I read this story to my grandchildren and felt like a hero all over again...such fun!
Enjoyed the Jets game. They don't have to win as long as Ehlers is playing.........
Another story......
******
I remember the first time I put skates on. We were visiting family friends who had a rink in their back yard and they lent me a pair of skates.
They fit the skates, laced them and put me on the ice and I just started to run across the frozen smooth surface before me. I ran and fell, got up and ran again. It must have been the funniest thing to see my skating frenzy because they were just standing and laughing. I didn’t care – I was running, gliding and falling in complete abandonment. And that’s where I first discovered my joy of skating.
Not sure where my parents always found the money but I remember always having a pair of skates after that which was considered as important to a prairie boy as a pair of rubber boots.
In school when I started skating with the others students, I found out that not only was I as good as skater as they were but I was faster. I was a Nikolaj Ehlers, the fastest hocky player in the game today. Even when Ehlers coasts, he still seems to be zooming past the other players.
Because of my eyesight, I’m not sure I contributed that much because I wasn’t able to focus on a moving puck – but I sure looked good on the ice.
So for me the ice path to the school rink was my quick getaway to freedom during the school recess breaks. Whether it was playing hockey or skating for fun – I was on that ice. And I practiced all the moves. I skated backwards with the same ease as forwards. I had edge control, cross overs, turning on a time, stopping on a dime. I had quick feet. I could do it all.
Eventually my father even built a rink for the four of us at home, which we enjoyed immensely - perfect ice rink lined with hay bales. We actually had our own “poor man’s” puck made of frozen horse shit.
Even though I never saw my father skate he did champion our skating efforts and anything that looked like hockey. I actually got to play hockey with our community’s high school hockey team. Here we were rubbing shoulders with non-MB folk in the Borden Langham and Dalmeny tournaments. He actually supported this and helped me with equipment etc. Brought me to all the games!
I joined the Borden team. We won some; we lost some, but we were always competitive.
I’ll never forget the playoffs, playing on the outdoor rink after dark. It was mask shift but it worked. For lighting we had a string of lights strung across the center and blue light - strung so low you could touch them with a stick if you wanted to - swaying in the wind while you played.
One particular last play off game the weather turned warm on us.
The guys were checking all day if weather would permit. Would the ice be crisp enough – or too soft ice? It was probably too warm, but in the end, we decided to play anyway.
Unfortunately, it continued to warm even as we played. The ice started to rut – and there was slush everywhere. We were basically running on our skates rather than skating which suited me. I didn’t mind the running, but this also meant that when we were pushing the puck along, we were pushing slush as well.
Everything was wet. We were wet.
But we were doing well.
It was the third period, I was playing left wing, and our team was carrying the puck when someone passed it to me.
I made it over the blue line skating fast. Then when I was up against a defiance man blocking me, I thought I would shoot it into end zone and fight for it there again.
So I took a shot, actually shovelled that tiny puck up out of the slush – with all of the slush flying, everywhere. The puck went higher than the lights into the dark night,
When it went out of sight, everyone paused, sky gazing – no one could see it. Neither could I. Suspense. We had a lot of spectators that night, all of them were silent, waiting.
Even the goalie just stood there then before he could even react.
it came down right beside him and slid into the net for a goal
We won the game The tournament
I was the hero!
More divine intervention then skill – but I took it all.
To this day – hockey can take my breath away.
Enjoyed the Jets game. They don't have to win as long as Ehlers is playing.........
Another story......
******
I remember the first time I put skates on. We were visiting family friends who had a rink in their back yard and they lent me a pair of skates.
They fit the skates, laced them and put me on the ice and I just started to run across the frozen smooth surface before me. I ran and fell, got up and ran again. It must have been the funniest thing to see my skating frenzy because they were just standing and laughing. I didn’t care – I was running, gliding and falling in complete abandonment. And that’s where I first discovered my joy of skating.
Not sure where my parents always found the money but I remember always having a pair of skates after that which was considered as important to a prairie boy as a pair of rubber boots.
In school when I started skating with the others students, I found out that not only was I as good as skater as they were but I was faster. I was a Nikolaj Ehlers, the fastest hocky player in the game today. Even when Ehlers coasts, he still seems to be zooming past the other players.
Because of my eyesight, I’m not sure I contributed that much because I wasn’t able to focus on a moving puck – but I sure looked good on the ice.
So for me the ice path to the school rink was my quick getaway to freedom during the school recess breaks. Whether it was playing hockey or skating for fun – I was on that ice. And I practiced all the moves. I skated backwards with the same ease as forwards. I had edge control, cross overs, turning on a time, stopping on a dime. I had quick feet. I could do it all.
Eventually my father even built a rink for the four of us at home, which we enjoyed immensely - perfect ice rink lined with hay bales. We actually had our own “poor man’s” puck made of frozen horse shit.
Even though I never saw my father skate he did champion our skating efforts and anything that looked like hockey. I actually got to play hockey with our community’s high school hockey team. Here we were rubbing shoulders with non-MB folk in the Borden Langham and Dalmeny tournaments. He actually supported this and helped me with equipment etc. Brought me to all the games!
I joined the Borden team. We won some; we lost some, but we were always competitive.
I’ll never forget the playoffs, playing on the outdoor rink after dark. It was mask shift but it worked. For lighting we had a string of lights strung across the center and blue light - strung so low you could touch them with a stick if you wanted to - swaying in the wind while you played.
One particular last play off game the weather turned warm on us.
The guys were checking all day if weather would permit. Would the ice be crisp enough – or too soft ice? It was probably too warm, but in the end, we decided to play anyway.
Unfortunately, it continued to warm even as we played. The ice started to rut – and there was slush everywhere. We were basically running on our skates rather than skating which suited me. I didn’t mind the running, but this also meant that when we were pushing the puck along, we were pushing slush as well.
Everything was wet. We were wet.
But we were doing well.
It was the third period, I was playing left wing, and our team was carrying the puck when someone passed it to me.
I made it over the blue line skating fast. Then when I was up against a defiance man blocking me, I thought I would shoot it into end zone and fight for it there again.
So I took a shot, actually shovelled that tiny puck up out of the slush – with all of the slush flying, everywhere. The puck went higher than the lights into the dark night,
When it went out of sight, everyone paused, sky gazing – no one could see it. Neither could I. Suspense. We had a lot of spectators that night, all of them were silent, waiting.
Even the goalie just stood there then before he could even react.
it came down right beside him and slid into the net for a goal
We won the game The tournament
I was the hero!
More divine intervention then skill – but I took it all.
To this day – hockey can take my breath away.
You miss 100% of the shots
you don’t take.”
- Wayne Gretzky
you don’t take.”
- Wayne Gretzky
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