Tag Archives: parenting

Tough tests…lessons learned

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The Devil’s team was offered a spot in a tournament this past weekend with three teams rated above them (level A vs. BB). The tournament was in need of an additional team and it was decided that this would provide a good barometer for the girls to measure themselves against.  Before the tournament, the coach explained that there were no expectations around winning, but rather the goal was to understand the level at which A teams are playing; then to strive to get to that level by season’s end.

I’ve been asked to join the coaching staff and have gladly accepted. This weekend I was able to get some great insights into the make-up of the team and its players.  This is something you can only really get from interacting with them in the dressing room pre- and post-game as well as on the bench during the game. This weekend taught me a lot about the character of this team.  After only a few games I am marveling at the maturity and character of many of the players; no doubt a product of their age and experience.  Each year brings a progression as it rightly should.

The first game of the weekend was against the tournament’s strongest team. The Devil would unfortunately miss the game along with two other players due to injury (as per the previous post), but her cohorts competed valiantly in a 4-0 loss.  While they were outshot by a fair margin and kept in the game by a brilliant goaltending performance, the depleted squad had several scoring chances of their own.  The score could have just as easily been 4-2 or 3-1.  The coach rightly heaped praise on his short-handed charges who were buoyed for their next two tests against two slightly weaker teams a day later.

In game two, the girls came out strong again and took the game directly to their counterparts.  The score was deadlocked at zeros at the end of the second period and a win or tie was certainly in sight.  Unfortunately, the third period saw the Devil and her teammates fall behind a step and soon a goal, followed by three others.  Another 4-0 loss that felt like anything but a 4-0 loss. In everyone’s eyes they had held their own for a solid ¾ of the game. 

Undeterred, the team looked forward to game three against what was assumed to be the weakest of the three opponents they would face in the tournament.  But this third team had felt the sting of two losses and came out determined to stop the streak there.  Our girls, on the other hand, seemingly succumbed to the physical and mental burden of the the previous two games. Though hopes were high based on the perceived level of the competition, the end result would be eerily familiar; 4-0 for the wrong team.

Throughout the tournament, the head coach buoyed the girls confidence and put the tournament in perspective. They had played hard, had not given up and at no time looked out of place against these “superior” teams.  As you looked around the dressing room after the third game, you could see the players were tired, but not defeated. The results, not the scores, of these three games bode well for this team. They already know they can compete at a relatively high level.  With practice and commitment they will only get stronger. We are all looking forward to what this team is able to accomplish.

To round out the storied weekend, the team would play one more, previously scheduled, game against a team they will be facing in their regular league. In this fourth game in three days, we saw a much different team than the one who had competed the previous two days. They were a step slower.  Decisions were made a ½ second later, which in hockey generally leads to turnovers and missed opportunities. They also came up against a stellar goaltending performance from the other side. The final was 3-0.  For those keeping score, our girls were 0 for the weekend, but it was not for a lack of scoring chances. This too shall pass as it so often does in the ebbs and waves of hockey in general.

A practice was originally scheduled for tonight, but was fittingly deferred until later in the week.  The announcement of the rescheduled practice at the conclusion of game four was met with several sighs of relief.  The team knows it needs home for a rest before embarking on the busy schedule that is the regular season with tournaments sprinkled in between.  We will have that schedule in the next few days. The fun stuff is just beginning.

#imahockeydad

Tough tests…lessons learned

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The Devil’s team was offered a spot in a tournament this past weekend with three teams rated above them (level A vs. BB). The tournament was in need of an additional team and it was decided that this would provide a good barometer for the girls to measure themselves against.  Before the tournament, the coach explained that there were no expectations around winning, but rather the goal was to understand the level at which A teams are playing; then to strive to get to that level by season’s end.

I’ve been asked to join the coaching staff and have gladly accepted. This weekend I was able to get some great insights into the make-up of the team and its players.  This is something you can only really get from interacting with them in the dressing room pre- and post-game as well as on the bench during the game. This weekend taught me a lot about the character of this team.  After only a few games I am marveling at the maturity and character of many of the players; no doubt a product of their age and experience.  Each year brings a progression as it rightly should.

The first game of the weekend was against the tournament’s strongest team. The Devil would unfortunately miss the game along with two other players due to injury (as per the previous post), but her cohorts competed valiantly in a 4-0 loss.  While they were outshot by a fair margin and kept in the game by a brilliant goaltending performance, the depleted squad had several scoring chances of their own.  The score could have just as easily been 4-2 or 3-1.  The coach rightly heaped praise on his short-handed charges who were buoyed for their next two tests against two slightly weaker teams a day later.

In game two, the girls came out strong again and took the game directly to their counterparts.  The score was deadlocked at zeros at the end of the second period and a win or tie was certainly in sight.  Unfortunately, the third period saw the Devil and her teammates fall behind a step and soon a goal, followed by three others.  Another 4-0 loss that felt like anything but a 4-0 loss. In everyone’s eyes they had held their own for a solid 3/4 of the game. 

Undeterred, the team looked forward to game three against what was assumed to be the weakest of the three opponents they would face in the tournament.  But this third team had felt the sting of two losses and came out determined to stop the streak there.  Our girls, on the other hand, seemingly succumbed to the physical and mental burden of the the previous two games. Though hopes were high based on the perceived level of the competition, the end result would be eerily familiar; 4-0 for the wrong team.

