The Optimistic Amateur: This kid loves hockey like nothing I've ever seen.

Jake loves hockey. He's loved hockey ever since he was old enough to hold a stick. I am firmly convinced that hockey is at least partially responsible for teaching him reading and math, among many other things. He learned all the team names so he could read the paper to see who won. If you put a mathmatical question into hockey terms, he can answer it without a problem.

He is having a few issues now that he is in an organized team. He gets very frustrated because he feels that he isn't the best player on the team. Perfectionist much? During their last game, there was a kid on the opposing team who was taking every opportunity (and sometimes not even waiting for an opportunity) to cheap shot or goon players on our team. Somehow I didn't notice this. What I did notice was Jake skating up behind him and cross checking him after the game was over. It wasn't hard enough to knock the kid down, but a cross check is a cross check. Jake heard about it from his coach, and from us. So on the way home he unloads about how he is feeling about his playing (mainly the complaints about not being the best) and so we asked if he wanted to keep playing. He told us "I want to play a lot more than I want to not play".

So he's decided that the way to be the best player on his team is to practice. Jake and Dad spent the time between dinner and bedtime on the rink in the backyard. It is freakin' cold out there. Like -30 cold.

The cold didn't stop him. He busted his five year old behind out there. He conquered cross overs and backward skating. He is determined to give it his all.