I'll get the Door.

 

It took a little convincing for your mother to sign you and your brother up for hockey. Your short lived gymnastics career gave us many smiles but I think Mom always hoped you'd be a baller and although you gave the hardwoods a chance in junior high school, you've always been a tough as nails, hockey player.

In Mites we loved watching you and your brother scheme up plays at home and in the car before taking the ice as teammates for the Mite D Green squad. Whoever had control of the puck assured the other to go to the net...you were always looking out for each other and dedicated and full of smiles from day one. 

Shortly after that the Pink Dragons became a thing and you met some of the closest friends of your life that year. Pink socks and perfectly knitted pink hats created this identity of strength in numbers and that girls hockey was no longer a pipe dream in Pine City. Even then, you were a head taller than every one and easy to pick out in a crowd. Your white hair flowed from beneath your helmet as you built up strength on your skates and laid the groundwork for a lifetime of friendships. The little Lady Dragons played tough in the Mora Jamboree against the boys teams at the Mite C level. Maybe it was then that we started to see your natural leadership abilities and unwillingness to back down from adversity. That U8 season was magical and we're all so grateful for those memories, to include the intermission skate at the outdoor Gopher game at TCF Bank Stadium.

Early on there wasn't a lot of goal scoring but it seemed the team could count on the tallest of the Emmas for an offensive spark when needed. But I also think that it was probably in year two that your mother and I started to notice your protective ways and defensive tendencies. You loved to hang back and protect the house. You'd pounce on a lose puck and attack in the offensive zone when needed but it became obvious that our big girl was most comfortable defending the blue line.

While you progressed in association hockey, the inevitable happened. You hit Squirts and it was time to play Boys Hockey. With only a few months separating you and the younger girls, the USA Hockey birthdate cutoffs were pretty solid and the decision never fazed you. Hockey was hockey and you just wanted to play. You quickly earned the respect of your teammates by working hard and pushing them to be better. In Squirts we started to see more advanced systems of hockey and you were often paired up with Jarred or Camden as defensive partners - truth be told - it was probably because the coaches knew that you could cover for them. Travel tourneys and swimming pools; playing the Candians and your first encounter of opposing boys targeting you because there was a pony tail sticking out the back of your helmet.

It was somewhere during those Squirt years that I first remember holding the door for you...

Looking back - it's really such a simple thing - popping open the defensive door as you make a line change but it's become symbolic of your journey through hockey and our relationship as father and daughter and player and coach. Not every time but often I sent you on a line change with words of encouragement or directions for play. When you returned you were met with feedback and constructive criticsm. Even at a young age, you were assertive enough to let the coaches know that you didn't need to hear from them with every shift change. 

12's came and you were reunited with the girls you had played with before. As momentum in the girls program was building with fundraising and promotions, a lot of attention was given to the Lady Dragons and a look to the future. It seemed that year after year at the season ending awards gatherings you stacked up the "Team Leader" recognition. As each dad took their turns in the coaching carousel, it didn't take long for each one to learn to count on #17 - at practice, in the lockerroom and on gamedays. When I could, I held the door for you.

There was a time when we didn't know if you'd get a chance to play high school hockey without making some difficult decisions. There was no Girls Co-op for girls that go to school in Rush City. Would Emma change schools? Could we make a new Co-op take off in Pine City before too late? If not, would Emma play on the boys program again? And so you spent a summer going to STP's with the high school - the ONLY Girl on the ice at 13 years old....Holding your own and earning the respect of the boys you would once again play with in Bantams. 

You were getting better every time you stepped on the ice and that Bantam season I started to noticed your true grit. There was contact and you were good at it. You had to learn a new physical style of play and still make contributions to your team. You were rewarded with your hard work by being placed on the Top Power Play unit as a defensive pair witth Andrew. Once again opposing teams targeted you but this time it was with cowardly words and gutless play. Truthfully, it was difficult for teenage boys to be outplayed on the ice by a girl and they didn't handle that well. They called you names and took cheap shots. You stood your ground and handled the vulgarities better than I often did. I think it bothered you most when one punk called you "sweetheart" in the shake up line...or the other one called you an "Ogre". 

You gracefully stood your ground and talked to coaches and parents from the other teams and earned their respect with your determination and effort. Often times by the end of games, you had parents from both teams rooting for you. I'm not sure I ever saw you as mad as when your own D partner swatted you in the face. You came to me flaming mad, with tears of anger in your eyes and said, "Dad, Jarred punched me!" - I told you to punch him back. I don't know if you ever did but I know that there are very few boys in District 10 that would ever mess with you. You're tough.

And a great teammate. It felt good to join the girls for a final year of youth hockey at the U15 level. We won a few games and lost a few too. There were shootout goals and slappers with seconds left on the clock.You served some penalties for Checking here and there and wondered outloud if it was against the rules to be big. But every time we looked up - there was Emma defending Sophia, her goalie, playing tough out front. Or celebrating a goal from one of the littles, Ava, Arissa or Abby with Emma again, a full head taller than everyone.....and at the end - the Team Award for Leadership...

Yesterday you played your last high school game - a capital C sewn in to your sweater. Your last game was physical. The team looked to you for an answer when our opponents swarmed. You blocked shots and moved bodies. You made solid passes and won some races. Today you ice bruises, evidence of your willingness to pay the price for your teammates. For a few years, you've gone over the top on line changes and we've typically got a teammate of yours assigned to running the door when applicable. I don't hold the door for you as often as I used to when you were little.

And soon you'll be on your way....off to college...and I won't be able to send you out for every shift with some words of advice or give you feedback when you come back to the bench. Your playing days are done and Coach Dad won't be getting the D door for you anymore....but you're ready and your mother and I are so proud of you. Hockey did for you exactly what we needed it to do....prove to you that you can do anything, Nemo.