Throughout the tournament, the head coach buoyed the girls confidence and put the tournament in perspective. They had played hard, had not given up and at no time looked out of place against these “superior” teams.  As you looked around the dressing room after the third game, you could see the players were tired, but not defeated. The results, not the scores, of these three games bode well for this team. They already know they can compete at a relatively high level.  With practice and commitment they will only get stronger. We are all looking forward to what this team is able to accomplish.

To round out the storied weekend, the team would play one more, previously scheduled, game against a team they will be facing in their regular league. In this fourth game in three days, we saw a much different team than the one who had competed the previous two days. They were a step slower.  Decisions were made a 1/2 second later, which in hockey generally leads to turnovers and missed opportunities. They also came up against a stellar goaltending performance from the other side. The final was 3-0.  For those keeping score, our girls were 0 for the weekend, but it was not for a lack of scoring chances. This too shall pass as it so often does in the ebbs and waves of hockey in general.

A practice was originally scheduled for tonight, but was fittingly deferred until later in the week.  The announcement of the rescheduled practice at the conclusion of game four was met with several sighs of relief.  The team knows it needs home for a rest before embarking on the busy schedule that is the regular season with tournaments sprinkled in between.  We will have that schedule in the next few days. The fun stuff is just beginning.

#imahockeydad

Notes from the infirmary

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The Devil didn’t play in the first game of her tournament tonight because of an injury. It seems she (or someone) dropped a hunk of wood (a plank or board or sheet of plywood for all I know) on her foot at school.  The ankle was black, blue, at least twice its normal size and was in no way being coaxed into a skate.  Added to this accidental injury was the loss of a defenceman to a sprained ankle from a misstep in a Terry Fox Run and the team headed into their game shorthanded. Still one other player would be trying to make a go of it with an injured and tightly wrapped elbow. She would succumb to the pain, taking a seat beside the unarmoured Devil on the bench before the end of the second period.  

My good wife, the team trainer, has been kept on her toes early this season and has already run out of ice packs.  It seems the older the kids get, the more prone they are to sustaining these bumps, bruises, scrapes, scratches, sprains, fractures and contusions.  Over on the Boy’s team, they entered game two of the regular season down three players due to a concussion and two bum legs.

I suppose most of us have suffered a sports-related injury at one point or another.  I recall a game when I was about 14, playing forward and on the attack in our opponent’s zone. I remember having the puck, dropping a pass back to our defenceman on the point and moving forward towards the net.  I heard the slap of the defenceman’s stick on the puck. I then felt the puck seemingly wedge itself shockingly between my shoulder blades. I surely must have resembled Jesus on the cross as I flung myself forward spread eagled and hollering like I’d been shot. I believe I laid on the cold hard ice for a good several minutes while our coach (because we didn’t have trainers back then) checked to make sure the puck hadn’t lodged itself betwixt my lungs.  I’ve never forgiven Brian Bukoski for that errant shot. He was most likely and quite rightly cursing me for getting in the way.

A similar, but slightly scarier, incident occurred during one of the Boy’s games several years ago; only this time it was the Boy rushing towards a defenceman from the opposing team as he was setting up to take a shot on net.  The defenceman fired the shot which hit the Boy’s oncoming stick and then ricochet up towards the Boy’s neck; or so it seemed. The Boy dropped to the ice like a stone.  Mom jumped up from her seat in the stands in terror; fearing the worst. Hopefully the prescribed neck guard (mandatory equipment and rightly so) had done its job. The trainer dashed immediately to the Boy’s side as his view echoed ours. He knelt down next to the Boy lowering his face close to the ice with all the precaution he could. After several agonizing minutes the trainer ushered the Boy to his knees, then to his feet and led him slowly to the bench.  We would learn in short order that the puck hadn’t actually struck the Boy’s throat, but had smacked flat on his chest under his arm. In fact, when he removed his pads and undershirt he revealed a welt shaped exactly like a puck.  We all chuckled nervously in light of having dodged what appeared to be something much more severe.

I believe it was in the same year that the same trainer was summoned to the ice by a 9 or 10 year old player who was doubled over and apparently having difficulty breathing.  As the trainer related the story, he approached the player, who had a history of asthma, with a puffer in hand. The crowd watched, heavy with anticipation.  But the player, who was indeed gasping for air, quickly reported that the issue was not asthma related.  Rather he told the trainer, “I got hit in the balls.”  Those were all the words he was able to muster. The trainer had to fight back a giggle, but wasn’t sure exactly how to address the injury, other than to suggest that the player take deep breaths, which was the thing he was having the most trouble doing.

The last several years we’ve been witness to all manner of minor and major mishaps.  Two years ago, in the final tournament of the year, we saw one boy suffer a spiral fracture of his leg, which put him in an ambulance bound for a nearby hospital.  He was in a cast for nearly six months and he missed a full year of hockey. That same cursed tournament claimed another player with a broken wrist. He would likewise sport a cast for a few months and miss tryouts for the following season’s teams. The same boy would unwittingly break the same wrist in a season-ending tournament the following year.  The Boy himself had a near miss in the tourney as a mostly beaten opponent dangerously stuck out his leg as the Boy skated by him. The two players knees struck, which can often be disastrous. The Boy had to be carried gingerly from the ice, while the offender was banished to his dressing room. The knee was luckily only bruised, but it could have been much worse.

