Out of Control Hockey

 what a crazy weekend!  My son's hockey team was involved in a State level tournament this weekend and we had a game friday afternoon, and 2 games yesterday.  Now, while we have one of the biggest hockey programs in the state, we aren't even a little fish in a big pond when you're talking about the state level.  Other areas eat, sleep, and breathe this stuff, while we tend to mix it in with other things, such as soccor or football. Because of football last fall and that some of the kids  are freshman this year and now on the high school hockey team, the team that actually qualified for this tournament is not the same team that has been playing for the last 3 months.  So we quickly reassembled these kids, had 1 whole practice, and away we went.

The first game only 1 ref showed up.  It was ugly from the get go.  Apparently playing dirty is something they teach these kids at an early age.  And there is no way 1 ref is going to see all the sh*t going on out there.  Anyhow, it was near the end of the 3rd period when one of their big thugs leveled Michelle with a cheap elbow to her head.  Now, Michelle is an awesome hockey player, but she is only 110 pounds soaking wet.  (I'm thinking if I was her mother she wouldn't be playing with the boys any more, they are just too big)  As she's laying on the ice writhing in pain, first her father runs over to the gate to get on the ice.  He has been a coach in the past and is used to being able to assist players.  But he's not a coach and he cannot go on the ice.  So his college-age son climbs up on the glass and starts yelling at the ref about allowing dirty play.  The ref leaves the ice, screaming for someone to call the cops, and Michelle's mother gets her son out of there before the other team's fans are about to stomp on him.  It was scary for a minute.  Anyhow, Michelle is observed overnight and they decide she does not have a concussion and can play again on Sunday.  Oh, we lost 2-1.

We arrive at the rink yesterday morning to see the team we had lost to losing 5 - 0.  But the team that was winning was our second game of this day and they were even dirtier!  And word had gotten out that there are 2 girls on out team and we overheard the boys saying they were going to take them out early in the game. Of course this just sets our boys on edge and the stage is set.  Anyhow, the first game is tied as time is winding down, and our coach pulls the goalie to get an extra attacker on the ice.  I love when he does this!  He gets the team psyched and tells them"we're playing to win, not playing not to lose!"  I love that.  It ended in a tie anyhow.

We have 6 or 7 hours to kill between games but the kids are ready to go again at 5.  This team we're playing is incredibly dirty.  Cheap punches, lots of hooking, lots of playing the body and not the puck.  But there are 2 refs and they are doing their best to keep control of the game.  It's just not happening.  Halfway thru the 2nd period a little squirmish breaks out in corner, and this team is swinging away taking any punch they can.  Now our team is just not taught to play like that, but I have to hand it to them, they do not back down.  Our toughest guy Jason, is involved with someone much bigger and my son comes over to get this goon off of him.  Jason drops his stick and he and Matt are heading back to the bench when someone jumps my son from behind.  At the same time there are about 6 other players still fighting but my son is now under this huge pile of kids!  I have to say he held his own, especially considering how he was blindsided.  It took the refs a few minutes to figure it all out, and they did a pretty crappy job.  Matt was the first one to get tossed, and he was not a happy camper.  He had a few choice words for the ref on his way out and I have to admit I was not upset about it.  He's the biggest kid out there and rarely uses his body.  We're always telling him to use his size to his advantage, but he's just aggressive like that.  But he will not back down when sucker punched and I have to admire him for that.  Anyhow, 5 kids were tossed, 3 of them ours. 

So it's rather comical that he was the first one thrown out for fighting.  I ran to the locker room, a place I have not set foot in for many years now, and told him how proud I was of him.  He handled himself well.  He was pretty upset that he was out of the game, and it was only halfway thru. Then one of the tournament officials realized that the locker rooms were right next to each other and sent a few adults to moniter the hallway.  Good idea. 

There has been so much in the news lately about incidents at hockey games and I don't understand what has happened to this game.  It used to be a game of skill and finesse and now it is a game of thugs.  Pretty sad.  I was pretty sure we would not escape the weekend without making the nightly news.  Needless to say, we lost the 3rd game and did not advance to today's round.  Just as well.

Ok, I've rambled on long enough, thanks for reading my journal entry!