The Pond Hockey Portal!

Locals win silver at pond hockey championship

2009-04-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

On Valentine’s Day weekend near Eagle River, Wis., the Pincherry Lake Loons went all the way to win silver in the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships, losing by one point to the Dumpster Divers of Bloomington, Iowa.

The Pincherry Lake Loons are six local guys who played their first game together as a team at the championships.

They competed in the novice level, consisting of 24 teams. This is the first time they entered the competition, after having visited it last year to check it out. A total of 196 teams played on 20 rinks at the fourth annual championship.

Team members Dave Moynihan and Kelly Elwell play hockey on the Humboldt Park Lagoon and help keep the ice clear of snow during the winter months. Moynihan, of Bay View, has a cabin near Eagle River on Pincherry Lake, hence the team name.

Pond hockey differs from regular hockey in several ways. It’s four-on-four, with six people allowed per team. There are no boards, so Moynihan said you have to get the puck out of the snow. You deal with cracks and humps in the ice. There are smaller nets. Moynihan never played regular hockey, but said pond hockey has less contact, except “friendly” contact and accidental collisions. Challenges including battling Mother Nature and keeping the puck down.

The Pincherry Lake Loons’ uniform colors are red, black, and white. Will they be back next year? “We sure hope to,” Moynihan said.

Moynihan described the 2009 tournament action:

“We played for the first time as a team in game one of the tournament. We lost that game and had to regroup and figure out a different strategy. We decided to play slightly more defensively and eked out three wins in a row to put us into the finals.

“The final game we were up 2-0 at the half, (you play two 15 minute periods-no stopping). We were playing a team that in my view was much better then us. We were playing as a team and had two breakouts that we were able to score on. The second half started and the other team had a new strategy as well; that was to plant their biggest guy in front of our goaltender and block his view and their best guy in their defensive position so that we had a very tough time getting the puck to the other end. Their strategy worked and they were able to beat us 4-3 to take the gold. We celebrated as if we had won and had a great weekend.”

Winners of U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.

2009-02-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Nearly 1,600 pond hockey fanatics, NHL legends, former Olympic and college greats met on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis this weekend for the fourth annual U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.

Nearly 1,600 pond hockey fanatics, NHL legends, former Olympic and college greats met on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis this weekend for the fourth annual U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.

The tourney featured 251 teams in four-on-four competition in the open, 40+ open, 50+ open, women's and Rink Rat divisions.

Winners:

• Open: Concord USA beat Cold Hands 3-2.

• 40+ open division: Herbies beat Pipewrench 9-4.

• 50+ open division: Minneapolis Moose beat St. Nix 7-4.

• Women's division: Seasoned Skaters beat Barbette 15-3.

• Rink Rat division: Golden Ophers beat Cougar Bait 15-9.

The winners of the open, 40+ open, 50+ open and women's divisions will have their names inscribed on the Golden Shovel, otherwise considered the Stanley Cup of pond hockey. Winners of the Rink Rat division -- developed for the less competitive pond hockey player -- will have their names forever inscribed on the Silver Scoop.

The Bill Wood MVP Sweater, which memorializes a pond hockey legend, was awarded to one player in each division who most embodied what it means to play pond hockey: teamwork, effort, skill and sportsmanship:

• Open division: Billy Hengen, Eden Prairie, from team Concord USA.

• 40+ open division: Rich Farrell, Grant, Minn., from team Herbie.

• 50+ open division: Randy Zejdlik, Maple Grove, from team Minneapolis Moose.

• Women's division: Sue Ring-Jarvi, Anoka, from team Seasoned Skaters.

• Rink Rat division: Jon Zurby, Cottage Grove, from team Golden Ophers.

Wrigley Field is a long way from the pond

2009-01-05T07:46:00.001-08:00

To find the roots of hockey, you have to go back to the ponds.

Kids who grew up on skates can tell you about it. It all comes back to them now, their memories jogged by the New Year's Day spectacle of the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings playing a "Winter Classic" outdoor NHL game at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Playing hockey on enclosed outdoor rinks is a joy in itself, but playing on a pond ... well, that's something so special, anyone who has done it becomes bonded to hockey and skating for life.

"Playing on the pond - that's pure hockey. That's where kids fall in love with the game," said Colin McDonald, a Springfield Falcons player who grew up in Wethersfield, Conn.

"I'd rush home from school, grab my skates and head for the pond. Skate and play hockey until supper. No coaches, no parents, no time limit, just kids playing the game," he said.

"When we were kids, the ponds would freeze and stay that way all winter. It's not like that now. Maybe because of global warming."

As a player for Wethersfield High School, McDonald had the opportunity to play against Loomis-Chaffee and Westminster, old New England prep schools that had outdoor rinks.

"We played some games in Vermont on outdoor rinks, too. Good old days, great memories," McDonald said.

Bruce Landon, president/general manager of the Falcons, grew up in Kingston, Ont. By age 4, he was skating with his brother Terry on a frozen marsh not far from home.

"You had to watch the reeds. They'd be sticking up through the ice. You'd have to skate around them, but we loved it - morning, noon and night we'd skate," he said.

Playing hockey on ponds meant improvisation.

"We'd take our boots and set them up to be the goal," Landon recalled. "Sometimes, we'd skate on nearby Newboro Lake. There, it seemed like you could skate for miles, and the surface was like glass. Shoot the puck, and it might slide 500 yards if nobody was there to stop it."

The Landon brothers wanted a regular net for their outdoor games, so they built one in their cellar.

"My brother ruined one of our mom's new sheets, tearing it up so we could use it for the back of our net. Then you know what? We found out that we made it too big. We couldn't get it out of the cellar," he said.

No problem. They used it for cellar hockey. Bruce grabbed his baseball glove, got in front of the net, and Terry fired tennis balls at him. It was then that Landon began to realize he liked goaltending - a feeling that carried him to a career in professional hockey as a goaltender for the Springfield Kings and Hartford Whalers.

"We played road hockey, too,," Landon recalled. "About 15 years ago, when I went back home for a visit, I called some of the guys who used to play road hockey with us. We got together and played again - like a bunch of kids, I'll bet if I went back there now and called them, they'd be ready to play again," he said.

