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Nov. 18, 2005
Players with veteran savvy
It's winter, so that means hockey, even in Vancouver.
KYLE BERGER
Lionel (Labe) Raber had a dream. So last fall he packed up his
hockey equipment and headed to Burnaby's 8-Rinks complex to try
out for Bell's Making the Cut reality TV show that ultimately
gave six young hockey players the chance to try out for National
Hockey League clubs. The only catch for Raber was that he wasn't
that young.
On the verge of his 50th birthday, Raber wasn't kidding himself
in believing he might actually make the cut. But he did believe
that he'd be able to take something positive from the professionally-run
try-out camp that would help his game in the Jewish Community Centre
of Greater Vancouver's ice hockey league (JCCHL).
Although Raber may have been the odd man out at the NHL try-out,
he is only one of many post-mid-life athletes playing in recreational
leagues like the JCCHL. In most cases, the help of a healthy diet
and hard work off the ice have enabled them to do more on the ice.
"As I am getting older, I do focus more on conditioning,"
said Raber, who pays a visit to the fitness room of the JCC at least
once a day and plays hockey two to three times a week. But others
also have their own unique form of keeping in shape.
"I exercise my bum by sitting down in a chair at the sports
pub after games," said Lee Cohene, 56, who plays with his son
David in the JCCHL. "But I do keep up with stretches daily
and I try to make sure I have a couple of games of hockey a week.
When I'm away travelling, I keep my jogging shoes handy and run
on alternate days."
Lou Zivot, 52, who also runs, bikes and skis to keep his body tuned
up, said that although he has no intention of retiring his skates,
things have changed as he's aged.
"Over the years, it has become more difficult to fall asleep
after the games," he said. "When we first started in the
JCCHL [founded in 1988 by Steven and Barry Garfield], we had games
starting after 10 p.m. and yet I was able to go home, toss and turn
in bed for only an hour or so and get up the next day feeling refreshed.
Now, even the 6:45 p.m. start time keeps me up until after midnight."
"Despite the advance in age, you still try to go like you always
did," Zivot continued. "And, since I was never a great
player to begin with, I think the downward spiral is shorter and
not so perceptible."
After a recent late-night drop-in game, Arnold Shuchat and Irwin
Lupo, aged 49 and 50 respectively, found themselves laughing as
their teammates discussed their 1997 graduating class.
Shuchat shared his own way of looking at the advantage of old age.
"I generally feel sorry for [younger players], knowing that,
as newlyweds, they will share the ice cream with their pregnant
wives in order to feel part of the baby experience," he said.
"She gains the 'water,' while the young husband bulks up, wondering
whether their wives left their clothes in the dryer too long, causing
them to shrink.
"On the other hand, once we are in our mid- to late-40s, we
are past that and realize that we have to take care of ourselves,"
he continued. "So the imbalance is not so bad."
Although hitting the ice surrounded by people half their age can
have a few intimidating aspects, some rekindle their playing passion
by lining up with their own children.
"The opportunity to play with my son Josh has been a wonderful
bonding experience," Raber said. "Although there are more
important things in life than hockey, the chance to play together
is simply a real treat."
"It's an absolute thrill. Especially when you play together
on the same line," added Cohene. "And when you pass your
own kid the puck and he makes a great play or scores a goal, it's
even better than getting one for yourself.
"But I also tell myself that I can play smarter than some of
these kids who are all brawn and little brain," he continued.
"I can be in the right position at the right time."
Although the JCCHL features players aged anywhere between 20 and
58, 45-year-old Jeff Korsunsky, the goaltender for the Red Rockets,
enjoys watching the cagey veterans of the league make the biggest
efforts in their quest for hockey supremacy.
"With less than a minute to play one Sunday, while we were
up a goal, who other than Ralph Segal, at 58, would be found going
down to try to block a slap shot from the point," Korsunsky
asked rhetorically. "The two 25-year-old wingers weren't throwing
their bodies in front of the shot with reckless abandon."
And age doesn't have any of them making plans to quit the game anytime
soon.
"Until you're dead, you can still learn new skills," declared
Al Glasser, who, at 52, had only started playing the game three
years ago. "I spent 11 years coaching my son in hockey, so
now comes the time of doing what I know."
Raber summed it up best when his comments were featured on a CTV-based
promotion for Making the Cut.
"As long as the body parts hold up, I am planning on playing
a lot more."
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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