When Hockey Moms Cry
This weekend, Shrek, my intractable, unpredictable guy who looks at life in his own unique way, ("look, the underpass is in the shape of toast") made his mommy cry.
I may have mentioned that in addition to playing hockey on a special needs team, he's been playing goalie on a "Mites C" team. Mites = 5-8 year olds, C = learning to play. Technically he is overage, and he only started being their goalie for practices because he made a deal with his coach. Shrek wanted to play goal, Coach wanted him to skate out for special needs, so in exchange he let him come play practice goalie for the Mite Cs. Eventually they "adopted" him onto the team proper, overlooking his age due to his autism, and he played in their hysterical little cross-ice scrimmages (a handful of kids are quite good, most of the others spend a lot of time getting back up. Still, there was a cross-ice game where he had 51 saves.)
Then he played with them in an exhibition between periods at a Trenton Devils game. All of a sudden, he was pretty darn good, for a kid who had never played ice hockey or goalie. At least, on the days his head was in the game he was good. Sometimes at practice he spaced a little, didn't feel like getting up quickly after a sprawling save, couldn't be bothered to crouch or keep his glove up... the usual with Shrek. You never know what you are getting from day to day.
This weekend, the team reunited to play a tournament at well-known rink. 4 Mite C teams, playing one-hour, half-ice games. Two games Saturday, one Sunday.
We weren't sure how Shrek would handle a tournament with its back-to-back games but decided to give it a shot. Yesterday morning he wasn't at his brightest (stayed upright through much of the game, and often leaning the back of his head against the crossbar) but he still made big saves, 20 saves in the game with 4 goals. It was a notable performance, and it might have been ok, were it not for the shooting skills competition that followed. All players lined up to shoot at the opposing team's goalie, shoot-out style, and were eliminated if they didn't score.
When Shrek let failed to stop a shot by the opposing team's "last man standing" that let him beat our team's "last girl standing", he was devastated. He was in tears in the locker room and swore he was quitting and would never play hockey again. When other parents told him he played well he said "no, I didn't! I made us lose!" A car ride and McDonald's lunch later, all was forgotten and he played the afternoon game. His team was thoroughly outclassed and he made 23 saves, giving up 12 goals. (Our team had 5 shots on goal.)
We wondered whether he was going to want to return for the final game, but when we made the hike to the rink today, the boy was all business. In his crouch, thoroughly attentive, he played like a man possessed. My goalie sauvant made diving, twisting Brodeur-like saves that had everyone on both sides ooh-ing and ahh-ing. Because these kids could skate and shoot. So on came the blocker saves. ("Did you see my blocker save?") Glove saves. Full body covers, with sticks poking at him. Two man breakaways. Three man breakaways, stopped them cold. He was amazing, giving up 5 goals but making 21 saves. I couldn't believe this was Shrek, so focused, so in the zone. So... good!
They played a 20 minute mini game against the team on the schedule, but because the top two teams were so much better than the bottom two teams, they moved our guys to play the other bottom guys for a more evenly matched full game. The boy kept it up, using every inch of his body to block (once again) more than 20 saves, literally spinning from one end of the crease to the other, earning high fives from the ref. The good thing was, even when he was scored on (and even when it was by his own team) he was still happy and focused, gave us a smiling glove wave while shifts were changing. He owned the ice and he knew it. Quite the change from the afternoon before.
So - the game ends, the tournament ends, his teammates jump all over him (even though technically they lost all their games), the teams line up and do their handshakes. Then Shrek's coach calls him over and the tournament organizers hand him a big trophy - he won the goaltending trophy for the tournament!
He takes the trophy, all grins, and proceeds to raise it over his head and skate around the ice. I was so excited I didn't cry then, but I do now, every time I think of it. At first I thought maybe his coach had just gotten it for him, but he told me nope, wasn't him, it was really the tournament goalie trophy.
Shrek? I wouldn't say he was overexcited but he carried the trophy all over the arena and buckled it inside of his seatbelt on the way home. After all, goaltending is "his passion."
