THUNDER BAY - A lot of kids will spend their days at the outdoor rinks, playing games of pickup and practicing their moves. But for two local peewee teams, that game at the outdoor rink had them feeling like pros.
On Saturday, the Westfort Tycon Rangers took on the Elks Gridlink Blackhawks in the first peewee Winter Classic held at the West Thunder Community Centre outdoor rink.
“It’s going to be really cool,” said 13-year-old Zachary Gothard, who plays leftwing for the Blackhawks. “It’s like the NHLers. It’s like experiencing what could happen if I did go to the NHL or if I do make it. It’s a great experience.”
The game included all the staples of a professional winter classic, from announcing the lineup of players as they took to the ice, to singing the national anthem.
Rangers coach, Greg Campagna, said when the kids learned they were going to be playing in a winter classic game, just like the NHL players, they couldn’t stop talking about it.
“They were super excited,” he said. “We had an outdoor practice and they loved it. We couldn’t get them off the ice that night. It was one of those cold winter nights, -25C, and for some reason the kids wanted to stay outside. So we kept it going, had the outdoor classic, and get back to some grassroots hockey.”
While it wasn’t -25C on Saturday afternoon, it almost felt like it, but the kids didn’t seem too bothered by it.
“I am,” Campagna said of the cold. “I don’t think the kids are. I don’t think they feel it when they are out there giving it. But they are out there having a good time and that’s what it’s all about.”
Jackson Glover, 11, who plays for the Westfort Rangers, said the temperature outside might make for a different game experience from playing indoors, but that might not be a bad thing.
“You have to wear balaclavas and the goalies will be a little more cold, so we might be slower,” he said. “I don’t know what to expect. The cold might give us more of a kick and get us to move more, because it’s cold and you want to stay warm.”
Both Jackson and Zachary said they usually come to the outdoor rinks to play hockey with their friends or practice their skills several times a week, just like most kids enjoying the national pastime on cold winter nights across the country. But there was something about participating in a winter classic that felt just little more Canadian.
“It feels right Canadian,” Zachary said. “It’s going to be a right good day. It’s going to be fun.”
