Faith and family provide stability In the uncertain world of professional hockey Toronto Maple Leaf,Garry Valk, finds a firm foundation in his faith in God and his family. by Jessie Schut     The world of professional hockey is notoriously unstable. Players are shuffled from team to team like cards in a deck. Today’s star may find himself booed by fickle fans tomorrow. And constant travelling wreaks havoc on relationships.     Edmonton native Garry Valk knows this well. He is in his ninth season of NHL hockey with yet another team, his fourth, the Toronto Maple Leafs.     Along the way, he’s also had his share of injuries. The injuries started with his first game in 1990, when he was trying out for the Vancouver Canucks.     "I was gung-ho to make the team," he says. "The next thing I knew, I was going home to my mom and dad on a plane with a cast on my knee."     Then there was the appendicitis attack four years ago during a family wedding in Smithers, BC, that required emergency surgery. Last year while playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he underwent surgery for a double hernia, cutting his season down to 40 games.     "The more years you play, the more injuries you get," says Valk philosophically. "You end up rehabbing injuries all summer long."     With many well-conditioned European players looking over his shoulder for a job, Valk knows that hockey now is a year-round game. He can’t afford to take it easy in that kind of competitive atmosphere.     And then there’s the separation from his wife Tanya and new baby Allisandra, the waiting and wondering if some team somewhere still wants you to play for them. This summer, he was actually contemplating retirement at the ripe old age of 30.     While he was trying out for the Maple Leafs, he lived for months in a hotel room far from his wife and baby, who were waiting in Vancouver to find out whether they would be moving to another city. He missed them.     Hockey, he says, doesn’t give you stability. It’s a great game that he loves to play, but it’s still just a game, a way to make your living.     "If you’re not dedicated to doing your best, you’re not going to last in this sport. It’s gruelling," he says. "You have to have a good firm base to last."     Yet Valk has survived and thrived in the world of pro sports He’s never been the star, yet has found steady employment because he’s a tireless worker and a tenacious checker. During his career, he’s played less than 20 games in the minor leagues.     He’s lasted because he’s found a solid foundation for life in his family’s upbringing, and in his faith in God.     Valk has fond memories of growing up in Edmonton, a good place to learn hockey because of the long winters. He played lots of hockey outdoors with his friends in the community and on the rink at his school, North Edmonton Christian. In fact, he didn’t play community league hockey until he was 12.     That’s because, growing up, his parents encouraged their four children in a variety of other activities besides hockey, such as music lessons and gymnastics.     "I remember them telling us, ‘Be thankful, every day that you have a gift,’ " he recalls. "They’d tell me, ‘Playing hockey is a God-given gift, and you have to work hard to better yourself all the time.’ "     That work ethic is still evident in Valk’s play on the third or fourth line. He knows that there’s probably some guy in the press box who wants his job.     Just as important to his parents as recreational activities, however, was attending church and Sunday School. It was such a family priority, that when he played community league hockey, his coaches would try to rearrange his hockey schedule so he wouldn’t have to play on Sunday. Later, when he was playing on a rep team, and had to miss his church education classes, his dad Phil would teach him at home. Today, Valk is grateful for his family’s priorities.     "My parents started us on the right track by taking us to church and teaching us about the Lord, and as I got older, I followed," explains Valk.     The importance of his faith was made clear to him when he twice saw junior players lay paralyzed on the ice, their lives changed forever by a hockey accident.     "I saw those guys laying on the ice, and if I didn’t have that firm base of knowing that my health is in the Lord’s hand, I would have quit this game long ago," he says. "You know in the back of your mind that it could happen to you, but if it did, the Lord would be looking out for me, I know that."     Today he appreciates the benefits of his hockey career: meeting players from all over the world, the opportunity to do something he loves, and the financial rewards. When his hockey life is over, which he knows could happen at any time, he’ll miss those perks, but he knows there’s a lot more to life. He’s looking forward to a career in public relations, and spending more time with his family.     In fact, now that he’s a dad himself, he appreciates his parents more than ever and hopes to follow their example.     "There are pros and cons to a hockey career," he says. "My parents took a risk, but they had faith that the Lord was looking out for us, and I’m happy they did." [LLN-Online] [Adopt-a-Block] [Newsbriefs][Event Calendar] [Lifestyles] [Juke Box] [Cover to Cover] [Movieguide][Casting the Net] [Viewpoints] [General Info] [Rates & Sizes][Marketplace/Classifieds] [Volunteer Ops] [Writing Guidelines] [Contact Us] [Subscribe][Archives][Good News] [About Us][Links]