"Back in those days we used to play in outdoor rinks. We had the long pom-pom toques that we used to wear underneath our helmets, and I remember my dad came in and put that toque on me and said, 'You have to wear this underneath your helmet.' I remember playing that game because we were all putting our toques on underneath our helmets and I thought that was pretty cool..."
"The Stanley Cup, that'd be the best one in the world. In 1947, 1948 and 1949. We felt like heroes, you know, everybody cheering you, everybody giving you a pat on the back, until you went back to training camp the next year, then you had to start all over again."
"As a kid, you know, there's a lot of memorable tournaments. Any travel tournament where you play mini sticks in the hall at the hotel, those are fun. In terms of my whole career, the World Juniors was a great tournament. It definitely stands out."
"The first real game I remember was at an outdor rink in Toronto, at York Mills and Bayview. And I remember how cold it was. My dad was coaching, and when we finished our shift, we went into this little hut to keep warm... It was the first time in my life I when I wanted to be in the hut rather than on the ice."
"Most memorable tournament was the Quebec peewee tournament, just because it's the best tournament in the world, it's the best tournament in hockey, with all the tradition, and you feel like you're playing in the NHL at 12, 13 years old...
"How'd I get into a hockey, well it was a long time ago, my father obviously was the biggest influence in getting me into hockey. He put me on the ice, I didn't like it at first. I was on the ice crying to get off, and he left me sitting there."
"My toes froze the second I put my skates on, it was so cold. It brought back memories of skating on the pond in my backyard."
I was eight years old, I was a novice playing forward, and I couldn't skate. I just remember I was on the ice, and couldn't skate.
"...To this day people ask me 'Do you still miss it?' Every day of the week. I wake up every morning thinking I can play again, until I start skating again (laughs). And then I know I can't."
"Probably the most memorable hockey parent I've ever met is Walter Gretzky. I mean, just spending time around Walter, he's the most well-known and famous hockey parent in Canada."
Real experiences and memories from our hockey heroes and others who grew up at the rink.
