Last weekend, the men and women’s open championships took place on the 24 man-made rinks on Sunset Bay at Deerhurst Resort. This past weekend was the masters championships and a total of 96 teams participated. And while some players likely went home with only a few stories to tell, others were left with a lasting impression of what Canadian hockey is truly about.

Take Team iShares for example, who travelled all the way from San Francisco, California to participate in the Pond Hockey Championships. Greg Friedman, captain of the team, had never laced up his skates to play on a pond before and found the experience a little daunting.

“It’s really cold here,” he said, adding that when he left sunny California the temperature was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. “We shopped a lot (for winter clothes) and tried to put ourselves in a good mental position.”

Friedman said that he and his team were interested in participating in the World Pond Hockey Championships set to be held in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick later this month. However, a friend of theirs thought it would be a good idea if the team got some “practice” and signed them up for Huntsville’s pond hockey championships.

“This is not something I’m used to,” stated Friedman. “Why we’re here. . .  I’m not too sure.”

Bill Anton of the Philadelphia team, Philly’s Phinest, had nothing but good things to say about the event. Although it took the team 12 hours to drive from North Wales, Pennsylvania to Huntsville, Anton said it simply “added to the whole incredible experience.”

Revealing that the Canadian Pond Hockey Championships would surely be something the team would consider making a yearly ritual, Anton said lacing up his skates to take part in old-fashioned pond hockey is something he would never forget.  

“This is unbelievable,” he stated in reference to the 24 rinks situated around him. “From all the players to the volunteers. . . , it really is overwhelming. The sheer magnitude of the rinks is amazing. And Canadian people have been nothing but warm and friendly. This really is awesome.”

What would normally have been a four-and-a-half-hour trip for Sarnia team The Double Bladed Devils took them over nine hours. Passing three accidents on the way due to Friday’s snow storm and arriving in Huntsville Friday evening, by Saturday morning, players Bob Sauve and Bob McFaydden were ready for hockey action.

“We would love to do this every year, no question about it,” he said.

Playing for team Colorado College Alumni, Larry Swatuk, who missed playing in the championships last year, has also found participating to be a truly rewarding experience and something he looks forward to. He lived in Maun, Botswana for 13 years and recently married and moved to Halifax.

“When I lived in Africa, I played roller hockey for the Mukwa Leafs,” he said, adding his good friend, George Nickerson, who also plays for the Colorado College Alumni, visited him in 2006 and played roller hockey with the team Swatuk had formed. “All I could think was, ‘It’s so hot here,’ and I would find myself dreaming about pucks on ice. This year, with the snow, it looks like a winter wonderland. It rains all the time in Halifax, so this is exactly what I wanted.”