I remember living on the lake, we had all that open space, the ice was not the smoothest, but I still have some great memories.

Posted by Tony from Mid-Michigan on 12/19/06 at 12:26 PM ET

I remember one xmas getting the best gift I ever got. I was a goalie in cold Northern Ontario and spent my winter days on the outdoor rink. For a few years I had seen the new mesh catchers goalies were wearing. It started with the NHL goalies, Fuhr had a nice one, and then the lower league goalies began wearing them too. They were so much better at catching the puck but much more expensive. I had never even owned my own catcher nevermind a fancy mesh one.

Xmas morning came and I waited anxiously, like my brother, for that last gift which was always the best one. I unwrapped it and found brand new Vaughn mesh catcher and blocker. I was shocked and extatic. I still love my dad for that one.

I didn’t take that catcher and blocker off for three full days. To this day I can still smell the leather. Thanks Dad.

Posted by Rick from Geneva on 12/19/06 at 12:46 PM ET

I remember new skates for Christmas in Elora Ontario and going up to McFadden’s back yard rink and playing hockey all day and if there wasn’t ice there we went next door to McCord’s rink which had a wooden shed along one side.  Man did the tarpaper fly off it with all the pucks hitting.  Sometimes we went out to the pond by the old quarry and played there and even shovelled off the quarry and played there too.  It was fantastic.  Now we live by Big Rideau Lake and I shovel off the ice on the lake and set up the nets and we play with the grandchildren and neighbours.  Some nights I have the lights on and just skate up and down shooting a pail of pucks and enjoying the freedom.  My wife says I still look like a little kid having a ball out there and she is right.

Posted by Grant Wissler from RR 1 Portland Ontario Canada on 12/19/06 at 01:10 PM ET

My favourite and happiest memories of childhood was playing hockey on Otis Hamilton’s pond in Carleton NS back in the 1970s. When we were smaller we’d use our boots as goalposts but as we got older we’d build nets out of twoXfours and old fish nets. We’d rebuild ‘em every year because these things were so poorly built that by the time spring rolled around they had distinct lists to port or starboard!

Yep, every day after school and every weekend once our chores were done (Carleton is a small village in Yarmouth County so I had a rural upbringing) we’d race down to that pond and play until dark on weekdays, and on weekends we only took a break for lunch. I remember getting so ticked off if I had to go work with my Dad in the woods on a Saturday because I was missing hockey on the pond!

Little equipment except skates, sticks and a puck that was well-chewed by a dog. Games were first team to get to ten goals first, so we played lots of games. Sometimes there’d only be three kids a side, other times ten kids a side. No refs, few rules, and lots of fun. Our only consistent rule was no slapshots because of the lack of protective equipment.

Sadly, few kids play pond hockey anymore. They’re really missing out, because it’s a helluva lot more fun than parking your ass in front of a computer game for hours!

Good time, good times. I played goal because my hero back then was Ken Dryden, so of course I emulated him right down to his trademark stance of leaning on his goalstick. I didn’t play as well as Dryden but who cared? None of us played as good as our heroes, but in our minds eye, we were those guys every day on Otis’s Pond.

Posted by Spector from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada on 12/19/06 at 01:14 PM ET

Geez, reading Paul’s article and everyone’s great comments gave me flashbacks as well. 

When we were kids, my step-brother and I lived briefly in a northern BC town, right beside a lake.  In the winter, my dad used to shovel off a great ice rink for us out there.  He then made paths in the snow, usually a foot or so deep, that ran a maze around the main part of the rink.  My brother and I would then chase each other for hours, practice our skating, moving pucks around, losing them in the snow. Friends would come by and we’d play till we were half-frozen to death.

As a girl in the 80s, I never had a chance in hell of playing organized hockey, but geez, I sure do have good memories of playing those games with the boys.

Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 12/19/06 at 02:24 PM ET

Great entry Paul…and just underlines how tightly Canadians’ lives are wound around our passion for Hockey.

We used to skate from the time school ended until dark on the old Legion rink in Montreal West.  It was so cold that when one of the older kids hit the post with a particularly hard shot, the puck would break. 

Christmas meant you could skate all day…and you had to stay moving or skin would freeze.

Writing this it reminds me of how lucky we are to live in Canada…where our memories are about playing outside.

Season’s Greetings All!

