As I sit here in my living room, watching the Flyers play the Devils on 50 inches of high def LCD glory, I realize just how important hockey is to my son.
Some parents choose their child's sports and outside activities. Not here. Sean chose hockey. He loves the sport. Yes, we drive him to his games and practices. We tolerate the constant flinging of pucks, actual and makeshift, in the livingroom. We supply him with jerseys and other junk emblazoned with the Flyers logo. But HE chooses to make up his own line up card for every game. HE chooses to call his own play by play in his imaginary game using various players from various teams. He loves the game, pure and simple.
His hockey coach said that they just like the kids to have fun and enjoy playing the game at this age. I'm pretty sure Sean will have fun playing this game long beyond this age. He has a love for the game and a respect for great hockey even if it's not our team.
Tonight I'm wishing we were at the game for my son to see another great hockey player inducted to the Flyers Hall of Fame. I'm also hoping that the Flyers show Marty the door tonight! Let's Go Flyers!!!!
Showing posts with label Philadelphia Flyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia Flyers. Show all posts
Monday, November 16, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Flyers Trample Tampa Bay
It was an early game because of the World Series (better luck next season Phillies). Jack had to work midnights and we only had two of our four seats. I took the little guy with me. Sean loves to sit right by the ice for warm ups. He always pins his hopes on getting a puck. He did once last season. He didn't get one today.
Anyway, the game was pretty good. We shot them, out skated them and most importantly, outscored them! Everyone had a little role in the win. Great restraint was shown by our goons with only one fight this game. BUT Captain Richards got a little fiesty in the third period with the Lightning's Hedman. Way to keep the team revved up, Cap! Penalty minutes were WAAAYYYY down from the Carolina game. David Laliberte, called up from Adirondack, scored his second NHL goal in his second NHL game! Way to go David! Carter broke his scoreless streak and JVR had a pair of assists. It was all in all an impressive performance ending with a a score of 6-2.
The biggest surprise of the game was on the opposing team's lineup. Captain Vincent Lacavalier was really lacking energy. He wasn't skating after the puck, he barely shot the puck, it just seemed like he didn't feel like being there. Not sure what the story is on that but we'll see if it plays out soon.
There are flu-woes for the Flyers this week with several guys not skating this week with flulike symptoms. Briere is day to day with a groin strain and Gagne is out indefinitely with surgery scheduled this week. We'll see if the young guys step up tonight against Buffalo (currently first in their division).
The Difference Between a Hockey Fan and a ***HOCKEY FAN***
This struck me last night as we were flipping through the TV channels. Well, not all the TV channels. Really the only ones worth watching this time of year between 7 PM and midnight...Center Ice. Yes, we PAY to watch as many hockey games as we can in a single season.
Anyway, we were watching the Montreal/Boston game when my stepdaughter said, "this is so weird. I never watch any games other than the Flyers." She's a sweet girl but she's a Flyers fan. I am too but there's a bit of a difference. Thanks to my son, the ever handsome Sean, I've become more of a hockey fan than just a flyers fan and yes, folks there is a difference.
Sean has opened my eyes to the possibility of watching other teams play this entrancing sport. If you ask him who his favorite Flyers are, he'll rattle off names like Briere and Hartnell. But if you ask him who his favorite hockey players are, his number one is Alex Ovechkin. The kid obviously recognizes talent even if it opposes our home team fairly regularly during the season. This is the kid who sets up his hockey cards in position as if they are playing on ice, depending on what game we're watching at home. He'll put on the NHL channel before Saturday morning cartoons to check out the lineup for Hockey Night in Canada. Heck, he'll even watch college hockey...WOMEN'S college hockey even!!!!!
When we go to the rink he wants to watch whoever is playing and will root for whichever team is wearing orange (that'a the team he's on). He isn't starstruck when we see Flyers at the rink practicing, not like his mom. (C'mon, those guys are very nice looking, so I look!)
