Editor's note: Ryan Marsh offers his first-person take on the World Pond Hockey Championship.
In 2010, we made the seven-plus-hour drive north to Canada with anticipation after hearing stories about a pond hockey tournament. This year, we made the same drive with anticipation from firsthand experience.
Once again, the tournament exceeded our expectations. We were honored to be part of the event, and we confirmed that every February, no matter where life brings us, until we are physically unable to lace up a pair of hockey skates, we will be heading to Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, for the World Pond Hockey Championships.
We are the Rhode Island Clamdiggers, five guys who have known each other since college and are currently ranked No. 4 in the pond hockey world after a spirited loss on Feb. 13 to the two-time champion New York Boars.
The majority of teams arrived in Plaster Rock midday Thursday and headed straight to the registration tent — 120 teams gathered from all over the world this year, representing eight countries, every Canadian province and 17 U.S. states. Plaster Rock’s population of 1,200 increases upward of 8,000 for this one weekend a year and local families open their homes to players, campgrounds pack their lots with RVs, and hotel rooms fill up a year in advance, all in anticipation for, yes, that’s right, a big game of pond hockey.
"The World Pond Hockey Championships in Plaster Rock is to hockey what Groundhog Day is to Punxsutawney, what Mardi Gras is to New Orleans, and what Fenway Park is to Boston," said Chris Chaput, player/captain of the Rhode Island Clamdiggers. "This tournament captures everything that makes hockey such an amazing sport, and the community embraces the weekend as much as the players. The WPHC is truly an amazing event."
Matching 120 teams in 24 divisions to guarantee every team at least five games is no easy task, but Danny Braun, the event’s chief organizer, runs the tournament flawlessly. He is joined by a remarkable staff that freezes each of the 20 ice surfaces by hand nightly and cleans any snow or debris off each sheet with a shovel or broom. In addition, Braun is surrounded by countless volunteers who run merchandise tables, beer stands and food counters to ensure each pond hockey player enjoys this weekend for what it is – fun.
"The people of Plaster Rock are what keep me coming back," Chaput said. "Everyone you meet will offer up a smile or handshake, asking how you did in your games, where you are from, and then always ending with, are you having fun?"
After an extravagant opening ceremony in front of the entire town — which includes country flags, a firework display and a wooden replica of the Stanley Cup – the teams hit the ice to play five games between Thursday and Saturday. The ice surfaces line the frozen pond like a checkerboard, separated by two-foot snow banks and barrels of hay behind each goal to contain stray pucks or overzealous forecheckers. Teams joke around and enjoy a Budweiser (tournament sponsor) before, during and after games, which always begin and end with a handshake. Some teams even bring small gifts, such as T-shirts or local beers, to exchange after the final horn.
The game play is fast and competitive with a four-on-four format spanning two 15-minute halves. Scores often sneak into the 20-goal range (a team from Canada donated $1 for every goal scored in the tournament to benefit breast cancer research).
"The game is more of a strategic battle than a normal hockey game, since the rink is smaller and the nets are only a foot high," said Nate Meyers, another member of the Clamdiggers.
After the initial round of play, the top 32 teams advance to the last day of competition on Sunday. The format is play until you lose – the champion must win five straight games in less than six hours to take home the coveted wooden cup.
"The playoff games get intense, and the guys really compete," Meyer explained. "It brings you back to the glory days."
Meyer played Division I college hockey at Providence College, along with Chaput. A good number of other players in the tournament also had college experience. Some saw action in U.S. and Canadian junior leagues, the AHL and even the NHL, such as local men’s league player and former Bruin Mark Cornforth, of the four-time pond hockey champion Boston Danglers.
But teams do not come to Plaster Rock with the primary objective of winning. Teams come to reconnect with players they met in years past, enjoy festivities of a skate-in beer tent, Saturday night dance, and local bands. Most importantly, however, teams come to lace up their skates in sub-zero temperatures with friends and play a game of pond hockey on frozen black ice.
After we were eliminated Sunday afternoon, we exited the pond and walked past the radio tower occupied by two announcers whom you hear throughout the entire tournament over the loudspeakers. They saw the exhaustion on our faces and steam coming through our winter hats, as they publicly congratulated us for our efforts and then asked: "Did you have enough fun to come back?"
We, of course, responded with a smile.
"Absolutely."
This was the 10th annual World Pond Hockey Championships, and considering how well the event is run, I am looking forward to playing in the 50th edition with the Rhode Island Clamdiggers.
