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Brother in arms Goalie's task overshadowed by thoughts of sibling overseasPosted: Thursday March 27, 2003 3:13 PM
Many players find it difficult to unwind after games, but the sleepless night Flyers goalie Robert Esche experienced after Philadelphia's win over the Penguins last Thursday had nothing to do with residual game tension. Like many of us, Esche lay awake as the second day of the war in Iraq unfolded before him on television. "I was up all night watching it," he said the next day. "I don't think my brother is over there, but it was still weird." Esche's brother Henry, 22, is a sergeant in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. A communications specialist, Henry is currently stationed in Japan. That's where he was last weekend, anyway, when he was able to fire off a quick e-mail to the boys' mother, Beverly. Part of Henry's unit has already been deployed to Iraq, and his family turns on CNN every day knowing there's a good chance he has received orders to head into battle. The last two weeks should have been a highlight for Esche. No. 1 goaltender Roman Cechmanek missed four games with a groin injury (he returned to the ice on Tuesday), meaning Esche saw a rare stretch of steady playing time. He went 2-2-0 and played solidly in Cechmanek's place, but the concentration and focus it takes to stop NHL pucks was gnawed by thoughts of a younger brother who may soon find himself on a battlefield. "It might hit home even more if I knew he was in Iraq," Robert says. "But my thoughts are always going to be with my brother." As there was in the days following the September 11 terrorist attacks, there has been much talk the past week about sports being a welcome distraction from chaos. But athletes don't live in a bubble, and providing entertainment and diversion for the rest of us can be wrenching for them when world events hit home. "He's a happy-go-lucky, loosey-goosey kind of guy," Philadelphia coach Ken Hitchcock says of Esche. "But he's more serious right now. He doesn't have his usual zip. That's to be expected." Athletes are creatures of habit, though. It's nearly impossible to preserve a normal routine at times such as these. Instead of studying video of their opponent in the hours before an opening faceoff, the Flyers have been watching war coverage in the dressing room. At the First Union Center the coaches have a lounge where Hitchcock and his staff gather with family and friends after home games. Under normal circumstances the television in the lounge is tuned to whatever late game from the West Coast happens to be in progress; since the fighting in Iraq began that set has been locked on CNN. "This takes up a lot of your emotional time," Hitchcock said the other day, gesturing toward the war footage blaring from his office TV. "The competition [of games] is a distraction. But to me, other than your family, this takes a pretty strong precedence right now." Esche fought a similar emotional tug-of-war 18 months ago. He was in training camp with the Coyotes when terrorists hijacked four planes and attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Soon after his brother was sent to Afghanistan to help set up military bases. "After September 11 Robert said to Henry, 'I feel like what I'm doing is nothing,'" says Beverly Esche. "Henry told him he belonged where he was, that people needed a chance to think about something else besides war." "It's impossible to block out [thoughts of the war] completely," Esche says. "One way I deal with it is by being very proud of my brother. Whether he's involved in the war or not I'm very proud of him. I think guys like him are the true heroes. Those are the people who should be giving autographs and should be on cards and posters." Last season Esche honored people like his brother by wearing a mask painted with an image of the Statue of Liberty and the insignias of the Marines and Fire Department of New York. (This year he's back to his regular mask, the one featuring likenesses of his two favorite singers, Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings.) With Cechmanek back from injury and in need of a tuneup before the playoffs, Esche may not see much ice time through the rest of the regular season. He'll probably spend the bulk of the postseason on the bench as well -- unless Cechmanek's creaky groin acts up, in which case the Flyers' playoff hopes will ride on Esche's shoulders. Whether he's on the bench or in net, the Stanley Cup won't be the most important thing on his mind. Sports Illustrated staff writer Stephen Cannella covers the NHL for the magazine and will contribute frequently to SI.com. |
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