A growing group of senior men with professional hockey experience are playing the game they’ve loved since youth, skating toward the goal of filling the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena five days a week with fun but competitive, 55+ hockey.
The Collingwood Hockey Lads (CHL) formed this year under the leadership of Foster Williams, and they’ve built enough momentum to play 54 games a year, twice a week at ‘the barn.’
Williams, who refereed junior, university, and American league hockey throughout his life, said his passion is playing the game, but he wasn’t satisfied with a pick-up game.
His goal with the organization was to narrow down the spectrum of skill, and put similar skill levels together on the ice with a guarantee there’d be a goalie in each net.
He gathered former university-level, professional, and NHL prospect hockey players to form an “A-group.”
One of the CHL top picks is forward Ken Knowles who played on the university national team, and attended NHL tryouts for Toronto and Buffalo.
“When I came up here a couple of years ago, I wanted to get involved in hockey … but it was difficult to find a team,” said Knowles. “For me, this is the kind of group I want to play with. It has to be respectful and fun, but when you’re making a play, you want that pass to stay on that person’s stick. You want to give and go.
Bob Woodcock tended goal for elite-level hockey through his career, and he was ready to give it up, leaving the net for a time while he lived in Oakville and couldn’t find the competition he was looking for.
“From a goalie’s perspective, it’s a challenge and it’s frustrating when you play with a group that has super skilled players and players that just can’t keep up,” said Woodcock. “If you’ve played at a decent level of sport, everyone contributes to the same degree. With this group, the way it’s been built, we’ve got really good level talent on two teams. People will come and play hard.”
He said it’s a “joy” to face hard shots, and congratulated Knowles on a recent top-shelf goal. Woodcock organizes the goalies for each CHL game, keeping a list of regulars and spares to ensure the nets remain guarded.
“This group is so amazing, the way it’s come together, the skill level, the pace, the way the game is played, it takes me back to when I played competitive hockey,” said Woodcock.
Bruce Patterson, also a CHLer, said he and others have found it challenging to find a spot on a local over-55 team, and he was “elated” to find good senior hockey.
“It’s a real positive for the community and especially for the new people who have arrived here,” he said.
One of the other grateful players, John Mealey, said he’s come around to the list of rules governing the CHL, which note the players should self-referee. Hooking and slashing? “We hate it,” states the single page of 12 rules for CHL players.
“It’s all the fun and sweat without the drama,” said Mealey. “Such a great group of lads.”
Williams has a dream to build A, B, and C teams and host tournaments. Ultimately, he’d like to fill the daytime ice at Eddie Bush Memorial Arena with CHL games.
“These are good athletes, and we play a fast, clean game, and it’s just too much fun to be legal,” he said.
Currently, the CHL plays 9 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. on Tuesdays, and from 10 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. on Thursdays.
Men over 55 years old who are interested in joining the CHL can contact Foster Williams at [email protected] to express interest.