Falcons coach Jeff Truitt, a native of Rosetown, Saskatchewan, well remembers his time as an outdoor hockey player.

"There were ponds and rinks all over the place," he said. "We'd skate, and get so cold our fingers and toes would ache. A lot of those places had sheds where you could put on your skates, We go to the shed, warm up a little bit, and then be right back out there, playing on the pond."

In 2006, Truitt served as an assistant coach for Canada's gold-medal winning Under-18 team in the World Junior Tournament.

"That team played some outdoor games - back to the roots," he said.

Mike Gabinet, a defenseman for Truitt's Falcons, grew up in Edmonton, where he played on some outdoor rinks.

"Playing outside was special, even thought it was pretty cold. I think the NHL having outdoor games is a great thing for hockey," he said.

Gabinet didn't have to play pond hockey when he was a kid.

"We had a rink right in our yard, just outside the back door," he said.

Yours Truly can relate to the fond memories shared by Falcons players. I spent many hours of my long-ago youth skating and freezing on Sullivan's Pond in Indian Orchard, just down the hill from our backyard.

Winters were colder then, I can remember skating on Thanksgiving morning, going back up the hill for dinner, then lacing 'em back on for an afternoon on the pond.

Skating and hockey became a neighborhood effort. After a snowstorm, people along the pond would shovel the ice surface so the games could begin again.

An NHL game on a specially-constructed rink at Wrigley Field before a sellout crowd may be a long way from pond hockey, but it does carry a special charm, and as Gabinet says, is "a great thing for hockey."

Such a game stirs memories, all right. It certainly did that for Bruce Landon. Decades later, he's still a hockey guy - and it all goes back to those mornings, noons and nights, shooting the puck into snowbanks and dodging reeds in an icy marsh.

POND HOCKEY

2008-12-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

Nothing makes millions of parents happier than making their children fat and docile. Able to be easily over-powered and controlled. Stuck inside for endless play dates. Protected so well from nonexistent monsters that they are suffocating. Unable to play a simple game without an adult organizing it. Children who will never understand the love of the game unless they are allowed to play for themselves. Tommy Haines knows what today's kids are missing. His engrossing documentary, "Pond Hockey," shows how these problems have hurt the sport of hockey, and how some are trying to bring kids and fun back to the sport.

Think of the happiest time you had a child. Chances are it involved hanging out with your friends with no plans and no idea what the day would bring. Playing games for the fun of it instead of winning a scholarship. The men who take part in the 1st Annual Pond Hockey tournament remember these times well. Their words bring back our memories of a simpler time. A time most adults would give anything to relive again and again.

We live in a time when it seems many athletes are doing their best to make sports look bad. Complaining loudly about the few millions they are making, breaking laws and treating spouses badly, it’s easy to forget that sports can be a positive force. The pond hockey players in this film will never receive endorsements, but are much greater role models than those who do. They play not for money, but because they don’t know anything else that can give them that much pleasure.

The stories of playing pond hockey are the highlight of this film. Hockey greats such as Wayne Gretzky and Neal Broten speak of spending more time outside playing than inside doing everything else. They and many others are saddened when they hear how few are allowed the same joy. How will they ever learn to be their own person if others are always telling them what to do?

I’m not a sports guy. My dad took me to a few hockey games, but stopped when he realized I had no interest. This film is about more than just watching sports being played. Much of this film takes place at the 1st Annual Pond Hockey tournament, but it’s never very important who wins or loses. Just playing the game is reward enough. It may not be as enthralling as "Murderball" or "King of Kong," but the players all have interesting stories to tell. You may have forgotten what childhood is about, but this film will remind you of memories that cannot be made sitting inside in front of electronics.

Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championship Registration Numbers Set Record

2008-11-19T17:57:00.000-08:00

USA Hockey today announced that a record 171 teams have already registered for the fourth annual Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championship, set for Feb. 13-15, 2009 in Eagle River, Wis.

The teams registered for the upcoming event represent 22 states and 12 age divisions. Sold-out divisions include Men's Silver 21 & Older and Men's Bronze 30 & Older. Teams interested in participating still have time to register by visiting here.

NOTES: Last year's field of 142 teams held the previous record for number of teams in the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championship ... The event is conducted each year on Dollar Lake in Eagle River, Wis. ... The Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey Championship is part of Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok. The three-day nationwide event, set for Feb. 13-15, 2009, provides a backdrop to celebrate hockey at all levels throughout the country in addition to exposing the sport to new audiences.

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Looking for the best hockey video game?

2008-10-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

OK, eh, it’s time to start thinking about skating the cup.

So what’s a gamer to do with hockey season approaching and a choice of NHL games when it comes to the video-game world?

Well, first ask yourself what kind of gamer and hockey fan you are.

Hardcore serious? Well then EA’s NHL 09 is the choice.

Goofy casual? Go for 2KSports’ NHL 2K9.

Here’s the breakdown:

EA’s NHL 09

The good: It’s all about the hockey here, as the controls can be as complex or as simple as suits your gaming ability. The genius of NHL 09 comes in with the online play. For the first time in sports online gaming, a player can create his own hockey player, then jump online to join a pickup game with 11 others using custom characters. EA also has the minor and international leagues to go with the NHL license.

The bad: Not much. In fact, hockey is rising to the top of EA’s sports pantheon as one of the genres it does best. The only knock is that it’s becoming so deep that an average gamer might be overwhelmed with the options and not utilize the game to its potential.

NHL 2K9

The good: Pond hockey and Zamboni races. Yeah, baby! Nothing is cooler than racing on the greatest mechanized vehicle of the modern era — the Zamboni. The free-for-all, unencumbered nature of the pond hockey with no crowd, no offside and no calls certainly is the best play mode in 2K9. Online play allows for 12 players to compete in a game simultaneously.

The bad: Years ago, 2K was a great option because it offered a price point about $25 cheaper than the EA sports titles but hardly a drop in quality. The Xbox 360 versions we played are the same at $59.99, which takes the edge from 2K.

