Post by The Sandman on May 7, 2024 14:38:55 GMT -5
So part of the delay this site had in closing the Killing Joke auction was that we unexpectedly ended up at my parents house Saturday, and stayed for the hockey game. For fun/insight, I figured I would post some highlights of watching Game 7 of a playoff game with my mother, who has dementia.
Some quick notes for context:
- My parents, especially my mother, have been watching the Leafs religiously my whole life. Under normal circumstances, she knows her Leafs (and the game) quite well. Especially some of the basics covered in these anecdotes.
- In some instances, I have cleaned up a lot of the language to make this make sense. Often, people with dementia don't form clean, coherent sentences, so we kind of deduce what is being said from partial sentences and specific words and reply accordingly)
PROLOGUE, HIGHLIGHTS FROM EARLIER IN THE SEASON
(on a telephone call with momsie, probably about a week after trade deadline)
Mother: I really like that new guy they just got.
Justin: Umm, which one?
Mother: Ummm. I don't remember his name, but I like him.
Justin: Like, a new guy they just called up?
Mother: (yells to father in background) Who is the new guy I don't care for?
Justin: I thought you said you liked him?
Mother: (phone not to her ear, still talking to father) The new guy they just got! The one that I don't care for?
Justin: ?
Mother: (back on phone) Bertuzzi.
Justin: Oh. And did you say you do, or do not like him?
Mother: I like him.
----
(We are at their house, for a random game)
Intermission starts
Father: (sets a timer, and changes channel to something else, as he hates intermission talking and commercials)
Mother: We're going to miss the hockey game!
Father: It's intermission and I have a timer set.
Mother: Well we better not miss the hockey game for your crap.
(3 mins pass)
Mother: Is the hockey game on?
Father: (puts hockey channel on showing her its still intermission)
(3 mins pass)
Mother: Is the hockey game on?
Father: (puts hockey channel on showing her its still intermission)
(2 mins pass)
Mother: Is the hockey game on?
Father: (puts hockey channel on showing her its still intermission)
(2 mins pass)
Mother: Is the hockey game on?
Father: (puts hockey channel on showing her its still intermission)
Mother: I don't want to miss the hockey game for your crap.
Father: You won't miss the hockey game.
Mother: It's probably on now.
Father: Fine.
(puts the hockey game channel on, we watch commercials until the puck is about to drop)
Puck drops.
Literally 10 seconds into the period...
Mother gets up and goes to the other end of the house for a few minutes. We think she got a sweater? Or went to get one and forgot so she went to the washroom instead and then came back?
Justin: Did you just sit through 10 minutes of dad's crap, then 5 minutes of commercials just to get up the second the puck dropped and the period started?
Mother: (smiles and shrugs)
-----
Now onto Saturday...
SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE THE GAME:
Mother: Is there a hockey game on tonight?
Father: Yes.
Mother: Oh. It must be getting near the end soon.
Everyone: ?
Mother: When do playoffs start?
Father: They've already started. Game 7 is tonight.
Mother: Oh. Are we winning?
Father: No. It's game 7. And the Leafs will choke, as usual.
LATER, A COUPLE HOURS BEFORE THE GAME:
Justin: Soooo....Auston Matthews is probably playing, but Joseph Woll is hurt.
Father: Well that's it for that then.
Mother: Auston Matthews is back?
Justin: Yes. But the goalie who put them back in the series is hurt.
Mother: Oh Jeez.
Father: So who are they playing? Sucksanov?
Justin: Yes.
Father: How did Woll get hurt?
Mother: So Matthews is still out?
Justin: (to father) I don't know. (to mother) Matthews is playing, but their good goalie is not.
Mother: Oh Jeez.
Father: They're fucked!
Mother: No, he said Matthews is back tonight.
Father: But they have Samsonov in net.
Mother: Is he not the good one?
Father: No. Woll is.
Mother: Well why wouldn't they play the good one? Are they stupid?
Justin: The good one is hurt.
Mother: Oh Jeez.
20 MINUTES BEFORE GAME STARTS
Mother: Is there a hockey game on tonight?
