-Hockey is where I live.

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I don't even think "this much" describes my love for hockey.

Five reasons why I adore this amazing sport...

1.) The work ethic it teaches you. Hockey is hard! I bet if you ask anybody (even pros who have played for years upon years) they will say that hockey does not come natural. Nobody is born with the ability to skate on slippery ice with a blade the width of a pencil. Not only must you learn to skate well but now add some puck skiiilllzzz in there. You have to physically be able to take the intense checking, and be mentally prepared for anything to happen in a game. Hockey has taught me that no matter how bad you want something, it's not going to come without working hard. I want to prove coach I can play? Go practice. I want to get a shoot a better wrister? Go stick handle for an hour. I want to play? Go kick my own butt by doing tons of off-ice stuff. I want to prove that I can handle the game? Learn to keep a good attitude and shut my mouth sometimes. I've worked harder than I ever have for anything else in my life at hockey, and I've still got alot of improvement. There's always room for improvement, you can always be better & I never want to get to a point where I won't be able to work at hockey.



"He Shoots! He scores! Hey GOALIE, you SUCK!"

 2.) The feeling like there is no where other in the world you'd rather be. Whether it's a practice, game, free-skate, noon-skate, Learn-to-Play, or you're just going on your free time...I have fallen in love with the rink. It's literally unbelievable how my mood can go from intensely crappy to 'happiest person in the world' by going to the rink.

3.) Whenever you watch NHL, you feel like you know the players personally...and sometimes like you're playing in the game. Sometimes, I will get so into an NHL game that I literally scream at the tele. Here at the Money household, we take these games seriously. Whenever there's a game on...you better shut-up unless you're talking about the game. When there's a commercial break you may say what you wanted to say. Countless times I have yelled at the television & stood up and thrown a random object at the wall. Numerous times I have swore at the players telling them what they should have been doing or where they should have been, like I know what I'm talking about? :) I've cried whenever my beloved Blackhawks have lost a game. Annnd, I'm pretty sure I bawled myself to sleep the night they got knocked out of the playoffs last season. I've been picked up & ran with down the outside sidewalk by my brother Dylan while screaming "WE WOOON!". Needless to say, watching the Chicago Blackhawks is indescribable. I'm still holding my breath for Patrick Kane. I'm telling you folks, he's gonna be my husband one day. ;) 



My heros. Annnnd future husband. Back off.  



4.) Lockeroom tiiiimezzz & dryland\ice practices. Honestly, some of the best times and memories come from those two things. The definition of dryland practices is; let's run till you're convinced that amputation of your legs would feel better than the burning feeling you have right now. Literally, I sometimes feel like dryland practice is harder that ice practice. The reason I love these practices so much is because everybody is so relaxed. Practices give you a chance to bond with your teammates outside of the intensity of our games. As for the lockeroom...it's one of my favorite places in the world. This is where the celebrations are held after you win a game, and this is also the location where the room is filled with sorrow after you've lost. It's where I've laughed so hard I've cried, got yelled at by Coach, and drank a gazillion bottles of gatorade.

5.) Most importantly, I love the relationships I've made. No matter how much we make fun of eachother, I know that I will be able to count on those boys to be there for me. They're loud, obnoxious, insane, crazy, innapropriate, crude, jerks, potty-mouthed & downright hysterical...but I wouldn't want them any other way. They're amazing, and I would consider any of them my family.

Needless to say, even though half the time we're cracking jokes about how we all suck at hockey, we're just one huge band of brothers & two sisters. ;)