Nearly a year ago, on October 2^nd, 2019, we began another annual chapter of NHL history, another season of exciting games and highlights, another full season of exciting adventures on the Tour de NHL. Well…….almost another full season. Little did we know the impact that COVID-19 would have on our lives back then, but after 51 long weeks and two playoff bubbles, we finally saw the 2019-20 NHL season come to an end. A well-deserved congratulations to the Tampa Bay Lightning for winning their second Stanley Cup, and an equally well-deserved congratulations to the Western Conference Champion Dallas Stars (to date, my last sporting event).

But now we wait. We wait for news on a return to play date for the 2020-21 NHL season. We wait for news on when fans will be allowed back at games. We wait for schedules to plan trips to visit new and exciting cities on the Tour. Sadly, and sometimes depressingly, we wait. 

But despite not being able to attend sporting events in person, despite concerns over traveling and social distancing and community spread, despite not knowing how many months or years it will be until the Tour resumes, hockey has remained an important part of my life. Despite all the uncertainty and challenges 2020 has thrown our way, I’ve found solace with my hockey family, in the small town of Indian Trail, North Carolina.

Since I resumed playing hockey in college in 2013, I’ve found happiness and camaraderie in the form of my hockey families. The great groups of men and women I’ve been fortunate enough to call teammates and friends. From the Greensboro Sportsplex to the Marple Sports Arena near Philly to the Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail – I’ve found some of my best friends through this great game.

Prior to 2019, I’d always played roller hockey – but as the roller rink closed here in Charlotte prior to my arrival in 2018, I realized that to continue playing the sport I love so much, I’d have to gear up for the ice. So I got some skates and gear, went to a couple of pickup hockey sessions, and headed to my first adult league tryout. With 30 or so open spots on various teams, I was optimistic……until I realized there were 80 players trying out. Needless to say, I went home that night humbled, somewhat downtrodden, and still very much a free agent. 

But after a fortunate hour of Google searching, I found out that another rink in Charlotte had a Developmental League for beginners and those needing more assistance. And sure enough, I was there the next week, Tuesday night, 10:00 pm.

And over the next four months, I picked up my ice legs and re-taught myself how to play hockey, while making some great friends in the process. We still have weekly D League practices and scrimmages, and I still attend every now and then because there’s nothing better than playing hockey with your friends. Well, a Flyers Stanley Cup maybe…

Sure, we’re not perfect, but hey we can all have a good laugh at each other. JD wants to be a beautiful butterfly. Kevin talks to deer in his backyard. Christoph tries to kill people on the ice. Matt had a very unfortunate encounter with a Star Wars cocktail (don’t ask, I don’t know). Terry turned into a ghost. You know, just your normal everyday group of pigeons and clowns!

Our 2020 spring season was suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak in mid-March, but thankfully, the Extreme Ice Center reopened in late May with social distancing and mask protocols, and it’s been absolute joy to be back on the ice. And, well, the free pitchers of Labatt Blue after victories help too! But the best thing (in all seriousness) is to be back competing amongst friends. Even in the situations where players get thrown out of games for chirping referees (like last Sunday night), we can all head upstairs to the tavern and laugh about it over cheap beers and surprisingly good wings.

And I think my experience learning the game of hockey and meeting new people at Extreme Ice Center epitomizes one of the greatest things about this game: community. All over the world, there are tiny little hockey communities like ours in Indian Trail. Some are large cities with passionate NHL fan bases. Others are small Canadian towns with one rink and small groups of fans that travel hundreds of miles to see their kids play junior hockey. For me, my hockey community is like a big family, a group of people you can play the game with, enjoy a drink, a joke, and escape the stresses of the world. It’s a family that’s there to help you when you could use a pointer, a laugh, a birthday video ripe with GoPro footage, or a helpful hand spreading the word about your cancer fundraiser. It’s a family, and I’m blessed to be part of it!