Retrospective: My Hockey Career

2016 is a year of change in my life. For one, I will be graduating high school and then moving onto college. For another, I will be without something that I have had in my life since fourth grade. This past Saturday marked my last league game for Monroe County Youth Hockey. I’ve reminisced the past week leading up to my final game, and I’ve realized how much hockey has positively impacted my life.

Hockey was always around me when I was growing up. I received a Mighty Ducks jersey as a birthday present at a young age, my dad was and still is a Montreal Canadiens fan, and my cousins both played for Aquinas. I would often go to the Aquinas games, and I loved watching the game, but I was terrified to play because of the physical nature of the game. I just stuck to street hockey at home and watching the Sabres on TV. In third grade, I was invited to an open skate birthday party at RIT. I had never skated before, but once I laced up the skates and stepped on the ice, I was a natural. It was then that I decided to give hockey a chance.

I began the beginner program at Scottsville Ice Arena when I was ten, which is considered old to begin playing hockey. The next year, I began playing on an actual team. Ironically, the age level that I began at was the first year that players were allowed to body check, which is exactly what I was terrified of earlier. I vividly remember crying the first practice when I could not tie my own skates, and then embarrassing myself on the ice by not knowing some basic rules.

When I began playing, I played forward, but I was not much of a scorer. My first career goal came in a tournament when I was screening the opposing goalie. I had my back turned to my teammate with the puck, and when he took the shot, the puck deflected off of my butt and into the net. What a first goal. Despite the humor surrounding it, the puck I scored with is still on display in my room. I later scored by actually shooting the puck in a later tournament.

While some of the following years did not seem as significant, there is one memory that stands out from the others. While playing at Canandaigua, I was skating with my head down and got absolutely lit up by a defender. I’m pretty sure I had a mild concussion, although I didn’t want to admit it. That was the last time I ever played with my head down. This lesson can be applied to life as well. Many unexpected things will happen in life, so you should always be aware of what’s potentially coming your way. It took me years to finally make that connection.

The past two seasons have been the most memorable. Last season, I began playing defense. I was completely against the change at first, but it ended up working out, as last season was my highest season by statistics. Our team dominated the entire league and ended up winning the championship. This year, I had the honor of being an assistant captain. We had our ups and downs, but the team made it to the finals once again. We lost 4-1, but we still felt like we had won because of how we had played and connected as a team. It sucked to step off the ice one last time coming off of a loss, but I knew that I left everything on the ice, so there was nothing to be ashamed of. The team has one tournament remaining. The last league game was significant, but I know that stepping off the ice on the final day of the tournament will hit me harder than I expect.

Reflecting on my years playing hockey at Scottsville has been more about the bonds I have made and lessons I have learned and less about the game itself. I have played with the core group of players since my first season, and I’ve grown close with them. It has even been easy to become close friends with newer players in recent years, which is a testament to how our team is like a family. The past few seasons have been some of the most memorable not because of our success on the ice, but because of the bonds we have made with each other.

Because of hockey, I learned to take a hit, to keep my head up, see what is in front of me, and to respect others. Despite not realizing it for some time, these are all life lessons. I will definitely miss the days of playing youth hockey, but I will always cherish the memories I have made and remember the lessons that I have learned. Deciding to play hockey is one of the best decisions I have made in my life, and I sure am glad I was invited to that skating party in third grade.