What is Pond Hockey and Why Are They Playing in St Ignace?

While most people head to Florida and the Caribbean for mid-winter breaks, over 1000 hockey players converged on the small town of St. Ignace, competing on the ice. For weeks, volunteers worked on setting up dozens of rinks, grooming the rinks, and battled an early thaw in preparation for two solid weekends of fun on Moran Bay. The Detroit Red Wing Alumni Association skaters highlighted the Pond Hockey Weekend event, with an exciting exhibition game to kick off the weekend. Over 150 teams played their hearts out on Saturday and Sunday, followed by a second weekend of youth hockey contests. The City of St Ignace was packed full of sports enthusiasts, fans, and players who gathered for an exciting weekend of small town winter fun.

Like everyone in the Straits Area, I watched volunteers gradually prepare Moran Bay, downtown St Ignace, for the fifth annual pond hockey tournament. As the Straits froze over in mid to late January, we seemed assured of Old Man Winter cooperating. A surprise mid-winter thaw resulted in the loss of one of our own, a Mackinac Islander who disappeared on February 11th, possibly off course or through a soft spot just off the ice bridge to Mackinac. Check out Bree's Mackinac Island Blog for an outstanding tribute and background information on the tragedy surrounding our well-beloved, civic-minded citizen, Bobby Roach.

Temperatures continued to climb, with the ice continuing to melt and break up off the bay as we neared the event. Close to shore, local estimates still placed the ice at 1-3 feet deep, but the slush continued to form. Arriving at the Little Bear East Arena for Tax Review Board training, I met up with the incoming Red Wing Alumni players and caught a few photographs as they practiced. They were a jolly group of men, teasing one of the teammates who slipped and fell as being blinded by the flash. My fellow board member, Mark Eby of Castle Rock, came in a bit late, but decked out in a handsome LaBatt's Blue parka, gained from his volunteer work on the ice highlighted on the front page of the St Ignace News on February 17th. Mark explained that the number of volunteers dropped off this year after free beer was eliminated as a perk. As a result, he and the remaining volunteers kept quite busy. He talked about how holes were drilled and extra slush and water drained from the rinks lined up across the bay. We were all optimistic as the forecast for falling temperatures was echoed across local TV, radio, and national weather stations.

The unusual thaw turned out to be a heaven-sent prescription for a fabulous weekend all around. The ice ended up perfectly formed; however, Friday's games were pushed into Sunday's slate of activity. The St Ignace Visitors Bureau estimated over 600 people crammed into the arena to enjoy the exhibition game and everyone used the extra time to patronize local watering holes and dining spots like the Village Inn and Driftwood Restaurant. Local teams battled their Red Wing heroes for two 25 minute periods, according to reports by Matt Mikus and Ted Booker in The St Ignace News. My favorite reporting station, 9 & 10 News, led newscasts with a manager from the Driftwood Sports Bar, who declared it the best weekend in the past year, emphasizing they had more customers than the traditional peak weekends of July 4th, Car Show, and Labor Day weekends. My husband pointed out nearly every room in town was full, and the local grocers seemed busy, too.

On Saturday and Sunday, I enjoyed photographing Moran Bay, viewing the LaBatt-sponsored beer tent, athletes, the shuttle, as well as the crowds clustering to watch various match-ups. The weather was our biggest supporter, dropping down near zero at night and staying well below freezing all weekend. The ice shone like sparkling glass and more than one player lauded the perfect conditions. I was impressed by the professional quality of uniforms, upbeat attitude of the players and spectators, and general feel of excitement in the dead of winter. All the hard work paid off with a second series of games, dedicated to youth players, on the following weekend. Be sure to check out my pictures for the event and join us in St Ignace in 2012.

Read about World Pond Hockey here: World Pond Hockey Championships

Discover Canadian Pond Hockey Competition: Canadian Pond Hockey

Learn about the Detroit Red Wing Alumni Association: Detroit Red Wing Alumni Association History