Column: Captain's Emotions Provide Perfect Ending To The Season

Twenty minutes after he skated off the ice for a final time wearing the maroon and gold, Tommy Cross entered the press conference room. As usual, he joined his coach and two of his teammates at the table. But this time, something was different.

The first thing I noticed was the big piece of hardware Cross brought with him. It was his baby—his grip on that thing was unreal. He finally loosened up on the National Championship trophy, as he put it right next to Jerry York on the table for all to see.

“Is it okay if I put this here?” Cross asked the moderator, with a wide grin on his face.

That was the second thing that was different. Cross was having a tough time keeping from smiling throughout the entire press conference. For the first time that I can remember, Cross displayed his raw emotion in front of the media. It wasn’t the case at all that he was impersonal all those other times, but on Saturday night, Cross let everything go. Pulling his new National Championship hat down over his eyes, Cross admitted the notable difference in the room.

“I feel like I can let my guard down a little bit in here, which is nice, finally,” Cross told us.

It’s true. At all the other press conferences leading up to this one, Cross maintained his professional composure. He remained focused and humble as always on Saturday, but his answers were more candid than ever. It was the most enjoyable postgame press conference I’ve ever been at, with much thanks to Cross.

While York, Parker Milner, and Johnny Gaudreau answered questions about the game, Cross sat there with the brim of his hat pulled down, creating a dark shadow over the eyes that had remained focused all season. But despite many attempts to avoid it, Cross’ pearly whites were showing the whole time. The senior captain could no longer contain his emotions as he had all season.

When he was not answering the questions directed at him, Cross kept on wiping his face. It could have been just sweat still dripping down his face, but part of me believes that he was wiping away a few tears. Imagine that.

It only makes sense though, right? There Cross was, a 22-year old college kid who had just finished leading his team to BC’s fifth national title. Only four other senior captains can say they’ve done that. More than that, only a select few can say they’ve gotten their fingerprints on two National Championship trophies. I think that was all starting to set in for Cross. His mind was on that goal all year, but the postgame press conference was the first time Cross was able to fully bask in the reality of it all.

As Gaudreau explained his highlight-reel goal, admitting that he probably should have dumped the puck into the zone instead of dangling through defenders before scoring the goal, Cross leaned over to York and shared a laugh. If this had been any other game, I can almost guarantee you Cross would have remained stoic, not showing a bit of emotion.

Throughout the whole time Cross and his teammates were on the stage, there was a sense of relief in the room. The Eagles never doubted themselves in their attempt to bring home another championship, but they never took their talent for granted either. That attitude started from the top, with York instilling that mindset in his players all year.

While many thought Ferris State would just roll over in the title game, York knew better, and prepared his team for the biggest challenge of the year. That’s what championship coaches do, and York is the ultimate example of that.

But in that press conference and in the locker room after, the Eagles finally were able to gush about what they had just accomplished. Led by their captain, every single player on that team came together as one over the final three months of the season. Winning the National Championship was the pinnacle of that journey.

“It’s just 25 brothers,” Cross said of his team. After those words came out of his mouth may have been when everything set in for the defenseman. Whether or not he was wiping away tears or sweat, I guess we’ll never know. But in that moment, I swear they were tears.

That’s what made it perfect—Cross’ raw emotion and the sheer joy written all over his face, provided the picture-perfect ending to a storybook season.