Hockey is a fast game played on an extremely slippery surface, which lends itself to crashes, falls and collisions. Even the girls, who play non-contact are at risk as they hurtle themselves headlong up and down the ice. The boys on the other hand play full contact with the added boost of adrenaline and testosterone for good measure.  Many young players are fearless; their brains not yet fully developed with the necessary on and off switches to help them avoid reckless situations. If there is any upside, it is the fact that these kids can push their young bodies further and heal much faster from the minor injuries; injuries that would put us old guys on the shelf for weeks.

Protective equipment today has vastly improved over what we had when we were kids.  For instance, a recent heightened awareness of concussions in particular has seen more attention paid to the construction and role of the helmet. Mouthguards are also required, not to protect the teeth, but to quell the brain jarring impact of teeth on teeth.  While more protection is good and necessary, I wonder if it might add to the sense of invincibility, enabling some young athletes to play with more reckless abandon.

The Devil’s team lost game one of their tournament 4-0 last night. The Boy’s team tied regular season game two against a team they should have beaten.  Both surely could have used all those players they were missing. Of course, dealing with injuries and pulling together as a team to make up for those who are missing is yet another part of the game and learning experience.

Thankfully, I’ve less girls’ hockey injury stories to tell. I hope I haven’t jinxed anything simply by stating that here. My wife, the trainer, is stocking up on ice packs and bandages just in case. 

#imahockeydad

Notes from the infirmary

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The Devil didn’t play in the first game of her tournament tonight because of an injury. It seems she (or someone) dropped a hunk of wood (a plank or board or sheet of plywood for all I know) on her foot at school.  The ankle was black, blue, at least twice its normal size and was in no way being coaxed into a skate.  Added to this accidental injury was the loss of a defenceman to a sprained ankle from a misstep in a Terry Fox Run and the team headed into their game shorthanded. Still one other player would be trying to make a go of it with an injured and tightly wrapped elbow. She would succumb to the pain, taking a seat beside the unarmoured Devil on the bench before the end of the second period.  

My good wife, the team trainer, has been kept on her toes early this season and has already run out of ice packs.  It seems the older the kids get, the more prone they are to sustaining these bumps, bruises, scrapes, scratches, sprains, fractures and contusions.  Over on the Boy’s team, they entered game two of the regular season down three players due to a concussion and two bum legs.

I suppose most of us have suffered a sports-related injury at one point or another.  I recall a game when I was about 14, playing forward and on the attack in our opponent’s zone. I remember having the puck, dropping a pass back to our defenceman on the point and moving forward towards the net.  I heard the slap of the defenceman’s stick on the puck. I then felt the puck seemingly wedge itself shockingly between my shoulder blades. I surely must have resembled Jesus on the cross as I flung myself forward spread eagled and hollering like I’d been shot. I believe I laid on the cold hard ice for a good several minutes while our coach (because we didn’t have trainers back then) checked to make sure the puck hadn’t lodged itself betwixt my lungs.  I’ve never forgiven Brian Bukoski for that errant shot. He was most likely and quite rightly cursing me for getting in the way.

A similar, but slightly scarier, incident occurred during one of the Boy’s games several years ago; only this time it was the Boy rushing towards a defenceman from the opposing team as he was setting up to take a shot on net.  The defenceman fired the shot which hit the Boy’s oncoming stick and then ricochet up towards the Boy’s neck; or so it seemed. The Boy dropped to the ice like a stone.  Mom jumped up from her seat in the stands in terror; fearing the worst. Hopefully the prescribed neck guard (mandatory equipment and rightly so) had done its job. The trainer dashed immediately to the Boy’s side as his view echoed ours. He knelt down next to the Boy lowering his face close to the ice with all the precaution he could. After several agonizing minutes the trainer ushered the Boy to his knees, then to his feet and led him slowly to the bench.  We would learn in short order that the puck hadn’t actually struck the Boy’s throat, but had smacked flat on his chest under his arm. In fact, when he removed his pads and undershirt he revealed a welt shaped exactly like a puck.  We all chuckled nervously in light of having dodged what appeared to be something much more severe.

I believe it was in the same year that the same trainer was summoned to the ice by a 9 or 10 year old player who was doubled over and apparently having difficulty breathing.  As the trainer related the story, he approached the player, who had a history of asthma, with a puffer in hand. The crowd watched, heavy with anticipation.  But the player, who was indeed gasping for air, quickly reported that the issue was not asthma related.  Rather he told the trainer, “I got hit in the balls.”  Those were all the words he was able to muster. The trainer had to fight back a giggle, but wasn’t sure exactly how to address the injury, other than to suggest that the player take deep breaths, which was the thing he was having the most trouble doing.

The last several years we’ve been witness to all manner of minor and major mishaps.  Two years ago, in the final tournament of the year, we saw one boy suffer a spiral fracture of his leg, which put him in an ambulance bound for a nearby hospital.  He was in a cast for nearly six months and he missed a full year of hockey. That same cursed tournament claimed another player with a broken wrist. He would likewise sport a cast for a few months and miss tryouts for the following season’s teams. The same boy would unwittingly break the same wrist in a season-ending tournament the following year.  The Boy himself had a near miss in the tourney as a mostly beaten opponent dangerously stuck out his leg as the Boy skated by him. The two players knees struck, which can often be disastrous. The Boy had to be carried gingerly from the ice, while the offender was banished to his dressing room. The knee was luckily only bruised, but it could have been much worse.

