KENTLANDS, Md. — Age is just another number when it comes to sports and physical fitness.  Whether you walk, bike, play tennis, pickle ball or use the gym in the community, it feels great to be active and work to stay fit.  These activities have an added benefit of making lifelong friends along the way.

There is an organization I would like to tell you about that will probably only appeal to a very select few in our community of Kentlands/Lakelands but well worth mentioning nonetheless.

The Geri-Hatricks Hockey Club, based in Laurel, Maryland, is a mere 30-minute ride using the ICC.  The club is a loosely knit group of ice hockey players ranging from 50-90 years young.  They include doctors, lawyers, plumbers, roofers, accountants, blue- and white-collar professionals who rally around a sport that they love.

The organization has ice times 5 days a week and the games are usually played from 11 a.m. till 12:50 p.m.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are reserved for players aged 50 and over. The age limit for this group is not strictly enforced, however, as this is the most competitive and fastest of all sessions and is comprised of ex college and ex professional players.

Tuesdays are reserved for select 70 and over competitive skaters. Thursdays are for the 65 and over players who have lost a step but still like to compete.  All players are passionate about the sport, including myself, a Kentlands resident since 2003. Women, 30 years or older, are also welcomed to join in on the fun.  Many but not all of the gals are ex college players.  Some can absolutely skate like the wind and compete with the men.

As these are pick-up games, the caliber of play varies depending on who shows up to play on that specific day but all are welcome. There is a game for you whether you are a novice or a seasoned veteran.  Full equipment is required to play.  Locker rooms and showers are provided. The cost to play is minimal and goaltenders play for free. When you job is to stop a puck coming at you at a high rate of speed, we believe that you shouldn’t have to pay to play!

I can assure you that during the recent oppressive heat that we have been experiencing, it is absolutely refreshing to heat the ice surface when it is 98 degrees outside.

You would be pleasantly surprised to see the speed and puck handling skills displayed by the many grandpas. Some grew up playing their whole lives. Many are from cold climate states where they played in home-made backyard rinks as kids; some started playing later in life. It’s a special group of men that banter and kid each other in the locker room before and after games. When the puck drops at center ice, though, it becomes business like but with some friendly trash talking and ribbing on the ice.

Every year the club hosts a tournament with several divisions, including co-ed, competitive and recreational teams. The games are usually in the month of March with the games starting on a Friday and ending on Sunday if your club makes it to the finals.  Teams hail from different part of the US and some from Canada.  (Eh!)

The Gardens Ice House has been the home of the GHHC since its inception some 20 plus years ago.  The club is always looking to recruit new players; so, if you are so inclined, get your skates and old hockey equipment from the attic, dust them off, have your blades sharpened and come join us and relive that passion you once had playing a kid’s game!

For more information, please contact either of the following:

The Gardens Ice House

1308 Old Gunpowder Road

Laurel, MD  20707

301 953 0100

or

Michel G Demers

[email protected]

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