Rink Rats - The Siblings of Your Players

In this episode of Pucked Up Parents, Michael and Angela dive into one of the most overlooked species in youth hockey culture: the siblings—aka the legendary “rink rats.” From toddlers wrapped like burritos in oversized blankets to pre-teens living off vending machine snacks and chaos, they break down what it really takes to keep the non-playing kids alive, warm, and relatively entertained during those long rink days.Angela shares practical survival tactics—snack bag strategy, layering like you’re prepping for Everest, and the delicate art of finding seating that’s within eyesight of your kid who just wandered off. Meanwhile, Michael takes a more… scientific approach, comparing rink rats to wildlife in a nature documentary. He narrates their movements like a National Geographic special—migrating between bleachers, clustering near power sources, and forming temporary alliances with other siblings.They also get into the long-term outlook: does today’s rink rat become tomorrow’s hockey player, or do they run as far from the sport as possible? Michael and Angela talk about that fork in the road, sharing stories of their son who caught the hockey bug because of his older hockey playing brother.Of course, it wouldn’t be Pucked Up Parents without the logistical nightmare discussion: divide-and-conquer parenting. Splitting schedules, managing overlapping games, and figuring out who’s driving where.They recap their week in hockey life—highlighted by scoring a clutch Chipotle discount thanks to a hockey jerseys, plus both kids heading into tryouts at the same time.Bottom line: raising hockey players is hard… but managing the rink rats? That’s a whole different league