Hockey is a fast game played on an extremely slippery surface, which lends itself to crashes, falls and collisions. Even the girls, who play non-contact are at risk as they hurtle themselves headlong up and down the ice. The boys on the other hand play full contact with the added boost of adrenaline and testosterone for good measure.  Many young players are fearless; their brains not yet fully developed with the necessary on and off switches to help them avoid reckless situations. If there is any upside, it is the fact that these kids can push their young bodies further and heal much faster from the minor injuries; injuries that would put us old guys on the shelf for weeks.

Protective equipment today has vastly improved over what we had when we were kids.  For instance, a recent heightened awareness of concussions in particular has seen more attention paid to the construction and role of the helmet. Mouthguards are also required, not to protect the teeth, but to quell the brain jarring impact of teeth on teeth.  While more protection is good and necessary, I wonder if it might add to the sense of invincibility, enabling some young athletes to play with more reckless abandon.

The Devil’s team lost game one of their tournament 4-0 last night. The Boy’s team tied regular season game two against a team they should have beaten.  Both surely could have used all those players they were missing. Of course, dealing with injuries and pulling together as a team to make up for those who are missing is yet another part of the game and learning experience.

Thankfully, I’ve less girls’ hockey injury stories to tell. I hope I haven’t jinxed anything simply by stating that here. My wife, the trainer, is stocking up on ice packs and bandages just in case. 

#imahockeydad

Character Buildings

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Having chauffeured the Boy and the Devil all over the province for the past ten years, I thought I had seen almost all of the rinks there are to see, particularly those within 100 kms of where we live, and yet somehow in the first few weeks of this season I have been in three arenas I’ve never visited before.  I really enjoy walking into the different barns, new or old, and getting a sense of the atmosphere and history of the building. You can see the history on the walls, in the rafters or prominently displayed in cases in the lobby.  Every rink has a local hockey hero or fabled team who brought home the hardware.  Many pay tribute to sons, brothers, daughters and sisters lost, but publicly memorialized. Each building has its own unique character and story to tell.

New rinks like a couple in our hometown have all the modern amenities; big dressing rooms, working hot showers, stick racks, relatively comfortable seating, computerized scoreboards, sound systems and standardized safety features. Most of these ice pads are built as part of larger community centres complete with gymnasiums, pools, walking tracks, fitness centres and in some, extremely civilized cases, full-blown sports bars overlooking or adjacent to the action.  I can think of at least six facilities that I’ve been to over the last couple of years that have anywhere from four to six ice pads and the aforementioned bar for spectators.  These are full entertainment facilities that host weekend long tournaments where visitors are presented with more than just the hockey they’ve come to watch as well as convenient between game options.  New facilities certainly do aim to meet the varied wants and needs of their patrons.

But, in my humble (if not slightly nostalgic) opinion, none of the fancy new rinks hold a candle to the character and ambiance of many of the old arenas we’ve visited over the years.  I was reminded of this fact just this past weekend when the Devil played in a relatively old city rink where a couple of the her teammates father’s had played as kids. They were both able to recall, in detail, specific games and plays that had occurred over 25 years ago. They could still picture how a hockey puck would react to the boards or could hear the sound of skates cutting circles in the rock hard ice. They remembered playing with old so-and-so who had a cup of coffee in the NHL. Ahh, those were the days.

Older rinks always seem to have the hardest, quickest ice that the newer facilities typically aren’t able to duplicate due to apparently overarching need to accommodate the warmth demands of spectators. As a coach and rec hockey player I have been on some ice surfaces where water wings and flippers were required equipment. 

Having grown up and played on a few outdoor rinks in north eastern Manitoba, I must admit I’m partial to watching hockey games in sub-zero conditions. There are more that a few arenas we’ve been to, including one in our hometown, that certainly accommodates that preference; rinks that require extra gloves or touques under helmets. Ice surfaces that leave your toes stinging in remembrance half an hour after you’ve left the building.  Those outdoor Manitoba rinks caused tears of pain to flow on the drive home for up to an hour later.

Older rinks also each have their idiosyncrasies that leave you wondering how the game and its players must have differed back in the day.  One old rink we’ve visited had the front row spectator seats pretty much level with the boards.  While watching one of the Boy’s games at this rink, I had the brief inclination to reach over and pull him back on side when I noticed he had crossed the blue line without the puck. This same arena had the narrowest hallways that led to the smallest dressing rooms which made me imagine this arena had originally been built for a league of dwarfs.  And yet, the single entrance from the players bench to the ice surface was at least two feet above it.  Our boys played there when they were younger and more than one toppled headlong to begin their shift; while others needed to be lifted onto the bench by coaches at the end of theirs. However, my favorite aspect of this arena was the giant analog clock at one end of the ice that hearkened back to a simpler, pre-digital age; not unlike the fabled manual scoreboard at Fenway Park in Boston. 

Other older rinks both the Boy and Devil have played on have been noticeably undersized or misshapen.  They’ve both played on a couple of square configurations where a puck fired into the corner can take any number of unusual caroms; which certainly serves to keep players on both sides on their toes.  Home teams have a decided advantage in getting to know how to play the bounces.

