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[der meister 2,946]

Time, it must be said, appears to finally be running out on defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto. Having travelled the world with the spiky-haired Japanese blueliner off and on for over 8 years now, I can see the passion and fire that once burned in his eyes is nearly extinguished. There’s a flatness there where there used to be hope and optimism. In his heart, I believe he knows his chances to capture the elusive Continental Cup are running out.

 

His season in Warsaw was overall one of his statistical best. Sakamoto finished the season with 8 goals, tying his mark for the second highest in his career, and 49 assists, which set a new personal best. His combined 57 points were just one shy of the mark he reached with the Seattle Bears two seasons prior. His blocked shots were the second best of his career with 178, just 4 shy of the 182 he tallied in his sophomore year with the Toronto Legion, and his hit total of 204 was the first time he eclipsed the 200 milestone.

 

And yet, despite such a strong statistical season, Sakamoto’s pending unrestricted free agency is not feeling as hotly anticipated as it was one short year ago. Undoubtedly he will receive a few offers, teams looking to shore up their blue line by bringing in a veteran gunslinger, or perhaps more aptly, a veteran gunslinger’s hired muscle. Sakamoto has made it plain to me in the past few weeks that he truly wants to win a championship before all is said and done, before he rides off into the proverbial sunset. I’ve also asked him if he has any plans for his life after hockey, and received the expected response: a blank stare, followed closely by a look of surprise and then a boyish grin.

 

One thing I’ve noticed about professional sports are how quickly the years get away from you. Many of his friends, some of whom visited him in Istanbul, Toronto, and Seattle, have faded from his life. At least as far as I’m aware. Sakamoto is never one to be particularly coy, a characteristic shared by those who wear their hearts on their sleeves. Ms. Ann Takamaki’s star in the modeling world shone quite brightly for a few years, but now she’s fading into the background, beginning to focus her attention to a clothing line she has designed herself, or so the papers say. On the other hand, the quirky Yusuke Kitagawa’s talent for painting is only just hitting the mainstream, and he appears to be setting the art world on fire, though I must confess to little knowledge of that particular realm. And then there’s Ren Amamiya, a practically silent boy with a floof of frizzy black hair and a pair of glasses I am told he wears simply out of fondness for the look. I do know that he and Sakamoto have remained in contact, though I have been unable to pry any information from Sakamoto, a rarity indeed.

 

This is all to say that unrestricted free agency will mark the beginning of the end for Sakamoto, but he’s not going to go down without a fight.

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by der meister