Since I took him to his first hockey game, my son Zachary has become the biggest Stars fan I know while simultaneously, given his stature, being the smallest Stars fan I know. He listens to all of their games on the radio (we don’t have cable), then watches the highlights online. After seeing an in-arena promo for Little Rookies, the Stars’ free hockey lessons for kids ages 4-8, he begged me to sign him up.
Tonight, the Stars will skate in the playoffs for the first time since Zachary was born. To preview the postseason, I bring you this exclusive interview he granted me when I got home from work last night.
DK: “Zachary, do you know what tomorrow is?”
ZK: [leaning back, pitching his voice a couple of octaves higher than normal] “Stars game!”
DK: “Who are they playing?”
ZK: “The Ducks!”
DK: “Who’s going to win?”
ZK: [makes a steeple with his index fingers, fumbles with his other digits, gets frustrated] “I was trying to make a star.”
DK: “Who’s your favorite player?”
ZK: “Jordie Benn!”
DK: “Jordie Benn?”
ZK: “I mean Jamie Benn. Because he’s the captain. And Ray Whitney, because he’s the backup captain. Daddy, who’s the other backup captain?”
DK: “I think it’s Erik Cole. Or maybe Shawn Horcoff.” [Horcoff is the Stars’ other alternate captain.]
DK: “Are you going to be able to stay up for the game?”
ZK: [frustrated expression] “The game’s going to start at my bedtime.”
At that point, I let him get back to binge-watching Green Lantern: The Animated Series. That’s when the roles of interviewer and interviewee were reversed.
ZK: “Daddy, is that planet they’re on a boy or a girl?”
DK: “I’m sorry, what?”
