Hockey moms, I know I am not alone when I say that I can’t stand the smell of my son’s hockey gear.  While I wait all year for the hockey season to begin as soon as the previous year has finished, I never look forward to that smell. 

My son’s hockey team this year smelled each other’s gloves after practice one night to see whose gloves smelled the worst. Well guess what? My son won.  No, I’m not bragging that he won this contest, I’m disgusted. 

How do you get the smell out?  I have tried many of those sprays that you can purchase at sporting goods stores and not one of them have worked.  I have noticed around the rinks there are those boxes to put your gear in and we have yet to do it.  I didn’t want to throw away the money if it wasn’t going to work.  I also don’t want to wash his gear in my washer at home because of all that nasty bacteria. 

Well let’s just say the “hockey gods” have answered.  Will and Christine Anderson, parents on our hockey team this year, have purchased three of those equipment cleaning boxes you see around the rinks.  They were purchased through www.sportsozone.com. 

They make them for the military for their tactical gear and for many pro sports teams.  In speaking with Will, he revealed that, “most people don’t know, but the smell actually comes from the bacteria, so when you kill the bacteria, you kill the smell.”

When Will was informed by his son that my son has the worst smelling gloves on the team, he offered me a coupon to try the machine.  I was pretty skeptical on whether this was going to work.  Well, we stopped at the rink and tried it out and, low and behold, it WORKS!

His equipment was 100% better than it had been.  It wasn’t 100% “stink” free, but pretty darn close considering I haven’t washed his gear in over a year.  I know, gross, right? So the more frequently I use the machine, the more“stink free” his equipment will become.

The Anderson’s own three of these machines called The DeOdorBox (formerly Shockbox) and you can find them on Twitter at @DeOdorBox.  They are located at the White Bear Lake Sports Center, Vadnais Heights Sports Center and the Schwans Super Rink in Blaine between rinks 1-4. 

The cost is $10 and it takes about 15 minutes.  You can put ALL your child’s gear in here as well as paintings (if they smell a little old), yoga mats, work boots, down pillows/blankets, sleeping bags and water bottles and all sporting equipment.

The machine does not take care of stains, though, (wishful thinking) as it is a dry process that attacks the odor causing bacteria.   It is recommended that you sanitize your gear about every 2 to 3 weeks, Anderson says, “depending on how frequently you skate, how bad you sweat, if you wear socks or a t-shirt under your gear, and if you are my son.” Just kidding!

So hockey moms, the next time you head to the White Bear Sports Center, Vadnais Sports Center or the Schwan’s Super Rink take that extra 15 minutes to “get the stink out” of your kids gear. You won’t be sorry. 

The post Hockey Moms: Get the stink out! appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Here is this month’s Hockey Moms USA ‘Hockey Mom of the Month’ winning submission by Spring Lake Park bantam Niko Reimann:

“My name is Niko Reimann and I want to nominate my Grandmother, Judy Berg, for the Hockey Mom of the Month.  My grandma had three kids that played hockey, one being my mom, Michele,  my uncle Mike and Tommy.  My grandma strapped their skates on at the age of 4 and away they went.

She fast learned the rules of hockey. Michele played through high school, Mike played college and semi-pro and Tommy played college hockey at the U of Maine Black Bears.  He also played semi-pro but quit after his fourth concussion.

It doesn’t stop there.

Judy is my legal guardian as well as my brother Branden’s. Branden had a tough life, but he loved the game of hockey but had no means financially to join a team. At the age of five he would walk one mile whenever he could to an outdoor rink and strap on his skates and skate until dark and walk home.

Branden Reimann

When Branden was 12 he asked my grandma to help him join a team.  Financially, she could help, but he still needed to get to the rinks.  He was too embarrassed to ask for rides, so Branden walked to and from hockey whether it was 6 am or 9 pm.  He lived 35 miles from my grandma so it was hard for her to get him to and from.  Sometimes the weather was 0 below, but that didn’t stop him from getting to that rink.

Two years later, Branden came to live with my grandma and she was able to get him to and from hockey, no more walking for Branden!  Branden played through high school and now plays on a Junior Team in Oklahoma.   I was 9 when I came to live with my grandma.  She was able to financially help me with hockey and drive me to and from.  It’s kind of cool to have a grandma that knows the rules of hockey, the difference between the blue line and red line and all the penalty signals from the refs. 

I can’t tell you how many hours of volunteering my grandmother did between her kids and her grandkids, working tryouts and concession stands, participating on the boards, driving to practices, games and out of town tournaments.  I’m sure it is somewhere in the millions!

It’s pretty awesome that we don’t even need to Mapquest the arenas we go to because my grandma has been to them all.  She also drives my friends when they need rides.   I play for Spring Lake Park and am a second year Bantam.  Grandma is pretty excited right now, although she won’t tell you that, because next year she won’t have to drive me anymore. 

When I asked my grandma has all of this been worth it? She said, ‘Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Hockey is a sport we all love!’”

Thanks Niko for your submission!  That’s an AWESOME Grandma/Hockey Mom!

Niko Reimann

The post Hockey Mom of the Month appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

I recently had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Julie Bertuzzi, author of Hockey Moms – Realities From the Rink. Bertuzzi is a very busy mom/wife, so for her to take 30 minutes out of her day to talk to me about her book was an honor.

The book is a first for Bertuzzi, whose husband Todd racked up 770 points (314 goals, 456 assists) in 1,159 games with six teams in an 18-season NHL career, and she said it won’t be her last.

