skip navigation

Broten sees pure hockey fun come out at pond tournament

02/15/2009, 10:45pm MST
By Cameron Eickmeyer

EAGLE RIVER, Wisc. - Neal Broten, a member of the 1980 U.S. "Miracle on Ice" Olympic Team who went on to have a decorated NHL career, looked at the 20 rinks filled with pond hockey players at the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey Championships and smiled.

"This is an amazing deal," the U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer said. "I was pretty surprised when I first showed up seeing all the people, just the excitement and how cheerful all the people were."

Broten played in more than 1,000 NHL games and said the grind of professional hockey can sometimes make players forget the pure fun of the sport as the bumps and bruises add up.

“As you graduate up playing with bigger and more physical players the fun part of it’s still there, but when you get knocked on your butt a few times and break some bones then it’s not exactly fun,” he said.

Watching the hundreds of players on the pond took Broten back to his days of street hockey and river hockey.

“This is cool, the sun’s kind of peeking through every once in a while, there’s clouds and it’s snowing a bit. This is pond hockey at its best,” he said. “I was walking around down there and people were sweating, smiling and having a good time and that’s what I think they come here for.”

Broten was the special guest during the Saturday night event in Eagle River and he shared his Olympic and NHL stories with the scores of hockey players who wanted to shake his hand and see his 1980 medal.

“We talked a little bit about playing on the river and talk a little bit about playing on the streets and developing some hockey skills and where it got me throughout my career,” he said. “Playing with teammates, moving the puck, playing as a team you know, having fun is what’s hockey is all about.”

Broten said a hip injury has slowed his playing a bit and he only takes the ice for a few charity events a year, but he said he hopes to play more and events like the pond tournament show him the fun part of the sport.

“It’s just really fun to go to the rink and goof around with 8 or 10 of your buddies and that is what this is all about,” he said. “You’re just skating, moving the puck, scoring some goals and basically getting some exercise.”

Tag(s): Past Tournaments  Tournament Blog