How our Griffins won a game and I won dad bonding™
Originally published on November 1, 2024.
Our Griffins women’s hockey team went into their game against the University of Regina Cougars with high hopes for a win this past Oct. 12. My dad went into the same game with perhaps even higher hopes for a snack stand.
He has taken me to Oilers games in the past, so I would have the experience of an in-person hockey game. But, when we stopped going as I got older, it wasn’t the deafening crowd that I missed the most; it was the time a daughter got to spend with her dad. What made this different from bonding with him over, say, music? Or dad jokes? The fact that it was something my dad could teach me — something done together. Once watching the NHL shifted from the Rogers Arena to our living room, the experience became perfunctory. The lectures became half-hearted. Without the excitement of an in-person game, we would go on our phones and barely pay attention to each other.
Then, the opportunity arose to take him to a women’s hockey game. There were two seats to the Griffins game at the Downtown Community Arena waiting for us. Part of me knew that watching the women’s game with my dad would be different than watching men’s hockey, but whether it would be for the better or worse was undecided.
The first period started and the Cougars went in hard with offence. Thankfully, our Griffins had a strong defence right from the start. While goalie #31 Brianna Sank made incredible saves, (16 overall) Dad and I grew more comfortable in the arena. We listened to the music; our favourite song, “Enter Sandman” by Metallica blasted over the speakers as we discussed the game. My dad would tell me what each play meant, and I would note the players. This is what made it different from being at home, or any men’s games we had attended. We both had something to contribute. It wasn’t just him on Duolingo while I people-watched. We were a team effort.
Speaking of, the Griffins showed outstanding teamwork as they fought during the first three periods for that two-to-two tie going into overtime. Every woman played her position so well that they became one body, working towards a goal. At the same time, my dad and I weren’t just a man and his daughter attending a women’s hockey game, we were a team working together to bond — two peers teaching each other.
Player #22 forward Sydney Jack’s family were the first to show her what a true team was, long before her fourth-year transfer to the Griffins. She says, “…they helped me get to this point in my life, so when I step on the ice I like to play for them.” The Cougars were ahead for three-quarters of the game, but that wasn’t going to stop the Griffins’ infectious determination and joy. Watching their bench from above, I could see the genuine support MacEwan’s team had for each other, just like Jack’s dad had for her, “they support me either way, whether I win or lose…”
By the end of overtime, my dad and I were barely even on our seats in anticipation of the final score. Now in sync, we debated the calls made by referees during that blaring intensity of an overtime and shootout. After Jack made an amazing final score in the shootout, the game ended three-to-two for our Griffins! The girls weren’t alone in their celebrations as Dad and I cheered in the front row.
Bringing my dad to a women’s hockey game was definitely for the better. The experience was far more personal, as we both watched women like me pursue their dreams. You should take your father figure to a women’s hockey game too. He may just see the importance of supporting your dreams more than ever before. Or, at the very least, you’ll watch some great hockey.
In photo from left to right: Brianna Sank (#31, Goalie), Joie Simon (#6, Forward), Eliana Rain Johnston, and her dad.
0 Comments