My first year at the University of Alberta was Wayne Gretzky’s first year in the NHL. I was able to see a few games and, although the Oilers weren’t winning Stanley Cups yet, they were young, cocky and so very exciting to watch. Big win one night, big loss the next. Gretzky started setting records right away. In fact, to this day he still has more assists alone than the player next on the list has total points. He was good, to say the least. But if you’ve heard recent interviews, Wayne says that the game has changed and he’s not sure he would have been able to dominate in quite the same way today. He says this regardless of the rule changes that have reduced the amount of clutching, grabbing and holding that he had to endure.

Lester Patrick is the oldest person to ever play goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He played in one game for the New York Rangers during the 1928 playoffs. As the Ranger’s coach and general manager, he was forced to put his 44-year-old self in net after the starting goalie suffered an eye injury. He allowed only one goal and the Rangers won the game, but his equipment alone tells me that a shot by any one of today’s pros could literally have been fatal. I actually think I could have scored on him.

Partly out of necessity, goalies today, are much better equipped, coached and trained. The size and quality of their equipment means fewer injuries. They are also able to cover much more of the net.

Gump Worsley was another mask-less goalie from bygone days. He played for over 20 years in the NHL with New York, Montreal and Minnesota. He won the Vezina Trophy ( for best goaltender) twice, has his name on the Stanley Cup four times, and has been inducted in hockey’s hall of fame. He was considered one of best goalies of the 50’s and 60’s. I’m wondering if this dressing room picture of him with the cigarette and beer was taken before or after the game?!

Today’s players are more likely to be seen on stationary bicycles or in the weight room before and after games. Player fitness and strength have reached new levels. There was a time that players would attend fall training camps to “get in to shape”. Now, if they are not “in shape” when they arrive at camp their chances of making the team are reduced.

The picture above was taken in the 1960’s during a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks. At first glance, it looks as if there has been some sort of brawl, or that someone has been injured. However, if you look closely you will see that they are all looking for a missing contact lens. Today, it is laughable to think of a group of million-dollar hockey players on their hands and knees looking for something that you can get at Costco for less than a buck. Games no longer stop when someone loses a contact lens.

Sadly, the “game” of education (specifically the learning part) is still being stopped, delayed or disrupted by the time (and resources) spent looking for things that should have gone the way of expensive contact lenses. From parents, teachers and administrators at the school level, to auditors, bureaucrats and politicians at the government level, we still “look” for many things simply because that’s how we remember them, or how we’ve always done them. We still look for high school diplomas and college degrees based on hours of “seat time” rather than certifications indicating mastery of a specific skill or capability. We still look for traditional one-dimensional report cards full of letter grades and percentages, when we should be looking for demonstrations of learning that display competency. The current system, created during the “age of average”, must give way to one based on what author Todd Rose refers to as “the jaggedness of individuality”. Rose believes “we no longer need to compel people to conform to the same inflexible standardized system because we now have the science and technology to build institutions that are responsive to individuality.” It basically comes down to, “When will what we know, change what we do… and what we look for?” Our game has changed too, and most of us know it whether we like it or not.

I believe we need to look for community members and business leaders who are willing to join teams of educators in conversations which respectfully question our system’s status quo, create genuine interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students, and develop competency based assessments. In my opinion, these teams will be the catalyst for transforming education at all levels, and for helping kids find their individual pathways and purpose… a purpose, or “reason for being”, that centres on what they are good at, what they love to do, what is good for our world, and what will put food on their table.

P.S.     We’ve all seen fridge magnets, keychains and coffee mugs embossed with “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child.” The line has become somewhat of a cliche, but when I think back to the varied learning experiences provided to me while growing up in the Village of Montney (unicorporated), I realize how much the community influenced my life’s pathways and, to a certain extent, helped me find a purpose*.

(*I’m actually still looking!)