My Life with Charlie Brown

Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament

41 Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament 1935 was a good sports year for me. That summer I saw my first professional baseball game, and that winter I saw the St. Paul hockey team play Wichita in what was then the United States Hockey League. The hockey we played as kids in our neighborhood was on either a ridiculously small rink that my dad made for us in our backyard or else out in the snow-covered street. The goals were always two clumps of snow, which worked quite well until an inconsiderate woman driver crushed them as we all stood to the side yelling raucous remarks. Our house had a typical Minnesota basement, and beneath the stairs there was an area that was just wide enough to simulate a hockey goal. I had a very accommodating 65-year-old grandmother who was willing to stand in the goal with a broom while I shot tennis balls at her. She really knew nothing about sports, but loved to follow the accomplishments of the local teams. Her favorite heroine, of course, was Patty Berg, even though she never understood golf scoring. Many years later, my own family and I made our big move to northern California. For a long time, our only regret with this move was that we could no longer keep up our ice skating. Rumor had it that across town there was an arena, which we finally visited one nightandeventuallyrenewedourskating.Justasourtwoboysbegan to develop a few hockey skills, and our two youngest girls discovered 44 My LIfe the excitement of show skating, the arena developed structural difficulties and had to close. I remember remarking to my wife, “I wish there were something we could do about it,” and she answered, “I was hoping you would say that.” Two years later, the community saw the completion of what has been described as the world’s most beautiful ice arena. It is dedicated to the public’s enjoyment of skating. We have our serious skaters , of course, and we put on the most extravagant and beautiful ice shows that you can see anyplace. We even hold symphony concerts, and after covering the ice we hold an annual women’s tennis tournament with such greats as Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, and Virginia Wade. What has become probably our most looked-forward-to event each July, however, is Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament. I recall this past summer, standing by the rail with a man who formerly played in Czechoslovakia. He remarked, “I stood here for nine years waiting to be old enough to play in this tournament.” Our minimum age bracket is 40, and we play in five-year brackets, going on up to what next year will be our first 65-year-old bracket. The men in that age group have been complaining that they are tired of “chasing those 60-year-old kids around.” Our gratitude toward the men who come all the way across our country and from Canada, or even from Finland and Japan, makes us try to put on the best tournament we can. We host an outdoor barbecue, and on Saturday night, before the Sunday finals, we have entertainment for the men and their wives, which includes a dance. The actual play during the tournament is typical of senior hockey, which means no body-checking or slap shots. Actually, we sometimes feel this produces a better brand of hockey, for the emphasis then turns toward fast skating and good passing plays. Our more fanatic spectators appreciate being able to see many of the former National Hockey League stars who have now entered senior life but still put on marvelous exhibitions of their talent. 45 Snoopy's Senior World Hockey Tournament Strange things do happen, of course. My team—and I use the expression humbly—was suiting up a couple of years ago when we heard that the goalie, who was in action in the game in progress, had just hurt his leg. His team had no substitute, but the goalie whose team we were preparing to play was suited up and ready to go. He went in as a substitute, but found himself in a much faster game than the one he was prepared for. His team was composed of men over 60, and he now found himself in a...