Tournament Time

2-2 tie tonight. Second game of five.

First of four hockey games in a row this week.

A tie.

Not a loss but not a win.

It always feels better when you come from behind to tie a game than when you lose a lead.

Like we did tonight.

We were losing two nothing by the first shift of the second period. And then we scored the next two goals.

But still.

A tie.

Not a win.

We outshot them.

But it wasn't our game.

Not tonight.

And I'm sitting her drinking a beer, replaying missed opportunities, wishing I was celebrating another win. Thinking about tomorrow night's game and what I will do differently.

This is why I love hockey.

When I play there is no time to worry about my seven-year-old son in diapers, no time to think about a nuclear power plant on fire, or the girl in my office who hid behind her bangs as she told me about her grandpa kicking down the door.

I just skate and hope to control the puck, to shoot it past the goalie more times than the other team.

Pretty simple.

And so taxing there is not time to think about life outside the red and blue lines of the rink.

Comments

[fleming]

Angus asked me why he was," moving backwards" in hockey. This year he was a mite and next winter he will be a squirt. I think these names for the different levels are universal but I was amazed that my 8 year old perceived that he was "moving backwards" because of the names. Crazy how just one word can make us feel like we are going backwards even when we are working so hard to move forwards. I am vowing to be even more careful with my word choices.

[Mary]

Isn't this true in life, that one can take joy in the engrossingly concrete and finite--turning the dirt over in the garden, playing hard, chopping a stockpot full of vegetables for soup It gives one solace from worries, gives a feeling of accomplishment, gives a break from the stuff outside one's control.

[Brooke]

do you get to check people? I would think that would be very therapeutic.

[Christy]

No checking Brooke, but we can play the body as long as we're going for the puck. And you know me, I can be a bit scrappy, and I leave it all on the rink.

Mary, yes, gardening does this for me too and baking cookies, working my hands and body seems to free my brain. And I think why hockey is my favorite activity is b/c its a sprint sport. You go full boar for two minutes then catch your breath on the bench for two before doing it again so its practically physically impossible to think about anything else.

Fleming, I love that you shared Angus's perception of the terms and I'm right there with him, Squirt seems lower on the totem pole than Mite and in fact, this has always confused me back to the day when Andrew played hockey and i just played in the wrestling room above the rink pretending to be a ballerina.

I know, its hard to imagine me as a ballerina...

[fleming]

you short change yourself christy...you are very graceful when lunging into opponents!

[Christy]

Thanks Flem!

A little Tourney update: We lost last night 4-2 and won tonight 6-2, if we win our game tomorrow night then we play in the championship on Sunday night.

And I'm already exhausted but in such a good way.

[Kate]

Will wait for the update. Also love the excape of vigorous exercise. nothing like it to take the edge off and the mind away!

[fleming]

Go Christy, Go Christy, Go, Go, Go Christy!

[Kelvey Richards Wilson]

Go Christy! I played with the Moms of my son's "learn to skate" program and was not able to walk straight for 2 days:) I also still love the game!

[Christy]

Wish I had better news to report. We lost last night 6-5, after blowing a 3-0 lead, so our season ends with a frustrating game in which I spent the last minute and a half in the penalty box.

Bummer.

But I do have two more weekend tournaments in April before I officially pack up my gear till fall. So you may get another hockey post or too from me before I'm through.