Words from the publisher...

We are getting into the home stretch for many hockey seasons at various levels and it’s always a bittersweet time of the hockey calendar.

While some teams will raise banners and bring home medals, others will not.

That doesn’t mean those teams had subpar seasons. Not by a long shot.

Obviously, hockey is a sport that runs year-round. Some play it all 12 months, and some take a break. Nothing wrong with either one.

That’s what makes this game so great. There really is no offseason.

And when you are done playing competitively, there are more and more adult leagues sprouting up everywhere you look. That’s certainly a good thing.

You can’t say that about every sport. Some, like football, once a kid plays his last high school game, that’s probably it. Maybe a fun game in the yard here and there, but nothing that comes close to competition that counts.

This is also a fun time of year because youth hockey teams are getting ready to give their all with state tournaments coming up, and for a select handful, a trip to national tournaments. How can you not get pumped up for this time of the year? It’s all so exciting!

Also during this time of year, we start seeing exceptional youth players start to commit to junior and college teams and junior players start to decide on their college destinations. We run stories on those milestones in pretty much every issue of Rubber Hockey, and this month is definitely no exception.

On a personal note, I learned a long time ago that once you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. From the first time I contributed to this publication way back in 2006, all the way to the present, this has never seemed like work to me.

Not one bit.

The people you meet in the hockey world stay in your life, whether that means you never lose touch or if you happen to lose touch and then run into one another at the rink years later.

Hockey is just like that.

Check out the hockey mom story on page 1 in this edition.

I would pretty much guarantee that Tanya has heard from other hockey moms she once knew but hasn’t connected with in years. I think it’s basically a given.

Again, as we get into the conclusion of these seasons, keep up the good sportsmanship and cheer loud and cheer proud.

To all those teams playing into the spring, best of luck to you. To all those players moving on, wherever that may be, all the best.

And keep supporting Rubber Hockey. We are getting back to where we were, and that thrills me.

Contact me any time at (248) 890-3944 (call/text) and by email at matt@rubberhockey.com.

Looking forward to hearing from you!