With only a few days before the Gold Medal game in Womens hockey at Vancouver I wanted to talk some about someone that keeps me collecting.
the hockeymonkey.
She really started collecting autographs of womens hockey players right out of the gate.
Her first one was Cammi Granato.
Cammi had won the Gold Medal with her team in 1998 in Nagano Japan.
She was a guest with some of her teammates at a game at The University of Vermont in 1999.
The Cats were playing a game vs. The Russian Womens National team.
the hockeymonkey met Cammi and at the age of 5 instantly became probably the biggest collector of womens hockey autographs around.
She would go to the rest of the Cats games that season and even started playing hockey a day after she met Cammi.
She would get autographs of every player on UVM and the visiting teams.
This was a practice she kept going for many years expanding from pucks, programs, hats, jersey's whatever.
She still has every single piece.
She has amassed a collection of well over 400+ college hockey media guides many of which are signed by entire teams.
Not having an older brother who played because of his brain tumor and many surgeries she looked up to all these girls and they all took her in as a little sister.
Because of her borther she never really had the chance to be a little sister.
The college girls were awesome with her the would write her letters and some even went to watch her play.
One team even had a birthday party for her.
The players and staff always made her feel welcomed wherever she went.
What amazed me more was how the women on the national Teams from The US, Canada, Sweden, Finland and even the Russian and German teams also were always so nice with her.
The summer after she had met Cammi I brought her for what was one of her many trips to Lake Placid to see some of her soon to be heroes.
She got to talk to many of the girls who had won the Gold.
Angela Ruggiero, Shelly Lonney, Chris Bailey, AJ Mlezcko, Sara Decosta, Sarah Tueting, Jenny Potter, Tricia Dunn, Katie King, Tara Mounsey everyone including many girls that were hoping to make the next national team.
These girls had just won a Gold Medal I never expected them to have the time to stop and talk with her and sign her mini sticks and jersey and whatever else she had.
She spent that whole day watching them play.
The next winter we went to Lake Placid again and this time Team USA was playing in a Holiday Tournament with the Beatrice Aeroes, Dartmouth College and the German National Team.
That is when the hockeymonkey met one of her all time favorite USA players Andrea Kilbourne.
They wore the same numbers #9 so they were linked by that.
the hockeymonkey stayed in touch with Andrea over the years and Andrea even wrote her a letter from Salt Lake City.
She still has that.
Over the years trips to Lake Placid trips became the summer event.
The Four Nations Cup tournament was held there and the hockeymonkey would come with jersey's and program's for all the girls to sign.
Before some games it would not be a surprise to see the hockeymonkey sitting in the stands talking with players from Finland, Sweden or Canada.
She would talk in the stands with Ben Smith and Melody Davidson.
She would have coversations sitting with Natalie Darwitz as to why she collected all this stuff or Margot Page to find out how some of her friends from Niagara were?
She traded her Essex Sting pins with Nora Tallus of Finland and Maria Roth of Sweden.
She hung out with Haley Wickenheiser, Becky Keller, Jennifer Botterill and Danielle Goyette before a Four Nations Cup game at UVM.
The Burlington Free Press even did a story with her.
She was even lucky enough to be stick girl at The University of Vermont for a game between Team USA and Team Canada U22's.
She was on the same bench as her heroes Natalie Darwitz, Kelly Stephens, and so many more.
She got to watch some of her friends from Canada on the other side right from the bench.
Shelly Looney was one of the coaches with Alana Blahoski and funny enough the hockeymonkey had Alana's game used gloves from Team USA and Shelly's skully cap from Nagano.
They were sent to her from a friend who used to have an incredible USA Women's Hockey website.
In the summer of 2005 was one the last chances we really had to go to Lake Placid for a Team USA event. The tryouts for the 2006 Olympic team.
the hockeymonkey and I spent two days watching the team.
She had drawn a picture for every single player that was trying out.
It turns out that the players all hung those drawings in the entrance to their locker rooms.
One of the equipment guys snuck her into the locker rooms to see them.
These girls with so much going on all appreciated what she had done.
The day before the team was announced we had to come home.
She had tears in her eyes all the way home.
She wanted to be there when the team was announced.
She had spent the past few days taking 100's of pictures and doing her own evaluations she wanted to see how everything would play out.
When we got the hockeymomma decided to take her back so she could be there for the announcement.
When she got back to Lake Placid hockeymomma bought her a brand new USA jersey and when she got back to the rink everyone was so happy she was back.
