Canadian hockey love affair starts in earnest, kids as young as 4 and 5 are shuttled by their parents to the neighbourhood rink. They can barely walk, but they have a pair of shiny new skates and probably a hockey stick gifted on their first birthday. But not everyone starts this way, there are lots of kids that have parents who could not put them in hockey. Some parents could not afford to put these kids in hockey, or did not have time to drive them around the city hockey rinks and some parents lived in a country where the only place you could find ice was in your drink.
Take TJ for example, he grew up never having the chance to play hockey. He loves the game so he played roller hockey instead. Once day TJ found himself at the Richmond Oval watching a tournament we put on annually there. Seeing how much fun it is, he got the itch which could only be scratched if he faced his fears of not being able to skate. TJ went out to the outdoor rinks and taught himself how to skate, he fell on his ass, a lot and as he would tell you himself, the first time was the hardest.