Sean has his first Summer 3 on 3 Cross Ice game on Tuesday. He'll be on Team White. There are 3 teams in his division. It goes pretty quickly since there's only 8 weeks of games and some weeks we have two games...like this week!
Ironically, Flyers Rookie camp also starts this week.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Another Hockey Break
Sean will be taking a brief break from hockey for the occasion of his sisters' graduations from high school! Yay! Of course that means college. It's times like this that I wish I had encouraged more sports activities with my daughter. Can you say scholarship?
I know, realistically the chances of a child getting a sports scholarship are small but it certainly can't hurt.
I know, realistically the chances of a child getting a sports scholarship are small but it certainly can't hurt.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Summer for the Hockey Mom
Now that the Stanley Cup finals are over (what a heartbreaker) it's time for me to focus on my own little hockey star.
We're finishing up the spring mini-season and will be starting the summer 3 on 3 cross ice season. That should take us into August and finish up just in time for fall limited travel evaluations.
Now, I've been thinking about this quite a bit. The whole limited travel business. That's what it is, a business. We knew going in that hockey is an expensive sport for both watching and playing. Here's a bit of math. In our limited travel we will be required to travel as far as 45 miles to the farthest rink in our system. Not too bad. That's about an hour each way. Add that to a seven o'clock game time (potentially) and we're looking at leaving the house as early as just a shade before six AM. Ugh! Little did I know that this youth hockey was not just going to cost me a lot of money but a lot of sleep as well! That's still a little way off though for me to worry about it yet.
The rewards are huge though. The sense of team that my child and I will experience will far outweigh the slight inconvenience of losing sleep. I am reminded of an article I read in a hockey magazine. It was about the village that raises a hockey team. The parents of all the kids join together to cheer the team on, watch the siblings, make the game and the whole experience enjoyable for everyone! I can't wait to learn this first hand.
We're finishing up the spring mini-season and will be starting the summer 3 on 3 cross ice season. That should take us into August and finish up just in time for fall limited travel evaluations.
Now, I've been thinking about this quite a bit. The whole limited travel business. That's what it is, a business. We knew going in that hockey is an expensive sport for both watching and playing. Here's a bit of math. In our limited travel we will be required to travel as far as 45 miles to the farthest rink in our system. Not too bad. That's about an hour each way. Add that to a seven o'clock game time (potentially) and we're looking at leaving the house as early as just a shade before six AM. Ugh! Little did I know that this youth hockey was not just going to cost me a lot of money but a lot of sleep as well! That's still a little way off though for me to worry about it yet.
The rewards are huge though. The sense of team that my child and I will experience will far outweigh the slight inconvenience of losing sleep. I am reminded of an article I read in a hockey magazine. It was about the village that raises a hockey team. The parents of all the kids join together to cheer the team on, watch the siblings, make the game and the whole experience enjoyable for everyone! I can't wait to learn this first hand.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Deflated...(sigh)
Well, it's over. The Flyers season ended Wednesday night in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was a sad day in Mudville. Well, not exactly. Our team gave us an amazing ride. By most accounts we should never have even made it this far. Some even said we shouldn't have made it INTO the playoffs! Do I think they are right? Heck no! The Flyers are full of drive and passion. That's something I hope I can instill in my son. Professional sports do have a place in child-rearing, I believe.
I don't have anything more to say except, "there's always next season."
I don't have anything more to say except, "there's always next season."
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Nailbiting, Flyers pizza and..Identity Theft...???
Aside from being busy canceling credit and debit cards due to identity theft (don't get me started on THAT whole thing), I've been making a weekly appointment with my manicurist. Doesn't sound very hockey-ish. Oh, but it is. If you're a Flyers fan, you'll understand.
We've been biting our nails since the last game of the regular season. As I've previously stated, it's been an absolutely insane ride to get to this point. But here we are preparing for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals! Game 1 should have been thrown out since it was basically a track meet followed by a shooting gallery. Both teams admitted they didn't play their best hockey. Game 2 was tighter although it didn't have the outcome I wanted. Now Game 3? THAT was a hockey game! Both teams fought hard but MY team (and dare I say, the better team?) won! I can't wait to see what's on tap for Game 4.
