Richard Brayley and Andy Thomson met just a few months ago even though they have lived one street away from each other in South Leaside for over 30 years. Both are retired – Richard from a career in finance and Andy from teaching. And while they support different teams – Montreal-born Richard for the Habs and Sudbury boy Andy for the Leafs – they share a love of hockey. It was on the ice at Leaside Memorial Gardens in January for adult shinny hockey that they became fast friends. Now they are united in their goal to form a new adult shinny group for those 55 and over.
Richard has been playing at the Gardens Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to one for a while now. Andy only joined the group at the beginning of the year. The two got talking about their passion for pick-up hockey and the great group of locals who come out to play but opined that it would be better if there were a group dedicated to seniors. Richard sees advantages to a new “age appropriate” session for players aged 55 and older; they are both over 70.
As Andy says, “everyone is there for the love of the game, but adult shinny is 18 and up so there are some big and speedy 30-year-olds who play faster and harder than your average senior.” The last thing they want is to have an on-ice collision and risk dislocating a shoulder or breaking a bone.
Injuries are a concern for everyone, especially seniors. They foresee the new seniors’ group as an opportunity to enjoy the social aspects of the game while at the same time maintaining their prowess at a safe pace.
Richard grew up in Montreal and has played “park hockey” since he was young. His dad was the president of a junior hockey league in Quebec and so would often take Richard to the Forum to see a game and have players over to the house. Richard recalls at age seven while walking with his dad, meeting a white-haired man. He asked, “who was that?” His dad answered, “that was the ‘Rocket’” (Maurice Richard, who played for the Canadiens and was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games).
Andy was born and raised in Sudbury and recalls playing hockey every winter he can remember. “In the early ’50s we played outdoors – Sudbury got its first indoor rink only in ’55 – so there was a lot more involved in the game, like shovelling the rink and bracing yourself for minus 30-degree temperatures and biting winds.” He played on his school teams at Ridley College and the University of Western Ontario. He and his wife taught at the military base in Lahr, West Germany from ’77 to ’79. There he was made captain of the hockey team. As Andy explains, “it wasn’t so much that I was captain material that I was given the position as I was a teacher, which automatically made me an officer.” Most of the team comprised military personnel.
Richard and Andy’s plan is to create a new group in hopes there are other seniors like themselves who relish the idea of playing shinny but at a slower, safer speed. The minimum number of participants they need who are keen to commit is 20. So, the first step is getting names of interested players. They then will take their proposal to the board of the Leaside Memorial Gardens. Sessions would be once a week for one hour at a time during the hockey season. Fees would be nominal to cover ice time. Richard says that “seniors’ shinny hockey groups exist all over the city, just not in Leaside.” At least not yet.
Are you 55 or older and interested in joining a group as envisioned by Richard and Andy? If so, connect with them at andy.thomson@andythomsonbooks.ca.
