It's unfortunate that I've looked to the film Bruce Almighty for my theological lessons in life. Raised in a family that prayed before meals and bedtime let me know that God was in my life at an introductory level. I only went to church when invited by friends and that kind of sporadic attendance didn't foster a deep understanding of the Bible's stories.
Since the Marine Corps baptized me as a "Boot Camp Christian", I've tried to take responsibility for my own salvation. Marrying Michele in a Baptist church gave me a good religious jump start late in life. And now that I am a father of 3, we continue to pray before meals and bedtime, only now I see a bigger picture.
Bruce Almighty and Wikipedia taught me that an Omnipotent Divinity does not assert its power over individual FREE WILL. Life is made of choices that we must make on our own. Jim Carrey could not make Jennifer Aniston love him even with the powers bestowed on him by God or Morgan Freeman. "Bruce" learned that you can't make people love you without affecting Free Will. Like Bruce, I am in love with a beautiful woman - Michele will always be my leading lady. Consequently, like Bruce, I cannot affect the Free Will of my significant other. Except in my case the Love that I speak of is a Love for HOCKEY.
Michele had a volleyball tournament. Tyler was off to a baseball tryout. Emma would have a "playday" at a friend's house. But Logan and Daddy were heading to the Excel for Warroad's run at another State Championship.
There was a slew of friends and relatives for us to sit with at the game. Uncle Tim's gal pal, Janelle, had been following this Warroad team for the last 15 or so years being as her son, Dane, is a top-line Senior winger. Al, Barb, Loren, Amber and even Ryan Stutzman rounded out our modest Dane "fan club". It didn't take Logan long to realize that his shy routine was being wasted on folks that knew better.
Intermissions gave us breaks to roam the causeways of the Excel. Logan enjoyed tossing a new puck around in the open spaces and when it got crowded, he happily perched on my shoulders. As the game wore on, The Warriors had issues with the Penalty Box and whether it was their own fault or the fault of the "zebras" is up for debate. It didn't help that the Breck goalie was "standing on his head" as our boys clearly outshot the bad guys. Warroad is known for it's tough, defensive style of hockey and when they were physical, they controlled the game. However, Breck's speed was tough to match and they lead at the end of the second 4-2. (Seeing Janelle's expression tells it all.)
The third period brought much of the same for the Black and Gold. We couldn't mount much of an attack with skaters "feeling the shame" of the box. Breck continued to buzz and rightfully so as they controlled the final period of play in the biggest game of their young lives. Warroad pulled their goalie with a lot of time left on the clock and Dane shelved the puck shortly thereafter giving them a chance as time ticked away. Breck answered with 2 empty net goals to take home the coveted hardware. 
The littlest fan of our group stood in awe of the spectacle of hockey that engulfed his tiny heart. He stoically took in the Award Ceremony without so much as a peep. It was as if he could feel the emotions of the players on the ice that he was rooting for so hard. I spent more time watching my son's reactions to the out-pouring of emotions on the ice then I did actually watching them myself. I was in awe of the 3 foot hockey fan in front of me. He had become that fan without me affecting his Free Will. Hockey has been something that I've shared with all of my kids. But right there in section 117, Logan showed that for now - He Loves Hockey!
Thank you Logan.
Michele doesn't Love Hockey. (She accepts State Tourney time and the run for the Stanley Cup as our time apart.)
Tyler doesn't Love Hockey. (He tolerates it to placate my ego. He skates like I sew - just enough to get by for a while.)
Emma doesn't Love Hockey. (She loves coloring. Singing. Dancing. - the things 4 year old girls should Love.)
But LOGAN! Logan shows flashes of interest that might take it to the next level. His vocabulary grows daily like an unchecked yard full of dandelions in the Spring. Every day it seems like Bear has come up with something new but "Pay Hockey wit Me?" has been a staple of Logan's requests for a while now. Last Saturday morning when I told him that he was going to the Hockey Game with dad, he shepherded me to the basement with something to show me. As I followed the Knee-High ball of enthusiasm into the "man closet", I realized that he wanted me to get his skates off the shelf for him. He didn't just want to go to the game. He wanted IN the game.