In some towns coloured circles at both ends of the rink signal that these hockey surfaces also double as sheets of ice for Canada’s other belove Winter sport – curling. Where some cities don’t have enough ice for hockey, these small towns apparently don’t have enough hockey for ice.

Perhaps one of my favourite recent discoveries occurred at a rink where the local authorities had obviously been tasked with installing safety netting to protect the hockey fans; a general rule that was implemented nationwide some years ago after a tragic fatal incident at an National Hockey League game. But in this particular centre’s case, they either didn’t have the resources or desire as the protective barrier was hung only on the home spectator half of the ice. Visiting fans are obviously meant to fend for themselves. I’ve a good mind to open an umbrella the next time I’m there taking in a game.

The old rinks are fewer and far between these days as the public demands the latest and greatest.  I, for one, am generally not opposed to the four-pad with the bar. But I, and I know many others, appreciate walking into an old rink chalk full of history and memories. They tore down the oldest rink in our town a couple of years ago as it was well worn and sat on prime land. In its last days, I heard many young players declaring their love for the old rink, its rock hard ice and high wooden rafters. A shiny new two-pad surrounded by glass, ambient light and great sightlines has been built at the other end of town, where the majority of my kids’ home games are played.  We, and others, who visit and play here will live and create the stories that will give these buildings their unique characters as time marches on; digitally or otherwise.

#imahockeydad

Character Buildings

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Having chauffeured the Boy and the Devil all over the province for the past ten years, I thought I had seen almost all of the rinks there are to see, particularly those within 100 kms of where we live, and yet somehow in the first few weeks of this season I have been in three arenas I’ve never visited before.  I really enjoy walking into the different barns, new or old, and getting a sense of the atmosphere and history of the building. You can see the history on the walls, in the rafters or prominently displayed in cases in the lobby.  Every rink has a local hockey hero or fabled team who brought home the hardware.  Many pay tribute to sons, brothers, daughters and sisters lost, but publicly memorialized. Each building has its own unique character and story to tell.

New rinks like a couple in our hometown have all the modern amenities; big dressing rooms, working hot showers, stick racks, relatively comfortable seating, computerized scoreboards, sound systems and standardized safety features. Most of these ice pads are built as part of larger community centres complete with gymnasiums, pools, walking tracks, fitness centres and in some, extremely civilized cases, full-blown sports bars overlooking or adjacent to the action.  I can think of at least six facilities that I’ve been to over the last couple of years that have anywhere from four to six ice pads and the aforementioned bar for spectators.  These are full entertainment facilities that host weekend long tournaments where visitors are presented with more than just the hockey they’ve come to watch as well as convenient between game options.  New facilities certainly do aim to meet the varied wants and needs of their patrons.

But, in my humble (if not slightly nostalgic) opinion, none of the fancy new rinks hold a candle to the character and ambiance of many of the old arenas we’ve visited over the years.  I was reminded of this fact just this past weekend when the Devil played in a relatively old city rink where a couple of the her teammates father’s had played as kids. They were both able to recall, in detail, specific games and plays that had occurred over 25 years ago. They could still picture how a hockey puck would react to the boards or could hear the sound of skates cutting circles in the rock hard ice. They remembered playing with old so-and-so who had a cup of coffee in the NHL. Ahh, those were the days.

Older rinks always seem to have the hardest, quickest ice that the newer facilities typically aren’t able to duplicate due to apparently overarching need to accommodate the warmth demands of spectators. As a coach and rec hockey player I have been on some ice surfaces where water wings and flippers were required equipment. 

Having grown up and played on a few outdoor rinks in north eastern Manitoba, I must admit I’m partial to watching hockey games in sub-zero conditions. There are more that a few arenas we’ve been to, including one in our hometown, that certainly accommodates that preference; rinks that require extra gloves or touques under helmets. Ice surfaces that leave your toes stinging in remembrance half an hour after you’ve left the building.  Those outdoor Manitoba rinks caused tears of pain to flow on the drive home for up to an hour later.

Older rinks also each have their idiosyncrasies that leave you wondering how the game and its players must have differed back in the day.  One old rink we’ve visited had the front row spectator seats pretty much level with the boards.  While watching one of the Boy’s games at this rink, I had the brief inclination to reach over and pull him back on side when I noticed he had crossed the blue line without the puck. This same arena had the narrowest hallways that led to the smallest dressing rooms which made me imagine this arena had originally been built for a league of dwarfs.  And yet, the single entrance from the players bench to the ice surface was at least two feet above it.  Our boys played there when they were younger and more than one toppled headlong to begin their shift; while others needed to be lifted onto the bench by coaches at the end of theirs. However, my favorite aspect of this arena was the giant analog clock at one end of the ice that hearkened back to a simpler, pre-digital age; not unlike the fabled manual scoreboard at Fenway Park in Boston. 

Other older rinks both the Boy and Devil have played on have been noticeably undersized or misshapen.  They’ve both played on a couple of square configurations where a puck fired into the corner can take any number of unusual caroms; which certainly serves to keep players on both sides on their toes.  Home teams have a decided advantage in getting to know how to play the bounces.

In some towns coloured circles at both ends of the rink signal that these hockey surfaces also double as sheets of ice for Canada’s other belove Winter sport – curling. Where some cities don’t have enough ice for hockey, these small towns apparently don’t have enough hockey for ice.

