Rattling Cages

If you check the archives of The Hockey Show podcasts, the man to the left who is signing papers was a guest of ours! Terry Ryan, former first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, appeared on the radio show to talk about his book and hockey, and he was an outstanding guest with the stories he revealed and the information he brought to the program. Terry has always been proud of his roots, so it was encouraging to see him step out of his comfort zone and offer to stick up for residents of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland by running for city council! While he was known for throwing haymakers on the ice, Terry was now looking to make law and keep order through his efforts in the Mount Pearl city hall board room!

There have been a handful of former hockey players who have jumped into politics - Ken Dryden at the national level and Thomas Steen on a municipal level in Winnipeg - so Terry's venture into politics wasn't necessarily breaking new ground, but Terry saw things happening at the municipal level in his community that he didn't like and decided to try and make those things right by exercising his freedoms to run for office. Honestly, I respected Terry Ryan a lot before, but this only upped the respect level by another few notches.

So why am I writing about this today? Well, the election happened on Tuesday night. Terry was active on his campaign trail, he was engaging via social media with voters, and he certainly has the name recognition to garner a few "free" votes. So how did it go? Here are your results.

As you can see from above, Terry Ryan did not garner enough votes to be elected into Mount Pearl city council. While that's disappointing, don't expect Terry to sit back and wallow in his defeat. He'll still be a presence in and around town, voicing his opinion where it's needed. In fact, Terry posted a note on his Twitter account thanking all who believed in him.

Like the warrior he was on the ice, he tapped his competitors for seats on the helmet after a good tussle. That's honour and dignity, folks, and Terry has that in spades. If you have to learn how to lose before you learn how to win, this opportunity that didn't end in the result he desired shouldn't deter him, but, in fact, it should motivate him. Terry's a bright guy who cares deeply for his community and its constituents, and that's a major part of serving as part of a city council. While he may not be politically savvy when it comes to running a successful campaign yet, he's seen how others do it now and can look to improve upon those skills so that he can be prepared for the next election if he chooses to run again.

The results show that Terry Ryan won't be on Mount Pearl's city council, but that doesn't mean he can't make an impact. I expect Terry to be the same guy who loves his town and province, speaks out when something needs to be said, and who remains a leader within his community. Election or no election, Terry Ryan is a great leader, and I'm sure he'll still rattle some cages around town just like he did when he was flying around the ice as a professional hockey player.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!