Even though my favorite team, the Detroit Red Wings, didn’t even make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the playoffs this year. The Cinderella story of the first-year Las Vegas Golden Knights making it all the way to the Finals was a great achievement. Many of the games were close and exciting, right through to the final game.

Las Vegas was the sentimental choice of many fans, but I was cheering for the Washington Capitals. There were two or three reasons why I was rooting for the Capitals. One of those was my respect and admiration for their head coach, Barry Trotz. He has always had great success in the regular season with his teams, but he has been snake-bitten in the Playoffs. Trotz is a classy guy who treats people with great respect.

An Unsung Hero Who Is A True Champion

Another favorite Washington Capital of mine is Jay Beagle. He is one of the unsung heroes on the Capitals. He is their fourth-line center, but he played an indispensable role on the team. He is a great face-off man, as well as one of the best defensive players in the NHL. In the final game, he spent almost the entire last two minutes on the ice. You don’t win the Stanley Cup without players like Beagle.

Beagle has taken a very interesting and long road to the NHL. He played hockey for a couple of years at NCAA Division 1 school, Alaska-Anchorage. He was undrafted by the NHL, but he signed a free agent contract with the Idaho Steelheads in the Eastern Coast Hockey League. A funny name for a hockey league with a team from Idaho in it. Beagle ended up winning the championship with the Steelheads. They call it the Kelly Cup.

He went on to sign the next year with the Hershey Bears. He ended up winning two Calder Cup hockey championships with the Bears in 2009 & 2010. Hershey is Washington’s top farm club. He ended up playing for the Capitals these last 7 years. When they won the Stanley Cup last week, Beagle became the only player to win the Kelly Cup, Calder Cup and Stanley Cup. Pretty good for an undrafted player out of College!

Learning To Put The Lord First

Beagle is from Calgary, Alberta. He grew up in a Christian family and trusted Jesus as his Savior when he was 13 years old. In his testimony, he says that he drifted from the Lord when he went play college hockey. He writes: “I lost my way and started putting other things ahead of Jesus. Before I knew it, I was living for myself and God wasn’t a part of my life anymore. I lived like that for two terrible years and I didn’t like the man I had become.” Beagle ended up on his knees one day and asked for forgiveness and asked the Lord to take control of his life again. Two weeks later, he had his first professional try-out with Idaho, and his pro career was under way.

Beagle writes:

When I was living for myself, I lived for what pleased me in that moment. That’s a selfish and unfulfilling way to live – but when you give your life to Jesus, He begins to transform you by His grace through the Holy Spirit. Things you thought were important, or worries you had before, suddenly don’t seem to matter as much. It’s hard not to worry about the stresses of life, but Jesus takes that stress away when you give it to Him.

Jay has certainly seen the Lord show Himself strong and faithful in his life.

One of his favorite verses is Psalm 55:22: “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Beagle writes; “God has a plan for your life, and when you’re living in His will you can’t lose.” This doesn’t mean we won’t experience trials or we won’t need to battle through.

One of Beagle’s Minor Pro coaches says that Beagle was one of the best in fighting through adversity. Barry Trotz says that Beagle is not scared of hard work or giving his all every day. Jay is a great testimony in fulfilling Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” May we all be faithful in making the most of our God-given abilities and opportunities in serving the Lord and impacting others for good.

QOTD: Are you putting the Lord first in your life or are you living for yourself?