Culture & Entertainment
"I hope they didn't bring apple juice" A beautifully written piece by Steven Simmons on kids and hockey
Culture & Entertainment
"I hope they didn't bring apple juice" A beautifully written piece by Steven Simmons on kids and hockey
A friend shared
this piece written by Steven Simmons, a Toronto Sun columnist and minor hockey coach on her facebook page. It was originally published 15 years ago but has since been re-printed and shared tens of thousands of times. It's a beautifully written timeless piece that captures the world of hockey through the eyes of our young players.
There was about 2 minutes left in the playoff game. His team was up by a goal and he was anxiously watching both the clock and the game when one of his young players tugged on his jacket and asked "
Are there any snacks today?"
"Whaaat?" he said, a little frustrated with the timing of his question. "
I hope they didn't bring apple juice. I don't like apple juice". Steven said
'The moment froze me in all the playoff excitement, the way all special and meaningful moments should." Hockey for our children isn't always about the winning or the losing. It isn't always about how well they performed on the ice. It's about "
The snack. The routine. The end of game ritual."
"Kids can win and lose and not give a second’s thought about either at a certain age, but don’t forget the post-game drinks. If anything will spoil a good time that will." And I think that is something that stays with them for always. My husband gets together every Friday night with a few of his good friends. They played hockey together as children and continue to do so today. He says the best part of these hockey nights isn't necessarily the hockey itself. It's the laughs in the change room. It's the post-game bonding over pints of beer at the local pub.
"The game is only part of the package. The sense of belonging, the post game snack, matters also." As parents and coaches, it's too easy to get wrapped up in the numbers on the score board but if we take the time and listen to our young players, we will quickly learn that although it's fun to win, it isn't the be all and end all of the hockey game. It is, afterall, about the apple juice and all that it represents. Click
here to read Steven's post in it's entirety. photo courtesy of airbutchie/flickr
There was about 2 minutes left in the playoff game. His team was up by a goal and he was anxiously watching both the clock and the game when one of his young players tugged on his jacket and asked "
Are there any snacks today?"
"Whaaat?" he said, a little frustrated with the timing of his question. "
I hope they didn't bring apple juice. I don't like apple juice". Steven said
'The moment froze me in all the playoff excitement, the way all special and meaningful moments should." Hockey for our children isn't always about the winning or the losing. It isn't always about how well they performed on the ice. It's about "
The snack. The routine. The end of game ritual."
"Kids can win and lose and not give a second’s thought about either at a certain age, but don’t forget the post-game drinks. If anything will spoil a good time that will." And I think that is something that stays with them for always. My husband gets together every Friday night with a few of his good friends. They played hockey together as children and continue to do so today. He says the best part of these hockey nights isn't necessarily the hockey itself. It's the laughs in the change room. It's the post-game bonding over pints of beer at the local pub.
"The game is only part of the package. The sense of belonging, the post game snack, matters also." As parents and coaches, it's too easy to get wrapped up in the numbers on the score board but if we take the time and listen to our young players, we will quickly learn that although it's fun to win, it isn't the be all and end all of the hockey game. It is, afterall, about the apple juice and all that it represents. Click
here to read Steven's post in it's entirety. photo courtesy of airbutchie/flickr
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