FROZEN
      BALLS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ADAM
      GAUTHIER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      another
      Christmas
      dawns,
      I
      can’t
      help
      but
      think
     
     
      back
      to
      my
      youth.
      Seven
      long
      years
      ago
      I
      asked
      for
      hockey
     
     
      equipment
      as
      my
      Christmas
      gift.
      I
      wanted
      a
      stick,
      goalie
      pads,
     
     
      a
      mask
      and
      two
      nets.
      If
      I
      received
      these
      items,
      I
      would
      be
      set
     
     
      for
      the
      street
      hockey
      game
      in
      the
      afternoon.
      All
      of
      my
      friends
     
     
      were
      also
      asking
      for
      street
      hockey
      gear.
      Brad
      was
      looking
      for
     
     
      goalie
      gear
      too
      as
      he
      was
      going
      to
      be
      in
      the
      other
      net;
      Tyler
     
     
      was
      looking
      for
      a
      couple
      of
      sticks
      including
      an
      Easton
     
     
      Aluminum
      which
      he
      would
      use
      for
      ice
      hockey
      too.
     
    

    
     
      Of
      course,
      we
      all
      asked
      for
      tennis
      balls.
      We
      would
     
     
      always
      lose
      one
      a
      day,
      it
      didn’t
      matter
      if
      there
      was
      snow
      or
     
     
      not.
      Brad
      and
      I
      refused
      to
      go
      in
      the
      nets
      unless
      we
      used
      them.
     
     
      This
      annoyed
      most
      of
      the
      guys
      because
      the
      balls
      bounced
      too
     
     
      much
      on
      the
      pavement
      making
      it
      difficult
      to
      get
      a
      good
      shot
     
     
      on
      a
      one-timer.
      I
      knew
      it
      was
      a
      problem,
      but
      I
      wasn’t
      prepared
     
     
      to
      defeat
      my
      likelihood
      of
      having
      children
      by
      using
      one
      of
     
     
      those
      hard
      plastic
      orange
      balls.
      I
      may
      have
      been
      thirteen
      at
     
     
      the
      time
      but
      I
      was
      still
      preparing
      for
      the
      future.
     
    

    
     
      As
      Christmas
      Day
      drew
      closer
      our
      anticipation
      grew.
     
     
      Since
      the
      snow
      and
      ice
      had
      covered
      the
      driveway
      where
      we
     
     
      had
      taken
      broken
      pieces
      of
      asphalt
      to
      use
      as
      net
      posts
      we
      had
     
     
      to
      use
      chunks
      of
      ice.
      They
      had
      to
      be
      replaced
      after
      every
      short
     
     
      game
      because
      cars
      would
      keep
      running
      over
      them.
     
    

    
     
      I
      couldn’t
      wait
      to
      get
      a
      new
      pair
      of
      goalie
      pads.
      My
     
     
      knees
      were
      so
      bruised
      and
      beaten
      they
      looked
      as
      if
      someone
     
     
      had
      taken
      a
      bat
      to
      them.
      I
      really
      needed
      a
      mask
      more
      than
     
     
      anything
      else
      though.
      A
      person
      wouldn’t
      think
      a
      tennis
      ball
     
     
      could
      do
      much
      damage
      to
      a
      coming
      off
      the
      blade
      of
      a
      twelve
     
     
      or
      thirteen-year-old.
      Well
      it
      can
      when
      it’s
      frozen
      and
      being
     
     
      shot
      hard
      from
      fifteen
      feet
      away.
      I
      got
      hit
      in
      the
      mouth,
      the
     
     
      nose,
      the
      eye,
      and
      the
      balls
      so
      many
      times
      that
      week
      leading
     
     
      up
      to
      Christmas
      that
      I
      would
      go
      home
      at
      night
      and
      get
      down
     
     
      on
      my
      hands
      and
      knees
      to
      pray
      for
      new
      gear.
      The
      guys
      real-
     
     
      ized
      that
      I
      was
      starting
      to
      hurt
      and
      they
      started
      to
      take
      it
      easy
     
     
      on
      me
      for
      the
      most
      part.
      I
      began
      to
      rack
      up
      the
      shutouts
      but
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
      did
      get
      pretty
      boring
      only
      stopping
      light
      shots.
     
