The Oval in Halifax is a great place to go skating. Don't get me wrong. Families can go there for a nice outdoor activity. But the days of frozen ponds and lakes, the way us older Canadians learned to skate, and in a lot of cases, to play hockey, are numbered.
You can blame global warming. You can blame our use of factories and cars and technology and industries for the fact that our climate in Canada is changing. Our environment is changing every day, and it's not something we can fix. And a big casualty to our Canadian culture is skating on a naturally frozen lake or pond for and afternoon skate or game of shinny.
The entire next generation of young kids will grow up not knowing what it's like to be outside playing hockey when it's -25c, skating for hours without a care in the world, playing the game in it's natural form. It's a shame, because every generation before us, since the invention of hockey, have had that chance. Even before hockey, our ancestors skated on frozen natural formations. It's engrained in our country's history.
Sure, we still get cold weather, but it's not (as I try not to sound too much like an old man!) like it used to be. It's odd these days to string together 3 or 4 really cold days, or enough time to freeze a lake or a golf course water hazard or a home made farmers' pond. Sure, some diehards still attempt to keep up the traditional backyard rink. But again, with our current weather patterns, it's hard to get good ice consistently.
The next generation of Sidney Crosbys, Wayne Gretzkys, and Mario Lemieuxs will be brought up on indoor rinks. And with the way kids are "bubble-wrapped" by their overprotective parents these days, it's doubtful that most parents would allow their children to "endanger" themselves by playing on a frozen lake or pond anyway. Times, they are a-changin'. Climates are changing. And, with them, traditions are changing.
I'll just have to cherish my memories of playing 3 hour games of pond hockey as a child. There was nothing like trying to score into a pair of boots being used for a net. There was nothing like chasing a missed shot for 5 or 10 minutes as it traveled down an almost endless skating surface. There was nothing like hanging out for hours on end with your hockey loving buddies. And there probably never will be again.
