The Smithers Oldtimers

2006 Marks the 27th year that the Smithers Oldtimers Hockey League has come to be in existence. The League is currently made up form men, Aged 35 or older that have a passion to p lay the game of hockey…instead of just sitting on the couch and watching it on television! players from ex-junior level right down to players that are experiencing their very first organized hockey game are drafted onto one of seven current teams that the league currently hosts.

The success of parity amongst the teams comes from an un-biased draft system. all players are rated an divided into position by a number of select people. Once rated, each pick is divided, by strength, evenly amongst seven current teams. No one knows whom their team-mates are until the computer prints out the final rosters! As one former, long-time player and organizer stated, “This has kept our League from ever becoming clique.”

There are currently 130 players registered. Throughout the past 12 years. registration and participation has remained strong. There are still a few players that are currently true “oldtimers,” (Al McCreary, Ron Lister) as they have played every year since the League was formed! The 2005-2006 season earmarks the first ever father-son combination playing in the League. 35-year-old Murray Goodacre has been waiting to score on his Goaltender father, (Bill Goodacre) for a few years now. This year, it took a few games, but his wish came true!

As games are played either at 9 p.m. or 10:45 p.m. in the evening due to lack of any prime ice time, sometimes it is difficult for those working in the logging or forest industry to be leaving the ice at 12:15 a.m. when they might have to go to work at 3 or 4 a..m. If a few games are missed and the teams can see that their opponent is missing their stronger players for a game, or that the number of players is lop-sided, then a few players from one team change sides for the night so that everyone can enjoy a more even contest out on the ice!