10 Years of Playing Hockey

It was 10 years ago when I ended up starting to play ice hockey. I had tried playing baseball again but ended up hurting my shoulder so I opted for trying something new.

For 2 years after college I tried getting back into playing baseball. I played for an adult league in Philly for 2 seasons and had some fun. In the process I ended up hurting my shoulder which led me to physical therapy.

I had been getting into watching and following hockey more at that point, and had considered trying it, but nothing ever came of it. My physical therapist had different ideas. He mentioned a local rink had an instructional league where they have 6 weeks of instruction followed by 10 weeks of games (playing once a week every Monday). He happened to mention it the Monday before the next season started. I thought about it and decided I was in.

I filled out the form, wrote a check and asked my fiancé (now wife) to drop the form and check off at the rink since she worked nearby. Then Thursday after work I went over to TotalHockey and bought all the gear, and Monday I was on the ice for the very first time having never played hockey or even really skated before.

10 years later, I’m playing on 3 teams, playing every position, getting some exercise in, and having a lot of fun. I captain a team in one men’s league, play on another, and am still in the instructional league, though now as a goalie rather than a skater.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying playing and if I hadn’t had the physical therapist I had, who knows if I would have ever started playing.

There are so many hockey players who have been playing since they could barely walk and there I was, lacing up my skates for the first time approaching my 29th birthday. It just goes to show that it’s never too late to start or learn something new!