Get Yer Skates Out!

I married a hockey nut. I married a guy that played Junior A and a bit of semi-pro and coached and watched hockey and basically lived and breathed hockey when we met. Shortly after we started living together we moved to Port Alberni where he was coaching the Junior B team. I remember getting phone calls in the middle of the night from players or disgruntled parents, and I remember the seeds being planted. The “I Hate Hockey” seeds. Maybe it was even earlier; I still have recollections of my Mom, brother and I decorating the Christmas tree while Dad watched the game. I guess it doesn’t really matter when it started, but those seeds began to sprout. I started to revolt against hockey. I stopped going to watch the games he coached. I didn’t even really want to hear about them, but I listened patiently. I never liked watching it on TV in the first place, but I stopped letting it be ON the TV. When we got a second TV David and I wouldn’t see each other all season long. I was thankful when David stopped coaching. I was blissful when I cancelled cable and didn’t have to deal with the games anymore.

Which is why it is so surprising that now I am anxiously anticipating the start of hockey season so that I can watch some games. And even MORE surprising is the reason I want to watch some games is that I want to learn the rules. Because I have started playing hockey. On the ice. With skates on. So what happened in between last season’s cable-free stance and this season’s sudden fervour? I’m not really sure. I have a friend that plays and it sounded like a good idea at the time. Why do I do any of the things I do, really?! Because I don’t sit down and really think about them. I just do them.

So, after having never owned a pair of hockey skates, or even any skates that I can remember (I probably had figure skates as a kid, but I don’t remember them at all), I bought my first pair. I paid $50 at Sports Traders and also went on a spree at Sportmart and bought all of my gear. I was able to borrow some of David’s stinky old gear (romantic, I know). He wanted me to use his old jock but there I drew the line. If I’m going to play with ladies, I’m going to be wearing a Jill.

Monday night was player evaluations. I still hadn’t thought things through at this point. I was just rolling with it, trying not to think about too much so I wouldn’t get nervous. Didn’t think about it right up to the point where I was about to step out on the slippery, freshly-zambonied ice. And then I thought, “Whoa.” And then I thought some more. It sounded like this: “What am I doing?! I don’t know how to skate!” But I chewed those thoughts back down and got out there. We started doing easy laps around the rink. I was in awe of the women skating around me and remember thinking that they skate “like men”. I was rickety and tippy and didn’t know how to stop, but I skated around and around.

Then we had to line up for drills. This was the point when I realized that I was going to have to learn how to stop, since the first drill was to skate as fast as you could for the side and then stop with your skates, not just by slamming into the boards which is how I’d usually get that job done. Luckily the coach running the practice knew I was new on skates and gave me some instruction. I swallowed my fear and I did it. I did every drill that night. I did not do them well, but I did them. I worked my butt off, and by the end of the practice I was able to stop, able to skate backwards, and able to stay on my feet most of the time. The best part was that I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I have never worked so hard and I have never been up against such a steep learning curve. I had sweat dripping off of the end of my nose.

I will no longer be a hockey widow. My husband and I will continue to know each other through the winter months. And I think he’s kind of getting a kick out of me gaining an appreciation for a sport that helped shape his life. Turns out I actually love hockey. Whoops! Sorry about those last ten years and the whole "hating hockey" thing. Better late than never!