As you read this column, there’s a really good chance I will be simultaneously lacing up my skates to play in a hockey game. That might not sound so unusual by itself, but what will be unusual is the location and venue where I will be playing. For the third time in my hockey life, I will be participating in the World Maccabiah Games in Israel — this time as a member of Team USA Maccabi Masters.
For those who don’t know what the Maccabiah Games are, here is a description from the Maccabi USA material: The Maccabiah Games have been affectionately called the "Jewish Olympics." They are the third-largest sporting event in the world behind the Olympics and Pan-Am Games. At the 20th games this summer in Israel, the organizers predict approximately 9,000 athletes from 80-plus countries will compete across 42-plus sports. Ice hockey made it’s debut in the Games in 1997. After a hiatus, ice hockey returned to the Games in 2013 at three levels: Juniors (U-18), Open (18-plus) and Masters (40-plus).
The Masters Team (which is really just a kind way of saying "old men who are very likely to pull a muscle while getting dressed") is comprised of adult players from around the country who all share a love of hockey and have some level of Jewish blood. The team will play a round-robin tournament against teams from Canada, Israel and Ukraine beginning on July 5 and ending with the gold-medal game on July 14. After captaining the ’97 team (lost to Canada in gold-medal game) and then coaching the Open team in ’13 (again losing to Canada in the gold-medal game), I was approached about coaching the Open team again this summer, but the time commitment made it too difficult for me. The committee then asked about coaching the Masters team in ’17, as the schedule is less cumbersome than the Open team. I told them I would accept but only on one condition — that I could play, too! They agreed. Just call me Reg Dunlopowitz.
So for the past six months, I have been training harder off the ice and getting my backside on the ice with a frequency that has been much more than anything I have done in the past 10 years. Needless to say, it hasn’t been pretty. In fact, whatever term there is that is worse than ugly, that is pretty much what it has looked like for me. There’s simply nothing that can get you prepared for playing hockey other than playing hockey.
While my legs have felt decent and my lungs have been OK, my puck skills, which were never good to begin with — I’ve chopped up pucks better than a Ginsu knife — and my reaction time has been atrocious. Quite honestly, it’s been demoralizing and disheartening at times. But, at the same time, it also has been euphoric and enlightening as I battle my way back to being a respectable hockey player. One of the things I loved most about playing hockey was the focus it provided me and the ability to forget about everything else (and I mean everything else!) going on in the world for a few hours. The last few weeks of training and skating I have started to feel that focus again and I absolutely love it. I am starting to get that excited/nervous feeling I used to get before a tournament when I was young because you didn’t know much of anything about your opponents or where you would be playing. It’s a feeling that is pushing me to prepare harder and stoking my competitive fire, and I realize how much I missed that.
There are two things about this upcoming Maccabiah experience that will be different than the previous Games I participated in that really have me excited. One, for the first time, my family will be able to join me. Two, with the help of modern icemaking technology, hockey will be played in a newer arena in Jerusalem. Both are really cool for me, and here’s why.
Being able to have my wife and kids with me was the biggest reason I accepted the offer, as they have never been to Israel. It doesn’t matter what religion you are — Israel is an incredible country with so much to see and experience. If you like history, this is the place! We will get to tour some of the country and experience it through a child’s eyes. I can’t wait to see their reaction while floating in the Dead Sea, climbing Masada or walking the streets of Jerusalem.
Having a rink in Jerusalem proved to be no small feat. The only full-sized hockey rink in Israel is in a town called Metula, which is located about a mile from the border of Lebanon. It is a quaint (understatement) town with a nice facility, but it is separated from every other venue/sport in the Games. Hockey, therefore, was isolated and participants didn’t get to experience the other competitions like other athletes. About 10 months ago I helped coordinate a phone call between the NHL ice guru, Dan Craig, and the Games’ organizers about the possibility of making ice at the state-of-the-art Pais Arena. Israel’s stated goal was to purchase the necessary equipment to make ice so they can host hockey events regularly. From everything I am told, the equipment is in and the ice will be made for our tournament. To be able to play all of our games in Jerusalem will be such a bonus and make the Games an even more special event for me and the team.
