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My favorite night of hockey season without question is the night we hold our annual Parent-Kid Hockey game. I was a bit torn earlier in the week about sending the kids to practice tonight as the Wild played the Panther’s this evening. However, when I found out the parent-kid game was taking place, the choice was easy. Tonight was the night us parents took on our mighty peewees. The parents came ready to play, beer buckets in hand, and motivated to win the night’s contest. Some hit the ice with a bit of trepidation, but quickly found their stride.
As for me, it’s been a year since the last parent-kid game (and I’m retired from beer league), so a 60 minute skate against kids that are in shape wore me out. Fortunately, I was able to connect on a pass from Coach P and bury one. It only took 3,000 attempts, but I got it.
There are so many reasons to love the parent-kid game, but let me walk you through just a few. First, the bravery of the parents that have never played suiting up to take on their kids is nothing short of heroic. If you’ve ever hit the ice with a bunch of kids, you know exactly what I mean. Secondly, there’s no better way to build camaraderie on a team than competing against your parents. It turns out kids really hate to lose to the old people…. Consequently, our boys were talking a lot and moving the puck quite well. Bravo!
Honestly, you can’t beat the cardio that comes from 60 minutes of ice hockey. In addition to the cardio, your core, legs and back muscles are engaged at every moment. Yes parents that means tomorrow we’ll be nursing our wounds in Epsom salt baths with cocktails of Aleve.
In addition to the great workout, the parent-kid game is a great reality check. It is so easy to shout instructions from behind the glass. If you’ve ever been in a rink, I’m sure you’ve heard it. Things like “keep your stick on the ice” or “get up goalie.” I mean not for nothing, but if I had fallen in tonight’s game, I can’t promise you that I would have gotten up and I wasn’t the goalie. Also, it turns out keeping your stick on the ice is easier said than done. As it turns out, even with my stick on the ice, the likelihood of me connecting on a one-timer is still 1 in 3,000.
Finally, there’s no better way to bond with your kid then in a lively game of hockey. Tonight there were three of us moms out there and you could tell the boys were proud to have their moms on the ice. Well at least at the beginning of the game. Its quite possible that by the end of the game the Mayor may have disavowed knowing me due to my poor performance (damn 1:3,000.)
This is also the 6th year I’ve played in the parent kid game against the Mayor. Being on the ice tonight was a great opportunity to personally experience the evolution of his game. It makes me appreciate the hard work that he has put in, but also the hard work all of his coaches have put into making him better. My Mayor can totally skate circles around me, but I would never give up an opportunity to be on that ice with him. Above all the parent-kid game is about having fun and loving the game of hockey. It doesn’t get better than that!
I’m off to bed. Here’s hoping the soreness from tonight’s hockey game doesn’t hit until after tomorrow’s classes at Burn. Otherwise tomorrow morning’s classes are going to suck! Tonight’s song performed by Bush is “Machinehead.” I chose this song as it is one of my favorite pump up hockey songs.
Enjoy the times like these with the little ones. I remember when i played these games with my dad when i was young. Those are the memories that kids remember when they grow up, not always the wins and the losses.