It’s here, after a slightly delayed start. After all of the physio and surgeries and
pain, finally tonight I get to hit the ice for the first time since last
April. It’s not the first time I will
have travelled from Maple Ridge to UBC as I did that for the last 7 games of
last season, so that isn’t new.
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| READY TO PLAY |
Let’s recap though, off what happened post last season. I re-fractured my right wrist in two places just
after the season ended and went through total agony and no sleep for almost a
week. I went in and had physio three
times a week for several weeks. While
there I learned about, studied and finally committed to spinal Decompression
therapy.
When I went in, I was hurting all the time and the only
range of motion I had was to be able to touch my knees. After an entire summer of decompression, my
back is essentially pain free for the first time in years and when I bend now,
I can touch the floor. I then spent the
last several weeks allowing everything to heal.
It cost me time at the cabin, but it was worth it.
Just when everything was looking good, I started having a
shadow, some floaters and a blurry spot in my left eye. The whole story is chronicled in the previous
article. I got full medical clearance to
resume playing last Wednesday, which was the first game of the season, but the
bubble in my eye obstructed my downward vision, so I opted to not play.
Suddenly Sunday morning, I woke up and the bubble is gone,
so here we go. First game of the
season. My conditioning is nowhere near
where I want it to be, but I have been walking between 4 and 9K every single
day, so that will help. I had planned on
going back to the gym, but the eye problem stopped that. I was even going to go yesterday, but I didn’t
want to be completely stiff and sore to start the game tonight.
So we shall see how things go when I get there. I am well into my game day ritual as I write
this. I took Toby for his 4K walk this
morning and had a pre-game nap. I had my
lunch and I’m adding a pre-departure hot shower today, just to make sure
everything is good and loose. I usually
carry a hot water bottle and put it on my back while driving, but I think I can
skip that with a shower.
I’ll feed Toby his dinner at 2:30 PM and then make myself a
big travel mug of coffee. I’ll take a
couple of B vitamins for the energy and then we shall head out from here at
3:00 PM. This will give me time to stop
into my favourite hockey shop in Burnaby on the way. There I will get my skates sharpened and grab
a few rolls of tape and then head to UBC.
I try and time my arrival for just after 4:30 PM, that way I
only have to pay $4.50 for parking in the parkade, instead of $10.50. I will then roll into the dressing room at
about 4:45 PM and will be the first one there.
That gives me 45 minutes to tape my sticks, defog my visor and put my
gear on. There will be lots of chatting
and joking as the guys start to filter into the room.
At about 5:20 PM, I’ll go out to the bench with one or two
other early birds and I will do my stretching routine, while watching the
Zamboni clear the ice. There it will be,
a fresh new sheet of ice, to start a fresh new season. After a 10 to 15-minute warmup, the game will
be underway and I will be back where I belong.
I am looking forward to this season even more than
normal. Partly because of all the trials
and tribulations of the past summer, but also partly because I am happy to be
still playing at 61. The game that has
owned me since I was a kid and I am still playing. This year I am looking forward even more with
the new found flexibility in my back, that seriously had me wondering if it was
all over. Now there is re-found
hope. Maybe even a re-found slap shot
that has all but disappeared in the last couple of years.
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