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Saluting Captain Canada and his lasting legacy "Words are owing out like endless rain into a paper cup." John Lennon gave us that phrase in song and now Steve Nash gives us cause to employ it in life. Days after Captain Canada ofcially announced his retirement from the National Basketball Association after a long and luminous 18-season career -- his competitive juices still owing, his mind willing, but his 41-year-old body no longer able to answer the buzzer -- words of praise and adoration are still owing. Words acknowledging that the can-do kid was more than a basketball player. He was a trendsetter, an on-court innovator who broke new ground both in his sport and at his point guard position. As current superstar Steph Curry noted: "He created a new way to play." The `new way to play' was bewitching and bewildering, fast and furious, and gads of fun to watch. Agile, able, he awed and inspired and over time left an indelible imprint on the sport. 9 | Thursday, March 26, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com That's Life Andy Juniper Guest Contributor And for his productivity, creativity and wizardry with the round ball, he was jaw-droppingly rewarded: two Most Valuable Player awards over back-to-back seasons with the Phoenix Suns (2004-05 and 2005-06). Suddenly, Steve Nash was ensconced in the game's all-time upper echelon. The Cinderella story was complete. Icons of the game The consummate underdog and often overlooked kid from Victoria, B.C., who in most every expert's estimation would never make it in the NBA, let alone ever make it big, was now being mentioned in the same breath as icons of the game like Larry, Magic and Michael. Steve Nash seemingly lived to prove everyone wrong, time after time. And he succeeded, time after time. Alas, while Nash was incredible, he wasn't invincible. As Sports Illustrated noted: "The end was interminable, three wretched years in Los Angeles sabotaged by nerve damage in his back...He lost the agility, he lost the thing that made him Steve Nash." Of course it was inevitable -- no athlete is impervious to the reaching, ravaging tentacles of Father Time -- but nonetheless, still painful to witness. There's an old adage, stark and true, that "athletes die twice." The second death comes when they shed the mortal coil; the rst when they retire from the sport that made and de ned them throughout their lives. The majority of athletes view their retirement as being premature, having been made to walk the plank and subsequently pushed into the shark-infested waters of post-career by matters beyond their control. Retirement is rarely easy for athletes. It tends to be a hard life to let go of: the thrill of competition, the adoration of the fans, the lure of lucre. But those who know Steve Nash say he will be just ne. He will nd new mountains to scale and he'll scale them. Succeeding, time after time, no matter what it takes. Meantime, in his home and native land, Nash leaves a long, enduring legacy. On driveways, in gymnasiums, on outdoor courts across Canada -- really, wherever there's a hoop and a ball -- kids are advancing the sport, incrementally increasing our nation's collective hoop expertise, and playing the game. Fast and furious. With controlled abandon. Nash Style. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook www.facebook.com, or followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ thesportjesters. The War Amps Key Tag Service It's free ­ and it works! "Thanks so much for returning my keys. You saved me the $400 cost of replacing my electronic fob."­ Diane Protect the valuables on your key ring with a War Amps key tag and help support programs for amputees. Order key tags online. The War Amps 1 800 250-3030 | waramps.ca Charitable Registration No.:13196 9628 RR0001 We're All Ears! Sensational Chocolates, Handmade Locally 1011 Upper Middle Road East, Oakville 289-291-0147 www.walkerschocolates.ca "...perfect match for us ...she made the journey fun ...already referred to a friend ...exceeded our expectations" "...friendly professionalism ...a true expert in her field ...expert design flare" K Design custom cabinetry 490 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE K D E S I G N C A B I N E T RY.CO M 905.339.2223 DIAMOND