A Very Special Ornament

Last updated on: May 9, 2018 at 10:55 am by Shane Phipps

A Very Special Ornament 2018-05-09T10:55:48-04:00 Shane Phipps

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

To an uninitiated passerby, it probably seems oddly out of place, that Alex Ovechkin Christmas ornament that has been featured in a prominent place on our tree for the past several Christmases. After all, we are a Nashville Predators household. In my closet, you’ll find lots of Preds gear, jerseys, sweatshirts, tee shirts, etc. In the garage you’ll find some Predators knick knacks, a foam finger here, a bobblehead there. If you look closely at our Christmas tree, you’ll probably find a little Nashville Predators snowman on there somewhere, but you won’t have to search hard to find Alex Ovechkin in his Washington Capitals uniform. He is always front and center. Why, you may ask, does a Preds family feature Mr. Ovechkin on our tree? Oh, we appreciate his obvious talents, but we aren’t particularly fans of him or his team.

But Evan Soggin was.

I’ve been thinking about Evan Soggin all morning. Evan was a Capitals fan. Last night, the Washington Capitals, led by Alex Ovechkin, did something it was beginning to look like they may never do–they knocked off the Pittsburgh Penguins to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. Evan would have probably had a hard time getting to sleep last night–if he were still with us. I’m sure he was jumping for joy in heaven.

Evan Soggin was a big Capitals fan and Ovechkin was his favorite player. Evan is my first cousin Steve’s boy, making him my second cousin. He was also a rising star on the Washington D.C. area youth hockey scene. Tragically, in 2011, Evan was killed doing one of the other activities he loved best, riding his horse. He was just 12 years old. It knocked our family for a loop and, of course, we’re still reeling from it. You can read more about Evan in this article and in this one.

Evan’s immediate family set up a foundation to honor his memory. They raise money for scholarships and they help equip the local junior hockey leagues through the foundation. If you’re interested in donating, you can do so at the Evan Soggin Scholarship Foundation webpage, run by Evan’s older brother, Nick.

Sadly, I never got to see Evan play hockey. Truth be told, I wasn’t even a hockey fan in 2011. I think Evan would be proud of how I’ve grown to love the game since he left us.

I don’t follow the Washington Capitals really closely, but when they won to advance last night, I was thrilled because I knew Evan would be.

Because of Evan Soggin, there will always be a little soft spot in my heart for Alex Ovechkin and there will always be a prominent spot on my Christmas tree for his ornament.

Previous Post

May 4, 2018

Dear Franklin Graham, Do You Think I'll Burn in Hell?

Next Post

May 10, 2018 This is America--We Watch the Dancers

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 150 word story 2nd Amendment AARP abortion addiction aging alcoholism Anderson Wigwam Andrew Jackson Appalachia Basketball bias bigotry Black Lives Matter Christianity Christmas, Constitution, Bill of Rights Civil War Clinton cloning confirmation bias Conservation Constitution Controversial Creationism Creepy tales David Bowie depression Dogs Education Election Electoral College Empathy Environmental Evolution exvangelical faith Family Family History Fantasy Genealogy Genesis George Washington Ghetto Global Warming Gun Control health care High School Basketball Hillary History Hockey homosexuality Hoosier Hysteria Hoosiers Hunting immigration income inequality Interview ISTEP Jurassic Park Kaepernick Ken Hamm Kids say the Darndest things LGBTQ Love MAGA Manifest Destiny Merit Pay Mike Pence Muhammad Ali Multiple Perspectives Music Music Review Nashville News media NHL No Child Left Behind NRA Paradox Parenting Pence Perspective Politics POTUS Poverty Predators Race Religion religious freedom Sci Fi Science Secret of Life sexual harrassment Short Stories Slavery Small Town Indiana Smashville Social Commentary social media sports Stress technology Terrorism Thomas Jefferson Trauma Trump Turning 50 Uncategorized war Washington DC White Privilege wooly mammoths words in red Writing Writing Process Writing, Writing Process Young Earth

Select a Month June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 August 2021 May 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many people were saved in Noah's Ark?

Select your answer to see how you score.

10 8 12 6

Support this
Column