Ugh down for the count

I am currently sitting in an emergency room awaiting..... I don't know for sure, but ultimately a cast. Since hockey is done, we cottage it every weekend. We all unplug from society and get some quality outdoor family time in. Last weekend we purchased a wakeboard. One I knew was far too large for me (140cm, I usually ride a 126-128cm). None the less it was fun, and I was skipping wakes in no time. Unfortunately, I haven't owned a one piece since I was 11, so as I came up out of the water on my third run after a little spill, my shorts didn't. So I affixed the triangular shaped handle to me elbow of my right hand as I used my left hand to fix the shorts. It would have worked out fine, except the lip of the board went underwater thus making me take a tumble. Immediately I knew something was weird with my arm, and I had to use my good are to hang on to the rope and get towed back to the cottage because I couldn't climb back in and I couldn't get pulled back up. Hmmmm so since I just immigrated I had to go get my health card before I could go to emergency. Since it was Sunday I opted to wait till morning and we ran and got my card, then went right to the hospital. Now I am waiting for x-rays to confirm the break. I guess I should be thinking about what color to get my cast!
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My little Hiatus

I way away, visiting family. I finally got my permanent residence, which took over two years from beginning to completion. It felt like the longest wait of my entire life, because while I waited I could do nothing to hurry it. I could not work, I had to pay for my health care, and I was not allowed to leave Canada once the process began. I could leave, but I could be denied entry back.
I went to NC. I couldn't believe how much I had missed it. We spent lots of time in VA at Busch Gardens and That was a lot of fun, but it really hit me when we went to the beach. I have always loved the beach and for the 9 years leading up to my immigration, I had always been within a 2 1/2 hour drive from it. Something about it dispels all my stress. There is not a problem in the world that surfing can't fix. As I was there showing my son the Ocean for the first time, I realized how complete and content the beach has always made me, and how much I had been missing it during my two plus year wait.
I now look at the road ahead of me, and realize how much adjusting it is going to take. We will always have to be near the snow, for Avery to play hockey, and give him a chance to do it. I am OK with that, but I could live the rest of my life by a beach and never see snow again and be happy, it's just who I am.

My boys however feel the same, only with the snow. So for now I am just going to love and enjoy this summer, and make the most of it.

Still left with a smile on their faces!

Ugh! This weekend I attended Ryan's Marlie's tournament. The boys played so well! I am really very proud of them. I had my first run in with the ugly type of hockey parents. My first real one to be exact. I picked out my spot according the the bench the boys were on. Avery likes to watch Ryan coach, so we usually sit directly across from him. I guess this is where the other teams parents were sitting. All weekend it was a mix of "Are you blind ref" and " C'mon! Get the puck in the net" and not in a nice way. In an ugly way. The worst of it was the gold Medal game. Both of the teams were royal blue, and the other team and parents immediately said, " No way! Our boys aren't wearing any different jersey! That's that!". And so it was solved our boys would wear the jerseys more sized for a man than a 10 year old. All good, whatever right? I sat in my usual spot, and watched the game. By the time the first period was over I was appalled. The parents were speaking and acting more like frustrated 4 year olds than adults. The team played like the parents acted, dirty. It was a tied game in the third, and our boys scored. One ref was at the center line and the other was near the opposing teams bench. Not one of the saw it go in and didn't call the goal. The other team won, and took home the gold, and I was secretly happy because if they didn't I would not have wanted to be a kid to one of these belittling type of parents. Our team AND the parents were all proud, as it was a great tournament. Added bonus, the other them had someone filming in the end where the goal was that wasn't counted. Once they see it, they will know the game would have been at least tied. I don't think it would matter to some. I got the impression winning was everything, and the parents obviously were far more knowledgeable the the refs on the ice were. They are also superb coaches.

I was telling people of the way these parents were acting, and expected a different response than a knowing head shake. Wow, I just got my first lesson on how not to talk to you kid, and refs at a game. I am certainly not saying that the refs called a perfect game, I'm also not saying they didn't. What do I know? I'm a parent, I'm not qualified to call a game, so I trust that the guys in black and white know what their doing. I must say though if this is the first time I have seen this degree of parental craziness, then I want Avery to play hockey in Kitchener, because I spent all season here and this is the first time my jaw ever hit the floor!

