Playing hockey is a dream for many. It’s worth traveling the world, moving away from home as a teenager and sacrificing in almost any other aspect of life to achieve. It’s all for the love of the sport, and it’s no wonder the community is so tightly knit.
Even though the game is important — who doesn’t want their team to hoist the Stanley Cup — there are bigger things at stake. The people are what make hockey the game it is, and when lives are lost, not scoring that goal or making the playoffs easily fades to the background.