Prior to speaking with Julie, I had a chance to preview the book and let me tell you Hockey Moms – Realities From the Rink will have you laughing until it hurts.  It is a witty, fast, fun and easy book to read.  She definitely scored with this book!

It’s a book to keep in your purse when you are traveling to your kids’ games and/or tournaments.  Once you arrive at the rink, take that book out and see what kind of hockey moms you will be dealing with on the opposing team, and which ones to stay away from!

In her book, Julie depicts the different types of hockey moms you see around the rink.  There is Big Mouth Betty, Princess Mom, Momma Bear and Ref Basher, among others.  In all, there are 20 different hockey mom types you need to be aware of.

I myself started out as a “Princess Mom”.  I needed to show up at the rink with my high heel boots on and my hair done to perfection, while still supporting our team by wearing a scarf in that color or the words Hockey Mom plastered on my chest.

Since reading the book, I find myself showing up to the rink assessing the other hockey moms and trying to figure out which one is which and trying early to find Big Mouth Betty and The Yodeler so I know not to sit close to them.

Bertuzzihas an idea for what her next book will be, right down to the title. If it’s anything like her first book, you won’t be disappointed. Bertuzzi, who doesn’t come from a writing background, recalled her mother’s reaction to reading it.

“I remember sending my mom the manuscript,” Bertuzzi said. “And she said, ‘I don’t remember you being good at English.’”

Bertuzzi said the book took two and a half years to write from inception to finished product and said the illustrations proved to be the most difficult part of the completion process.

“Once I had the description of the hockey mom I wrote about, I had to put that description into a picture and get it on paper,” Bertuzzi said.

It all paid off as the book’s illustrations of the different types of hockey moms do not disappoint; they are spot on!

The easiest part about writing the book, according to Bertuzzi, was the actual writing itself!  She didn’t need to sit over a computer doing research for hours while propping her eyes open with toothpicks and an endless supply of caffeine to keep her awake!

“I wrote the book while at my kid’s hockey games,” Bertuzzi said. “All of the moms described in this book were what I witnessed at the hockey games.”

She sat in freezing cold ice arenas observing the other hockey moms and their actions or reactions to the game and those around them.  Research can’t get any easier than that.  She was able to watch her kids play hockey and do research for her book, and that is what we call a win/win situation.

The post Hockey Moms – Realities From the Rink appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Hockey Moms USA on what to look for in a camp

Hey fellow hockey moms, do you ever wonder which hockey camp to put your child in?  It’s a decision some of us have a tough time making.  I’m not sure the exact number of hockey camps throughout Minnesota but I do know it exceeds 30.

There are camps designed specifically for defensemen and goalies and then there are camps for forwards and camps for all positions.  Camps usually range in price from $325 for the week to over $1500. And then there’s Hockey Moms USA’s hockey camp which is $75 and FREE to those with financial constraints.

So how do you choose which camp to go to?  Do I pick the camp that is the most expensive? Because it has to be the best, right, or why would it cost so much? Or do I go with one that is $325 because it’s one of the cheapest?

In doing some research, I checked out six different camps (names withheld) to see what the differences were in affordability, accessibility, what they offered and what qualifications the instructors had.  Many of the camps are run by hockey dads (or moms) who played high school hockey and coach their kid’s hockey teams while others are run by former NHL players or elite level female players.  There were camps featuring 3-on-3 hockey and even private camps providing one on one training with the instructor.

You want to pick a camp that not only fits your budget but includes the kind of training you want for your child.  Some things to watch for in a camp is agility, speed and shot training along with pass catching and puck protection skills.

I found there are camps that will give you all of that and not break the bank; you just have to be willing to do a little research and know what’s best for your child.

Minnesota Wild F Ryan Carter shares a moment with 8-year-old Ava Maas at the Hockey Moms USA Camp last month.

“This was an awesome experience for my daughter who is a second year U8. To have the opportunity for Ava to skate with older and bigger players really put confidence in her to do better at something she already wants to be good at. I thought the camp was great and the cost was awesome. Hockey Moms USA, White Bear Lake coaches, and Ryan Carter nailed this with professionalism, quality on and off ice training and affordability.”

The post Hockey Moms: Camp considerations appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

As a hockey mom, I get so wrapped up in watching my son play hockey that I forget to take pictures. I bring my camera to every game, but yet it sits in my bag or in the car and doesn’t get used.

Don’t make the same mistake I have.

Bring your camera to all games, scrimmages and even a few practices and take lots of pictures. There is always another hockey mom looking to see who took pictures of a certain game and wants copies for her scrapbook. Make sure you date the pictures and the reason for the picture, whether it’s a game against White Bear Lake, a scrimmage against Baldwin or your State Tournament.

Get the coaches on the bench giving a pep talk, take a picture of the goalie taking a water break and the dreaded penalty box photo (use this one for blackmail). Scrapbooking these memories are fun and you can get pretty creative with captions for your pictures.

When the day comes that your child graduates from high school and those books are sitting out on the graduation table, you will be able to laugh and reminisce about the great experiences you had during your child’s hockey career. My son will be there in four short years and my scrapbooks will be ready, minus a few pictures of when my camera was left in the car, of course. 

If you know a deserving hockey mom, please nominate them for our “Hockey Mom of the Month.”  To nominate please submit a short essay on why you feel they should be the hockey mom of the month. All monthly winners will receive a Target gift card and be featured in the Hockey Moms USA monthly newsletter and on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.com.

To submit your essay, or to to sign up for the Hockey Moms USA newsletter, simply email us at: hockeymomsusa@yahoo.com.

The post Hockey Moms: Don’t forget the camera appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.