Our Kitchener Ranger Pride

Have you been to a Junior hockey game lately? Holy cow! Those kids are good. This season in particular my family and I have been attending as many games as times and funding would allow. Our local Junior hockey team is The Kitchener Rangers, and I have to be honest here, we lucked out. They are a consistently good hockey team. Beyond that, it is always fun to go to a game because the fans love them! Kitchener fans are similar to Habs fans, yeah. Totally awesome!
Not only that, but they have a high level of sportsmanship too. You see some teams play really "dirty", and it seems to be a consistent to certain ones through the seasons. From the way the team is ran, the guys on the team, right on down to the very bottom, they are a team anyone would be proud to call their hometown team.
A brief history: During the time in the 60's when the NHL sponsored  Junior teams, the NY Rangers moved them from Guelph to Kitchener to gain fan support. It worked but the NHL ended the Junior sponsorships, and the rangers sold the team for $1 to a local businessman who aided in bring the team to Kitchener. He immediately knew the importance of the team to the community so he decided to make it a publicly owned team. They set up a volunteer based Board of Directors from the season ticket holders. Which in my eyes is pretty brilliant, give the direction of the team to those who love the team and want whats best for the team and community! Anyway the set up holds true to this day, made up of a board of 40 season ticket holders, nine of which are key duty positions.
The Rangers current head coach is not only the head coach but also the GM, talk about a commitment to excellence. Tough job but he's doing great! Five past players have been inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, including Scott Stevens who ironically, used to play often in the yard and home which now belongs to my in-laws, as his Aunt lived next door and his buddy lived in that home!
Skinner played for the Rangers last year, and has been playing fantastically in my old hometown of Raleigh, NC.
OK, despite this rich history, the organization is still fantastic and the hockey just get better and better. I love how this team in particular pulls the community together. The players had a meet and greet not long ago at a new Sobeys that opened up. We were debating weather to go, and I asked my little man if he wanted to meet BIG hockey players, and he did, so we went. When we got there it was sooo busy, and the players were all spread out doing different thing, some were bagging, some were handing out samples to people, a couple were dipping chocolate. We started to shop, I mean, while we were there I could get the shopping done with too. Then Avery saw Cody Sol. I'm not sure exactly how tall this kid is but he is huge and at least a foot taller than me. He and Landeskog are his favorite players. How does a two year old have and know his favorite players? Sol fights, and Avery delights in watching hockey fights, especially when they are right in front of you, like they were when we had standing tickets directly next to the Kitchener bench.

 And as for Landeskog, after the warm up skate when returning to the bench we had Avery standing in the ledge right up against the glass, and he tapped his hockey stick on the glass right at Aves, who delighted in it. How did Avery know it was them? We told him of course, "Thats the fighter you liked so much!", "That is that one who tapped his stick at you!".
He is tickled and I ask him if he would like to get his jersey signed, and he nods. We head over, I tap Sol on the shoulder and ask if he'd sign Avery's jersey. He agrees and as I hold Avery, who is wearing the jersey, up he starts screaming and wriggling and crying. Scared? Maybe he thought Sol was smaller? I don't know, but the poor guy is trying to sign the jersey and Aves changed his mind. Luckily one of the players who was dipping the chocolate came over and offered Avery some. It was on toothpicks and rather than take them out of the players hand and eat them , he chomps them right off the toothpicks the kids holding and gives the guys a big marshmallow and chocolate grin.
We continue to shop, and I was cursing myself that I didn't make Avery have a nap before we left, as he probably would have enjoyed it lots more. In the car he was even saying is his eager two year old voice, "Avery drop gloves and fight big hockey players!", "Avery a hockey player, Mom, Avery play hockey with guys too!", "Avery play hockey, he shoots he scores....Avery wins the tanley cup!". Needless to say his excitement was there. The players all go to one area of the store to sign autographs, and we decide that since we are already here we might as well get the signatures to put up on the wall in Avery's room. Despite the attitude he had developed, we knew he'd like it down the road. I take him up and Ryan waits with the cart. He insisted on bringing his hockey stick which is about three feet long, but I couldn't get him to leave it with Dad, so up we go. He surprisingly lets Landeskog hold his stick, which is rare, I am not even allowed to hold his stick most of the time. The boys were such good sports. They were sitting there eating pizza, and greeting the fans. It seemed like they were genuinely happy to sign the stuff for all the kids there. And there was a nice number of children and their parents. The players asked his name, and I answered as I always do when its concerning hockey people, "Avery, but not after Sean Avery!". I joked with them that Avery had not had his nap yet, but on the way up he was talking big talk about dropping the gloves. They all laughed, and as he had a minor breakdown about me trying to pick him up to move the line along (after all he is two!) and they said "Oh, yeah he's going to be a scrapper for sure!" "Look at that temper! D all day". After we came down, the level of interest and kindness these kids showed my boy, made me really proud. Proud that these were the kids representing our community in the hockey world on and off the ice.
I  took the cart of groceries to pay for our stuff, and left Avery with Ryan. Ryan was letting him pass and shoot his ball around by the door, while I was gone. A bunch of kids walked up, and patted him on the head, and passed the ball back and forth with Avery, who was loving it. They complimented his slap shot and continued on their way. Ryan said he saw them all file up the stairs and put on Jerseys, it was the second wave of the team. So as I waited with the groceries he also got to meet the second wave of boys. Just your average hockey loving kids. It totally made Averys day, and mine for making my baby boy so happy.

