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9.19.00
LIFE AT THE HOCKEY HOUSE IN VAIL
By Lee Samuels
Vail, Colorado -- Belle, the brown-haired hockey pup, greets all at the hockey house where Eddie is living with four other players this winter. As Eddie and I pull up in a rental car in the driveway, Belle -- tail wagging -- is the official people greeter.
"She goes to every practice and will be with us on game nights," said Eddie, laughing. He reached down and brushed his right hand through her thick brown coat. Belle looked up, as if to say thank you.
Inside the
front door, all shoes are taken off. There is a sweet smell of a barbecue out back. Several hockey moms are also in for the weekend. A football game is on the TV. Coffee is perking in a glass pot. House hockey Dad Dave Garrett, whose son Nicky is a first-year center on the bantam team, is the man in charge.
Dave cooks, repairs
equipment, sews patches on jerseys, looks at the hockey sticks, studies the curve of a taped blade. He drives a station wagon to every practice, taking a group of bright-eyed anxious players to Dobson Arena.
Out back, there is a hill with brush, flowers, small trees.
"This town looks better in snow," said Eddie, reflecting for a moment.
The
cool of autumn is already here. Shades of orange and red are already on the leaves of strong, sturdy trees. Soon, snow will arrive.
"First snow, a light one, will be a few weeks," said Dave. "Then we'll get the big snowstorms rolling in."
Eddie's
room is upstairs. He shares it with Nicky. First-year players get the top bunk, so Eddie's favorite blanket is on the lower one. He has his laptop computer, clock and video games including his favorite one, Roller Coaster.
In the
room, Nicky is on his computer. He is listing an item on Ebay. It's a computer game and Nicky opens an auction account. His handle will be nickyg6.
Eddie's laundry basket overflows with shirts, socks and other hockeywear.
"We
have to do our own laundry," he said. "Mom taught me everything -- keep the whites together, the blues in one pile, that kind of stuff."
The
next morning, he gets up early, showers and gets his #23 Vail game jersey. The Vail team is about to scrimmage the Vail midget 18-and-under team.
"Big game, Pops," he says, jokingly.
After a plate of scrambled eggs and hickory-flavored sausage on flat stoneware, we head for the rink.
Good old
Dobson Arema, where other Las Vegas skaters -- Micah Sanford, Travis Roseberry and T.J. Craig -- played so hard last winter.
Finally, the
game begins and Eddie leads his team onto the ice. He skates hard during warmups and finally, a buzzer sounds and he heads for the bench.
There, before the game begins, he looks towards the cluster of Vail parents. He nods, then listens to his new coach, bright-eyed Jamie O'Leary who sees the good in every player.
On the bench, Eddie thinks about his home -- the roller rink at Crystal Palace on Rancho Drive, Santa Fe Casino Ice Arena and the twin ice sheets on Swenson. There, he played in so many games. There was always a big team coming in for the weekend.
Then, suddenly....
"Get out there, Eddie," coach O'Leary said. And out he went, leading an attack faraway from home.
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