Teague's First Hocky Game

Teague had his first hockey game this Saturday at some rink in Logan. Teague's team is made up of a bunch of kids that are all under the age of 9. So, when they play a game, the team is divided up into 3 skill levels and they each play a game on 1/3 of the rink. Teague, being the smallest and the youngest, was placed in the group with the least experience.

Watching Teague play was quite the sight. Do you remember that frequent scene in Bugs Bunny cartoons where a huge herd of animals would stampede across the screen (usually running over some enemy of Bugs) trailed by a baby animal struggling to keep up? Well, this is how Teague's hockey game went. Most of the kids crowded around the puck and Teague following the crowd close behind. It wasn't that he was afraid to get in the crowd, it was because he is just not fast enough to keep up. However, if tenacity equaled speed, he'd have skated circles around the best of them! In spite of his obvious look of fatigue (game was 1:15 long), Teague soldiered on for the good of the team. At one point the puck just happened to head his direction and he hit it with his stick. I was so proud and cheered loudly (so what if it wasn't in the right direction). Since Teagues game was basicly just one for experience, I don't think anybody was keeping score. However, I think I counted 1 goal for the other team and 2 for Teague's.

After the game Teague was obviously tired and wet with sweat. As the referees exited the rink, each one of them stopped to express their amazement at Teagues ability to play so well. Even Teague's coach was impressed. Who knows where Teague got his athleticism. We all know that it didn't come from me. While taking his pads and things off, I told him that I was very proud of him that he didn't quit because he was tired and that he had played so hard. He told me that he saw some trophies in a display cabinet near the entrance to the rink and that he was disappointed that he didn't win one. I explained to him that those are given when all the games are finished. He seemed satisfied.