Hockey players are just like toddlers......

I came to the conclusion last night----as my husband and I watched the Pens vs. the Red Wings in game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals----that hockey players are just like toddlers. Now, before any diehard hockey fans get all offended, hear me out.

We were halfway through the first period when I commented to my husband about why one of the players was in time out. Now, for anyone who knows hockey terminology, you know that it's called a penalty, not time out. I knew that, I really did. But it had been a long day, I was tired, and hey, I'm the mother of a 2 year old. Time out is a phrase we use often here! My husband corrected me and laughed endlessly at my misuse of the word. But then I got to thinking. Maybe it should be called a time out box---or as Super Nanny would say, the "naughty chair"---- instead of the penalty box. Think about it for a minute.

If you have kids, you know that some of the major offenses time outs are used to correct include hitting, throwing things, bad language, fighting, tripping and just plain being naughty. Now, stop and think about all the major penalties in hockey: hitting, throwing (usually a hockey stick in an inappropriate manner), bad language, fighting, tripping and just plain being naughty. I put my toddler in time out for 2 minutes, because you're supposed to do a minute for every year of his age. Penalties last for 2 minutes (usually, unless they are really, really serious offenses). Sound familiar? Ha ha! It's not so crazy, now is it?

So NHL folks, I really think I'm on to something here. Maybe if you called it the Naughty Chair Box or the Time Out Box, the players would be embarrassed and start behaving a little bit better. Or, maybe not.