The Mural

A picture says a thousand words

A plain white cement wall outside of the Moncton Wildcats state of the art NHL caliber dressing room was transformed into an inspirational championship vision.

On the Wildcats last roady to Quebec a mural was painted outside the dressing room.

I heard from a very reliable source that Mr Robert Irving himself came up with the idea and had commissioned the mural to be painted to surprise the group upon their return.

That mural captured the unity and essence of a very special group of young men that were put together to accomplish one goal, to win it all.

About three or four weeks ago I ventured down to the dressing room area to interview a few players from the opposing team.

When I walked through the doors that divide the dressing rooms it instantly caught my eye.

It wasn’t the time to take a picture.

It wasn’t the time for social media or to tweet out a picture.

That mural was private, it was personal, it was for the team, but that’s one memory of the 2019-2020 Wildcats team that I will never forget.

The massive wall mural consisted of a map of Canada, North American with Russia and Sweden added on the far right. The mural flowed across the sprawling wall with all its momentum directed towards Kelowna.

The Road to Kelona with the outline of the Memorial Cup was placed strategically on the far left.

“All together” was the theme screaming out when I first admired the painting.

Every player and coach signed the mural near their home province and city.

You see this Wildcats team was special.

It had championship pedigree written all over it, just like the autographs on that beautiful painting.

The 2019-2020 Wildcats may have all come from different parts of the country and the world, but they were a team of destiny and everyone of those young men knew it.

They understood the opportunity that laid ahead, they all realized just how special and unique the team really was.

An opportunity to play, an opportunity to leave it all on the ice, and hoist the cup, that’s every hockey players dream.

To have that opportunity taken away is truly heartbreaking.

Nevertheless, the harsh reality of the decision to cancel the President Cup Playoffs and Memorial Cup is incredibly disappointing for so many players and cities across the CHL, but it’s the right one considering these frightening and unprecedented times.

As they say a picture says a thousand words.

The Wildcats mural captured more than a vision or a dream, it captured a group of young men and athletes about to embark on a collective journey for junior hockey supremacy.

There’s more to life than hockey right now, but that mural signifies a moment in time of a team assembled for greatness.

That team will never have the opportunity to see how great they could have been.

The 2019-2020 Moncton Wildcats will never be forgotten.