Making the Most of it: Jon Sim

Update 4/21/09: Greg Logan and I hardly ever have the same idea, except this time. Guess we were both impressed on a night that nothing else was pretty impressive.


Hockey is a tough sport. It's an even tougher business. Sometimes difficult decisions are made from a business standpoint that are emotionally cutting. It's all a part of life; all a part of the business.





This past season, a veteran with nine NHL seasons to his credit was suddenly a member of the AHL. I suppose this was better than the almost full season he spent not playing at all.





Jon Sim had played two games in the '07 - '08 season before a leg injury ended his season prematurely. From what I saw on his face, he seemed devastated. Night after night he would stand in the tunnel staring at the ice. It was painful for me to watch. He's a professional hockey player. Hockey players want to play hockey, not just get paid to wander the hallways and show up at charity functions.





When the new season began, he was healthy and ready. He played 49 games, but he was a -12. He did not dress for 14 regular season games under new coach Scott Gordon.

Jon Sim had his best night on March 2nd with 3 assists. Two days later, he was assigned to Bridgeport after being placed on waivers. I can't imagine anything worse for a hockey player. Isn't that in essence saying "Gee, thanks. We really don't need you."





Sim could have been far less than the professional he actually is but he accepted the assignment and in the 18 regular season games he played for the Sound Tigers, he has scored 13 goals and 10 assists. He has become an asset for coach Jack Capuano.





This weekend, back at the Coliseum, I watched him play his heart out. I watched him stand in front of the net and repeatedly get whacked in the back. I watched him be important to that team and an annoyance to the opponent.





Saturday night was the second loss for the Sound Tigers in this playoff series, but Jack Capuano had this to say about Jon Sim in the post game interview.





"Jon Sim is a professional. When he first got down, obviously he could have had an attitude. But he came down, just like all the guys came down. He's been real positive to the guys, real good in the locker room, real vocal. He's played hard. He's played hard. (Yes, he said it twice for emphasis.) He has no regrets. He came down to work on his game and help the younger kids on our hockey team. So it's a tribute to Jon Sim with the attitude he came down with for sure."





Jack could not have been more sincere.





"If there's one guy who is going to stand in front of the net, whether it's the American League or the National Hockey League, he'll do it. And he's not afraid of the puck, he stands right in front of it and tries to score goals. We just have to get pucks to it."





Tonight, Sunday, Jon Sim scored twice helpping the Sound Tigers win their 3rd game in three nights. The AHL is a tough league. Their schedules are tough and the officiating seems a little 'lax' to say the least. To call it "minor league" hockey is an insult.





But Jon Sim is making the most of it, and it is a tribute to him.