I grew up in the land of 10,000 lakes (there’s actually more like 20,000) close enough to the Canadian border that I did a lot of ice fishing growing up and started skating when I was knee high. I played a bit of neighborhood hockey but never on a team. I showed some flashes of brilliance in those neighborhood pickup games and I played some division one men’s league soccer for a brief time which I figure is like hockey except on a larger thawed rink. So I have always thought it would be fun to play on a hockey team and see if I could score a goal. About 25 years later I got the chance when I debuted in my first ever league hockey game:
My credentials for joining the team were strictly that I wanted to play and I was from Minnesota so I must be ok. It is humbling to be the worst guy on a team and certainly motivating. I quickly learned about icing and slashing (oops) and that offsides in hockey is different than soccer. By the last game I even had scored a couple of goals and then in our final playoff game came my John Scott 2016 all-star moment.
My All-Star Moment
On a solo run, I beat a couple of defenders and shot the puck nearside from about 40 feet out somehow just between the goalie and the post. I fell and slid into the side boards but cheered from the ground as it went in. We lost 5-1 and I later got a penalty for hip checking a guy. I didn’t quite make the team next season (I guess 3 goals over a whole season as a right wing is not super great) but I was grateful to the team for giving me a shot and for achieving this goal of playing on a team and even scoring. Also, I still have all the gear so… you never know eh.