Thunderwolves Game Awesomeness!!!

This past weekend, for the first time since 2014, I went... to the THUNDERWOLVES GAME!!!!!

The Lakehead Thunderwolves, are our local OUA (Ontario University Athletics) hockey team and for those who don't know, the love of Hockey in Canada is akin to the love of Football in America... HUGE! Enz and I had center-line season tickets for years and absolutely loved going to every home game and would watch the online coverage of the team's away games without fail, every time they played. I was far beyond FORTUNATE in our season ticket years to have won not one but TWO game-worn jerseys of my all-time favourite Thunderwolves player, Jordan Smith, who was the best team captain the team had before (and even since) seen… in my unimportant opinion, though that title is always up for change because everyone deserves a chance to make it their own! Anyhow, a Jordan Smith jersey was highly coveted by game goers so although I like to believe that people were happy for me, as I would have been excited for anyone else, but most were a little peeved that they hadn’t won his jersey themselves. Once I had won the first one though, I have to admit that I wished I hadn’t in the moment… I didn’t know I had to actually go onto the ice, I thought it was a choice I could just bypass and somebody would just give me his soaked, stinky and signed jersey….. nope…….

My utter joy at having won his Jersey completely won out over my embarrassment
of having to go out on the ice to receive the jersey straight form Jordan Smith!

Imagine the ire of my seat-sectionmates when I somehow managed to pull off a second jersey-win from Jordan Smith on the following year... his last year with the team! I only wore them for special games so people wouldn't be mad at me;
gloating is NOT kindness!

We are really fortunate here in Thunder Bay to have a large arena that many of the teams like to come up to play in because it's one of the few arenas where they get to play in front of 3000 or more true hockey fans which makes the long travel to get here worth their while. It's kind of cool that teams actually enjoy coming here because our little city often gets an unfair rap for how isolated we are... But me, I like the coziness of small city life tucked into nature, and for the avid hockey town we are, where we live is awesomeness... arenas, lakes and ponds and even streets are filled with fast-paced hockey all winter long.

This is the first time my nephew, Zack, has been able to visit during the Fall so I thought it would be fun for us to go to the Thunderwolves Season Opener on the weekend. My lil' Zackaroni, who is not so little anymore but in fact just turned eighteen and has decided to take a year off from school before deciding on either college or university, has lived and breathed hockey all of his life was sweet enough to appease his aunty by going... even though he's at that 'I'm too cool to do things with old adults' age that completely cracks me up! Zack is not only a major hockey fan but an incredible goalie who has been on skates for as long as he's known how to walk, as well as playing rep hockey he was also recruited to play in goal for the ringette league and so had two big, busy travel schedules to contend with all through high school and won many championships in both leagues... the dude's been busy on his skates! I was BEYOND proud of Zack for stepping out of the hockey norm to also play ringette (one of only a couple of boys who did) and for holding his own against the 'chirping' of his teammates; one day, after a ton of ribbing in the locker room, our easy-going Zackaroni, at thirteen and who always chooses feelings over hurtings finally spoke up and asked the other goalie who had been digging in hard, "Hey, when we're in hockey goal and have a win, what happens? We get a bunch of sweaty guys charging and jumping on top of us. But when I'm in ringette goal... I get nothing but hugs upon hugs from alllllllll the ladies...!!" Never did he hear another 'chirp'. Aaaaaand... in his teensey little amount of spare time he even took the course and earned his way to becoming  a referee... so to say the kid lives for being on skates is an understatement!

Thanks to Zack for allowing me to share these pictures of his.!!!

Coolest team picture EVER!

Seriously... LOVE this!!! And I eapecially love that all the girls on his team made him blush for years as they constantly
sang "Chessie's Girls" to the tune of Jesse's Girl by Rick Springfield (because his nickname is Chester) loudly and proudly every chance they had! 

Goal-tending is stressful... but this kiddo takes it all in stride!

So 'Official'... :) 

Anyhow, back to game night... I was more than just a might nervous at the thought of going out to a hockey game at the Gardens; it's always packed with people bustling about in excitement and although I have become used to dealing with my new reality of depending on my Stix, it still doesn't make needing them any easier. The parking was already crazy when we arrived an hour early so Enz dropped Zack and I near the front doors before heading off to find a spot. I could feel my nerves beginning to overtake me as we waited so I was beyond happy to have my nephew to chat and laugh with so I could fight the urge to just turn and head back toward Enz to say I'd made a huge mistake before asking if we could just head home instead of going in. Yay for having to look like I had it alllll together for my nephew!

