When the temperature drops and the ice freezes over on Maine’s thousands of ponds, one can make the assumption that the only thing to do is lace up the skates and throw the puck down for a good game of pond hockey.
Pond hockey isn’t just any old game; it’s a tradition that stretches far beyond points and goal records, or penalty minutes for that matter. It provides a feeling of passion to those who have experienced it, and especially to those who make it their business to play every year.
A tradition is what my friends and I have made pond hockey since high school. We either use two ragged old nets that we pull onto the ice or maybe someone’s shoes for our goals. We wear sweat pants, winter hats, beat up hockey gloves, and any jersey we can find ranging from classics such as the Hartford Whalers to the silver and black of the old Los Angeles Kings. Boards are out of the questions as well, as checking into a snow bank on the side of the pond has become part of the norm. It is all in the aura that is Pond Hockey.
What started out as people strapping on some skates and dribbling a puck with a wooden stick over 100 years ago has transformed into a winter cultural phenomena in the northern states and Canada. A U.S. Pond Hockey Organization was founded in 2005 and now has a championship with three divisions, 160 teams, and 25 rinks in three days of play. It is a game that has influenced one of the greatest hockey movies ever in my opinion, ‘Mystery, Alaska”. In this film John Biebe (played by Russel Crowe) is a local man who leads a squad of pond hockey players that skate the rivers of Mystery, Alaska and play in the “Saturday Game,” a game that is an honor to play in because of all the great players in Mystery. These “Mystery men” test out their ability against the New York Rangers after a former local brings them to Mystery to play under one condition: on the pond. Mystery is a Pond Hockey town and that’s a slogan that many towns in the north hang their hats on as well.
Pond hockey is not only a competitive game with a bunch of buddies, but something that everyone has a great time with and can be played forever. The time that I’ve had out on the pond playing a little stick and puck has been a great experience, and if you haven’t experienced it yourself, it is worth braving the elements and lacing up some skates.