Minor Hockey

[PaulVE64]

I grew up on a fruit farm in SW Ontario, we had raspberries, corn, wheat, straw, apples, pears, cherries, peaches, wild grapes and 20acres of strawberries.

I had two brothers, we worked all summer and played hockey all winter.

I remember watching two guys pull a tank of hot water with a big mop trailing it to water the ice between games. I remember freezing my hands and ears after a full day playing pond hockey.

 

50 yrs later my youngest daughter played her last competitive game. Her team won the Ontario Midget B Championship.

I was just reminded of all those years while watching a PWHL hockey game and I miss coaching alot.

[gim]

I played youth hockey growing up here in Mn. So did my brother. I wasn’t very good at it to be honest and I only got good after I hit a growth spurt and quit playing it. I still play in an adult mens league recreationally, and outside when weather permits. The last 2 winters have been miserable for outdoor ice here though. They never even flooded the rinks here this winter. I also officiated it for a few years to supplement my income, as it paid well.

 

It has become an extremely expensive sport to participate in. Hockey equipment is outrageously priced. Goalie equipment is even worse. One piece composite sticks are a couple hundred bucks each. And it’s a very big time devotion with all the practices, games, and tournaments.

[TnRiver46]

All my in-laws are big hockey people. My cousin Russell (ironic) plays high school and cousin Sullivan plays jr leagues . We always try to go to a Toledo walleyes game when we are up there, LETS GO FISH!!!! We’ve also have the Knoxville ice bears here locally, they win their conference somewhat regularly 
 

[Koz]

I used to love hockey. Having family from Canada will do that to you.

 

I grew up playing pond hockey, but didn't start playing organized hockey until I was 12. I was a goalie and ended up playing both HS and college hockey. In HS I was pretty hot stuff, but college was a whole ne game.

 

I hung on as the #2 goalie and started about 1/3 of the games but blew up my knee midway through my junior year and I was done. That was almost 40 years ago and I haven't skated since then.

 

I probably couldn't even name one guy playing in the NHL today.

[gim]

2 hours ago, Koz said:

Having family from Canada will do that to you.

Canadians love their hockey!  MN is a big hockey state, maybe the biggest (hence the State of Hockey).  The youth hockey program here is unrivaled, perhaps in the entire country.  The development younger players can get here is tremendous, which is why so many college players are from this state.  We've got six division 1 teams here.  Did you play D1 hockey as a goalie?

[N Florida Mike]

I’ve never played hockey, or been to a game , but I’m not opposed to it.

 ( Going to a game, not playing lol ) I think I’d enjoy it more than golf or soccer anyway.

[12poundbass]

I started with pond hockey at age 10 or so which morphed into organized hockey. All we had was an outside rink which there were plenty of times we either couldn’t practice or if we could we’d have to dodge thin spots in the ice. Our first game of this newly formed program was literally like the first mighty ducks movie. We had catchers shin guards, old old hand me down equipment. 😂 After that game my parents tools my brother and I to get new equipment thankfully.

 

We were playing school teams, club teams that all had indoor rinks so we always got destroyed! We had a good time though. One concussion, a scar on the bridge of my nose, and a bum shoulder from a torn AC joint are what I have left from my playing days.

 

Good times!

[gim]

50 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

think I’d enjoy it more than golf or soccer anyway.

Oh it's not even close.  Hockey is a fast paced contact sport.  I fall asleep watching golf or soccer lol

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Hockey is a fast paced contact sport.

In my mind - hockey is nothing more than legalized brawling.

 

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I fall asleep watching soccer lol

Only sport I really follow is The World Cup - everything else is meh.

[VolFan]

I grew up in Memphis where there was only one sheet of ice and it was in the Mall of Murder, so no hockey for me.  Fast forward 30 years and my son dropped baseball to play hockey year round. I don’t completely understand everything but the games are fun and traveling on the weekends has been great the last few years. Although someone did suggest an outdoor tourney in Buffalo in January this year, so maybe they’re all crazy..,

[PaulVE64]

13 minutes ago, VolFan said:

I grew up in Memphis where there was only one sheet of ice and it was in the Mall of Murder, so no hockey for me.  Fast forward 30 years and my son dropped baseball to play hockey year round. I don’t completely understand everything but the games are fun and traveling on the weekends has been great the last few years. Although someone did suggest an outdoor tourney in Buffalo in January this year, so maybe they’re all crazy..,

I've been to two of those in Buffalo. It's very nice if the snow isnt blowing 

[Koz]

5 hours ago, gimruis said:

 Did you play D1 hockey as a goalie?

