Last Thursday night Deryl and I were playing at Love and War in Grapevine, Tx.  It was a night full of birthdays for many of the people that came out to see the show.. and a night of many great memories for me.  I got to meet so many great people, and once again Dave Perez (The Tejas Brothers) shared the stage with us, and it was very special. (more on Dave in a future blog.. I love that guy)
Still, while I was thinking of all the new memories made that night, I cannot help but think of a great memory that was now standing out in the crowd. A memory that began for me back when I was pretty fresh out of college.  A memory of me and my two brothers attending ECHL Hockey games in Nashville, Tn. where we would go watch the Nashville Knights play. A hockey fan I am, and will always be!  Back in those days, the days of minor league hockey in Nashville were some of my favorite times, it was great fun.  But, all the while you are watching these warriors on the ice, most people knew that this was as far as 99% of these players would make it in their career.  Ahh, but there is always that one or two players that shine like the flashes of light gleaming off the metal blades  that are grinding and digging into the ice.  Billy Huard was one of those flashes of light, actually more like a thunder bolt.
And, there at Love and War last Thursday night was Billy Huard standing out in the crowd watching Deryl Dodd and I perform.  What a special night!  You see when Billy played for the Knights we became friends, and I took him to see this new guy that would soon sign with Sony Records, a guy that I thought would be what he is today, his name? Deryl Dodd.
Billy and I would hang out when he was in town, and even after he got called up to the NHL, we would keep in touch.  I went off to travel and tour singing, and Billy went off to travel and tour skating for the Boston Bruins, the Ottawa Senators, the Quebec Nordiques, the Edmonton Oilers, the Dallas Stars, and the Los Angeles Kings. Some people climb their way to the top, I guess you could say Billy fought his way to the top, literally.  It was easy to see how he ended up with a reputation as a fighter, because he was Great at it.. but, for me and many others, it was a path that we knew he didn’t choose.  You see Billy was a great hockey player with his gloves on too! Should you ever read my book “Andy Wouldn’t Let Me”.  Billy has had one of those moments described in my book as an ‘identity crises’.  Billy was great at something that was not really who he was?
I am pretty positive Billy might read this and he might not want me to focus this blog on that word.. ‘Fighting’. But, it is what it is, and he was what he was.. a feared man out there on the ice no doubt. And, I know I never wanted Billy mad at me!  But pay attention to this: he is the nicest guy I have ever met.  He carries himself with a spirit that can only come from God, and if you have met him, you have seen that sparkle in his eyes, that sparkle is pure love. But, when he was on the ice, and that sparkle disappeared?  Look out.  Confusing huh?  Not really, not if you get to know this man.  He is the father to three beautiful children, and the husband to a very sweet and lovely wife.
Billy has a great approach to life.  Why? Because he is full of passion!  He brings ‘fists’ full of passion to whatever he does. Whatever he is doing, it gets done with great passion, and I love that about him. Billy is the guy you want on your team, and YOU DO NOT want to play against. But, not because he is/was a fighter.  You want him around you period. A friend in your life, a person to talk to, a person to be there, to help… and if need be to fight.. No, not people.. rather things that come up in life. Billy will back you.  He also brings a sense of humor second to none, he brings a great laugh, and he cares.  He genuinely cares. He is a great friend and I was so proud to see him amongst those that came out last week.  Billy Huard is a hero in a world where we need hero’s! He is a man, a father, and he has a heart for God. I am thinking God has Him on his side for a reason.. Well, I’m no dummy…I want to be on his side too!

This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 5:11 pm and is filed under Sharing Friends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.