The Jewish Prodigy

I took some time off from non-fiction to finish and work on some fiction but now I’m back to write about an actual person that stands out in my mind that I feel is worthy of more than what I can offer him but nonetheless, a person I think you should read about.
If you took all the Jewish ice hockey players that have made it to the big time and placed them side by side with those that are of African ancestry; blacks, bi-racial, mixed race, Afro-American, Afro-Canadian, Haitian, and Jamaican, it would surpass those that identify themselves as Jewish.
Growing up, it was sort of interesting that the Catholics were Italian, Irish, and Spanish by way of Mexico, South America and so on but a Jewish kid was just Jewish. Not one of them came from Israel or anywhere near it but they were just Jewish. I’m not certain of the lineage of the player that I’m going to tell you about. I suspect they were once from some Slavic country whereby his predecessors wound up at a place like Ellis Island and were promptly given an Anglophile name that stuck with them through the years. What I do remember of this child when I saw him first take the ice as a six year old boy was how complete of an ice hockey player he was at such a young age. His skating was very fluid, his stick handling skills were well developed, his knowledge and intelligence to pass when he should instead of when it was absolutely a last resort was impressive given that most six year olds congregate around the puck like dogs in the yard with a tennis ball. The child at the age of six could have easily competed alone against a team of five his own age and done well. Some children can sing, some can paint and some have that ability to put all the tools necessary together to compete in ice hockey before they can write their names in cursive. This child was one of them.
It was some years later when I had an opportunity to speak to this prodigy’s father. I was getting dressed to play ice hockey with a bunch of Chicago Board of Trade guys who rented the ice on Wednesday afternoons. I was getting dressed to get on the ice as was the father of the young Jewish player. We were both late and were rushing to get dressed and join the group that had already finished warming up and were already playing. The silence was almost uncomfortable and so I asked the man whom I had seen at rinks for a number of years how his son was doing. He went on to tell me that he was able to scrape together a house league team of orthodox/religious Jews so that his son could be on a team. The orthodox Jews need to be in by sun down on Fridays and cannot engage in many things such as ice hockey until sun down on Saturdays. I jokingly told the father that if he were willing to have his son join my team, I would observe the Sabbath myself. The father took me up on it.
At the time, I was coaching a travel/all-star team at a neighboring rink. The team I had was mediocre at best. The players were really not above average as much as their parent’s bank accounts provided the organization with the ransom demanded so that the aspirations of the parents, who live vicariously through their little men, could somehow be met. I apologize for that little rant. Having just wrote about parents with the ways and means to get their children onto a team that they really don’t have any business being on, this father although he had ample money, did not need to buy his son a spot on my team or any team.
From the point at which this player joined my team, my wins began to surpass my losses. My players began to think more about what they were going to do rather than reacting when it was already too late to make a decision. My players followed the example of this player and all were better for it. Many people who take up a sport that are great at what they do, get recognized and idolized. Many egos are fed off of the money and attention that they receive. I am almost certain that had this player made it to NHL or a higher level minor league team, the success would have been taken in stride. This boy never bragged about his points, hat tricks and high plus/minus statistics. When targeted on the ice for cheap shots, he understood that it was not personal as much as a sign of respect due to his ability to win a game and control a game. He was respectful and courteous at all times. I truly believe that the young player, who played on teams that I coached for over six years, had the tools necessary to compete at the highest level. The choice to be religious took him out of the running. It is god’s gain and fandom’s loss.
The boy I coached is now a man. He quit organized hockey after playing midget AA. He is finishing at Yeshiva University in New York City and may go into accounting. He currently plays in New Jersey on a high level men’s team. I had the chance to play on a summer league team with this young man this past summer. It is rare for anyone that coaches any sport to find someone who is an outstanding player and a superior human being. One usually has one attribute or the other. I suspect this young man will do as well in the world as he does on the ice.