Michele had a volleyball tournament. Tyler was off to a baseball tryout. Emma would have a "playday" at a friend's house. But Logan and Daddy were heading to the Excel for Warroad's run at another State Championship. Taking both of my sons to state tourney hockey games on consecutive days felt like I had died and gone to heaven. My eldest, Tyler endured the Friday night AA games enough to enjoy some cheese curds and witness the Cinderella story of the tourney, Moorhead Spuds, win another game. That night will be forever etched into my hockey archives as the night Tyler coined the phrase, "Ouch, that's one Mashed Potato!" after a crushing hit on a high school Spud. I laughed a proud laugh for quite a while on that one.
The next morning my two year old partner was in awe of everything new. Ironically, everything was new to him. Bear saw buildings taller than he had ever seen before. He latched on to my leg as we rode the parking ramp elevator with the view of heavy traffic. Logan had to learn that everything on display at the Hockey Expo wasn't free. And to his surprise, he learned that Charlie Brown's gang played hockey on the east side of St. Paul.
There was a slew of friends and relatives for us to sit with at the game. Uncle Tim's gal pal, Janelle, had been following this Warroad team for the last 15 or so years being as her son, Dane, is a top-line Senior winger. Al, Barb, Loren, Amber and even Ryan Stutzman rounded out our modest Dane "fan club". It didn't take Logan long to realize that his shy routine was being wasted on folks that knew better. Logan's eyes were as big as silver dollars, taking it all in: the lights, the scoreboard, the banners, the Zamboni, the crowd, the band and the theater style chairs that easily swallow 30 pound little guys.
At home we play "knee hockey" to no end.
At home we play "knee hockey" to no end. He's been to the rink to shoot pucks and will pass back and forth with me for hours in the garage. He'll sit and watch lengths of NHL hockey that could not be common for most toddlers.
But I'm sure nothing could compare to his first live action game being the State Tourney Championship game with Dad's alma matter, Warroad taking on the private school, Breck Mustangs. The "bad guys" jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Logan ravaged the diaper bag for any and all snacks. The real time hockey players could not compete for the attention of my boy with SpongeBob fruit snacks and boxes of apple juice so readily available. However, the beast woke up when Warroad retaliated with 2 goals 14 seconds apart in the first period. As our cheering section came to life, Logan quickly realized he too played an important role in rooting on his team. End of 1st Period = Warroad 2 - Breck 2.
Intermissions gave us breaks to roam the causeways of the Excel. Logan enjoyed tossing a new puck around in the open spaces and when it got crowded, he happily perched on my shoulders. As the game wore on, The Warriors had issues with the Penalty Box and whether it was their own fault or the fault of the "zebras" is up for debate. It didn't help that the Breck goalie was "standing on his head" as our boys clearly outshot the bad guys. Warroad is known for it's tough, defensive style of hockey and when they were physical, they controlled the game. However, Breck's speed was tough to match and they lead at the end of the second 4-2. (Seeing Janelle's expression tells it all.)The third period brought much of the same for the Black and Gold. We couldn't mount much of an attack with skaters "feeling the shame" of the box. Breck continued to buzz and rightfully so as they controlled the final period of play in the biggest game of their young lives. Warroad pulled their goalie with a lot of time left on the clock and Dane shelved the puck shortly thereafter giving them a chance as time ticked away. Breck answered with 2 empty net goals to take home the coveted hardware. Initial shock set in for us as we watched the "Cake-eaters" celebrate what we all wanted so much - but the 20th trip to State is nothing to scoff at. This would be Warroad's 6th Second Place finish. Pair that with 4 Championships and even last year, Dane scoring the OT winner for 3rd and I'd say us lifetime Warriors have a lot to be proud of.
The littlest fan of our group stood in awe of the spectacle of hockey that engulfed his tiny heart. He stoically took in the Award Ceremony without so much as a peep. It was as if he could feel the emotions of the players on the ice that he was rooting for so hard. I spent more time watching my son's reactions to the out-pouring of emotions on the ice then I did actually watching them myself. I was in awe of the 3 foot hockey fan in front of me. He had become that fan without me affecting his Free Will. Hockey has been something that I've shared with all of my kids. But right there in section 117, Logan showed that for now - He Loves Hockey!Amen Morgan Freeman. Amen.
Thank you Logan.Thank you God.
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