To the Great Ones

My wife just had to have me listen to some new artist's Christmas songs. OK, Tis the season so I did. It was OK, but it sounded a bit like a young Sinatra. Come to find out the guy has a lot of covers of Sinatra songs. He's good, but he's not Sinatra. Of course if you're not a Sinatra fan, you probably wouldn't even think to make the comparison. That doesn't mean this guy's not very talented, but of course he has a lot better production facilities and equipment that didn't exist years ago when the original recordings were made. Still the guy can sing very well......But he's still no Sinatra. Now let's get back to the ice. I grew up trying to play like Bobby Orr. I'd spend hours at our local rink skating figure eights with a puck A stick, skates, and a puck were all I took down to the ice, other than my dad's snow shovel which not only came in handy shoveling off the rink, but worked in as a practice obstacle. Anyways, Orr was/is the king. For many years I'd hear other players and coaches labeling “up and coming” players as the next Orr. Many were very talented, but none of them were the next Bobby Orr. Gretzky was great, but for die-hard Orr fans – still not Orr. Good, but a much different player. As for the great number 99, he also set his own bar for legions of fans whom I'm sure get annoyed at hearing who the next Gretzky is. I'd stick to that premise if it weren't for Sydney Crosby..And you thought Lindros was good – but that's another topic. He was for all of us who followed him up from the Olympics, but once again as with many of the great players, injuries eventually take their toll. As Frank would say; That's life! Let's all hope we get to see a lot more great hockey from number 87. Here's wishing all the best to the great ones, and the next ones who may just be hitting the ice now for the first time.