The Back-Byrne-r: Life After the VHL

[teknonym 61]

Tadhg Byrne. A name synonymous with goaltending in the VHL, spending 9 seasons in between the pipes as an elite goaltender with quick reflex and an even quicker hand.

 

After retirement, Tadhg Byrne wasn’t too sure what to do with himself. He’d lived his dream, and now it was over. It was bittersweet. He’d given his all every night, putting himself out on the ice as the final line of defense. The final challenge for goal scorers all around the league. He’d won the Continental Cup, he’d won a Shaw, he’d won a Clegane. He was consistent night in and night out, and he never stopped loving the game. He’d lived the dream of kids all around the world.

 

So what now?

 

Well, it was time for a break. Byrne had married his teen sweetheart, Siobhan, early into his third VHL season. They had twins soon after they married, a boy and a girl. So now, it was time to settle down and be a good father. 

 

The kids were 6 now, in their first year of school. His son, Declan, seemed to be following in his father’s footsteps. He had started skating when he was three and never looked back. Tadhg could already tell Declan had the same passion for the game as he, and he was ready to help him in any way he could if he kept dreaming of the VHL. Tadhg spent his time in a net letting his son score goals on him and carrying him around acting like he’d won the Continental Cup. Winning the Cup was one of the happiest moments of his life, but spending time with his son made him infinitely happier.

 

His daughter, Caitlin, loved sports as well, boasting a natural talent for football and baseball rather than hockey. She was a natural striker, scoring goals and running the length of the field with incredible stamina. She was an incredible pitcher too, striking out many kids and making parents turn their heads. She was an incredible football player, just like her mother. It makes Tadhg smile every time he sees his wife and daughter kicking a football in the backyard, reminding him of doing much the same with his own father. The two most important women in his life being happy together was a feeling he’d trade his ability to skate for any day of the week.

 

He spent his mornings driving his kids to school and packing lunches rather than sitting in a rink taking shots from some of the most prolific goal scorers in the most elite league in the world. His afternoons were spent picking his kids up and asking about their day at school, listening to the two kids talk about all the trouble they got into with their friends and how they’re loving lunch time more than listening to their teachers talk about math and history. If Siobhan was in the car, she’d scold them softly. Telling them school was just as important as sports were. If she wasn’t, Tadhg would laugh along with them, telling them all about the trouble he got up to when he was in school. The kids liked hearing stories about his school days and always said that ‘Dad tells the best stories!’

 

Tadhg prides himself more on that than his hardware nowadays.

Aside from being a father, Tadhg also spent time back in his native country of Ireland establishing hockey schools all around the place. He wanted to give kids the opportunities he had closer to home. His influence was felt in Ireland too, becoming something close to a cult icon. He’d helped put hockey on the radar of Ireland’s sports world, and he’d work as hard as he could to establish a stronger hockey culture in Ireland when he could. He was extraordinarily passionate about helping kids live his dream after him. He wanted everybody to be able to dream as big as he did, without fear of whether or not their dream would crumble under the weight of bigger sports.

 

The years of Tadhg’s life he spent in the VHL were some of the most rewarding years of his life, and he reminisced on them fondly often enough. He still has his first San Diego Marlins jersey framed in his office. It makes him glossy eyed when he thinks about it too much. It was his first team and his first real taste of elite hockey.

 

His life was not ordinary, he was an exception to the rule that was rugby and football. He skated and defended the goal. If he could give that feeling to kids who didn’t know it was an option, he would.

 

In an interview with the Dublin Times, a reporter had asked about his choice to go for hockey rather than rugby like his father and it was with a soft smile that he responded. If he were younger, it’d be more cocky and curt.

 

‘I love hockey. That was the real thing that mattered. I love rugby, but not like hockey. The feeling of skating onto the ice is a feeling that I can’t describe in words. The closest way I can describe it is through the word ‘exhilarating’. It made me feel alive, it was the very thing that gave me purpose. Of course, I was young and naïve. There are bigger things than hockey, my kids come to mind, but at that time? When I was in net? I didn’t exist as anybody other than Tadhg Byrne, number 36.’

 

The interviewer laughed along with Byrne after hearing his passion for the sport that was unheard of in Dublin. The next question was simple.

 

‘What now?’

 

Tadhg just smiled.

 

‘Live my life. I haven’t done that in a while, hockey has been everything. It’ll be nice to get back to being a regular citizen.’

 

In short, Tadhg Byrne was an accomplished hockey player. That’s certain. More than anything though, Tadhg Byrne wants to be an accomplished man, and that’s what he’s doing now. He’s becoming an accomplished man in his life after the VHL, opening up avenues for kids in his home country to seek his dream and follow in his footsteps. He’s being a father to his two children and offering his support for them wherever they want it. His hockey career is on the back-Byrne-r, and isn’t coming off any time soon.

 

(1064 words, claiming for weeks Oct. 11-17 and Oct. 18-24)

*edit: changed weekendings

Edited October 18, 2021 by teknonym

[JB123 728]

2 hours ago, teknonym said:

back-Byrne-r

Haha. Great article, great message. You’re going to be a star in this league 

[SpicyGecko 100]

Outstanding article! Amazing story that is very well thought out and very believable. The interview was subtle but well done, it matched the pace and mood of everything else. The picture matches perfectly with the story, ties in with the family aspect and his hockey influence in Ireland. I wouldn't change a thing! Not a single error I could find or spot that created more questions then answers. I'm excited to reading more articles from you! Overall amazing article!

 

10/10

[teknonym 61]

claiming for week 2