Card Of The Week: Brock McGinn Reminds Me of My Dad.

     Fathers Day just passed and as always it is a difficult day for me! My Father passed away when I was 15 years old, so I always spend a portion of Fathers Day reflecting on lessons I learned in the short time I had with him on Earth! It was my dad who bought me my first pack of 1987 Topps Baseball as motivation to help me with my reading, and to this day you could probably get a laugh from my mom if you asked her how I first pronounced "Jose Canseco" (Joes Can-C-co) if you are curious. To this day 32 years later I attest that is where I developed a passion for collecting the cardboard that consumes my free time to this very day! My dad had major issues with mobility so much in fact that he could not get out and play catch like most dads, and towards the end of his life he was relegated to using a motorized scooter to get around. So many of my life lessons were taught by him while we watched sports on television. My dad was not a hockey fan! As a matter of fact he knew jack squat about the game! We lived in Florida and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Football and Tampa Bay Rays Baseball occupied our television.

     Brock McGinn is not a name the casual NHL Fan would recognize outside of Raleigh, and just recently Washington D.C. (sorry Caps Fans) the name simply would not ring a bell! However, I can say without a shadow of a doubt if my dad was alive he would LOVE Brock Mcginn. Not because he is on our favorite team ( Dad would love the Hurricanes), but because he represents those same life lessons my dad taught me from his EZ-Chair.

     

   

     Much like my dad Brock McGinn is/was a hard working grinder! Never taking a shift off McGinn does the work that most people shy away from. The hard gritty work that gets little mention in the glamorous world in which he operates. Yet it is the work ethic that affords Rod Brindamour's trust to put him over the boards in a shorthanded situation knowing he will deliver. Much like in my home there were many late night calls from my dad's job because a superior wanted his well respected input. Life Lesson number one was "You want to get respect bust it don't kiss it! It wont always be glamorous, but if it needs done, do it and do it right!"

     McGinn has and will drop the gloves to protect a teammate as indicated by the thumping he gave the Florida Panthers Jared McCann back at the PNC in December 2017 after McCann chose to get a little to fresh with Justin Williams. While my dad was not a fighter he would do anything he had to in order to make sure we were protected and had the best of things. He was also not a pushover in his home. He taught me respect, and much like McCann learned on that electric night in December you did not run over my dad in his house. Life Lesson number two was respect goes along way!

     Lastly lets flash back to Game 7 of round against the Washington Capitals in the second overtime Mcginn comes through deflecting a Justin Williams shot past Braden Holtby to clinch the first playoff series victory for the Carolina Hurricanes in ten years! Brock Mcginn was there where he was needed when he was needed to be there. JUST LIKE MY DAD ALWAYS WAS! As I mentioned before my dad's mobility was limited and he lived in pain for most of my life, but he never missed anything! He was always there whether it was a school play, baseball or basketball game my dad never missed. Often sitting in pain to support my siblings, and I in whatever venture we were into. Our passions were his priority.

I know I write about Brock McGinn using a lot of hyberbole. I know he is what he is, a third line spark plug on a team that is a notch above mediocre. I am aware that if hitting the crossbar counted for points McGinn would be chasing Gretzky( there is the hyperbole again) but he emulates a lot of the characteristics that my father valued and taught Hard Work, Respect , and Loyalty to your family.

So in honor of the recent Father's Day please enjoy a card of someone I am sure would be My Dad's Favorite Hurricane Brock Mcginn and this week's card of the week, his 2015-2016 SPX Rookie Auto. Thanks for Reading and Redvolution!

The Caniac Collector