the first time » Teeny Manolo






the first time

By raincoaster

Captain Dave PerryThere’s nothing quite like your first time. The awkward baby steps, the nervous hesitations, the tender care and attention. The hockey rink staff watching with tears in their eyes.

Or is that just Canadians?

From the Kingston Whig-Standard:

Expecting a Saturday morning departure, [Captain Dave] Perry had booked the ice at the Gananoque Recreation Centre for yesterday afternoon so he and his four-year-old son, Mitchell, could spend an hour playing hockey [before he left for Afghanistan with the Canadian Armed Forces]. Told that he was leaving yesterday morning instead, he called the rink to cancel and explained why.

Sue Smith, who books ice time at the arena, told him not to worry. She moved existing bookings around on Thursday afternoon so father and son could have 90 minutes to themselves, shooting pucks at a couple of real nets. Smith only charged Perry a few dollars for the time.

“[The arena staff] were great,” Perry said yesterday as he and the other soldiers waited to board the bus that was taking them to Trenton.

“He’s never played hockey before but it was something that I really wanted to do with him before I left.”

Smith said she never gave a second’s thought to clearing the schedule when she heard that Perry was shipping out early for his nine-month tour.

“I thought it was important that he have that memory, and seeing the two of them out there was so cute,” she said.

“It was a special moment for them, and I’m glad we were able to help him out.”

Something for the care package? How about hockey puck gumballs?

Hockey puck gumballs are a welcome sight









5 Responses to “the first time”




  1. Brian's Babymomma Says:

    It’s very reassuring to see that the family unit is important to someone else as well. It takes a strong person/company to put aside their profits and time for the benefit of a family. Kudos to the ice rink. It makes me like hockey just a little bit more.




  2. raincoaster Says:

    That manager got them some PR that a million dollars couldn’t have bought; the story went around the world. More companies should think that way.

    And, being Canadian, I know just exactly what kind of courage it took to interfere with the rink schedule. Those figure skaters will cut you!




  3. La Petite Acadienne Says:

    No kidding, raincoaster. (New Brunswick girl with a hockey dad here — rink scheduling was often subject to many a bitter diatribe.)




  4. buttercup Says:

    It’s such a violent sport! I imagine that he who puts a hockey gumball in his mouth would immediately be called for high sticking.




  5. raincoaster Says:

    Ba-dump, bump! She’ll be here all week, folks!












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