USA Hockey Magazine

16 // JUNE/JULY 2017 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM ILLUSTRATION BY Darren Gygi BEH I N D T HE G L A SS "to be great is to be misunderstood." R a l p h Wa l d o E m e r s o n c o i n e d t h a t p h r a s e t o describe some of the great thinkers, from Socrates to Galileo and Isaac Newton, who were once thought of as "too far out there." In hockey, when it comes to being "out there," most people immediately think of goalies. It's an all-too-common belief that you have to be just a little bit "off " to play the position. S o h o w d o y o u h a n d l e it when your little Brodeur wants to strap on the pads and get between the pipes? "Challenges came early," says hockey dad Bill Thieben, whose daughter is a goalie for the Syracuse (N.Y.) Nationals. " T h e g o a l i e p o s i t i o n requires a kid to be a hockey player first – skills, under- standing the game, etc. Before that all started to come together, it was BRUTAL. Bad goals were torture." Thieben recalls his daughter enduring a hailstorm of 70 to 80 shots in a game. " We always tried to be supportive and made sure that she understood that no matter how bad it got, it was not the end of the world," he recalls. Early on, the Thiebens would stand at their daughter's end of the ice for her occa- sional " look over," as her way of making sure her parents were there. Much like teaching your kid to ride a bike, you run alongside of them, helping them find their balance until the moment comes when they ride off on their own. You won't find Sharon Enck in the shadows of an ice rink, though. The Arizona goalie mom, turned blogger, sits at center ice with other team parents. "You can't preach, 'It's a team sport,' when you are huddled in a corner muttering to yourself," she says. "Plus, by doing that, you are feeding in to the whole 'goalies and goalie parents are crazy' thing." It's natural for parents to take pity on the goalie parent. Yes, it's expensive. There's also stress and tension. But there's also a ton of pride that comes with the role. "That glow she gets when she's played her best and knows she did well," Enck says. "Knowing that she plays the toughest posi- tion on the team, has survived several los- ing seasons, and still comes back for more because she loves it and won't give up." W h i l e i t 's e a sy f o r p r i d e t o b e c o m e bruised, goalies also have a certain amount of pride from the bruises earned between the pipes. Enck and Thieben have also dis- covered that their kids learn to deal with life's mental challenges. "It sounds corny," Thieben says. "But it has helped to build and shape her character, helping to make her a confident and independent young lady in every part of her life. We are not exactly sure what drives her, but something does." That doesn't seem crazy at all. Maybe we're the ones who are "out there." P So how do you handle it when your little Brodeur wants to strap on the pads and get between the pipes? THE HOCKEY MOM By Christie Casciano Burns The Middle Of The Action Is Not That Far 'Out There' ROB KAUFMAN Age: 58 Tacoma, Wash. Rob Kaufman can recall when he first fell in love with hockey. His uncle took him to a Fort Wayne Komets game in the 1970s. After that night, he knew that hockey was the sport for him. These days, Kaufman is focused on spreading his love of the game to others by helping hun- dreds of players lace up the skates. Kaufman started coaching in the late 1980s. Since then, he has made the coach- ing journey from the 8 & Under to 10 & Under levels several times over. Along with standing behind the bench, Kaufman has gotten kids into the game by turning an old ware- house into a rink. Kaufman currently coaches his grandson at the 10 & Under level. And despite his long tenure in coaching, he still enjoys seeing play- ers develop. "When you see that light go on while they're on the ice, it's great," Kaufman says. "It's amazing to see what happens when you expose someone to the game." COACH OF THE MONTH

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