Tag Archives: parenting

Lots of Good Hockey

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The Boy and the Devil have both been on the ice a bunch this week. Both have seen some team and personal success. 

The Boy’s team won all three of their games bringing their record in the last ten games to 8 wins, two ties and only one loss. This week’s victories included one against the top team in the league, which is important as they’d lost their previous three to the same side.  We’ve all a pretty good sense that any playoff run will have to go through this team, as it has the past three seasons, so you don’t want to have lost all of your games against them during the regular season.  This loss marked only their second of the entire season to this point.  Suffice it to say, they are strong. But now we all know they can and have been beaten.

The Boy, for his part, picked up a few points, a few big hits and a few shifts on defence, which is all fun for him and me alike; though I don’t poke fun at his unique backwards skating technique quite as much as I used to.  To say he was unorthodox would be kind.  At no point could you say he lacked effort, but he certainly wasn’t going to get any style points either.  That being said, what he lacks in style, he generally makes up in hockey sense so he’s able to compensate and generally be well positioned. Going way back to his brief stint as a goalie, he’s always been somewhat defensive-minded, which has served him well.  As they say, good defence breeds good offence.  In fact, the team’s recent wins can be attributed to their stronger defensive play.

The Devil’s team for their part won two of their four games during the week, including two wins against a fairly strong rival who sit just behind them in the regular season standings.  In one of their two losses, which I was unable to attend, I’m told they outplayed the other team for all but a few minutes in their third period which lead to their downfall.  In all, they have managed to vault themselves up to third place in the ten team league.

Yesterday’s game, a 3-2 victory, saw the Devil score a pretty goal which would end up being the game winner.  She and one of her teammates broke into the opposing team’s zone on a two on one rush with the Devil charging hard to the net without the puck.  Her comrade to her left feathered a pass under the defender’s stick and to a spot that appeared to be beyond the Devil’s reach.  But she lunged forward with her stick in one hand and was able to redirect the puck towards the net on her backhand.  Lo and behold the frozen black disk made its way to the back of the waiting cage.  I’m pretty sure the Devil was as surprised as we onlookers. Surprise turned to jubilation as we all realized it was indeed a goal making the score 3-1 with only a few minutes left in the game.  The other team would come back to score another goal of their own. However, they ran out of time as the home team was able to secure the win.

After a hectic week, the Boy has the day off. The Devil was supposed to play, but poor weather forced their intended opponents from the south to cancel their trip and subsequently the game. So she is at practice now; which is likely fine with the coach who will always welcome a chance to hone skills and strategies. The same happened for the Boy earlier in the week.  Winter weather certainly can play a factor in the scheduling and rescheduling of games.

A busy week now gives way to a couple of slow weeks as we hit the holidays.  The boys have two games between now and Christmas while the girls only have one.  The boys do have a tournament between Christmas and New Years before heading into the final regular season push before the playoffs.  Still plenty of hockey to play for both as we’re really only about halfway through the season. It’s nice to see both teams rounding into shape and both kids enjoying the recent runs.

#imahockeydad

Inside the Sin Bin

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I pulled penalty box duty at one of the Boy’s games on the weekend as hockey parents are generally required to do a couple of times a year.  I was lucky to only be tasked with filling in the game sheet and not running the clock. The clock is an odd and unpredictable bit of technology that is a little tough to pick up when you only run it once or twice every twelve months.  Each arena inexplicably has a slightly different clock configuration with a lengthy list of instructions for what should be the most basic of functions.  For example, if you need to add a goal for either the home or visiting team you press Set, then you press “home goal” or “visitor goal”, then you press Yes, then you press plus one. Should this not simply be a one-button process?  Running a clock at a minor hockey game should not require a University degree.

