Tailgating; The Ultimate Team-Building Tool

“We weren’t the only ones to lose tonight, but it sure felt like it.”

These words coming from teammate Troy described perfectly the demoralizing mood we were in as we lugged our heavy bags from the rink. They do get heavier after a loss; it doesn’t just feel that way.

The last game of the regular season and we choked. We couldn’t keep possession of the puck. We couldn’t keep out of the penalty box. We didn’t skate, we didn’t check, it goes on and on and on. We wanted to go into the playoffs with momentum, but now we are wallowing in despair and self-doubt. What can we do now? ……….Tailgate!

We had a fairly early game by adult recreational beer league hockey standards; a 7:45pm start time, which leaves plenty of time for another game (or two) to follow. On a regular weekday night, the 30 to 40 minutes after the game to shower, change, BS and have a couple of beer would have been plenty time. But this was the last game of the regular season, and a Friday night. There was still beer in the cooler and a whole lotta game to talk about.

Some of the younger single guys with screwed up priorities took off to their favourite clubs. The balance of us reconvened 250 meters away at the back of the parking lot.

Encircled around the open cooler, reaching in for an ice cold can of beer, listening to the tunes boom out the back of one of our cars. We all hold onto our youth somehow. This car belongs to a guy who’s trying to hang on to his by still wearing black leather jackets and decides the volume on his stereo may be loud enough once the side and rear-view mirrors are shaking. We try to tell him how silly this looks on a balding man driving a 4-door sedan, but all he says is “what?” He never hears us call for a pass either. Which would be okay if he could score, but for a man with three kids the only blanks that he’s shooting are on the ice.

It doesn’t take long for the tailgate therapy to work its magic. The post game commentary in the dressing room that was bitchin’ and whinin’ and complaining, and then complaining about the bitchin’ and whinin’, has, out here in the fresh air, loosened up and started focusing on the lighter side of the game.

Tailgating is the ultimate in team building tool. It brings the families together to laugh and enjoy each other’s company. The kids can grab a stick and rolled up ball of hockey tape and play a game of road hockey. The players can talk about how good they played, and their spouses can correct them.

Someone should create a tailgating website. Oh wait they already have, www.tailgating.com . It’s called Tailgating America, and its maintained by those who have perfected the tailgate party, American football fans. Their description of the tailgate goes like this:

“It’s families. It’s fans. It’s a community social. It’s pre-game, halftime, post-game and more. It’s the total game day experience!”

They are absolutely correct but I am going to add one more element in here, and that is sportsmanship. Especially in the case of beer league hockey tailgates where the players, not just the fans, are involved in this social activity. All facades are dropped and the true nature of the sport is revealed. A teammate will applaud your efforts one sentence, and the next sentence laugh at your futility, knowing full well an equally venomous retort is coming back. The team plays together, loses together and gathers the family around to laugh about it together.

And the team that won? Well if they happen to be walking by the tailgate, watch out. They may just get an invite to come share a beer.