    

    
     
      When
      school
      was
      finally
      out,
      we
      began
      to
      play
      earlier
     
     
      in
      the
      day,
      sometimes
      going
      from
      the
      morning
      to
      darkness
     
     
      without
      stop.
      When
      the
      games
      would
      go
      long,
      we
      would
      get
     
     
      into
      fights
      in
      the
      snowbank.
      This
      is
      usually
      when
      the
      boys
     
     
      were
      separated
      from
      the
      teens.
      Being
      one
      of
      the
      heaviest
      guys
     
     
      there,
      I
      didn’t
      lose
      too
      many
      rumbles
      in
      the
      snow.
     
    

    
     
      Finally
      Christmas
      Eve
      had
      arrived.
      We
      had
      a
      short
     
     
      game
      that
      day.
      A
      lot
      of
      us
      had
      to
      go
      see
      the
      grandparents
      or
     
     
      relatives
      early
      in
      the
      afternoon
      or
      evening
      which
      is
      a
      good
     
     
      thing
      because
      you
      would
      get
      presents
      at
      all
      of
      the
      stops.
      The
     
     
      next
      day
      I
      was
      very
      excited
      when
      I
      looked
      under
      the
      tree
      and
     
     
      saw
      two
      boxes
      each
      containing
      a
      street
      hockey
      net.
      I
      couldn’t
     
     
      wait
      to
      try
      them
      out.
      Unfortunately
      “Santa”
      had
      not
      put
      them
     
     
      together
      and
      would
      not
      do
      so
      for
      another
      week.
     
    

    
     
      We
      didn’t
      start
      using
      the
      nets
      until
      mid-January
      which
     
     
      didn’t
      seem
      to
      bother
      the
      guys.
      I
      also
      received
      a
      new
      goalie
     
     
      stick
      blade
      and
      a
      Montreal
      Canadiens
      hockey
      jersey
      with
      R-
     
     
      O-Y
      and
      #33
      on
      the
      back.
      In
      my
      stocking
      I
      found
      some
      tennis
     
     
      balls
      which
      would
      makeup
      for
      the
      ones
      we
      had
      lost
      the
      day
     
     
      before.
      I
      didn’t
      get
      pads
      or
      a
      mask
      but
      I
      was
      okay
      with
      it
      all.
     
     
      The
      others
      received
      some
      nice
      stuff
      like
      a
      mask
      and
      some
     
     
      sticks
      but
      it
      wasn’t
      anything
      better
      than
      what
      other
      people
     
     
      got.
     
    

    
     
      I
      think
      many
      of
      us
      began
      to
      realize
      that
      we
      didn’t
      need
     
     
      all
      of
      this
      fancy
      equipment
      to
      have
      a
      good
      game
      of
      street
     
     
      hockey.
      As
      we
      grew
      older
      and
      started
      working
      we
      bought
      our
     
     
      own
      gear,
      but
      for
      the
      most
      part
      it
      stayed
      the
      same.
      I
      eventual-
     
     
      ly
      did
      buy
      a
      new
      mask
      and
      was
      able
      to
      find
      a
      different
      pair
      of
     
     
      pads
      to
      use
      in
      the
      net.
     
    

    
     
      It’s
      been
      over
      a
      year
      since
      our
      group
      of
      friends
      has
     
     
      gotten
      together
      and
      played
      a
      game
      of
      street
      hockey.
     
     
      Whenever
      I
      see
      the
      odd
      person,
      I
      say
      that
      we’ll
      be
      having
      a
     
     
      game
      soon.
      When
      we
      get
      out
      there,
      it
      will
      be
      just
      like
      old
     
     
      times
      with
      asphalt
      posts
      and
      frozen
      balls.