Author: thehockeysummitblog

I Had MY man……

Guys,
This week Travis Kauffman came up with a good topic to cover. D zone coverage as it pertains to dmen.
This is a little tricky to cover because so much of this is relates to what system your team and coach are running so there can be some subtle differences to what your responsibilities are and what you should do in each situation.
There are things that pertain to dzone coverage that are universal to all things though. This is the dirty, ugly part of the game, but no doubt the most important when it comes to playing d. There is simply no secret or easy way out when it comes to this. Playing strong d and good dzone coverage is hard work. Playing against highly skilled forwards who’s job is to make you look bad is tough. The most effective way to combat them is to out-work them. That is the great part of hockey. Sometimes and very often the more skilled players get beat by someone willing to outwork them.
“If the power to do hard work is not a skill, it’s the best possible substitute for it.”Al Arbor

That is a very simplified way to be successful when talking about dzone coverage. Let’s break it down a bit further and without getting into systems and things, here are 6 areas that I have identified that all dmen who are good in their own end have and focus on.

1. Be willing to make it uncomfortable for the opposition. 
Let’s face it guys. Hockey is a very tough sport. Even if you are not a killer back there, you must make it ‘uncomfortable’ on the forwards you are defending. You have to finish your check. Hack, whack and do the little things that will make forwards wish they were playing against the other sets of dmen. Now don’t be stupid. Penalties can happen but stupid penalties can’t…….Just let the forwards know that it is going to be a long night when they are out there against you. If you can get them thinking about anything else than scoring, you are doing your job. Wayne Gretzky once described playing against Kjell Samuellson from the Flyers, who was a great defender, “like playing in Seaweed…….”because he was constantly hanging on him. Another quote to think about was from legendary coach Fred Shero who said, “Take the most direct path to the puck and arrive in ill humor.”

2.      Take away time and space. Have quick feet. Good dmen are focused on taking away offensive players time and or space. When you close in quickly on a player you reduce their time and ability to make a play. When you take away their space, you do the same thing. So always focus on getting to the player as quickly as you can. Focus on that all the time when you are in your own end. Know your man and take away his time and space! That is why foot speed is probably one of the biggest assets any dman can have and should always work on.
3.      Stay on Defensive side and stay in Control. When you hear coaches or people talk about running around in our own end this is what this means. If you always remain on the defensive side of your opposition, chances are you won’t be scored on. Think about it. Rarely is a goal scored by your man if you are between him and the net. I touched on earlier about taking away time and space but you have to do this under control. Close fast but don’t force yourself off balance or approach on a bad angle that causes problems. When things get crazy, get yourself under control, relax and get back to being focused on the basics.
4.      Know where your Dman partner is, always. The great defensemen always are aware of where their partner is. Especially when they are in their own end. They can sense where he is. If your d partner is in trouble or gets beat, you can bail him out, if you are in trouble or get beat, he can bail you out. Chances are, 98% of the time, one of you will be in front of the net. If he is in a corner or behind the goal line defending, there is almost a 100% chance that you should not be……One of the things you will always hear coaches say is, “Head on a swivel…” You have to always be looking all over the zone and know where guys are. Don’t just focus in on one man. Develop a sense of looking and scanning the entire zone.
5.      Force the play up the wall. Dmen should always be trying to angle the play up the wall away from the corners and ultimately away from the net. Why? Think about it like this, there is more help from the forwards when you push the play up that way. Your Centerman can help, your winger can collapse down a bit and once again, time and space are taken away from the offensive player. When the play is down in the corner or behind the net, defenders can get beat, fall down or get confused in coverage and bad things happen. Get it up and away from your net.
6.      Be willing to block shots. We talked about this a few weeks ago and there are some good examples on this in one of the earlier posts. Someone is always going to get beat. That happens. When it does you better be willing to block a shot to save the day. It’s not fun but it has to be done!!
Hope this helps and if you have any questions drop me a line! Here some more pretty good videos.
Kerry
By the way, everyone HATES when after being scored on someone says, “I had MY man….” Don’t do it……   J

Why they are ‘Masters’