No, I wasn't good enough. But I managed to play D2. That was way back in the 80's.

[TnRiver46]

5 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

I’ve never played hockey, or been to a game , but I’m not opposed to it.

 ( Going to a game, not playing lol ) I think I’d enjoy it more than golf or soccer anyway.

Ironically, FLA teams have done extremely well in the NHL 

[PaulVE64]

Hockey is expensive and the learning curve is steep. But it has a great culture and ethos. 

Sports are a great tool when you're raising kids

 

[Susky River Rat]

On 2/24/2024 at 8:08 PM, PaulVE64 said:

Hockey is expensive and

Hold my beer! I raced motocross growing up.

 

i love hockey. I only played street hockey as a kid. The high school I went to did not have a hockey team but two of the others around here did.  I was raised in a flyers house hold but, am a bruins fan. I live very close to where the Hershey bears play. My grandma had season tickets for over a decade and she was 80s still going to games. I have made the drive up to Boston a handful of times to watch them play. My wife one year for Christmas surprised me with bruins leafs tickets. So awesome to see two original 6 teams play. 
 

I was at a bears practice one time. I was under 10 years old. The late Wade Belak gave me a practice puck. Being a kid and dumb I ended up losing that puck. I kick myself for it. It was not signed but, you can’t put a price on that kind of kindness especially from an enforcer. 
 

it’s also pretty neat that some of the bears players show up to the local ice arenas in the off season and scrimmage each other. They will even play in some of the beer league games. They only go 100% when they are one on one with another bears teammate. 

[Chowderhead]

On 2/24/2024 at 3:13 PM, PaulVE64 said:

I've been to two of those in Buffalo. It's very nice if the snow isnt blowing 

I’m excited to attend my first NHL game tomorrow night when the Jets play the Sabers. In Buffalo for a few days and could not pass up the opportunity. 

[PaulVE64]

2 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

Hold my beer! I raced motocross growing up.

 

i love hockey. I only played street hockey as a kid. The high school I went to did not have a hockey team but two of the others around here did.  I was raised in a flyers house hold but, am a bruins fan. I live very close to where the Hershey bears play. My grandma had season tickets for over a decade and she was 80s still going to games. I have made the drive up to Boston a handful of times to watch them play. My wife one year for Christmas surprised me with bruins leafs tickets. So awesome to see two original 6 teams play. 
 

I was at a bears practice one time. I was under 10 years old. The late Wade Belak gave me a practice puck. Being a kid and dumb I ended up losing that puck. I kick myself for it. It was not signed but, you can’t put a price on that kind of kindness especially from an enforcer. 
 

it’s also pretty neat that some of the bears players show up to the local ice arenas in the off season and scrimmage each other. They will even play in some of the beer league games. They only go 100% when they are one on one with another bears teammate. 

I played for a few years in a charity tournament. Most of the players were average beer leaguers but they would have a few ex-NHLers on each team.

My centreman was Norm Ullman a 75 yr old ex-Leaf. We had just been scored on and we were losing when I told Norm we needed a goal. He looked me in the eye and told me to get infront of the net. 

He won the draw and in what I can only call a game of slow motion keep away he carried the puck into their end and threw me a pass right on the tape between 3 defenders.

He was unstoppable when he tried, even at 75.

[Susky River Rat]

@PaulVE64 when people are that good at something they never lose being much better than the average person 

[Jigfishn10]

I was a hockey nut and played growing up. Once out of college I played no-check recreational and pick-up. Ice times were late and some guys took it waaaay to serious. Separated my shoulder twice and missed time at work. Figured it was time to get out instead of playing up to the knuckleheads who thought every pick-up game was game 7 of the Stanley Cup being played in the '70's. 

 

I don't watch pro, but love watching college and Olympic hockey. 

[gim]

7 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Figured it was time to get out instead of playing up to the knuckleheads who thought every pick-up game was game 7 of the Stanley Cup being played in the '70's.

LOL there’s always that one guy who goes balls to the wall in a casual recreational league. He’s usually slightly out of control too.

[PaulVE64]

I lost it on a guy in Beer League once.

Kinda ridiculous throwing punches at a guy with a cage on. But I'd been cross checked in the back of the dome one too many times.

The ref gave me a roughing minor.

Edit - the other guy got a game misconduct