What is your favorite hockey memory with your mother?
D.S. — Calgary, AB
There is no way that I would have reached this point in my career without everything that my mom has done for me over the years. I have so many great memories from my childhood, teenage years, high schools days, up until the very present, that my mom and I have shared together, but there is one in particular that sticks out in my mind as being one of my favorites when it comes to hockey.
When I was young, I feel as though my mom was constantly carting me around, taking me from one activity to the other, always making sure that I had absolutely everything I needed to get through my jammed packed days. With hockey taking up so much of my time, there were many early mornings at the rink, weekends on the road travelling to games and tournaments, afternoons at the gym, and the list goes on! As you can imagine, there are a lot of memories in all of those years! But I remember very vividly the very first time that my mom and I went on the road together to travel from St. Albert to Calgary for a female hockey camp at the Olympic Oval.
Being one of three kids, I remember being so excited that I had my mom all to myself for an entire week! We packed the white Grande Caravan that my mom drove with our suitcases, along with my hockey gear and some travel snacks, and we hit the road. We listened to the “Rankin Family” tape (yes, tape!) in the van the entire way, singing along, and repeating the songs over and over again. When we got to Calgary, we checked into a cheap hotel to keep the cost of the trip down, and I remember how happy and excited I felt to be “on the road” with my mom, going to hockey camp.
The trip itself was a great bonding experience for my mom and me, but the camp itself was one to remember as well. I remember meeting Hayley Wickenheiser for the first time, who has now been my teammate on the Canadian National Women’s Team for six years. She was at the camp as an instructor, and I was asked to demonstrate a drill with her. I had to leave the camp early that day to drive back to St. Albert for a swim meet, and I remember getting in the car after that day and my mom telling me that I could play on Team Canada one day, just like Hayley. Who would have thought, almost 20 years later, that I would be going on my seventh year with the Canadian National Women’s Team!
Like I said, I have so many great memories as a young hockey player, but this first mother-daughter hockey road trip is definitely one of my favourites and is one that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. My mom is not only an amazing mother, she is also one of my best friends, and I am thankful every single day that I have her in my life.
