John Shannon

John Shannon is an analyst on Hockeycentral.

It is that time of year to be thankful for friends and family.

I love the holiday season. I actually like working through the holidays, as well. There is a much greater air of calm around the rinks at this time of year. There's another night of watching "It's a Wonderful Life", or "A Christmas Carol" and in the Shannon household, our new favourite at this time of year is "Love Actually". It's a very-good, modern Christmas story.

I'd like to share my own Christmas story. It's a story of friendship, loyalty and understanding. Nine years ago, my life and the life of my family was not near as stable as it is today. Having been told that I was no longer capable of running Hockey Night In Canada, I spent the second half of 2000 trying to redefine myself and tell the TV world that I wasn't the devil incarnate. It was not the most enjoyable time of my adult life. The highlight of the time was driving my daughter, Maja, to school everyday. But I think even she was growing tired of seeing me around the house. If not for the quiet support and strength from my wife, Mickee, I might be selling real estate in Penticton, B.C.

But as the Christmas season of that year came, you could feel that things were going to change. Discussions of job offers in New York and Vancouver gave us hope for the New Year. Throughout those trying months, former co-workers were very supportive and encouraging, always saying the right thing at the right time, even if it wasn't true. I gained a new appreciation for friendship and loyalty. The compliments were greatly appreciated, but unfortunately they weren't paying the bills. The mortgage and Christmas were coming, and they weren't going to wait for J. Shannon to get a new job.

Invited to lunch one day in mid-December by a couple of old friends, the conversation was warm, as were the words of encouragement to keep focused and positive. "Something had to happen…soon" was the refrain of the day. But no boss (not even me!) really ever hires around the holidays. It is not a great time to be out of work. At the end of lunch that day, I extended a hand to say thanks and Merry Christmas, and buried in the palm of the hand of my friend was a check, a rather large one. At first, I was embarrassed, then shocked. I summarily refused to take it, but was rebuffed when I was told, "It's not for you, stupid, it's for your family. Take it."

Well, I did take it. Paid some bills, bought some presents and slept a little easier for a few days. Then on Christmas Eve, I had to make a midnight run to the convenience store for milk. Upon my return, my wife was sitting dumbfounded on the sofa, almost in tears. While I was gone, that same great friend showed up at the front door, with a few presents for our children. Apparently, my wife was told, there was a fear that our kids might have gone without presents on Christmas Day. These gifts, she was assured, would guarantee that wouldn't happen.

I had always thought I knew the definition of friendship. If you talk to anyone I have dealt with, I believe that loyalty is a key component to success and personal satisfaction. But my friend took friendship and loyalty to a different level, a much higher level. And there isn't a Christmas that goes by, that I don't think about this act of generosity, and feel the need to say "Thank you" one more time.

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you have friends as loyal as we do in our house.

And as my son Jake would say, "Peace."