The Spring Hockey Gamble, Worth Every Rink Cold Moment

There’s a moment every hockey parent hits sometime after the season ends, right about when the gear finally stops smelling (barley) and the calendar isn’t dictated by ice slots, when the question pops up: Can we do spring hockey?

This year we said yes. And it was a hard decision. Not the enthusiastic kind, either. The anxious, overthinking, mom brain on overdrive kind of yes.

I worried. Would this burn the kids out? Would it burn me out? Would we regret it halfway through when the gas tank was empty and the laundry pile was full of still wet socks.

The season already takes so much out of all of us. It demands time, money, sacrifice, and a level of organization that rivals a NASA launch. Spring hockey felt like signing up for overtime on a job I’m already struggling to keep up with. But……

The kids wanted it.

They didn’t just want more hockey. They wanted the challenge, the adventure, the thrill of new locations and new competition. They wanted to push themselves in a way that made them proud. And I couldn’t ignore that.

So, we said yes.

And wow! I’m glad we did.

Rolan made some besties, from Montana, of all places. These weren’t just teammates for a weekend. They became instant besties, full on giggle fits, flirting with the Canadian girls at the trampoline park together..

Rykker got to experience the game on whole new level. He attended a Vancouver NHL game and even an Edmonton playoff game. The kind of experiences that remind kids, and their parents, why we love this sport in the first place. Watching his eyes light up in an NHL arena? Worth it!

And for me? My favorite part wasn’t at a rink at all.

It was the mom-son time. Just me and the boys.

You see, Dad had to stay behind and work. During the regular season he’s the coach and the “cool” parent in the house. I’m usually the one coordinating snacks, washing jerseys, making sure water bottles don’t get left behind. I’m mom, the logistical machine. The buzzkill. The “funkiller” if you ask my kids.

But this spring? I got to be more.

I got to be the road trip DJ, the french fry sharer, the bedtime snuggler. I got to be there for quiet mornings and late night chats in the hotel room. The stuff that happens inbetween games, when it’s just you and your kid and a little extra time together.

So yeah. We were tired. The gear definitley didn’t dry all the way. And yes, I had moments where I second guessed everything (like when I had to break up a Nerf battle in the hotel hallway).

But I said yes to spring hockey.

And in return, we got a little more life out of this crazy sport that sometimes takes so much, but gives back even more.

Would I do it again?

Ask me next spring but my heart already knows the answer. 💗