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Musings of A Hockey Carney

Hockey Carney Graphic - 3rd Line Hockey

On Location: Spokane, WA

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Hockey Carney Graphic - 3rd Line Hockey

Written By: James Slemp

 

This Hockey Carny traveled via planes, trains (nope), and automobiles (an RV) throughout the United States last year. This On Location segment will highlight one diamond in the rough that many of you have overlooked: Spokane, Washington.

Spokane sits on the Spokane River in eastern Washington, about 18 miles west of the Washington-Idaho border and 92 miles south of the US-Canadian border. Professional hockey came to Spokane in 1916 when the Spokane Canaries played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. Going without a team for twenty years, hockey returned to Spokane via Oakland in 1937 when the Oakland Clippers relocated to Spokane; they played minor league hockey in the Pacific Coast Hockey League. They lost in the finals in 1937. The Clippers were renamed the Bombers in 1940 and lasted one season. In 1946, the Spokane Spartans formed a senior amateur hockey team, participating in the Western International Hockey League. The Spartans were renamed the Flyers in 1949 and played in the WIHL until 1958. The Spokane Comets formed in 1958 as a minor league team in the Western Hockey League. They made it to the finals in 1962 but lost. The Comets folded, but hockey remained in Spokane with the Spokane Jets, who played senior amateur hockey in the Western International Hockey League from 1963 to 1974. The Flyers replaced the Jets in 1974 in the WIHL. From 1974 to 1982, they played in various leagues, including the WIHL and the WHL. The Spokane Chiefs formed in 1982 as a team in the WIHL and have since moved up to the Canadian Hockey League. The Chiefs have two Memorial Cup Championships in 1991 and 2008, two WHL Championships in 1991 and 2008, and four Western Conference Championships in 1991, 1996, 2000, and 2008. Over 60 former Chiefs have played in the NHL.

Hockey Rink in Spokane Washington USA

Even with an incredible hockey history in Spokane, there are only two places to ice skate: the Numerica Skate Ribbon at Riverfront and the Eagles Ice Arena. The Riverfront Park’s Numerica Skate Ribbon isn’t an ice rink but a 16-foot wide by 650-foot-long pathway where skaters can experience inclines and declines as they skate around an outdoor path. Unfortunately, Spokane was hot as an elephant’s peanut sack in June when I visited, and the Skate Ribbon didn’t have ice; it serves as a roller/inline skate path during the warmer months. The Eagles Ice Arena, however, is a traditional ice rink that hosts stick and puck, pick-up, youth and adult hockey leagues, sled hockey, public skating, and figure skating. The rink was built in 1973 by the Eagles Lodge, which sits next door to the rink. A second sheet of ice was added in 1981. The Spokane Americans Youth Hockey Association, the Spokane Oldtimers, and the Lilac City Figure Skating Club purchased the rink in 2017 to keep it open. Today, the rink is home to the Spokane Jr Chiefs, the Lilac City Figure Skating Club, the Spokane Oldtimers Hockey Association, and the Spokane Braves.

Hockey Bar in Spokane Washington USA

The Spokane Oldtimers Hockey Association was formed in 1974 by a group of Spokane hockey heroes, including founding member Vern Kneeshaw. Their goal is to support and promote the game of ice hockey and to assist individuals and charitable organizations of the Inland Northwest through fellowship and fundraising activities. They provide grant opportunities for hockey players and teams each year. The organization fields three hockey divisions. The Masters’ Division is the flagship division with several original skaters who helped form the organization in 1974. Players in the Masters Division are over 50 years old. The Grinders Division was created in the 1990s when the Oldtimers membership grew too large, requiring two teams. The Grinders had the younger players while the older players stayed on the Masters. The Jets Division is the newest group of skaters, and the team honors the legacy of the Spokane Jets from the 1960s and 70s. The Masters players have a special locker room filled with vintage memorabilia, including jerseys, photos, sticks, and awards that honor the heritage of Spokane hockey.

Hockey Players in Spokane Washington USA

3rd Line Hockey brought a tournament to Spokane in June 2023, the first time a draft-style tournament had visited the hockey hotbed in the Northwest. Playing in the Eagles Ice Arena, players wore vintage-themed jerseys commemorating the town’s history and the arena. The Jets took the top prize, beating out the Comets, Flyers, and Chiefs for the Gold Banner. I’m still determining how 3rd Line Hockey can top this inaugural tournament in 2023, but I’m excited to see what’s coming in Spokane in 2024. Don’t be a clown; join the rest of the Hockey Carnies at the Eagles Ice Arena.

Give 3rd Line Hockey A Shot!

