When players in the Tri-Cities Oldtimers Hockey League step back onto the ice at Planet Ice Sept. 27, it will be the first time many have laced on their skates in more than eight months.
There will also be more of them.
A $25,000 Horizons Canada grant is allowing the league to increase its capacity from 140 to 200 players aged 60 and over and operate games at multiple rinks at Coquitlam’s Planet Ice five days a week.
It’s a positive turn in a year in which so many athletes have been robbed of their competitive and recreational pursuits by the COVID-19 pandemic, said league veteran Chuck Provost. And with Father Time marching inexorably forward for the senior skaters, the urgency to get back at it is amplified.
Not that everyone’s been idle since the league was first shut down by public health restrictions in March, 2020, then again Dec. 3 after a brief flirtation with a semblance of a season that required players arrive at the rink dressed in their equipment and forbade dallying in the dressing room after a game for kibitzing and “beverages.”
Darrell Deck, 68, said he used his time away from the rink to get a lot of chores done around the house. Gary Ballance, 63, said the downtime proved fortuitous as it allowed him more months to recuperate from a heart attack. Others stayed in shape by working out in improvised home gyms or walking a lot. A few industrious players found ice time at outlying arenas like Excellent Ice in Surrey for socially-distanced skating sessions or games of stick-and-puck.
But, Provost said, nothing could make up for the camaraderie and friendships forged in the dressing room.
“The mental health aspect was the big thing,” he said. “You can get out and have fun.”
“It keeps you young,” said 73-year-old Don Knudsen, whose sense of loss was compounded because the pandemic also cost him the routine of organizing the various age divisions and building the schedule. “It’s lost time. It was tough for everybody.”
While some players kept in touch through email updates, most won’t get reacquainted until the league’s opening face-off. It’s a moment they’re already relishing to a man.
“I’ve got to make sure my skate guards are off,” said Ballance.
“You revert back to being 10 years old,” added Provost.
“It’s hard to wipe the smile off your face,” said Deck.
For more information about the TCOHL, or to sign up to play, email chuckprovost@telus.net.
The league says all interested players must be double-vaccinated against COVID-19 for the coming season.