The game sheet, by comparison, is generally a much simpler job as you just need to record any goals, assists or penalties.  The penalty codes are defined on the back of the game sheet; they too are fairly self explanatory (Hooking – HKG, Tripping – TR, etc.)  The challenge in this job comes when you are managing the game sheet for boys ‘ games at the Bantam level or higher, where the number of penalties are directly proportional to the amount of testosterone and adrenaline multiplied by the number of boys on the ice and then further multiplied by the mood of the ref for that particular game.  Prior to the game on the weekend, the head referee asked me if I was familiar with all of the hand signals for penalties.  In retrospect, this should have been my first clue as to the way the game would be called.  The game started pretty quietly with a goal for the home team…a penalty or two for the visitors.  Then the flood gates opened.  Before I knew it the entrance to the penalty box started to resemble the revolving door at the Hilton.  Tripping, hooking, high-sticking, slashing, roughing and even an out of the ordinary kneeing.  The hand signals were flying fast and furious.  My right hand started to cramp up from the excessive writing.  I began to worry about running out of ink in my pen.  Sixteen penalties would be called up until the 0:19 point in the third period, when there was one final flourish.

With the score 4-2 for the home side, the visitors decided to let out their frustrations by roughing up a player in the corner to the right of their net. The roughed up player scrambled to his feet, flinging his arms in self-defence.  In turn, one of his teammates came rumbling in to defend him; knocking an opposing player to the ice and promptly smothering him in a bear hug worthy of a WWE event.  Yet another two players witnessing these antics decided to put in their two cents during the melee.  The referee took out his little notepad and began tallying the damage in terms of the penalties to be allotted.  The net result was three fighting majors and two misconducts totalling 35 minutes in penalties.  Cue more ink from my depleted writing utensil.  Ultimately the fighting majors would also carry nine games in suspensions.  Now one could argue that all of this could have been avoided by more conscientious and fleet of foot linesmen. It was also surmised that perhaps the referee was put in a suspending mood by some catcalls from the stands.  Regardless, the game sheet was in danger of needing an addendum.  I, on the other hand (no pun intended), was in need of a deep finger massage.

 One other small highlight from the game in question was the arrival of the Boy in the penalty box to serve one of the several Interference penalties that were called.  Upon his departure, the Boy said to me “Watch the hit I deliver when I get back on the ice!  If the ref wants interference, he’ll get it all right.”  True to his word, the Boy leapt back on to the rink and proceeded to skate around the opposing teams net to lay a very solid check on a visiting player, leaving him in a heap.  I beamed to my penalty box companion running the clock, “He said he was gonna do that.”

Fast forward about 18 hours to the Devil’s game; another opportunity for me to take a place in the penalty box. This time I decided to put my intellect to the test by taking on the game clock.  In stark contrast to the night before, this Bantam BB mostly non-contact girls hockey game saw my penalty box mate only have to deal with a meagre five penalties in a 2-0 victory for the home team.  I, on the other hand, deftly managed to screw up the clock, when what I assumed was a two minute penalty turned into a four minute penalty.  There was no way I could figure out how to delete and re-enter a penalty, much less correct it – detailed, step-by-step instructions or not.  We would just have to relay the time of the end of the penalty to the coaches via the officials.  Otherwise, this was a relatively quiet game from a score-keeping perspective.  I did get a first hand report that the Devil tallied an assist on one of her team’s two goals.

All in all, I much prefer hurling catcalls, I mean constructive criticism, with the other parents from the stands; making sure, of course, that I properly gauge the mood of the ref and limit the hurling to a justifiable/semi-tolerable amount.  I don’t want some other poor schmuck on the game sheet to blame me for his/her carpal tunnel syndrome.

#imahockeydad

Inside the Sin Bin

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I pulled penalty box duty at one of the Boy’s games on the weekend as hockey parents are generally required to do a couple of times a year.  I was lucky to only be tasked with filling in the game sheet and not running the clock. The clock is an odd and unpredictable bit of technology that is a little tough to pick up when you only run it once or twice every twelve months.  Each arena inexplicably has a slightly different clock configuration with a lengthy list of instructions for what should be the most basic of functions.  For example, if you need to add a goal for either the home or visiting team you press Set, then you press “home goal” or “visitor goal”, then you press Yes, then you press plus one. Should this not simply be a one-button process?  Running a clock at a minor hockey game should not require a University degree.

