Saying Goodbye to Ben

As I stood near the swinging door into the hockey rink, I looked out across the ice to the group of spectators standing near the zamboni doors. It was the third period of the high school hockey game and the group of about 10 familiar faces were obviously very excited about the goalie that had just skated across the ice to assume his position. This was his first hockey game, ever. A couple of the people were taking pictures with their cell phones, a few had huge smiles on their faces, and I could see the jokester of the group saying something that had the rest of them cracking up. I imagine it was some kind of comment about how frightened the first-time goalie may be.

Seeing the camaraderie of this group put a smile on my face. It warmed my heart to see such enjoyment and ease between them, especially since my kids were a part of it. These are people that have, in a wonderful way, become a part of my life as a hockey mom in this rink. And as quickly as that smile naturally formed at my lips, tears sprung to my eyes. I was caught off-guard by the stinging in my throat and the welled up eyelids. Seeing the group made me happy but at the same time, it hit me that this would be the very last time I would see this group together like that. You see, one person standing there leaning against the glass, intently watching the game, and keeping everyone laughing with his spot-on humor, is leaving.

I can't recall when exactly Ben became such an important part of our rink life but I do know that over the past five years that he has worked at the rink, his interaction with my family has evolved into something that the kids and I will not soon forget. And all four of us are going to miss him. Especially Cody and Rylee.

Rylee, who at five years old doesn't know life without the hockey rink and Ben, flirts, teases, kicks, hugs, scares, and harasses poor Ben every time he is there. Some of the first words she learned to spell and write were: Ben, is, a, and baby. She has mastered drawing spiders just to scare him. She can get close to him by pretending to want a hug and then haul off and kick him before running quickly away, hysterically laughing and amused by her own trickery. And she has made sure that as long has Ben has his blue coat, he will never forget her since she streaked the back shoulder of it with a glue stick. Rylee, who has a huge spirit and loves with all her heart and soul, is definitely going to feel a hole when he's gone. I feel quite confident, that with her memory, she will be telling "Ben" stories well into her teenage years. He's been that much a part of her young life.

Cody, who some swear lives at the rink, is really going to miss Ben. Again, I can't recall when exactly they became such good "friends", or whatever it should be called, but I have to say that he enjoys listening to Ben's stories and receiving his own dose of harassment from him. Ben has really been somewhat of a Big Brother to Cody. He has taken him to a couple of River Rats games, harasses the crap out of him, embarrasses him (or tries to), wrestles with him, and throws insult left and right. But Cody loves it and I know that although he isn't showing it, he's upset that Ben's time at the rink is coming to an end way too quickly.

To be honest, it's coming to an end too quickly for many of us.