Justin: Yes, it starts in about 20 minutes.
Mother: Oh, nice.
(pause)
Mother: When do the playoffs start? They should be starting soon, shouldn't they?
Justin: Yes, tonight is playoffs. Last game of the series with Boston.
Mother: Oh.
GAME ON
Game starts, Bruins take a shot on goal
Father: Scores.
(Samsonov saves it)
Father: Well I'll be damned.
Mother: What are you talking about?
Father: Woll is hurt.
Mother: I thought Matthews was playing tonight.
Father: Woll. Their good goalie.
Mother: Oh. Well why aren't they playing their good goalie?
Father: He's hurt.
Mother: Oh, jeez.
------
Someone: We need goals from Matthews.
Mother: Oh, is he back tonight?
Justin: Yes. And he lead the league in scoring this year.
Mother: Oh, nice. And when is that over.
Justin: What do you mean?
Mother: When is that until. When... When is it...
Justin: Oh, the regular season ended. He already won the scoring title. By a lot.
Mother: Oh nice.
------
(Second period ends, the score is 0-0)
Mother: So is that it?
Justin: What do you mean?
Mother: Is the game over?
Father: Uh, no. Just the second period.
Mother: Oh.
Justin: Games don't end in ties. Especially in the playoffs. Especially in game 7.
Mother: So this is the playoffs then.
Father: Yes, my sweet.
-------
(sometime during the game, camera shows Tyler Bertuzzi)
Mother: I like him. He works hard.
Justin: Yes.
Mother: He isn't very cute though.
Justin: Oh.
Mother: Auston Matthews is cute though.
Justin: I see.
----------
(frequently during the game)
Mother: (gets up and goes to kitchen) Anyone want anything? Cookies or anything?
Everyone: No thanks!
Mother: (continues fucking around in kitchen)
Father: The game is on. You are missing it.
Mother: (continues fucking around in kitchen) I'm just getting....something.
Justin: Probably cookies?
Mother: That's right. Does anyone want anything? Cookies or anything?
Everyone: No thanks!
Mother: (continues fucking around in kitchen)
Father: The game is on. You are missing it.
(this loop repeats for about 4 minutes until she finally sits down (without cookies) and watches the game)
Some quick notes for context:
- My parents, especially my mother, have been watching the Leafs religiously my whole life. Under normal circumstances, she knows her Leafs (and the game) quite well. Especially some of the basics covered in these anecdotes.
- In some instances, I have cleaned up a lot of the language to make this make sense. Often, people with dementia don't form clean, coherent sentences, so we kind of deduce what is being said from partial sentences and specific words and reply accordingly)
PROLOGUE, HIGHLIGHTS FROM EARLIER IN THE SEASON
(on a telephone call with momsie, probably about a week after trade deadline)
Mother: I really like that new guy they just got.
Justin: Umm, which one?
Mother: Ummm. I don't remember his name, but I like him.
Justin: Like, a new guy they just called up?
Mother: (yells to father in background) Who is the new guy I don't care for?
Justin: I thought you said you liked him?
Mother: (phone not to her ear, still talking to father) The new guy they just got! The one that I don't care for?
Justin: ?
Mother: (back on phone) Bertuzzi.
Justin: Oh. And did you say you do, or do not like him?
Mother: I like him.
----
(We are at their house, for a random game)
Intermission starts
Father: (sets a timer, and changes channel to something else, as he hates intermission talking and commercials)
Mother: We're going to miss the hockey game!
Father: It's intermission and I have a timer set.
Mother: Well we better not miss the hockey game for your crap.
(3 mins pass)
Mother: Is the hockey game on?
Father: (puts hockey channel on showing her its still intermission)
(3 mins pass)
Mother: Is the hockey game on?
Father: (puts hockey channel on showing her its still intermission)
(2 mins pass)
Mother: Is the hockey game on?
Father: (puts hockey channel on showing her its still intermission)
(2 mins pass)
Mother: Is the hockey game on?
Father: (puts hockey channel on showing her its still intermission)
Mother: I don't want to miss the hockey game for your crap.
Father: You won't miss the hockey game.
