Reflections on Hockey

Well, the season is over and I have to say that it's a bit of relief on a number of levels. I think most parents experience a little burnout by the end of the season because it's such a marathon getting kids to practices, games, and team parties. Then there are the emotional ups and downs of winning, losing, and other assorted disappointments. I didn't talk about this much during the season but I definitely felt a profound sense of betrayal by DW and the WYH program, but I'm also aware that I'm not in a position to whine... not that this will stop me.

I will make this as short and sweet as I can, but this year they brought in a slew of players to bring up the numbers of the program and make a super team that could win it all. For the record, they did win it all. My gripe is that N should have been on that team, but I'm not in charge so it's not my decision. While the case could be made that I'm just a whiny parent who wants their kid on the A team (I am), several parents from the "other" team came up to me and said N should have been on that team. One person in the know even said not a single person he knows isn't scratching their heads as to why he's not on this team. Same person even said before the season started that N was a shoe-in, so I'm not just deluding myself.

Either way, besides being qualified in terms of skill, N has been a loyal WYH person for years, and we as a family have been involved with this program from the get go, doing more than our share of helping out. Even in lieu of all that, N was good enough to make that team, and better than some of those clowns they brought in, who for the record bailed out on WYH for greener pastures. How's that for loyalty?

Clearly DW and various parents had an agenda that meant bringing this outside group in, keeping them together, at the expense of kids who were more deserving. It was really a crappy situation and made me lose all respect for everyone involved, some of whom I didn't respect in the first place. They got what they wanted, but I have zero love for WYH.

On a bright note, N had fun and I really think he grew as a player. Playing on the B team was probably a better introduction to full contact hockey, and I think he really embraced the roll. It was hard at times having players who were total slackers or had crap attitudes, but I'm proud of N in that it didn't stop him from going out and working his hardest. He really grew as a player and got a lot out of it. At times he had to do the work of two players, which may have strengthened his mojo.

Regardless of the positives, however, I feel our time at WYH may be over. This is not solely because I'm bitter, but there are several issues at play. I won't go into them, but suffice it to say that changes may be on the horizon, for better or worse. We'll see how this goes.

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Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Mika Kylmaniemi for the pic.