Street hockey vs city bylaws

[RichMan]

If you're in your 40s and up, chances are you spent countless hours of your youth playing street hockey in your neighbourhood, be it fall or winter or spring (all 3 if you were a true fan), where you developed your skills (to an extent) and love for the game. It seemed to be the norm, very rarely frowned upon by citizens or policemen or anyone for that matter...until someone broke a window or dinged a car of course.

Being in full-on action with not a care in the world except the occasional "CAR!" call-out during the game which kind of acted as our TV commercial breaks if you think about it, lollll 

No one and nothing, not even mother nature could deter the true hardcore bunch of us who frantically went on a recruiting mission to find enough players to get a game going. And for myself, not sure how it went with you guys/gals, but once in a while I had to argue, nearly fight to play nets cause too many wanted to occupy the spot. 8 out of 10 times I got my way   

For many many years now I've noticed how few kids are playing street hockey. It seems like it's kind of dying off. And to make matters worse, I heard on the radio a couple days ago how the city is reviewing if street hockey should be aloud or outlawed. I didn't get if it was only certain sectors or city wide but it got me real mad and very sad all at once. Hockey, in all its facets is part of the fabric of this country of mine, Canada, and to see a bunch of snot nosed pompous aristocrat assholes denying what is so righteously ours to practice and enjoy!!!!...times are changing and I feel the hockey cultural flame dimming oh so slowly and fear an eventual extinction as the candle blows out  

I hope the street hockey roots in your area are deeply planted and will continue blooming every season for an eternity   

[Lucky Pucker]

I'm just shy of my 40s, but had that same experience growing up. Often, we'd even just go out and play shooter vs. goalie. So many creative ways to play and have fun... but yes, sometimes busted up by public security, because for these mall security rejects, "protect and Serve" applies to confronting 11 year olds in the street at 2:00 in the afternoon, but never seemed to extend to the drinking, vandalism and drug deals going down in the park after dark...

Today, we are lucky to have a big enough driveway, so that when Daddy says "game on!", it's on. City bylaw officers can go fuck themselves, and then write themselves up for public indecency.

I do agree, it seems to be dying out - but that's due in part to society's changed views of child safety generally.

[estogoalie]

Growing up, yea we'd play some street hockey by my house in the fall. When we'd get enough people, we'd go to a run-down tennis court by our school and play there. The fenced in area is perfect, as well as lights at night. Plus you can crank the music because nobody lives there

I don't know if they still do that today. Probably not But I still play a little street hockey now-a-days with my kids in front of our building

[Colander]

“Street” hockey??? “Tennis courts”??? I didn’t realize what a high-brow community of goalies frequented this site (jk). When I was a kid we played “gravel road hockey” – every shot came with the obligatory spray of pebbles. Needless to say I never played without my trusty Cooper HM-7 mask (below), custom modified with a jigsaw to resemble Ken Dryden’s “pretzel mask”. Of course, with that open a mask, it really didn’t protect you from the gravel too much.

Rich – I believe you are in Montreal correct? I thought they already had some issues with banning street hockey in certain places there  quite a few years ago(?)

Unfortunately, while that doesn’t help, I think the overall decline in street hockey is more due to the culture changes – a lot of kids don’t know how to play anything if it doesn’t involve a cell phone in their hand….

[estogoalie]

56 minutes ago, Colander said:

“Street” hockey??? “Tennis courts”??? I didn’t realize what a high-brow community of goalies frequented this site (jk).

I guess I shouldn't mention the zamboni then?

[RichMan]

1 hour ago, Colander said:

“Street” hockey??? “Tennis courts”??? I didn’t realize what a high-brow community of goalies frequented this site (jk). When I was a kid we played “gravel road hockey” – every shot came with the obligatory spray of pebbles. Needless to say I never played without my trusty Cooper HM-7 mask (below), custom modified with a jigsaw to resemble Ken Dryden’s “pretzel mask”. Of course, with that open a mask, it really didn’t protect you from the gravel too much.

Rich – I believe you are in Montreal correct? I thought they already had some issues with banning street hockey in certain places there  quite a few years ago(?)

Unfortunately, while that doesn’t help, I think the overall decline in street hockey is more due to the culture changes – a lot of kids don’t know how to play anything if it doesn’t involve a cell phone in their hand….

I live in Gatineau actually, a stone throw's away from Ottawa. I've heard talks about it elsewhere but not here, not until now.

And it's true, with the influx of immigrants and their cultural baggage, and yes, those god damn friggin' cell phones taking over our children's minds, bunch of useless inanimate zombies   

[Lucky Pucker]

2 hours ago, Colander said:

“Street” hockey??? “Tennis courts”??? I didn’t realize what a high-brow community of goalies frequented this site (jk). When I was a kid we played “gravel road hockey” – every shot came with the obligatory spray of pebbles. Needless to say I never played without my trusty Cooper HM-7 mask (below), custom modified with a jigsaw to resemble Ken Dryden’s “pretzel mask”. Of course, with that open a mask, it really didn’t protect you from the gravel too much.

Rich – I believe you are in Montreal correct? I thought they already had some issues with banning street hockey in certain places there  quite a few years ago(?)

Unfortunately, while that doesn’t help, I think the overall decline in street hockey is more due to the culture changes – a lot of kids don’t know how to play anything if it doesn’t involve a cell phone in their hand….

Ha! Nice. I had the D&R one like this:

[RichMan]

I had my own mug as a mask. Getting a frozen orange ball, even the tennis one for that matter, on your cheek, nose or chin was a true awakening moment every time LOLLLL

Few of us had access to any masks. One guy managed to get an original all white Sevigny like one through his hockey (his dad's) connections. As you would guess, he didn't share much lolll 

[MTH]

I have an 8 and 12 year boys. They don't really play. I'll get them out and play a little but for the most part, nothing.

Why?

Organized sports.

They're 12 months a year now. My kids are always coming or going to a practice or game. Whereas I played a sport during the season and that was it. Like the rest of the kids in the hood.

The kids who aren't playing organized sports - for whatever reason - have other things that now occupy their time. So they don't want to play street hockey or wiffleball or whatever after school. It's not just the kids, it's all of normal family life today.

When I was little dude, not only did I play street hockey on my street, but I played in other regular games in town in other neighborhoods. One regular game was called the "Iron League" (Slapshot fame) and we had actual rankings for fighters. We fought semi open hand and basically rough punched rather than a full punch (we were all buddies). We always replicated the fighters in the NHL and moves they did. Rankings were both on winning and style. So fun.

[Hockey School Dropout]

When I was young, street hockey was organized during school.  Teams selected, location chosen.....even the kids who played on competitive teams had time for some street hockey.  The house league kids played normally on the weekend, but still had time for some stick and ball.

I think MTH has a good point about organized sports.  

It helped for me that I lived in a smallish town.  Side streets were empty most of the time.  Living in a city now, my kids' friends are mostly too spread out to just grab each other and go play.  Plus all the pervs and crazies out there make parents a little wary of letting their kids run off willy-nilly anymore.

[MTH]

Yeah - both my kids play ice hockey. So they're at the rink 2 or 3 nights a week plus at least twice a weekend from the end of August through March. It's fun. They'll be old soon and I'll miss all of this.

[Hockey School Dropout]

23 hours ago, MTH said:

Yeah - both my kids play ice hockey. So they're at the rink 2 or 3 nights a week plus at least twice a weekend from the end of August through March. It's fun. They'll be old soon and I'll miss all of this.

Yes, both of mine are goalies too.  Their choice, not mine. 

It's a tough slog but a good reminder that one day they won't be around to hang out with on the ice.