Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It’s 5am, Saturday morning when you feel your father’s gentle touch on your shoulder whispering “let’s go, you have hockey practice”. You jump up all excited and quickly get dressed. It’s -30 degrees Celsius outside, the house windows are all frosted and as you step outside, the cold wind quickly sends chills down your spine. You run into the car that’s still frozen even though it’s been running for 10 minutes. When you pull into the rink parking lot, it’s almost empty. By the time you get out of your car and grab your hockey bag from the trunk, the parking lot is full. You’re greeted by the sound of your teammates and parents saying “Allo, Bonjour, Hi, Good morning”. You make your way into the locker-room which is almost as cold as outside and you dress as quickly as you can laughing the whole time at the random jokes and stories that your teammates are shouting. You wait for your coach to open the door to the rink. There is no better feeling in the world than taking your first couple of strides on a freshly cut sheet of ice. The coach blows the whistle and everyone speeds towards him so he can draw up your first drill. After the drill is completed, you skate by your coach and he gently taps you on your shins and says “Not bad for a 10 year old”. Your face lights up and a big smile emerges at the acknowledgement that you did the drill right. You look up at the stands and your father is smiling as well, giving you the thumps up for a job well done. After hockey practice, all the parents decide to warm up by going to Tim Horton’s for a bowl of hot chicken soup. You sit with your teammates while your father sits with the other parents. You’re now on top of the world.

It’s 7:30pm and the whole family gathers in the living room. It’s Hockey Night in Canada and the Canadiens are playing the Boston Bruins. You all cheer when the Habs take to the ice as if you’re at the game. You all stand and proudly sing the national anthem with your hand on your heart. The Habs score and everyone in the house is jumping up and down as if they’ve just won the lottery. Living in an apartment, you can hear the cheers from your neighbours as well. You know they’re watching the same thing. The Habs win and all is right in the world. You go to bed with a smile on your face.

The next day your doorbell rings. Your teammate who lives across the street is standing at your doorway holding his hockey stick and his skates over his shoulders. You run to your mom and before you can say anything she says “Go, have fun”. You anxiously get your skates and stick and start your journey towards the outdoor hockey rink that’s half a kilometer away. Along the way, you knock on more doors and what started out as two, quickly becomes ten. When you reach the rink, you sit on the frozen snow banks and put on your skates. You grab the shovels and clear any snow that’s on the ice. You’re now ready to play. Some more kids make their way to the rink. You throw your sticks in a pile at center ice and begin throwing them in the opposing zones to separate the teams. You get some kids on your team that you’ve never seen before but you play with them as if they’ve been your friends your whole life.

It’s 5am on Saturday again when you walk into your son’s room and gently tap him on the shoulder whispering “let’s go, you have hockey practice”. It’s still cold outside but you now have an automatic starter and a car that heats up faster. You make your way to the rink with a smile on your face as you look at your son’s enthusiastic face through the rear view mirror. A tear of happiness starts to make its way in the corner of your eye as you think back to the time you spent with your father and the time you’re now spending with your son due to the game of hockey. You reach the rink and nothing has changed. It’s déjà vu all over again. Only difference, you’re now the parent sitting in the stands smiling down at your boy and giving him the thumps up. This is the cycle of life, the cycle of hockey.

Life is full of ups and downs, struggles and victories, success and failure. However, whether you’re an adult or a kid, nothing else in the world matters once you take those first couple of strides on a freshly cut sheet of ice. Life stands still and you’re at peace.

Dedicated to all the hockey families across Canada and around the world.

GHC.