Check out the 3rd Line Hockey Tournament Schedule below, choose your favorite one and book your spot. We have tournaments all over the world and we’re always looking to add more so check back often!

You will never regret playing in a 3rd Line Tournament, it’s the best hockey experience around!

Click For The Schedule
Hockey Carney Graphic - 3rd Line Hockey

Home for A Non-Beer Leaguer?

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Hockey Carney Graphic - 3rd Line Hockey

Written By: James Slemp

 

I can still hear Jim McKay on Saturdays saying, “The thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat…the human drama of athletic competition…” along with the theme music for ABC’s Wide World of Sports on TV. Sitting there in the living room with my parents, watching that week’s sporting events, smiling at the victories but relishing the defeats.

I also remember Al Michaels’ famous line, “Do you believe in Miracles?” as the US 1980 Olympic Hockey Team beat the Russians at Lake Placid. Those events sparked my sports dream of hitting the walk-off home run, throwing the winning touchdown, and beating the goalie’s glove side. But, like most kids, I would never become an elite athlete; instead, I would experience sports at markedly lower levels and on television.

The NCAA in 2018 identified 35,283 high school hockey players in the US. 4,323 college-level players, or only 12.3 percent of high school players, made it onto a college team. Of those, 71 would get drafted by the NHL for 7.4 percent. This low number of players earning money from hockey is typical of all the major sports in the US. So, where do the over 170,00 hockey players play as an adult?

Beer leagues have emerged as the principal options they are adult leagues that cater to local hockey players in a community, with beer drinking occurring before, during, and after the games. Designed for adult players who want to continue to play the game, beer leagues and tournaments allow new and veteran players to compete for championships, meet and develop friendships, and develop skills. The amount of hockey throughout the United States is impressive, with most major and many minor cities having at least one rink that hosts beer leagues and tournaments.

Many rinks offer learn-to-skate and learn-to-play-hockey sessions that expose adults to hockey and place them on novice or beginner teams after they ‘graduate.’ Leagues and tournaments are often not the most fair, welcoming, and fun groups to lace up your skates. Far too many players thrive on competition, placing victory above all else.

As beer leagues and tournaments struggle to fill their teams, they often allow higher-ranked players to play on multiple teams, including lower-ranked divisions. These ‘try-hards’ often ignore lesser-skilled players, and as the team struggles, they resort to chastising and heckling their teammates. Beer leagues and tournaments also struggle with keeping ‘stacked’ teams from infecting their lower divisions and levels.

Players get frustrated as stacked teams dominate their opponents throughout the season or over the weekend tournament. Every player pays the same amount to participate in these events, yet they don’t get to touch the puck, watch as players blow past them, and lose more games than they win.

There is hope, however, for those players that have shunned the beer leagues. 3rd Line Hockey burst onto the hockey tournament scene in March 2023, quickly rising above the bleak landscape with their business model. 3rd Line Hockey hosted 23 successful tournaments in 2023 throughout the United States, including one bucket-list tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland, during Halloween.

3rd Line Hockey’s mission statement states that it is a place to unite, where diversity, equality, and inclusion are the core values. They strive to create an all-inclusive and welcoming atmosphere, regardless of who the player is or their beliefs. They believe that everyone, from introverts to extroverts, regardless of race, religion, gender, gender expression, color, sexual orientation, or marital status, should be able to enjoy a positive, fun, and engaging experience.

Their inclusive marketing strategy resulted in many of their tournaments having 30- 40 percent female participation, and the draft-style structure equally balanced the teams; most of the tournaments had two ‘ringer’ rounds, one beginner-level round, with the remaining rounds comprised of ‘average’ players, C or D levels at most rinks.

The emphasis during tournament weekends was on having fun, not taking the games too seriously, and making and building friendships. Players were encouraged to allow lesser-skilled players the opportunity to play with the puck, and physical play was all but forbidden.

Jesse Owens once said, “Friendship born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded; friends gather no dust.” 3rd Line Hockey has embraced his words and established an opportunity for hockey players to enjoy the game without getting hacked by the ‘try hard’ beer leaguer.

3rd Line Hockey has 30 tournaments scheduled for 2024, including a return to Scotland over Halloween and a visit to Athens, Greece, in May. If you’re tired of the same-old, same-old at your local rink then this Hockey Carny encourages you to try at least one of 3rd Line Hockey’s tournaments this year.

Give 3rd Line Hockey A Shot!

Check out the 3rd Line Hockey Tournament Schedule below, choose your favorite one and book your spot. We have tournaments all over the world and we’re always looking to add more so check back often!

You will never regret playing in a 3rd Line Tournament, it’s the best hockey experience around!

Click For The Schedule