My heart weighs heavy. After about ten days I have to say goodbye to Cole and Senzo, two pee-wees from the little Washington Capitals that I hosted for the tournament.
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Like 300 other families in the Quebec area, at each tournament I decided to welcome some into my home. It was by no means about making this chronicle. And I’m not claiming to have done anything extraordinary. But with the consent of the fathers, I wanted to share this experience. Because it was hilarious, stressful, sad and most of all unforgettable.
I took part in the tournament 20 years ago and my parents welcomed players from central Switzerland. Ex-CH Yannick Weber played for this team. The pee at my house spoke neither French nor English. They communicated mostly in German. After two hours, with my big mouth, we understood each other perfectly. I’m not sure how, but they became my best friends within a week. And I still remember their departure: all in tears in the car in front of my school. “I love you Juan Nick! That was the last time they spoke to me.
With 2 and 3 year old sons hitting everything in my house with mini hockey sticks and my wife who loves the sport, I thought it was time to host them again 20 years later.
It started on February 8th. I picked them up at Château Frontenac, where their fathers lived. Why don’t they rather stay in the hotel, especially in the castle? Because it’s part of the tournament spirit. And when I asked them if they would rather spend an afternoon with their parents at the hotel, it was a resounding no.
Photo by Jean Nicolas Blanchet
Last night we were together. Senzo (left) and Cole (right) put on quite a show at karaoke.
In flip flops in the snow
I quickly realized that they had no idea what our winter is like. In flip flops, Senzo figured he could easily get out of the castle.
I asked her to choose the music in the car so we could relax a bit. Cole surprisingly chose the Beatles. We passed Bonhomme’s Palace and the charm of Quebec and our winter started to take their cell phones.
We continue down the road. “Guys, you’re playing here tomorrow. It was the Videotron Center. They turned. “It’s like an NHL arena,” Senzo said instinctively. Thank you for turning the iron in the wound…
We had bought a lot of good things so that they would be treated like real athletes: fruit, granola bars, eggs, cheese, yoghurt. On the first day they ate almost nothing. “Guys, come to the grocery store, you can choose whatever you want. »
Photo by Jean Nicolas Blanchet
Senzo (left) and Cole (right) proudly show me in the grocery store that they’re after the Pringles on pizza, not the produce section
I’m sorry Isabella
I swear. What they chose would give my nutritionist, Isabelle Huot, nightmares: Dr. Pepper, Chocolate Marshmallow Pop Tarts, Fruit-O-Long, Reese Cereal and Pringles Pizza.
After this highly gastronomic session, we leave the grocery store and there is snow everywhere in the evening sky.
The two boys don’t say a word, just stare at the sky. You’re not coming back. Cole spontaneously falls into a snowdrift in the parking lot while leaving a store.
We’re coming home, and there’s no question of her going in. Despite their looks of adolescents who were a little jaded near the crisis of adolescence, we quickly saw the heart of these 12-year-old children, who left everyone amazed. For two hours they created a slide in the steps of my entrance by pouring. Everything was frozen, for several days it was impossible to enter my front door.
The next day Cole told his father that even at night it was crazy because there was so much snow that everything was white and it felt like day. The two boys were also amazed to learn that there were outdoor ice rinks everywhere.
Funny anecdote on the ice rink, by the way. Cole’s feet are freezing. I see him climbing the strip and jumping in the snow. Then he wedges his two skates deep into the snow. “What are you doing here, Cole?” »
“I figured if both my feet were buried in the snow, it would warm them up,” he replied while Senzo and I tensed up. We had to leave quickly. He understood in seconds that it wasn’t his best idea.
Day after day our pee got embarrassed and so did our children, who became big brothers. One was to soothe our 3 year old when he couldn’t sleep, the other slept like a spoon with our labrador. One morning Cole woke up, looked down and told me that there were only four days left to be with us.
At the Super Bowl, the fathers even came home with really, really good bottles. Senzo’s father told us how Ovechkin’s arrival changed the course of hockey in Washington.
“murcy”
Wednesday was our last evening together. The guys decided to put on quite a show at karaoke and they didn’t want to stop. They didn’t really want to go to bed because they knew what was coming. Senzo is gone. Like 20 years ago: “I love you John Nick, murci murci murci. Yes, I secretly shed a few tears afterwards. Cole will stay with us for a few more days and then it will be the same ordeal…
Oh yeah. And they played ice hockey too. It didn’t go well. They lost their first two games. But deep down, we really don’t care. I think they still had a great week and that’s what we’re for foster families for.
These families are at the heart of the tournament’s success. Some have hosted players forever and deserve a lot of credit for the international event’s reputation.