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Thank god there’s a Timmies (Tim Hortons is a coffee shop - for my American friends) not too far from where we live, it makes the whole notion of getting up at an un-godly hour in the morning on the weekend, just that much more bearable. Ok rant aside, it’s really quite entertaining to be honest.

Comon seriously how can you not find a gaggle of 5,6 and 7 yrs olds suited up in the latest high tech body armour doing battle on the ice chasing a puck around for an hour each morning on the weekends.

What usually takes place is a mad dash at the very last minute to get him up, though I must say to his credit that he’s very motivated to be up that early, wish I could say the same. O h now I know you’re thinking what an dick I am not wanting to get up and take your kid to hockey. Ok yeah so… whats your point, I would have no objection to his hockey practice being at NOON.

Then after firing some food down his throat we rush him into the car. Then go collide with other hockey parents at Timmies.

Rush to get a parking spot at the arena and then do it all over again in the change room. Bashing into the other parents there and swapping forgotten pieces of body armor. Getting him suited up like a knight ready for battle with the ice dragon.

Keeping in mind all this takes place within about 35 minutes. Then shuffle him out the door into the arena where they watch and wait in anticipation of the Zamboni finishing off its pirouettes on the ice.

Here you can see the army waiting to get at it..

Did I mention he’s a Tim Bit.

The Schedule varies from week to week the earliest were at it is a 7 am hockey game/practice which means up at 6 am!!.

A typical Hockey hockey weekend for him is a practice on saturday which usually entails

• some skating drills
• a bit of stick handling practice
• Some passing drills (gotta learn to share the puck)
• A stick handling race around some pilons against another team mate, they have to rush to get the puck and then stick handle it around a pilon then fire it at the goalie, which usually ends up in a high speed collision with set goalie and both of them in the net, with the puck hermetically sealed between the two of them. Like I said its very entertaining.
• Oh did I mention they have to learn to skate backwards?, yeah they do, what this means to Aidan is do a little wiggle of his but so his skates sort of mimic whats happening in his hips, a quick head fake to see where the coach is and then spinning around (cheating) and skating forwards.

And then Sunday is game day!!

Because it is hickey season and we’re a hockey family He gets to stay up late on game night. Great tutoring the NHL is for kids. What I have been pointing out this him is to go to the net and wait for the puck to pop up or rebound , bounce if you like off of the goalie or other players. He sees Fisher from the Sens do this.

While this may sound like a great a strategy and it is, whats funny is how he incorporates this and makes it his own. He doesn’t wait for the face-off to happen he just rushes the net (off side) and cherry picks in front of the net. Waits for the others to get some where near the net and then bangs his stick on the ice demanding the puck.

Again like I said all very entertaining. After his practice/games he is usually soaked from helmet to skate and covered in a thick coating of ice dust from spending so much time on his butt, along with other kids. Man you should see them up one second down the next cleaning the ice with their butts. Despite the fact that it all takes place before 8 am on a weekend morning it is quite the show and very much worth the torture of being up that early.

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