How hockey nearly destroyed my life

by barbaragarn

Guest blog by [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/profiles/deejwood]Jeremy Woods

Alrighty– Not really… but hockey did ruin sports for me for a LONG time. Lets go back…

I was born in Minnesota; that necessitates my innate love for all things hockey. I was one of those youngsters who would walk to the rink. (Didn’t we all have a rink in walking distance?) My mom or dad would drop off a lunch. I would HAVE to go home for dinner. And then head back to close the night out at the rink.

Heck, I remember I would see my dad walking to the rink as I walked home due to him flooding the rink for the city. This would take place every day possible. In between that, I would watch hockey when I could. On TV or in person.

I remember my dad going to late night skate sessions with his team, the Mantas, and once getting to play before or after a North Stars game. (I can’t remember, sue me, time changes some details.) With all of that, would I have time to be on the local team? HECK YES! Tourneys, summer clinics, etc…

As of 91-92, I loved being between the pipes. I had taken to being a goalie through and through. And after a few years of playing hockey for the Forest Lake team, we got a new coach. This coach was friends with the father of one of the other kids. That other kid wanted to be goalie.

You can see where this is going. I was moved to D. From what my dad has said, I was not a good skater, nor a good defenseman. But I was a great goalie. (I take his lambasting my skating and skills at D as him being honest enough to also be sincere about my goalie skills.)

I do know that I rarely let goals in and the other goalie did all the time. So, I will be selfish with the fact that I wanted to be goalie. The fact that the other kid got to be goalie over me the whole season and was no good at it was a bit to much for my precious little selfish 12 year old mind to take… So, not having fun, I quit organized hockey…

Then, the season after, I learned an important lesson… Your favorite sports team can sometimes go away. The North Stars leaving was the proverbial hockey stick on the camel. I honestly did not understand. It was the Minnesota hockey team. How can they move to where? TEXAS? I had officially turned off of sports. Or at least watching sports. I lost all hope.

STUPID SPORTS!

Move ahead 13 years. I was once again, living within walking distance of an ice rink. Needing some exercise, I buy a cheap pair of skates.

My first time on the ice, I am hooked again. I think I was at the rink four nights a week. My girlfriend was not happy about it, BUT DANG! HOCKEY!!!!

What? Minnesota Wild who??? PLAYOFFS! HOLY CRAP! There is a Pond Hockey League? HOCKEY!!!!

What is JMS??? HOCKEY!!!

Stupid HOCKEY!!! … now it just ruins my knees …