Hockey Mom Day

By Melissa Walsh

​What do hockey moms do on Mother’s Day? They go to the rink of course.

With most youth hockey players participating in Spring hockey, hockey- mom duties continue well beyond the arrival of May flowers. At least one of my boys has had a game or tourney each Mother’s Day for the past several years. The first season or two I was somewhat bent out of shape over the situation. “C’mon,” I would protest seeing the Spring schedule. “Can’t we even get Mother’s Day off.”

I came to realize that, no, hockey moms do not get Mother’s Day off, but we get used to it. I dare say, we even learn to enjoy being at a rink on our special day.

My best hockey-mom Mother’s Day memory happened years ago in Toronto, where my oldest son’s team was participating in a weekend tournament. In the hotel, getting ready for the rink early that Sunday morning, my son announced, “Mom, the coach said there’s a team meeting downstairs.”

So I followed my Squirt down to the lobby. One of the coaches directed me and the other moms to a conference room. “Everyone’s in there,” he said.

Lo and behold, our little Squirt hockey players had planned a wonderful surprise for the moms. They served us breakfast and gave us flowers. It was certainly more pampering than I would have received at home.

Ever since, I don’t complain about having to be at the rink on Mother’s Day. It’s become part of our family’s Mother’s Day tradition. I can’t imagine the holiday without hockey — watching my boys play, catching the NHL playoffs, and then playing in my Sunday night league with my hockey-mom buddies. Mother’s Day doesn’t get any better than that.
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I’d love to hear about your hockey-mom Mother’s Day memories. Send them to me via Twitter @powerplaywriter or my Facebook page.

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​© 2011 Melissa Walsh