The game sheet, by comparison, is generally a much simpler job as you just need to record any goals, assists or penalties.  The penalty codes are defined on the back of the game sheet; they too are fairly self explanatory (Hooking – HKG, Tripping – TR, etc.)  The challenge in this job comes when you are managing the game sheet for boys ‘ games at the Bantam level or higher, where the number of penalties are directly proportional to the amount of testosterone and adrenaline multiplied by the number of boys on the ice and then further multiplied by the mood of the ref for that particular game.  Prior to the game on the weekend, the head referee asked me if I was familiar with all of the hand signals for penalties.  In retrospect, this should have been my first clue as to the way the game would be called.  The game started pretty quietly with a goal for the home team…a penalty or two for the visitors.  Then the flood gates opened.  Before I knew it the entrance to the penalty box started to resemble the revolving door at the Hilton.  Tripping, hooking, high-sticking, slashing, roughing and even an out of the ordinary kneeing.  The hand signals were flying fast and furious.  My right hand started to cramp up from the excessive writing.  I began to worry about running out of ink in my pen.  Sixteen penalties would be called up until the 0:19 point in the third period, when there was one final flourish.

With the score 4-2 for the home side, the visitors decided to let out their frustrations by roughing up a player in the corner to the right of their net. The roughed up player scrambled to his feet, flinging his arms in self-defence.  In turn, one of his teammates came rumbling in to defend him; knocking an opposing player to the ice and promptly smothering him in a bear hug worthy of a WWE event.  Yet another two players witnessing these antics decided to put in their two cents during the melee.  The referee took out his little notepad and began tallying the damage in terms of the penalties to be allotted.  The net result was three fighting majors and two misconducts totalling 35 minutes in penalties.  Cue more ink from my depleted writing utensil.  Ultimately the fighting majors would also carry nine games in suspensions.  Now one could argue that all of this could have been avoided by more conscientious and fleet of foot linesmen. It was also surmised that perhaps the referee was put in a suspending mood by some catcalls from the stands.  Regardless, the game sheet was in danger of needing an addendum.  I, on the other hand (no pun intended), was in need of a deep finger massage.

 One other small highlight from the game in question was the arrival of the Boy in the penalty box to serve one of the several Interference penalties that were called.  Upon his departure, the Boy said to me “Watch the hit I deliver when I get back on the ice!  If the ref wants interference, he’ll get it all right.”  True to his word, the Boy leapt back on to the rink and proceeded to skate around the opposing teams net to lay a very solid check on a visiting player, leaving him in a heap.  I beamed to my penalty box companion running the clock, “He said he was gonna do that.”

Fast forward about 18 hours to the Devil’s game; another opportunity for me to take a place in the penalty box. This time I decided to put my intellect to the test by taking on the game clock.  In stark contrast to the night before, this Bantam BB mostly non-contact girls hockey game saw my penalty box mate only have to deal with a meagre five penalties in a 2-0 victory for the home team.  I, on the other hand, deftly managed to screw up the clock, when what I assumed was a two minute penalty turned into a four minute penalty.  There was no way I could figure out how to delete and re-enter a penalty, much less correct it – detailed, step-by-step instructions or not.  We would just have to relay the time of the end of the penalty to the coaches via the officials.  Otherwise, this was a relatively quiet game from a score-keeping perspective.  I did get a first hand report that the Devil tallied an assist on one of her team’s two goals.

All in all, I much prefer hurling catcalls, I mean constructive criticism, with the other parents from the stands; making sure, of course, that I properly gauge the mood of the ref and limit the hurling to a justifiable/semi-tolerable amount.  I don’t want some other poor schmuck on the game sheet to blame me for his/her carpal tunnel syndrome.

#imahockeydad

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Volunteers???

The Devil took to the ice last night in some unfamiliar gear along with two of her other normally non-goalie teammates. As mentioned, her team lost its regular goalie for at least a month to a non-hockey related injury last week and now find themselves scrambling for substitutes.  This is the risk a team runs when it only carries one goalie.  The league in general has a dearth of goaltenders.  As such, the options are limited to beg, borrow or steal from other teams.  This will be the case this upcoming weekend as three potential stand-ins are either playing for their regular teams at the same time or in completely different locations making it impossible for them to lend a much needed, gloved hand.

And so, the coach put out a call for any volunteers who may want to audition for the vacancy between the pipes; whether they had prior experience or not. As they say – desperate times call for desperate measures.