Guys,
This week I was fortunate enough to travel with a friend of mine down to Augusta for a couple of the practice rounds at the Masters. 
If you didn’t already know, like many old hockey players, I love golf.
So this week’s blog is going to tie golf in to what we do.
“How is that?” you ask. Well, with the hockey season ending and tryouts going on or finishing up, I wanted to address off season training and your ‘plan‘ for the summer. 
I was struck and amazed while I sat at the practice range at Augusta National and watched Tiger Woods and some of the best golfers on the planet work and prepare. Now remember, this is after playing 18 holes of golf in about 84 degree weather and walking one of the hilliest courses in the world. Tiger stood there and hit ball after ball after ball and focused on every shot for hours after he already played his practice round. This is a guy who is ranked number 1 in the world and was playing great coming into this week. You would think he thought he was already ready. But no. He just kept going. Working, practicing, preparing. I knew and had heard about his legendary work ethic but once you see it in person, things really make sense. We only see a glimpse, the refined polished product, on tv for a couple of hours but the amount of preparation and behind the scene work is staggering. It is the same for a lot of those pros. That is why they are pros……
I watched Phil Mickleson who some say is the best chipper to ever live, work on his chipping for about an hour and a half after playing, with no break……The commitment level of those guys is off the charts.
So how does this relate to our sport? 
I remember a line I heard a long time ago that I love and it has stuck with me. It goes, “There comes a time in February when the hockey gods will ask you what you did in June.” I love this. It is something you should repeat to yourself all summer long.
One of the things I wish I did better as a very young player was  train harder than I did. That is something I want to convey to you. I remember winning the Memorial Cup, getting drafted in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers and feeling pretty good about myself. I figured I must be doing things right….
I went to my first training camp and they put me in with all the veterans for fitness training. One of our tests was the bench press where you were supposed to be able to do your own body weight 10 times. At the time I weighed 182lbs and I think I eked out  8 reps. I then watched Tim Kerr who was a 50 goal scorer 4 years in a row in the NHL and weighed 225lbs, bench press his weight 26 times!!!! I was shocked and amazed. I also clearly knew that I was fooling myself thinking I was working hard enough to play with those guys.
So what I did the following summer was what I had to do and what I should have done earlier. I lived down in Philadelphia and every day that summer met with Philly’s legendary strength coach, Pat Croce. At the time I thought he was trying to kill me…..he came close. It was the best thing I ever did. I started the summer at 180lbs and by September I was 198lbs and in the best shape of my life. Although I never had a hall of fame career, trust me, I never would have played any games at that level if I didn’t take drastic steps and do the prep work to become a pro that summer.

My point with this story is sometimes you think you are prepared and doing enough, but you really aren’t.
Don’t find yourself shocked. Instead, be the one who shocks!!! Get a plan for the summer. Know what you are going to do training wise. Set your goals for what you are going to accomplish. Do the work that will make you noticeably different come September. Work with the people who are going to train you and prepare harder than everyone else. When you think you have trained hard enough, train harder. When you think you can’t do anymore, do more……..Be ready for next season and when someone asks you in February what you did in June, you have an answer. 




The Bayonne Bleeder
Guys,
Thought we would take a break this week from Dman specific stuff. I am travelling to Nationals this week so instead I thought I would just share with you a story I came across that I really like for a few  reasons. Just a little Positive Mental Attitude stuff to keep you sharp.

The Bayonne Bleeder

You have to believe in yourself so strongly that you are willing to bank on it.
Chuck Wepner never learned this lesson. As a boxer he earned the name “the Bayonne Bleeder”, due to the punishment he took even while winning. In the boxing world he was what was called a “catcher” a fighter that uses his head to block the other guy’s punches…..Wepner continually pressured his opponent until he either won or got knocked out. He never cared how many shots he had to absorb until he could deliver a knockout blow to his opponent. His trainer Al Braverman called him, “The gutsiest fighter I ever met. He was in a league of his own. He didn’t care about pain or embarrassment. If he got cut or elbowed he never looked at me or the referee for help. He was a fighter in the purest sense of the word.”
When Wepner knocked out Terry Henke in the 11th round in Salt Lake City, promoter Don King offered Wepner a title shot against then heavyweight champion George Forman. But when Ali defeated Forman, Wepner found himself scheduled to fight ‘The Greatest’. Mohammed Ali!!
On the morning of the fight Wepner gave his wife a pink negligée and told her she would soon be sleeping with the Heavyweight Champion of the World. 
Ali scored a technical knockout with only 19 seconds remaining in the fight. But there was one moment, one glorious moment in the ninth round when a ham-like paw to Ali’s chest knocked the reigning champion off his feet. Wepner recalled, “When Ali was down I remember saying to my ring man Al Braverman, ‘Start the car we’re going to the bank, we’re millionaires!!’ and Al said to me, ‘You’d better turn around…..because he is getting up….’

