-
Old Geezers are Just Boys with Wrinkles
By Eric Miller I’m getting older. I guess my friends are getting older too. “Get on the list,” he texted. “What list?” “Geezer hockey, Friday morning, minimum age is 50.” “It’s been a while since I skated on ice.” “You’ll be fine. Other geezers will be there. They’re cool guys.” With that my brother threw…
-
New Wheels Help Baby Boomer’s Game
by Eric Miller “I always liked speed.” Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens They are not Ferrari fast. But they’re quicker than my old Lego® block wheels. “Get decent wheels dude,” Tex advised. A regular season Blazer teammate, Tex joined fellow teammate Roxanne and me to play summer hockey. Northern California’s heat is unfriendly hockey weather where…
-
Beer League Hockey Has No Free Agency
-
Final Buzzer: Even Hockey Coaches Have Hearts
By Eric Miller Readers: This article previously appeared in Hockey Player Magazine and in several newspapers. I tweaked it last year upon the passing of a good friend and former teammate. I edit this piece again and added an epilogue in memory of Wayne Marshall, my former coach. Coach Marshall, thank you for your leadership,…
-
Doin’ Time in the Penalty Box
By Eric Miller “It’s improper to criticize someone 30 years later.” Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers If I found Darius Fooberman on Facebook I’d hesitate friending him. A garish bully during my bantam years, Darius stood nearly six feet without skates. With gear bag in tow his knuckles dragged as he walked into the arena. The…
-
Even Hockey Coaches Have Hearts
by Eric Miller Readers, a prologue: This article previously appeared in several newspapers and on my blog. I share it again in memory of Eric Trivedi, a fellow hockey buddy. Originally from Dearborn, Michigan, Eric started playing hockey at age 5 and was a founding member of the California State University-Chico inline hockey team. Eric…
-
Old Hockey Player Forgets About Scoring Stats
By Eric Miller “A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” Wayne Gretzky Some scoring statistics are best forgotten. You’re not a hockey player until you’ve scored on yourself a saying goes, quoted by an anonymous player too embarrassed to admit doing it. In hockey we score on opponents—not on one’s…
-
Young Referee Whistles While He Works
By Eric Miller “You can’t applaud a referee.” Alex Ferguson, Coach, Manchester United They are jeered, never cheered. It’s black and white. Great referees are invisible to the general fan but invincible to the general jerk. Officiating is not for the faint hearted. Hockey refs need thick skin—crocodile skin–beneath the stripes.
-
The Dork
By Eric Miller Every team has one. Whether its baseball, basketball or badminton, there’s always that one guy who doesn’t quite enmesh locker room society. Maybe it’s his or her lousy jokes, bad breath, or that they wear turtlenecks year round. For me it was Marvin Smellmoore’s nose. The average length of an adult nose…
-
Playoffs Are All That Matter
by Eric Miller It’s only an eight game schedule but my body thinks otherwise—the season feels like 80 games. My legs burn with each stride while my lungs gasp for more air than a carburetor. But we’re in the playoffs and complaining is for sissies. Everybody’s whipped, even our rivals, and it’s time to separate…