Zurich Has Beans Tournament

These Old Timer's hockey tournaments can be quite fun, but sadly repetitive too.  It is the same good teams that win and the same teams that lose.  It is the same amount of Bud Lite beer.  It is the same anger that some speed bag lashes out during some game because ?????  and wants to take it one step further.  Every small community in Canada must have tournaments like these.  The surrounding towns about 75km away all load up on glory day superstars, and also just about anyone else who is able to show up.  There are some good, smooth players.  And some hacks.  So I got the call once again to make the 40km drive south to the annual Zurich Has'Beans old timer's hockey tournament with the River Rat motley crew.  Sort of the same group of guys I played with just 2 weeks ago.

I haven't been playing steadily at all over the past 3 or 4 years.  All but 3 or 4 games, in one weekend, in each of the past 3 or 4 years.  That is not a lot.  But having had a few games under my feet in the past 2 weeks, I thought I was up to the challenge of another.  I don't know if I am asked for any particular reason.  I am not very skilled or adept at the game, but whatever.  I at least show up, pay my money to play, and make some reasonably lucky plays along the way.  Shelly watched one game this weekend and said I "hustled".  That sounds just about right. 

The first game we played with 12 players and won.  The second game we played with 10 players and lost.  Finally, and still in the first day, we played the third game and lost again with 9 players.  This goes from 9:00 am, to 1:00 pm, and the final game started at 8:00.  But I am feeling all right.  I am able to sustain a good amount of physical activity because of the running....  Each game got tougher opponents, combined with less players, and the recipe isn't so good.  However it was fun.  If anything we displayed a high level of sportsmanship as we didn't even get a penalty!  But we didn't score much either.

There were 12 teams in the tournament.  Each team plays 3 games.  There is a math algorithm fitting for a university course, to decide who plays who during everyone's fourth game.  This was decided with a point system of adding numbers attributed to period wins, losses, ties, games won and tied, goals scored and goals against.  We were the 11th team, as it was, after 3 games.  The team we beat during the 9:00 am game would be the 12th.  So it would be one more game on Sunday for just a sliver of pride.  The most minuscule of self worth one could hope for.

We lost that game 4-2. 

But the weather was wonderful.  Shelly and the kids came to the fourth game and Molly really thinks I am a superstar on the ice.  I mean really.  If it was anything else I'd tell her some white lies and embellish my past exploits on ice.  I swear I haven't and will never!  Truth be told it is just house lead hockey for the most part. 

But there was, of course, a token set of playground equipment at the arena and the kids were equally keen to be on the swings and on the climbers.