First Hockey Practice

We had our first taste of kid’s hockey, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A came along for the ride, though I’m not sure if she’s going to sit through every practice and game. We also had some equipment issues that we were able to resolve, and in the end, N said he had a blast. Say no more.

It had been awhile since we suited up, so we had to remember the order of getting dressed and what went where. The locker room is always buzzing with activity, and once again, we were on the late side. I’ve learned in hockey that you can never get onto the ice too soon. In fact, when we arrived, kids were already skating, and we were on time. Live and learn.

We made our way through the equipment, and then N hit the ice while A and I watched. A’s old buddy, CB (aka YKW) is playing on the team above N, so they practice together, and there were some familiar faces from summer league. I love watching the kids practice and play, and A enjoyed it, too, though she wanted to hit the ice herself.

At some point, N said his helmet was hurting his head, and it was bad enough to make him not want to be out there. N is fairly tough and resilient, he doesn’t whine or complain, even if things are not going well, so for him to want to stop playing meant that it must have hurt fairly bad. I know my helmet hurts my head, and when it does, it’s a total bummer.

Of course, I didn’t have a screwdriver, and had to seek out the ice crew to get one. N sat out while I adjusted his helmet, and he made it back on the ice for the last part of practice. He said his helmet felt much better, and you could tell he was in better shape. The coaches were encouraging after practice, and being the completely objective and unbiased person that I am, I thought he did a good job. He skated well and worked hard, and I think over the next few weeks he’ll regain his legs.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Tom Pickering and Shannah Pace for the pics.