Hockey Moms v Soccer Moms

2008-10-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

The thought occurred to me when I heard Sarah Palin describe herself as a "hockey mom" that she was making an unconscious decision to distinguish herself from the more commonly-heard "soccer mom." Having taught in a town that is perhaps more synonymous with soccer than any community in New Jersey--Kearny--my initial reaction was to interpret her remark as somewhat elitist: Soccer is a game for the masses, hockey for the wealthy.

To test my hypothesis, I decided to see what it would cost to outfit a teenager for both sports.

As with automobiles, so it is with hockey equipment: apparently there is no limit to the amount of money one can spend. Perhaps the most reasonable estimate I got was from a site called ThinkQuest:

Q. What equipment do you need to play this sport and how much does it cost?

A. "Equipment these days is made to protect virtually every part of the body. A full set of equipment for a youth hockey player costs around $500.00, the two most expensive items being the skates and the helmet/cage combination." If that is the nationwide average, I suspect the cost might be somewhat higher in the Northeast. Additionally, outside of pond and street hockey (does anyone play pond hockey in this state anymore?) I doubt one can play hockey for free in New Jersey. So add the rink rental fee to the cost of the equipment.

As I was preparing this blog on September 11, I happened to read this in The New York Times:

In and around Anchorage, particularly in wealthier high schools, hockey is everything. With $400 skates, $150 sticks and hundreds of dollars more for pads and gloves, outfitting a skater can cost well over a $1,000. Add in ice time, league fees and the cost of travel in and out of this rural state, and some families with elite high school players can spend $15,000 a year. Parents with especially talented skaters or with enough money or both often do what the Palins eventually did with Track (Sarah Palin's eldest son), which was to write a check and send him to special hockey development programs out of state. Housed with teammates, the boys go to local high schools and play on sponsored teams intended to attract attention from college recruiters.)

For soccer, I could not find a similar Q & A, so, using midrange Modells' North Jersey prices, I estimate about $150 would easily cover the cost of spikes, shorts, a jersey and socks. (A former student who lives and breathes the sport told me the cost could easily be double that amount if one wanted to go with all the bells and whistles [$150 soccer balls and a bag, warm-up equipment, etc], but that would be like adding a Bose audio system to a car--nice, but not necessary to get you from point A to point B.) And when I observe the teams of young, mostly Latin American men playing the sport FOR FREE in my local park, it seems most of them are outfitted with "equipment" (if that's the term) for a whole lot less than the $150 estimate.

I don't know if Governor Palin meant to reinforce the stereotype of the Republican Party as the political party of the wealthy with her "hockey mom" reference. But that's how I interpreted it. And the research seems to support my hypothesis.

Growing up I frequently heard thoroughbred horse racing referred to as The Sport of Kings. Might we now conclude that ice hockey is The Sport of Republicans?

Northern Wisconsin to be site of pond hockey championships

2008-09-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

Northern Wisconsin has been chosen to again host the fourth annual USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championship, organizers have announced.

The event in Eagle River is set for Feb. 13-15, 2009.

"This event is about the teams, the experience and the camaraderie while enjoying hockey the way it used to be," said Ashley Bevan, director of adult hockey for USA Hockey.

The event will be staged outdoors on Dollar Lake and feature teams of adults 21 and older divided into 12 no-checking divisions.

A registration form and a tournament schedule can be found online at www.usahockey.com/adult.

Vitale named head coach of the Canada Deaflympic Hockey Team

2008-08-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Bolton resident Jim Vitale with the Roy Hysen Cup after coaching the Ontario Deaf Ice Hockey Team to the Canadian Deaf Hockey Championship in May.

As head coach of the Ontario Deaf Ice Hockey Team, Vitale led them to the seventh Canadian Deaf Hockey Championship/Roy Hysen Cup this past May, by beating the Western Provinces Team, 3-1, in Whitby. In four tournament games, Ontario scored 37 goals, while only allowing two.

Hysen, the general manager and former head coach of the Canada Deaflympic Hockey Team, selected Vitale to represent his country as head coach. Canada will face Russia, the U.S., Sweden and Finland at the world championships.

"Representing the province and the deaf community of Ontario was already an honour as it was, but to represent Canada and the deaf community nationally is an unspeakable honour and I'm grateful for the opportunity," explained the 30-year-old Vitale, who is the owner of the Vital Hockey Skills school out of the Vaughan Sports Village.

Assistant coaches Gerald McDonald (of Winnipeg) and Patrick Bergeron (of Roxton-Pond, Que.) have also been added to the squad and will work along side Vitale.

Vitale, a Level 3 coach, will be coaching the AAA Toronto Young Nationals of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) this season and has coached the Toronto Red Wings and the Vaughan Kings in the past. He was also an assistant coach at York University for two years and with the Vaughan Vipers of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.

He played minor hockey with the AAA Vaughan Kings, junior hockey with the Markham Waxers and also two years with York University, where he attended teachers college after graduating from Queen's University.

After Queen's he opened up Vital Hockey Skills, which runs week-long hockey clinics in Vaughan. They have also run after school clinics at the Albion-Bolton Arena, as well as in Inglewood.

Vitale is currently a religion teacher at St. Edmund Campion Catholic High School in Brampton.

The Canada Deaflympic team is holding a selection/evaluation camp at Teen Ranch in Caledon, Sept. 25 to 28, where the coaching staff has to narrow the team from 35 (who participated in the Canadian Deaf Hockey Championships) to 19 players (10 forwards, six defencemen and three goalies).

"I see potential in everybody and it's always a challenge to help people fill that potential," said Vitale about coaching the deaf hockey team and as an educator. "You really see the ability in disability when you work with those guys and they don't use it (being deaf) as a crutch. They are an inspiration."

Some notables who will be at the evaluation camp are defencemen Casey O'Brien (of Ottawa), 28, and Jalen Harris (North York), 16, as well as forward Steve Devine (Toronto), 27. O'Brien has played hockey as a pro in Finland, while Devine was the captain of the University of Toronto men's hockey team for four seasons. Harris was recently drafted in the Ontario Hockey League draft and has been heavily sought after by the Toronto Blue Jays, as a pitcher.

