I don’t recall if Morgan and I had ever had a conversation about him liking or playing hockey prior to the seeing the flyer he had in his backpack from school that day. In fact, I don’t even know that he knew it was in there. The first thing I noticed on the flyer was the large-type font at the bottom that said, “financing options available.” Little League and elementary wrestling fees at this point had been somewhere between $20.00-$60.00. I guess I had no idea about how much some things cost. I tossed the flyer into the trash – we probably couldn’t have afforded it at that point in time anyway, but looking back maybe I should have given it more thought.
Then Tyler brought home another kind of hockey flyer. This one was for a Saturday deck hockey league over at Ozzy’s, and he said he’d like to try it. It was a great set-up: 12 weeks, Saturday mornings from 9:00-10:00 or 10:00-11:00, for only $60.00. And for a refundable $20, you could borrow a helmet and shin-guards so all you needed was your own stick. Tyler played the first season solo and it went well – once and done, he got in some exercise and we still had the day ahead of us. When the next season arrived, I convinced Morgan to give it a shot since we were going there each week for Tyler anyway.
They played together for a number of seasons. Morgan picked up roller-blading pretty well, so when he saw they had a roller league he became interested in that too. Tyler stayed at deck, and eventually, Christian and Gabriel even got into the deck mix. I remember the first roller game Morgan and I arrived at, the kids’ seemed older and bigger than the deck kids, and surely everyone is taller when they are wearing roller-blades. Slightly intimidated, but after a little help from his coach he finally got out and played. He did very well, and I enjoyed watching him play.
Around seventh grade, after a conversation at church with the parent of an SVIH player, we saw an opportunity to get Morgan started in club ice hockey at Body Zone. Travel still wasn’t on the radar, so this league being cheaper and close to home was looking good. So we paid the fees, bought some and were blessed with the rest of equipment we needed, and ordered his jerseys and socks. Boy did he seem so small!
The hockey program was really good, and there were many volunteers who worked hard for the kids and went above and beyond to make it special. The fees were reasonable, and each player even received their school “letter” jacket when they started at the HS level. They mostly played and practiced on the ice rinks at Body Zone, where many of the other schools also played, but a few times a season they also played on the Reading Royals ice in the Santander Arena in Reading. I was really proud of him, watching him grow into his jersey and himself. One of the things I personally like about hockey is that you have these strong boys, who always look tougher and rougher and bigger when they’ve suited up, but at the same time they are so graceful and fluid as they skate around on the ice – even when they are body-checking another player into the boards. And so they don’t only need to master the game and all that it is, but they must also be able to match those skills in balance and agility as well on a pair of metal blades totaling less than an inch together combined. Morgan has great athletic abilities – he makes it look easy.
I blinked as though mere seconds passed instead of seasons and years, and it’s already Senior Night. The SVIH club puts together a really nice little ceremony to honor the Seniors. They decorate with balloons, and gift bags, and their jerseys are displayed along the top of the rinks’ glass walls. They are each announced in name, with a brief history and plans for after graduation. Then each presents their mom with a bouquet of flowers, and escorts their parents onto the ice for a photo before lining up with the rest of the Seniors on the team. I live with this boy, but I can’t seem to figure out when he got as tall as he seems on this night. Morgan held my hand as we went out onto the ice together. I didn’t want to let go of that hand…the one that I swear was once was so tiny I could fit it in my palm.
I like sports, but I’m not the mom that can be found cheering loudly or yelling instruction from the sidelines, and I’ve never volunteered to coach only because I’ve never felt like I knew enough about any games’ rules to be effective. But if I have a chance to be in the background somewhere, I’m glad to help out. I absolutely LOVE keeping the scoresheet, recording the important things of the game, and – the best part, at least to me, is being in between the penalty boxes, which are right next to the benches. I get to hear all the stuff going on – the excitement, the change-ups, the calls, grumblings while penalties are being served, who made a goal and who assisted, and I get to chat with other parents about the game and their kids while we are enclosed in the box. I’m really thankful for those times. Just recently, I lucked out that Morgan got a penalty while I was in there for his last season too.
Fortunately, sort of, his last season ended on somewhat of a higher note. The team made it through to the Championship game, losing to the only team that beat them during those rounds of playoffs – and yes, they went down swinging. It was a great game – both teams deserved to win, I think.
Morgan’s Playoff Hockey 2019 from Oliver H. Perry on Vimeo.
Morgan’s Championship Game 2018 from Oliver H. Perry on Vimeo.
I’m happy to see my boys play any sport that they enjoy. It gives me a chance to get to see each sport from a different angle, and a chance to like it for them too and not just for me. But that said, ice hockey is still my favorite sport over all. Maybe partly because of my dads’ love for it, which keeps a connection to him alive since his passing, but I also enjoy the fast pace. It’s meant a lot to me to be able to watch Morgan play.
I am really really thankful that it was part of our lives as a family for a good number of years – thankful to God for Morgans’ athletic and physical abilities, thankful for Steve and his provision and support, thankful for all the coaches along the way who encouraged him and helped him grow, and finally for Morgans’ willingness and enjoyment in the sport.
Thank you, Morgan, for these years and for the memories. I will surely miss watching you, #62. 🙂
Love, Mom.