He loves the Flyers first. His second favorite team is whoever is playing Pittsburgh (LOL!!!!). But he just purely loves the game. Everything about it. He asked me if he could get an Ovie jersey but he would only wear it when they don't play the Flyers. I told him maybe, but don't tell Dad.
Last year, when he was still four, I noticed something pretty funny. He had carved the name of his favorite player into the top of his dresser. I don't want to know what a four year old used to do that but he did.
Anyway, we were watching the Montreal/Boston game when my stepdaughter said, "this is so weird. I never watch any games other than the Flyers." She's a sweet girl but she's a Flyers fan. I am too but there's a bit of a difference. Thanks to my son, the ever handsome Sean, I've become more of a hockey fan than just a flyers fan and yes, folks there is a difference.
Sean has opened my eyes to the possibility of watching other teams play this entrancing sport. If you ask him who his favorite Flyers are, he'll rattle off names like Briere and Hartnell. But if you ask him who his favorite hockey players are, his number one is Alex Ovechkin. The kid obviously recognizes talent even if it opposes our home team fairly regularly during the season. This is the kid who sets up his hockey cards in position as if they are playing on ice, depending on what game we're watching at home. He'll put on the NHL channel before Saturday morning cartoons to check out the lineup for Hockey Night in Canada. Heck, he'll even watch college hockey...WOMEN'S college hockey even!!!!!
When we go to the rink he wants to watch whoever is playing and will root for whichever team is wearing orange (that'a the team he's on). He isn't starstruck when we see Flyers at the rink practicing, not like his mom. (C'mon, those guys are very nice looking, so I look!)
He loves the Flyers first. His second favorite team is whoever is playing Pittsburgh (LOL!!!!). But he just purely loves the game. Everything about it. He asked me if he could get an Ovie jersey but he would only wear it when they don't play the Flyers. I told him maybe, but don't tell Dad.
Last year, when he was still four, I noticed something pretty funny. He had carved the name of his favorite player into the top of his dresser. I don't want to know what a four year old used to do that but he did.
Monday, November 2, 2009
God, Save Me From the Peanut Butter Cups....
...and the chocolate bars and evertyhing else in my hockey boy's candy bag...
Haven't blogged in a bit but we've been super busy. On a side note, I've been out of work for several weeks with a back injury so the last several games I've been to have been viewed though a drug induced fog or while in severe pain so the details are hazy. I will just say this...I hope we can start to get it together soon.
A full month into the regular season now and the Flyers have seemed like they were practicing for a role in Jeckyll and Hyde. We never know which team is going to show up. Is it going to be the Coburn who apparently has a hole in his stick because he can't catch a puck with it, or the two goal scoring Coburn from Saturday's game? Is it going to be Shut Out Razor or Ray what-the-hell-is-up-with-giving-up-4-goals-to-Anaheim? I'm hoping with a tighter schedule they'll be able to get some kind of momentum going.
We had another busy sports weekend this past weekend. Besides the World Series coming to town (Let's Go Phils!) and the Eagles playing the NY Giants on Sunday, the Flyers played host to the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a penalty-ridden game with total minutes in the Sin Bin being 68 minutes! Luckily most of those were in the third period and I was glad to see Carcillo showing a lot of restraint this game considering some of the Carolina trash talking was observed before the game even started! I saw one of the Hurricanes players talking trash to Carcillo during the pregame warm up! Wow! What a contest! Speaking of contests, they held a Halloween costume contest during the intermissions. There were several blind refs out there...not just the ones on the ice! Sean wore his hockey jersey and pants and blacked out a couple of teeth and got himself a black eye. Yeah, he fit right in with our Fly Guys! He had had a game earlier that morning...um, yeah, earlier than the one last weekend! 7:00AM start time! Ugh!
