Opinion
We should respect Bucchino’s decision
March 29, 2007
So, we’ve all heard the news that Falcon goaltender A.J. Bucchino has left the hockey team to pursue his childhood dreams of playing professional hockey.
Immediately I thought of the difficulties the hockey team would face in trying to replace their fiery all-American assistant captain.
I know many will selfishly question the decision from their point of view and ask why he would leave rather than sticking around to play on a team that will likely be a national title contender next season. For anyone who thinks that Bucchino did the wrong thing, I’d like to ask you a question ... what would you do if someone came along and offered you a chance at fulfilling a dream?
Anyone who’s ever played any sport has dreamed of playing in the big leagues. I know I did. I always wanted to play major league baseball growing up. I’d go out in the yard and pretend to be Kent Hrbek or Mark McGwire (insert steroid joke here) at the plate.
That dream died for me a long time ago. But I still have a dream job, as does everyone else I hope. If I was offered a job by Fanball, or any other reputable fantasy sports outlet to be a writer or editor, I would take it in a heartbeat, Student Voice be dammed (sorry fellow Voice staff members, but it’s true).
There would likely be an issue with me abandoning my position here at the paper, as there is with Bucchino and the team. But my friends at the Voice, if they truly were my friends, would be happy for me getting the opportunity to realize my dream.
That seems to be the general consensus among Bucchino’s teammates. And I don’t care what people say - if their dream job came along, they would take it too. Really, why are we going to college in the first place?
Hopefully to achieve our dreams and get a step closer to getting that dream job.
So if you want to be critical of Bucchino’s decision and pretend as though you’re better than him, step back and realize he’s just gotten one step closer to fulfilling a life-long dream.
If that’s a bad thing, then I guess I don’t know what’s good.
It’s his life and he’s knows what’s best for himself.
So we should all just appreciate the opportunity we had to watch a great goaltender grow as a player and a person during his time at UW-River Falls.
In my short time as sports editor, I had the opportunity to cover a few hockey games. Before this semester, I will admit I wasn’t a big fan of hockey, but after going to a few games and covering the team for WRFW and as a photographer for the Student Voice, I gained a greater appreciation for the game itself, and I owe part of that to Bucchino.
Some of my favorite Bucchino moments ... his stellar play in net against UW-Stout to help the Falcons to an NCHA title. His strange stretching rituals. And of course his fiery temperment which was the final image many Falcons fans got when he did some finger wagging at the officials following the NCAA loss to Bethel College.
Nick Sortedahl is a student at UW-River Falls.