Mother's Day could not have fallen on a better Sunday. The Flyer's and Penguins will be dressed and ready to go tonight. The fans are ready for game two. We are guaranteed a win from one team or another, but it will be hard earned and no gift, so a good game to watch. In the years past, mothers of NHL players likely had their special tribute day tangled up with hockey many times, one way or another. This year's holiday hockey for moms of the two PA NHL teams will be sell out crowds, and hockey excitement extraordinaire. Once again Mother's Day and hockey reign supreme up and down the east.

One special gift NHL mom's have already received was the shifting the magic smell of hockey laundry to the NHL equipment folks. That's a load off and pleasant reward to say the least. Dads are usually rightfully lauded for all they did over the long haul to get a player through the youth hockey years. NHL moms undoubtedly made tremendous efforts to rearrange life's necessities for it all to happen. No small effort. Being a hockey mother goes way beyond keeping those trophies properly dusted. It's a lifestyle of sacrifice, believing, and wizardry to fill the training table with the right food on time. The women in hockey families have a lot on the burner.

Skills needed to live with and for hockey are handed down to wives of players. These skills are family traditions. NHL hockey wives expect they likely will, in time, become hockey mothers too. Division one Grandparent's Day always proves full of entertaining, sometimes three generation stories. There is a lot of homage and deference to hockey expressed.

Today is THE day hockey players can salute mom with a creative goal or a fabulous save. It's an opportunity to say thanks for helping get me here. Some of the local mothers will be at rink side in Buffalo or Canada or perhaps working to pay the freight. I can speak first hand about hockey mothers.

A special Mother's Day gift was delivered to me. It had all the surprise impact of a puck arriving directly between the eyes. I will be enjoying an hour super slapshot lesson, out by the net, in the driveway. It's a very personal thank you from a young goalie, who is also a super shooter. I will pay attention. I fill a need by writing books and short stories for youth hockey players. He fills the net. This afternoon it's HOCKEY TIME together. This is such a personal, thoughtful Mother's Day gift, especially since he has his work cut out on this one and he knows it.

For youth hockey short reads and information visit the Artica Burr web site at www.articaburr.com