A golden moment shared between hockey siblings

With Canada’s semi-final against Slovakia only a day away, you would think the country’s foremost hockey insider would be busy watching film and jotting down talking points. But on Thursday night, Bob McKenzie was fulfilling a far more important role – that of big brother.

Sitting only rows from the bench, McKenzie watched his loving sister Melody Davidson coach Canada’s women’s team to a 2-0 win over the United States in Thursday’s gold-medal final.

“It means so much to have Bobby here with me this time,” said Davidson. “He didn’t come to Turin, so having him in Vancouver with me is, well, it’s just incredible.”

McKenzie, the best-selling author of Hockey Dad, already in its twelfth printing, was equally thrilled to be sharing in his sister’s golden moment.

“Over the course of my 28-year career at TSN I’ve seen a lot of hockey games, but I can honestly say none of them compares to this one,” said McKenzie. “I guess when it’s family, it’s special.”

Watching Melanie has always been special for Bob, said his father Bob McKenzie III.

“While little Bobby was always too fat to skate as a child, he loved watching Melanie and her friends play,” said the senior McKenzie. “He’d just sit there in the cold, writing notes, it’s where he got his start really.”

Davidson, who gave up her maiden name when she moved in with long-time girlfriend K.D. Davidson, remembers the time fondly.

“He was always blabbing about stuff like which girl should play the point on the powerplay or scouting some 5th grader across the park,” she chuckled.

“Nobody thought he knew what the hell he was talking about, but he said it with such authority that we always listened.”

Such was life in the small prairie town of Oyen, Alberta. School, homework, hockey. School, homework, hockey. Until one day, at the young age of 16, big brother packed up and left for the bright lights of Toronto.

“I was stupid,” said McKenzie. “I had a crush on one of her friends, but as you can probably guess, she turned out to be a lesbian. I didn’t handle it well, and the next day I was gone.”

While the move turned out great for McKenzie — after finishing a journalism degree at the DeVry Institute he landed a job in the Toronto Star mail room — Davidson had trouble adjusting to life without her big brother.

“That’s when she first cut her hair like Bob’s,” said the senior McKenzie. “It was scary, she kept eating and eating until one day she was finally able to fit into one of his old suit coats.”

However, there was one benefit to the transformation. Before long, Davidson’s ankles also became too fat to skate. Not wanting to give up the game she loved, Davidson stepped behind the bench for the first time.

“It’s funny how life works,” she said. “Everything happens for a reason, I guess.”

While the two siblings directly influenced what the other would eventually become, they never remained part of each other’s life,  not calling one another for more than 40 years. A remarkably long time for anyone, nevermind a brother and sister who spent their childhood together playing hockey under the blue Alberta skies.

Finally, in early October, Davidson made the first move.

“I was at a book signing for the multi-platinum Hockey Dad, in bookstores everywhere, when I heard this familiar voice,” said McKenzie.

“”Hey Hockey Dad, could you sign this copy to your Hockey Sister?”"

“I sat up and hugged her right away,” said McKenzie. “I didn’t want to let go.”

And he hasn’t since.

Seemingly inseparable in Vancouver, Bob and Melanie have found something much more valuable than a gold medal, they’ve found each other.

(Just because CTV’s already complained once, I must stress that I made-up this whole article. All quotes attributed to Bob and Melanie have been fabricated for your enjoyment.)