Hockey Parents

Hockey has been a big part of our family life for about 15 years now. My ex-husband has played on a "senior" league since I've know him. He's been playing hockey since he was a child. This interested our oldest daughter who started playing hockey at the age of 6 and until she was 16 years old. Our son has been playing hockey since he was 4 years old.

Recently we attended one of my 12 year old son's hockey game. It started out nice enough, but progressed into something ugly and loud by the third period. And I'm not talking about the players. I'm talking about the parents. As our home team pulled ahead by two goals in the third period, several parents from the other team started shouting and hollering at the ref's about every call and one lady screamed "HIT HIM" at the top of her lungs, several times, I presume to her own child. This comment got some parents on our team heated and "talking back" at the other team's parents. It became difficult to just enjoy watching my son participate in a game he has loved since he yielded a mini hockey stick in diapers.


The children on these two teams are still tweens. They're out there skating and having fun, trying to enjoy the game, while some parents are projecting their own emotions and passionate need to win on their children. I truly was disgusted by some of the parents display of poor sportsmanship and their aggressive demeanor. Their anger was written all over their faces and clearly amplified in their shouts.

These kids are not going to be professional NHL hockey players. They're not going to the be in the Olympics. I just hope the good memories these children should have by just loving to play the game are not overshadowed by their parents ignorant embarrassing behavior.