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Chix With Stx: How it All Began

Hi, My Name is Deb.

I’m a 39 year old, hockey playing, Mom of two beautiful (inside and out) children, Max 14 and Kristal 13.

I started playing hockey at the age of 27, while living in Brisbane Australia. I was skating at the local rink, trying to lose the baby weight from the birth of my daughter. At the end of the public skate, I was approached by the coach of the Queensland Women’s Ice Hockey Team. He had heard that I was a permanent resident (I was married to an Aussie) and I was asked to stick around, because they were having practice for the state team. I laughed, because I had never played organized hockey. Yes, I was a strong skater from being a figure skater and tomboy growing up, but I had never played on a real team.

In a nutshell, I stayed, I skated and I was asked to join the team.

My first EVER real hockey game was a national Championship. We (Queensland) won!!

I skated with the Queensland team for 3 years, ice and inline, traveled the country, met so many wonderful people…it was AWESOME!

1997, we moved back to the States, I found a women’s league in the Boston area and continued to skate. While my hockey was going strong, my marriage was falling apart…quickly. Hockey was my sanity…

While I was completely self absorbed with, and crying over, my failed marriage, my Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Jimmy, lost their 14 year old son Michael, to Leukemia.

It quickly put life into perspective for me… I stopped my crying and started thinking of ways for me to lesson my guilt, of not being there for them, while getting off my sorry ass and doing something to make myself feel better about ME, combined with being able to do something good for others!

On a cold night in October, my friend and teammate, Becky and I, went to a Boston Bruin’s Alumni game. As I was watching the B’s, it hit me…THIS IS IT!!! The women I skate with/against could skate just as well, if not better, than the team the Alumni were playing. My wheels started turning… Between periods, a friend, introduced me to the B’s, Gary Doak. After the “Hi, nice to meet you”, I blurted out…”Hey, would you guys be willing to play against a women’s team?” He said, “Sure, do you have a cause?” I said, “YES I DO!” “The Jimmy Fund, in Memory of my cousin Michael.” He said, “Does your team have a name?” And the first thing that came to mind was, “Chix with Stix”. I was told to put the request in writing and email it to the Bruin’s Alumni. I did and with in 2 weeks I received a letter saying that my “organization” was picked to play against the Alumni. And that’s how it all started…

Then it hit me… “Organization. What organization… It’s just me…I am the organization!? OH oh, now I have to produce!!”

I first started by putting together a team… the “Chix” weren’t an official team, I just said they were, to Gary, to get the ball rolling. But, I new it wouldn’t be hard to pull together a group of talented female players who would want the opportunity to skate against some of the biggest names in hockey!

Then “ALL” I had to do was…set a date, book a rink, design the uniforms, get sponsors, put together the raffles/prizes, staff the event, sell tickets, begin a media push, all while working my full time job @ Northwest Airlines and being a full time, NOW single, Mom…piece of cake!

Did I mention that I’m the type of person who LOVES a challenge and thrives when people say, “You’ll never do it!?”

I wanted this to be BIG. I wanted it to be different than all of the other Alumni games (other than the obvious of us being a women’s team), I wanted my kids to see that if you have an idea, as long as you believe in it and work hard at it, it CAN come together. But most of all, this was my chance to prove to myself that I could do this, do something big and “pay it forward”! So with NO event planning or marketing experience, I was on a mission to make this night memorable.

I’d have mini panic attacks…”Yes, my ideas were great, but can I really do this?”

My first crazy idea was to have my favorite Bruin (Terry O’Reilly) play for the Chix team, (maybe wear a wig, have him as OUR muscle). I called the Alumni office, spoke to Mal (for the first of MANY, MANY times) and asked her how to get in touch with Terry. She said that she was sorry, but she couldn’t give out his info.

Oh well…it was a funny idea.

The moment that I knew this event was going to be a success (and that my cousin Michael was watching over me) was…JUST after hanging up with Mal, I pulled into “Hockey Town”, to have my skates sharpened, and who do you think was skating??? Yup, Terry O’Reilly!! Terry freaken O’Reilly!!!” I took a deep breath, tried to contain my HUGE smirk and walked onto the bench, (where he’d just sat) I stuck out my hand, introduced myself and told him of my idea. He laughed and said, “Sure! Here take my number” (I almost pee’d!!) I took out my phone and tried to keep my hands from shaking while putting his number in. He introduced me to a few of the other guys, Brad Park and Andy Brickly to name two… and back out on the ice he went. I walked back to my car, completely forgetting to sharpen my skates, and called My Mom, Dad, Becky and whoever else would answer their phone on a Tuesday afternoon! Well, it turned out Terry had a prior Commitment with the Legends of hockey (in CANADA) for that same date…but when I called him, he said, “Deb, I’m REALLY sorry that I won’t be there, but, I know someone who will be and I’ll have him contact you…do you know Rick Middleton?” (UM, RICK MIDDLETON? OF COURSE I KNOW RICK MIDDLETON!!!) I said, “Yes.” He continued, “I’ll see if he can do it for you.”

