I commonly get asked one particular question: why did you move to Mankato?
Well, there were a lot of factors, but one reigns above them all — I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to cover Division 1 college hockey. And son of a gun, Minnesota State University sealed the deal.
Being able to be the voice of a hockey team is something I don’t take for granted. I remember my younger days being at Lawson Ice Area to cheer on the Western Michigan University Broncos (don’t worry, I’m not a fan of them either these days).
I remember how cool it was just to get a high five from someone like Scott Foster (yes, Chicago Blackhawks legend Scott Foster) or Daniel Bellissimo before they took the ice. Today I see bright-eyed young faces eying to do the same thing for the likes of Alex Tracy and/or Evan Murr, just to name a few.
But today (OK, last Saturday, but you get the point) I’m not looking for high fives. I’m on the MSU bench taking pregame photos. A lot of times I have to catch myself from an emotional standpoint. If you know what I’ve had to endure just to get to this point, you’ll understand why.
Of course I’m not the only person on the bench. There are other photographers, and on this night there was MSU’s youth hockey team of the night.
Being a hockey player of that age with that type of access is honestly a dream come true for these young men. They were excited. You couldn’t find one of those young players with a frown on their faces.
They watched the likes of Jack Smith and Luigi Benincasa and company get ready for a highly-anticipated rubber match against St. Thomas. But they also had another goal in mind — they wanted to receive a puck from a player.
“Can I have a puck?” they kept asking. “Yo, can I have a puck?”
At this point hearing 15 high pitched voices beg for a puck got to be a bit much. Then the Uncle in me had to step in and say something.
“Hey guys, try saying please. Manners go a long way in this world, trust me,” I said, which led to every adult in the vicinity bursting into laughter.
“Please, can we have a puck,” said every player on the bench on repeat.
Yeah, 15 voices begging for a puck did get to be a bit much. But the fact they were now using manners made it so much better.
See, I learned this trick from a random conversation I had with an avid sports fan I crossed paths with. I don’t remember her name, so we’ll call her Sabrina.
Sabrina was a crazy sports fan like myself. She possessed so many autographs and signatures from athletes that it would make the head of the most rabid sports enthusiasts spin.
She recalled getting an autograph from someone who was notoriously tough to get — New York Yankees icon and Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter.
Sabrina told me that she managed to get Jeter 1 on 1 at Comerica Park in Detroit. She didn’t shout at Jeter, instead her approach was “excuse me Mr. Jeter, can I please get your autograph?”
And because she was polite and used her manners, Sabrina got the elusive Derek Jeter autograph. The massive mob of people that immediately flooded her asking for the same thing, but didn’t use manners, were left without an autograph from Jeter.
Sabrina was the only one to get an autograph from Jeter. And it was because she used her manners.
That’s what led me to tell that group of young hockey players to use their manners.
Warmups on Saturday eventually ended. I got all the photos my heart could desire. I exited my way back to the press box through the tunnel.
As I made my way back I saw that group of young men gathered together, waiting to head back to their seats. I cut through the team, using my manners, of course.
But as I make my way back one of the young players stops me. He boasts a massive smile from ear to ear”
“Hey, I said please and I got a puck,” he told me. “It worked!”
At that point I couldn’t help but give him a fist bump. That young man learned that, in fact, using your manners in this life works.
He got to take home a puck. He has a memory he will never forget. He has that core memory because he used his manners.
And for that, I am grateful.
Mitch Vosburg is a multi-time award-winning sports writer and photographer who proudly serves as sports editor for The Free Press. He can be reached at mvosburg@mankatofreepress.com. Follow him on X (@realmitchvburg) and on Instagram (@themantheycallmitch).