Jimmer?

I know some will read this blog's title and wonder about the name "Jimmer." Here's the skinny -


As a kid several family members on my Mom's side called me "Jimmer." I was never really fond of it and I was glad to eventually grow out of it so to speak. And then -

Well - One year at the MJB, my Mom called me Jimmer in front of my hockey teammates. Oops! Hockey teammates by definition are required to hassle each other one way or another as much as possible - all in fun of course. Ever been in a locker room? Put it this way - I wouldn't let my kids anywhere near ours. But as I say it's all fun - until your Mom pulls out a nickname you just don't like - and the guys know it. Suddenly I was Jimmer on the ice and I did not like it one bit.

However - in the past couple of years I've spent a lot of time trying to measure the true intent of people as I interact with folks and it occurred to me that my teammates meant no harm - in fact quite the opposite is / was probably the case. And as I'm getting older I'm really more appreciative that someone wants to call me something besides a**hole, idiot, jerk etc...

So the nickname stays and as the true appreciation for the name starts with my hockey team - well -

At my core, I am a hockey player, not because I'm all that good at the game, but more because of my mindset - a certain set of values and teamwork that I've tried to develop over my almost 40 years. It's something that I'm passionate about and care about quite a bit. My hockey team is my second family - so as a call out to the fellas - the life of Jimmer goes into print.