Perhaps one of my favourite recent discoveries occurred at a rink where the local authorities had obviously been tasked with installing safety netting to protect the hockey fans; a general rule that was implemented nationwide some years ago after a tragic fatal incident at an National Hockey League game. But in this particular centre’s case, they either didn’t have the resources or desire as the protective barrier was hung only on the home spectator half of the ice. Visiting fans are obviously meant to fend for themselves. I’ve a good mind to open an umbrella the next time I’m there taking in a game.

The old rinks are fewer and far between these days as the public demands the latest and greatest.  I, for one, am generally not opposed to the four-pad with the bar. But I, and I know many others, appreciate walking into an old rink chalk full of history and memories. They tore down the oldest rink in our town a couple of years ago as it was well worn and sat on prime land. In its last days, I heard many young players declaring their love for the old rink, its rock hard ice and high wooden rafters. A shiny new two-pad surrounded by glass, ambient light and great sightlines has been built at the other end of town, where the majority of my kids’ home games are played.  We, and others, who visit and play here will live and create the stories that will give these buildings their unique characters as time marches on; digitally or otherwise.

#imahockeydad

They’re Certainly Not All Fair and Even

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Tonight the girls played a relatively weak and decidedly shorthanded team.  It was only an exhibition game, so apparently half the players from the other side opted to play in a soccer match, which probably carried more weight.  The Devil’s team had a full complement of fifteen skaters and a goalie, while the opposition was only able to field eight meaning one spare defenceman and two spare forwards.  Compounding the lack of numbers was the fact that this team is likely to be designated a B team.  Our girls will be rated BB putting their general skill level slightly higher.  Our girls burst out of the gate and scored their first goal within a minute.  They would tally four more in the opening frame, while their opponents struggled to get a shot on net. After two more unanswered goals in the second period you could start to feel piercing stares from a couple of parents at the other end of the bleachers in response to muted cheering. Proud parents, particularly early in the year are eager to clap and raise their voices following a Summer break.  But the final two goals received but a smattering of praise and the players likewise scaled back their post goal celebratory head patting.  One has to question, knowing the circumstances, why the opposing coach would even schedule such a game; what benefit could his charges have received from being trounced.  It’s one thing to be challenged and quite another to not have a chance.

One of the Boy’s teams a number of years ago entered a Major level tournament meaning the majority of teams were from the 2nd year of a two year age division.  However, in one of their games they were put up against a Minor level American team from a non-hitting league. Our boys, some of which were almost two years older, over a full head taller and upwards of 50 pounds heavier had been playing contact hockey for a couple of years.  It was not pretty, but the tournament format counted goal differential so the boys were not instructed to ease up.  I believe the final score of this game was in the 13-1 range and I found myself apologizing to some of the parents of the other team; who were in turn none too happy with their coach having entered such a mismatched tournament in the first place.  This team had traveled over six hours to get there and I’m pretty certain their other games had similar results.  Placed in their shoes, I’m quite certain I would have had more than a few well chosen words for our coach and manager.

But then there are, of course, those other occasions when the tables are turned or fate intercedes to command the outcome of a game. One such game occured when I was assistant coach for one of the Devil’s former teams. In yet another tournament, we faced a small town team who came into our game having narrowly lost their previous two encounters. We’d been told they had a “hot” little goaltender who had kept those matches close. In the first period of our game, the girls were dominant firing shot after shot on or narrowly by the net.  The opposing forwards and defence, on the other hand, did not manage to make it out of their half of the ice. The fabled little goalie held true to her billing and kept the puck from reaching the waiting mesh behind her. The lopsided trend continued into the second period until about four minutes in when one of our defenders fell down and one of the other team’s forwards found herself on a breakaway; a breakaway which resulted in the opponents’ lone shot and unwittingly, a goal.  As we approached the end of the second period and the little goalie continued to “stand on her head”; I looked over to the head coach and silently mouthed “We’re not going to score.”  He nodded in equally silent agreement. The rest of the game would see the girls have several more shots on net and equally as many near misses, but none of which would serve to pull us even. The final unofficial shots on net, as reported by one of the parents maintaining stats in the stands, were 30 to 1. And the final score was indeed 1 to 0.  

While not quite a David and Goliath scenario, the game certainly proved why all games need to be played to their conclusion.  Sometimes one player or one set of circumstances can make all the difference and level the ice rink so to speak. We can only hope for more of the last example as it was truly a game worth remembering; while the other two are better forgotten.

#imahockeydad

They’re Certainly Not All Fair and Even

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Tonight the girls played a relatively weak and decidedly shorthanded team.  It was only an exhibition game, so apparently half the players from the other side opted to play in a soccer match, which probably carried more weight.  The Devil’s team had a full complement of fifteen skaters and a goalie, while the opposition was only able to field eight meaning one spare defenceman and two spare forwards.  Compounding the lack of numbers was the fact that this team is likely to be designated a B team.  Our girls will be rated BB putting their general skill level slightly higher.  Our girls burst out of the gate and scored their first goal within a minute.  They would tally four more in the opening frame, while their opponents struggled to get a shot on net. After two more unanswered goals in the second period you could start to feel piercing stares from a couple of parents at the other end of the bleachers in response to muted cheering. Proud parents, particularly early in the year are eager to clap and raise their voices following a Summer break.  But the final two goals received but a smattering of praise and the players likewise scaled back their post goal celebratory head patting.  One has to question, knowing the circumstances, why the opposing coach would even schedule such a game; what benefit could his charges have received from being trounced.  It’s one thing to be challenged and quite another to not have a chance.