"The deaf community is very cohesive, but the key for them is to be cohesive on the ice," stated Vitale. "Half the battle will be for the team to jell as a unit, as they believe and sacrifice in each other.

"The other hand credits the tactical point of view, so how to beat opponents and competing at an international level. I try to emphasize quick puck movement, control and explosive speed."

Plaster Rock celebrates Canada Day with awards, fireworks, pool party

2008-07-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

Declaring that Plaster Rock is proud to be part of the greatest country in the world, Mayor Judy St. Peter urged Plaster Rock residents to be equally proud of their contributions to their country during Canada Day celebration on July 1.

Proud to be Canadian Mayor Judy St. Peter and Mike Allen, Tobique-Mactaquac MP, officially raise the Canadian flag at the Plaster Rock Welcome Centre to celebrate Canada's 141st birthday. (Mark Rickard photo) "It is communities like this little community that make Canada the greatest country in the world," Mayor St. Peter told the 75 people who attended July 12 celebrations at the Plaster Rock Welcome Centre.

The mayor spoke out about the service reductions that recently occurred at Tobique Valley Hospital and she urged residents to not give up hope.

"Don't give up on Plaster Rock, we are going to continue to try to get emergency services back in our hospital," she stated to enthusiastic applause. "We are going to do everything that we can to find the doctors that are needed."

Mayor St. Peter said the success of the World Pond Hockey Championship shows the community spirit and the volunteer ambition within the community.

Mike Allen, Tobique-Mactaquac MP, wished every Canadian a happy 141st birthday.

"The reason we are such a strong country is because we are knit together from a fabric of small communities. The small rural communities are what built this country. We always need to remember that."

Allen urged everyone to thank the men and women in uniform who now serve their country, and Canada's veterans, for helping to forge a great nation.

"You look at pond hockey, you look at all the great things that you have undertaken, this is a place that can make things happen. Happy Canada Day," he concluded.

John Sharkey, director of recreation, parks and leisure, announced a Canada Day Certificate of Merit to the Tobique Seniors Club and Canada Day Youth Awards to Jared Braun and Emily Paris.

"The year the certificate of merit is presented to the Tobique Seniors Club. The club was formed about three years ago and is very instrumental in many activities throughout Plaster Rock. It is a strong organization that is very eager to participate," Sharkey commented.

The Tobique Seniors Club has hosted the valley winter senior games for several years, and is a testament to the perseverance of local seniors.

"They deserve a great round of applause for their community-minded efforts. They have also been instrumental is using the new Tobiqueplex walking track to walk across Canada."

The seniors have now walked across Canada and are on the return leg in Ontario. Government funding has recently allowed the club to purchase carpet bowling equipment, which Chuck Gray, Tobique Senior Club president, promised will be put to good use.

"We are asking everyone that is interested to learn how to carpet bowl, come along with us…. We have had great community support from the village for our seniors club. I am very proud to accept this award on behalf of my club."

Mayor Judy St. Peter and Mike Allen presented a Canada Day Youth Award to Jared Braun. A recent graduate of Tobique Valley Middle High School, Braun plans to attend UNB in the fall. He is a dedicated minor hockey official, a veteran World Pond hockey Championship monitor, assisted with coaching Tobique Valley Minor Hockey as a goaltending coach, and worked with junior high students in their physical education program as part of his coop studies. Jared played golf and hockey in high school.

Emily Paris, another TVMHS graduate, was the class salutatorian. Paris was very involved in student council since grade six, and is currently working three summer jobs. She had volunteered to help with seniors' health care and volunteered with Dr. Lillian Linton in her optometry office. Parish played volleyball and basketball in high school.

Big Names Coming To Pond Hockey?

2008-07-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

If you thought a visit from the prime minister was impressive, wait until you see who's coming to World Pond Hockey next year.

Although the names haven't been confirmed, Danny Braun, chief administrative officer for the Village of Plaster Rock, said some "big celebrities" will be attending the World Pond Hockey Championship in February 2009. Plaster Rock will be part of Hockey Day in Canada to be broadcast on CBC and, because of that, the dates of the championship have been changed.

"We're going to be going with Feb. 19 to 22," Braun noted during the Plaster Rock village council meeting on June 16. "It should be a really big weekend for us."

Braun noted two producers from the CBC met with him last month to talk about Plaster Rock's role in the Hockey Day in Canada broadcast. Officially, New Brunswick is the host for the show but, as a host community needs at least 90 hotel rooms for the crew, Plaster Rock will share the honors with another community.

Braun added the draw was held June 9 to select World Pond Hockey teams for the 2009 championship. All Canadian provinces as well as the Northwest Territories will be represented along with 20 United States and 13 countries. Newcomers this year will include Spain and Brazil.

In addition to the Hockey Day in Canada representatives, Braun is hopeful several ex-NHL players will be among the team members making the pilgrimage to Plaster Rock.

Braun noted the volunteer appreciation evening for pond hockey volunteers was held on May 31 and was well attended. The golf outing is scheduled for Aug. 16.

CDs featuring highlights of the 2008 World Pond Hockey Championship were distributed during the volunteer appreciation evening and copies are also available for $5 at the Plaster Rock Save-Easy.

Roller hockey program planned at OmniCenter

2008-06-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

A summer roller hockey program for all area hockey players will launch June 10 at the Onalaska OmniCenter, with play for boys, girls, teens and adults.

The program will consist of an hour to 90 minutes of fast-paced roller hockey fun played in a “pond hockey” format, (which is a pickup game style).

Roller hockey is played four on four with no icing, no offsides and no checking, keeping the action moving at a fast pace without the worry of being checked. This allows the players to try new and creative ways of skating and passing the puck, all while working on their basic skating skills along with strength and cardio training.

The equipment needed to participate in the program is basic hockey equipment: Helmet with a full-faced cage (for players younger than 18), mouth guard, Rollerblades (no brakes or extruding wheel axle’s will be allowed), hockey stick, hockey shin guards, elbow pads, and gloves. While not required, shoulder pads and breezers (padded hockey pants), are strongly recommended.

A soft Rollerblade wheel is also recommended.