Posted by Habfan from Vancouver on 12/19/06 at 04:44 PM ET

Growing up in Detroit, you can’t avoid the frezzing tempatures of Winter. You also can’t avoid that you live in the biggest sports town in the U.S.
I remember our Pop taking us to downtown Detroit around Christmas time, and skating at Hart Plaza. They would freeze over an area that is used in the Summer time for Ethnic Festivals along the Detroit River. We would also skate on Belle Isle. Boy do I miss that place as it was when I was a kid.
But as I got older, I started playing football and baseball. But never-the-less, was always aware of the Detroit Red Wings. 
I became extremely interested in learning how to skate and play hockey. Thus, I purchased my first pair of skates in 1996 and taught myself how to skate. Soon after that, I joined a league in Culver City, CA. I actually picked it up quite quickly. (Some say I’m a natural) That’s always good to hear.
So in the Winter of 1999, as I had relocated to Detroit to tend to my sick Pop,  I headed out to Belle Isle with my cousin and proceeded to lace ‘em up and skate around on Lake Tacoma. I have to tell you, having that cold air on your face and not a person in sight was an experience that I will never forget.
Hockey is by far, the greatest sport on this planet.
Happy Holidays everyone.
Daniel Gonzalez-Playa Vista, CA GO WINGS!!!

Posted by Daniel Gonzalez from California-by way of Detroit, Michigan (Hockeytown on 12/19/06 at 05:13 PM ET

Ahh man I really wish we were able to play pond hockey here. It always seem fun and you guys made it seem even cooler. Here is N.C. it is too warm for ponds to freeze over and not so many people are intrested. My neighbors (whose father works with the Carolina Hurricanes will only play roller hockey every once and a while. It’s rather sad.

Happy Holidays to all,
Go Canes
Hurricanes vs. Philly tonight
Philly is going for a franchise record 7-losses straight!

Posted by Andrew from Knightdale, N.C. on 12/19/06 at 06:36 PM ET

Instead of a creek, we played hockey on a couple of small ponds.  Sometimes we were lucky enough to play by Thanksgiving, but the best times came over Christmas break.  The first freezes most always made smooth ice, even after shoveling off some snow.  As winter wore on, the ice became bumpier and bumpier, and by February—if not sooner— the hockey playing was usually over.

Your comments about the goals cracked me up.  We usually used our boots, and creases varied in width wildly from game to game.

Posted by Bob in PF from Just south of Chicago on 12/19/06 at 10:54 PM ET

Hey, Paul, any chance of posting a picture of your Christmas tree? That’s a very cool idea. As always, keep up the great work.

Posted by Ron Saar from St. Petersburg, Florida on 12/20/06 at 12:22 PM ET

Well, I’m not the biggest guy on the ice usually…
Unfortunately, this held me back a lot through my career.  I think my greatest memory in hockey is the feeling of skating in and out of kids in squirts when they couldn’t hit me.  It’s such a different game when all people want to do is take your head off.  It really takes away from the creativity and enjoyment of the game.

Posted by Kevin McGrath from Minneapolis on 12/24/06 at 04:06 AM ET

I am 25 and didn’t get into hockey until I was 19. The first time I played hockey was roller, as is usually the case in warm-weather states.  I’ll never forget the first time, a year ago, when I finally walked onto a icerink in full goalie gear, my breath steaming in front of me. I skated to the crease and looked down at my feet, imagining myself as an NHL goaltender. A goofy ear to ear smile spread across my face and I felt like I was a kid again.

Posted by Dan L. from Berkeley, CA on 12/26/06 at 06:57 PM ET

I really enjoyed reading about your memories. I myself just recently got into hockey. I am now an extreme Carolina Hurricanes fan! I now find myself really wanting to learn and play hockey.  Too bad its too warm in NC for frozen ponds and lakes.
I get a chance to go to some games every now and again. I have met a lot of the Hurricanes players and I must say, they are some of the nicest guys you will ever meet!
My best memory so far since becoming a hockey fan (other than the Canes winning the Stanley Cup) is Oct 28,2006 Carolina vs. Tampa Bay. 3 goals in 43 seconds. They broke their franchise record. I was at that game, and it was very exciting! Now they need to try to beat the NHL record, which I pretty sure is 3 goals in 20 seconds!

Posted by Heather from Fuquay-Varina, NC on 12/27/06 at 09:10 PM ET