Something about Hockey

Before coming to Seattle, I was told by my old office buddy from last year that Seattle had no ice rinks. I was skeptical. NO ice rink? Not even one?? How's that possible? I shipped my hockey equipment anyway - just in case. Lucky that I did cus there IS an ice rink - it's just a 10-15 min drive away by highway in Renton. It's very apparent when you visit Seattle that hockey is a Canadian sport. Canadians here will talk about hockey over lunch and the Americans will wonder what the big deal is. Americans are very patriotic people - normally, you'll see the American flag hanging outside buildings, hanging over people's doors, hanging in the office, etc. But very rarely will you see a Canadian flag (obviously). The ice rink in Renton had a HUGE Canadian flag hanging on the wall. Of course, there was also an American one next to it but I was a little shocked to see it there. For a moment, walking into that rink, feeling the sudden crisp chill on my face and seeing the players on the ice, made me feel like I was back in Canada. It brought a smile to my face. :)


So I took out the gear and I attended my first ever hockey practice. I've played in intramural games before in Waterloo but the team never had practices - of course the members of the team I used to play with didn't need practice! They've been playing since they could walk. Last night, I practiced with a team of beginners. Players who have just picked up the sport last year or shortly before then. The practice was so good for me. I've never done any sort of drills before so I think that I did pretty well. I skated around pylons and managed to get a better handle on the puck. I practiced taking shots to the net, and also worked on short and long passes. For the last 30 minutes, we played 3 on 3 hockey (the rink was really small) and I scored my first (legit) goal! If i wasn't so out of shape, we could have continued playing but I was completely exhausted by the end of the practice. So far, hockey's the only sport that leaves me soaking wet with sweat after an hour of being on the ice. I'm really beginning to love this sport - it makes a HUGE difference when you are playing with people who are around the same level as you are. Even though I can't be an official member of the team, I'm going to continue going to practice so I can improve my skills and get pointers from the captain / coach of the team. Maybe next year I can take it up and be a member of a team. For now, I'm content going to practices and getting better at my skills.