Special to USAHockey.com
He’s a businessman in the Grand Rapids, Mich., area, but Tim Castora still has time for a heavy adult hockey schedule at the age of 58, especially when it can enhance his family time.
Castora has played in an adult instructional hockey league at Walker Ice Arena in Walker, Mich., near Grand Rapids.
“I’m 58 and I started out playing with my sons,” he said. “After 30 years away from the game, my boys asked me if I’d be willing to get back into it. I responded ‘Why not?’ My oldest son was there. My youngest son was coaching for two years.”
Walker Ice Arena started having the sessions, Castora said, to help the adult players.
“I played when I was very young,” Castora said. “It’s fun now to play with my kids. Before hockey was very fashionable, about the only opportunity you had years ago was the hockey that was down in Detroit.”
Castora did get some helpful ice time as a youngster.
“As for organized hockey, I started out when I was 16. I played in Midget hockey in Canada. I was a pond player up to that point,” he said.
Castora said he had an opportunity in his 20s to play pro hockey.
“I gave it all up to raise a family,” he said. “A few years back, I got involved in this adult program. The first half of the season involves instruction, and the second half is actual competition. We usually had four teams.
“I also played in an over-40 league this year. It involved a group of guys involved with older programs at another Grand Rapids area arena.”
Castora recalls that during his younger days, the opportunities were more limited to the Detroit area and in places like Port Huron, Mich., Toronto and Windsor, Ont.
“Our teams traveled all over Canada. We skated on outdoor rinks,” Castora said. “Today, it’s interesting from my perspective that there’s some pretty good players at my level. It’s fun to see the opportunities that are out there.”
Castora admits that in the Grand Rapids area, there are a few, but not many in the 50-and-over set playing hockey.
“I played with a fellow who was 65,” Castora said. “There’s probably one or two guys in their 60s.”
Castora especially enjoys the instructional part of the league. The instruction level is not only for the beginning hockey player, but can also be used by those on the intermediate level looking for instruction prior to and in addition to competitive adult leagues. There are 13 sessions dealing with individual and team skills such as skating, stickhandling, passing and shooting. Instructors cover skating backward, forward, edges, crossovers, pivots and quick starts. Shooting sessions include wrist shots, backhands, snap shots and slap shots.
Castora and others partake in 1-on-1 and 2-on-1 situations and also brush up on their breakouts and positioning skills. The final class in the session is a full scrimmage.
Castora now knows how Gordie Howe felt when the NHL Hall of Famer played with his sons on the Houston Aeros in the old World Hockey Association.
“My youngest one is playing in this league (at Walker),” he said. “As long as my boys are around here, we’ll keep going. It’s a good way for guys my age to keep going.”
Story courtesy Red Line Editorial
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