Mother: It's probably on now.
Father: Fine.
(puts the hockey game channel on, we watch commercials until the puck is about to drop)
Puck drops.
Literally 10 seconds into the period...
Mother gets up and goes to the other end of the house for a few minutes. We think she got a sweater? Or went to get one and forgot so she went to the washroom instead and then came back?
Justin: Did you just sit through 10 minutes of dad's crap, then 5 minutes of commercials just to get up the second the puck dropped and the period started?
Mother: (smiles and shrugs)
-----
Now onto Saturday...
SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE THE GAME:
Mother: Is there a hockey game on tonight?
Father: Yes.
Mother: Oh. It must be getting near the end soon.
Everyone: ?
Mother: When do playoffs start?
Father: They've already started. Game 7 is tonight.
Mother: Oh. Are we winning?
Father: No. It's game 7. And the Leafs will choke, as usual.
LATER, A COUPLE HOURS BEFORE THE GAME:
Justin: Soooo....Auston Matthews is probably playing, but Joseph Woll is hurt.
Father: Well that's it for that then.
Mother: Auston Matthews is back?
Justin: Yes. But the goalie who put them back in the series is hurt.
Mother: Oh Jeez.
Father: So who are they playing? Sucksanov?
Justin: Yes.
Father: How did Woll get hurt?
Mother: So Matthews is still out?
Justin: (to father) I don't know. (to mother) Matthews is playing, but their good goalie is not.
Mother: Oh Jeez.
Father: They're fucked!
Mother: No, he said Matthews is back tonight.
Father: But they have Samsonov in net.
Mother: Is he not the good one?
Father: No. Woll is.
Mother: Well why wouldn't they play the good one? Are they stupid?
Justin: The good one is hurt.
Mother: Oh Jeez.
20 MINUTES BEFORE GAME STARTS
Mother: Is there a hockey game on tonight?
Justin: Yes, it starts in about 20 minutes.
Mother: Oh, nice.
(pause)
Mother: When do the playoffs start? They should be starting soon, shouldn't they?
Justin: Yes, tonight is playoffs. Last game of the series with Boston.
Mother: Oh.
GAME ON
Game starts, Bruins take a shot on goal
Father: Scores.
(Samsonov saves it)
Father: Well I'll be damned.
Mother: What are you talking about?
Father: Woll is hurt.
Mother: I thought Matthews was playing tonight.
Father: Woll. Their good goalie.
Mother: Oh. Well why aren't they playing their good goalie?
Father: He's hurt.
Mother: Oh, jeez.
------
Someone: We need goals from Matthews.
Mother: Oh, is he back tonight?
Justin: Yes. And he lead the league in scoring this year.
Mother: Oh, nice. And when is that over.
Justin: What do you mean?
Mother: When is that until. When... When is it...
Justin: Oh, the regular season ended. He already won the scoring title. By a lot.
Mother: Oh nice.
------
(Second period ends, the score is 0-0)
Mother: So is that it?
Justin: What do you mean?
Mother: Is the game over?
Father: Uh, no. Just the second period.
Mother: Oh.
Justin: Games don't end in ties. Especially in the playoffs. Especially in game 7.
Mother: So this is the playoffs then.
Father: Yes, my sweet.
-------
(sometime during the game, camera shows Tyler Bertuzzi)
Mother: I like him. He works hard.
Justin: Yes.
Mother: He isn't very cute though.
Justin: Oh.
Mother: Auston Matthews is cute though.
Justin: I see.
----------
(frequently during the game)
Mother: (gets up and goes to kitchen) Anyone want anything? Cookies or anything?
Everyone: No thanks!
Mother: (continues fucking around in kitchen)
Father: The game is on. You are missing it.
Mother: (continues fucking around in kitchen) I'm just getting....something.
Justin: Probably cookies?
Mother: That's right. Does anyone want anything? Cookies or anything?
Everyone: No thanks!
Mother: (continues fucking around in kitchen)
Father: The game is on. You are missing it.
(this loop repeats for about 4 minutes until she finally sits down (without cookies) and watches the game)
