Holiday Travels, Part 4

Last night we went and watched one of the International Junior Championship games – U.S.A. vs. the Czech Republic. U.S. won! It was played where the Ottawa Senators play (ScotiaBank Place), and the place was PACKED!! Over 20,000 people there to watch! These are kids just out or almost out of high school and hopefully on their way to either the Olympics or the NHL. And the games are ongoing, playing one game right after the other, with people filing in and out with no time to clean up the stadium. It was a mess there! It’s been the only time we’ve really seen trash anywhere.

We had a game this morning across the Rideau River and won, making it two games we’ve won! Then we went to Maryanne’s (the coach’s wife and our team manager) mom’s house where her mom had TONS of food for the boys! Pete’s (our coach) parents were there, too, and it was interesting to hear some of the stories they told about Pete in his early hockey years.

Then we went to our third game, and lost... boo hoo! The Canadian people we’ve talked to seem surprised we’re good, though! (ha ha!). But if you saw some of the other teams – whoa. Some are REALLY exceptionally good!!! But like people reminded us, most of the kids here in Canada have practice two hours EVERY DAY. Wow.

Tomorrow we have a skills competition, and then I think another exhibition game, and another exhibition game on Wednesday, with a pizza party and pond skating/hockey over at Maryanne’s mom’s house for New Year’s Eve. They have a park across the street with slides and swings and also an ice rink (they call it a pond)!! I guess it’s common here… cool!

With the unusual warm weather here, the canals are not frozen hard enough to skate on yet, so the New Year’s festivities that the town had planned have been canceled until it freezes harder – which could happen in a couple of days, as it’s supposed to turn really cold by tomorrow, I think. Maybe a little snow, too.

Oh! I forgot – on our drive to this morning’s game, we went past the Parliament buildings and the American Embassy! Huge. AND the Prime Minister was at our second game watching his own boy play hockey on the other rink! There were only four secret service guys with him, too. Interesting!

Well, Derek’s back from the hot tub with his friends. And I need to look up maps for tomorrow to write down directions. So I’ll try to write more of our adventures tomorrow!