After the fight, Wepner’s wife pulled the negligee out of her purse and asked, “Do I go to Ali’s room or does he come to mine?”

That story would be nothing more than an odd boxing footnote except for the fact that a struggling writer was watching the fight. Suddenly it struck him, “there it is!” he said to himself. So he went home and started writing and he wrote for three days straight. 
That is how writer and actor Sylvester Stallone described the birth of the Academy Award winning movie Rocky.

The movie studio offered the struggling writer an unprecedented $400,000 for his script. But Stallone refused the money, choosing instead just $20,000 and the right to play the part of Rocky for actor’s minimum wage, a paltry $340 per week. He felt strongly that this script and part would catapult him to fame and fortune. He was right.

The studio also made an offer to Wepner since the movie was based on his life. He could receive a flat fee of $70,000 or 1% of the movies gross profits. Wanting the guaranteed payday, Wepner took the $70,000, a decision that ultimately cost him $8,000,000.00………
Chuck Wepner retired to Bayonne, NJ and worked as a liquor salesman.

The moral of the story? A few of things I guess……..

1. Marry someone with a good sense of humor.
2. You never know what your individual efforts will lead to or what results will come from your hard work.
3. Be willing to bank on yourself.

Have a great week everyone! Let me know if you liked the story.
Huff

"Don’t get hit in the _ _ _ _!"

Guys,
This week we are going to briefly touch on blocking shots and how important it is now for dmen to be able to effectively do it.
Not that long ago dmen were only encouraged to block shots as a last resort when something defensively broke down. A huge mistake was probably made and the only thing left was to block the shot. Dmen were taught to move players out of the front of the net and clear the lane so goalies could see the shot. As the game changed and evolved and the new obstruction rules were enforced, defensive systems adjusted and now dmen are coached to get in the lane at all costs and get your body in front of any shot. You can no longer ‘tie up’ a player and try to move him out of the way. You will be called for interference. So now a lot of the time your only way to defend is to try and block the shot. ‘Shot blocks’ has now become one of the biggest stats when evaluating dmen.
Here is the good and the bad. The good, equipment has improved dramatically as a result of the new style of play. There is tremendous high absorption, low weight gear that really helps ease the pain. The bad news. The new equipment also applies to sticks and shooters are shooting the puck harder than ever. But there is now way around it. To play effective d, you have to be able to block shots.
So let’s get some very basic, simple advice and take a look at some things that might help out with overcoming the angst and help keep you healthy.
I went to one of our pros and asked him the simple question, “What advice would you give young dmen when blocking a shot?” His answer, “Don’t get hit in the _ _ _ _!” Great advice…..Thanks. I pushed him some more on the subject and the one thing he told me that stuck out to me was this, “You have to have the mindset that blocking a shot is every bit as important as a forward scoring a goal or getting an assist. It can change a game. We all want to impact every game and blocking a shot can and is our way to do that. Sure it hurts sometimes. But it only hurts for a while. Not blocking the shot and causing a goal hurts for a lot longer.” Well said. One of the common themes is to close the gap on the shooter as quickly as possible. Get to the shooter fast. Do not allow him the time and space to really wind up or lean into his shot. There are some other simple things and techniques that can help you out.

Below are some great examples and videos.. Michael Sauer starts it off and sums it up pretty well. Click on the link.

Michael Sauer- Dman-NY Rangers

Coach Butters- Wisconsin

More tips

Sometimes it is the Dmen who get to hit the forwards though!!! This shouldn’t make me smile but for some reason it does…..

Let me know if you liked the last one as much as I did!!!

What Type of Dman Are You?

This week we are going to touch on the different types or styles of dmen.
As you get older players start to develop into specialized roles that suit their specific strengths, and as you get to the higher levels, Dmen start to get categorized and put into certain roles.

Typically, Dmen get categorized as a Number 1 or 2, and then a group known as 3-6.  