I honestly did not think that Rick would call or that my crazy idea would actually happen and almost forgot about it, being wrapped up in all my other crazy ideas, that is, until my son came into the kitchen (my “Organization’s” new office), holding the phone and said…”Mum, Some guy named Rick Middleton is on the phone for you.” I instantly had goose bumps, fixed my hair (as if he could see me) and calmly said, “Hi Rick, what can I do for you?”

Well, long story short, he agreed to be a Chix (and wear a wig, lipstick AND fake boobs) and he convinced Tommy Songin (another former Bruin) to do the same! What a sight to see!!!

Have I mentioned that Hockey players, young, old, famous or not, male or female, just the whole damn hockey community, are the BEST, most down to earth, generous, and real people, on this planet??!! Have I mentioned that? Well, they are!

My next crazy idea was to get ESPN to cover us…I was told by EVERYONE, (except my friend and former hockey teammate, TC who’s company “Central Signal Corp” bought our Chix uniforms) that it would NEVER happen…of course, that made me want them to cover us even more. I’ll cut to the chase…(Again, my cousin Michael on my shoulder) I got ESPN’s hockey show “Cool Shots” to come up to Boston, cover the nights events and do a really nice piece on us.

Now, who would be our honorary coach? Being from the North Shore and growing up in a hockey loving family, who else would you want on the bench, but USA’s favorite son/captain, gold medal winning, local hero, Mike Eruzione!!

I made ONE call, got him directly and without hesitation, he said, “Sure, I’d love to!”

I think I mentioned how incredible the hockey community is, right?

My last crazy notion was to have a famous Boston voice/name/comedian to MC the game…My first phone call was to WZLX, where Steve Sweeney worked as the morning shows host/DJ. I was pushed to voicemail, left a message and never expected to hear back. About 15 minutes later, I jumped into the shower and my phone rang, it was STEVE and we were live on the air…” he asked, “what’s that noise”, I said, “Water, I’m in the shower”, he said “Oh my God, I’m in the shower with a female hockey player?”, I laughed said yes and he agreed to not only MC, but to have the radio station sponsor us, by running commercials and promoting it daily! Us Bostonian’s would describe Steve as a WICKED awesome and WICKED funny guy.

Jump forward to the evening of March 26th, The night that all of my crazy ideas come together, the first ever Chix with Stix fundraising hockey game. I’m on my way to the rink, the truck filled with supplies, raffle prizes, ME, we were hit with a freak half hour snow storm, I was on RT93 north, it caused crazy traffic, my drivers side windshield wiper broke, from the weight of the snow. I had to stick my head out of my window to see in front of me (I drive a standard, it wasn’t easy!!) but none of it was reason enough to dampen my night. I walked into the rink, covered in snow, started directing my fellow hockey teammates and family who where their to volunteer, fixed my hair and make up, did an interview with ESPN, got into uniform, was fitted for an ESPN mobile microphone, stood on the blue line for the National Anthem, between Rick Middleton and Tommy Songin looking across ice at the Alumni…The Chief, Brad Park, Pie McKenzie, The Rat, etc… What a feeling!!

Most of the night was a blur for me, but a great time was had by ALL!

It all went by so quickly, when we left the building, my teammates and I were surrounded by little girls, asking US for autographs.

It was the most incredible night for me, in so very many ways!

Just weeks after that magical night, my Nana, was diagnosed with Breast cancer, (She was in the stands on March 26th and told me how very proud she was of what I had done, was doing.) Knowing that she was now sick, combined with the fact that for the months following the first Chix game, I was constantly being asked, by both players and fans, to put together another game. I decided that I would. But because the Organization is just me (and my children) and it’s pretty time consuming, I figured, Yes, I would do it, but every OTHER year.

I also decided to change the beneficiary to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. And this time, do it in Nana’s name (Edna Cronin). Unfortunately, my Nana never made it to see the game that I was doing in her honor, she passed away on August 12th, Always the sports fan, (while literally on her death bed, floating in and out of a morphine induced high), She waved me towards her and whispered, “Deborah, what’s the score of the game?” I said, ’2-1, Sox are losing, Nomar’s up and there are 2 outs, doesn’t look good.” She said back to me, “These damn Sox are going to kill me faster than this cancer!” Those were her last words, to me.

When the second event rolled around, because I had now become friends with most of the people involved with the Bruin’s Alumni organization, I DID get O’Reilly to play for the Chix, this time. He didn’t wear the wig and lipstick. But you know what… that was just fine with me, I got to skate with him as MY D partner!! Another fun night, another great beneficiary.

My life is sometimes surreal, ie: “Mum, Terry’s on the phone” (first name basis – hehe) or walking in somewhere and someone saying to me “Hey, I saw you on TV” (ME, this former figure skater, funny girl, just a working Mom, now skating to wipe out cancer)

Putting these events together, has changed my life, my children’s life, too. It’s expanded my circle of friends, it’s made me realize that even when most people think that something IS NOT possible, that’s when I feel it IS! My children have been right by my side through it all, on the bench, in the papers, in the locker rooms, they too have had an interesting and fun journey…it a pretty AWESOME feeling to hand a check to an organization knowing that it may just be my monies raised, that will help find the cure!

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