Julie, our hostess for all the games this playoffs, is working midnight shifts for Games 4 and 5 of this series. She will go without sleep before she'd go without hockey! Henrik the Swede, wakes up at two in the morning his time to watch the games with us via internet! THAT'S a real hockey fan! And about that Flyers pizza. We order from the same place every game. The thing is, the scoring doesn't begin until the pizza is delivered. Superstition? Well, call it what you will but we're not messing with a good thing!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Eastern Conference Champions!
Another series done. Another nailbiting series. The FlyGuys have silienced the Ole's of the storied Montreal Canadiens! What a wild ride it's been! The Philadelphia Flyers are going to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997 with a chance to win a Cup for the first time since 1975!
Captain Mike Richards took hold of the Prince of Wales trophy and had his picture taken with it and then...superstition or no he grabbed that trophy and took it to the dressing room! So amazing! Team of Destiny! Who cares about the superstitions! Crosby touched it last season and ended up hoisting the Cup a couple weeks later!
Jack was jumping around like a little kid! Sean had his first taste of beer (shh...don't tell anyone). A champagne cork was popped and we celebrated!!!! I had tears in my eyes just taking it all in. It was amazing. But just like the team, we put the celebrating behind us and look forward to the next series.
Now for the downside, if there is one. Chicago's Cup drought has been longer than that of the Flyers. They haven't won a Cup since 1961. This was the one reason I was hoping to not face them.
In the meantime, we bought our EC Champion tshirts and hats. We watched the replay of the game a few times and now we focus on winning the next period. And the one after that. And the one after that. Until we stand victorious. Now, I'm not being cocky or over confident. I said weeks ago that the stars were aligning and whatever was going to happen, it was going to be big. This...THIS is HUGE!!!!!!!!!!
In mini-mite news, Sean's been cleared for light, no contact activity. That means he can ride his bike and skate, but no hockey or karate for another three weeks! We took him right to the SkateZone in NE Philly for public skate and he looked like he hadn't missed a minute on the ice. He'll make the last two weeks of the spring season before the summer season starts. Then we watched the Philadelphia PD deliver a crushing defeat to the Pittsburgh PD on the ice. It was great! Thanks for the invite, JB!
Captain Mike Richards took hold of the Prince of Wales trophy and had his picture taken with it and then...superstition or no he grabbed that trophy and took it to the dressing room! So amazing! Team of Destiny! Who cares about the superstitions! Crosby touched it last season and ended up hoisting the Cup a couple weeks later!
Jack was jumping around like a little kid! Sean had his first taste of beer (shh...don't tell anyone). A champagne cork was popped and we celebrated!!!! I had tears in my eyes just taking it all in. It was amazing. But just like the team, we put the celebrating behind us and look forward to the next series.
Now for the downside, if there is one. Chicago's Cup drought has been longer than that of the Flyers. They haven't won a Cup since 1961. This was the one reason I was hoping to not face them.
In the meantime, we bought our EC Champion tshirts and hats. We watched the replay of the game a few times and now we focus on winning the next period. And the one after that. And the one after that. Until we stand victorious. Now, I'm not being cocky or over confident. I said weeks ago that the stars were aligning and whatever was going to happen, it was going to be big. This...THIS is HUGE!!!!!!!!!!
In mini-mite news, Sean's been cleared for light, no contact activity. That means he can ride his bike and skate, but no hockey or karate for another three weeks! We took him right to the SkateZone in NE Philly for public skate and he looked like he hadn't missed a minute on the ice. He'll make the last two weeks of the spring season before the summer season starts. Then we watched the Philadelphia PD deliver a crushing defeat to the Pittsburgh PD on the ice. It was great! Thanks for the invite, JB!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Heartfelt Sentiment From My Husband
My husband posted this on facebook about This Team! I have nothing more to add.
