Life of a Hockey Dad

We’re new to the world of hockey, but I’m guessing it’s going to be an interesting journey, like everything in our lives. I had heard that the world of kid’s hockey was a bit of an odyssey, both good and bad. I saw traces of this first hand whenever we went to the skating pond and all these kids would be out there in full equipment handling pucks. I have to confess, I was a bit cynical about the whole scene, wondering why they couldn’t just relax and have fun skating. It struck me as just another suburban competitive activity.

There are most definitely aspects of this on the ice, some parents get more into it than need be, and I might even go as far as to say it’s the moms who are the most intense. I see them out there screaming at their kids to do a good job and make mommy proud. I don’t completely fault them, it’s just interesting to see.

Now that we’re about to jump into the fray, I think I’m going to experience firsthand the world of hockey, moms, dads and all. I got a good taste of this over the Summer with hockey camps. The families were all very nice, not to mention extremely helpful for a neophyte like myself. Soon, we’ll be jumping in with both feet as the season will begin in October. This should be interesting.

As part of the gig, I’ve learned that they are asking parents to seek out sponsors for their kids. The goal is to ask a company, or I guess even an individual, who is willing to donate money to sponsor a player, namely your child. This means I’m going to have to get out there and ask for $$. The beauty of it is that the donation offsets the cost of your child’s hockey registration, which I’m all for, because hockey is expensive.

Thus begins my journey into the world of fundraising. Something tells me that I could very well be busy this season taking part in bake sales and tag sales, surrounded by power moms that will slap me around. Such is the life of a stay at home dad.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Marcus Österberg for the pic.