In my home neighborhood as a boy, hockey was not a primary sport, by any means. By chance, I found it,… and when I did, I fell hard. The speed, the sounds, the physicality, grace, and drama of each game make the world go ‘round for me.
As a young boy, it’s all I wanted to do. I ate, slept, and breathed ice hockey. I learned everything I could about the game and its history. Circumstances kept me from ready access to ice time, but I did everything I could otherwise. I was lucky to infect my friends around me with a fondness for the game, which gave me an outlet to play the game myself.
Family matters!
My first son owned a pair of hockey skates before he left the delivery room. As he grew I’d test the fit until that first day that they almost fit, and we went to the rink. My second son followed the same routine. My sons have multiple state hockey championships to their credit. Today, we’ve all been playing organized hockey for a combined 70 years, and I have ice hockey to thank for so many wonderful friends that I’ve skated with through the years. Even a bad game makes for a good day.
My favorite NHL team is the Pittsburgh Penguins (my home town), and the team I get to see most when in Europe is Löwen Frankfurt