Never one to back down from a challenge or a chance to try something different, the Devil threw her helmet into the ring and said she’d give it a shot.  The last time she tried goal will have been over four years ago in house league, but she threw on the pads and grabbed the over-sized stick with glee.  Once in the net, you could see that while technique was lacking, sheer determination to keep the puck out was present in spades.  I was on the ice for practice and fired a few shots at her along with the other coaches. She naturally flinched and fought the urge to turn sideways on a couple of chest-high blasts.  Shots on the ice were the toughest for her to handle, as they likewise seemed to be for the other two new trainees. We provided all three aspiring backstops with a crash course in net positioning, angles and the basic goalie stance.  The Devil did actually have a pretty good catching hand.  Post-practice we all concurred that the regular goaltender’s job would be safe upon her return. The three volunteers were commended for their efforts. Each had her strengths and weaknesses; particularly in light of a single session.  One of the three has some more recent experience; displaying the most technique, but also letting in her share of “softees” as they all did.

I think my favourite moment happened during a scrimmage at the end of practice. As players fought for a loose puck behind the net, the Devil turned completely around to get a better view of the action. When the puck emerged back out front she had to spin quick while trying to regain her bearings in the crease.  On the way home from the arena she admitted this was her biggest faux pas. She knew it was the wrong move. Instinct to chase the puck took over.  I got a chuckle out of it so it’s all good.

Time and availability will determine who may have to step into the breach and take on the role in an official capacity. The rest of the team for its part will need to likewise step up. They will have to support their fledgling tender, whoever that may be; limiting the number and difficulty of the shots she will face. The team has an opportunity to turn a potential negative into a positive as they have an excellent opportunity to get stronger as a team.  In the meantime, some anxious parents will no doubt be watching a couple of games from behind slightly splayed fingers. I admit that I kinda do and don’t hope their mine.

#imahockeydad

Jinxed Indeed…

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Ok, I will take a little responsibility for having written the last post.  I had a feeling an 11-0 win in game one would not be a good start.  Oh ye cruel hockey gods.

Game two found the Colts up against a stronger, hungrier opponent who took it to them physically and handed out a 3-1 loss.  With much less time to think and react, the passes weren’t as crisp, the shots didn’t find the necessary openings.  This was not one of their better performances.  The Boy, for his part, left game two with a fair-sized bump on the knee that he would ice for the remainder of the day and night.

The team did battle back in game three, literally, as it was a bit of a chippier game. The Boy himself was on the wrong end of said chippiness as a taller defenceman dropped him with a well-place elbow to the head.  The Boy hit the ice and hockey mom popped to her feet as he lay face down while the trainer rushed out to his side.  We would find out later that while the blow did some damage, the Boy did spend a little more time on the ice in an effort to milk a bigger penalty for the offender.  Two minutes for elbowing was the ref’s call.  This would be one of many power plays the team would have over the weekend, but like the others this one would end up fruitless, that is to say, goalless. Something to work on the next time they hit the ice to practice.  The team did, however, manage to score five goals in a 5-1 win that would earn them a berth in the semi-finals.

The Colts came out fast in the semi-final this morning, but were turned away by a few good saves from the opposing keeper.  Before the end of the first period the other team would score a goal on a scramble in the slot. They would then score two more goals in the second period.  Further, they would remove a Colts player from the game on a nasty hit that only resulted in an interference call; a hit that left the recipient with a separated shoulder, a trip to the hospital and most likely a month on the shelf.  The team would only manage to scrape out a single goal in the third as the other goalie made a few more solid stops.  After one spectacular glove save about half-way through the last frame I had the sense the game was all but lost.  Bounces were just not going the right way again — ala game two.  A trip to their third tourney final in three chances was not in the cards.

So we almost had the rest of the weekend off…almost. The Devil had yet to play a Sunday night game here in town; “here in town” being the operative phrase.  We were glad to not be the team driving an hour on a Sunday night to get here.

The Devil’s team is also not without its drama as they’ve lost their one and only goaltender to a non-hockey related ankle injury; which has left the coaching staff scrambling to find a replacement.  Tonight the replacement was a player from an age group down, but her presence was certainly welcomed and she would perform admirably despite some admitted nerves.  At the same time, this will be used as a rallying call to have all of the players step up to compensate for the loss of their regular backstop. And step up they did tonight as they defeated the visiting team 6-1; marking their largest goal output and margin of victory to date.  This was admittedly a weaker side, but served as a good boost of confidence under the latest circumstances.