The cost of the program is $70 with a current registration card with USA Hockey or USA Inline Hockey. Those not already registered will have to register with USA Inline Hockey for an additional $30.

Goalies play free with a current registration card from USA Hockey or USA Inline Hockey. Without a card, it’s $30 to join USA Inline Hockey.

Tornado Youth Hockey, Mueller Publishing and Clafton Skate are sponsoring the program.

For more information or to download a registration form, go to www.tornadoyouthhockey.org or call Mike McCaffrey at 787-1943.

It all started on a pond in Clifton for Knowles

2008-05-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

Although he spent years playing professional hockey, Janeville's Darryl Knowles didn't get his start in the sport like most youngsters do today.

"I never played any minor hockey," admitted the 57-year-old during a recent interview at his home in Janeville. "The only thing I ever played around here was pond hockey."

Knowles, who played hockey throughout North America and even appeared in the movie Slap Shot, grew up in Clifton in the late 1950s and early '60s.

"I played one year with the Clifton Clippers in the old industrial league," he said. "Hubert Pouliot saw me and gave me a tryout with the Bathurst Juveniles. Then I went to Quebec for a tryout with the Senior Aces. I didn't make that team, but (after the tryout) I got a call from Peterborough (Ontario). They had a juvenile team there so I played for them that year and we won it."

While living in Peterborough, one of the teachers at Knowles school was the late Roger Neilson, who would go on to coach 1,000 games in the National Hockey League before his death from cancer in 2003. Neilson invited Knowles to try out for the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes, who he was coaching at the time. Although he didn't stick with the Petes, Neilson found him a place to play with a tier-two junior team in Brantford, Ont. where Knowles got the chance to play against two of hockey's most famous sons, Mark and Marty Howe.

"I had a fight against Marty, and I played with both of them at the all-star game that year," he recalled. "Gordie Howe's wife Colleen was the president of our league, and every time we played in Detroit it was packed with 15,000 fans and Gordie Howe in the stands."

Following his stint in Brantford, Knowles turned down scholarships from Clarkson, Colgate and Saint Lawrence (all three being universities in the state of New York), to accept an offer to play with the Eastern Hockey League's Charlotte Clippers. However, fate intervened at that point via an injury.

"I ended up breaking my jaw playing softball in Bathurst that summer," he said. "That set me back two years. When I came back, I played for the (Bathurst) Alpines with a football helmet."

Once he was fully healed, Knowles landed a spot with the Syracuse Blazers of the North American Hockey League, a farm club of the World Hockey Association's New York Golden Blades, and won a Lockhart Cup with the team in 1973. He even suited up for a few exhibition games with the club's WHA parent team after they relocated to San Diego. (The WHA, which lasted from 1972 to 1979, was created as a rival league to the National Hockey League and is where players like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Mike Gartner all got their start in professional hockey.)

Knowles played four years with Syracuse, picking up 44 goals and 62 assists along with 397 minutes in penalties in 181 regular season games, and finished his professional career in the Pacific Hockey League with the San Francisco Shamrocks, in 1977-78, and the Tucson Rustlers, in 1978-79.

"I was an in-your-face type of player," said the right winger. "I was the hitter and the mucker in the corners. I was on a checking line and was assigned a guy to watch. That was my job – every time he touched the puck I hit him and followed him around. I wasn't a real good stick handler or anything but people didn't like playing against me."

In addition to getting the opportunity to be in a motion picture with Paul Newman, he also got to spend time with NBC broadcaster Bob Costas.

"He was our radio announcer getting news back to Syracuse when we were on the road," he recalled.

By the early 1980s, Knowles was back playing for the Bathurst Alpines, and even took on the dual role of player coach for a while. He even has a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

"My number 23 (Syracuse) Blazers jersey is there," he said. "It says Darryl Knowles wore this sweater when they won the Lockart Cup in 72-73."

Knowles stopped playing the sport competitively in the late 80's, although he gets in the odd oldtimers game from time to time.

"I was 36 when I stopped playing for the Alpines," he concluded. "I did fairly good coming off the pond." Knowles and his wife Linda have two grown daughters, Angela and Kelsey.

The perils of shooting "Pond Hockey"

2008-05-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Tommy Haines and Andrew Sherburne say they got a little more than they bargained for when they decided to use a helicopter to shoot the opening scene for their movie "Pond Hockey."

The film gets its world premier at the MSPIFF on Thursday evening. It features players from the first ever US Pond Hockey championships, and interviews with a host of NHL stars who credit their skills on the time they spent playing on outdoor rinks on lakes, in parks, and in backyards.

Haines, the films director, says it was a blast, but admits to having second thoughts when that helicopter arrived. For one thing, they'd never been up in a chopper before and it was much smaller than they had expected.

"And we are hanging out of this little 4 person helicopter with our camera, and it was - 15 outside with negative whatever windchills," he says.

"And we were going 120 miles an hour," Sherburne adds. He is one of the producers on the film.

"Yeah, not easy conditions," Haines grins.

What they found making their documentary was a growing uneasiness about how many youngsters only play in structured practices as part of teams, and the film makers believe this is draining the creativity and fun out of the game.

They hope the film will enjoy a run on the festival circuit and then a whole new life on DVD when it comes out in the fall - just in time for hockey season.

Pond hockey still a riot for 50-year-old

2008-03-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

He hadn't played hockey outdoors in below-zero weather since he was a kid, but 50-year-old Dave Bressler of St. Charles said he had a smile on his face the whole time.

That whole time was as one of six members of The Clowns, a team of middle-age players from the Fox Valley area competing last month in the 2008 LaBatt Blue USA Hockey Pond Championships played on a lake in Eagle River, Wis.

The Clowns won two games before losing 18-8 to The Outlaws, a team from Elmhurst, but that didn't matter to Bressler and his teammates.

"It was just a riot," said Bressler, who convinced his hockey pals to enter the tournament and stay in his nearby cabin during the event. "They had 18 rinks set up, and the rinks are smaller, so it was just like playing outside when you were a kid."

Bressler said the games feature four players, with no goalie. "The goal is 6 feet wide and 8 inches high," Bressler said. "And you can't lift the puck in the air. If the puck goes in the air or out of bounds against a snow bank, it is a turnover to the other team."

