Hockey is just a game, right? Not always. Sometimes hockey can help heal a family that is hurting. This is a story of how hockey is helping a Colorado family, especially a young boy who misses his mother.
There are few things more devastating to a child than the loss of a parent. Mom is usually the center piece for any family. She takes care of the house, drives the children to activities, keeps them well fed and most importantly makes sure they are loved. Early this summer ten-year-old Ryan Overton couldnt wake up his mother. Unexpectedly, Meghan Overton had passed away. If you have been through something like that, then you know how Ryan felt. If you haven't, you can only imagine how his life has changed forever.
This is where hockey comes in. Ryan is playing in his second season for the Foothills Flyers. I have seen him play hockey, he plays in the same league as my daughter. I have watched how Ryan plays the game with tenacity and passion. I have known his father Brian for many years. Dad would relate stories to me of how Ryan was decorating his room with memorabilia and talking incessantly about hockey.
The Colorado Avalanche heard about the Overton's story.
"Avalanche For A Day" is a program the Avs started to encourage kids to strive for excellence in their school or community. Several times a season a child is selected to visit an Avs practice, meet the team, watch the game from a suite and accompany the team on the ice for the anthem. Matt Deluzio, the Manager of Hockey Programs for Kroenke Sports Enterprises, does a wonderful job taking the children and their families through their special day.
I was there when Ryan participated in the program and I watched as his eyes were wide open with wonder as he saw his heroes practicing. I was able to see him standing outside the Avalanche locker room shaking hands and getting autographs. It was a great reminder to me how much hockey players can have an effect on young boys and girls. At age ten, your whole life is ahead of you and perhaps those dreams of playing in the NHL are what keep your hopes going. I know after broadcasting hockey games for thirty years that I have become jaded to being around these great athletes. I get to go to all the practices, ride on buses and fly on the team plane with the Avalanche. I was reminded how special my life is when I saw Ryan and his family sitting on the bench before the game. There was excitement on their faces as they watched the Avalanche warm up before the contest and for a few minutes the pain they had been dealing with was dissipated while watching the Avs get ready for the game.
I was a ten-year-old boy a long time ago. If my brothers and sisters were mean, or my parents were mad at me, I could always go shoot pucks against the garage and feel better.
I have no way of knowing the inner turmoil that Ryan is going through, but I can still picture how much sheer joy Ryan had on his face when he skated out on the ice with the Avalanche and stood on the blue line next to the players during the anthem.
Ryan loves hockey. The Colorado Avalanche did a very nice thing for him.
There is no replacing your mother, especially at such a young age, but hockey can help the hurting a little bit. Sometimes, its more than just a game.
