Elite Hockey Shooters

The Holidays

The Christmas Holidays are a excellent time of year.  Gatherings with family, great meals the fun and games of seeing cousins that you havn’t in a while and the sharing of stories.  We used to play this game at Christmas, a gift exchange, you know when everyone brings one present and you pick numbers and when your numbers comes up you can pick a present or steal a present from someone else… Such good times.  Oh and the food, man I used to fill my stomach till I was nearly sick.  Turkey and gravy and all the fixings.  Christmas pies and chocolate galore.

Ahhhh…. Such amazing times and memories with the family.  I can still remember the last time I enjoyed this…… 6 years ago.

6 years without a family Christmas or New Years. 6 years of calling home and hearing how everyone was having a great time and I was stuck in Wichita Kansas, Boise Idaho, Manchester England and the last two years Glasgow Scotland.  The only extended period at home on the holidays was when I attended UBC and was able to be at home for Christmas but in my years in Jr. hockey I only ever got 4 days off to come home for the holidays and I have played a hockey game on Boxing day since I was 16 years old.  I have missed so much fun memories and family time it is unbelievable.

Some of the players I have played with have family come visit them and lots of guys live with their wives and have their kids with them.  But for those of us who are single and do not have family come visit, it is a lonely time.  Pro hockey is about making money right, drawing fans into the arena and what better time to do that than when most people are on holidays and are looking to get out of the house and do something fun with their kids and families so this is why we usually play lots of games over the holidays.  Usually games are scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays, not over the holiday period.  We play on Mondays and Tuesdays and every day they can put a game.  This does not give us much time off.  Yes we had a few days off, yes just 2.

But this is not to say we don’t find time to enjoy ourselves.  You need to fill the time of you will be filled with thoughts of how much you are missing and how you miss your family.  So being in Europe, guys travel.  You have to take advantage of a situation and turn it into a positive.  Last year a few of the players and I went to Spent 4 days there between Malaga and Barcelona and 1 day in Dublin.  This year I couldn’t get anyone to go with me so I traveled to Amsterdam, just 1 full day but was there over 3.

This was the first ever traveling I have done by myself and realized I do enjoy it more when there is someone to share the experiences with.  Not to say I didn’t love Amsterdam, it’s a place I have always wanted to travel to… but traveling with the boys is so much more fun.  But I had to fill my time somehow right.  No one wants to sit at home and feel sorry for themselves.  And my Christmas day this year, I slept in, made some pasta, called friends and family back home and watched Happy Feet on tv.  Not your traditional Christmas Day, but what is the norm for a single professional hockey player.