The CBC has done a terrific job, of making this day a marquee event across our country, and it’s always enjoyable watching the scenes from various communities, as the youngsters participate in their leagues at all levels.It always brings back the memories that many share, especially those of us who grew up learning the game, while playing outdoors. I wish that I could recall the thousands of hours that I must have accumulated, in playing street hockey almost every Saturday and Sunday morning, on the street where I spent my childhood until age 14, when my parents moved from the Wilmington and Sheppard area of North York, further south to Bathurst and Glencairn, also in North York.
I can’t say for sure how long the games would go, but it must have been several hours. By the time the it was all over, we would sometimes need to warm our toes by the air vent because they felt numb. Every boy on the street, who was between 8 and 14 years of age, participated without fail, and keeping in mind that this was the mid-sixties,just about everybody wanted their team to be the Maple Leafs. Nobody on my street, Pannahill Road, identified with the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, they were Toronto’s main rival, in the 6 team NHL. It was a great time to be a young Leafs fan, as they were a dynasty, winning 4 Stanley Cups in that decade.
It was also a special time, because we could purchase the sticks at the local variety store, for probably not much more than $5 to $8 dollars. They were almost always the C.C.M. or Sher-Wood brand, and occasionally, there might have been a Hespler. ( I hope I got the name correct….It’s been a long time.) The sticks would last a few weeks, and sometimes even longer, if the road was snow and ice covered, which of course would limit the impact on the bottom of the blade, unlike the asphalt or concrete. Like most road hockey games everywhere, we used a beat up tennis ball. There was never any rough stuff that I can recall. The only time a fight was ever discussed, was when some loser from another street tried to pick a fight with me. I was only 9 years old at the time and I declined the fight, but in retrospect, I should have dropped the gloves with this smart ass, and given him what he wanted. It would be the last time in a hockey game, I ever avoided a fight. By the time I was 18, I was training in Kung –Fu and Kick Boxing, with the just opened,Twin Dragons Kung Fu Club. After two years of training at that great club, I never had any problems with anyone, on the ice, or off the ice. Having said that, I didn’t go looking for fights either. To be perfectly honest, there was only one occasion where I put my martial arts training to work. It was in a hockey league, with a player who would continually crosscheck me from behind into the boards. He thought it was pretty funny. So I decided to intervene on his sense of humor, and left with him with as many short jabs to his face, as I could unload. I won that fight pretty easily, and that was the last time this joker ever skated anywhere near me. I was never involved in any other fights, and that scrap was in 1977. So you can see, that I don’t go looking for fisticuffs, and nobody else should either. Hopefully none of the kids playing our sport, on Hockey Day In Canada, are being crosschecked from behind, and none of them have to defend themselves against losers, like I did.