Who Dat?

I believe I've told a few people about how my Dad would build an ice rink in our backyard during the winter. He would put up boards and stretch plastic sheets in between them. Then it was only a matter of flooding it. It was  the  place for the neighborhood boys to hang out after school.  Often, we'd have to shovel snow from the ice before we could skate.  Mostly we played hockey.  Hockey was always a hot sport considering our proximity to Canada (Hockey Night in Canada...Bill Hewitt, Don Cherry...) and even more so when the Buffalo Sabres entered the NHL in 1970.

Buffalo brother built the bones of a goal out of 2x4s. I couldn't skate.  It was really pretty pathetic, but always the Tomboy, I wanted to play.  I was an All-County catcher in High School so I already had my softball shin guards. A catcher's mitt wouldn't do, so I used my first baseman's glove. Among us, there were plenty of hockey sticks to go around including this goalie stick. I wore oversized work boots which had steel toes. I also wore the softball chest protector and mask (not shown).  In the photo I am 17-years old.  Six months later I was away at college.

With no skating ability, I was "selected" to play goalie. The boys liked it because I couldn't stop a puck to save my life.  Every shot on goal became  a goal. I still hear the shouts of "SCORE!" in my dreams.  No one ever got hurt, unless you count baby brother's broken nose and my aunt's fractured ankle.

Hamburg, NY, on the shores of Lake Erie.  Snow, ice, cold.  What more could a kid want?

Note to self: This blip is at the 10.5 blip year point (give or take a blip).