When she isn't inhaling Zamboni fumes as a hockey mom of three, Astra is a human resources professional from Ottawa. In her spare time, she writes about motherhood and minor hockey. Her humour memoir, "Offside by a Mile - Confessions of a Hockey Mom" was published by FriesenPress in June 2015. You can read more about her family's antics on her website at www.astragroskaufmanis.com and follow her @mydustbunnies on Twitter. Astra is a weekly contributor to HockeyNow.ca through her always-entertaining Mom Mondays blog.
At the beginning of each hockey season, there is great fanfare surrounding the distribution of team jerseys.
Read MoreWe’ve never met, but I am your sister. We don’t know each other, but we know everything about each other. Our paths have probably never even crossed, but we’ve travelled the same roads.
Read MoreDid you know that at this very moment research being conducted on the optimal time to pull a goalie? Countless studies, analyses, and a whole lot of math devoted to the precise moment in a hockey game when it’s more advantageous to have an extra attacker on the ice than a net minder.
Read MoreSome hockey moms remember tournament weekends by the medals and trophies. I remember tournament weekend by the hotels. There have been some beauties.
Read MoreAt the end of every hockey season, our garage gets a makeover. And by ‘makeover’ I mean that the hockey equipment splayed all over the garage gets put away to make room for sporting equipment of another kind.
Read MoreShe remembered to download the tournament schedule to her phone. She remembered the directions to the arena. She remembered to get the skates sharpened before the tournament.
Read MoreIs your kid a holy hockey horror? Over my hockey mom years, I’ve watched thousands of minor hockey players skate onto the ice. I’ve met hundreds of minor hockey players on all my kids’ teams.
Read MoreThere are times when you miss a child’s hockey game because you’re at another child’s hockey game. These situations are unfortunate but as long as you balance getting to all your kids’ games at some point through the season, everything seems to work out.
Read MoreI once saw a commercial on TV where the TV hockey dad brings his TV hockey wife her coffee while she’s sitting in the hockey stands, just in time to see their son score a goal. Mom and Dad erupt into cheers and beam at their little guy with glowing hearts and steaming coffee.
Read MoreIf you have kids in minor hockey, you’ve been to a lot of arenas. Over the past seventeen years as a hockey mom, I’ve been to hundreds of them.
Read MoreTonight, I served homemade poutine for dinner, and by that I mean store-bought freezer French fries, fresh curd, and canned poutine sauce. Just call me Martha.
Read MoreEvery Saturday afternoon, my daughter spends two hours on the ice helping four- and five-year-old girls learn the necessary skills to play hockey. I’m not quite sure how this is even possible since she’s only seven years old and just learned how to skate herself.
Read MoreHave you ever watched the NHL draft on TV? You see the general managers and coaches and other team staff talking on their cell phones non-stop and hunched over laptops.
Read MoreHere’s some not-so-breaking news: winters here in Canada can be bitterly cold. This week, my weather app has sent me several extreme cold alerts and presented to me temperatures I haven’t seen since I had to walk to school uphill both ways.
Read MoreWe’re hosting a hockey team holiday party this weekend. Players, parents, siblings, and any neighbourhood riff-raff who wanders through our front door between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00PM on Saturday evening are welcome.
Read MoreMost Read:
1) Meet Matthew Savoie, the NAX Forward Taking the CSSHL by Storm
2) Veteran Hockey Bench Boss Takes Over Milton Icehawks Coaching Reins
3) Victoria Grizzlies Rookie Alex Newhook Carving Up BCHL Far from Home
4) Sudbury Wolves Get one-of-a-kind Quinton Byfield in OHL Draft
5) On Top of the World: CSSHL Keeps Gaining Traction in Canada’s Hockey Landscape
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