PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — According to two-year-old Jameson Russell’s mother, every day is a hockey day.
“He puts them on the minute he walks in,” said Mariah Olesky. “He takes them off in two minutes and he’ll put them back on. That’s all he wants to do.”
And his father, Justin, says it’s all he’s been wanting to do for the last six months.
“It started Thanksgiving Day last year or the day after Thanksgiving,” he said. “We took him to a game with our family and from there the obsession became real.”
Since then, Jameson has met hockey players, been given pucks and can even call out some of the players by name, all at the age of two.
His mother says he’s also turned the family room into his own personal ice rink.
“Oh, we’ve got a million pucks, the nets, the Thunderbug and hockey sticks. We probably have 20 hockey sticks,” Mariah said. But they’ve also learned how to use their toddler’s obsession for teaching moments.
“If he gets in trouble, we told him he’s going into the penalty box,” said Justin.
Where this all will lead this little phenom, the ice is the limit.
“I’ve coached baseball,” Justin said. “I grew up playing baseball. I never grew up playing hockey.
“The thing I look forward to most is just being able to watch him play. Just being a dad.”
