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.