Today as I was sipping my morning coffee, reading my emails, I come upon NK's email telling me he heard about my Dad on TV last night. Now, NK's always got his "eye on the ball" so to speak, he's an "all sports all the time" kind of guy haha and I usually hear about my Dad being TV from him before I hear it from any one else. The thing is, something special happened last night, something that only happens once a year, in fact, this "something" turned into a once in a lifetime kind of "something!"
One of the hockey players, Luc Robitaille was giving his induction into the NHL's Hockey Hall of Fame speech and at 2:15 he mentions my Dad, Charlie Henry! WOW! Ya, at the 2:15 mark, Luc starts to talk about MY DAD! How cool is that?! But you know what I found even cooler? Was all the names Luc mentioned, I realized I recognized a lot of those names, my Dad had an impact on their lives as well! Now THAT's cool!
I always knew my Mom & Dad were cool, but they always stayed in the shadows, they always let other people shine. They were ALWAYS there to help, to support, to guide others to the limelight but rarely ever took the spotlight for themselves. (And when I mean rarely, I mean never, I tried googling my Dad for pictures and I found a grand total of THREE! Ya, of all the data Google has, there's THREE unique and different pics of my Dad.)
I would like to recall a quick story. One night back in the mid-80s, there was a press conference to introduce the new owner of the Hull Olympiques. On hand was Pat Burns and some of the players, among them was a tall skinny kid named Luc Robitaille. Now, this was a press conference to herald in a new era, a new owner, and a renewed evergy for the team! Everyone was pumped and they wanted to see the man who helped organize this renewed energy! It tooks two or three calls to get my Dad up on stage. As they were calling for him, I asked my Mom, why Dad wasn't going up on stage?! Now, for a young hockey player myself (who spent his unfair share of time in the penalty box LOL) I thought my Dad would have jumped on stage to glow in the spotlight! Afterall, he earned it working tirelessly for months'n'months'n'months.....but he wasn't going up there......huh? I don't get it. My Mom patiently turned and whispered, "It's ok, your father just doesn't like the spotlight." With a bit of encouragement he did get up there, spoke a few words and then stepped off the stage.
I learned a special lesson that evening from my Mom & Dad. Seeing the energy in that room, seeing the fruition of MONTHS of work, lawyers, negotiating, scouting reports, schedule changes, etc, to see it all climax that night, THAT'S the reward. I learned the spotlight is for other people. My Mom & Dad do a HUGE amount of work that nobody sees only to let others bask in the glory. But that's ok with them. Cause, the people they help, ALWAYS know who helped them. I've learned I'm very much like my Mom & Dad that way. Whenever I've tried to "bask in the limelight" I usually burn to a crisp. It's just taken me a few years to realize it.
I want to thank you Mom & Dad for that lesson, the older I get, the more I realize I'm just like you. I'm happiest when I'm helping other's to excel! I just hope I can teach it to my kids like you taught it to yours. Merci beaucoup!
Luv-u-bye-see-u-after.
Resources
Luc Robitaille's induction speech into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame
Wikipedia: Luc Robitaille
National Post: CHL: Olympiques a breeding ground for NHL coaches
Wikipedia: Gatineau Olympiques
Retiring Luc's number 15 in Hull, December 12, 1999
History of the Hull/Gatineau Olympiques