Feeling Nostalgic This Weekend

Feeling Nostalgic This Weekend

One of the most special things about the sport of roller hockey and especially tournament hockey, are the relationships made. As I walk around the rink this weekend it is great to see so many familiar faces, well I should say familiar eyes and hair styles. I’ve become a master of recognizing people by the upper part of their face which is not easy. But I know there are tons of smiles beneath those masks and that is what it is all about. A year from now many wont remember the wins, the losses or the goal, but they surely will remember the laughs and fun times with their teammates and adversaries.

Today I got to see Pedro Cancel decked out in all of his Flyers gear and I mean ALL, sneakers, mask…everything. He was such a huge part of the sport in the south jersey area back in the day and always great to see him. I was reminded that he and Denis Jelcic were originally co-state directors for New Jersey. Somehow we’ve been able to hang on to Jelcic some sixteen years later!

Playing against the Scorchers in 45+ is always a treat as so many of those guys I played against back in the ‘90s when we all had a lot less grey hair and were all a bit faster on the wheels. Rich Polidoro, Frank Pierson and the boys are some of the best guys on and off the rink and always great to see them and play some puck.

Ziggy Marszalek is doing a lot of coaching this weekend for the Alkali Revel group as his two boys are playing. Many may not know his name these days, which is a shame as we played together back in the Valley Stream Wolves days, the original group that first represented Long Island at Nationals (circa ’93). Big Z went on to represent Team USA for many years and was always one of the best shooters in the game. I love when I see former players getting their kids into the game and playing at the top tourneys just as they did, it is definitely the way this sport will continue to grow.

Enjoy the hockey and the laughs the rest of the weekend, soak it all in.

Tim McManus