Hockey Scrimmage in Miniature
My favorite sporting event comes in between periods at some semi-pro hockey games, when the teams have invited two local kids’ teams to play. After seeing the big guys going at each other full force during the 20-minute period, it is a great change of pace to watch the kids take the ice.
Often these kids are just learning the basics of the game. Coaches accompany them to “referee.” They help by maneuvering miniature hockey players into the correct spots for face-offs. And they sometimes are pressed into service lifting miniature hockey players over the boards to get on or off the ice.
Usually there is one player on each team who has better skating skills and can carry the puck most of the way down the ice without interference from other players. That does not always translate into shooting ability, though. The mini-goalies, whose pads often seem bigger than they are, make dramatic diving saves on slow moving pucks that skitter across the ice surface.
Once, watching one of these scrimmages, one of the little defensemen got a bit carried away and checked one of the opposing players hard into the boards. That created a great roar of excitement and really got the fans to take notice.
In their minds, I’m sure the brief appearance is as meaningful to these young hockey players as a Stanley Cup game and they take it as seriously. For me, it is pure enjoyment.