I'll be back at it in no time!

As most of you know, I play ice hockey. I'm hard core like that. ;) Mom, Dad, Joseph, and Aunt Christie have seen me play, but I don't think the rest of you have. Sometimes it feels weird to me that my family hasn't seen me do this thing that I am SO passionate about. So here you go- a post about hockey.

This is a video Dad took when he and Aunt Christie came to watch one of my games. It was a rough night and we lost by a couple of points I think, but I still had a few good saves. 

Releasing the puck after a save! :)

Most of the time I play goalie, but occasionally I like to skate out and stretch my legs in a regular player position. Right wing is my favorite, although I think I would prefer center if I had much chance to practice it. Hockey gear is certainly not cheap, and until recently I didn't have a full set of regular player gear. Already having splurged on goalie gear, which is the most expensive gear in one of the most expensive sports anywhere, I had held off on the player gear for a couple of years, trying to convince myself that I was content playing exclusively in the net. But then one day I couldn't convince myself any more.

Over the next few months I bought the gear piece by piece from the local discount hockey store, Play it Again Sports. Once I finally had my full set of gear, I couldn't wait to try it out!!! I must admit I was a bit nervous since I hadn't skated out since 2011. FOUR YEARS. I started out simple at a drop in session with some guys from my rookie league. We play at the Olympic Oval here in Salt Lake.

Sitting on the bench, waiting for my first shift in the scrimmage, I introduced myself to the guys next to me. I made sure they knew I hadn't skated out in four years, and asked them to be sure to yell at me if I was in the wrong spot. "I'll welcome any helpful advice you have to give- heaven knows I need it!" I said. All of the guys were immensely nice and said they would help me out, but there was one white-haired man who gave me the most Miyagi-esque advice of all. "The first three strides are what count the most," he advised. "Get up some speed right off the bat- don't hesitate. Skate out with confidence and let everyone know you mean BUSINESS."

I took my new-found Miyagi's advice to heart when my time came. One of our players skated up to the bench exhausted, shouting, "ONE, ONE!" I hopped the bench in an instant, not even bothering to open the door. The door is for sissies. My skates cut the ice with a very satisfying sound as I powered away from the bench in quick strides. One. Two. Three. Confidence. Speed. BUSINESS. And let me tell you, IT WORKED! I didn't fall once that night, and as for my stick handling skills, it was like riding a bike. All the skills I had in 2011 came back in an instant- not because I was any good, but because I only had enough skills to fill an instant. I was equally marginal with the puck then as I had been before. :) As the night went on, however, I watched my Miyagi closely and tried my best to replicate his techniques. I played the puck when I could get my hands on it, and even stole it from a few good players (much to their chagrin). By the end of the night I had a few good assists, and scored once!!! Persistence really does work wonders. All the guys on my team told me I had a great sense of where to be, and not one of them yelled at me once. I would have thought they were just being nice if it weren't for the fact that I had several assists. Assists mean you know how to position yourself right. I guess all those years of watching the game from the net paid off.

I was a little bit excited to be skating out again. Scoring certainly magnified that feeling. :)

Now, I know what you're thinking. WHAT. A. BRAG. FEST. If I were you, I would probably want to punch me in the face right now. And I'd do it, too- we hockey players are big on fistfights. :) But trust me, there is a humbling moment coming. And it's a BIG one.

All season I've been playing goalie. Even though I talked with my coach about skating out now and then, there is an abysmal lack of female goaltenders in our league, and he hasn't been able to make it happen. If I'm not in the net, no one is. At practices, however, we combine with the men, and they have plenty of goalies to go around. At our last practice, I decided to skate out. I was going to show my coach that he really should let me skate out, because I knew for sure I could make our team better.

I got to the practice early and the Grizzlies (Salt Lake's semi-pro hockey team) were still on the ice at the Maverik Center. We practice after their games, so I watched the last of the game from the tunnel, excited for my turn on the ice. When the zamboni drove off, I skated on. One. Two. Three. Confidence. Speed. BUSINESS. I was off to a great start. At the beginning of practice, everyone skates around for a while to warm up before the coach actually starts drills, and I weaved my way through teammates, passing them left and right. There was a new girl there, so I hung around her for a while to give her some pointers on skating and explain the basics of hockey.

We started with skating drills. I was averagely good compared to the group, but nothing special. Then we began stick handling drills. Two players from the Grizzlies team came to help the coach that night- they were both very handsome and charismatic, so of course I promptly fell down in front of them. As the night went on, my trend of falling continued. We started a drill called Add One- I won't take the time to explain it, but let's just say I was much less than averagely good at this particular drill. With about five minutes of practice left, I went in for my last shift in the drill. I finally got the puck, and the handsomer of the two Grizzlies players shouted, "TAKE THE SHOT, TAKE THE SHOT!" I tried to turn so I was facing the net, but the dreaded fall-trend took its toll. Perhaps my skates were dull. Perhaps I hit a spot of roughed-up ice. Or perhaps I just plain had a bad day. Whatever the cause, I went down, and I went down hard. My right knee twisted really funky and hit the ice. In that moment, the adrenaline didn't let me feel it, but after I skated to the bench and rested my knee for a second, I knew something was wrong. Not the "ouch that's gonna be a big bruise" kind of wrong, but the "I've torn something" kind of wrong.

I hobbled off the ice and collapsed on the locker room bench. Within a few minutes my knee was swollen and throbbing. Not a good sign. My teammates were worried about me driving home, but I assured them I would grit my teeth and make it. And I did- but not without considerable groaning.

The next day I picked a doctor. Jake Veigel. He's a Sports Medicine doctor, and he went to Cornell. That sounded promising, so I made an appointment. Little did I know I had picked the perfect doctor! Turns out he was the team doctor for the Cornell University Women's Hockey Team for a while. What are the odds?! The appointment was great- he's one of those doctors that explains things really well- he doesn't dumb things down, but he doesn't let it go over your head either. His initial thought was a torn ACL. We got some x-rays and even I could tell there was swelling under my kneecap, which is where the ACL is located. My knee was also giving out on me, another indicator of a torn ACL. He wanted to be sure though, so he sent me to get an MRI. We talked about options and he said that a torn ACL requires surgery. I stressed and stressed about the possibility of surgery the whole week I had to wait for my scan appointment. Joseph gave me a blessing and that certainly helped calm me down.

After the MRI, the good news came. MY ACL IS INTACT! It turns out it was actually a partial muscle tear and some bleeding in one of my quads. The Vastus Medialis Obliquus, to be exact.
























It plays a significant role in knee function, which is why my knee has been giving out on me. It doesn't require surgery! He referred me to a physical therapist who said that it should take 4-6 weeks to get back to my old self. I've been doing my exercises diligently, and I expect to be back at hockey by the summer season, which starts in May. And you can rest assured that when I do get back on the ice, I'm going to start off with a:

One. Two. Three.

Confidence. Speed. BUSINESS.

Weese

P.S.- What's my prize, Shannon? ;)