One of the Boy’s teams a number of years ago entered a Major level tournament meaning the majority of teams were from the 2nd year of a two year age division.  However, in one of their games they were put up against a Minor level American team from a non-hitting league. Our boys, some of which were almost two years older, over a full head taller and upwards of 50 pounds heavier had been playing contact hockey for a couple of years.  It was not pretty, but the tournament format counted goal differential so the boys were not instructed to ease up.  I believe the final score of this game was in the 13-1 range and I found myself apologizing to some of the parents of the other team; who were in turn none too happy with their coach having entered such a mismatched tournament in the first place.  This team had traveled over six hours to get there and I’m pretty certain their other games had similar results.  Placed in their shoes, I’m quite certain I would have had more than a few well chosen words for our coach and manager.

But then there are, of course, those other occasions when the tables are turned or fate intercedes to command the outcome of a game. One such game occured when I was assistant coach for one of the Devil’s former teams. In yet another tournament, we faced a small town team who came into our game having narrowly lost their previous two encounters. We’d been told they had a “hot” little goaltender who had kept those matches close. In the first period of our game, the girls were dominant firing shot after shot on or narrowly by the net.  The opposing forwards and defence, on the other hand, did not manage to make it out of their half of the ice. The fabled little goalie held true to her billing and kept the puck from reaching the waiting mesh behind her. The lopsided trend continued into the second period until about four minutes in when one of our defenders fell down and one of the other team’s forwards found herself on a breakaway; a breakaway which resulted in the opponents’ lone shot and unwittingly, a goal.  As we approached the end of the second period and the little goalie continued to “stand on her head”; I looked over to the head coach and silently mouthed “We’re not going to score.”  He nodded in equally silent agreement. The rest of the game would see the girls have several more shots on net and equally as many near misses, but none of which would serve to pull us even. The final unofficial shots on net, as reported by one of the parents maintaining stats in the stands, were 30 to 1. And the final score was indeed 1 to 0.  

While not quite a David and Goliath scenario, the game certainly proved why all games need to be played to their conclusion.  Sometimes one player or one set of circumstances can make all the difference and level the ice rink so to speak. We can only hope for more of the last example as it was truly a game worth remembering; while the other two are better forgotten.

#imahockeydad

Tournament Play

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The first test of the new season for the Boy’s team is an early bird tournament that started this evening about an hour from home. Tournaments are generally good because teams have an opportunity to play against teams they wouldn’t play during the regular season.  Pre-season tournaments are good because there are fewer expectations and less pressure to win. Of course, the GOAL is still to WIN.

Every tournament is a little bit different in the way its structured.  Some differ in the way they assign points for games won, periods won, goals for or goals against. Sometimes the criteria for advancing beyond a preliminary round can be a little confusing.  The myriad of tie breaking scenarios is quite often enough to make one’s head spin. 

I immediately recall two tournaments in particular where the scoring formats produced some curious results.  

In one instance, the Boy’s team was able to advance to a playoff round despite having recorded no wins (one tie and two one-goal losses) in a three game round robin preliminary format.  It seems they were able to amass enough points by having won or tied individual periods to beat out two other teams; one of which actually had a round robin victory.  To make matters worse, this was the Boy’s teams home tournament and onlookers undoubtedly raised a Spockian eyebrow at the home teams good fortune.  How could a team with no wins advance? A final rusty nail in the proverbial coffin would find the Boy’s team going on to win the entire tournament as they managed to play progressively better from match to match all the way to a victory in the championship final.

The other odd situation I recall found the Boy’s team on the opposite end of a wonky points per game won/points per period won situation.  In this tournament, the Boys came out strong in each of their three round robin games and built up commanding leads in the first period of each. However, in two of those three games, although the Boy’s team won, the opposition came back hard and won or tied the second and third periods.  As fate would have it, one of these two opponents would win their other two games and a majority of the periods in each; thereby vaulting them over the Boy’s team on the basis of aggregate game plus period points.  What seemed to be a very successful tournament ended with a bewildering THUD.

If this all sounds confusing that’s only because it is.  There will always be groups of fathers, coaches and tournament officials huddled around the posted game results, which are usually prominently displayed on a main arena wall, trying to figure out all of the permutations and who the potential playoff opponents will be.  If Team A beats Team B by 3 goals but then loses to Team C by 2, ties Team D and mercies Team E; what’s the square root of Pi and Who’s on First?

Last season the Devil’s team was playing in a tournament, which was run at multiple arenas (as most are). Early on we were told game results were being dutifully updated on a tournament Web site. Going into their final game, the Devil’s coach knew there were a couple of events that needed to occur in order for the team to advance to the playoff round.  First off, the Devil’s team needed to produce a convincing (at least four goal) win against a tough opponent. Secondly, a game starting 30 minutes earlier at one of the other rinks had to have a specific winner.  With this in mind, I was asked by the coach to check score of the other game on a laptop out in the arena lobby, so he would be able to determine whether or not they had a legitimate shot to progress.  Halfway through the second period of the Devil’s game, I was given the secret signal from her coach to go out to the lobby and check the score of the other game. Of course, we were not dealing with real-time results and I spent the better part of 15 minutes hitting <REFRESH> and ultimately coming up with nothing in the way of a score.  When I returned to the action a fellow spectator promptly reported that the Devil had scored a superlative goal and had a fine assist to go with it – both of which I missed during my fruitless sojourn to the arena lobby. Post-game I had to tell a white lie and say that, “Of course I saw the beautiful top-shelf goal.” The Devil’s team did surprisingly win their game quite handily and the right team did also claim victory at the other rink; thereby allowing the Devil’s team to move on. However, moving on meant a third game in a 12-hour span for a bunch of dead-tired 12 year olds. So that’s where that tournament ended.