Bressler said the event featured 140 teams from 24 states, but he found it most interesting that Bill Ford, the chairman of Ford Motor Company, was playing with a team Ford sponsored.

A holy honor: Father Dan Deutsch thanked parishioners at Holy Cross in Batavia last weekend for helping him receive a high honor in the Catholic Church.

He'll have to change his voice mail greeting on his phone to Monsignor Dan, rather than Father Dan, as the Holy Cross pastor has received that designation from Rockford Diocese Bishop Thomas Doran.

"It's an honor that the bishop would submit my name to the pope for this consideration," said Monsignor Deutsch, who grew up on the west side of St. Charles and has been in the priesthood for 14 years, with seven of those as pastor at Holy Cross.

"It's really a papal honor and it designates the recipient as a papal chamberlain or part of the papal household," Monsignor Deutsch added. "It's also a validation of the vitality and spirit of the people of Holy Cross, and I thanked them for that."

The recognition generally comes to pastors of large parishes, or those who oversee a Catholic school, or have other responsibilities in the diocese. Monsignor Deutsch fills that bill on all counts.

"I have known since last October and I told my parents, who were thrilled, but knew they had to keep it a secret," Monsignor Deutsch said.

Popular party: This appears to be a natural as a popular event if you are in charge of a senior citizen center -- offer a St. Patrick's Day dinner.

The Geneva Senior Center in Wheeler Park did that, and the response was such that arrangements had to be made for two seatings Monday afternoon.

World championship pond hockey scores big

2008-03-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

Pond hockey takes the game back to its roots to “when we were kids, with snowbanks for borders and little nets with no goalies,” says Mark Doolan.

If there’s anything that exemplifies Canadian sport better than the game of hockey, it could only be pond hockey. It’s the game in its purest form with roots as deep as the frozen Canadian soil will allow.

Recently, the District of Logan Lake hosted the Western Cup of Pond Hockey and a South Cariboo team had the honour of taking part. They also came away with a win.

The squad of Mark Doolan, Geoff Butcher, Mike Davidson and Terry Crosby took first place in the 40 and Over division.

The round robin tournament attracted 24 adult teams which did not include goaltenders on their rosters. Doolan said they played with open nets, with four games going simultaneously on the surface of frozen Logan Lake. Each game lasted 30 minutes.

Doolan, who is a teacher at Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School, wasn’t about to hang up his hockey skates after the impressive win.

He hopped on board with a team from the Lower Mainland and headed out for the World Pond Hockey Championship, held Feb. 6-10 in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick. It featured 120 teams from around the world including Egypt, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Latvia and all over Canada and the U.S.

The tournament had 40 teams playing simultaneously on 20 rinks approximately 75'x150' in size. More than 8,000 spectators also attended the event.

They ironically registered as a team from Phoenix, Arizona, where pond hockey is virtually unheard of. He explained that a limited number of spots on the roster were assigned to Canadians and the competition for them was thick.

“The odds are just better if you go south,” said Doolan.

His team got five games in round robin play, challenging Montreal, Nova Scotia twice, London, England and California and finished with three wins and two losses.

“Playing outdoors was just awesome,” said Doolan. “Just like when we were kids, with snowbanks for borders and little nets with no goalies.”

The tournament was called The Goodwill Cup and Doolan said it was aptly named.

“The neatest thing was the attitudes. We were all there for the same reason. To just have fun,” he said. “One of us was way out of shape and another one was just new to hockey.”

Doolan wasn’t sure exactly how his team placed but figured they were in the top 40. He plans to give it a try again next year.

“I think the more exposure pond hockey gets, the more people will get hooked on it,” said Doolan.

Cold temps can't stop Minn. pond hockey

2008-02-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

The third annual U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are forging on in Minneapolis this weekend despite temperatures hovering around zero.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press said Saturday that when the pucks first hit the icy ponds, local temperatures had dropped to single digits and a frigid breeze was blowing.

Yet despite the cold temperatures, more than 1,400 die-hard hockey enthusiasts were on hand when the annual event began Friday.

Tournament commissioner Fred Haberman said the event, thought to be the United States' largest outdoor pond hockey tournament, is a big draw.

"What Harlem is to outdoor basketball, this is what we are to outdoor hockey," he told the newspaper.

Those who survived the first day of competition and endured the frigid temperatures didn't get a break Saturday as games continued and temperatures in Minneapolis fell to 2 degrees below.

U.S. Pond Hockey Championships

2007-12-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

Hockey. The way nature intended. Outdoors in the crisp winter air, skate blades gliding on the fresh ice below, with the sounds of clacking sticks and the smell of grilling bratwurst filling the air.

The 2008 U.S. Pond Hockey Championships will be held January 18-20, 2008 on Lake Nokomis, Minneapolis, MN.

Hockey rink in Dedham approved

2007-07-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Construction on a new East Street hockey rink will begin this week now that the project has been cleared by the town.

The Conservation Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to issue a permit for the rink proposed to go in the old Eastern Metal and Mystic Studios warehouse near the Dedham Rotary and Rte. 128.

Conservation Agent Don Yonika said the rink's design met or exceeded all of the town's drainage and conservation requirements. He commended the owner and developer of the rink, Paul Cokinos, for taking steps to improve the property, including ridding it of debris that had collected over the decades.

Yonika said people had used the woods in back of the building near Little Wigwam Pond to illegally dump cars, oil tanks, televisions, auto parts, tires and used diapers that have never been removed.

In addition to cleaning up the site, Cokinos has agreed to provide public access to Little Wigwam Pond during the rink's hours of operation for fishing in the summer and ice-skating in the winter.

The rink building will include an 18,000 square-foot NHL-size rink, a 7,500-square-foot practice rink, six locker rooms, a snack bar and a small shop providing hockey supplies and skate sharpening.

Water for plantings and landscaping on the site will be collected from the roof of the building by a cistern system. To conserve water, the building will use waterless urinals and sensor activated faucets. Cokinos has agreed to contribute $5,500 to the Dedham-Westwood Water District to offset the water he expects the building will use.

