Hockey Hockey Hockey!

I have the feeling that this will be a common title through out this winter....

Since we didn't have plans for the long weekend we put Grady in a hockey tourney.  Many people thought we were crazy for choosing to spend more time at the rink, but the best part about this tourney was that they took friend requests.  So, for the first time ever, Grady got tot play on the same team as 2 of his besties from school.  And honestly, the weather was crap so it was nice to have indoor plans.

While he was happy on the ice with his friends, the rest of the family was happy to have some familiar faces in the crowd with younger siblings to play with.  Let's be honest, the littles didn't watch even a bit of hockey!

Here are my favorite team 'Edmonton' players from the weekend.

Alex, Jayden, Grady

Grady wore his orange socks from Timbits all weekend and personally, I LOVED it.  I could always find him on the ice. I told him he should wear them all season and he told me he wanted to match the team.  #itried

We had a bit of growing pains after the first game.  Last year, Grady was the best player on his team.  He scored most of the goals each game and had many breakaways.  This year he is a first year novice player and is not going to be the best and he has to accept it and get used to it, but not easy to tell a seven year old.

After the first game Grady came off in tears because he didn't get a goal and he didn't get the MVP medal.  He was trying to hold the tears back but his eyes were red and starting to water.  It broke my heart.  We explained what he needed to do to get the medal and reminded him that  he was not always going to the best.

The second game he went out with a much better attitude.

With less than a minute left in the second game, Grady got his first goal.  He was absolutely thrilled.  I had been sitting in the spectator area with the Moms and I was so excited to give him a high five as he played a great defensive game and skated hard.  I was surprised to see him sitting in the dressing room wearing the MVP medal around his neck.

 

I was so so proud of him.  

Over the course of the weekend we lost all 4 games.  They were close games.  The third game came right down to the last minute and the other team won 17-15.  Grady scored 4 goals, or so he told me.  The last game of the tourney was intense and the teams were very well matched.  Those little goalies out there worked their butts off saving goal after goal, but in the end, the other team won.  Our boys still came off the ice with smiles on their face.  Such a great weekend!

I found myself watching and even cheering.  I wanted them to win one game with every ounce of my being because I knew how much it would mean to them.  They worked hard and took every loss is stride.  If that doesn't show a love for the game then I don't know what does.

After the positive experience we had this weekend  I can't wait to be assigned to the kids teams and to start to get to know the kids and parents. That is who we will be spending the winter with after all!

Here is a little snippet from the last game as Grady takes off on a breakaway (in the orange socks).

Havoc from Christy R on Vimeo.

It wasn't only Grady who played hockey this weekend.... After we wrapped up Grady's tournament, we headed back to the rink last night to kick off Cooper's Timbit season.   

Isn't he the cutest little hockey player ever?

Our little Cooper is not yet 5 years old, not in Kindergarten, but that boy can skate!  He chose to play Timbits hockey over a development program like he did last year because 'he wanted to be part of a team'.  That is SO Cooper.  He is such a social butterfly.  While Grady is motivated to score and be the best, I think Cooper will be more motivated by the relationships and social aspect of the game.  Like his Momma.

One of his best little preschool friends happened to be on the same ice time of us and they spent the whole hour doing the drills and chatting.  He was thrilled.

So if you are looking for us from 430 to 530 one evening this week, you'll find us at the rink cheering on Cooper at his camp.  

Overall it was a great weekend and I am sad to see it come to an end.