Since then Ryan, who coaches 10 year olds, and the team were invited to participate in Ranger Nation, where they played on the ice that the Rangers play on with announcements and everything. They all got a dressing room, and a bag of Ranger goodies. They were featured on the big screen at the Rangers game later that night, they 10 year olds were in total excitement. To top it off after they played their game, while the team was eating breakfast, I wandered around the Aud. I found some of the guys in the Dutchmen's Arena taking practice shots on their goalie, and texted Ryan to bring all the boys over then they were finished eating. A bunch of them got the guys autograph, and the smiles they walked away with that day were priceless!  We were also given a set of tickets by another kind  fellow Ranger enthusiast, and had a blast. That was our most recent experience and as always the Rangers played a great game, and our fellow Ranger fans all around us, were so friendly.

 We are planning on having my sons 3rd birthday with the Rangers, as they have an entire package put together for the kids, and my son is a huge Rangers fan, as are we. Just a great community to be in for hockey. A great game, great players and coaches and management. Living in Ranger Nation was an excellent way to get into Junior hockey. http://kitchenerrangers.com/page/birthday-club

TSN Panel - Chara Hit on Pacioretty - March 9th 2011 (HD)

The Chara Hit

I know, everyone and their mother has discussed this. I have heard both sides of the story, I have seen the hit over and over.
The first thing I did when I saw the hit was cry. I am a Habs fan, and I know that Pacioretty is 22. I also know that he was the Habs best goal scorer for 2011. But I cried because I am a mother. My little boy is 2 1/2 and and hockey crazed. He has skates when he was in the womb. He skates, has a mean slapshot or "Good little slapper he's got there" as per John Grigg from THN. He is starting ball hockey in a month and taking power skating lessons in July. He starts hockey in the Fall. He eat, sleeps, and breathes hockey, and all I could think of was I bet Max Pacioretty did the same thing.
 I bet his mother was crying over the very hit I was. What got me was the agonizing wriggle he did, and I lost it. Gomez said he can't remember what the hit looked like but he would never forget the sound. We cannot detract that the end result of the hit was gruesome, really gruesome. My heart goes out to him and I wish him a speedy recovery from this injury, and I hope that this does not prevent him from playing further, should he decide that is what he wants to do. My heart also goes out to all of the people like his mother who are probably horrified. 
Which I am. Because I know my Son at the tender age of two is on track to being another guy on the ice, maybe if he chooses in the NHL. 
Everywhere we go, Avery has his gloves and a mini stick with him. He has these sticks what we have cut down for him everywhere. We built him an ice rink in the back yard of my in-laws. Everywhere we go people are shocked at how young he is. I admit it, I am a proud Mama. I love hearing how good he is. But I also know that he thoroughly  enjoys what he does. I woke up one night to a noise, and I looked over to Avery's bed. He wasn't in it. Ryan has joined me and we look past his bed and see him with his hockey gloves on and a stick playing with a road hockey ball. Right now, as I write, he is skating at Joe Louis Arena. I love that hockey makes him happy, and we laugh at how he yells fight, when we go to hockey games. Once he was playing with a friends kid. They were playing mini-sticks, and the kid didn't want to play anymore, so he dropped his stick. Avery, who has been watching lots and lots of hockey games, dropped his gloves and stick and ran towards the kid. Luckily I saw this and we were able to stop anything from occurred, well the kid was 6 Avery is 2, but that's when I realized fighting is a part of hockey. 
Hits are a part of hockey, Now everyone pretty much agrees hits from behind, have no place in the game, and dirty hits are punished. 
When your team is down, a well timed fight, could turn around the game. It can fire up the guys and discourage the other team. There is a tactical approach to fighting. Hits, well hits are and always have been a part of the game. As long as both sides are good sports and don't get dirty, hockey can stay true to its shinny roots and have hits and fighting, and everyone is safe and fine. Hockey is a physical game and all of the player go into the game knowing that, They know there are risks associated with hockey and no one is exempt from this. Its just a fact. 
There are those occasions where things can go wrong. I know not all of you will agree with me on this, or even that fact I like fighting in hockey, but I think they made the right call on Chara. 
Chara is 6'6, he's a big guy. I watched the hit and watched it and watched it. I really feel the hit was legit. There are plenty of other hits in the same area that turn out fine. This was a fluke. If there was intent to harm, Chara would have been looking at what he was doing, not toward the play like he was. There have been hits in that area that turn out fine. He is a big guy and he could have used his strength and shoved him really hard, but he didn't. Chara probably feels really bad of the outcome.
 I really hate to say it, but even if my little Avery was 16, and it was his dream to go to the NHL, and we informed him of all the things that could, might happen, like a really bad injury, moving because of trades, I am still pretty sure he'd jump at the opportunity to live his dream. All of us would, if our dream job had a dark side, and a sparkling side, and we were well informed of both sides, I am pretty sure we would all still go for it. 