All ready for game time!

Of course going to the games means concession treats are a necessity so while Enz and Zack waited on the crowded, jostling line-up I worked up the courage to give myself another little challenge and told Enz I was heading down the hallway to see if Jack was there so I could say a quick hello... Jack is a former co-worker and friend of my sister so we always chatted with him for a few minutes before every game. Jack was there and it was so good to feel completely normal in routine again... even just for those few moments. When I turned to head back toward the section we were sitting in the boys were just rounding the bend to meet me, perfect timing!

Only seconds later, I realized I had perhaps made a massive mistake... like, for REALS! My hockey-loving mind had forgotten the high and uneven cement arena steps and our seats were just over halfway up! Maybe I hadn't actually 'forgotten' but had just never really realized because I'd never before had to worry over the stairs, I'd always just skipped on up them without a care in the world. But on Friday night, as I stood at the bottom and somehow willed myself to begin climbing, I had to fight with every bit of strength I could muster in order to keep my panicked and humiliated tears from falling. "Don't look at anybody... Just look ONLY at the stairs..... Don't look back... Just go slowww and pretend nobody else is there..... DON'T look at anyone..... NO eye contact......." I just kept repeating these things over and over in my mind as I worked to get myself up without a breakdown. It was SCARY! Every step was higher than the steps I re-learned on in therapy, higher than the steps at home and higher than any I've happened by while out and it was tough and awkward to get the support I needed from my Stix when my arms were so much higher than I had prepared for. On top of the step height, there are different stair tread depths with a full stair depth followed immediately by a double stair depth which was really hard for my legs to figure out how to deal with. Enz and Zack had gone up the opposite staircase but I turned and started up the other side because it was completely empty, an easy decision for me even though I knew I was starting up alone. As soon as Enz noticed, he was across the aisle to make sure I was okay and to help talk me up the stairs and through my terror. Boy was I grateful to make it up without the breakdown I had been so certain would find me. I even managed a real and grateful smile and a 'Thank You!' to the man who had been watching from just behind where our seats were told me, "You did it! Atta'Girl... you keep on goin'!!" For once, I was feeling encouraged over embarrassed.

The game was a bit of a slow start with no score after the first period but that wasn't surprising for a team with ten freshman players in the first game of the season; working as a team in practice is far different than working as a team during a game against another team. It was like a whole new team of togetherness came out for the second and third periods and the arena erupted in excitement as the Thunderwolves played their way to a 3-0 win! I didn't even attempt to go downstairs, or even to stand for a stretch, between periods but I did spend most of the game worrying about getting down once  the game was over. Turns out I worried for naught... getting down was much easier than getting up had been. We waited until the stands had cleared out and then Enz went in front of me and Zack patiently came down behind me and we all made it safely to the bottom... even if I was a little shaky. Then off we headed for a late dinner at Montana's. A pretty fun time and boy, do I wish we lived closer so we could do fun things like this together all the time!

Such a great kiddo is THIS kiddo! Like almost every other young adult he is addicted to his cell phone but
was polite enough to only use it between whistles and periods... I snuck this quick picture of him chatting with
Uncle during the second intermission.

After the first winter of life with GBS (Guillain Barré Syndrome) and not knowing whether or not I would ever be able to deal with stairs, or even just walking again, we decided it was time to let go of our perfect Thunderwolves season seats; Enz didn’t feel right going without me because I love the games more than he does even though I urged him to take friends in my place. It wasn’t fair to keep holding the tickets I loved when there are people who are able to actually get out and enjoy them. I was kind of hoping that by going to a game this weekend Enz would also decide he missed the games and want to get season tickets again but my plan backfired and he spent the whole game with an angry face and mad at the fact that I had had to struggle so much on the stairs and knowing I was terrified to have to get back down, that the arena is not “everybody accessible” pissed him off GALORE! It’s okay that he doesn’t want to go back to the games because as much as it kills me to admit it, even with how far I have come in my recovery, I was dangerously shaky in a very dangerously unforgiving setting for even a small fall so to be feeling extra anger from Enz in an already nerve-wracking situation probably wouldn’t be so good for my confidence on a weekly basis! However, I did love getting back to a game. And I did LOVE having the opportunity to share in a Thunderwolves game with my lil’ Zackaroni so even through the struggles, I couldn’t have asked for a greater gift to be thankful for!

He may be 18 now but he's still my lil' Zackaroni, even if he now just grins and shakes his head at me!