I live in the land of the cold, frigid air whipping through our quaint town, snow drifting into individual piles. And guess what comes along with snow. Ice. Yup, and lots of it.
We got ice on our windshields and ice on our roads. There's so much ice pile-up on the mailbox you practically need a blowtorch to heat the seal to open. But we usually use a hammer or just cuss at the thing. Tree limbs dangle heavily, barely carrying their load, while the faint creak from shrivering trees and utility poles gradually grows.But there is a plus side to all this ice. ICE RINKS, ICED-OVER LOCAL PONDS, & ICE HOCKEY!! Needless to say, we are a hockey family. My dad was a coach while I was growing up and my brother played. I always knew, when I had children someday, my children would play. For gosh sakes, my dad brought hockey skates to the hospital right after I delivered my first son.
The game has brought so much life and excitement to my family. Our three boys play. (Our daughter did when she was younger, but now she's an amazing soccer feign.) My kids have played every position on the ice from left wing and right wing to center and defense and even goalie--that position lasted six nerve-wracking years for this mom. If you are not a hockey fan or have never given watching a game an honest try, you should. Yes there will be hitting, and penalties, and probably a few words that will be bleeped out, but it's a load of fun. And honestly, these guys are some of the most skilled athletes in the world.
Think about it. They travel on slippery ice at speeds of approximately 30 MPH (at times), carry a stick two inches thick with a blade much thinner than that, shoot with that stick at rates up to 108 MPH, dodge or give body contact to possess a small rubber disc the diameter of a coffee mug, all while skating on a blade less than .110 of an inch.
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Can you do any of that?
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Here are my co-minions: Jay Noel,
Melanie Schulz, and,
of course, Matt MacNish!!
I confess. I've never watched an ice hockey game. Though I have a few adult friends who still love playing it, even if they seriously broke their leg playing it. That's a perfect choice for you.
ReplyDeleteHaha! It is. Living with so many boys...
DeleteCan I do any of that? HA! No! And I give much respect to those who can run and stop in an instant on a thin blade while on slippery ice :-)
ReplyDeleteWell said!!
DeleteI'm very uncoordinated on ice skates. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm like Kelly. Because I live in Canada, I'm very familiar with hockey. I don't watch it anymore but I used to. Back when the Flames actually won the Stanley Cup. That was a looooong time ago.
ReplyDeleteBecause I'm from Calgary, I'm a super Flames fan.
DeleteNo, I can't even ice skate. However, I do love watching hockey games on the television...when they're not on strike.
ReplyDeleteI hate the cold.
ReplyDeleteI hate the ice.
I'm uncoordinated.
Sometimes I can be talked into ice skating.
Sometimes not.
I am grateful my children don't do ice hockey.
: )
My husband used to play ice hockey with his buddies in high school. They'd go to a frozen pond that was near the school. I never played ice hockey, but figure skating is fun! When it comes to snow sports, I prefer snowboarding though!
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z-ing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines
I never got into hockey myself and my son played b-ball but I had a friend who was a rabid fan of the sport and she used to love when the Bruins played the Rangers which I guess is - or was - similar to a Red Sox Yankee match up. Or maybe New York just has all the evil teams, lol.
ReplyDeletei used to ice skate when i was younger, but never played hockey... it certainly is one on my favorite sports to watch...
ReplyDeleteHey, Sheri, heard from PK you'd be in Orlando really soon... We MUST get together! Love to meet you in person!
I could see you armed with a blow torch and trudging to the mailbox, Sheri! Hilarious image. You must use that in one of your stories.
ReplyDeleteWe used to play roller hockey (for fun) when I was in high school (because we didn't have ice). I live near the Snoopy ice arena, now, though, and I do enjoy ice skating, although I think I still prefer roller. But no hockey for me.
ReplyDeleteHockey is my second favorite sport! I've never played real hockey, although we played broom hockey in college. Without helmets. Yeah, hurts the head when you fall!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I know of hockey families....they are loyal to the sport. And the sport seems to be all consuming. Honestly? I'm kinda glad my kids don't play. :)
ReplyDeleteI like watching hockey, but I don't know all the rules and haven't watched a game in a long time. I like to ice skate though.
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I've never been on the ice? Well, I've driven on ice, and fell on ice, but never skated on it. lol
ReplyDeleteNot without making a fool of myself. LOL
ReplyDeleteI learned to skate when I was young, but despite the fact I was a gymnast, I was as clumsy as an ox on the ice. The darn stuff is just too slippery!
ReplyDeleteI can't skate so best I can do is cheer on the players.
ReplyDeletePeanut Butter and Whine
I live in Florida, so I can't relate.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many hockey enthusiasts here in Michigan. I think, though, I am glad my kids never took it up. I had a swimmer, and sometimes grumbled about sitting in the hot humid room, but I prefer that many times over freezing. (and very few kids lose teeth swimming)
ReplyDeleteWell, I can sort of skate. Love hockey! Go Habs Go!
ReplyDeleteI can't, but I'd love to try some day! It sounds like fun, except for the cold...
ReplyDeleteI won't be able to walk normally on ice as I have no practice, living in a tropical country. Let alone do that! But would love to watch.
ReplyDeleteNas
I suck at winter sports!! But it's still fun to try!
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Valerie Nunez and the Flying Platypi
I loved the part about your Dad bringing skates to the hospital. :) Eager coach! Although hockey is the number one sport here in Canada (at least it seems to be), I can't say it's one that I follow. It's on in the background since my boyfriend is a big fan, (hey, it's even on right now), but other than the occasional look up, it's not something I'd follow religiously. That being said however, it is quite easy to find yourself getting into the game, rooting for one team over the other and getting excited about that goal. :)
ReplyDeleteHave fun with a-z.
Hello from A to Z.
ReplyDeleteIce-hockey takes a lot of skill. When I was down in SoCal with my husband recently, we ate dinner at a restaurant adjacent to an ice-hockey rink. We could see the players practicing through the window while we ate. It looked like a lot of work!
I'm a So.Cal girl and the majority of my ice hockey knowledge comes from watching The Cutting Edge in high school-lol
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Now I know a little bit more:)
Aw...glad I could be informative. LOL I remember that movie!!
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Robin! It's great to hear a new voice.
I never got hockey although I've known many who love it.
ReplyDeleteShawn at Reading Practice
I've always felt like hockey is one of those things I could get into if I actually sat down and watched it. But alas, it isn't exactly a mainstream thing here in the States, so it's not as easy to follow as, say, football...
ReplyDeleteI hear you. My family is also huge on football. Being from New England...yeah, I'm sure you can guess which team we root for. :)
DeleteLOVE IT. I have a close friend who's family is the same way and I just read a romance that involved an ice hockey family (ice melting HOT)---HA! You guys are awesome!
ReplyDeleteI've never played ice hockey. I can't even ice skate. I've always wanted to.
ReplyDeleteIce hockey isn't all that big over here in Australia, but we do have indoor ice-skating rinks.
ReplyDeleteI went to an ice hockey game in Canada :)