Every hockey parent hears a very common question when they meet a parent whose child does not play hockey.
“How can you do it? It must be so cold!”
Sure, the perception sticks, but the modern hockey parent is relatively spoiled. Most rinks today are chilly at best. An extra layer or two and sitting rink-side is no problem. Occasionally, there is a rink that sticks with you forever—a rink so cold that you had to try to wiggle your toes to make sure they were still there. A rink that not even your piping-hot coffee could stand up to. A rink that strikes fear into the heart of every hockey parent when they see it on the schedule.
However, sometimes these cold rinks start up the warmest conversations and help us meet new fellow parents.
My good friend Caroline Stanistreet and I would drum up conversation with other parents about their coldest rink experience to pass the time between tournament games. It usually fired up lively conversations that spilled over into any number of great memories at rinks in places we’d never have reason to visit without hockey.
Sharing stories with veteran hockey parents lays out so clearly the things we all remember. It is not the “missed calls” in specific games or coaching decisions we didn’t agree with.
Rather, the stories we recant are all about the incredible people we encounter and moments we share along the journey. From shared carpools to re-inventing the wheel year after year at the all-important snack bar, and the weekend road trips to away games where we all have our favorite “local” breakfast joint.
One moment, you will look down at all those wide eye 6U players toppling onto the ice and the next moment, your kids are trying to figure out body checking and slapshots and you are booking a vacation for the Chipotle-USA Hockey Girls and Youth National Championships. Before long, they’re playing their last youth hockey game and driving themselves to practice.
Great memories are abundant every year, and you all are making many more this season.
That is what warms every hockey parents’ heart in those chilly rinks we have come to love and adore.
One day when you don’t have to sit through freezing cold practices you will think back to all the times you did and smile.
Moments To Treasure
• The First Time Your Player Ties Their Skates
• Your First Whiff Of Game-Worn Hockey Gear (For some reason, the kids never smell it)
• The Nerves You Have When Your Player Gets Hit For The First Time, But The Pride You Beam With When They Stand Back Up With A Smile
• Watching Your Kid Be A Leader With Or Without Having A Letter On Their Chest
• Waiting In Line To Get Skates Sharpened And Strategically Planning How To Avoid The Wait Times In The Future
• Boiling Mouthguards For That Special Custom Fit That Will Certainly Be Gnawed To Pieces
• Late-Night Parent Talks In Hotel Hallways While The Kids Are Playing Knee Hockey (Expert Tip: Keep it down or else the security guard may have a word with you!).