These are the ups and downs of a hockey season that make it all the more interesting.  Most teams have to fight through these trials and tribulations that the hockey gods put before them in order to grow as a team and to reach their goals.

As for me, I’m done with prognostication — I should know better.  I’m sure hockey mom will remind me of the same before I go spouting off again.

#imahockeydad

Jinxed Indeed…

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Ok, I will take a little responsibility for having written the last post.  I had a feeling an 11-0 win in game one would not be a good start.  Oh ye cruel hockey gods.

Game two found the Colts up against a stronger, hungrier opponent who took it to them physically and handed out a 3-1 loss.  With much less time to think and react, the passes weren’t as crisp, the shots didn’t find the necessary openings.  This was not one of their better performances.  The Boy, for his part, left game two with a fair-sized bump on the knee that he would ice for the remainder of the day and night.

The team did battle back in game three, literally, as it was a bit of a chippier game. The Boy himself was on the wrong end of said chippiness as a taller defenceman dropped him with a well-place elbow to the head.  The Boy hit the ice and hockey mom popped to her feet as he lay face down while the trainer rushed out to his side.  We would find out later that while the blow did some damage, the Boy did spend a little more time on the ice in an effort to milk a bigger penalty for the offender.  Two minutes for elbowing was the ref’s call.  This would be one of many power plays the team would have over the weekend, but like the others this one would end up fruitless, that is to say, goalless. Something to work on the next time they hit the ice to practice.  The team did, however, manage to score five goals in a 5-1 win that would earn them a berth in the semi-finals.

The Colts came out fast in the semi-final this morning, but were turned away by a few good saves from the opposing keeper.  Before the end of the first period the other team would score a goal on a scramble in the slot. They would then score two more goals in the second period.  Further, they would remove a Colts player from the game on a nasty hit that only resulted in an interference call; a hit that left the recipient with a separated shoulder, a trip to the hospital and most likely a month on the shelf.  The team would only manage to scrape out a single goal in the third as the other goalie made a few more solid stops.  After one spectacular glove save about half-way through the last frame I had the sense the game was all but lost.  Bounces were just not going the right way again — ala game two.  A trip to their third tourney final in three chances was not in the cards.

So we almost had the rest of the weekend off…almost. The Devil had yet to play a Sunday night game here in town; “here in town” being the operative phrase.  We were glad to not be the team driving an hour on a Sunday night to get here.

The Devil’s team is also not without its drama as they’ve lost their one and only goaltender to a non-hockey related ankle injury; which has left the coaching staff scrambling to find a replacement.  Tonight the replacement was a player from an age group down, but her presence was certainly welcomed and she would perform admirably despite some admitted nerves.  At the same time, this will be used as a rallying call to have all of the players step up to compensate for the loss of their regular backstop. And step up they did tonight as they defeated the visiting team 6-1; marking their largest goal output and margin of victory to date.  This was admittedly a weaker side, but served as a good boost of confidence under the latest circumstances.

These are the ups and downs of a hockey season that make it all the more interesting.  Most teams have to fight through these trials and tribulations that the hockey gods put before them in order to grow as a team and to reach their goals.

As for me, I’m done with prognostication — I should know better.  I’m sure hockey mom will remind me of the same before I go spouting off again.

#imahockeydad

Close but…..

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In the semi-final this morning the Sharks battled hard and did everything they needed to do to win; except score.  At least three and maybe five or six pucks were uncanny in their ability to avoid the net.  Point blank shots, a couple of breakaways and in close rebounds were all turned back or away by the goal keeper and her cohorts. The Sharks’ string of close games against their fiercest rival continued with a 0-1 decision that left them close, but barely out of the afternoon final.

All in all the weekend has to be considered a success with four very competitive games against stiff competition. We sure all hoped they would pull of the win this morning and make it to the final, but the lucky Chuck Taylor’s and well-worn Jets hat weren’t quite enough to get them over the hump (like either had any say or bearing in the matter).  The tournament did show the girls they can skate with anyone.  Now they just need to use this showing to catapult them forward through the rush of regular season games to come.  Will wait a bit till I pull the shoes out again.

#imahockeydad