Monday, February 6, 2012

I'm a Hockey Mom...

I’m a Hockey Mom…
After a hockey filled weekend, I thought it would be fun to share some of my thoughts about the game and my role as the mom. This the first year my son Dawson is playing in an organized league, with a team and traveling to games and all that fun jazz.  Dawson held his first hockey stick at about 6 weeks. He barely held his held up but you should have seen his dad’s face when he held onto that stick. It was a glimpse into my future. One that you can only understand if your living it.  He first stepped foot onto the ice at 18 months. Another proud moment for dad, and this time, the mom too.
Hockey isn’t like any other sport. I knew nothing, absolutely NOTHING about hockey until I met my husband. Hockey fans have a passion like no other. They have a burning desire to play, to watch, to be around it, to follow it. It’s amazing. At first I was annoyed by how consuming it was. And I won’t lie and say that I still don’t get annoyed with it at times. Boy do I ever! Training camp starts in September and The Stanley Cup Playoffs go into Mid-June. It’s basically a year round sport. I get jealous of the time that goes into being a hockey fan.
As I said above, Dawson has skated since he was 18 months. We went through the frustrating learn to skate sessions when all he wanted to do was roll on the ice. That was a treat to stand in a freezing rink and just watch as he did that. Thinking back on it now, I was so frustrated that he wasn’t out there at least TRYING to skate, but the thing I think that he took from those days was that feeling. That feeling that he knew at that moment that he loved the ice. He didn’t want to skate on it, he wanted to be as close to it as possible.
Dawson started playing hockey at a league about 45 minutes from our home. We live in a small town and there are two rinks, both the same distance away. The 45 minute drive really isn’t bad. We would drive further if we had to.
There is something about the hectic schedules and traveling that makes this sport so worth it. It’s that moment when your boy comes up to you and says “I can’t wait to feel the ice again” or when he looks up to you after he gets that goal with the “did you see that??” look. It melts your heart and just makes you happy. It’s that moment of pure joy that you know it’s all been worth it.
More to come as more hockey filled weekends occur. Enjoy the videos!

This first video was taken at home when Dawson was just 4 four years old.


My husband created this video for Dawson's team and shows some highlights from the season so far.. He is #5 in red.



P.S. CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS on the menu for tonight...Recipe to follow!

3 comments:

  1. Dear Tabitha, I enjoyed your blog. You are indeed correct, there is nothing even similar to hockey. We live in Nashville area and we fight every day just for recognition. Keep writing, will follow! If you get the chance, come to see my blog at www.goaliemomextraordinaire.wordpress.com. I initially started blogging to attract sponsors, still trying, still fundraising and still at the rink, for a couple of weeks though, only 2 times versus 6 nights. Happy hockey! Lori

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  2. i enjoyed your post...i am a california girl who married a canadien professional hockey player...what a whirlwind! i didnt even know how to dress my boys for hockey but once it started it was a lifelong adventure! we moved to canada ..vancouver first and then milwaukee and finally ending up in ontario canada...see you soon for more stories....

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  3. Hi ladies, thank you for writing!! So, the 2011-2012 was our first official season of ice hockey. I learned lots! Will be back soon with more hockey stories...in the meantime enjoy the off-season, which we know doesn't really exist. :)

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