Beer league · Chicago
I play on a beer-league team, chase a championship every season, and once played a game in another country. The game gives me a rink full of people I would not otherwise know.
On the ice
I cut this together to pump the team up before a playoff game. It did not work. We lost and were out of the playoffs that night. I tried.
The run
Through Hockey North America, my men's league team, the Tops, won multiple state championships. Winning state is what sent us to Toronto to compete internationally, and one year we took our division up there.
I came to the ice late. As a kid I played roller hockey almost every day with friends, but I didn't play ice hockey until I was an adult. I spent close to a decade on defense, and lately it's been fun to move back to offense and play center at Johnny's Icehouse. Along the way I've captained a team, played a pond hockey tournament in Wisconsin, and made some of the best friends I have. This locker room is where I met the couple whose wedding I got to officiate, in the Love for Love room.
The best trade I ever made
The same year I got sent home from a national dating show, I flew straight from the LA taping to Toronto and won the international championship with this team. Given the choice again, I'd make that trade every single time.
Add to the museum
Teammates, opponents, or folks in the stands: share a photo, a clip, or a memory from the rink.
From the museum guests