Let's Go

Photo credit Francois Lacasse / NHLI via Getty Images

The lights are dim. Empty stands echo silence save for the muffled clang of a closing door and the whisper of vented air. The stillness is heavy with silent anticipation. A fresh sheets of ice awaits.

History looms heavy over Centre Bell for the players who slip on a jersey that is both new and as old as the game itself. They will carve the ice with blades of gleaming steel and bask in the glow of hometown adulation and echoes of voices silenced by the passing of time. They will grasp and raise a torch, light enough for strong hands, but laden with the weight of past glories and future aspirations.

Anxious spectators far and wide will bind their dreams of greatness to those blessed with extraordinary skills and steadfast determination to rise to this challenge. An elderly fan will don a threadbare jersey for another in an untold number of seasons. A child will don a jersey for the first in an untold number of seasons to come. Records will be set. Records will be broken. Heroes will rise. Heroes will falter. Those passed will live again.

Honouring history and embracing the future falls equally upon the shoulders of those who charge fearlessly into the blinding spotlight. They seek inspiration from the past and in a multitude of voices unified in a common dream. They will fortify themselves against the strength of adversaries, the derision of cynics and the murmurs of self doubt. Eyes locked with rivals and demons alike in the pursuit of a dream that began with their first tentative steps onto fresh ice.

History looms heavy for those that slip on the jersey of the Montreal Canadiens, but greatness is not defined by the achievements of the past. Greatness can only be found in the relentless pursuit of excellence. What matters now, what has always mattered, is the history yet to be written.

Let the ice be carved by blades of gleaming steel. Let the multitude of voices rise. Let rivals face off. Let dreams of greatness be fulfilled.

In the stillness heavy with silent anticipation, a fresh sheet of ice awaits. History waits.

Drop the puck. Let's go.

The Conversation

Back in June, I began a prolonged hiatus from Twitter. To be honest, it wasn't a complete withdrawal, I did check my feed from time to time, but for all intents and purposes I was out of the conversation. While taking a step back from social media can hardly be considered a profoundly meaningful exercise, I do feel the experience was beneficial.

The break was prompted by an elevation in the level of vitriol and personal attacks in the Twitter community. I had also grown weary of the multitude of opinions disguised as fact, based on assumptions, speculation and selective information, sometimes from established members of the media. It seems that spewing invective and expounding wild-eyed theories has become the new normal of our public discourse.

Twitter can be a virtually limitless source of interesting and amusing content, but for me, Habs' Twitter was my favourite online community. Engaging with a wide range of fans and media who share a common interest was informative and entertaining. Over the course of the past year however, the passions of this community had boiled over into a divisive stream of consciousness marked by vitriolic personal attacks at users, Habs players and management. It was as if spewing invective and expounding wild-eyed theories had become the new normal of public discourse. There were those who chose a more reasoned and thoughtful perspective, but sadly those voices were often drowned out by a cacophony of rhetoric.

Twitter's inherent flaw is that thoughtful analysis can rarely be summed up in 140 characters or less, but brash outbursts of anger, ignorance and spite fit nicely, with room to spare. As with similar social media channels, Twitter can represent the best and worst elements of society, but when the latter spills over into the realm of fandom it devalues the experience for everyone.

The time away from Twitter allowed me to reflect on the value of relationships formed through social media. Are those interactions really any different than those we experience face-to-face? All social engagements, regardless of the forum, should be founded on the principal of mutual respect and understanding if they are to have any value at all. In a constructive conversation, people can differ in opinion and maintain civility. Healthy communication goes far beyond sharing ideas with like-minded individuals, it also requires an openness to explore alternative viewpoints that serve to expand knowledge and understanding.

I have considered that stepping out of the conversation means one fewer voice to counter a sea of negativity and derision. I do wonder if the forum itself is simply a magnet for voices of bluster and scorn, but perhaps that is only true if we allow it to be so.

So, with a modicum of trepidation, I wade back into the fray, though I do so with a proviso. I choose not to engage with those who resort to demeaning personal attacks or those who distort facts to further a narrow viewpoint. Such things undermine healthy conversations and do not belong in any social forum. There will be moments to celebrate and lament, with an assortment of diverse opinions and perspectives, but the best part of the Habs' Twitter community will always be the relationships grown from connecting to fans of one of the greatest franchises in hockey.

Go Habs, Go.