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Crooked Sticks Mix Talent, Experience and Chemistry
Two of the team’s leaders are long-time teammates
While the Crooked Sticks pride themselves on team chemistry, two of their players are more familiar than most.
Gavin Wilk and Mike Kowalski first started playing hockey together 13 years ago.
That first year competing for the Eastern Illinois University Panthers started a bond that continues to this day. Wilk and Kowalski are playing together again on the Crooked Sticks adult squad from Center Ice of Du Page in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
The Crooked Sticks also have a couple other players from the college hockey ranks on their roster, from Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota.
“It’s important that we stay together,” Wilk said.
The Crooked Sticks play in the competitive B Division in the league. The team is comprised of players who are anywhere from 23 to 50 years old.
“It’s a good mix, young talent and experience,” said Wilk, who is 31 and in his second year with the team. “We have good depth.”
Kowalski is in his first year with the Crooked Sticks. After playing hockey in college, Kowalski enlisted in the Army and was away from the sport he loves.
“I had to knock the rust off, because it’s been a while since I skated,” Kowalski said.
Kowalski has relished being back on the ice. During his stint in the military, he didn’t have a lot of opportunities to play the sport he loves. Getting back into his skating groove took some time to regain.
“It was a lot harder than I thought,” said Kowalski, who is also 31. “I would recommend anyone to skate at least once or twice a month. I took about a year off, and that was really hard to get back.”
With his return to the rink, Kowalski — who skates twice a week, along with playing for another adult team in Orland Park, Illinois — is focused on trying to help the Crooked Sticks win.
“No one wants to get blown out and nobody wants to blow anybody out, so you have to find that right mix between guys that can skate, guys that want to have fun, but the camaraderie’s got to be there, too,” Kowalski said. “What we’ve found with the Crooked Sticks is it’s just a good group of guys, decent skaters and they’re all about hanging out and having a good time. But we like to compete every game, at least in a manner of a couple of goals either way.”
Added Wilk: “We go out there to win, but we’re there to have fun. It’s something to do after work and get together with the guys afterwards.”
Along with playing in the adult league, Wilk and Kowalski are competing with former Eastern Illinois teammates in the annual Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships in Eagle River, Wisconsin.
“Come up here and see the guys that we played college with and get away from everything,” Wilk said. “We relive the glory days, I guess.”
It was Kowalski’s first year at pond hockey in 2016, and he loved everything about the tournament. He made it clear that it will be tough to keep him away from the pond in the future.
“As long as I’m not back in the military serving across the country, I’ll be here every year,” Kowalski said. “As long as the age brackets keep going up, I’ll keep coming back.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
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Playing hockey can play a big role in staying healthy as an adult
Adult hockey not only promotes a healthy and active lifestyle, it requires it. As adults get older, they increasingly need to emphasize regular exercise and a nutritious diet. There’s no easy way to go about it—but there is a fun, challenging and rewarding option that sticks with you for life:
Hockey.
That’s right. Hockey is part of the perfect prescription for an adults’ health regiment. Just ask Olympian and former NHL player Steve Jensen.
“Physical fitness is something we should all be thinking about as we get older,” says Jensen, a longtime certified USA Hockey coach/official. “There’s no better activity than hockey to stay in shape.”
Dr. Michael Stuart, chief medical officer for USA Hockey, says the positives of playing hockey are contagious.
“Participation in ice hockey provides all the benefits of exercise while building friendships and ensuring a fun time,” says Stuart, who is also the vice-chair of Orthopedic Surgery and the co-director of the Sports Medicine Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Dr. Stuart and colleague Dr. Edward Laskowski of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center sketch out specific benefits for hockey players:
- Prevents excess weight gain and/or maintain weight loss.
- Boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, and decreases unhealthy triglycerides, a cominbination that lowers your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
- Stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed.
- Improves muscle strength and boosts your endurance.
- Relieves stress by helping you have fun and unwind, connect with friends and family, and be part of a team.
- Involves physical activity that can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep.
“Playing adult hockey is a great way to feel better, gain health benefits and have fun,” says Stuart, who also emphasizes maintaining a balanced diet. As for safety concerns, he adds: “The risk of injury is small in no-check, adult hockey games, but players should wear high-quality, well-fitting equipment, including a helmet and facial protection.”
The Minnesota-based Adult Hockey Association is starting to see employers embrace hockey as a health and performance benefit for its workforce. Some businesses are beginning to subsidize hockey registration fees for employees because they feel the activity fits the policy of their wellness programs.
“It’s not a lot, but we’re starting to see more and more trickle in,” says Dave Swenson, the AHA’s secretary treasurer who also serves on USA Hockey’s Adult Council and Minnesota Hockey’s Board of Directors.
Swenson wants this trend to continue growing, not just to see the number of players rise, but to reward players for committing to a healthy lifestyle.
“I’m hoping employers think about that a little more,” Swenson adds. “It’s not just softball leagues anymore. There are recreational hockey opportunities out there for adults.”
Hilary McNeish, a longtime player, ambassador, and current executive director of the Women’s Association of Colorado Hockey, says she sees the positive results in women’s hockey every day.
“There are so many benefits,” says McNeish, “but the quote I hear most from ladies is: ‘It’s like working out a lot, but it’s so fun, it doesn’t feel like working out!’”
Aside from the physical health gains, there’s also a mental side to the story that’s special to hockey players.
“There are so many positive experiences that come with it,” adds McNeish. “Being able to play a sport that so many deem difficult is also great for the mind and wonderful for your personal attitude.
“It’s great to see the looks from people when you can say, ‘I play hockey’”
