OTTAWA — When asked to give his name, Larry Doshen instead grabbed his trading card. The photo was fairly recent, capturing him in black hockey pants as he cradled a hockey stick. He was helmetless, with a head of gray hair to match his “Silver Foxes” jersey.
Holding the card aloft, Doshen’s hand shook. He chalked it up to old age, but he was also filled with boyish nerves. And for good reason: The 84-year-old had just stepped off the ice after finally living his childhood fantasy of playing on an NHL rink.
“Once you get to skating, it’s fine,” Doshen said, pausing to reach into his mouth and remove his upper dentures. “I’ll take this thing out so you can hear me.”
Thirteen players representing multiple 80-and-over non-contact hockey teams in the Ottawa area — the eldest of whom were 88 years old — participated in the unusual exhibition on Sunday afternoon. The action lasted a brief three minutes, with Doshen battling through his brief anxiety at the front of the net to score the only goal. But the group of octogenarians drew cheers from the tens of thousands in attendance throughout, starting from the moment they each stepped onto the ice.
The game also brought awareness to the 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame, a nonprofit that recognizes active hockey players above the age of 80 across Canada. The initiative was founded in 2011 with an inaugural class of six, each of whom were inducted according to what the organization describes as its “knighting protocols using a vintage 1930 one-piece wooden hockey stick.” Applicants can be nominated online. In addition to the age requirement of its eligibility criteria, the 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame’s website lists “sound character and good sportsmanship.”
The number of inductees has since grown to nearly 400 players and almost 40 builders since its launch. An induction game is played every year and each new member receives their hockey card, as Doshen did. The Hall plans on inducting its first female player later this year.
Members of the 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame get ready for their game at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
The 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame got the opportunity to skate at the Senators game through a mutual connection. Back in January, Hall of Fame vice president Loris Bondio met with a friend, Liam Maguire, over drinks at the latter’s titular restaurant just east of Ottawa’s downtown. It wasn’t planned, but they wound up discussing the 80+ Hall. A self-proclaimed hockey historian, Maguire was blown away by the concept and wondered how he could get the Senators involved. Bondio replied that his organization had tried, but failed, to meet with the Sens.
Maguire tapped his connection to team president Cyril Leeder, who alongside fellow Senators co-founder Randy Sexton once sold Maguire a season ticket pledge in the hopes of eventually luring an NHL franchise to the Canadian capital city. When Ottawa ultimately succeeded in its bid in 1990, Maguire celebrated with Leeder and Sexton. Thirty-five years later, it was Maguire pitching Leeder on the 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame as an intermission showcase.
Before their game at the CTC, the 80+ Hall of Famers sat in makeshift dressing rooms covered by curtains just near the Zamboni entrance, surrounded by stacks of wooden pallets, a pair of lowered basketball hoops, and a portable emergency eye wash station. After putting on their gear — including jerseys bearing the 80+ Hall’s logo — they lined up single-file and hit the ice.
It’s uplifting to think one day like this could be me too,” said Matt Franczyk, the Senators’ specialist in hockey outreach. “Like, if I stay healthy, stay active, I could be on the ice playing with these guys as well.”
Most of the men who participated Sunday play hockey twice a week, for teams like the “Elder Skatesmen” and the “Octokids.” Others, like Barclay Frost, might play more often.
The 83-year-old Frost is considered the oldest goalie in Ottawa and is a member of Athletics Ontario’s Hall of Fame for his various athletic contributions as an athlete, coach, and official.
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