Joey Bids Farewell

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CARDINAL ATHLETICS

Joey Bids Farewell

Hockey has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Winona gave me the chance to watch Saint Mary’s games every Friday and Saturday night. It was my goal growing up to be able to play college hockey and especially to play for Saint Mary’s. I would never have imagined that it could go by this fast. The past four years have been some of the best of my life and as my dad put it best, “Cherish every moment you have because before you know it, it will be gone.”

Coming straight out of high school meant that I had to work my way into the line up and that’s exactly what I did. I still remember my first shift playing varsity. I got onto the ice against Bethel, they got the puck at the far blue line, skated to the red line and dumped it in on net. The puck proceeded to trickle by our goalie, and I got taken off the ice. Totaling for a solid ten-second shift and a -1 in the +/- category.

As my final season comes to an end I will leave Saint Mary’s with some of the best memories of my life. The bus rides, wins, losses, get bagged at one in the morning after a loss, and the friendships that I made along the way. Being able to step foot on the ice wearing a SMU jersey was a great experience and one that I will never forget.

I would like to thank my family for all that they have done for me. You guys were the best fans in the world. Thanks for making all of the trips to my games and especially to GAC last year. You were definitely the loudest fans there! Thank you, mom and dad, for taking me to the late night practices, away games, countless number of sticks that I needed, and the advice that you have given me along the way. Especially my dad, who coached me my entire life — thank you for all that you have taught me, always pushing me to be the best I could be and never letting me give up. Also I would like to thank my brother Andy who mentored me throughout my hockey career. Without him, I wouldn’t be here today. He has taught me so much about hockey and I’ll cherish this forever.

I would also like to thank my friends for always being there, always coming to the games, and listening to me complain. The memories we have made over the last four years were definitely unforgettable. Our intramural broomball legacy will never be forgotten.

Finally, I would like to thank all of my coaches for giving me the chances over my career. The lessons you have taught me have not only made me a better hockey player, but a better person. Hockey may in fact be just a game, but it's also who we are. 4L4L!