Behind every great hockey player is the parent who drove thousands of miles, sat in cold rinks and provided encouragement and support. While at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, we caught up with the parents of the Minnesota players from the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team to share some of their memories and wisdom.  

Tess Cameranesi reminisced about her daughter, “the orange cone,” noting that,  “Sometimes as a young player, Dani liked to stand around because she didn’t feel up to playing that day.” They had an “ah-ha” moment when at the PeeWee level, Dani’s coach commented that if Dani worked hard, she could go all the way to the Olympics.  

Linda and Robb Stecklein recalled that when Lee was 12, people started to comment on her hockey ability. Linda recalled, “She really started to love the game,” and it showed in her play.  

Maddie Rooney’s parents, Jayne and Mike, fondly recalled watching their daughter backstop the Andover PeeWee A boys’ team to the state tournament for the 2009-10 season. Along the way, they defeated established programs such as Blaine, Centennial and Elk River, a monumental task for the new Andover hockey program.

Even potential mistakes can turn out for the best. Molly Pannek recalls she and husband Todd putting Kelly into warm-up sessions meant for “older Mites” her first year. Molly recalled, “The older Mites were buzzing all over the ice. This was Kelly’s first time on skates. She stepped out onto the ice and promptly fell down. Todd encouraged her from the gate to get up, which Kelly did with some difficulty, and then promptly fell down again. Once again, Todd encouraged her to get up. Kelly got up again and then thankfully made it around the rink. She was the slowest and least-skilled Mite in those warm-up sessions, but it seemed to motivate rather than frustrate her. 

“Some parents would’ve known better than to put their brand new hockey player in that situation,” Molly Pannek said. “We didn’t. In hindsight, our naïveté was probably a blessing for Kelly. She could handle being pushed to improve and to keep up with the older players.”

Having a daughter in the Olympics provided the opportunity for travel. In South Korea, not all family time was taken up with hockey events. The Cameranesi family enjoyed going to the DMZ and taking in the Korean culture.The Steckleins enjoyed many other Olympic sports and events offered to them as friends and family at the Proctor & Gamble House. The Panneks witnessed Shaun White’s historic gold medal in the men’s half pipe with a clutch final run. They were witness to the energy and excitement of short track skating, especially when South Korean athletes were vying for a gold medal. The Brandts had two daughters playing, Marissa for the Korean team and Hannah for the USA, and spent much of their time in the hockey arenas with plans to travel at the end of the Games.

Our Olympians’ parents offered some sage advice to today’s young players and their parents. Robin and Greg Brandt spoke about listening to your child and what they feel they need. Greg noted, “We would ask Hannah about going to a specific camp, or a weekend clinic on stickhandling and at times she would say no because she felt she was doing fine in that area. We had to trust her.”  

There were several points that were brought up by all of the parents:
1. Introduce your kids to a variety of sports and other activities. Let them decide which ones they are passionate about. Then fully support them even if what they select is not aligned with your interests or hopes. 

2. Sports should be a positive experience for your children. Remind them to have fun! 

3. As parents, allow yourselves to enjoy the experience.

4. Learn to appreciate coaches whether good or bad. They’re stepping up for little money, just love of the game. Respect them, respect the game. There are many great life lessons learned in the locker room.