Pond hockey attracts passionate fans

When the Thursday night "boys of winter" from Larchmont, N.Y., got wind of the chance to star in their own miracle on ice, they jumped for their sticks and skates. After all, where else can a bunch of 30- and 40-something lawyers and stock traders feel like kids again?

"I love the game," says team captain Peter Beshar. "There's no time that I'm happier than when I'm on a frozen pond."

In Canada, there are pond rinks aplenty — 24 of them in tiny Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, site of the fourth annual World Pond Hockey Championships. The "Larchmont Lightning" and 95 other hopeful teams compete in a tournament with no bulky pads, no goalies and no commercial breaks. It's just four-on-four hockey for 30 minutes in the frigid fresh air.

In just their first year of competing, the Lightning strikes, winning five games in a row. But can they go all the way?

While interest in professional hockey has been in decline, pond hockey is a completely different phenomenon. It's old-time hockey, and teams from around the world are lining up for the chance to say they've played Plaster Rock. It's "game on!" day and night.

"This is what the hockey is that we all fell in love with," says Sports Illustrated writer E.M. Swift. "It's not whatever's happening in the National Hockey League."

Or as the rink announcer says: "This is world-class hockey for the working-class man!"

But even old-time hockey has its perils. Captain Beshar takes a puck to the face, giving him a bloody nose and ribbing from his teammates.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

As temperatures drop to minus 40, competition heats up and the Lightning makes it to the quarterfinals. They came to play but fall short, losing 17-7.

This year's champs? The Boston Danglers, repeat winners, who raise a wooden replica of the Stanley Cup.

"It's not about winning, it's about the experience, the camaraderie that develops, the friendships they make," says tournament organizer Danny Braun.

"[It was] just a magical weekend for all of us," says Peter Beshar.

A magical weekend that ends with teams dreaming of chasing the magic again next year "on frozen pond."