Juggling act for Team Canada’s only mom
Everyone has a limit.
For Meaghan Mikkelson, it’s 10 days. That’s how long the Canadian defenceman had gone without seeing her 18-month-old son Calder before she couldn’t take it anymore and urged her husband to hop on the next plane out of Calgary.
They arrived Thursday, coming directly to the team hotel so Mikkelson could hug and kiss her little guy before that night’s semifinal against Finland.
“It’s the longest I’ve been away him,” she said. “It’s been really tough. The December series (against Team USA) was nine days, but this was a little too long.”
For any mothers (or fathers) out there, Mikkelson’s words will hit home. But for her teammates, none of whom have kids, what she was going through might have seemed foreign. Even Mikkelson admits it wasn’t until she gave birth that she truly understood what other players went through trying to balance highlevel hockey with motherhood.
“I think I have an appreciation for the women on the team before me that did the same,” Mikkelson said. “I played with Becky Keller and I didn’t fully understand what she was doing at the time and what it took. She had two boys and I can’t imagine. I mean, one’s tough enough.”
After winning Olympic gold in Sochi, Mikkelson, who also won gold in 2010, stepped away from the national team.
Part of her wanted to start a family. The other part just wanted a break, to see what else was out there. She and teammate Natalie Spooner participated in The Amazing Race Canada, finishing second, and she coached the Calgary Inferno for a while. But it wasn’t until she became pregnant that she mentally and physically removed herself from the sport. Of course, it didn’t last long. “It does feel like a grind sometimes. It’s good to step away,” Mikkelson said. “It kind of gave me a different outlook and perspective. I knew that I wanted to start a family. But after a few months away, I already missed it and knew that I wasn’t done yet. I was eager to get back.”
Mikkelson worked with her doctor and a pregnancy exercise specialist before and immediately after her pregnancy. Six weeks after giving birth, she was exercising. Not long after, she was back on the ice.
It sounds like a quick bounceback, but it wasn’t exactly easy. Mikkelson said she was patient in getting back up to speed and her primary focus was on “being the best mother I could be to Calder” rather than on returning to hockey.
It was obvious to anyone watching the two together again that Mikkelson’s mood changed for the better.
“Any mom that has to work and be away from their child, I’m no different than that,” she said. “It’s really tough. I have a new appreciation for being here and I think I have a different outlook on life in general. Motherhood changes that for you. The day-to-day stuff, I think I’m more resilient and can handle more. If I’ve had a good game or a bad game, I go home and Calder’s still there smiling. That’s pretty special to have.” mtraikos@postmedia.com twitter.com/Michael_Traikos