Back from the Beach - Early Hockey Morning

I'm back from a relaxing vacation in Destin, Florida and literally hit the ground running this morning. First day back to reality and I have to get up at 5 something a.m. to take the boys to the rink before work! Funny thing though, how much I miss the rink. Really!

For someone who was never exposed to the game prior to three years ago (one Cap's training camp at the Ashburn Ice House and I've been a goner ever since) - I love being at the rink. I even get a kick out of watching other kids (besides my own) play or go through drills. This morning was a power skating session with Cold Rush Hockey. The younger guys are on the ice before the twins and she has them skating backward full-speed around these huge zamboni tires. I can just grab a coffee and watch that stuff for hours - I get really stoked when they go to stick-handling camp! Plus, the rink was a much welcome refuge from the 97 degree heat in NoVa this morning. Geez, I come back from Florida and I think the jet stream went haywire when I was gone!

Which brings me to my next purchase, the DVD New England Hockey: Life at the Rink, which is available through Snag Films (one of Ted Leonsis's latest ventures). This site has an array of different sports films and I am always looking for hockey documentaries that examine the realities of the dedication it takes on the part of the parents and the players to play this great game at all skill levels.

I'm slowly getting back in the swing of things and eagerly listening for any fun and exciting hockey news. I was kind of sad to hear of Ted Nolan's (NY Islanders) firing; kind of bogus to fire a guy this late in the off-season. I hope he's able to land on his feet with a decent coaching gig somewhere. Plus, he has a fabulous hockey mullet - it may even rival the Melrose mullet.

Off to sleep - am still recovering from the early morning wake up call of a dedicated hockey mom!