The rink staff even set up a table for her to get her jersey and other stuff signed.
After the team was picked she seemed pleased with the picks and was hoping that the US would bring home the gold.
She even brought home Kathleen Kauth's stick.
Kathleen was one of the last players cut from the 2002 team and the hockeymonkey had built a little bond with her while she was playing for Brown.
That did not happened but the hockeymonkey was a little sad because she knew that Sweden beating the US made her sad but she knew how important it was for womens hockey.
the hockeymonkey's last trip to Lake Placid was the Frozen Four in 2007.
We had been to three other Frozen Four's: UNH twice and Providence each time with some incredible memories.
Krissy Wendell even gave the hockeymonkey her stick after a game at UNH.
Jody Horak geve her the game used goalie stick after Minnesota won the National Championship in Providence.
She got to hold the Patty Kazmair award for the most outstanding college womens hockey player when Brooke Whitney from Northeastern won it our first trip to the Frozen Four in New Hampshire.
the hockeymonkey got to go to the Patty Kazmeir award ceremony she got to sit at a table with Katey Stone the Harvard coach and Laura Holderson the coach from Minnesota.
She named dropped the whole time and got to meet many of the past winners of the award.
Julie Chu the winner of the award that year let the hockeymonkey hold the award for a picture.
Molly Engstrom gave the hockeymonkey her jersey from the alumni game.
She came home with posters and programs signed many still displayed in our hockey room.
the hockeymonkey also collected autographs from many local high school players but I want to mention one moment in particular.
The Make-a-Wish foundation host a high school all-star game every year.
Current Team USA hockey player Hilary Knight played in that game.
After the game Hilary asked the hockeymonkey if she would like her jersey. Of course she said yes, but Hilary had forgot she had promised it to one of the wish children. the hockeymonkey understood and Hilary said she would send her one of her USA practice jersey's. A few months later a green USA hockey jersey arrived in the mail for her from Hilary!!
For every teammate and player that has been there for her over the years I want to thank you all for being there for her.
She never got to be a little sister to her brother but you all were her big sisters.
You were all and still are a very very important part of her life.
She is older now and is still playing hockey she will never forget all the great memories you gave her.
Thank you.
the hockeymonkey.
She really started collecting autographs of womens hockey players right out of the gate.
Her first one was Cammi Granato.
Cammi had won the Gold Medal with her team in 1998 in Nagano Japan.
She was a guest with some of her teammates at a game at The University of Vermont in 1999.
The Cats were playing a game vs. The Russian Womens National team.
the hockeymonkey met Cammi and at the age of 5 instantly became probably the biggest collector of womens hockey autographs around.
She would go to the rest of the Cats games that season and even started playing hockey a day after she met Cammi.
She would get autographs of every player on UVM and the visiting teams.
This was a practice she kept going for many years expanding from pucks, programs, hats, jersey's whatever.
She still has every single piece.
She has amassed a collection of well over 400+ college hockey media guides many of which are signed by entire teams.
Not having an older brother who played because of his brain tumor and many surgeries she looked up to all these girls and they all took her in as a little sister.
Because of her borther she never really had the chance to be a little sister.
The college girls were awesome with her the would write her letters and some even went to watch her play.
One team even had a birthday party for her.
The players and staff always made her feel welcomed wherever she went.
What amazed me more was how the women on the national Teams from The US, Canada, Sweden, Finland and even the Russian and German teams also were always so nice with her.
The summer after she had met Cammi I brought her for what was one of her many trips to Lake Placid to see some of her soon to be heroes.
She got to talk to many of the girls who had won the Gold.
Angela Ruggiero, Shelly Lonney, Chris Bailey, AJ Mlezcko, Sara Decosta, Sarah Tueting, Jenny Potter, Tricia Dunn, Katie King, Tara Mounsey everyone including many girls that were hoping to make the next national team.
These girls had just won a Gold Medal I never expected them to have the time to stop and talk with her and sign her mini sticks and jersey and whatever else she had.
She spent that whole day watching them play.
The next winter we went to Lake Placid again and this time Team USA was playing in a Holiday Tournament with the Beatrice Aeroes, Dartmouth College and the German National Team.
That is when the hockeymonkey met one of her all time favorite USA players Andrea Kilbourne.
They wore the same numbers #9 so they were linked by that.
the hockeymonkey stayed in touch with Andrea over the years and Andrea even wrote her a letter from Salt Lake City.
