When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master.
Funny how things go. Like how all the players score their first NHL goals against Vancouver. Or Wayne Gretzky and his record setting goal scored against Vancouver….
In Kiyoshi’s life of firsts, he watched his first hockey game, just days out of the hospital (3 days old, still stinging from the Game 7 embarrassment) at Trico Arena. Today, he played his first ever game! Yes at Trico Arena.
Okay so here goes the first tournament weekend. I’ll post tournament pics later, but this part couldn’t wait. It’s funny how things come around and here we are 5 years later back at the same rink and now it’s Kiyoshi on the ice while his Dad goes into semi retirement. But so funny.
And on the track of learner becoming the master, here are a couple of semi pro Timbit hockey pictures.
And I have to add some context to put this in perspective. One of his first practices, I’m on the bench taking pictures because I’m a (sort of) team photographer. Team photographer was one of the volunteer roles that I didn’t volunteer for. I told them I wouldn’t make all the practices but the ones I show up for I would have my camera. So anyways, I’m on the bench taking pictures and Kiyoshi comes over to the bench and gives me the backwards Italian hand wave and says “come on Dad”. I said I can’t come on the ice pal, I have to stay here. He says no come here. . . so I watch as he skates across the ice . . . and stands beside the penalty box . . . “Daddy you sit here!”….. awesome. Thanks Kiyoshi, for announcing that to the entire arena.
And how is it that he thinks that’s where I would be sitting … a good question … for another time
So now, there he is on his own uncoached mission. He’s chasing this kid around the ice tugging on his jersey and then he finally grabbed on his jersey and I’m sure there’s a one sided conversation going on here and it went along the lines of “hey I’m talking to you”. He’s tugging on this kids jersey and they finally stop and now there’s a whole other conversation going on.
So… now I have to put the camera down because this whole other conversation involves a lot of angry face Kiyoshi and pointing his finger at this kid and now I’m looking over at Mommy from across the media booth and we’re thinking oh boy are we going to need to go over there… or we might be the first parents in history to get suspended from Timbits hockey…. but just then the on ice coaches / “referees” got over there and then all was mostly well again. Awkward!
After the game we asked him hey what happened with that kid and he bursts out “Yes that #11, he pushed me down!!!!”. Hmmmm. He’s 5. And he’s taking numbers of the guys on the ice. I fear we will be getting personalized towels and water bottles for him to keep in the penalty box.
And the funny part (or not funny part) is that we don’t watch much NHL. Everyone at my work that I told about this says you guys must watch a lot of hockey. But we don’t. Except that he’s watched his Dad play a few times… but I don’t rage on the ice (often), only by accident and maybe it happened to be at the one of the games he happened to be at…. maybe…. Darth Tyrannus tells young Skywalker “You have hate…you have anger…but you don’t use it!”. He’s actually never seen that movie either so I have no idea where this chasing down a kid that hit him and having words with him came from. Certainly not from his parents! 😇😇😡