Words from the publisher...

The new hockey season is right around the corner.

Yippy!

All the road trips, early-morning games and practices, first goals, family and team dinners away from home and even at hotels, yep, it’s that time.

Let me say this to all the hockey parents reading this. Our kids never played hockey. Our sons played travel baseball and lacrosse, but hockey parents are a different breed.

And I mean that in a good way.

Hockey parents are committed 100 percent to being at the games, supporting their kids and teams, and volunteering their time to make it all work.

It’s crazy all the hours you spend at the rink during the season.

And for those that coach and volunteer, even serve as managers or administrators, those are thankless jobs. Yet the people doing those jobs stick with it for the benefit of the kids.

That’s what this is all aboutfor the kids, right?

I’ve been involved in all our kids’ sports growing up and while you read things online about how negative youth sports can be, it’s been mostly positive for myself.

I enjoy coaching and knowing that the game is secondary to life lessons and just helping these kids become great citizens. If they learn to improve at their sport, that’s a bonus in my eyes.

Sadly, as time goes on and the kids grow up, it means I need to step away and let the “new blood,” so to speak, step in to those roles.

It’s bittersweet, actually. I mean, watching your kids mature to the point where they make their own decisions is fantastic.

But that means that Mom and Dad are now stuck on the side- lines.

In any event, the season is starting up very, very soon, which means we will be there to write about it all.

And I can’t wait!

Hockey in Arizona, California and Colorado is absolutely booming and showing no signs of slowing down! I love it!

Enjoy the rest of August and I’ll talk to you in a month or so.

As always, remember to keep supporting Rubber Hockey! Contact me any time at (248) 890-3944 (call/text) and by email at matt@rubberhockey. com.

Looking forward to hearing from you!