Something Special

I got to see something special tonight. I was honored to be selected to work playoffs for the AHA this year and worked the home series for Air Force against Army. The Black and Blue rivalry is strong, storied and may be one of the best in all of college hockey.

Tonight's game was tight, tough and hard hitting. And it was close right up to the very end. But despite Air Force coming out ahead, I only saw winners on the ice when the final horn went off. Despite the agony of defeat, I saw future comrades embracing, congratulating and consoling each other in the handshake line. I saw some of our best and brightest pass before me.

And at the end, when the home team typically salutes their fans at center ice, both teams stood around the circle. Both teams saluted the fans. Finally, both teams took their respective blue lines and stood stock still while both alma maters were played.

And that was the final piece that got me. Despite the rivalry, despite the athletic aggression that took place on the ice, they will soon be looking after each other. All of them will serve our country in the coming years. These young men truly will go to war together and will support each other regardless of the history that was made on the ice.

I was honored just to get to see both games and more honored to get to share the ice with these outstanding young men.

Reflections on another season of hockey

I was looking back through some of my older blog entries...particularly September of last year. It feels like we have come such a long way in our life. We are now seasoned parents. Our life with Emiko has settled and follows a standard routine. We continue to make plans for the future of this family rather than simply living in the here and now.

But what caught me most was my early realization that it would be difficult to leave home for hockey. This has changed over the past seven months but only for the worse. As Emi becomes more and more involved in the world around her, I find it even harder to be away from her during her waking hours.

Nonetheless, I have continued to work at night (and the day!). I was looking back at the past season. I am no longer the rookie official in the CHL and AHA. I have worked plenty of games but I still felt honored every time I was assigned another game.

I worked 12 pro games over the course of the season and 15 NCAA Div 1 games including 3 playoff games. It truly was a great season as I felt comfortable on the ice and felt like I belonged out there with great hockey players and great officials. The schedulers for both leagues have been phenomenal, allowing me flexibility since I had an infant at home and also had a wife completing her Master's.

And now? Hockey is, for the most part, over. I have a charity tournament to work this weekend and some adult clinics to help instruct and then I am pretty much off the hook for the rest of the summer.

What's ahead. Biking, for one. I got out for my first mountain bike ride of the season today. It was good to be out on the dirt and I had been avoiding those rides for fear of injuring myself during the hockey season. But now it is time to cut loose and have some fun. I also want to take some weekends and get Emi familiar with camping and the back of the Land Rover. We'll see how she does but I am positive she will enjoy it.

Summer is ahead and hockey is over. As much as I love the game, it is a much needed respite for myself and for Hope. I'm looking forward to an endless summer.

Preparation Part Deux

Preparation...

The evening I wrote the last "Preparation" post, I was getting ready for a big game. And I found myself chuckling quietly as I was getting ready.

You see, I decided to relace my skates. CC was playing Air Force and I wanted to make sure I was looking my best for the game. So I was putting in new laces. And as I relaced my skates, I realized I had found my idiosyncrasy.

Each skate is reverse laced perfectly. For those of you not in the know, rather than threading the lace through the bottom of the hole, I prefer my skates to be laced from the outside in. This locks the lace in place against the tongue as you tighten your boot and ensures that the skate does not become loose as you skate.

Additionally, I dress each lace so it is perfectly flat against the tongue of my skate. If it twists, I find you are more likely to end up with hot spots or, worse, lace bite. I once had lace bite so bad that just my pants resting against the bridge of my ankles was pure torture. Putting my skates on became pure hell.

And finally, when relacing my skates, I always lace them so the lace coming from the outside crosses over the top of the lace coming from the inside.

It's the little things!

Atlantic Hockey Association

I received my schedule for the first half of the NCAA season. No complaints but I'm going to busy. This will certainly be a test for Hope and me as we adjust to life as working parents. But all good assignments and I am very pleased to see that I will be working the Air Force v CC game in December. What fun!