50 Year Old All Star

Yesterday was a significant birthday …..the big 5-oh man where did the time go!?

My sweet babu and long-suffering spousal-unit granted my birthday wish – to play hockey. I have never played hockey, at least not that I can remember. There’s a picture in my high school yearbook of the grad council playing against the faculty and I’m in it but I have no memory of it. It was the 70’s….‘nuff said.

I wanted the whole experience, full equipment ‘n all. So, it was off to Play it Again in Kanata for the full regalia, topped off with our own 67s game-worn jerseys (I had the Memorial Cup jersey) and then to the Kanata Sports Centre for a couple of hours.

First, a reality check on the results of time and gravity: no support left in the ankles and no ACL on the right due to basketball, have had lower back surgery, subluxation in both shoulders with an acute AC issue on the right, have had my jaw knocked out of alignment falling off my horse and am basically a danger to myself and others in an enclosed space with a weapon and a projectile (discovered during a brief flirtation with racquetball).

Yup - I was good to go. Fortunately the spousal unit is a former paramedic.

The results:



Then it was off to the Cheshire Cat in Carp for the requisite post-hockey beer and birthday cake.
Conclusions:

• Hockey is hard.
  
  
• What a lot of equipment! If the players can get used to all of that stuff, I don’t get the whining about the neck guards.
  
  
• I’m hooked. I need to find a full-contact geezer league.
  
  
• Best birthday ever!!
  
  
• I need my massage therapist!!!
  

Thanks to Rose Ann for her superb videography, Hector for his bravery, and Meredith and Edie for their cheering and most of all to my sweet babu for making it all happen (although I think he had more fun than me if that’s at all possible).

Cheers!