Number 1 or 2s.
These are guys that play in all situations. 5 on 5, 4 on 4, Power Play, Penalty Kill and log big minutes on the ice. These players are usually very physically gifted and play hard and close to the edge. In my opinion two to the best Number 1’s of all time were Chris Pronger and Nick Lidstrom. Chris was a very nasty and snarly player and was effective that way and Nick was not as physical but both were excellent at every part of playing the position. Usually every great team has one or two Number 1’s. If you look at every Stanley cup winning team they usually have at least two of these types of players.

Numbers 3-6
The next group is usually the guys that fall into Number 3-6 slot on a team. Usually these guys play a regular shift and then contribute on the Power Play or Penalty Kill but usually not both. They are typically good offensively or defensively (shut down guys), but not both. Some are very physical presences or some are very talented playmakers that contribute to the offense. These guys are not as highly revered as a Number 1 guy but there are far more of these players and they are really important pieces of any team. 

One of the things you have to try to do is do some honest soul searching and look at yourself and figure out what ‘type’ of d man you are. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What role do you help your team the most in?
More importantly, you have to think about what type of Dman to you want to become. Be realistic and then work your tail off to become the best whether you strive to become a 1 or 2 or a 3 thru 6 guy.
One of the best things any athlete or hockey player can do is visualize and practice visualization. Today everyone prepares and trains off the ice and in the gym. The difference between the good players and the very good players is how they train their minds.
Everything starts with a dream. So dream about what kind of Dman you want to be. Find a player or a few of them who you envision your game being similar to and study them. Watch them play. Absorb all the nuances of how they play, how they act. Become a great actor. Study the part. Become that person. Imitate excellence and you will become excellent. Whether it is a Number 1 like Shea Weber or a shut down guy like Dan Girardi, find a player you want to strive to be like.
     
“Great athletes train their minds as well as their bodies. There are various mental conditioning techniques many use when preparing for an event. Perhaps the best known technique is visualization, creating a mental image not only of the desired result, a gold medal, a new world record, a hole-in-one, but also of every move that will be taken en route to the ultimate goal.” Michael Jordan.

So think about what type of dman you are or are working to become.

Let me know your thoughts.

Here are some examples that might help you out. The first two videos are of Pronger and Lidstrom. The third is of Shea Weber. All great examples of Number 1s.

The two other links are a list of some other great Dmen.  The second link shows you how important the Numbers 3-6 can be to a team. 

And the last Video is for all the Dads and Moms!!!!!! Enjoy.

So who are you??
Chris Pronger
Nick Lidstrom
Shea Weber

Top 50 Dmen


Number 4 Bobby Orr

Dealing With Coaches


Hey Guys,
Hope you are well.
Have a little Audio/Video session for you to check out this week.The second video is one of my all time favorite coaches! Plus it features one of the best dmen of all time Chris Chelios. Whenever you have a problem with a coach, think of this guy!!!! Enjoy J
Feedback to give me when you can.
What is the worst experience with a coach you had?
What did you learn from it?
Who was the best coach you have had and why?
Thanks!
Kerry

Welcome!

Welcome to the Dman Summit Club.
Why Summit? I look at playing the position of Defense as an expedition. Players have to climb the mountain and work hard in certain areas to reach the summit of Dman play. Every day you work a little harder, learn a little more and step by step you work your way to the top. My goal is to just be one of your guides along the way.
I have or will be sending you info on how to join the group thru google groups. It is a very secure way to communicate and it is by invite only.
Each week on Mon. or Tues. there will be a new post. We are going to be covering a lot of stuff. Some of it might be boring or you may think it might not apply to you at this time but trust me, over a long period of time, a lot of the topics will relate to you at some point in your playing career.  I like to think of it like you are part of an online class. Don’t worry, there are no tests or exams but occasionally I might give you a little research to do.
Just remember that if you post or reply to me, it only goes to me and not to the group so it is all confidential and I will ask your permission to post anything to the entire group if I think it is relevant.
The other important thing is for you to be involved. I need feedback. I played a long time and at almost every level and have watched a lot of hockey in my life but by no means do I know everything or have experienced everything. We are all always growing, learning and improving. There are also things and opinions that I might express that you or one of your coaches do not agree with. That is fine too. I am very open to talking about Dman play with anyone and getting opinions from good sources. You don’t have to do a lot of homework but I ask that you reply to each week’s topic in some way. Liked it, hated it, whatever.
I also want to have some suggestions on topics or subjects you guys might want to cover. 50 weeks in a year gives us a lot of topics to cover and a lot of areas to work on and improve upon.
Finally guys, just remember that although I am older, I still feel and think like a Dman. I always will. The vast majority of players that I work with are Dmen. I look at it like we are part of a ‘special’ group! Remember. Goalies are crazy, forwards are glory mongers but Dmen are the pillars of the game! I look forward to working with you and remember, we work hard, we work smart and we work fun!
Kerry Huffman
Pulver Sports
Register or get more info at www.khhockey.comunder the Dman Summit Club tab.
Our Summer Dman Summit Club is tentatively set for Aug. 8-10that Wilkes Barre, PA.

