Curtis Bids Farewell

Fourteen years ago, I was finishing my first year of this game. Little did I know that it would lead me all over the Midwest and to the frozen north for my four years at Saint Mary’s University. When I first came here and tried out for the team my freshman year, I was slightly disappointed. Not with the program or the people, but with myself. Like many others in high school, I had dreams of playing Division I. It took me a time to realize that almost nobody from my former league plays after high school. I realized that playing with the “big boys” up in America’s home for hockey, Minnesota, was quite an accomplishment for some kid from Omaha. There are so many people I would like to thank. First and foremost I would like to thank my parents, for everything. Hockey isn’t cheap. It costs time and money. It costs a lot of time when you have to spend every weekend from mid-October until mid-March driving everywhere from Littleton, CO to International Falls, MN; from Colorado Springs, CO to St. Louis, MO. Hotels, equipment, ice-time, gas, and summer camps are all expensive. I would like to thank them for waking up to take me to the rink at 5 a.m., or staying up to take me at 1:30 a.m. I would also like to thank the rest of my family. My little sister, “the Worm,” had to sacrifice many weekends away from her friends to be up in the frozen north on some hockey trip. I would like to thank my grandparents for always taking such an interest in this game. I know it’s not a game they grew up with in rural Nebraska and Iowa. I’d like to thank my aunts and uncles. If there was ever a superstition I could believe in, it’s that my uncle Bob is good luck. To this day I don’t think he’s ever been at a bad game of mine. In fact, he made the trip up to Moorhead last weekend where I coincidentally got my first collegiate shutout. I’d also like to thank every one of my coaches: Don Kulceski, Bill Bade, Mike Morton, Fred & Sis Strumm, Jim Murcek, Brian Knerium, Greg Dick, Joe Blankenfeld, Greg Ehlers, and last but not least, the staff here at Saint Mary’s, including Terry Mannor, Donny Nadeau and Don Olson. I can’t thank Coach Olson enough for even looking at me after seeing, “Hometown: Omaha, NE” and giving me a fair shot. I’m pretty sure at least some of those coaches on the junior circuit scratched me off after seeing that. And a special thanks to Coach Nadeau. Over the past four years you’ve become more of a friend than a coach, I’m definitely going to miss our chats during practice. I would also like to thank a few of my friends, namely my defensemen and my ‘Nam buddies. You guys have gotten me out of a lot of tight situations. I would also like to thank Trevor. We’ve had a lot of good times through high school and college; I hope we can keep it going into next year. I’d also like to thank the fans. In particular, the fans who would come and watch me even on the road, when I was riding the pine that night, even if it was in Milwaukee. Thanks Ang. Looking back at it, I’ve been playing hockey for two-thirds of my life. It’s become a routine for me every winter. It’s something that’s become a part of me. I’m going to miss it next year. Next year, on the first Friday in November, when it’s opening night at the SMU Ice Arena, wherever I am, I’ll know one thing, it’ll be a good day to be a Cardinal.