USA Hockey Adult Hockey

It’s safe to say hockey is considered a younger player’s sport.

But don’t tell that to Frank Pond and some of his teammates.

Pond is the captain of Team Paco — an adult hockey team that plays out of Sherwood Ice Arena in Sherwood, Ore. Among the players on Team Paco are two who are 70 years old, two who are 69 and one who is 68.

“We’re not the norm, but we just kind of enjoy going out and skating,” said Pond.

Pond, whose nickname Paco originated all the way back in high school Spanish class, started Team Paco in the mid-1980s.

“For us older guys, it keeps us going,” said Ron Brown, who has played on the team since its inception. “I’m always looking forward to it, and we play eight months a year.”

“It’s mostly just the camaraderie, the love of the sport,” Pond said. “Enjoying the game and knowing you still can play it.”

Team Paco is mostly made up of guys in their 60s and 50s with the average age in the high 50s. The team’s youngest skater is 33 years old.

Competing in the Silver B Division in the Sherwood Adult Hockey League, Team Paco takes on teams that have an average age of between 30 and 35.

“They could be our grandkids,” Pond joked.

Brown, who is 70 and retired, said he enjoys the challenge of playing against the younger guys.

“I think what makes it fun for us guys is the younger guys listen to us, No. 1, and I think it’s just the thrill of beating these young guys,” Brown said. “They don’t want to lose to us; it’s kind of almost embarrassing for them when they lose.”

As the members of Team Paco get older, their play has begun to slow down. They can hold their own during a game for the first period to period and a half, but generally after that point the guys get worn down. Team Paco concentrates on passing the puck well and playing fundamental hockey.

“You try to work smarter not harder,” Pond said.

It wasn’t too long ago Team Paco would compete for league titles, but that is changing. The guys have been in the postseason title game about five times over the past years and won one championship.

“Until probably just a couple years ago, we always been able to come out on top because of our experience vs. youth,” Brown said. “There’s no substitute for youth, that’s all there is to it.”

Team Paco has a roster of 15 guys, but if 10 guys guaranteed they would be at every game, Pond said he’d only have 10 on the team.

“Usually the six guys that are there are the six older guys, but if you’ve got the right guys it works out really well,” Pond said. “Not long ago we had five guys and nearly won the game because the five guys spread out, you move the puck and it ends up frustrating the other team.”

The team is made up of a hodgepodge of professions: a heart surgeon, a dentist, a CEO and presidents of companies all the way down to shipping clerks. The majority of the older players are retired.

“We’re all just friends,” said Pond, who is semi-retired. “Hockey in Portland isn’t huge, so it’s a unique little niche community because there’s not a lot of hockey in Portland. We’ve all just kind of stuck together and just kept the team together.”

Team Paco plays its league games generally on Sunday afternoons. By Monday morning, their bodies are feeling the after effects of a hard day on the ice.

“It’s getting a little tougher for sure, but it’s not overwhelming,” Brown said. “Since I’m retired, I don’t have to get up as early.”

All the guys on the team are pretty healthy and plan to stick to playing hockey for quite some time.

“We’ll keep going until we can’t get out of bed the next day,” Brown joked.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.