Recently, ten-year-old Oliver Brodgon was given a school assignment to write a poem. So the boy from Brentwood wrote about something that meant a lot to him.
Oliver, a forward on the A-Game Squirt Tornadoes and a tenacious penalty killer at that, penned his poem entitled “My I Am” about the sport of hockey.
Included in the poem was a line about Predators forward Rich Clune. Specifically, Oliver mentioned the feeling of getting punched by Clune. Now there is no body checking allowed at the Squirt level, but a kid can have a vivid imagination about what it will be like when he gets older, right?
As part of their stellar record of being active in the community, two Predators were scheduled to skate with all of the A-Game Squirt players at an American Development Model practice Friday. When Oliver’s father Keith found out that Clune was going to be one of the players present, he said that Oliver was going to be, “Over the moon.”
As the Squirt-level players (ages nine and 10) took to the ice for practice, Clune and fellow forward Gabriel Bourque stepped on to assist and have some fun with the young players for their hour of allotted ice time.
Yes, there is some irony in the fact that two Canadians were assisting with an ADM practice, but it was all done under the watchful eye of several U.S.-born coaches, so there was no chance of any type of sabotage on the part of the Predators players.
While Bourque was at one end of the ice teaching the kids how to forecheck with fury, Clune, who was tipped off to the poem’s existence in advance, made sure to make Oliver’s night by giving the kid with the curly blonde hair and big smile a playful sweaty glove to the cage. He later held that pose for an on-ice picture.
“I have a lot of fun at things like this,” Clune said. “Anytime you can get around kids, it brings you back to your youth. They don’t have any cares in the world. That’s how adults should be, so it is a good reminder of just being happy and enjoying life. I remember when I was a kid, each time you came across a junior hockey player or an NHLer, it was a huge deal, so I am happy to do it.”
Following the practice, Bourque and Clune sat down and signed autographs for all the players. Some got their sticks signed, and others their jerseys. The Brogdons brought along a copy of “My I Am,” and Clune was happy to sign it for young Oliver to put the perfect finishing touch on a night he will not soon forget.
“My I Am” By Oliver Brogdon (Reprinted with permission)
I am a boy who loves hockey.
I wonder if I will be successful.
I hear a buzzing in my head.
I want to be cool.
I am a boy who loves hockey.
I pretend to be a hockey all-star.
I feel Rich Clune punching me.
I touch my swollen cheek.
I worry that I’m not good enough.
I cry when I don’t get a goal.
I am a boy who loves hockey.
I understand you shoot to score.
I say keep on jabbing at the puck.
I dream about winning the Stanley Cup.
I try to be a better teammate.
I am a boy who loves hockey.
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