Four months ago, if I was asked to create a list of
all the things I like about hockey I would have submitted a lengthy list full
of points about teammates and hard work and challenge. I’ve always loved hockey
and I thought the game had taught me everything it had to teach already.
And I would have been wrong. Very wrong!
I now realize that there would have been one massive, glaring omission from my list.
As it turns out, I really enjoy visiting different arenas. And wow! Now that we play in the North York Hockey League, is our team ever getting an up close and personal tour of some of the most unique one’s that the city of Toronto has to offer.
It’s been a fascinating journey all over the city!
Living in Markham, we really don’t have a lot of variation in the arena’s we play in. Sure the dressing rooms at Mount Joy are unexplainably small, and the Village is too cold, and please don’t get me started about the parking at Centennial. But mostly they are just bland suburban buildings with little character.
Not so the arenas of the North York Hockey League. Not so at all!
Here is a short list of some of the highlights so far:
- Arenas with no parking (many of us had a car picnic on the grass)
- Arenas with no seating
- Arenas where I checked 5 times that the car doors were locked
- Arenas that are so not where you expect them to be, that I’m convinced my GPS is practicing a stand-up comedy routine and is laughing at how many left turns I can make before I find it
- Arenas located in the only possible area of Toronto that doesn’t have a Starbucks within 10km
- Arenas where the only way I could find the dressing room is through seemingly ancient catacombs, while keeping an eye out for our sponsor banner to spot the final destination!
But do you know what all these arenas have in common?
They are the arenas that our boys have come together as a team, and proven to themselves what hard work and determination can lead to. They are the places that we spend our Friday, Sunday or some weeknight evenings together as parents – and cheer on our kids as proudly as possible. And they are the places that our children get to spend the best years of the lives at, together, as a team and as friends.
I’ve truly enjoyed my journey to all these unique hockey shrines and I’m adding them to my list of all the things I love about hockey.
Go Waxers Go!
