ICE DREAMS, SOCHI OLYMPICS

Tonight is the first night of the Olympics; my favorite television viewing. I am excited to see the competition, who will peak at the right moment. Young, like so many people I dreamed of  Olympic competition. I never did for a variety of reasons, even after qualifying more than once.

THE UNITED STATES ALL STARS 1966
THE UNITED STATES ALL STARS 1966
IN SWEDEN
IN SWEDEN
MAKING ICE AT ST. GEORGE'S
MAKING ICE AT ST. GEORGE’S
WINNING GOAL
WINNING GOAL
RICHIE SAYER, STEPHEN LIRAKIS, DUBY JOSLIN
RICHIE SAYER, STEPHEN LIRAKIS, DUBY JOSLIN

Looking at these images reminds me of how crude the gear was. St. George’s had one of the only artificial rinks south of Boston. Outdoors and subject to the whims of Nature. We would return from Thanksgiving vacation and start to make ice; usually spraying at night and we would take shifts working through the night over several days to try to build a base. Our 14 game schedule seemed imposing then. Today schedules are much longer and packed with games.