Early morning hockey practice with Dad

I am including a section of a readers digest story that was done on me back in 2004, it includes a bit of my story and after that I will tell another funny part of the story. From Readers Digest, the story is titled, "They made the cut" :
"Billy owes a lot to his parents. "We were the ultimate hockey family," he says. "We played, talked and lived hockey. My favourite memories are of Dad waking me up for 5 a.m. practices and stopping by Tim Hortons. Then, after practice, he'd make me take a nap to be fresh for my game at night—he'd lie down in bed, his arm around me to make sure I slept, but I'd wait until he started snoring and sneak out to watch cartoons. Dad worked 14-hour days, took us to practice in the mornings and came to our games at night...and he never complained."

The part of stopping at Tim Hortons was just a blurb, my Dad was used to getting up early and ready to go as I would try to get myself out of bed and motivated to get my hockey gear on in the kitchen. Once we got in the truck, I would be freezing as I just got out of my warm bed and my Dad would never turn the heat on as he would be layered up in his heavy coat and long johns, all prepped up to get out on the ice with us kids. Dad loves his Timmy's coffee so our first stop was always at the Tim's at King George Hwy and 96th ave in Surrey, there was no drive through so my Dad had to go inside and he would spare me going in with my hockey gear on. When he left the truck I would lock the doors and turn the heat on full blast, man did that feel good. Dad would come back out with his hands full, double-double, juice, doughnuts and he would try to open his door awkwardly. After he would realize I had locked the door he would start getting agitated and as he danced around, demanding I open the door, not wanting to push Dad too far I would sheepishly reach over and let him in. But the damage was done, the truck was cooking hot and my Dad would roll his window down and be sweating all the way to the Surrey Rec Center, we would laugh our way to the rink and have our breakfast before hitting the ice. It was always a great way to wake up and a great way to have some fun with Dad. Every time I drive by that Timmy's or any of them for that matter it puts a smile on my face and I remember how Tim's was a huge part of my youth and my bonding with my Dad.
Bill MacGillivray