Good Old Fashioned Pond Hockey

 

Lace up boys!

"Boys will be boys, and men will be boys!"  The saying rang true one recent crisp winter afternoon when a group of guys pulled out their skate bags, sharpened the blades and grabbed a stick.  That's when the magic began...

First things first.  The rink had to be cleaned off in preparation for the big game!

Have you ever tried shoveling with ice skates on?

Shoes are cast aside for hockey skates.

The blade of this stick has seen the ice many times prior to this game.

Shovels are set aside.

The players "skate" through the snow off to the side in order to reach their destination.

The skaters use only a small portion of the pond.

A bucket to sit on, a bag full of pucks and hiking boots for after the game!

Hand-made wool socks are a necessity on this chilly afternoon.

The sticks are dropped and teams are chosen in an alternate fashion.  One for this team and one for that team.  One for this team and one for that team until everyone has a place on the ice.

The object of their desire. 

 The first recorded organized game of ice hockey used a wooden puck.

Let the game begin!

Tools needed for the afternoon.

When the snow is light and fluffy, a broom is all you need.

Talking strategy or lunch?

Each player has his own unique style.

Ultimately the puck is lost and a new one is put into play.  InGlasCo

of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada makes the hockey pucks for the NHL.

They also make Sher-wood hockey sticks.

A figure skater joins the fun.  There is plenty of room for everyone!

Poised and ready.

Perhaps this game relates more to the Canadian term, Shinny which is meant to describe any form of disorganized ice hockey that is played outdoors, typically on a naturally frozen body of water.

The players work up a sweat and woolen items are tossed aside.

Do they ever look up to enjoy the beauty of their surroundings?

Perhaps they are ready to enter a team in the U.S Pond Hockey Championships.

At the Vermont Pond Hockey Championship, teams play for the golden sap bucket!

What a wonderful New England tradition.

A couple of little ones join the fun but soon realize it's more exciting

to run around and explore the frozen pond without skates on!

As more players arrive, more shoes are strewn about.

The game is over and the simple silence returns to the woods.

Skates haven't touched this part of the pond.  So quiet and serene.

Wilderness solitude until the next time...