westcoastprairiegirl

I’m a Hockey Sister alumni.

Growing up during the cold Manitoba winters, I would make a beeline to the car from our house nearly every weekend to avoid the cold, brisk air that would make my nose an instant Ruldolph red, as we headed to my brother’s hockey game.  In my dad’s shiny Malibu car we would hit the road, snow storm or not, as nothing would stop us to reach that weekend’s designated prairie town.  Not even my dad’s slower-than-the-speed-limit driving.  My brother would embarrassingly crouch down in the back seat, hiding as his teammates passed by in cars, smiling and waving.  Where were we going?  Wawanesa? Virden? Rivers? Didn’t matter.  It was just another hockey game that I was being dragged to, I used to think.

All the other kids that came to the arena to watch their brothers play hockey would often be found playing in the bleachers during the game instead.  But me.  I was shy.  I didn’t want to play with kids running around foolishly everywhere.  Instead, I would kindly request my snack money from my parents, head to the concession stand and buy my treat for the game.  That was my bribe to get me to go to the games without kicking and screaming.  And as I would head back into the arena and sit next to my parents, I would watch the game.  Every game.  That’s how I learned about hockey.  The rules.  The plays.  The penalties.  The players.  The annoying parents who would yell a little too loud or be a little to rude.  The excitement of a win.  The disappointment of a loss.  The smell of a hockey bag (ugghh!!).   The family time spent together.

And the street hockey.  You can’t be a Hockey Sister if you didn’t play street hockey.  I was often the one who would get stuck strapping on the goalie gear so my brother could practice his shots.

Goal!  Save!  Car!

In the moment, I was probably thinking of a million other things I would rather be doing but now, looking back, I can easily say that I am truly glad that I got to be a Hockey Sister.

So bro’, how about sharing your Winnipeg Jets season tickets?  I would love to sit through a hockey game.