The Ultimate Game

Without going too deeply into dictionary definitions, we generally use the word, ultimate, in one of two ways.  One usage uses it in the sense of final or last. However, most of us probably use it to mean something like best, grand, or very special.

In the title, I am thinking of ultimate in both senses, for the hockey game of which I am posting today is the final one (for me) for this season (at least I think so). However, it was also the ultimate game in the second sense: best, grand, very special.

The week before last, the boys played a powerful team that defeated them easily by an 8-0. Last Wednesday evening, when I entered the arena, my spirts fell when I saw that they had to endure the same team one more time, for it is not pleasant to see the kids defeated so badly 

The boys had other ideas. I have never seen them play so hard. They kept the more talented team off the scoreboard by dint of hard work and fierce competitiveness. 

As the clock wound down, I was so hoping that they would keep the score at 0-0 and earn a moral victory, but more importantly, a valuable lesson about effort and teamwork.

It was inspiring to watch them skate as hard as they could and battle for every square inch of ice for every minute of the contest. It was their ultimate game in the sense of best and grand.

This ↑ was JJ getting up after a knockdown. While the league doesn't allow bodychecking, their opponents played as close to the edge as they possibly could. They were certainly aggressive in fighting for the puck, and there were knockdowns. As I have said. JJ ended up on the ice a few times and managed to hit his noggin (not seriously), but he hung in and battled hard. They all did. Physically, they gave as good as they got as the game progressed.

I have a few more photos of Jonathan to share.

I have to zoom in and out a lot during a game as the play comes nearer and then goes farther away. If the play gets too close to the glass where I am standing the players are usually both to close and too quickly gone for me to focus and get a shot.

So I was happy to get this one ↓ of my splendid grandson in such good focus with some blurry players in the background to give depth.

He's also in the next two photos: #9 in white and to the right in both .

Of course, I have many more photos, but I think that's enough for this ultimate game of the season — in both senses of the word.