Dad, what’s a Lockout?

Dad, what’s a Lockout?

‘Poor man wanna be rich,
rich man wanna be king,
and the king ain’t satisfied till he loses everything……’
Bruce Springsteen
Badlands

You have to love it when your nine year old son asks questions that make you think harder about things than you usually do.

This one wasn’t quite as challenging as “Where do babies come from?” But none the less was just about as difficult to answer.

There has been so much talk in the media about the pending NHL lockout so I guess at some point I was going to be asked.

I tried to answer him as best I could. Now keep in mind being a former player and a player representative during two work stoppages, I am pretty biased. But trying to be a good Dad I thought I would try to explain the situation as best I could giving both sides of the argument.
I think I may have failed miserably… Here is how it kind of went:

“Dad, what is a lockout?”

“Well son, the owners of the teams and the players don’t have a working agreement that the owners like so they have the right to lock the players out from playing.”

“Doesn’t anyone else have keys to the rinks to get in to play???”

“No son, it is not that simple. The owners don’t want to pay the players as much to play. They want to reduce their salaries. Sort of if like Mom and I wanted to pay you less allowance we would lower it to a level we felt was fairer.”

“Don’t get any ideas…..”

So they are not going to have a season until they agree on something. They will eventually.”

“When?”

“I don’t know.”

“So when will we see a game again?”

“I don’t know.”

“That stinks. But Dad, don’t they sign contracts or something? Those guys are the best players in the world….they should get paid good.”

“Well, they do. Really well. And they just want to continue to get paid well.”

“So then the guys who own the teams won’t play the games at their rinks?”

“Right.”

“But don’t they make money from the games?”

“Yes, but they want a better deal.”

“Gotcha. Well if they pay the guys less, when we go to the games the popcorn is going to be cheaper!”

“Well, maybe not. They have a lot of expenses and a lot of people to pay.”

“Hey yea, what about the Zamboni drivers?”

“What about them?”

“Do they still have jobs if they don’t have ice to do?”

“Good question.”

“What about the refs? They’ll probably find some other games to ref, right? Maybe they will do some of ours!”

“Maybe.”

“So the players want to keep playing, and the owners make money on the games, but they aren’t going to play the games…..I don’t get it.”

“It is very confusing for everyone.”

“What about the Stanley Cup?”

“What about it?”

“Do the Kings get to keep it and keep taking it to their homes?”

“No, they have to probably give it back.”

“To who?”

“The league I guess.”

“So the owners own the cup?”

“I never thought of it like that but I guess they do.”

“But the players win it……”

“Yes they do. Can we get back to your first question?”

“So no one gets paid, no one gets to watch hockey and the owners teams don’t get to play each other. That’s a Lockout.”

“You got it.”

“This is stupid. The players should just go play somewhere else.”

“Some of them will. They will go to Europe to keep playing.”

“Wow, Europe is far. They should start their own league here…….”

“Well, it’s not that easy. The NHL is so big and powerful. It would be impossible to recreate. It’s like a Monopoly kind of.”

“Ooh, Monopoly is awesome!!! Especially if you land on Boardwalk or Park Place……”

Good talk son……

Let’s just hope both sides pass Go and collect their $200.00 soon.
 
Kerry Huffman
www.platinumhockey.net
khuffman5@gmail.com
Twitter  @khuffman5
 

Work

Work

“I always love the feel of sweat on my shirt, Stand back son and let a man work.
Let a man work is that so wrong, I woke up this morning shackled and drawn…..”
Shackled and Drawn
Bruce Springsteen

Well, it is one week after Labor Day weekend. There is talk of an upcoming work stoppage in the world of hockey. Two national political conventions are now over and the focal point of both was work (or the lack thereof). A friend of mine emailed me asking about my break from writing my blog. He told me to get back to work. So what better theme to ramble on about than work?

