What Hockey Has Done For My Son
Written by: Nicole ZonanaHockey,
I remember the first day our boy’s feet hit the ice. I still see it in my head like it was yesterday, his helmet looking like it was so big it was going to tip him over. He ran across the ice at full speed, not knowing yet how to skate. He was so determined to shoot a puck, that he refused to let go of his hockey stick to figure out how to skate. It took him an hour to figure it out. And then it was done…and he was hooked. It’s an affliction for many, and while I loved his love for this incredible game, I had no idea just how much this game would give him in return.
He was a shy guy. He still can be at times. Breaking through those barriers and pushing him out of his comfort zone is something that we always kept in our heads as his parents. Hockey gave him the opportunity. It gave him locker room laughs…after game dinners…travel weekends and hotel antics…lifting team mates up…team mates lifting him up….helping them when they were down, on the ice and off the ice….bonds that will never break…friendships he’ll carry with him for the rest of his life. Hockey gave him brotherhood.
Hockey taught him some of the tough life lessons that they all learn. I remember drying the tears of a kid not making the team he had his heart set on. The heartbreak of being left behind that they all face at some point. But an incredible thing followed. We got to watch the resolve of a child who channeled that loss into tenacity….fighting his way to being a better player through sweat and work. Scoring a game-winning goal against the team that cut him. Finding his confidence. Most of all, we got to watch him learn that he would get out what he put in, and that hard work is a fantastic thing. Hockey gave him grit. Perseverance. Hockey taught him how to take the lumps and turn it into passion and drive, and leave it all out on the ice.
He learned about people. Through coaches who showed belief in him. Through coaches who did not. He’s met inspirational leaders who he will never ever forget. And he’s learned that there are also people who would do anything to drag you down. Hockey has taught him those realities, and he’s learned how to navigate them.
He’s 14, and his passion to play and to progress is stronger than it’s ever been, taking him away from home this year. We are doing all we can to support his drive. Our family looks different from most at the moment. With the unrelenting support of his Dad by his side, doing everything from assisting the coach to laundry to homeschooling to cooking meals, and Mom holding down the fort back home and traveling to them as much as humanly possible, we are making it work. Hockey gave our son maturity, shaping him into a young man, enabling him to take a leap of faith in himself to do something different because he loves it that much. And hockey gave this mama the strength to let go, just a little bit.
I’m missing my boy today, being far from him for the moment while he plays his game. I’m so proud of how far he’s come, from that shy little boy running across the ice, to the young man he’s grown into. He’s become a person who knows what it is to sacrifice and to believe in himself, even when it’s a struggle. He’s got many more years and lessons ahead, and I get to watch it all. It’s strange to feel so much gratitude to a “thing”. A sport. A game. But it’s more than that. When people say that hockey is a way of life, it’s true. But even that doesn’t really capture what I’m trying to say. Hockey is a teacher. It teaches them the best and the worst things in life. Its beauty and its ugliness. And how to move through it all and to love something for better or for worse. It’s a life changer.
Hockey is a gift.