Rothesay parents support hockey-playing kids — sometimes in different cities at same time

Krista McCallum knows what it means to be a hockey mom.

With three children in the sport, including two who play high-level university hockey, it isn't unusual for her and her husband to have to go in separate directions to cheer their kids on at tournaments.

The same thing happened this week. 

On Thursday, both her daughter, Cassie, goaltender for the University of New Brunswick Reds women's hockey team, and her son Kale, who plays defence for the UNB men's hockey team, were playing in national tournaments in different cities. 

"It's really an incredible feeling to see both of them not only pursuing their passion but doing it at this level, representing UNB on a national stage," McCallum said. 

"We're just really proud of how dedicated they are and how committed they are — on and off the ice.

"They've managed to get this far and we're going to be there to support them."

Cassie was attending the U Sports Women's Hockey Championship in Waterloo while her brother Kale headed to the University Cup in Ottawa.

This meant the Rothesay parents had to split their support, with McCallum going to Ottawa and her husband heading to Waterloo.

Meanwhile, their other son, Cohen, was in the playoffs with the Amherst Jr. A Ramblers, part of the Maritime Junior Hockey League. 

McCallum said the family has always been big into hockey, with her brother playing when he was younger and her husband loving the game, too. 

When the kids were young, they would play hockey together, and Kale was the one who got Cassie interested in goaltending.

"Kale dressed her up with street pads on both arms and both legs, and he put a life jacket on her … and a helmet and gave her the lid of our garbage can and put her in net and started throwing balls at her," McCallum said.

To fuel the kids' love of hockey, the family had a rink in the backyard that her husband would flood at 3 a.m. every night during the winter. 

But the commitment always felt worth it to see the kids happy.

"We travelled a lot from rink to rink and definitely had fewer vacations than some of our friends … because we were always paying for hockey and hockey fees and whatever," said McCallum.

"But it was what they loved, and we loved watching them pursue something that they were so committed to."