I never thought I would grow up and become a Hockey Mom. After all, I grew up in a warm climate without an NHL team in sight. I spent my days outside playing soccer and riding my bike, not chasing a puck around an ice rink.
Yet both my son and daughter play ice hockey. Their dad got them started early. Turns out they absolutely love the sport! And because they love ice hockey, I love it, too.
As our family has embraced the game, I have noticed certain characteristics I’ve taken on in recent years that identify me as a bona fide Hockey Mom.
Here’s my fun list of reasons you might be a Hockey Mom. I hope other Hockey Moms can relate.
You might be a Hockey Mom if…
- You carry a blanket with you at all times. There’s at least one in your trunk or backseat, ready to wrap around your body to stave off the chilly rink temperatures.
- You know the really, really cold rinks from the just plain cold rinks. Isn’t it odd that not all ice rinks are the same level of freezing? Good thing you always have that blanket in your car.
- Your car seems to drive itself to the rink. Yup, you’ve driven your player back and forth so many times, in all kinds of weather, that your vehicle could easily navigate there itself. In fact, I bet the self-driving cars in development were inspired by a Hockey Mom and her never-ending rink runs!
- You’d buy a new stick for your child before you’d buy a new outfit. And it probably doesn’t bother you, either.
- You know someone who owns a cowbell. There’s at least one parent on every team (maybe it’s you) that rings it with gusto when cheering for their team. More cowbell indeed.
- You think the refs are all crazy (even as you practice good sportsmanship of course.) Because they are crazy every time they call a penalty against your child or team that really wasn’t a penalty. And what about all those other penalties the other team committed that the refs missed?
- You think the other team’s parents are all crazy. Because let’s face it, those other parents ringing their cowbells and complaining that the refs missed a call are crazy.
- You know what phrases like “bar down” and “two and ten” mean. In fact, you are proficient in hockey slang, sprinkling words like “biscuit,” “five-hole” and “celly” throughout your conversations.
- You refer to your child by their birth year or age division. “Oh, he’s a 2012,” you might say. Or “My daughter’s playing U10.”
- You know all the kids’ nicknames on the team, but you can’t remember their parents’ first names. “Oh, there’s Jame-O,” you say as your child’s teammate arrives at the rink. “And Jame-O’s parents,” you finish sheepishly, even though you’ve sat next to Jame-O’s parents for 24 games this season.
- You’ve lost entire weekends sitting in ice rinks watching games. Whether you’re watching your child play in another tournament, or just watching league games on Saturdays and Sundays, you get nothing done most weekends besides cheering for your favorite players.
- You’ve spent gobs of money on hockey equipment, hotels and let’s not forget skill cranes, vending machines and snack bars to keep younger siblings entertained. Once they’re old enough, though, they’ll be able to join their own hockey team. Then you can spend hundreds of dollars on their ice fees and tournaments. At least you’ll already have the equipment to pass down!
Finally, you might be a Hockey Mom if you love to watch your child play hockey.
That last one is my favorite, obviously. I might never have guessed that I’d grow up to be a Hockey Mom, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Katy M. Clark is a writer and mom of two who celebrates her imperfections on her blog Experienced Bad Mom.
