A Love Like No Other
When it became clear to me that I had developed a full and complete love for playing the sport of hockey, I wondered how long I could keep it up for. The oldest goalie in my roller hockey league at the time was 53 and he had been playing since he was a young lad, so I felt that was a comfortable number to shoot for. After all, I was in my early 20’s at the time and feeling pretty good. Now that I am approaching 43, it seems that I may have undershot my estimation.
I absolutely still love playing and I am arguably in better shape now than I was then (yes, there’s always room for improvement). I’ve also got a lot of experience under my belt, so I’m playing a smarter game as well. It doesn’t always go in my favor, but that’s part of the game. Lately though, I’ve been playing for an older group of vacationing Canadians and northern snowbirds who call themselves the Clearwater Old Pucks. The average age of the group is 73. Not a typo, actual number. They are nowhere near as fast as the Sunday night house league guys I’m used to playing against, but the Old Pucks make up for it in skill.
They are not fancy with stick work, they don’t do toe drags, or spin-o-ramas. What they excel at is getting the puck tape to tape to a moving teammate, even from half the ice surface away. They can pick corners with backhanded shots. They congest the front of the net trying to block my view so their teammate might score on a one timer. There is even an 80 year old Canadian who told me in broken English after one of the sessions, “Next time, I score.” Just because you’re old doesn’t mean there ain’t garbage talk going on.
The experience has been fantastic. These guys have shown me that age is truly just a number. Their love for the game and the camaraderie they have is their fountain of youth. Getting exercise playing hockey while talking smack before, during, and after the session is what they have been doing all of their lives. I just happen to be there fulfilling a need for them and I think I‘m actually getting more from them then they are from me.
This love for hockey transcends the game alone. It’s a culture in which teamwork is vital, ‘we’ replaces the ‘I’, and the bonds of friendships are made on and off the ice through shared experiences. It’s a place where a fresh sheet of ice means a clean slate to go out and try again. There is no age limit, the only thing needed is the ability to skate whether you are 3 or 73. Speaking of which, I’ve reset my focus on 80, which is the age of the goalie I have been playing in place of since he retired from the game. Seems like I’ve got a long ways to go, but I’ll bet he felt that way when he was 43 as well.
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