Aleelee Kiak - Veteran Presence

[Grant 25]

Aleelee Kiak

The Road to Old Age

     Becoming a veteran wasn't easy. Nobody wishes for this, and nobody deserves it. However, veterans are an important part of our hockey ecosystem, and set examples to the younger generation coming through. Without us, the VHL would crumble, giving rise to the VHLM, which no one wants to see happen. 

     In my experience, I have not always been the best on the team, but I put my effort in. I show up when my team needs me, for example last season during the playoffs, I scored three game winners, sending us to the finals where we won it all. That is what I am able to pass along to my fellow puck shooters. No one should feel undervalued in a team, as it is fully a team game. I also encourage them to go an travel, see the world, and wins cups. I'd be lying if I said I was loyal to a team, having played on 5 teams in 5 seasons since the juniors, though I have grown to know through the years that you shouldn't settle for big contracts, just go find a winning team. All these young guys seem to care about is money when the main buzzer beater is TPE. The more you have, the more you win. The general managers always seem to be in on this one too, telling me not to waste any, but that was my only mistake.

     During the seventy third season, I was suffering from a disease called ghosting. Ghosting is fun for nobody, and being from a small community in Greenland, I had never encountered it. My experience as a veteran has shown me how painful this disease can be, not only for you, but the teammates you love. I make it clear to all the youngsters I see that this could happen to anyone, at anytime. I make sure nobody in the locker room skips the preventable steps, or I'll remind them of my story, and you know damn well they don't want to be traded to a cup winning team at the end of their contract. Although the reassurance on these player's faces tell me everything, this generation has it figured out, the swagger and consistency they bring to every game is unmatchable by my veteran presence, and therefore I don't know how many seasons I have left for myself, only that I will be enjoying every season possible.