The standing ovation at Saturday night’s Western Hockey League game at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre wasn’t for the Victoria Royals or Vancouver Giants.
It was for the Hodson family.
Dad Gordon Hodson, a captain in the Canadian Army, surprised his 10-year-old twin daughters Mackenzie and Madison before the national anthem by arriving home unannounced from his sixth tour of duty in Afghanistan.
“I said: ‘Wow.’ It’s a great Christmas present,” said an overwhelmed Mackenzie Hodson.
“We were wondering when is daddy coming home? My mom’s real good at keeping secrets.”
Her sister had tears welling, too.
“I’m very happy right now my dad’s home,” said Madison, trying to comprehend the moment.
Both girls are in Grade 5 at Doncaster Elementary,
It was touch-and-go as to whether Gordon would be back in time for Christmas and if the hockey-game surprise could be pulled off, said the girls’ mother, Janet Hodson.
“We had our fingers crossed he would be back in time,” said Janet.
“The girls had been asking for a long time: ‘When is Daddy going to be back? We miss him. Will he be home for Christmas?’ Their dad means so much to them and they miss him so much. They burst into tears a few times even afterwards when they were sitting next to him watching the game. It brought tears to my eyes.”
Gordon Hodson, in his 38th year with the army, was not authorized by the Canadian military to speak to the media.
After the reunion, father and daughters got to share in a classic Canadian hockey moment — tossing stuffed toys onto the ice after Austin Carroll scored the Royals’ first goal on the annual Teddy Bear Toss Night for charity.
“We’re going to spend lots of time with our dad, that’s for sure,” said Mackenize Hodson.