The New Dog

This post is not hockey related, but it is Mom related. We got a new dog.
Last week we had some friends over for dinner, they brought with them their dog. It was this tiny fluffy little thing and I had to admit it was pretty cute. Ryan had been badgering me for, I don't even know how long, to get a dog. My stance was we live in the middle of the city on the seventh floor of a large building, it would not be fair to have a dog here that couldn't run around whenever it wanted. Well as I watched the four pound dog chase my two year old, I realized that to a dog that size our living room was like a football field, and it seemed pretty small so it wouldn't knock Avery over.
So I changed my position from no dog to very small dog. We totally could have gone out and brought home a cute little puppy from a farm or a pet store, but I have always had rescued dogs, and I liked the idea of that. To the pound we went, and our search proved fruitless. They had few dogs and the ones that were in our size range were not good for children. So option two, kijiji. The first animal that came up had been posted just three hours before and was a Puggle (half Pug half Beagle). I send the poster a quick note about being interested and asked if we could meet her. I always use Ryan's email address on this sort of stuff because he deals with it then, its kind of like passing the torch.
Later that evening he shows me a series of emails between the dog owner and himself, explaining the dog had bad allergies, and was on a raw meat diet. That's not a big deal, I have had a very allergic dog as a teenager and knew enough to be comfortable with it, but the vibe I got from the owner was like she didn't want to give the dog up. She didn't even want to set up a date to see her. So we put it out of our minds and a week goes by. Ryan comes up to me one night and said he landed a meet and greet with the dog and owner, and I agreed to it.
We go and meet, the owner nice, overprotective of the dog, but nice. She says she has to go out west for school and the dog can't come, long story short we become the owners of Marley the puggle. Now comes for the homecoming. The dog came with tons of stuff, collars, leashes, crate, beds, lights, little baggies, even jackets!
Marley is great, Avery can pull her tail and be a bit rough with her, and she is a great sport. She is also the mascot of Ryans hockey team. She is also trained to ring a bell when she needs to go outside.
Or so I though she was. I hear a ring the first thing once we wake up. I chase my two year old around and get him to wear his hat, jacket and boots, I suit up as well, and apparently Marley doesn't like wearing a collar ao I have to chase her around too. Finally when everyone is ready to go, we head down seven flights of stairs (There is an elevator) but there are a lot of seniors and it can be a long wait). She sniffs here she sniffs there but doesn't go anywhere. After 15 mins, nothing we we go back in. Right as I was putting the last coat back on the hanger in the closet and lining the boots back up, I hear the sound of bells. Sure enough she is looking at me, tail wagging, ready to go back out. I'll spare you the repetitiveness, this goes on about 15 times from 8-5 until Ryan gets home and I assign that duty to him. I thought it was a fluke, she is in a new place with new people, things are a bit wonky for sure! Well this was day five and nothing has changed, except that I have a sick toddler with an ever running nose and need to be attached to me at all times. In short well have to see how this goes.
On top of it all after a year and a half long process we will be finding out if I can continue to reside in Canada, as my permanent residence application is done being processed and I must go in for an interview and "the news". And Ryan started a new job this week, and things are still wonky in scheduling here and there.

Lets hope this month Marley can be more decisive, Canada will dig an Arizona girl, and we work out timing with the new job. She is awful cute though. We'll probably keep her around, but if she keeps dragging me up and down seven flights of stairs, toddler in tow, were going to have to have a Cesar Milan intervention.