"So I said I was going to post something heartfelt before Game 1. I think that it is appropriate to write a bit about this team. Not because I know they are going to win the Cup, I don't. And not because I think that they aren't going to get out of this round, because if any team can, this one can. But because I think that the time period from about 5:35pm on April 11, 2010 (the moment the the New York Rangers decided not to participate in a clutch, season saving overtime period to guarantee themselves a shootout win) until 9:34pm on May 15, 2010 (the precise moment that our team matched and made history following an epic comeback) I, and many of you, witnessed the most improbable and impressive display of relentless hockey this town has seen in a long, long time. It is when Peter Laviolette, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and Brian Boucher said loud and clear..."We will not die."
I have been watching the Flyers my entire life. A life that is the length of the team's existence. The team and I, and many of my friends, grew up together. My life is defined by the eras of Flyers hockey. I remember the Cups. I remember 1980 like it was yesterday, spinning around in my basement listening to the "Flyers Fight Song" over and over and over again and then watching my Dad and Frank flip out over the botched offsides (I learned many new words that day). I remember Gene Hart's "ala Bjore Salming" and his joking with Chief about his playing days, Mike Emrick and Prism, staying up "late" and "drinking" with my Dad during the games. I remember Clarkie's bloodied face, MacLeish's hair, blade measurements, the "H" in Behn Wilson's name and Propper's guffaw. I can still see the LCB line crossing the blue paint, Hexy tapping his stick on the pipes, the orange and black room in our house and the serene look on Pelle's face as he lay in the ICU at Kennedy. I remember cheering for the '85 and '87 Wales Conference Champions, being let down time and time again by the early 90's teams, and riding high and crashing with the '97 team. Years, decades and scores of mostly highs and a few lows. Wonderful memories, nonetheless.
So thank you Dad and Frank for teaching me how to watch the game. I hope I am passing that on to my son in a similar way. And Clarkie, Reg, Rick, Moose, Hammer, Hound, Bernie, Dorny, Donny and the Watsons for teaching me how to love the game.
Thanks, Homer, Propper, Ben with an H, Timmy, Glen and the Rat. Pelle, Hexy, Poulin, Tocchet, Zezel, Brownie, Howe, Marsh and the Sutter Brutters. You are the guys we talked about in school the day after a game and the guys we wanted to be.
And hats off to Brindy, Johnny, Jonesy, Prims, Eric (s), Rex, Bundy and Gags. I will NEVER forget May 4 (and 5), 2000 and jumping around like a madman at 2:35am. I was so exhausted. You might have thought I was actuall playing!
So why is THIS team so special. I mean, after all of those names and all of those memories I don't ever remember having this kind of feeling about a team. Maybe I'm getting old and sentimental. Maybe it's my desire for the underdog to do the impossible. Maybe it's that I see myself in my boy and his love for the game. Or maybe it is just the right time, right place and right group of people. Think about it. Briere, Richie, Prongs always shwoing heart and never sitting back. Lappy risking his life to prevent a goal. That's why he's Sean's hero...and in a way, mine too. Gags, barely able to skate, orchestrating one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports history. Clood, Carbomb, Reemer, Carle, Ville Mays, Scotty and Kimmo getting the job done. Leighton getting us close, Boosh getting us there, Leighton getting us closer. And Lavvy, knowing exactly what to say, exactly when it needs to be said. If any fan thinks that this team doesn't have the heart, they need to be institutionalized.
And it's not just the players, either. I am enjoying this with old friends (John, Scott, Doug, Paul, Mike) and family (Colleen, Kim, Sean, Roman and Dad). Relatively new friends (Julie and Vern, Cool C, Ed, Kat, Chris, Jimmy, Henirk and Mark) and Facebook friends (too many of you!). And these are fans with heart. Fans who live and die and with the team.
I've tried to analyze it. I treid to figure out why this team is doing what they're doing and why I'm delighting in it so much. I've looked at stats, player bios, history and all of the hard evidence to find the answer. All I can come up with is that it's the right place, the right time and the right group of people...on all fronts.
Win or lose, I am having the time of my life!
Good night and good hockey."
