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The air was filled with cigar smoke
空氣中混雜著各種氣味：
and the smell champagne and sweat-soaked hockey gear.
雪茄的煙味、香檳的酒味以及曲棍球鞋的汗味。
On the wall was a hand painted banner:
其中一面墻上掛著手工書寫的橫幅：
"Embrace the Struggle!"
“勇于拚搏”。
In the center of the room,
巨人隊的主教練唐海耶斯站在房子中央，
the Giant' coach, Don Hay, stood misty-eyed.
眼睛里閃爍著勝利的喜悅。
"I'm just so proud of these guys," he said.
“我為這些小伙子自豪，”他說，
"Just look around the locker room.
“只要在更衣室看看，
There isn't one guy who didn't buy in wholeheartedly."
你就會知道沒有誰不是全身心地投入比賽。”
Canadian hockey is a meritocracy.
加拿大的曲棍球匯聚了世界上最優秀的運動員。
Thousands of Canadian boys begin to play this sport at their "novice" level, before they are even in kindergarten.
在加拿太，很多剛剛進入幼兒園的小孩，便已經處于曲棍球“入門級”的水準。
From that point on, there are leagues for every age class,
此后，不同年齡階段，有不同級別的賽事。
at each of those levels, the players are sifted and sorted and evaluated,
每個級別的比賽都會對運動員進行詳細的審査評估，
with the most talented separated out and groomed for the next level.
青少年聯賽又分成了四個級別。
By the time players reach their midteens,
超過15歲的運動員可以參加青少年聯賽，
the very best of the best have been channeled into an elite league known as Major Junior A,
青少年A級聯賽比B級聯賽高一級，
which is the top of pyramid.
而甲A聯賽是這個金字塔式聯賽的最高一層。
And if your Major Junior A team plays for the Memorial Cup,
如果你能在甲A聯賽中沖擊紀念杯賽，
that means you are the very top of the very top of the pyramid.
那意味著你站在了最高一層的制高點。
This is the way most sports pick their future stars.
這是很多體育運動培育未來之星的重要方式。
It's the way soccer is organized in Europe and South America,
歐洲和南美培養足球運動員
and the way Olympic athletes are chosen.
以及奧運會挑選運動員都是這種模式。
For that matter, it's not all that different from the way the world of classical music picks its future virtuoso,
事實上，傳統音樂體制音樂人才的選拔，
and the world of ballet picks its future ballerinas,
世界芭蕾人才的挑選，
and the way that our elite educational system picks its future scientists and intellectuals.
培養科學家和知識群體的教育體制，他們的人才培育方法也如出一轍
You can't buy your way into Major Junior A hockey.
你自己也許無法“買通”通往曲棍球甲A聯賽的道路。
It doesn't matter who your father or mother is, or who your grandfather was, or what business your family is in.
但你的父母能做到，你的祖父能做到，或者你的家族能做到。
Nor it is matter if you live in the most remote corner of the most northerly province in Canada.
即使你生活在加拿大最北邊省份最偏遠的一個角落，都有可能“買通” 這條道路。
If you have ability,
假如你具備曲棍球運動的潛質，
the vast network of hockey scouts and talent spotters will find you.
散布各地的曲棍球球探就肯定能發現你，
And if you are willing to work to develop that ability,
假如你有志于投身這項運動，
the system will reward you.
這種聯賽模式也一定會回報你。
Success in hockey is based on individual merit,
球員的成功取決于其個人的價值，
and both of those words are important.
對球員的相關評價自然就相當重要，
Players are judged on their own performance,
但對球員的評價最終還是取決于他的成績和能力。
not anyone else's,
而不是他人的成績。
and on the basis of ability,
或者是能力問題，
not some other arbitrary fact.
和其他無關的依據。
Or are they?
事實果真如此嗎？
