Better to burn out, than to fade away?

Watching the Jeremy Roenick press conference and the emotion behind it brought me back to something I have wrestled with before. Trying to put myself in the shoes of an NHL (or any sport for that matter) player and of course playing the part as a fan of the game. Is it better to burn out, than to fade away? The idea that two players I thought highly of for various reasons had retired in a week span (Jeremy Roenick and Teppo Numinnen) got me in the dumps a little bit. But then I look at their last season(s) and see players I love to watch lose a step here and lose a battle or two and my mind turns toward thoughts of “what are you doing out there?”. We follow players like Peter Forsberg who has been through foot surgery after surgery and we still want him to come back and play. But will that just be followed up by comments on how he should have hung them up when he had the chance?

It has to be tough to walk away from a game you fought all your life to play and you love so much. It must be hard to walk away from the spotlight and become a statistic rather than a focal point. I am not saying that any retired player should consider themselves forgotten by any means. But I can image that it must be tough to walk away from a dream because your body just can’t keep up. It is sad to see the desire in a players eyes yet they know that time is no longer on their side. And lucky for the large majority of players who face this decision their choice has not been made for them by injury or demotion.  But isn’t there something to be said for going out on top?

There is no final answer to this dilemma. I know it must be hard for a player to accept changes with their physical abilities and consider their families/life as well. But when I think of players like Claude Lemieux last season trying to sneak back on to an NHL roster I must say in some cases enough is enough. I think part of being a professional is knowing when to say when. But then I think of Chris Chelios, well past his “prime” but the second anyone ads him to their club I think they are better for it. Maybe, just maybe, this blog entry has no point or answer. I just needed to share the emotion and appreciation for the players who give so much to the game and hope they feel the return and then some.

Flashback (and sorry if I mess this up): I think the video was called Pond of Dreams. It was an intro for the 2000 NHL All-Star game. That was one of the times I missed past heroes most. Maybe it was because I was finally old enough to appreciate what the past heroes of the game had done. And what it takes to walk away (maybe not Mario but I am thankful for that) and pass the torch. The video really got to me. And as I mentioned to contradict all my feelings toward that honor in walking away, Mario comes back to play and I am so thankful he did for the fans and himself. I am not sure what the answer is here but regardless of method on leaving the NHL  thank you to all players for the mark you have left on the game and my life.