My take on the man in the Crazy suits

If you live in Canada you know who I am talking about. For everyone else, I am referring to Don Cherry. He co-hosts coaches corner, which airs during Hockey Night in Canada. He also does some stuff for ESPN toward the end of the playoffs. He played for "a cup of coffee" in the NHL with the Bruins, or one game. He later went on to coach them during the Orr days.
The reason I have decided to discuss him is because if you love him you love him and if you hate him you hate him. No one rides the fence on him. So as a 20 something female, where do you think I stand?
If you guess love him then you are correct. Many of you may not have come to that conclusion, and the reason being, this guy defines controversy, and that's kinda why I like him.
People have said his views are old fashioned and rude. I disagree. He got in major trouble for his views on why a woman got hit with a puck at a hockey game. I am paraphrasing here but he said she wouldn't have gotten hit if she hadn't have been flapping her jaw. Its true! C'mon we all go to hockey games and know a puck leaves the ice at least once. It shouldn't be a shock that a person can get hit by a puck. I'm not saying I don't do my fair share of talking at games, but in the back of my mind I am always aware that there is a possibility a puck could come flying up at any given time. If I were to get hit, I would know it was my fault for not being on point. Just saying.
He made huge waves in the media by criticizing Habs fans for booing the American anthem. He said CBC and the Canadian government should have stood behind him. Hey, I was born American, so you know where I stand there. Even if I weren't, I think booing another Country's Anthem is the same at spiting on someone, you don't do it. Politically I may not agree with the decisions on a Country's government  but that has no bearing on deserving the same respects, especially in the name of good sportsmanship.
I could continue to name off remarks that have put him in the hot seat, but that's one of the best qualities about him. CBC realized this and put a 7 second delay during Coach's Corner, but after all this time he still has a job. Grapes has been around for quite some time, and I wouldn't expect to see it change, which is fine with me. Both of our paternal grandfather served our Countries, both our fathers played Amateur sports, both have Irish in us, and both carry a deep respect for those who serve their Countries and have deep rooted patriotism in that sense.
As far as Cherry goes, he's good in my books! I hope he never retires, HNIC will never be the same the day that happens. But for now, I look forward to his off the wall remarks which are as unpredictable as the material for his next suit.

The Coyotes forever in my Heart

I have felt very strongly on the subject since I heard that were considering  moving the Coyotes. I realize that this is old news, but this is my first blog and I still feel strongly on the subject.
I couldn't believe something like that was even up for discussion! Although now living in Southern Ontario and a Habs fan, my heart will always have a place in it for the Phoenix Coyotes. I was born in Arizona, and there were no Coyotes when I was young. I didn't even hear of the concept of hockey until I was about seven years old watching Casey Jones in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Probably because the closest team was the L.A. Kings. Who in my eyes didn't grow popular until Gretzky played, and even afterward had a lot of growing to do, and is still nowhere near Canada or New England. I would have loved a shot of getting out there and playing the intense, physical, demanding game I have come to love. There were NO programs for hockey in the town I lived in. None, In fact the closest place to skate was an hour and a half away.
My point is having the Coyotes there is introducing hockey to children who would never had the opportunity to gain interest. Who knows what kind of talent we will see come out of there now, due to the growing popularity of the sport. However, growing it is. To even have considered taking the team away from there is cutting interest and support in that part of the USA off or to be generous to a mere trickle. I realize there are major politics associated with NHL organizations but essentially the NHL has to do what is best for the sport of hockey. It is the Professional level after all. The best thing for hockey is for everyone to have a shot to play if they want. To continue to grow in new populations. Eventually allowing these thing to take place will provide the NHL with a higher grade of talent and a more competitive game. In addition to that the growing fan base will also buy merchandise and fill up the arena, thus generating more money for the Organization and the NHL.
Under Tippet's reins, the Coyotes had a fabulous season. They truly were the underdog of the Playoffs last year. They have proven, as have their supporters, that they deserve a spot in the NHL and are truly a force to be reckoned with
I lived in North Carolina about 30 mins away from Raleigh, when the Canes won Lord Stanley's cup. In the short time until I left in 2008, fan base grew huge. There were more and more places popping up for kids to participate in hockey and learn it. I was fascinated at the growth. 
To take that away from Arizona would have been a crime. To take that away from any developing area, as far as hockey goes, is a crime. The folks in Winnipeg will have to wait. Its not like they don't have frozen ponds and shinny rinks all over.