2013 Draft Blog: Eamon McAdam Pt.4

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The Pipeline Show's annual series of blogs written by draft eligible players continues again with another chapter from one of the key goaltenders available in the Class of 2013. 

The first chapter of Eamon McAdam's blog series this season arrived back on October 7th. Part 2 was posted at the tail end of November after striking gold at the 2012 World Junior A Challenge in Nova Scotia which you can read about HERE. Part 3, which recapped the months around the USHL Top Prospects Game,  came out on February 8th.

The Pipeline Show is pleased to be able to present the fourth blog entry from Waterloo Black Hawks goaltender Eamon McAdam.

Photo: Bill Wippert

My junior hockey career was a time in my life that was full of ups and downs on and off the ice.  I grew from a young boy to a young man and met a ton of people that affected my life and will continue to in the future.

The Billets

I was only 15 when I first walked into the Miller household and I had no idea what I was walking into.  It took me a little bit of adjusting which was expected since it was a situation that I had never been in before and since I was so young to be moving away from home.   

I soon learned though that I had never really left home at all.  I had simply moved from my main home into a family that truly cared about me and treated me as if I was blood.  They completely dropped things that they were doing to come watch me play hockey and to support me in whatever way I needed.   

I am more grateful then they will ever know for everything they did from the little things like making me home cooked meals, to the big things like truly giving me a second family.  These people taught me life lessons that parents teach children.  The kinds of things that I’m sure my own parents would have taught me and done for me if I was still at home.  They helped me and watched me grow from the scrawny, shy, little boy who first walked into their house into their third son who is well on his way to becoming a man.   

Annmarie, Larry, Scott, and Sean I love you all and thank you so much for everything.  It will not be forgotten.

Photo: Britt Photography

The season ended this year in game five of the first round in overtime, and it was probably the hardest possible way to go out.  With all the talent that was in the locker room of the Waterloo Blackhawks this season this will be a season I will look back at more then any other and say that it was a missed opportunity.   

Cal [Petersen] started the first four games in playoffs which we split 2-2, but in the fourth game he got pulled and I got my shot.  Game five was a do or die game and it was the first playoff start in my career.  I went into the game level headed and felt I did everything in my power to help my team advance.  We were being heavily outshot late in the third but still held a 3-2 lead until about five minutes left when on a rebound off of a tip shot to the backdoor where a player from Fargo was waiting all alone to put it in and tie the game.   

Photo: Britt Photography

We gave a push early in overtime but Fargo came back strong and ended up wining the game on another rebound goal this time the third shot that hit my pad and fluttered up in the air and landed just over the goal line.  One inch lower and who knows we could be playing for the Clark Cup right now.   

All in all I was happy with the way I went out in Waterloo.  I felt I gave back to a community that had given so much to me in my three years there, and that is something I will always be proud of.  I won my last two regular season games and gave it the best shot I could in the playoffs when I was in.   

I would have loved to have played the entire time and feel that I could have been a difference maker for us, but it is a good lesson for me to keep throughout my hockey career.  Sometimes the cards don’t fall the way you like but if you keep your head up, stay positive, and support your team, then you will get your shot and you just need to make something of it when you do.

I’m looking forward to a busy summer now full of exciting new opportunities for me.  I have the NHL Combine in a few weeks.  An event that I have been training for since the season ended and a short time after that I have the first tryout for the World Junior team in Michigan!   

After that I have about a week of down time before I head into my first summer college classes [at Penn State] and the NHL draft.  I’ll be quite busy but I can’t complain; these are the best things I’ve ever been busy with so it should be a good summer!!   

I’ll check back in for another blog soon after some of these events so keep an eye out for that!

Thank you again to everyone in Waterloo for such a tremendous three years.

Eamon McAdam

Eamon McAdam is a goaltender with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL. He is listed by NHL Central Scouting as 6'2, 185 lbs and is ranked 7th amongst goaltenders from North America. Already this season he has helped Waterloo earn a silver medal at the Junior Club World Cup in Russia, backstopped USA to a gold at the World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, NS., and was named MVP of the USHL Top Prospects Game. He is ranked 3rd amongst goaltenders by ISS.