Thank you everyone for your patience during this time as safety and well-being is our top priority. And patience has paid off as now we are back on the ice. Yes, it may be in limited numbers and at limited times, but it is great to be back on the ice.

My two boys were both anxious and excited to get back on the ice as they tried their gear on the day before just to make sure everything fit still. My one son even went to 6 am stick-and-puck just to skate before he went to a coach led session. It was like riding a bike and it was like he was never off the ice.

My other son, who is typically very composed was clearly anxious and checked his gear 8 times and was ready unusually early. He was nervous that he may be out of shape, rusty, and slow. The good news is that we all are. It's natural to have the feeling that we have missed some time and now we need to get it back and do more to make up for lost time. But don't worry, just take it slow and easy and enjoy the time on the ice.

When my son got on the ice, still nervous about jumping right back into full practices, the instructor simply just sat them all down to ease their nerves. He summed it up very well when he said, "let's be mature about this. We are all anxious and excited and we know we won't be our best on the ice today, but that is ok." My son, said the session was jumping back to the basics and keeping it simple. 

This simplicity was what my son needed as he really just wanted to feel comfortable back on the ice. So as we venture back to the hockey life style, just remember to take it in stride and be mature about the coming back. Once the skates hit the sheet, it will all come back!