USA Hockey Adult Hockey

Playing in the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Championships for eight years, the guys from Minnesota Blackjacks have learned a few tricks.

“We used to run and gun, but now we’re a little bit smarter,” Blackjacks captain Al Johnson said. “What we’ve learned is that all the teams we’ve lost to have had a goalie and they’ve had guys back.”

In previous years, the Blackjacks tried to outscore their opponents. They succeeded the majority of the time, but trying to score 30 goals each game after allowing the opposition to score 20-plus can be a daunting task.

These days, the Blackjacks run with a more defensive-minded attack. Al’s brother, Craig, said the guys don’t exert as much energy when they stay back instead of skating back and forth from end to end. The Blackjacks players have certainly gotten wiser with their experiences on the pond.

“Old age does that to you,” Craig said.

The Blackjacks, whose members all hail from the Twin Cities metro area, had a successful 2015 tournament. The team placed runner-up in the 50+ Tier I Division, going 3-2, falling to the champion River Valley Pioneers twice.

The Blackjacks, who missed the first two Pond Hockey Championships but have been at every one since, shifted divisions to 50+ Tier I in 2013 after winning the 40+ Tier I title the previous year.

“We jumped into over 50 so we could play against guys our own age,” Craig joked. “It was getting a little tough in the over 40; some young legs out there.”

The Blackjacks range in age from the mid- to late-50s. The Johnson brothers love the competition in the older division.

“We see a lot of the same teams every year, which is fun to see everybody still playing at this age,” Al said. “Most people aren’t skating and playing hockey competitively. We’re fortunate enough to be able to do that, and it’s great to play with your brother.”

Craig is the diehard member of the team. He had a hip replaced two years ago and now plays on his artificial hip.

“I got it done in the summer and I still made it to next year’s pond hockey,” Craig said. “It’s important to get out and play again. They basically cut your leg off and put a hip implant in there — it feels good.”

The Johnsons are two of four core Blackjacks players who show up in Eagle River, Wis., every year for pond hockey. The majority of the Blackjacks team came together through playing with and against one another in adult hockey or even dating back to high school.

“It’s hard to get everybody together sometimes [for pond hockey],” Al said. “We’re fortunate enough we got everybody here. Every year we have a hard time getting that last guy. It’s a long ways to come to play.”

It’s important for the Johnsons to fill their seven-player roster completely for the tournament.

“You’ve got to have seven guys,” Al said. “We’ve tried it before [with fewer players], and it’s tough. It’s tiring out there. It’s a workout.”

The Blackjacks players always have a ton of fun playing together on the ice.

“They’re just great guys,” Craig said. “Growing up with them and playing with them, everybody backs everybody and we all have a good time.”

After missing the first two Pond Hockey Championships, the Blackjacks don’t plan to miss any more for quite some time.

“We make it a priority,” Al said. “Our significant others know every year.”

Added Craig, “We’re going to try to play into our 60s.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.