As I sat in my office Saturday night, watching Richard Bachman’s first NHL start for the Dallas Stars, my mind drifted to a school visit that Richard made while he was with the Steelheads in 2010.

It was an evening community event, where local dignitaries and celebrities read to kids (and their families).  I took Richard to the event and, once Richard was safely in his assigned classroom interacting with kids and their families, I began to walk the hall a little bit to see more of the event.  It was a big event with a lot of people, different politicians and local officials in every room.

As I started to head back to Richard’s room, a woman excitedly ran up to me, saying “there are Boise State football players in that room,” as she gestured to a classroom a couple doors down from Richard.  I asked which players and she replied by telling me that she didn’t know, but they had jerseys on and everything.

“Well, if you go in that room right there,” I advised her. “There’s a guy in a Steelheads jersey that will be playing in the NHL in a couple of years.”

May as well have been speaking in Martian to this lady.  No concept of what I was talking about.

For about two seconds, I was kinda ticked off.  Then, I felt bad.  Felt bad for these people of the Boise area who don’t seem fully aware of what kind of opportunity they have.

I stepped away from this woman as she scurried back into the classroom with the BSU football players and called a good friend of mine in the local media.  Asked who these football players were since I wasn’t familiar with the names.  It was a backup punter and a walk-on lineman of some sort.

Bag any thoughts that this is a “bash on BSU” blog entry.  I have a world of respect for the football program and what they have achieved.  I appreciate the fact that the athletic department participates in community outreach and sent athletes to this event.  Despite what some people feel, they aren’t obligated to do it – they (just like us) do it to be good stewards of their community.

This is a blog of mild sadness.  Sadness that a player the caliber of Richard Bachman can spend virtually an entire season here, be named an ECHL All Star, finish as the runner-up for the league’s goaltender of the year, and help backstop a team to the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Finals and a lot of people simply don’t know his name when he reaches the NHL less than two full years later.  I’m sad for the opportunity missed by the people in the Treasure Valley who didn’t get to meet Richard, who didn’t get to talk to him or watch him play.

To put it bluntly – your loss.  And, to a degree, ours.  We, as a group of people in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon, did not take enough advantage of the time we had when he was right here among us.  Eating at Old Chicago, shopping at the mall, going to movies at Edwards Cinemas.

It’s becoming a recurring theme.  I simply do not think the community, as a whole, is aware of all the cool things going on around it.  Did you know that the Boise Hawks baseball team had more than 25 alums play in the Major Leagues last season?  How ‘bout the fact that 18 of them were on Opening-Day rosters at the big-league level?  Did you know that the College of Idaho volleyball team, with eight women who hail from within 45 minutes of Boise, have reached the NAIA National Tournament five times in the past six seasons?  That they placed fifth at Nationals this season?  Did you see that Northwest Nazarene and the College of Idaho’s men’s basketball teams have gone head-to-head in packed gyms in Canyon County twice already this season?  Did you know that the Idaho Steelheads saw an attendance increase last season?

Probably not.  And it’s truly a shame.

The same media friend that I mentioned before once made a comment that rings really true – “if you put on a show about gardening, eventually you only have gardeners who are watching.”  We, as a community, have such tunnel vision right now that we’re not seeing a lot of greatness happening around us.

It isn’t Boise State’s fault.  It isn’t necessarily anyone’s fault.  But it has happened, which is too bad.  How many great athletes, great stories, have we missed simply because we did not know?

Embrace your community.  Go listen the Boise Philharmonic perform Handel’s “Messiah.”  Go check out an NNU basketball game.  Check out the concert schedule at the Knitting Factory.  Spend a couple Friday nights at Hawks Memorial Stadium with the family next summer.  And, of course, keep coming to CenturyLink Arena to watch the Steelheads.  Bring some friends, too.  Don’t let them miss the next future NHL’er to come through Boise.