Pond hockey. It was a way of life during the winter for my family when I was young. We lived on a pond that froze somewhere between November and December. I also had a brother that played hockey through high school, so naturally we had hockey sticks, pucks, and skates that my brother had grown out of laying around the house. My parents purchased the heavy, metal rink shovels, and my dad crafted regulation-size hockey nets using 2×4’s – we were set.
Yesterday
The scritch, scratch of skate blades on the ice, along with the long pshhhhh of the shovels pushing snow could be heard on most days throughout the winter as multiple people donned their skates while shoveling the rink. The street we lived on was home to quite a few kids that were close to the ages of my two brothers and me. All of the neighbors were boys – most were hockey players. My mom and I were the only girls , and we never played on official teams, but I have to say that we held our own quite nicely.
Our hockey games would go on for hours. We’d play before school, on weekends, and any other time we could get a group together. I remember playing hockey on the pond when temperatures plummeted to -25F. It was so cold one day that one of the neighbor boys said, “Hey, watch this!” as he flicked the hockey puck about eight feet into the air. When the puck landed on the ice, it shattered into pieces that went sprawling across the rink. On those days, I went inside after playing in the frigid cold to find my fingers and toes white – partially frozen themselves.
I didn’t care – all I wanted to do was play.
My parents also held skating parties often. Neighbor families would congregate in our backyard, share snacks, drink hot cocoa, and chat by a hot, crackling fire, but the best was always the hockey games.
Our winters were full of hockey, fun, and friends – wonderful memories.
Today
The kids and I invited my mom to come over yesterday to skate with us on the nearby lake. The lakes around us are unusually glassy due to the absent snow this year, and the roller coaster of temperatures we’ve been having. The daily highs almost hit 50F two weeks ago, so the ice was soft and very wet. Two days later, our temperatures plummeted to the single digits – this made for hard, smooth ice.
As Mom walked in the door yesterday, she said “Guess what I brought today?”
I knew it was something good as she had a big smile on her face.
Sure enough, Mom brought the old stack of hockey sticks and pucks that we played with when I was growing up. I think the kids were almost as excited as we were to try them out.
Mom put on her old Riedells, I helped the kids into their skates, and we all set out for a warm-up skate across the lake. When we returned, we grabbed the equipment, made two quick goals out of the two extra sticks we had, and played a heated 2 v. 2 game. While we played, warm memories kept flowing through my head of the old, frigid pond hockey days. I hope our new neighbors around join us for games soon.
Did you grow up playing neighborhood games? I’d love for you to share your stories in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
I was part of that pond hockey group. It sure brings back GREAT memories. I’ll never forget all of the giggling when we were playing.
Yes, a lot of laughs! We had so much fun out there. So happy you were a part of it. <3
Erin, this sounds amaaaazing! You must have had so much fun…although blooming ‘eck, I am not sure I would be able to stay outside when it gets to those crazy cold temperatures! I love that your kids now get to follow in your footsteps and play the same sports!
We used to play games around our village, but more in the summer time. The best was when we all pulled hoses and washing up bowls of water to the front gardens…and then have a MASSIVE, epic water fight! It was fun, but less sporty than ice hockey!!
Ooh, the massive water fights sound like SO much fun. I’ve had a few of those in my day too. 🙂 Yes, it gets cold here, but we still go out; otherwise we end up with major cabin fever. Thanks so much for your comment, Josy!
No one writes like you, Erin. You have a gift for memory and nostalgia. Narrative non-fiction is calling to you.
I love this story, but have no ice memories from my California youth. But, I do remember the feeling of days like you write about—endless, perfect and close enough to almost touch in memory even twenty years down the road.
I keep forgetting that you lived in California (my mind isn’t SO great;) )! It’s a place I’m dying to visit, and experience.
Yes, the days of our youth are so special – no worries, lots of fun and games, and time to play.
Thanks so much for your kind words. xoxo I need some direction on this narrative non-fiction stuff, but I do very much feel drawn to this type of writing – just like I feel drawn to realism when I paint. Even if I try to do something different, I always revert to the former. I need to do some research so I can get started on something different. 🙂 Thank you, Angela!
What great memories you have. A lovely read.
I feel lucky to have such great memories, and I feel lucky to have such wonderful readers as yourself. Thank you very much for your kind words, and thanks for taking the time to share them.
A great story – I grew up in Seattle, and it was never cold enough for this, but having spent a few winters in Chicago recently, I did see someone ice fishing one day on Lake Michigan!
Thank you for your kind compliment, John! The winters get very long here in Minnesota, so we have to find things to do. Skating and ice fishing are very popular. In fact, my husband and son have gone ice fishing three times in the past week. Ice fishing is too slow for me, so I prefer to skate or cc ski while they fish. I wonder what the fishermen were fishing for on Lake Michigan? I imagine possibly lake trout, walleye, or possibly salmon.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
What fun Erin! Due to living in Australia we only ever went to indoor ice rinks and not very often. My daughters grew up watching the Mighty Ducks and loved the whole ice hockey story. I enjoyed reading your memories and it’s so nice to have your mum there with you.
I love the movie Mighty Ducks too! I’m so glad you enjoyed this story, Deb, and thank you for the thoughtful comment. Xx
A little late to the party…growing up we played mostly tag and fantasy scenarios. Everyone had a role and we would roam the neighborhood acting them out. We rode a lot of bikes, too. Back when the banana seats were popular, oh what fun. We, also, had a full basement in the house with a concrete floor and we would roller skate around and around. My brothers and sisters and I still talk about it now. Sometimes we would chase each other on skates and throw small rubber balls at each other. Not sure how we survived without more scars!
So glad you joined, Shannon! Never too late. 🙂 I remember the banana seats – I had a purple and white bike with a basket on the front. And, it’s funny you mention rollerskating in the basement. For the past three years our kids (and sometimes the parents) have been scootering (as they call it), and rollerblading in our unfinished basement – it’s been so much fun! This past winter we finished our basement, so no more scootering and rollerblading, which is sad; However, we did add a ping pong table and a foosball table. So, a little less crazy, but still a lot of fun. Childhood games are a wonderful thing!
That is funny! Looking back, the basement rollerskating did see a drop in interest once my dad finished one corner with doors and carpet. We loved having space downstairs (with a ping pong table!) but missed the wide open floor. I am trying to remember my bike, pretty sure it was blue with a white/rainbow seat. I love that memories like this make the world seem all that much smaller!