“I want to learn to ice skate.” These are seven words I never thought I wanted to hear from my son. Why not? It can only lead to one thing – I was about to become a hockey mom.
The definition of Hockey Moms in the dictionary says: “noun. A mother who spends much of her spare time transporting her children to and from ice hockey practices and games.”
The meaning is more than the “mother of a hockey player.” It refers to a mom dedicated to doing everything for her kid who wants to play hockey.
Hockey Mom 101
1. Getting your younger skaters dressed is a sport itself.
There is actually an order of operations for the abundance of equipment they need to wear. Tying their skates and snapping their helmet takes herculean finger strength (eventually, they learn it all for themselves, and it becomes uncool for mom to help).
2. There is a mom wardrobe.
Every hockey mom needs a few VERY important items – a warm hat (preferably the one with your kids’ team name), a warm coat, shearling-lined boots, a warm blanket (probably the one the team sold at the beginning of the season), and an endless supply of hot coffee in an insulated travel cup (note some games are extremely early so being caffeinated is a MUST).
3. Learn the game and get ready to learn a lot of new vocab words.
Shoot, pass, watch the point, ice the puck, dump and change, roughing, tripping, cross-check, high stick, clean check, face-off, off sides, and more.
4. The bag stinks.
In our house, it’s known as the stinky bag (can you smell it from there). The only thing worse than the stench of a hockey locker room is a hockey equipment bag. Make sure you open it and air it out every time your child plays. TRUST ME. And invest in a solid anti-odor eliminator (maybe even stock in the company).
5. Plan on two dinners.
Midweek practices tend to be at the average dinner time in most houses – 6 p.m. Therefore, my player ends up eating two dinners – one at 4:30 (with time to digest) and 8:30 (because they come home starving). Plan on twice the food budget during hockey season.
6. You become a hockey family.
The moms I have met along the way are special friends. We are lucky to travel to out-of-town tournaments, which means pizza parties by the pools and dinners out with teammates. We’re in this together, and hockey is the only sport where I look forward to nights when we have practices and games. This means I get to hang out with my hockey family!
Being a hockey mom is a lot more work than I bargained for. But this experience has been so valuable for my son that it’s worth it. He has found an outlet for his competitive nature and energy. I may never understand why they don’t always call icing, but as long as he wants to play, I will gladly don my boots and parka and schlep him to the rink.
Stephanie and her family live in Irvington. Born and raised in Long Island, Stephanie moved to Westchester in 2007. She is the Executive Director of the Sleepy Hollow Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce. She has a degree in Business Management from Tulane University. Stephanie is passionate about fitness and health. She is married and has two teenage sons. Her Australian Labradoodle, Bryson, is now her favorite child!
