sweatervest13
Active Member
So, I used to work at a large bank, and I had to wear a suit and tie everyday. Now I work for a small family company and I can wear jeans and a polo shirt. The only time I need to wear a suit and tie is for weddings and funerals. Nobody gets married on a Thursday.
RIP Sam Cupp.
Today we buried one of my dads BEST friends.
I have played hockey all of my life. My dad started me playing when I was 4 or 5. He grew up playing hockey in Sault Saint Maire Canada. He was very good. He ended up playing for the Soo Greyhounds (Wayne Gretzky's junior team). He gave up playing to have a family.
Later on when I started playing he started playing again in some adult leagues. Fast forward 15 years and he and his buddy Sam started the Michigan Sting Hockey Club. The idea behind the club is to get up off the couch and be active for all adults from 18-100 years old. They started off with a couple of tournament teams that would compete in large national tournaments. Then they added a couple of weekly pick up skates so the tournament teams could stay in shape. A few years later they started a league with 6 teams. That expanded to two leagues (a recreation league and an "A" league). The organization has grown to over 600 members all around the US and in Canada.
I play in the A league, we play on Thursdays at 4:45pm and 5:45pm. Two games back to back. The rink we play at has 4 sheets of ice and our Michigan Sting org takes over the whole place for two hours. I am fortunate enough to play on a team with my dad and brother.
Last week at the end of our first game someone came on the ice asking if anyone was trained in CPR and that the founder Sam had gone down. Sam had some issues and went down before, but ALWAYS popped back up. He did not pop back up this time. He died of a massive heart attack.
The entire league was with him when he passed. He died the way he wanted to... With his skates on. We should all be so lucky!!
Like I said he died after the end of the first game. The league commissioner wanted to cancel the next game. My dad (the president of the organization) said that Sam would have wanted us to play on. So we did.
Today I attended his funeral. Sam was a very successful business man. He started the Winning Futures mentor-ship program, it matched mentors with young students. He was a very humble man and you would never know that he was wealthy. He always made time to talk with everybody, and he was a great listener. I have never attended a funeral with so many people, and so many good things to say about a man. The world has truly lost a great man.
Here is a great quote from Grantland Rice that sums it all up.
"For when the One Great Scorer comes
To mark against your name,
He writes - not that you won or lost -
But how you played the Game."
(from the poem "Alumnus Football")
This afternoon the Michigan Sting A league will continue and we will play the games. We will do this and continue on for Sam Cupp.
For anyone who reads this. I thank you. I needed to get this all out. I have been holding it together for a week and just could not do it anymore.
Thank you
Ryan.
There is a link to his obit on our website michigansting.net
