The referee dropped the puck at center ice, and the game kicked off fast. The players were all in their 80s; some had played professionally, while others took up the sport later in life.
Fred Merchant, 88, faced off against former NHL defender Terry Harper, 86. With their helmets on, and exhibiting powerful skating, they could have been decades younger.
Merchant scored two goals before a roaring crowd of family and friends. His team didn’t win, but he was named the MVP in the Legends Game in Superior, Colorado, during the weekend of induction activities for the USA 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame in October.
“It didn’t matter how old they were, it didn’t matter how many injuries they had,” Merchant said of the octogenarian players who love the game so much they refuse to quit.
The USA 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame, started by Merchant last year, honors hockey players who have hung tough with the game into their 80s and beyond. So far 35 men and one woman have been inducted, a couple of them posthumously. Players anywhere in the world are eligible, despite its name.
“Oftentimes, as you get older, you’re not the star anymore,” said Merchant, who created the hall of fame to recognize the dedication of his fellow die-hard players.
He said the response has been heartening.
“It’s amazing the number of family members that show up from all across the country to pay tribute to Grandpa or pay tribute to Dad,” Merchant said. “And they get very emotional when the time comes when they’re inducted.”
Not everyone has the stamina or skill to play ice hockey, let alone into their ninth decade of life. Merchant learned to play as a kid, then took up the sport again when he was almost 70.
Merchant grew up playing hockey on frozen ponds near his home in Canada and played through high school before giving it up in college. He had a career in the retail business and raised four children with his wife, Sheila.
Decades later, when he retired to Victoria, British Columbia, a friend invited him to play hockey at the local rink.
“I said, no, that’s crazy,” said Merchant, who was 69 at the time and hadn’t played hockey in 50 years. “I can’t do that.”
His friend persuaded him to come watch, at least, and eventually Merchant agreed to join the league. The first time he played it didn’t end well: He ended up in the hospital with a hernia. But after surgery and a few weeks of recovery, he couldn’t resist getting back on the ice.
“It was very difficult,” Merchant said. “And there were many times I thought, I don’t know if I can continue doing this.”
There were new aches and pains, he was out of shape, and he had lost many skills. But nearly 20 years later, he still plays three times a week.
Merchant said he’s in better shape now than he was in his 60s. His skills are returning, he’s not winded as easily, his muscles and joints aren’t sore. He attributes his healthy aging to hockey. He loves the sport now even more than he did in his youth.
“There’s a lot more laughter going on,” Merchant said. “It’s not quite as serious.”
Merchant relocated to the United States — first to Oregon, then Colorado — and found leagues in each new place, building community around a love of hockey. Each team has had players with a range of ages, and he’s always been among the oldest.
A few years ago he played in the Canada 150 Cup, a tournament in Ottawa for players over 80. One of the players invited him to join the board for the 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame in Canada. Merchant decided to start a similar hall in the U.S. since many of his compatriots still played.
“I was amazed at how they wanted to continue to play the game,” Merchant said.
He brought the idea to the Long Hockey Association, the group he plays with in Colorado. The group was started by Pat Long, who said he prides himself on running competitive games for all ages.
“Fred roughed us up on the ice,” Long said. “And then he was a charming, lovable man who had this vision of a hockey hall of fame.”
Long said that he believes playing hockey keeps people young — through community, exercise and camaraderie. At 79, Long isn’t old enough to be in the 80+ hall of fame, though he hopes to be inducted later this year.
The sole woman to be inducted so far is Ginette Hatin, 81, of Montreal, who has played hockey since she was 6. When she started playing with her brothers in Quebec, she was the only girl on the ice. She said her priest told her father she shouldn’t play with the boys — but her father encouraged her to keep playing. She did, mostly with women, but also with men as she does now.
“I guess, for me, it was important to show the way to the other girls that wanted to play,” Hatin said. “Because I suffered from that. … I was born 60 years too soon.”
Hatin said she hopes she inspires older people to stick with the sport, if their bodies allow it.
“I never quit,” said Hatin, who once broke her wrist and another time broke a rib. Whenever she had an injury, she would get back on the ice as soon as possible.
“I’m a maniac,” she said, laughing.
Bill Orban, 82, got his first pair of skates at 5, and he joked that he hasn’t taken them off since. He played in the National Hockey League, and after he retired at 36, he started playing for fun with different leagues in Canada. He still plays twice a week in a league of players 60 and up — one of the players is 91.
“Hockey is the glue. It keeps everybody coming back,” Orban said.
After Terry Harper retired from the NHL, he didn’t play for a decade. When he started again, he enjoyed it even more.
“It was no pressure, we would just play and have fun,” Harper said. “When I retired from hockey, I was so tired of the travel and everything.”
After the Legends Game, the players and their fans went to a restaurant for a banquet and an induction ceremony. Merchant went first.
Merchant’s children inducted him, speaking about his commitment to hockey.
“They were groupies for their dad,” Long said. “… His grandson knighted him with the hockey stick.”
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