Hockey can create special bonds on and off the ice.

For Bob and Ryan Trotter, playing on the same adult league team is something the father-son duo cherishes once a week.

“He coached me growing up, so it’s definitely fun getting out on the ice and playing with him,” Ryan said.

Ryan, 32, is the captain of California Closets, which competes in the intermediate division of the Tucson Adult Hockey League in Tucson, Arizona. Bob, 61, owns California Closets and founded the hockey team in 2007.

“It makes it really fun for me because I get to play with him,” Bob said. “It’s awesome in that regard.”

The Trotters have been mainstays on the team, but California Closets has a large turnover every season. One reason for that is the sporadic ice time for the league. In 2007, right before the Tucson Adult Hockey League was started, the city’s main public rink closed down. The league was forced to skate at the Tucson Convention Center, which is home to the University of Arizona men’s hockey team. Between having the college team play at the convention center and ongoing construction, the league had to shorten its 2014-15 season to eight games.

The winter season stretched from September 2014 until February 2015 to get in all its games. That included a six-week stretch from the end of November to mid-January where the league didn’t play any games.

“It takes us a long time to get through a season,” Ryan said. “Our players rotate in and out quite a bit.”

The Tucson Adult Hockey League split into two divisions three years ago and added an advanced division to go along with its six-team intermediate division.

It’s not unusual each season for California Closets to have half its team be new faces. The team adds players who generally are new to the area and looking to play hockey.

Both Trotters, who have a chance to play on the same defensive line quite a bit during games, are original team members. There are also a couple of teammates who haven’t missed a season over the years.

“It’s kind of leftovers from guys when we used to have a rink here, so it’s a bunch of guys that played together,” Ryan said. “There’s a core group of the league that played together, and it’s a lot of fun.

“There’s always new faces coming in and going every year; especially with the university here, we have new kids coming in every season and leaving a couple seasons later.”

The large turnover every season means the California Closets players need some time to get adjusted to each other on the ice each season.

“It definitely takes a couple games to get everybody in the same rhythm,” Ryan said.

California Closets rotates its players in and out quite a bit during games and doesn’t run specific lines. Getting everyone equal playing time is important, Bob said.

There is a broad range of ability and a wide spectrum of ages on the team. Since some University of Arizona students play in the league, California Closets ranges from late teenagers to mid-60-year-olds.

The older players try their hardest to keep up with the youngsters.

“The part that kills us is our stamina,” Bob joked. “Some of these guys, ‘Come on, you guys ready to go? No, no. Go ahead, keep playing. We’ll sit on the bench for a while.’”

There is always a loose attitude with the players, whether it be on the ice or in the locker room.

“Because we try and make it fun, we don’t get real serious about it. We just go out and have a good time,” said Bob, who grew up playing pond hockey in Minnesota. “We’re definitely competitive, but we make sure everybody has a great time playing. Once we get done playing, we go out and have a beer afterwards or whatever. We just try and make it fun. Winning or losing doesn’t really matter, just having an opportunity to get on the ice down here is what’s important.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.