She still has that.
Over the years trips to Lake Placid trips became the summer event.
The Four Nations Cup tournament was held there and the hockeymonkey would come with jersey's and program's for all the girls to sign.
Before some games it would not be a surprise to see the hockeymonkey sitting in the stands talking with players from Finland, Sweden or Canada.
She would talk in the stands with Ben Smith and Melody Davidson.
She would have coversations sitting with Natalie Darwitz as to why she collected all this stuff or Margot Page to find out how some of her friends from Niagara were?
She traded her Essex Sting pins with Nora Tallus of Finland and Maria Roth of Sweden.
She hung out with Haley Wickenheiser, Becky Keller, Jennifer Botterill and Danielle Goyette before a Four Nations Cup game at UVM.
The Burlington Free Press even did a story with her.
She was even lucky enough to be stick girl at The University of Vermont for a game between Team USA and Team Canada U22's.
She was on the same bench as her heroes Natalie Darwitz, Kelly Stephens, and so many more.
She got to watch some of her friends from Canada on the other side right from the bench.
Shelly Looney was one of the coaches with Alana Blahoski and funny enough the hockeymonkey had Alana's game used gloves from Team USA and Shelly's skully cap from Nagano.
They were sent to her from a friend who used to have an incredible USA Women's Hockey website.
In the summer of 2005 was one the last chances we really had to go to Lake Placid for a Team USA event. The tryouts for the 2006 Olympic team.
the hockeymonkey and I spent two days watching the team.
She had drawn a picture for every single player that was trying out.
It turns out that the players all hung those drawings in the entrance to their locker rooms.
One of the equipment guys snuck her into the locker rooms to see them.
These girls with so much going on all appreciated what she had done.
The day before the team was announced we had to come home.
She had tears in her eyes all the way home.
She wanted to be there when the team was announced.
She had spent the past few days taking 100's of pictures and doing her own evaluations she wanted to see how everything would play out.
When we got the hockeymomma decided to take her back so she could be there for the announcement.
When she got back to Lake Placid hockeymomma bought her a brand new USA jersey and when she got back to the rink everyone was so happy she was back.
The rink staff even set up a table for her to get her jersey and other stuff signed.
After the team was picked she seemed pleased with the picks and was hoping that the US would bring home the gold.
She even brought home Kathleen Kauth's stick.
Kathleen was one of the last players cut from the 2002 team and the hockeymonkey had built a little bond with her while she was playing for Brown.
That did not happened but the hockeymonkey was a little sad because she knew that Sweden beating the US made her sad but she knew how important it was for womens hockey.
the hockeymonkey's last trip to Lake Placid was the Frozen Four in 2007.
We had been to three other Frozen Four's: UNH twice and Providence each time with some incredible memories.
Krissy Wendell even gave the hockeymonkey her stick after a game at UNH.
Jody Horak geve her the game used goalie stick after Minnesota won the National Championship in Providence.
She got to hold the Patty Kazmair award for the most outstanding college womens hockey player when Brooke Whitney from Northeastern won it our first trip to the Frozen Four in New Hampshire.
the hockeymonkey got to go to the Patty Kazmeir award ceremony she got to sit at a table with Katey Stone the Harvard coach and Laura Holderson the coach from Minnesota.
She named dropped the whole time and got to meet many of the past winners of the award.
Julie Chu the winner of the award that year let the hockeymonkey hold the award for a picture.
Molly Engstrom gave the hockeymonkey her jersey from the alumni game.
She came home with posters and programs signed many still displayed in our hockey room.
the hockeymonkey also collected autographs from many local high school players but I want to mention one moment in particular.
The Make-a-Wish foundation host a high school all-star game every year.
Current Team USA hockey player Hilary Knight played in that game.
After the game Hilary asked the hockeymonkey if she would like her jersey. Of course she said yes, but Hilary had forgot she had promised it to one of the wish children. the hockeymonkey understood and Hilary said she would send her one of her USA practice jersey's. A few months later a green USA hockey jersey arrived in the mail for her from Hilary!!
For every teammate and player that has been there for her over the years I want to thank you all for being there for her.
She never got to be a little sister to her brother but you all were her big sisters.
You were all and still are a very very important part of her life.
She is older now and is still playing hockey she will never forget all the great memories you gave her.
Thank you.
Aw Dad I remember those days!
ReplyDeleteI actually really miss these old days..
ReplyDeletethe burlington free press did an article im impressed
ReplyDelete