I am addicted to Hockey Wives. It’s Season 2 and I really look forward to pouring a glass of wine on Wednesday evenings and sitting down to find out what Angela Price, MP Morin, Tiffany Parros, Noureen DeWulf and the gang are up to.  

I have never watched any of those Real Housewives of anywhere shows although I once did an interview about being one of the Real Real Housewives Of Vancouver. But because one of the Vancouver Canucks wives – Noureen who is married to goalie Ryan Miller – was on, I was interested enough to check out the show and then I got hooked.

I’m not going writing a recap since we are half way through the season, but I do have some favourite moments and comments about the show:

MP and Tiffany getting drunkety drunk and comparing stories about when they first got together with their men. There was a little bit of lying and some major smack talk about what may or may not have happened on the first “date”.

MP busting her huge rock of an engagement ring in two on the same night in the Big Apple! LOL! It’s only funny because she found it, but maybe the diamond is just a tad too giant for real life?

Tiffany pretty much blew away my gun fearing Canadian heart a couple of episodes ago when she went out to practice firing a machine gun with her family.  WTF? Is this what a family outing in the United States is like these days? Luckily hearing her talk about her clothing business Plain Threads is much more interesting!

I kind of wanted to hate Paige Getzlaf because she is blonde, beautiful and looks like a perky cheerleader but darn it – she comes across as really intelligent and caring as well as philanthropic with her and Ryan’s charity work on CureDuchenne. I’m sure she must have a flaw somewhere but she’s sure not showing it.

Ashley Booth is cute as a button even as she is dealing with a lot after her hubs got cut from the NHL and was banished to Siberia (actually to the KHL) during her first year of marriage.

Oh Martine! Martine Forget is always “stressed” which she says in a very cute French accent. It was fun to watch her and gal pal Taylor Winnik go wedding dress shopping. When Martine found “the dress” she cried and I remembered feeling the same way when I picked out my dress 10 years ago!

We are far from Toronto, but were vaguely aware of the struggles of Martine’s fiancee, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathon Bernier, this year as the Canucks and Leafs raced to the bottom of the standings. The behind the scenes drama is unfolding this season on the show and it’s pretty interesting how that kind of scenario plays out in the hockey wives world.

California girl Taylor is brave and yet hilarious all at the same time. She seems a little bit like a duck out of water trying to fit in with the other hockey wives; I have a feeling she is more comfortable hanging with guys. I think it’s courageous of her to share her story about anxiety and depression, something I can relate to for sure.

“Everything is better with nachos” according to Kodette LaBarbera, who is raising a child with autism. I thought last year’s story line was really powerful with the family being separated to do what was best for her autistic son in terms of stability and access to autism programs. Everyone fell a bit in love with her son Ryder as he struggled with dealing with his dad Jason LaBarbera’s hockey life.

Angela is going to be a first time mom and is dealing with the ups and downs of pregnancy. She feels like her body has gone all “national geographic” and “that’s not cute”. I haven’t heard that she has had the baby yet, so hopefully she is okay with mountains (baby bump) and oceans (the inevitable peeing all the time). Angela is no Mrs. Robinson, but she is Mrs. Price in Montreal and people, she is not allowed to talk about her hubby’s Carey’s injury!

And last but not least, I really miss Brijet Whitney from last year! Will we see her back again? She’s just the kind of person you’d really like to sit down and have a glass of wine with one day.

In all seriousness, there is a really good story line in Hockey Wives about women and career. Being wives and mothers these women have made the point during the show that it’s important to “have your own thing” going on whether it is work or volunteering or whatever it is that makes you feel valued as an individual.

Something to put a pep in your step is how Brijet, who is a dancer and choreographer, described it.

That message is something I can relate to. I’ve been working more this year on my freelance writing and public relations business and that helps, but I’ve also been feeling lately like I used to “have a life” and have let too much of that slip away during motherhood.

Being a good mother is a noble and wonderful pursuit as is trying to make others happy. However, there is only so much of yourself that you can give, and when you put the needs of others first over and over again without also having something for yourself, eventually you will start to resent it.

As a woman and a mom, you can’t let yourself be the “backup dancer” in your husband and child’s life.

Hockey Wives is back on the air this Wednesday and I for one can’t wait! Stay tuned!

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