Mike Gonzalez’ favorite part of playing the game is making friends and bonding with his son. Mills, Collura and Hertzog’s children also enjoy the game. This gives them the opportunity to work with their children, too. Hockey is not just a game. It involves a wide group of people who are positively affected by it, including the fans. “The fans of each team make up their own community, some huge and some small. But it brings people together. Sometimes it’s just to collectively hate on another team or their fanbase. But it’s still bringing people together,” Fitzmaurice said.
Bob Bosca tends to get a little too into the game, but they’re all guilty of that sometimes. “When you’re on the rink, everything else just goes away. It’s a relaxation, a breath of fresh, cold air. This has gotten me in trouble when friends and family are at the rink and I’m too involved in the game to appreciate them being there,” Bosca said. Being engrossed in the game is great. Just make sure you say a quick hello to your fans.
Many of the players wish they had started playing earlier, “You should have started earlier. Then maybe you’d actually be good,” Eric Romeo said. Starting a difficult sport like hockey as an adult is hard. But with perseverance they all get better. Once you can skate, you’ll get the other skills down eventually.
Nick Marzovilla warns prospective players to treasure the time they spend playing. “Just to enjoy every minute of playing, because you don’t know how long you will be able to play due to age and/or injuries,” Marzovilla said. Hockey won’t last forever: but the memories do. Don’t look back in 10 years and regret anything.
Hockey is not just a game. It is an outlet and a space to learn more about yourself. “You have to find confidence, push yourself for that one extra stride to battle for the puck. And there is nothing else I can find in this world to keep me feeling young as I get older,” Collura said. The game teaches lessons to the players and allows them to grow– not only as athletes, but as people.
Hockey is a way to bring people from all walks of life together. Through the game, friendships form and those friendships turn to family. Family is not always blood, it is people. A team is not just a team. The relationships they’ve formed and memories they made will stay with them long after they’ve stopped playing.
So, if you’re ever in Poughkeepsie, New York, check out their website for their game schedule. Juan Murphy’s fanbase is small, but mighty. You’ll probably catch one of Rokitowski’s sisters screaming in the stands or the occasional child cheering for their father. And if you’re lucky– a win.