"It seems like a great project executed with a lot of concern for the town," said Commissioner William Pardee.

Chairman William Gorman said the rink was a rare large-scale project that did not involve a lot of "gnashing of teeth" over conservation issues.

On Wednesday the Planning Board signed off on the plan with the condition that users of the rink be off the property by 12:15 a.m. each night.

The board earlier reached an agreement with Cokinos to close off access to the rink from Appleton Lane.

Cokinos said after the Conservation Commission hearing that he expected to begin construction at the end of this week. He said he hoped to have the rink up and running by the end of September.

The new rink is expected to be the home of the Dedham High School girl's hockey program, The Charles River Girl's Hockey Program, the St. Moritz Devils youth program and the New England Senior Hockey League.

The Planning Board last week also approved the site plan for a new 11,300-square-foot Walgreen's drug store at the corner of Providence Highway and Elm Street. The store will be built on land currently being used as a parking lot by Dedham Savings Bank.

Happy Birthday, America!

2007-06-29T05:28:00.001-07:00

231 years ago...on July 4th, 1776
This great nation, the United States of America,
In a struggle for what was right and free,
Was proudly born...
May we celebrate that precious freedom
For which our forbears fought so bravely...
The freedom that is inherent
In the Stars and Stripes, our revered flag...
Celebrate Freedom
This Fourth of July!

As girls' hockey takes off, moms get in on the action

2007-06-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you spent any time at an ice rink during the past 10 years, you noticed the change. The figure skating section, with its satin and sequins, shrank a little each year -- making room for hot pink hockey sticks and customized Bauer hockey skates with flowered laces.

Girls' hockey has grown exponentially over the past decade, pretty much since the US Women's National Team won the sport's first Olympic gold medal in Nagano, Japan, in 1998. On the South Shore, it's never been hotter.

Now the sight of so many of their daughters playing has helped inspire their mothers to jump in as well.

In February 2006, a group of South Shore women started their version of "mom's hockey." They first dubbed themselves the Desperate Hockey Moms, but due to internal opposition (some just couldn't stomach "desperate"), changed it to Hingham Women's Hockey. Donna Del Rosso recalls how it began:

"I was watching my daughter play and mentioned that they should have a hockey program for moms. John Clifton, director of Hingham Girls Hockey, was standing nearby and said, 'We can do that.' "

Clifton arranged for ice time and recruited Stephanie O'Sullivan, director of O'Sullivan Hockey Schools in Boston, to run the first mom clinic for $15 per player. O'Sullivan had played at Providence College in the early '90s, then on the US National Team. After her professional career ended in 2001, she started the school with her brother, Chris. Four of her seven brothers -- Shaun , Peter, Mark, and David -- are also instructors.

Del Rosso used her network of hockey moms to get the word out. On the first day of practice, they expected to see 10 women on the ice.

"We were blown away when 54 women came out that first morning to play," said Del Rosso.

Most women today over age 30 never had the chance to play youth hockey -- teams for girls and women didn't exist 20 years ago. If they had brothers, they'd play with them on a pond or maybe, like O'Sullivan, cut their hair short, call themselves Steve, and infiltrate the boys' team.

The first year for the Hingham Women's Hockey team was devoted to fundamentals. O'Sullivan ran her 54 novices through an hour of drills twice a week, covering such skills as stick handling and playing one's position.

By fall 2006, they were looking for opponents. Last December, the Hingham High School girls' team accepted an invitation to play.

With more than 20 of the moms opposing their daughters in the match, "We were actually competitive," Del Rosso said, unfazed by the younger team's lopsided win. "It was a lot of fun!"

Del Rosso said the typical skater in her group is a mom with either a son or daughter who plays. Most are novice skaters.

Karen O'Brien, who lives in Weymouth, has skated with the group since day one. Her father was one of a family of 13 in which all seven brothers played hockey, but Karen had never stepped foot on the ice. "I worked with Donna. We were librarians, and we jokingly talked about starting this league," she said.

While the majority of members originally were from Hingham, out of Del Rosso's 97-name mom's hockey e-mail list, today 47 are from other towns. They practice two mornings a week, September through March, and this year have added spring and summer sessions.

Hingham is by no means the only place a mom can lace up; recreational women's leagues recently have formed in Milton, Weymouth, Duxbury-Kingston, and Walpole.

Del Rosso wants to start one as well. "We have started discussions. As long as we can get our numbers up, we'll be able to start a league," says Del Rosso.

What do the husbands and children think of moms' playing? "They think it's funny," said Del Rosso. "I like to tell them that you're never too old to try something new."

In the early days, it was the kids who helped the moms with their gear.

"We would be standing in the locker room holding up various pieces of equipment and asking each other, 'Where do you think this goes?' Then someone would say, 'My son showed me. . .' " Del Rosso said.

Del Rosso tells of one mom from an all-hockey family who ran out of the house and grabbed what she thought was her hockey bag.

"She got to the rink and realized that she had grabbed her son's bag. She told us, 'Well, if the skates fit, I'm wearing his equipment."

As for so many of these women, the skates fit.

NHL may be cross-checked into TV oblivion

2007-05-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

With the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks about to commence the Stanley Cup finals, the question is not only who will win what figures to be a close series but whether NBC will love it or leave it for Jay Leno.

After Versus, the NHL's well-hidden cable outlet, televises the first two games, NBC is scheduled to pick up the remainder of the tournament. That means three weeknights, including a Game 7, any or all of which could bump up against "The Tonight Show," which brings in $100 million every year to the belt-tightening network.

During its regular season, the NHL implements two quick fixes for tie scores after 60 minutes: four-on-four skaters followed by a gimmicky shootout, if necessary.

But during the playoffs, the league reverts to a purer solution: overtime at full strength, until whenever.

NBC has recent experience in how to treat extra periods. When Game 5 of the Buffalo-Ottawa conference final was deadlocked after three periods two Saturdays ago, the network abandoned hockey for the Preakness Stakes, a Triple Crown race for which NBC paid a hefty rights fee.

The game was farmed out to Versus, albeit with a delayed and awkward transition.