Believe me, doing my blog does not feel like work. It is far from it!
But as we get older the lines get a little blurred between what is work and what we are doing that makes us feel good and proud of ourselves. The whole definition of work seems to change as time marches on.
I have had good jobs, I have had bad jobs.  I have worked with some good companies, worked with some not so good companies.  Sometimes it felt like I was working, sometimes it didn’t. There were times when I wasn’t working that it seemed like I was working my ass off to find work.  Recently in a mild mid- life crisis, I decided I would run a marathon this coming November. I was told the training was going to be a lot of work. An incredible amount of work. I am now working up to over 20 mile runs. But guess what? The work has morphed into love and passion. I can’t wait to workat it most mornings.

So then what really is work? Well I am sure everyone is entitled to feel any way they want about it or describe it as they choose.
I kind of look at it like this.

I work in order to be, not simply exist. To work is human. Work opens the door to the meaning of life and stops it from being boring and dull. Work is being creative.
I used to think work was a burden. Something I had to get through. Something I had to do for money or security.
If you feel that way you are missing the creative dynamic of work and how it can enable you to feel good about yourself. If we’re lucky enough, we try to shape our work to fit our lives……
Ok, that is deep enough. This is supposed to be a fun hockey blog. So how does all this relate to hockey? I’ll give it a try.

There was always times when I played during the season when the game felt like work. Boy was I wrong. It was challenging for sure but age has taught me that something you love doing that much should never be called work. I hope as parents and coaches we pass that along to our young players. They have their whole lives to figure out what they are going to do for work, AFTER they are done PLAYING.

Players are described as having incredible work ethics. Is it work ethic or do they just love being good, the feeling of getting better, and are willing to endure challenging times to achieve that feeling?

How many times after a hockey game have you seen a team win and the coach gets up in front of a microphone and blurts, “We deserved to win tonight, we outworked them…..” If you ask any pro player they will tell you it always feels more like fun than work when you win. The work feels like it comes during losing streaks…..
So here’s something for the young coaches out there, just a suggestion. Try encouraging your players “to out funthe other team tonight!” It’s worth a shot. It seemed to work with our mite team at times last year….

And one more thing on the topic…..

Let’s all pray that there won’t be a work….I mean a funstoppage in the NHL again this year…….

Hockey Father’s Day

This is obviously one of the greatest weekends of the year. It is Father’s Day weekend and the U.S. Open is on. There is not a whole lot of hockey going on with the end of the NHL season just wrapping up. There are only a few showcase events being played around the country right now but it is unquestionably the best weekend of the year to think about hockey dads everywhere. Some are still with us. Some are not. But they are all loved and I know it is because many of them share or shared some amazing qualities that I am sure you will recognize and agree with.

So please take a break from golf this weekend and join me in taking a moment to say, “Thanks Dad……

-for introducing me to the greatest game on the planet. (and golf too.)
-for getting up with me in the freezing cold to go to practice before schoolwhen the car would only start if you plugged it in overnight.
-for having the patience to watch me learn.
-for taking me to Maple Leaf Gardens and allowing me to dream.
-for letting me pick my own team to cheer for.
-for encouraging me when I played well.
-for encouraging me when I played bad.
-for making me work as hard at school as I did on the ice.
-for informing me that Tim Horton was a whole lot more than a donut store owner.
-for keeping Mom calm when I got hurt.
-for keeping Mom calm when I played well.
-for keeping Mom calm when I played bad.
-for keeping Mom calm when I left home.
-for just keeping Mom calm……
-For teaching me how to be a teammate.
-for not yelling at the refs.
-for teaching me that it only hurts for a little while.
-for being tough when it was right.
-for being right when it was tough…..
-for tying my skates when I know your back killed you….
-for rubbing my frozen toes when you took my skates off.
-for making me carry my own hockey bag.
-for buying me that new stick when you probably couldn’t afford it but also…
-for teaching me that sticks don’t score goals, players do…
-for driving all weekend to get to tournaments on some pretty slick roads.
-for teaching me that the game is important.
-for teaching me the game is not the most important.
-for being there for me when I couldn’t play anymore….
-for reminiscing about all the good times we had at the rink.
-for not remembering the tough ones…..

and most importantly…..

-for making sure I introduced his grandson to the greatest game on the planet. (and golf too……)”

Thanks Dads.
Have a great weekend!