Don’t Tempt the Hockey Dogs

We have a hockey family. It wasn't always this way. Until 4 years ago I didn't even ice skate. Many of the guys I play hockey with would say I still don't. ;-) When I say I didn't skate, it wasn't a case of never having been on the ice, but I was definitely a wobbler. I had ice skated perhaps 10 or 15 times total in my 38 years. I was terrified of falling. I would get cramps in the arches of my feet and frankly it just wasn't any fun to freeze outside and go slowly round in circles.

One day in February of 2004 I was taking my kids to a local outdoor rink to skate with my brother, a hockey player, and nephew. I had had a minor surgery on my stomach a few weeks earlier and was still a bit tender. I took my skates but there was really no way I wanted to go skating. Still, I was happy to take the kids. When I got there my brother asked if I was going skating and I begged off because I didn't want to hurt my stomach. He said, "Take a hockey stick out there. It'll give you something to lean on."

Reluctantly I did. I laced up my skates, took one of the sticks and inched out onto the ice. It didn't take long before the kids were whizzing past me with a puck. Well, it also didn't take long for me to forget I didn't know how to skate and quicker than you can say Bob's-your-uncle, I was playing defense.

A couple weeks later my brother was at my house for something. Suddenly he had to leave. I asked him where he was going and he said to drop-in hockey. I sighed and said, "Too bad I don't have equipment." Before I could change my mind he said, "I've got an extra set in the car. Grab your coat." Since then I've played goalie a couple times a week. I'm on a league, and play informally with a group which boasts wonderful players including former NHLers.

Before that first day I had never actually watched a hockey game. But since then, hockey has taken over my life. Shortly after I started playing, I met my wife who mentioned being a hockey fan. Have you seen those commercials that say, "Hockey fans are not like other fans." It's true. I told her I had recently started playing goalie. She said she liked goalies and I thought, "Cool..." The next night I called to chat and she said, "Oh, hi. Nice to talk to you. Well...Umm...hockey's on. Gotta go."

As I said, I now play at least twice a week. My son plays goalie, my daughter played for a while, I married a hockey fan and have to upgrade my television package every spring to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs. To top it all off, we have adopted two hockey dogs. If you read my hub, "The Voice of Dog," you've met them before, Hattie and Checker. Let me fill you in a bit more about their histories.

Hattie, short for Hat Trick, was a leading scorer in the WCHL (Western Canine Hockey League). Last season she scored a career high 73 goals with 64 assists for a single season league record 137 points. Pavel who? She shoots right pawed and plays left wing. She was drafted in the fifth round, number 136 over all.

Checker, a.k.a. Hip Check, is a spunky blue liner, known for her open ice freight train hits and for being a chirpy, team enforcer. After spending 3 seasons in the DEHL (Doggish Elite Hockey League) she came to us as an un-drafted free agent. She's still in the developmental stages, but shows great promise. Her career stats include 32 goals and 51 assists with a league high 1,263 PIM.

I've learned though, that if you're not careful something like hockey can become all consuming. My son has been completely sucked in. Once, he was a perfectly content teen blissfully playing video games and joyfully apathetic about life in general and school in particular. Now he slavishly goes to practices, exercises and stretches. He's stuck with a group of respectful, motivated young men for friends and has, against my better judgment, increased his self esteem and raised his grades. You have to be careful what you let your kids get involved with these days.

If you think that's scary, you should see what this game has done to me. Cardio exercise, flexibility, soon this will lead to good health and everything...