roadhockey.net

Sn'o shows scuttle game

A cold snap and overnight snowfall achieved what indifferent attendance hadn't yet been able to achieve this season. Sunday's game was cancelled when only a handful of players negotiated slippery streets in hopes the traditional pre-game shovel brigade would ensure a timely face-off.

But, said Lak Attack, the new generation of players seems to lack the same fire of the past that saved so many games in defiance of court and weather conditions.

"A lot of the young guys, they just don't have the same work ethic or commitment to the game and what it means to them," said the veteran sniper. "It's a different time now."

But that's their own loss, said speedy sophomore Franz Beckenbauer, the only roadster to show up Sunday wielding a shovel.

"It definitely brings the group together," said Beckenbauer. "It's a good old-fashioned Canadian experience to shovel off the rink and I'm going to miss that."

In fact, it was days like Sunday that, in the past, were often the most memorable, said Lak Attack. Not for the quality of game played, but for the fortitude and tenacity of the players to ensure it was played at all.

"These are the focal points that really defined the spirit of the game. They recalled what it was like to play as a kid and just have fun and I think that's been lost a bit."

It was just such an experience Beckenbauer was hoping to replicate. "It would have been nice to enjoy the sunny winter weather."

But he and the other players who presented themselves were philosophical about their disappointment.

"This is a minor setback," said Lak Attack. "We still do have a lot of good players and it's still a wonderful game."

Posted by jaysuburb at January 15, 2012 05:25 PM