I am back! So not only do I feel guilty for having ignored my blog, but I feel the need to bring you up to speed. So much has taken place, so , it seems we have a lot to catch up on. I will be filling you in and updating once again, here we go. I am now the yummyhockeymummy of 2 boys.Yep! Avery has a little brother. Kai was born in September 2012. I make big boys and in suit of his brother he weighed 8 lbs 12 ozs. I

He completed me, and our little family. We are doing well! Avery has been skating in the backyard rink, since we got a winter this year.
Well

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.