The Boy’s first game this evening was a white-knuckled, edge-of-your-seat, 2-1 victory.  The team looked pretty good in their first official game as a team. We’ll hope they fare as well or better in their next two outings.  I’m not sure whether or not periods won has any bearing on the tournament standings, but I’m sure coaches and parents will eventually be huddled around the bristol board covered wall, pulling out scientific calculators or multi-colored abacuses to see which teams will face off in the quarter finals.

Did I mention that I love spending my weekend on my way to or in a rink? Which is fortunate because the Devil has three exhibition games of her own in the next three days. We should be drawing straws at some point tomorrow to figure out exactly who is going where and when.

#imahockeydad

Tournament Play

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The first test of the new season for the Boy’s team is an early bird tournament that started this evening about an hour from home. Tournaments are generally good because teams have an opportunity to play against teams they wouldn’t play during the regular season.  Pre-season tournaments are good because there are fewer expectations and less pressure to win. Of course, the GOAL is still to WIN.

Every tournament is a little bit different in the way its structured.  Some differ in the way they assign points for games won, periods won, goals for or goals against. Sometimes the criteria for advancing beyond a preliminary round can be a little confusing.  The myriad of tie breaking scenarios is quite often enough to make one’s head spin. 

I immediately recall two tournaments in particular where the scoring formats produced some curious results.  

In one instance, the Boy’s team was able to advance to a playoff round despite having recorded no wins (one tie and two one-goal losses) in a three game round robin preliminary format.  It seems they were able to amass enough points by having won or tied individual periods to beat out two other teams; one of which actually had a round robin victory.  To make matters worse, this was the Boy’s teams home tournament and onlookers undoubtedly raised a Spockian eyebrow at the home teams good fortune.  How could a team with no wins advance? A final rusty nail in the proverbial coffin would find the Boy’s team going on to win the entire tournament as they managed to play progressively better from match to match all the way to a victory in the championship final.

The other odd situation I recall found the Boy’s team on the opposite end of a wonky points per game won/points per period won situation.  In this tournament, the Boys came out strong in each of their three round robin games and built up commanding leads in the first period of each. However, in two of those three games, although the Boy’s team won, the opposition came back hard and won or tied the second and third periods.  As fate would have it, one of these two opponents would win their other two games and a majority of the periods in each; thereby vaulting them over the Boy’s team on the basis of aggregate game plus period points.  What seemed to be a very successful tournament ended with a bewildering THUD.

If this all sounds confusing that’s only because it is.  There will always be groups of fathers, coaches and tournament officials huddled around the posted game results, which are usually prominently displayed on a main arena wall, trying to figure out all of the permutations and who the potential playoff opponents will be.  If Team A beats Team B by 3 goals but then loses to Team C by 2, ties Team D and mercies Team E; what’s the square root of Pi and Who’s on First?

Last season the Devil’s team was playing in a tournament, which was run at multiple arenas (as most are). Early on we were told game results were being dutifully updated on a tournament Web site. Going into their final game, the Devil’s coach knew there were a couple of events that needed to occur in order for the team to advance to the playoff round.  First off, the Devil’s team needed to produce a convincing (at least four goal) win against a tough opponent. Secondly, a game starting 30 minutes earlier at one of the other rinks had to have a specific winner.  With this in mind, I was asked by the coach to check score of the other game on a laptop out in the arena lobby, so he would be able to determine whether or not they had a legitimate shot to progress.  Halfway through the second period of the Devil’s game, I was given the secret signal from her coach to go out to the lobby and check the score of the other game. Of course, we were not dealing with real-time results and I spent the better part of 15 minutes hitting <REFRESH> and ultimately coming up with nothing in the way of a score.  When I returned to the action a fellow spectator promptly reported that the Devil had scored a superlative goal and had a fine assist to go with it – both of which I missed during my fruitless sojourn to the arena lobby. Post-game I had to tell a white lie and say that, “Of course I saw the beautiful top-shelf goal.” The Devil’s team did surprisingly win their game quite handily and the right team did also claim victory at the other rink; thereby allowing the Devil’s team to move on. However, moving on meant a third game in a 12-hour span for a bunch of dead-tired 12 year olds. So that’s where that tournament ended.

The Boy’s first game this evening was a white-knuckled, edge-of-your-seat, 2-1 victory.  The team looked pretty good in their first official game as a team. We’ll hope they fare as well or better in their next two outings.  I’m not sure whether or not periods won has any bearing on the tournament standings, but I’m sure coaches and parents will eventually be huddled around the bristol board covered wall, pulling out scientific calculators or multi-colored abacuses to see which teams will face off in the quarter finals.

Did I mention that I love spending my weekend on my way to or in a rink? Which is fortunate because the Devil has three exhibition games of her own in the next three days. We should be drawing straws at some point tomorrow to figure out exactly who is going where and when.

#imahockeydad