He’s shared his thoughts on his family members and discussed his hockey aspirations and anxieties. He’s done this not because it has been demanded of him, but rather because it is yet another in a long list of impressive character traits that some people well beyond 20 years still fail to possess.
Simply, he wants to allow fans the opportunity to get to know him as he prepares to get acquainted with them.
For Colborne, it’s almost time. He’s discussed his nerves turning pro. He spent July’s development camp detailing what it takes to succeed in the face of adversity. And by the end of each of his entries, we are reminded of what makes us want to read in the first place: We feel like we can relate.
Sure, he’s a lot better at hockey than most of us. After all, he was a 16th overall draft pick. But he’s also a kid who would be entering his junior year of college if not for hockey, even if he’d probably be too studious for a major in partying and a minor in sleeping.
His path has been different, but we can empathize because, like anyone in Joe’s position, he has fears, questions, doubts and waves of emotion. He has the pressures of living up to the organization’s projections, the fantasies of the fan base, the media comparisons and his own beliefs. But ultimately, he’s charged with the responsibility of casting all that aside in an effort to make an NHL team.
When he next writes, we’ll know if he was successful.
While many in 2010-11 will be pulling up their seats for the Tyler Seguin Show, it’s become increasingly clear that there could be a few fun stops at Colborne’s Corner. As he gets ready to share yet again, we can be confident he’ll be there to greet us when we arrive.
Hey everybody,
The last time I worked on this blog, I was getting ready to head back home from the eventful summer development camp with six-plus weeks until rookie/main camp. And let me tell you, they crawled along slower than you could ever believe. I’ve been hungry to get started pretty much since my plane landed in Calgary back in July, and since then, I've solely been preparing for mid-September.
Everyone has been flying in over the last few days and it’s been great to catch up with all the familiar faces around the rink. I've now been in Boston for three days, just shooting on our goalies with some of the other young guys, and skating with most of the vets as well. Everyone has that excitement in their eyes that can only mean one thing — the start of training camp. Once again, the biggest fear for the majority of the guys is Whitey's (strength coach John Whiteside's) shuttle run test. I guess no matter how many years you have played in pro hockey, it never gets easy.
But the thing that I have been looking forward to the most is putting that spoked-B logo on for real when we rookies lace up against the Islanders rookies at the Garden [on Sept. 15 and 16]. I would be lying if I said I had not had those dates circled on my calendar since the schedule came out. I know they are just rookie exhibition games, but you have to start somewhere, and no doubt, it will be special and an honor for me.
Thanks again for reading. I’m really enjoying doing this blog — as is my grandmother, haha — so if there’s anything you’d like me to write me about, feel free to leave me a comment below. Talk to you again after camp!
Joe
