Takin' a T/O With BT: Let's Make Jamie Heward's Blue and White Dream Come True

Life isn't fair. It's sad, but it's true.

Unfortunately, life just simply isn't handed to people, either.

It takes work. Anyone can, and probably will, tell you that.

While perfection is a result of objectivity, no one attains their "perfect family," "perfect job," or "perfect life" without imperfect work. Ironically, it takes mistakes to make things go the right, or your, way.

Whether it's orchestrating your return from a back-breaking setback or just unfair circumstances, you'll never get where you want to be without working at something.

Maple Leafs' defenseman Jamie Heward knows this. In fact, he's been living with it.

You see, the 38 year-old journeyman defenseman hasn't played since the New Year began. Despite the fact he's sat along the sidelines due to a concussion, Heward holds no ill-will towards Alexander Ovechkin, the man (and friend) who administered the hit.

He's simply facing the prospect of a long and arduous path of getting back into NHL competition.

Not regular competition (although that'd be nice), but at least one game for his new team.

Acquired at the trade deadline in what many viewed as a salary dump by the Tampa Bay Lightning (who also gave up the injured Olaf Kolzig in the deal), Heward is holding out hope that he can get himself into good enough shape to sneak into the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup for just one game to close out the season.

Just one game with the team that brought him to the NHL in 1995/96 with a three-game stint.

Unfortunately, the "life is hard" statement doesn't begin to define Heward's situation.

Already out of action for three months and having to delay his workouts until he was cleared by a doctor wasn't great for Heward's goal of coming back to the NHL.

When he was traded to Toronto, the dream took another hit as, not only was he saddled with getting back into game shape, but he also had to learn a new system.

Then there's the fact that Tomas Kaberle is getting ready to return from his second hand injury this week, and the fact that the team signed recent mainstay Jay Harrison, who is back from his time with Ev Zug of the Swiss League.

That didn't deter Heward though. He keeps working out, and even at the time of the trade, he held out hope:

"If I did decide I wasn't going to play again next year and I did get into a couple of games at the end of the year, it would be pretty cool to end as a Leaf." - Regina Leader-Post

But it's not just Heward's own hope that makes this tough to swallow, but the hope he has for his son:

"For me, I want to be able to play a couple of more games and have my little guy come down to Toronto and to see what it's like to be in the ACC." - TSN.ca

But for a guy who's already suffered five concussions in his career, health is a hard thing to convince people of when you're rehabbing from a head injury.

As the season grinds down to its last few games, Heward's hope becomes even less likely; thinking from a hockey standpoint, you want to see what you have heading into next season, not what you've got in an injury-prone 38-year old who's a soon-to-be free agent.

Hockey organizations very rarely think from a humanitarian standpoint when it comes to their on-ice product.

But in this case, if Heward is ready (and healthy, of course), maybe it's worth giving one man his wish and offering him the opportunity to finish his NHL career the way it began: in the Blue and White.

Maybe the $180 million cash cow that is Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment allows Jamie Heward to play one final game, and bask in a little good faith. By no means is it their responsibility, but it'd be a nice thing to do.

And it'd be an amazing thing for the one little guy in the entire arena wearing a 'Heward' jersey to see his dad lace'em up in one of the biggest hockey markets in the world.

Maybe it turns out to be a great game, or maybe it's a stinker for the Leafs. At this point, it wouldn't matter all that much to a man and his son.

Maybe we're in for a Rudy-esque scene where all of the Leafs throw their jerseys at Ron Wilson's feet in an effort to let Heward play. Maybe not.

But maybe it's time we back off from the steroid talk, the show-boating talk, and any other demeaning conversation that has to do with professional sport right now, and bask in one man's drive to prove that life is fair—you just have to work at it.

And if he can make it to the ice for one last game, then we can keep gunning for that second chance ourselves: whether it's for a parent, a child, or our own sanity.

You know what, Jamie? If you get into that one game with the Blue and White, I'll do my best to make it down to Toronto to watch you play.

It's the least I can do for a man who never gives up hope.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer for Bleacher Report and an NHL Community Leader. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile, and you can also email him at [e-mail]. You can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.