Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy
Here's the fourth and final installment of my seemingly endless hockey banquet report:
Jimmy DeVito was the next senior to speak. He started by saying that it took him some years to grasp what it takes to be a student-athlete. After a learning experience that was "a roller coaster" he says he learned and found himself taking six courses this semester and is proud to be graduating in May. He thanked his coaches and thanked his parents at length, telling a funny story about how his dad ended a tantrum 6-year-old Jimmy was throwing as they left the rink after a lost game. Jimmy was yelling that he hated hockey and wanted to quit, so his dad calmly plucked his skates from his bag and tossed them on the roof of the rink! I guess Jimmy was quite taken aback that his dad took him at his word and, luckily for us, he changed his mind about quitting pretty quickly after that.
Then Jimmy got serious and said that after your senior season, especially if it's a poor one, people ask questions - do you wish you went somewhere else, do you wish you stayed in juniors longer. He said he wouldn't trade his time at RPI for anything, and that the relationships he had here, with his teammates and with the RPI hockey family, are something he'll be forever grateful for.
Riley Bourbonnais took the podium last and opened by saying it seemed like just yesterday that he was a freshman listening to other seniors make their speeches. He advised this year's underclassmen to slow down and enjoy their time at RPI because "it will go by too fast." He told them they would be frustrated at times - "maybe like me you'll only play nine games and have one measly assist in your freshman year." But, he said, those hard times build character and challenge you to carry on the tradition that is RPI hockey.
Riley thanked his parents, his sister, all the coaches, and his teammates. He addressed the underclassmen again, saying they would have memories and stories that will only be between them and the lifelong friends they made on the team. And, he said, "your education at RPI, on and off the ice, will carry beyond your years here. You're an ambassador, now and forever, for this great school."
As I said, these guys were a particularly eloquent group and they all did a great job with their speeches. Going in, I didn't really think there would be anyone too emotional in this group, but I was wrong. Lou Nanne choked up and wiped his eyes several times, and both Jake Wood and Jimmy DeVito got a little teary too. It's nice to see that their time at RPI has meant so much to them. Best of luck to all the seniors in the future - I hope they'll all come back to visit us at RPI!
Okay, that's it. I promise I will NOT post four ridiculously long posts, or twelve posts of any kind in a 24-hour period, for at least another year.