Courtesy of Jack Manning
"So I said I was going to post something heartfelt before Game 1. I think that it is appropriate to write a bit about this team. Not because I know they are going to win the Cup, I don't. And not because I think that they aren't going to get out of this round, because if any team can, this one can. But because I think that the time period from about 5:35pm on April 11, 2010 (the moment the the New York Rangers decided not to participate in a clutch, season saving overtime period to guarantee themselves a shootout win) until 9:34pm on May 15, 2010 (the precise moment that our team matched and made history following an epic comeback) I, and many of you, witnessed the most improbable and impressive display of relentless hockey this town has seen in a long, long time. It is when Peter Laviolette, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and Brian Boucher said loud and clear..."We will not die."
I have been watching the Flyers my entire life. A life that is the length of the team's existence. The team and I, and many of my friends, grew up together. My life is defined by the eras of Flyers hockey. I remember the Cups. I remember 1980 like it was yesterday, spinning around in my basement listening to the "Flyers Fight Song" over and over and over again and then watching my Dad and Frank flip out over the botched offsides (I learned many new words that day). I remember Gene Hart's "ala Bjore Salming" and his joking with Chief about his playing days, Mike Emrick and Prism, staying up "late" and "drinking" with my Dad during the games. I remember Clarkie's bloodied face, MacLeish's hair, blade measurements, the "H" in Behn Wilson's name and Propper's guffaw. I can still see the LCB line crossing the blue paint, Hexy tapping his stick on the pipes, the orange and black room in our house and the serene look on Pelle's face as he lay in the ICU at Kennedy. I remember cheering for the '85 and '87 Wales Conference Champions, being let down time and time again by the early 90's teams, and riding high and crashing with the '97 team. Years, decades and scores of mostly highs and a few lows. Wonderful memories, nonetheless.
So thank you Dad and Frank for teaching me how to watch the game. I hope I am passing that on to my son in a similar way. And Clarkie, Reg, Rick, Moose, Hammer, Hound, Bernie, Dorny, Donny and the Watsons for teaching me how to love the game.
Thanks, Homer, Propper, Ben with an H, Timmy, Glen and the Rat. Pelle, Hexy, Poulin, Tocchet, Zezel, Brownie, Howe, Marsh and the Sutter Brutters. You are the guys we talked about in school the day after a game and the guys we wanted to be.
And hats off to Brindy, Johnny, Jonesy, Prims, Eric (s), Rex, Bundy and Gags. I will NEVER forget May 4 (and 5), 2000 and jumping around like a madman at 2:35am. I was so exhausted. You might have thought I was actuall playing!
So why is THIS team so special. I mean, after all of those names and all of those memories I don't ever remember having this kind of feeling about a team. Maybe I'm getting old and sentimental. Maybe it's my desire for the underdog to do the impossible. Maybe it's that I see myself in my boy and his love for the game. Or maybe it is just the right time, right place and right group of people. Think about it. Briere, Richie, Prongs always shwoing heart and never sitting back. Lappy risking his life to prevent a goal. That's why he's Sean's hero...and in a way, mine too. Gags, barely able to skate, orchestrating one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports history. Clood, Carbomb, Reemer, Carle, Ville Mays, Scotty and Kimmo getting the job done. Leighton getting us close, Boosh getting us there, Leighton getting us closer. And Lavvy, knowing exactly what to say, exactly when it needs to be said. If any fan thinks that this team doesn't have the heart, they need to be institutionalized.
And it's not just the players, either. I am enjoying this with old friends (John, Scott, Doug, Paul, Mike) and family (Colleen, Kim, Sean, Roman and Dad). Relatively new friends (Julie and Vern, Cool C, Ed, Kat, Chris, Jimmy, Henirk and Mark) and Facebook friends (too many of you!). And these are fans with heart. Fans who live and die and with the team.
I've tried to analyze it. I treid to figure out why this team is doing what they're doing and why I'm delighting in it so much. I've looked at stats, player bios, history and all of the hard evidence to find the answer. All I can come up with is that it's the right place, the right time and the right group of people...on all fronts.
Win or lose, I am having the time of my life!
Good night and good hockey."
Courtesy of Jack Manning
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