The
'Goal'den Years
Age is no
obstacle for group of hockey-loving 50-plus skaters
BY ED WRIGHT
Oct. 27, 2009, 2:15 p.m.
Burt Holliday controlled the puck just inside the right face-off circle before skating roughly five feet and launching a low, ice-skimming wrist shot that settled softly into the back of the net one morning earlier this month at Plymouth's Arctic Pond Ice Arena.
Seconds later, as a rendition of "Who Let The Dogs Out?" blared over the Arctic Pond Ice Arena's sound system, the slick-skating 82-year-old forward proved you're never to old to dish out a little good-natured trash talk.
"I yelled to the guys on the other team, 'How can you let a man who has one foot in the grave score a goal against you?'" Holliday recalled, a huge grin creasing his face.
Holliday is one of close to 30 senior hockey players who choose to forego more sedate hobbies like crossword puzzles and shuffleboard for an opportunity to lace on a pair of skates and satisfy their passion for hockey twice a week at the Arctic Pond, which is located at 40475 Plymouth Rd. in Plymouth.
The blue-line-to-blue-line rushes may not be as swift as they once were for these silver-haired skaters, but they're just as fun as they were decades ago, confirmed 76-year-old Derrick Reynolds.
"I love it," said Reynolds, who plays four or five times a week. "The games are fun, but I like the camaraderie just as much. It's nice to be able to find a group of guys whose age and skill level are comparable to my age and skill level.
"We work up a good sweat, then we all have a cup of coffee afterwards."
For a minimal $10 fee, players from across the metropolitan Detroit area converge on the Arctic Pond every Tuesday and Friday for a 90-minute drop-in session that commences at 9 a.m.
There is no checking allowed, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few bumps and bruises.
"When you play hockey, you have to expect a few injuries," said Holliday. "Over the years, I've hurt my shoulder and my knee. If nothing hurts when you're done playing, you haven't been playing hard enough."
Unlike Holliday, who started playing hockey as a way to relieve stress when he returned from World War II in 1945, Phil Leannais didn't lace on his first pair of skates until he was 65 -- 12 years ago.
"My son played, so he encouraged me to try it so we could make it kind of a father-son type of thing," said Leannais. "I knew the fundamentals of the sport, but I didn't know how to skate very well.
"I love the exercise. The shifts are two minutes long, which is perfect. It's competitive, too. Once we divide up into teams, no one wants to switch to the other team."
The Tuesday and Friday morning drop-in sessions are ideal for players who don't want the commitment that is required by playing in structured leagues, said John Wilson, who helps run the drop-in sessions.
"A lot of these guys are retired and they don't want to play in the Sunday and Wednesday night leagues," Wilson said. "With the way this is set up, they can kind of come and play as they want."
For more information on the Arctic Pond's drop-in hockey program, call (734) 207-7663.
Ed Wright can be reached at [email protected] or (734) 578-2767
Age is no
obstacle for group of hockey-loving 50-plus skaters
BY ED WRIGHT
Oct. 27, 2009, 2:15 p.m.
Burt Holliday controlled the puck just inside the right face-off circle before skating roughly five feet and launching a low, ice-skimming wrist shot that settled softly into the back of the net one morning earlier this month at Plymouth's Arctic Pond Ice Arena.
Seconds later, as a rendition of "Who Let The Dogs Out?" blared over the Arctic Pond Ice Arena's sound system, the slick-skating 82-year-old forward proved you're never to old to dish out a little good-natured trash talk.
"I yelled to the guys on the other team, 'How can you let a man who has one foot in the grave score a goal against you?'" Holliday recalled, a huge grin creasing his face.
Holliday is one of close to 30 senior hockey players who choose to forego more sedate hobbies like crossword puzzles and shuffleboard for an opportunity to lace on a pair of skates and satisfy their passion for hockey twice a week at the Arctic Pond, which is located at 40475 Plymouth Rd. in Plymouth.
The blue-line-to-blue-line rushes may not be as swift as they once were for these silver-haired skaters, but they're just as fun as they were decades ago, confirmed 76-year-old Derrick Reynolds.
"I love it," said Reynolds, who plays four or five times a week. "The games are fun, but I like the camaraderie just as much. It's nice to be able to find a group of guys whose age and skill level are comparable to my age and skill level.
"We work up a good sweat, then we all have a cup of coffee afterwards."
For a minimal $10 fee, players from across the metropolitan Detroit area converge on the Arctic Pond every Tuesday and Friday for a 90-minute drop-in session that commences at 9 a.m.
There is no checking allowed, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few bumps and bruises.
"When you play hockey, you have to expect a few injuries," said Holliday. "Over the years, I've hurt my shoulder and my knee. If nothing hurts when you're done playing, you haven't been playing hard enough."
Unlike Holliday, who started playing hockey as a way to relieve stress when he returned from World War II in 1945, Phil Leannais didn't lace on his first pair of skates until he was 65 -- 12 years ago.
"My son played, so he encouraged me to try it so we could make it kind of a father-son type of thing," said Leannais. "I knew the fundamentals of the sport, but I didn't know how to skate very well.
"I love the exercise. The shifts are two minutes long, which is perfect. It's competitive, too. Once we divide up into teams, no one wants to switch to the other team."
The Tuesday and Friday morning drop-in sessions are ideal for players who don't want the commitment that is required by playing in structured leagues, said John Wilson, who helps run the drop-in sessions.
"A lot of these guys are retired and they don't want to play in the Sunday and Wednesday night leagues," Wilson said. "With the way this is set up, they can kind of come and play as they want."
For more information on the Arctic Pond's drop-in hockey program, call (734) 207-7663.
Ed Wright can be reached at [email protected] or (734) 578-2767
