A Day of Hockey, and Then Some

Like we needed to hear more about hockey? The other day, I was completely hockey-ed out, and we almost skated after supper. At some point you have to put on the brakes. I am doing the adult learn to play class, and man is it fun, though it’s early in the AM. It’s probably the only way I could do it without dragging the kids along.

After class, I went home and A&N were relentless in their quest to skate at our neighbor’s rink, so we packed up the gear and headed over. We have a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to get out and practice hockey, for everyone. N gets to pursue his passion, A gets to get her feet wet, and I get to indulge in my pseudo fantasy of playing in the NHL.

We then had hockey practice that night, and this is where it got interesting. In the past, their coach, DF, who is the embodiment of hockey, asked me if I was every willing or interested in helping out during practice. Now as you all know, I’m not a hockey player (I just play one on TV), but I enjoy toying around on the ice. In the past I’ve played with DF during open stick, and must have displayed enough proficiency for him to think I could help out. I told him I’d be happy to help, but don’t have much experience. I figured I could pass pucks to the kids or yell encouragement.

Well, that day finally came. I brought along my stick and skates, and went out there and tried to help, but in the end, I felt like I was just dead weight out there. The coaches have their drills down, I really don’t think they need another body out there, and I ended up just standing around and retrieving a loose puck here and there. If anything, I felt a little embarrassed and self-conscious, though N thinks it’s cool when I get out and help. At some point, I wanted to skate off and join the other parents on the bleachers, but you have to finish what you started, at least in front of your kids.

The other coaches were supportive, but I almost got a sense that there are discrepancies between what the main man wants and what the other coaches are happy with. With that in mind, I think my short tenure as a hockey coach is over, but it was an interesting experience.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC for the pic.