Congratulations Cammi Granato!

BelaHockey would like to congratulate Cammi Granato on her election to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Cammi and Angela James will become the first women to be enshrined in the Hall. The induction will take place on November 8th. Congratulations Cammi and Angela!

"Heeeeeeeey Bela!"

BelaHockey competed again in the 9th Annual Front Range Face Off Tournament held in Westminster, Colorado May 7-9, 2010.

The teams cheer: "Heeeeeeeey Bela!"

Let's Play Hockey Expo 2010

Thank you, Minnesota! You were a wonderful host! I had so much fun behind our Bela booth at the Let's Play Hockey Expo! CHEERS, to Natalie Darwitz (SEE PHOTO), current Captain of TEAM USA! We are so proud of your Silver Olympic Medal! I am glad that you shared your special tradition of attending the Expo every year...with your Dad!

Hope to be back soon! - Christina

Sometimes you have to leave someone you love to see someone you love. We met and spent time with so many wonderful people including the Stacks, Chus, Engstroms, Johnsons, Bellamys, and of course the Granato family (USA hockey). I met Picabo Street (Olympic skiier who ran the torch up the stairs with Cammi in Opening ceremonies at Salt Lake City games) and even snuggled cheek to cheek with her 7 month old son Dex, a real sweetie!

We met bobsledders, trainers, swimmers, figure-skaters, aerial ski jumpers, coaches, security guards, bus drivers, chauffeurs, and nannies! Everyone had the Olympic spirit! More than anything, I will greatly miss my sister, Cammi, and her beautiful boys Riley and Reese. They may be little, but they really rallied around their working Mommy, leaving us laughing and loving at the end of each day. You are all my gold medal champs! It was an honor to be with you.

Long after these serendipitous games are over, I will remember these athletes and their families, and their shining examples of life and love, friendship, humanity, strength, frailty, and hope. May their spirit live on in all of us. Whatever you do, take time to celebrate your own accomplishments-no matter how great or small. I can't wait for Scoshi 2012! CHEERS!

Olympians, their parents, politicians, oh my! So much has happened since my last blog! I have met so many amazing people here these past few days, including Dorothy Hamil -yep that's us in the ladies room of the private "USA House"! There have been so many highlights, but taking Brooke and Riley to Team USA Women's hockey game would top my list! The U.S. defeated Russia easily, and we enjoyed taking part in the "GO RUSSIA!" chants that broke out around the rink when the score was 12-0. It's all about catching the Olympic spirit! Riley never stopped waving his mini American flag. At one point, his foot itched so he went barefoot...you never know what to expect when you are with a three year old. He has been such a trooper!

After the game, we saw some dear friends from Coach Mark Johnson's family: Doug, Mickayla, Megan and Leslie! We love them all. They are the quintessential American hockey family! We had fun with the Engstroms, too, whose daughter Molly is on Team USA. We went so far as to hitch a ride back to town with them after the game. Thankfully Molly's dad wears a Wisconsin Cheesehead and he was easy to find! I almost had an out of body experience after the game when we walked past a large group of USA hockey parents (SEE PHOTO) and I did not recognize any of them. They did not know me either; another sign that Cammi's playing time truly has passed, but not without making friendships and memories that will last a lifetime! I can only imagine how my sis feels, being a broadcaster instead of a player. Her last remaining Olympic hockey record has now been broken, too! Cammi smiles through everything! I am so grateful to have entered motherhood alongside her! We're having a blast with our amazing brood here in Vancouver! It's so great to see things through their little eyes!

Yesterday we went to the private "USA House" (a corporate sponsored hideaway for Olympians and their families). We watched Cam speak to guests about winning her gold medal in Nagano. Our time with Cammi, although brief, has been magical! She has been gone for nine hours straight, day after day, and she still manages to make sure Reese (her lil' peanut butter cup) has enough breast milk to get by! One day her driver brought us an extra supply -freshly pumped! I bet that's not in his job description! Cammi's male counterparts have been making jokes about sharing a small single bathroom at their studios with the nursing Mom. One colleague thanked Cam for the "cream" for his coffee! Hockey players!

Today we saw Cammi off to the IBC (International Broadcast Centre) where the Today Show and so many others have their main studios. Brooke and I walked to the Olympic Cauldron. It was breathtaking, and the views of the ocean and mountains were equally spectacular! Before I forget, here's the last of today's bela hockey lowdown: Cam had to turn down lunch with Vice President Biden because of her work schedule! That's what sister's are for! Maybe next time she'll send me! TTYS - Christina

A Golden Day...

Wow! What can I say? The Canadians sure know how to throw a party! Our daily adventure began Sunday without much planning, but with lots of enthusiasm. I packed up Cammi's oldest son, Riley(3) and my daughter Brooke, 10, a Bela girl for sure, and we headed towards Canada Place. As we pushed the jogger/stroller towards all the action, we saw various street performers, but the coolest ones were painted Gold, Silver, and Bronze, representing the three colors of Olympic medals (SEE PHOTO). As the weather got warmer the crowds got thicker and we eventually took our coats off to celebrate the first sunny day at these games.
We decided to test our luck and try to find where Cammi (Mommy) goes to work every day. We followed the big white dome. Before we knew it, we were standing at the Media Entrance security gate. I sent Cam a text and she came down to see us! She wasn't that surprised that her big sis had sniffed out the right place and taken a chance. Soon Jeremy Roenick walked by, then Mike "Doc" Emerick and we all had fun swapping family updates, cell-phone pictures and hockey memories. Cammi couldn't stay long, but I think we all made each other's day as the Olympics seemed to be staring back at us in a whole new way: family fun!
I couldn't help but think of the Women's Team USA families and players as they prepared for their first game vs China. My perspective is so different this time around, without a sibling competing. Just a few days ago Cammi lent her umbrella stroller to former teammate Julie Chu's family! Cam wanted "Chewey's" sister Christina to get around town with ease. Ahh...the sisterhood of the traveling strollers! I remember hanging out with Christina in Salt Lake City, where our sisters won Silver together! Hockey is family, and it truly bonds people for life, especially during the best and the worst of times! I miss being a part of the gut-wrenching games that Cammi played in, especially at the 1998 and 2002 Olympics! The nice thing is, I am a spectator, a tourist, a visitor, just like much of the world, here in Vancouver. It's so relaxing!
On the way back to Cammi and Ray's downtown pad, we stopped to give a security guard two slices of much-appreciated pizza. He was chatting with a woman who was a two-time Olympian in Alpine skiing, Nancy Holland of Quebec! She lives in the neighborhood. Riley told her that his Mom has two medals, one Bronze and one Silver..."GOLD" I kept whispering. Did it really matter? As we stopped in front of Cam's home, Christian Erhoff of the Vancouver Canucks arrived home after a road loss. He lives two doors down. We wished him luck on Team Germany. Perhaps we experienced the perfect ending to a perfect day. Just then, people on nearby balconies shouted "We won, we won, Canada got it's first GOLD medal!" The city streets erupted with hoots and hollers, honking horns and "Whoooooooos"! Freestyle mogul skier Alexandre Bilodreau had captured Canada's first GOLD medal in a home Olympics! Perfection! I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...stay tuned!