Another hockey tourna... zzzz...

I'm running out of clever, insightful things to say about hockey. So let's just go with the abbreviated report:

 

It was a busy weekend of hockey, with Sydney playing in a tournament in Moose Lake.

 

 

And it was very cold. Very, very cold.

 

The end.

What? I should say more? At least enough to match up to the photos?

Okay. Sydney played her first game kind of like she played soccer. She was there, but not actively participating. It makes it a challenge as a parent to know what to watch. We could watch the action of the game on one part of the rink. Or we could watch our daughter, who was off skating somewhere else in her own little world.

Jeff and I were stumped. This was certainly nothing we'd ever had to address with AJ. And so we took turns - Jeff first at home while helping her out of her gear, and me later at the rink right before the second game. We told her she needed to help her team. She needed to try and skate hard. She needed to try and touch the puck. We didn't care about how many goals she scored. We just wanted her to do her best.

"But hockey's all about having fun," was her confidant answer to me.

"Yes it is. You're right. But the harder you try, the more fun you're going to have. Trust me," I told her.

"Can I get a treat from the snack shack now?" She asked.

"After the game, IF you play hard."

Game two started. Whether it was the pep talks or the bribes, it worked.

 

Sydney skated hard and paid attention to the game. And when all was said and done, she'd managed to score three goals.

 

And after each, she'd skate by the glass and blow us a kiss.

 

No fist pumps. No dropping to one knee. No stick held high in the air. She blew us a kiss.

 

Just one more example of how boys and girls are different.

 

Game three was Sunday. We did the pep talk again. We offered a bribe of stopping somewhere for lunch afterward. She wasn't quite as good as she'd been in game two, but still much better than the first game.

 

And then came the most exciting part for her. The end of the tournament metal ceremony.

 

 

They butchered the pronunciation of her name (almost rhymed with gazelle), but she still knew it was her turn.

 

 

Guess what's was stored safely in her jewelry box overnight so she could wear it to school today as a necklace. One more difference between girls and boys.