Everybody begins his or her journey with the love of hockey as a kid. For some it’s skating before they could walk, others it’s watching their favorite team with their daddy, or even a “hockey is in my blood” type of person. My passion for hockey started a little differently, with junior hockey.
It was 1998 and I was barely two years old. My dad had received two free tickets to the Barrie Colts game that night, and of course wanted to go see some OHL action. So instead of dropping me off at home a like he usually would to go have a night out with the guys, he decided to take a risk and bring me to the game. He made it clear to my mother that if I didn’t like it there, we would both leave and come home.
So he brought me as a baby in diapers to the OHL game and my first real hockey experience. He held me like a baby in his arms as we walked through the tunnel to see the ice, the players warming up, and over 4,000 people. My dad looked at me the moment we walked through expecting tears and fear in my eyes but instead he says he saw the happiest kid ever. My eyes were stuck open staring at the ice and he couldn’t wipe that smile off my face if he tried. With that said, we stayed for the game, and came back for the next 5 seasons.
As I grew older, I started loving the games even more. I would beg to go to the games early to watch the Zamboni and warm-up. Once I was in my seat and the puck dropped there were no further distractions. Hungry? Nope. Have to pee? I can hold it. The only thing I was doing at those games was cheering hard, meeting mascot Charlie Horse, and winning fan of the game. Being at those Colts games were the best nights of the week, and after every game I would look forward to the next.
After OHL games, most teams have a concessions stands afterwards that the players go to and meet fans. Win or lose, I was going every single time. I would wait patiently behind everybody getting their jerseys and hats signed by future professionals, because my jersey was already full of 2.signatures from the first time I met them. Why go then if I’ve already met everybody and got my signatures? I liked to talk to them. I would talk to guys like Bryan Little and say "don’t worry about team Canada; you’ll make it next year." Sure enough he did make the world junior squad the next year, won a gold medal, and got drafted first round in the NHL. The more I talked with these players, the more I realized that they’re just normal guys playing hockey.
After moving north with my family, I continued to follow junior hockey with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL, and learning of a new league, the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The NOJHL brought a whole other option for a kid watching hockey. I was paying $7 a ticket to go watch junior hockey with my friends; we could sit wherever we wanted! The NOJHL expanded eventually and to this day is only getting bigger and better.
That’s how it all began with me, diapers at the game, fan of the game attitude, meeting some regular guys who play hockey, and my dad who lead the way for me. Without being brought into the hockey world by my dad at such a young age, I don’t think that I would even be writing about it today. It would just be another sport like basketball or soccer. So if anybody is skeptical about bringing kids to a junior game or even a professional game, do it. They might cause some grief, get into some trouble or make a scene, but if they’re lucky enough to get the same feeling I get when I watch hockey now, it’ll be worth it.
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