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100 Things To Do In Holland Before You Die: #45 - Strap On A Pair Of Ice Skates At Griff's Icehouse West

 I come from a family that's pretty big into hockey.  My dad, uncles, and cousins have been involved in the West Michigan hockey scene for over 50 years.  Hardly anything hockey related in West Michigan hasn't been touched by someone I'm related to.

Case in point:  Last time I played hockey was at a drop-in event at Griff's West (gah, that was right as I was starting this blog up in 2019).  As Ms. Bareman notes in 100 Things To Do In Holland Michigan, Griff's West has learn-to-skate programs, learn-to-play-hockey programs, several schools' hockey teams, and a plethora of public ice and skating times - including the aforementioned lunchtime drop-in hockey.  I arrived early, and was in the locker room getting dressed, when one guy walked in and didn't ask, but outright declared that he knew my uncle.

How did he arrive at this conclusion?  He saw my name on the sign-up sheet in the lobby, and he saw the normal crew of 10ish guys that played at noontime, and used the process of elimination to figure out that I was the one with my surname, that I was not my dad or cousins, so he logically ascertained that I was my uncle's nephew.  This guy and my uncle had played hockey in college during the 1970s, before going their own separate ways for a few years, becoming employed by the same company years down the line, and then playing hockey again together in the 90s and 00s.

This seemingly happenstance encounter isn't unique - the first time I was ever at Griff's Icehouse West (then known as The Edge), it was covering a Jenison High School hockey game for the school newspaper.  The opposing team's coach saw me, waved me over, and told me to tell my uncle hi next time I saw him.  I'd known this coach for a very long time, so he actually did know my first name and everything - in fact, the first time I played goalie on an ice hockey team was with this coach.

Speaking of uncles and coaching, Ms. Bareman mentions by name the West Michigan Ice Dogs - a team which a different uncle coached in their first season as a club.  And, in a weird bit of Dutch bingo, one of those kids lived in my dorm during freshman year in college...and also went on to start up the now defunct West Shore Board Sports.

There was a time when I owned a hockey puck from almost every rink I'd ever been to - exceptions being Big Bear Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; Soo Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; and Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan.  I'm sure I still own a puck from The Edge/Griff's West, although I couldn't tell you which puck it is anymore. Certain things get burned into your brain, ya know, and since I've never actually played in a league at Griff's West, there's no memory burn for which puck is which.

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