All I can say about my son's hockey performance thus far, is that I'm glad we're not on any kind of goal reward system. I don't believe in it firstly and secondly we'd go broke rewarding him! FOUR goals Saturday! He's on track for and 80 goal season! Watch your back, Great One! This kid's on a roll! This leads me into my next discussion. We don't push Sean to play hockey but I was a little surprised when I asked him if he wanted to play baseball next spring. My usually loving and level-headed husband said, "he's already going to be playing hockey." When I explained to him that baseball didn't start until hockey was done and that he should take a break from hockey for a season, Jack replied, "oh, yeah, then he'll be behind all the other kids." I was a little perplexed by that comment. I felt like it was a little pushy. Especially since I was reading the USA Hockey material that came in on the weekend. It discussed a little about the American Development Model. Hmm...interesting thoughts. But I digress yet again...
Moving on, tonight it's just me and the little guy going to see the Flyers play Tampa Bay. Hoping for a "W"!!!!!!
Haven't blogged in a bit but we've been super busy. On a side note, I've been out of work for several weeks with a back injury so the last several games I've been to have been viewed though a drug induced fog or while in severe pain so the details are hazy. I will just say this...I hope we can start to get it together soon.
A full month into the regular season now and the Flyers have seemed like they were practicing for a role in Jeckyll and Hyde. We never know which team is going to show up. Is it going to be the Coburn who apparently has a hole in his stick because he can't catch a puck with it, or the two goal scoring Coburn from Saturday's game? Is it going to be Shut Out Razor or Ray what-the-hell-is-up-with-giving-up-4-goals-to-Anaheim? I'm hoping with a tighter schedule they'll be able to get some kind of momentum going.
We had another busy sports weekend this past weekend. Besides the World Series coming to town (Let's Go Phils!) and the Eagles playing the NY Giants on Sunday, the Flyers played host to the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a penalty-ridden game with total minutes in the Sin Bin being 68 minutes! Luckily most of those were in the third period and I was glad to see Carcillo showing a lot of restraint this game considering some of the Carolina trash talking was observed before the game even started! I saw one of the Hurricanes players talking trash to Carcillo during the pregame warm up! Wow! What a contest! Speaking of contests, they held a Halloween costume contest during the intermissions. There were several blind refs out there...not just the ones on the ice! Sean wore his hockey jersey and pants and blacked out a couple of teeth and got himself a black eye. Yeah, he fit right in with our Fly Guys! He had had a game earlier that morning...um, yeah, earlier than the one last weekend! 7:00AM start time! Ugh!
All I can say about my son's hockey performance thus far, is that I'm glad we're not on any kind of goal reward system. I don't believe in it firstly and secondly we'd go broke rewarding him! FOUR goals Saturday! He's on track for and 80 goal season! Watch your back, Great One! This kid's on a roll! This leads me into my next discussion. We don't push Sean to play hockey but I was a little surprised when I asked him if he wanted to play baseball next spring. My usually loving and level-headed husband said, "he's already going to be playing hockey." When I explained to him that baseball didn't start until hockey was done and that he should take a break from hockey for a season, Jack replied, "oh, yeah, then he'll be behind all the other kids." I was a little perplexed by that comment. I felt like it was a little pushy. Especially since I was reading the USA Hockey material that came in on the weekend. It discussed a little about the American Development Model. Hmm...interesting thoughts. But I digress yet again...
Moving on, tonight it's just me and the little guy going to see the Flyers play Tampa Bay. Hoping for a "W"!!!!!!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Wow! What a Weekend!
Everytime I think I can handle this job something comes up that makes me rethink the decision to allow (and encourage) him to play this sport. This weekend was a prime example.
It started Friday. Pick Sean up from the bus, check the backpack, wait for the husband to get home from work and it's off to practice we go! The boy got some new equipment this week (skates which needed to bake and gloves) so we had to get to the rink a bit early. Traffic was light and we got there in plenty of time to bake the skates and get them sharpened. Sean was a bit disappointed that he couldn't wear them for 24 hours. "24 hours is long," he complained. Anyway, practice on Friday evening followed by dinner. Ok, one down, four more hockey events to go!
