop my game. To our trainer Jen, equipment/everything guy Dave and all the volunteers, thank you for all the work you did which could sometimes go unnoticed for us to be prepared to play every night. I was honoured to captain this incredible team in my final OA year in which I could not have asked for a better group of teammates to play with. Everyone came to the rink with a positive attitude and competed night in and night out which I truly respect. I thank each one of them for making my last year the most memorable one that I will never forget. We all entered the year as good friends and came out as a family. 

My one last and most important thank you goes out to my family who have supported me through all the ups and downs over the past 17 years. They first taught me how to skate, would be my taxi to many games and practices, and were always my biggest supporters. Without them, none of this would have been possible.

I am truly grateful to play this game for as long as I did and everything it gave me. I’m looking forward to exploring other options (maybe coaching) on how I can give back in the future. For those who still have the opportunity to play, do not take it for granted and play every game like it’s your last. Hockey is more than just a game, it was a privilege.

Blake Culley - March 2018