USA Hockey Adult Hockey

Scott Hayden figures only about 20 to 24 guys have played on the Beavers during the adult hockey team’s existence.

That’s remarkably low number considering the Beavers started up in 2000.

One reason for the low turnover for the Beavers, who play in the Full Stride Adult Hockey League in Burlington, Vermont, is the guys love to have fun on and off the ice.

“The nice thing about our crew is that I don’t think it matters if you’re the very best guy who can go for a hat trick or a guy like me who will turn over the puck and allow the game-winning goal for the opponent,” original Beavers player Billy Joos said. “Everyone’s treated the same and no one really cares other than trying to have a good time. We certainly try to win and we’re competitive, but we have a beer afterwards and we laugh about it. We have far more important things in our lives.”

When the Beavers are looking for a player or two to fill spots during a session, the guys have three rules for someone trying to make the team.

“You’ve got to bring game, you’ve got to bring entertainment, you’ve got to bring beer,” said Hayden, who is another of the original team members. “If you can meet one of those criteria, then you pass our holiday on ice tryout period.”

The Beavers try to carry 11 players and a couple back-ups on the team per session. Those players who have been on the team for years are consistent attendees week in and week out and rarely miss a chance to lace up their skates.

There are six original players on the Beavers who are still on the team. Those guys make it a point to get to the rink every session — there are four sessions per year — and play with their friends.

“I think it’s the fact that we’re all comparable age and we’ve all been playing together for a long time,” Hayden said. “Most of us, I’d say 80 percent of us, have kids, so it’s our night out just to hang out and relax.”

The Beavers compete in Division 3A, which is the highest recreational league at Full Stride. It’s a division that features eight to 10 teams per session and has players ranging in age from the 30s to 50s. The Beavers’ average age is about 45 with Joos, 55, and Hayden, 53, being the two oldest players.

With their team getting older each season, the Beavers’ style has changed since the team first started 16 years ago.

“We look at each other and say, ‘Oh wow, his game is certainly changing, because mine’s changing, too,’” Hayden said. “We all know that we’re all going to have a time where we’re going to suck and do something stupid and fall down, and it’s just a question of whose turn it is on any given night. But we always know we’re all going to be there to help each other out when they do something stupid. It’s just part of the game.”

The Beavers feature guys with a wide mix of personalities who work a broad range of professions.

“It’s really, really neat in that the goalie is a chef and so depending on when the games are scheduled it can be we’re waiting until the last second for him to get into the parking lot and get his gear on,” Joos said. “We have an ATF agent. We have a couple of small business owners. I’m a municipal treasurer for a small town in Vermont. We’ve got a dentist.”

Over the years, the Beavers have been successful in the league, which started two years before the team was formed. The guys have captured about a dozen championships. However, it’s not all about winning.

“Primarily to have fun,” Hayden said. “There’s always rivalries that develop in these leagues. We’re happy when we play well and we’re happy when the competition level is close. It’s no fun to win by 10 goals and it’s no fun to lose by five or six.”

Hayden finds it hard to believe the team has been around for 16 years. There aren’t any plans to end the franchise anytime soon.

“I think we’ll keep this going for another five to eight years,” Hayden said. “I think we’ll still play for a while, as long as the competition stays even. The trouble is that sometimes teams will move down a division and bring a couple ringers in, which always tilts the ice the wrong way. But the league’s done a good job of helping to distribute the talent and move teams around if they get too strong. That’s the thing that keeps you going, if the competition level is comparable.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.