Balmy Beach Hockey’s master’s league lets older players stay in the game
By JOSHUA McGINNIS
The Balmy Beach Club has recently started a new men’s “masters” hockey league as a new option for some of its older players looking to stay in the game.
The master’s league was founded by a group of Balmy Beach Hockey executives to encourage more play for older players. The league is also called the men’s over-50 league; however, it is meant for anyone interested in playing at a slower pace than the general men’s hockey league that the Balmy Beach Club offers.
This new league’s first skate was on Sept. 20. It plays weekly with a 2 p.m. time-slot every Friday.
Sign-ups have steadily increased over the last few weeks. Currently, the league has three teams, with 16 players per roster.
The Balmy Beach Club and Balmy Beach Hockey have long-standing ties to the community. Balmy Beach Hockey came to be more than 75 years ago, and the men’s general house league has existed for more than 50 years.
According to Harris Bundy, one of the league’s organizers, it was started to lessen the skill gap between the younger guys joining now and the older guys.
“The regular league is getting faster and still aging, so the skill level dips and the skill from the young guys continue to improve, so we started the league, so we don’t have this big variance between the older players that have been here playing for 30 years and some of the young guys, who are just lightning fast,” said Bundy.
Andrew Wells, one of the players in the master’s league, joined after not playing organized hockey for years.
“I used to play in the regular league. This came up, and I thought it would be fun to play organized hockey again, which I haven’t done in years; this league is not as speedy, and you get to play with your peers, which is great,” he said.
According to the Government of Canada, adults aged 18 to 64 should be active for at least two and a half hours per week. This leads to a healthier overall lifestyle and reduces the risks of various diseases and health issues.
“It’s great for cardio, mentally you are going to be way sharper on and off the ice, hockey is great for your cardiovascular health, and the Beaches population is aging, so it is important to get that physical activity and also have that camaraderie with your teammates as well,” said Bundy.
The league is currently looking for more goalies and a timekeeper. However, anyone who is interested in playing should visit the Balmy Beach Club website for more information about the league or contact Bundy directly at harrisbundy@gmail.com.