Would NBC, financial angel of the Olympics, dump synchronized swimming for regular programming? Over an accountant's dead body, but those made-for-TV pool parties are big business.

NBC's deal with the NHL is to share whatever profits accrue from occasional telecasts that produce ratings often confused for blood-alcohol limits.

Thus NBC should not be blamed for what it had to do. Instead the NHL should be embarrassed for what it can't do, market a terrific sport by locating a broadcast partner or partners that will serve more viewers than C-SPAN during one of Sen. Russ Feingold's tired harangues.

We say the NHL should be embarrassed while realizing that, under its fetid leadership, it is incapable of being embarrassed.

The Ottawa-Anaheim matchup will be huge in Canada, without a Stanley Cup champion since 1993, and in Orange County, where the expansion Ducks debuted, also in 1993. But elsewhere, the final probably will bomb, largely because the stubborn NHL can't sell a bottle of water in the desert.

Besides the obvious -- playoff hockey is dependably entertaining -- story lines abound. The Senators had a plan. They would endure being really bad before they could become really good. The latter half of that trick hasn't quite caught on with the Blackhawks, who closed their mausoleum doors on Easter Sunday, if you can remember back that far.

The Ducks, once just another Disney account, built a powerhouse under new ownership and excellent management featuring Bob Murray, a senior vice president who got the usual 20 minutes to resurrect the Hawks during his ill-fated tenure. The Ducks are a hot commodity in the Sun Belt, invalidating a crutch the NHL leans on when cash registers stall. Hockey indeed will work where the snow doesn't fly, if an organization actually is organized.

Ottawa doesn't miss Martin Havlat, free-agent savior who fled to Chicago, any more than the NBA Pistons miss Ben Wallace, who also found wealth and happiness in the United Center -- with the Bulls. Anaheim reached the final by eliminating Detroit, the last surviving member of the Original Six, only two franchises of which qualified for the hard-to-miss playoffs.

So much for history and tradition. New guys on the pond skate circles around old-schoolers who promised us a salary cap would be the solution. Not for a dunce cap, it isn't.

No matter what you put in it, this Cup is magical

2007-05-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

After seeing the Stanley Cup in person, all other championship trophies seem ... well ... a little pathetic. Try sipping champagne from that World Series thing with all those flags that look like they may fall off in a strong breeze. Only in the NHL does the award match the achievement. Only in the NHL does the trophy carry an aura of its own, stories of its own. Even the most cynical of sports observers are struck by its presence.

In other professional sports, the athletes talk about getting a ring. But those gaudy pieces of championship jewelry have nothing on the stunning silver rings of hockey's 114-year-old trophy.

The Stanley Cup acts as motivation and inspiration. Last season, Sabres co-captain Chris Drury went to Buffalo GM Darcy Regier and asked that a picture of the Cup be put on the wall in the locker room. Having won it with the Avalanche in 2001, Drury wanted his teammates to see what they were working for every day. He wanted a constant reminder of the glistening goal. He got it. The Sabres didn't win it last season, but they carried their quest into this season -- and a reminder of their professional dream stares back at them each day.

The Cup is steeped in tradition and superstition -- try to find an NHL player who has touched the trophy without having earned the right to put his name on it first. One of the greatest traditions of the Cup is that each player gets to spend a day of celebration with it. Babies have been bathed in it. Kids have eaten cereal from it. Dogs have been fed out of it.

Grown men have slept with it -- but most don't go to bed at all during their time with the trophy. It has taken a helicopter to the top of mountains in British Columbia and stood in Red Square in Moscow. It has toured big and small cities across North America and Europe. It has sat in the dugout at Yankee Stadium and taken the ice in hundreds of small hometown arenas. Street hockey games have been played to "win" it.

The Cup has toured to raise money for charity. It has traveled to hospitals to raise spirits. Names have been misspelled on it. One name has even been crossed out. The Cup has been kicked across a frozen river and sunk to the bottom of a pool. But despite having been dented a few times, it does not sit idly in some league office.

The Stanley Cup has seen many scenes that can't be printed and probably shouldn't be repeated. But there are plenty of stories that can be retold and have become an integral part of the trophy's lore.

In his book If the Cup Could Talk, author Michael Ulmer shares many of those.

One is the tale of Cheryl Riley, who had spent more than a decade trying to have a child, something doctors told her probably couldn't happen. Then in August 1996, Cheryl and her husband, Ken, ended up at Mike Ricci's Stanley Cup celebration after he had won the championship with the Avalanche. That day, Cheryl kissed the Cup. That weekend, Cheryl and Ken shocked the doctors and conceived a child. Their son is Stanley C. Riley. The "C" is simply an initial, but it comes with a story that the family can, and will, share their entire lives.

There is magic in that Cup. You don't have to grow up in a small Canadian town with a frozen pond in the back yard and thousands of games in your past to feel it.

In these couple of months, NHL players work hard to reach the pinnacle of their profession. They are working to be the best, to earn the right to reach out and touch the Stanley Cup.

VOTE NANAIMO!

2007-03-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

Nanaimo is A final contender for Hockeyville – this is very exciting as we are now one of ten finalists, and only 3 of which are in BC (Smithers & Vernon). But in order to make it to the top 5, we need everyone to vote on-line. The final decision for the top 5 is based solely on votes.

So folks, please click on the following link and vote Nanaimo!!! The deadline is March 9th, so vote today!!! Nanaimo needs this!!! And spread the word, we need as MANY votes as possible!!!! !

http://hockeyville. cbc.ca

Go Nanaimo!

Cold snap preserves Minneapolis pond hockey tournament

2007-01-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

MINNEAPOLIS - The U.S Pond Hockey Championships will proceed despite recent warm weather in the Twin Cities, organizers announced Friday.

With temperatures finally dropping well below freezing, the tournament will proceed Jan. 19-21 in Minneapolis - though on Lake Nokomis rather than Lake Calhoun. Organizers feared the tournament would have to be canceled because of poor lake ice conditions in recent weeks.

The tournament, in its second year, will feature 200 teams playing on 25 rinks. It's billed as America's largest outdoor hockey tournament.

ON THE NET

U.S. Pond Hockey Championships: http://www.uspondhockey.com