Saturday morning. 7:15 AM game time...ugh... A hat trick for my boy and again, I'm amazed at how much these little guys improve each week! Saturday night, the three of us plus a friend go to the Flyers game. Wow!!!!! What a game! The Flyers trampled all over the Panthers. Briere scored two goals, JVR scored his first NHL goal, and aside from some pretty nasty hits (hope David Booth is getting better quickly) it was an awesome game! Razor was on fire! There were a couple foiled breakaway chances but we still won, 5-1!
Sunday morning. Do it all again. 9:45 AM game time. Sean has another great game. FOUR goals today! Being a parent in the stands it's pretty funny to watch him score. He hangs out in front of the net waiting for something to come his way. Then drops it in the net. Simple enough. But then comes the fun part...he slides across the ice on one knee a la Danny Briere after EVERY goal!!! All the other parents think it's cute. I just have to laugh. He's been working on that move since he saw his first hockey game!
Sunday night. Babysitter obtained. Jack and I head out for the game. I'm pretty pumped to see what they're going to do after last night's insane contest! It can only get better! Unfortunately, I had more confidence than my team could stand up to and they presented me with a lackluster performance. I was very disappointed to see the weak passes, weak shots, and very poor officiating on the ice. We lost to the San Jose Sharks, 1-4. Boucher gave up some goals and he just seemed to roll over, literally and figuratively. The Flyers lone goal was scored by Darroll Powe. He and Arron Asham have really stepped it up this season and are looking pretty promising! On the upside Captain Mike richards will not be suspended for the Booth hit.
The Fly Guys are taking the train a little way south to the Verizon Center to face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. I wonder which team will show up for this game.
It started Friday. Pick Sean up from the bus, check the backpack, wait for the husband to get home from work and it's off to practice we go! The boy got some new equipment this week (skates which needed to bake and gloves) so we had to get to the rink a bit early. Traffic was light and we got there in plenty of time to bake the skates and get them sharpened. Sean was a bit disappointed that he couldn't wear them for 24 hours. "24 hours is long," he complained. Anyway, practice on Friday evening followed by dinner. Ok, one down, four more hockey events to go!
Saturday morning. 7:15 AM game time...ugh... A hat trick for my boy and again, I'm amazed at how much these little guys improve each week! Saturday night, the three of us plus a friend go to the Flyers game. Wow!!!!! What a game! The Flyers trampled all over the Panthers. Briere scored two goals, JVR scored his first NHL goal, and aside from some pretty nasty hits (hope David Booth is getting better quickly) it was an awesome game! Razor was on fire! There were a couple foiled breakaway chances but we still won, 5-1!
Sunday morning. Do it all again. 9:45 AM game time. Sean has another great game. FOUR goals today! Being a parent in the stands it's pretty funny to watch him score. He hangs out in front of the net waiting for something to come his way. Then drops it in the net. Simple enough. But then comes the fun part...he slides across the ice on one knee a la Danny Briere after EVERY goal!!! All the other parents think it's cute. I just have to laugh. He's been working on that move since he saw his first hockey game!
Sunday night. Babysitter obtained. Jack and I head out for the game. I'm pretty pumped to see what they're going to do after last night's insane contest! It can only get better! Unfortunately, I had more confidence than my team could stand up to and they presented me with a lackluster performance. I was very disappointed to see the weak passes, weak shots, and very poor officiating on the ice. We lost to the San Jose Sharks, 1-4. Boucher gave up some goals and he just seemed to roll over, literally and figuratively. The Flyers lone goal was scored by Darroll Powe. He and Arron Asham have really stepped it up this season and are looking pretty promising! On the upside Captain Mike richards will not be suspended for the Booth hit.
The Fly Guys are taking the train a little way south to the Verizon Center to face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. I wonder which team will show up for this game.
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