Me? I'm so proud I could burst. Even into tears.
I may have mentioned that in addition to playing hockey on a special needs team, he's been playing goalie on a "Mites C" team. Mites = 5-8 year olds, C = learning to play. Technically he is overage, and he only started being their goalie for practices because he made a deal with his coach. Shrek wanted to play goal, Coach wanted him to skate out for special needs, so in exchange he let him come play practice goalie for the Mite Cs. Eventually they "adopted" him onto the team proper, overlooking his age due to his autism, and he played in their hysterical little cross-ice scrimmages (a handful of kids are quite good, most of the others spend a lot of time getting back up. Still, there was a cross-ice game where he had 51 saves.)
Then he played with them in an exhibition between periods at a Trenton Devils game. All of a sudden, he was pretty darn good, for a kid who had never played ice hockey or goalie. At least, on the days his head was in the game he was good. Sometimes at practice he spaced a little, didn't feel like getting up quickly after a sprawling save, couldn't be bothered to crouch or keep his glove up... the usual with Shrek. You never know what you are getting from day to day.
This weekend, the team reunited to play a tournament at well-known rink. 4 Mite C teams, playing one-hour, half-ice games. Two games Saturday, one Sunday.
We weren't sure how Shrek would handle a tournament with its back-to-back games but decided to give it a shot. Yesterday morning he wasn't at his brightest (stayed upright through much of the game, and often leaning the back of his head against the crossbar) but he still made big saves, 20 saves in the game with 4 goals. It was a notable performance, and it might have been ok, were it not for the shooting skills competition that followed. All players lined up to shoot at the opposing team's goalie, shoot-out style, and were eliminated if they didn't score.
When Shrek let failed to stop a shot by the opposing team's "last man standing" that let him beat our team's "last girl standing", he was devastated. He was in tears in the locker room and swore he was quitting and would never play hockey again. When other parents told him he played well he said "no, I didn't! I made us lose!" A car ride and McDonald's lunch later, all was forgotten and he played the afternoon game. His team was thoroughly outclassed and he made 23 saves, giving up 12 goals. (Our team had 5 shots on goal.)
We wondered whether he was going to want to return for the final game, but when we made the hike to the rink today, the boy was all business. In his crouch, thoroughly attentive, he played like a man possessed. My goalie sauvant made diving, twisting Brodeur-like saves that had everyone on both sides ooh-ing and ahh-ing. Because these kids could skate and shoot. So on came the blocker saves. ("Did you see my blocker save?") Glove saves. Full body covers, with sticks poking at him. Two man breakaways. Three man breakaways, stopped them cold. He was amazing, giving up 5 goals but making 21 saves. I couldn't believe this was Shrek, so focused, so in the zone. So... good!
They played a 20 minute mini game against the team on the schedule, but because the top two teams were so much better than the bottom two teams, they moved our guys to play the other bottom guys for a more evenly matched full game. The boy kept it up, using every inch of his body to block (once again) more than 20 saves, literally spinning from one end of the crease to the other, earning high fives from the ref. The good thing was, even when he was scored on (and even when it was by his own team) he was still happy and focused, gave us a smiling glove wave while shifts were changing. He owned the ice and he knew it. Quite the change from the afternoon before.
So - the game ends, the tournament ends, his teammates jump all over him (even though technically they lost all their games), the teams line up and do their handshakes. Then Shrek's coach calls him over and the tournament organizers hand him a big trophy - he won the goaltending trophy for the tournament!
He takes the trophy, all grins, and proceeds to raise it over his head and skate around the ice. I was so excited I didn't cry then, but I do now, every time I think of it. At first I thought maybe his coach had just gotten it for him, but he told me nope, wasn't him, it was really the tournament goalie trophy.
Shrek? I wouldn't say he was overexcited but he carried the trophy all over the arena and buckled it inside of his seatbelt on the way home. After all, goaltending is "his passion."
Me? I'm so proud I could burst. Even into tears.