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April Blog

This month, I had the extraordinary opportunity to interview Fred Merchant and Pat Long.  Fred and Pat are some of the few players among many who are still playing ice hockey past the age of 80. Both men have done extraordinary work in the hockey community through books, blogs, and general support of all the players who share the same love for this game.


So what keeps these men, well into their 80s and 90s, coming back to ice hockey? Through this interview, I was able to find out.


Fred started playing hockey when he was just 12 and kept at it until he was 20, but then didn’t get back onto the ice again until he was 70. You wouldn’t know it watching him play now, but getting back into hockey was a lot harder than he had anticipated. Off and on, he questioned whether or not it had been a mistake to try again. Fortunately, Fred was in Canada at the time, and he was impressed by the level of fitness of the men around him. Men who were 70+ were still playing the game without any issues. And it wasn’t just hockey: they were lifting, going to the gym, jogging, and everything in between. 


What I learned is that these men don’t just play hockey. They eat well and consciously, they strength train, they do cardio, and they stay engaged with their other hobbies too. Fred’s book, The Real Iron Men of Hockey, profiles a whole list of men over 80 who have remarkably similar routines: Eat well, move your body, and stay connected. 


Pat is a great example of that. He’s incredibly active in hockey, but he’s also a dedicated pickleball player and has been playing here at the Blue Sport Stable for over six years now. That extra activity, he says, is what builds the fitness foundation that makes hockey possible in the first place. 


Outside of exercise, we talked about the importance of community. Aging has a way of pulling people toward isolation and as one gets older, it becomes much harder to connect with people. This remarkable group pushes back against that, and both Pat and Fred made it clear that the sense of community is one of the biggest reasons people (including themselves) continue to show up and come back. There is true camaraderie in being around people your own age, people who are dealing with the same challenges and problems you do day to day. They’ve found that people are more willing to open up now, and to share things that they may not have at a younger age. That openness, connection, and validity is the foundation that the team is built on. 


There’s one question that everyone seems to ask: “Are you going to get hurt?” Many of the players have found themselves having to navigate concerned family members and friends who worry about their safety on the ice. However, Pat simply answers it with this: “These men know the game.” Players at this level have likely spent decades building the muscle memory, technique, and instinct that hockey uniquely requires. It’s not so different from getting behind the wheel of a car: the movements, after a while, become so automatic that fear never really crosses your mind. There may be nerves when you’re first learning, but at some point, it becomes second nature much like hockey has become to these men. 


My biggest takeaway from this conversation is that eating well, strength training, and cardio matter enormously to how our bodies age. However, the piece that we so often overlook is community. Without it, Pat and Fred agreed, hockey wouldn’t be nearly as meaningful.


Upcoming Events at the Blue Sport Stable


Learn more about Long Hockey and The Real Iron Men of Hockey


Save the Date: USA 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Sept 25th & 26th at the Blue Sport Stable.

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