Away Games

We are on the cusp of year #5 of the backyard rink for me (if I were really aggressive last week we would be in year #5).  A lot has happened to me and to the rink in that time and I'd like to think there has been a steady growth and development in all things that are rink related here at the Four-em. Unfortunately that list also includes band-aids, water bills, and swearing at the wind and all that it deposits in my ice.  One thing that has also grown is my network.  I've made lots of friends and acquaintances who have backyard rinks and it continues to surprise me how the act of making ice in your backyard can connect you with people and make your world a smaller and better place.

Last January, the Four-Millins attended a fundraiser for the Jack Falla Memorial Fund at Boston University, and we met a few friends and family members of Jack.  We also met some folks who had never met the man but who shared his passion for hockey and skating outdoors, including Pete and his family.  Pete lives in MA and he too is a member of the Yahoo Backyard-rink group.  He has a couple of boys, one of whom is Danny's age, and after exchanging pleasantries we talked a little bit about our respective rinks.  The description he gave me of his rink was enough to make any rink builder jealous - more on that in a bit.  When the evening was over we wished each other well and I had not communicated with him since; until last weekend.

Danny's Pee Wee team (shown here in full travel dress) was about to participate in a weekend tournament in Natick, MA.  In a pleasant coincidence, Natick happened to be Jack Falla's hometown. The day before Danny's first tournament game I received an email, out of the blue, from Pete.  His son Matt's team was also playing in the tournament, and as fate would have it, our boys would be playing each other.  He also invited us over to his house to skate on his rink since he lives just a few towns over from Natick.  "Skate on his rink?" you ask. "The first week of December...how is that possible?" you further inquire.

Pete has a rink which sits on a cement slab that contains three miles worth of piping filled with glycol and is powered by a chiller.  The rink was installed by former NHL player Dave Gagner who owns a company called Custom Ice Rinks, headquartered in Ontario, Canada.  Because his rink, nestled nicely on the edge of the woods, is frozen artificially (set at an enviable 18 degrees), Pete's family skates over 100 days every year and into temperatures as high as 50 degrees.  His kids have even engaged in a backyard hockey game of 'shirts vs. skins.'

Any thoughts I had of "well that's not 'real' backyard rink building" vanished when we set our skates to the ice. Who cares how your ice is frozen, so long as it's frozen. Pete's ice surface is only an inch thick and he drilled periodic holes along his frame, just above the ice surface, so that excess rain water drains out the sides.  It's high cost (pricing is listed on the Custom Ice Rinks link) but it comes with low maintenance and high reward.  I am truly jealous:  They skate on demand.

That Saturday we skated for an hour - no games, just light skating and passing - and then had a great lunch with Pete, Karen, Matt, and Jack.  And that is why I love hockey so much.  It can be the ultimate equalizer, providing a frozen common ground.  Strangers welcomed us into their home and made us feel like we were long-time friends.  Danny and I left the outdoor rink for the indoor rink to play games 2 and 3 of the tournament and his team went 2-0-1; good enough to make it to the tournament finals the next day against, you guessed it:  Matt's team.

The CHA Pee Wee 1's lost that game 1-0 and the sting for the players was pretty significant.  However, thanks to our backyard rink connections Danny and I took away something else from that weekend; something that will last long after the sting of the loss has faded away for Danny.  We walked out of the William Chase Arena in Natick with good memories and new friends.