Games for boys

1 . Dragons , and Cyclones , and Checkers , Oh My

U15 Hockey Tournament

Young adolescent boys and their behavior

The parents and fans

The Coaches

2 . Testosterone invasion

The Cyclone goalie

The Cyclone goalie ‘s mean dad

Ten Goals

3 . Living Vicariously

Dad is getting angry b /c the boy is letting goals score

Dad used to be a goalie

Dad wears a goalie shirt

4 . This Is Supposed to be FUN

Tough loss

Disappointed coaches

Disappointed cyclone dad

5 . A Cold Reception

Dad [banner_entry_middle]

‘s face when kids come off ice

Dad ‘s treatment of kid

Dragons and Cyclones and Checkers , oh my ! Every year the Extreme Ice Center hosts a regional hockey tournament for junior hockey players in the U13 , U15 and U17 age groups . Teams come from all around the region to compete in this , the largest and most significant tournament before the finals in May . One particular game seemed to be a mismatch from the start . The Checkers were a powerful team of mainly fourteen-year-olds who had played together for several years while the Cyclones were a new team comprised of mainly thirteen-year-olds . To put it bluntly , the Checkers expected to dominate this game

Thirteen and fourteen year old boys are an interesting group of animals They seem to be hovering on the cusp of manhood while still wanting to cling to a part of that innocent boyhood that is slipping away . Of course , in front of one another and especially in a sport that allows and encourages violence , the efforts to impress the parents , the fans and especially the fourteen-year-old girls wins out . The parents and other fans are also an interesting group . How often does one hear what looks to be a sweet grandma jump up and scream hit him ‘ to her grandson ? The coaches seem to be under the impression that this game will launch their own careers to NHL proportions and their sons straight to the NHL draft . However , the most interesting group of all is the fathers

A Testosterone Invasion . The fathers fall into two categories – the former players and the ones that have convinced themselves that they could have been former players . The Cyclone Goalie ‘s dad was one of the former . Everyone knew this because he would talk loudly about his days as a goalie for his college and minor league professional team . Now he plays for a Men ‘s A team , the highest level of adult non-professional hockey available . He is certainly a legend in his own mind which unfortunately did not stay in his mind but came out of his mouth . He is equally determined that his son will also be a legend , a desire that will later become a death sentence for their relationship

Cyclone Goalie Dad ‘s son was a small boy with wispy hair and no trace of acne on his still cherubic face . He would have been perfectly at home playing with his matchbox cars or drawing rocket ships in his room if his father had… [banner_entry_footer]