We’re Still in the Game.
By Patrick Curran, Council on Aging of Ottawa
My uncle Pat was a prominent sports reporter in Montreal and Ottawa during the 50s and 60s. After Pat retired, he continued to write for the Canadian Adult Recreational Hockey Association (CARHA) as well as play hockey, even after undergoing quadruple open-heart bypass surgery. In recognition of his devotion to senior hockey, CARHA for many years organized the Pat Curran Memorial Hockey Tournament, later rebranded as the Hometown Classic. My brothers and I were happy senior hockey participants.
I’ll be 72 this year and still play hockey. Like my uncle Pat, I too underwent open heart surgery. You might ask: Is the pleasure of playing hockey worth the risk of having a major cardiac event that would severely jeopardize the continuation or quality of my life?
My answer is yes, because I really enjoy playing hockey, twice or even three times a week. I limit the risk of overexertion by playing with people of my own age group and skill level. I also limit my risk by walking daily and taking different heart medications including one that suppresses my blood pressure during strenuous exercise.
There are many people in the Ottawa area who continue to play hockey in their later years, even though they have also had or continue to have cardiovascular or orthopedic conditions. Some of these hockey players are well into their 70s and early 80s, and most have been active in sports all of their lives. I marvel at their puck sense, skating ability and stick-handling skills. Absolute magic in some cases.
In the Ottawa Elder Skatesmen hockey group, all players abide by rules of play that demand caution to avoid serious mishap and injuries. Body contact, hooking, taking players into the boards, checking from behind on breakaways and rushing from the side to cut in around the defense are not allowed. To protect goalies, the puck is “dead” when it is in the “blue paint.” Finally, when a player falls on the ice for whatever reason, play stops immediately until there is confirmation the player is okay.
There are several notable benefits to playing hockey at an older age. Being retired and not having to deal with a daily work schedule allows you to play during the day, instead of late at night. Most important is the people you meet, play with and get to know. They are a combination of both run-of-the-mill and exceptionally trained and talented people. Their life stories and experiences go far beyond the conversation of just the last hockey game played. And the hockey played is not restricted to older men. Depending on the skill level that would be assessed for anyone, women of various ages have been invited to play with the Elder Skatesmen and have distinguished themselves. While the game of hockey is a different experience for everyone, it can deliver social equity, diversity and inclusion, bringing individuals and groups together.
The Ottawa Elder Skatesmen also support community initiatives that benefit people in need. Since 2009, the group has donated $65,556 to various inter-city (Ottawa-Gatineau) and international non-profit organizations. The following organizations have benefited from Elder Skatesmen donations over the last five years:
Ottawa Food Bank: Helping people get beyond hunger through education.
Operation Smile: Providing free surgeries for cleft lip, palate and other facial deformities.
Le Gîte Ami: Helping homeless people in Gatineau.
Change for Children: Helping Indigenous peoples in developing countries.
Ancoura: Providing housing for adults living with mental illness in Ottawa.
SchoolBOX North: Partnering with First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth leaders.
Nelson House of Ottawa Carleton: Providing shelter services for abused women and children.
Ottawa Mission: Working with people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières: Providing humanitarian medical care where the need is greatest.
If you are an older person interested in joining a senior hockey team, be sure to have a medical professional give you the go-ahead whether or not you believe you are physically fit and even if you currently play hockey at some level of competition and frequency. Always better to be safe than sorry. Remember, hockey is not a one-size-fits-all sport.
Details and Contacts
Groups in our area offering organized senior hockey programs include The Octogenarians (OCTOKIDS), Gatineau 70+, Ottawa Silver Foxes, Smoothies, Ottawa White Hawkes, Absorbine Seniors, Ottawa Olde Timers, Gloucester 98s, Geriatric Senior Buzzards and the Ottawa Elder Skatesmen, which has teams in the 60+, 65+, 70+ and 75+ categories.
For details about senior hockey organizations in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, see 80plushockeyhalloffame.com. The 80+ Hall of Fame inducts recreational players over 80, as well as builders of senior hockey groups with over 10 years of service.
Other senior hockey organizations you can contact include:
OCTOKIDS: Raymond Wardle, 613 224-7308
Ottawa Silver Foxes: Norm Wing, 613 733-9829
Les Grands Flos: Gratien Allaire, 819 778-1868
Gloucester 98s: Paul Asselin, 613 252-6058
Geriatric Senior Buzzards: Jim Murawsky, 613 829-3328
Elder Skatesmen: Roy Vankoughnett, 613 824-3921
