The Sound of Silence

[JCarson 805]

The sound of silence. 

 

Season 97 has come to an end, not just the regular season but also the playoffs.  Seattle took the VHL Continental Cup with a goal by Rin Kagamine in overtime of game 5.  Las Vegas took the Founder’s Cup in 6 games. Each team rightfully took time to celebrate as a team and with their fans. Well deserved, noisy, boisterous, celebrations.  But now even those have subsided.  With all the celebrations now over a hush has descended upon the VHL. If you have ever lived beside a large body of water and have had the chance to watch the fog roll in, then you know how it feels.   

 

Silence sits heavy right now. Now don’t get me wrong there are plenty of activities going on as the teams get ready for season 98.  Draft decisions are being made, trade opportunities are being investigated, free agent options are being analyzed.  The VHL back offices are in full swing, but that is it, it is all back-office work, being done in private, a secretive hush that is just out of ear shot. Like a white noise machine, it adds to the feeling of silence that exists. Every now and again something slips out of the silence, an announcement but then the roaring sound of silence descends again. 

 

The players are in full training mode, gym workouts, nutrition plans, specialized skill development with offseason coaches, everything is locked behind closed doors, a secret to be revealed at just the right time.  Every now and again a member of the media catches a glimpse of a couple players together or a well-respected coach and tries to move in for an interview, tries to make a big reveal but is always shut down with a very general answer. “We are working on some on ice skills, skating, puck movement, shooting, passing, you know some things to make next season better. Just trying to bring things together.” And the player fades away into the arena, which is a media free zone, to continue working on something with someone or maybe even many someone. Nobody knows for sure but the silence. 

 

The fans wait, offseason again.  No games, limited media coverage, a looming day in the not-so-distant future, the first day of the next regular season.  Although it is not that far ahead, it is still a wait, a chance for the stillness and silence to sit heavy in the room. 

 

In the silence is a small glimmer of hope, the dawn of a new day, a day where hockey will break forth and the silence will cease.  The sound of skates on ice, of pucks and sticks, of bodies hitting boards.  The faint glimmer of the siren sounding the next game, the next period, the next goal.  In the silence the league waits for now, but soon the fans will roar, and the sound of silence will disappear, and the sound of hockey will resound again. 

 

For now, enjoy the silence for what it is, the collective breath that will usher in the next season.