Hockey Party!

Yesterday it was back to hockey after three days off.  The week had one of those scheduling anomalies that involved only two Penguins games within an eight day span.  For fans like me, those gaps are torturous.

Before the game against Chicago, Gregory had a birthday party to attend.  His friend Codie turned eight, and he was hosting a hockey-themed sledding party.

The two boys have been friends since Codie's mom baby-sat Gregory and Olivia.  You may recall mention of him in "Our Little Secret" as the friend who does karate.  After that post, his mom Erin told me of a hockey program they're trying to get Codie into and she was wondering if Greg was interested.  Given the choice of hockey or swim lessons, Greg chose hockey, but the beginners program is still vying for ice time.

The party was at Camp Eastman, just across the road from Lake Ontario.  While there were mounds of snow still on the beach, it had all melted from the ground.  Alas, no sledding.

When we arrived, Codie and his dad, Codie's cousin Bailey, and a friend were shooting around.  I don't think Greg was so sure if he wanted to join in, so he came inside the cabin with us instead.  Soon the kids would all be headed to the playground to burn off a little energy before the indoor activities.

A little later on, the boys were shooting around again.  Gregory picked up a stick, and I showed him how to grip it.  He was still staying back from the net, the other boys, and any of the action.

The ball went back past him into the grass.  He ran back with his stick, lined it up, and tried to hit it toward the others.  One of the older boys made a remark about him golfing.  "Great," I thought.  "The first time he tries to play, someone's going to make fun of him, and he'll never want to do it again."  Maybe he didn't hear, or maybe he didn't care, since he kept playing.

The ball came back to him again, this time on the asphalt.  He steadied it, wound up, and shot it along the ground into the net.  The other boys were amazed because he was further back than any of them.  He did it a couple more times, each time getting a goal and each time impressing the others.  I was so proud of Gregory.  And I told him so.

Most of the boys went back into the party.  I went in to look for George because Greg wanted to see his dad shoot the ball.  "My dad watches hockey," he told the remaining boys.

Codie's party was a lot of fun, and of course we enjoyed his cake that looked like a hockey rink.  There was even a neat light blue translucent glaze over it to make it look like an ice surface.  We hope he enjoys the hockey cards we got for him; we know he'll enjoy spending the gift card.  What kid doesn't?

By the point we arrived home, the Penguins were already into the second period of play.  I watched as they came back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits.  They skated through overtime and took the Hawks to a shoot out.

I'm in the party that believes that one point in a shoot out loss is certainly better than no points, especially considering how depleted our ranks are, but it was a bit of a disappointment still.  I'll be watching for Jordan Staal in tonight's game versus the Caps to see how he made out after taking a Letang shot to the face in the overtime period.

And as pretty as the pass was from Talbot to Cooke for the shorthanded goal in the second frame, the highlight of my day, without a doubt, was watching my son shoot the hockey ball for the first time, seeing him put it in the net, and witnessing how his face lit up when the other boys praised him.  And telling Gregory again before bed just how proud I am of him.