Hot Tub League wraps up another season

The mood was convivial throughout both final games in the over-50 Hot Tub Hockey League last Wednesday night in Virgil as the Leafs beat the Wings 6-3 to take the Mike Moore Memorial Cup. 

Following the consolation game, during which the Bruins dropped the Canadiens 6-2, members of those two squads gathered at the boards with their end-of-season beverage and beef-on-a-bun to watch the championship game.

The Leafs finished first in the season standings, while the Wings finished last in the four-team league. But the Wings turned it around in the playoffs, capturing the second seed behind the Leafs and the right to vie for the championship trophy. 

Wednesday’s action was competitive. Clearly, both teams came out to win this night. But overall an atmosphere of camaraderie and celebration permeated the air in Virgil’s Meridian Credit Union Arena. Hockey was being played on the ice, but friendships were being cemented elsewhere.

The Hot Tub League was started by brothers Ted and Art Weins in 2000 as an over-45 league, explained 66-year-old Brian Litke, who took over the management of the loose organization from Ted about seven years ago. 

“The group is a lot younger right now,” said Litke, who moved to a different league this year because its games are played in the afternoons. “I’d say about 50 per cent of the league is in their early 50s. I’m glad for that, it’s exactly what I wanted to see.”

The Line Three resident admitted that he’s not a local, though he married one and has been living in NOTL since 1991. He began playing in the Hot Tub League in 2003 and has seen it evolve over the last 20 years.

“This is a lot more competitive,” said Litke. “It’s really stepped up with all the younger guys the last two years. You’re seeing a lot better players coming out to play.”

Last fall, Litke passed the torch to Carl Glauser, who wrapped up his first year as Hot Tub League president Wednesday. Glauser points out that Wilmer Neufeld is the last remaining original player from that first year. 

“We have four teams this year,” Glauser explained to The Local. “We used to be six teams. After COVID hit, some people didn’t come back. It’s been hard. We hope to get back up to six teams next year, so we need players.”

Though it is an over-50 league, both Glauser and Litke point out that in the past they have invited a few almost-50 players to take some roster spots. Perry Johnson was one of those young whipper-snappers about 10 years ago when he joined.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I hadn’t been playing for a while when I started, but it came back pretty quickly. I love getting out there and playing, and I love the social aspect of it, too.”

“It’s a positive environment,” says 49-year-old Bill Goertz, in his first year playing for the Canadiens. “The guys just want to skate and play. It’s a bit like shinny hockey, but with the equipment on. I’ll be back next year for sure.”

Participants pay $350 a year to play once a week September through March, on Monday or Wednesday nights. The teams are chosen via a draft system, and their allegiance to NHL teams means nothing when it comes to which jerseys they wear in the league. The Wings’ Glauser is a Canadiens fan, while Goertz loves the Leafs but happily pulls a Habs jersey over his shoulder pads. 

Dennis Den Besten had been playing in St. Catharines until about four years ago. The 53-year-old owner of Niagara Computer Systems was relaxing in the dressing room after his Bruins won the consolation championship. 

“The guys in the league are great, and it’s fun,” Den Besten said. “We have a couple of pops afterward. We have a lot of laughs. It’s something I really look forward to.”

When he joined the league at 49 years old, Den Besten thought his age would give him an advantage. 

“Guys are still aggressive at this age,” he laughed. “They’re competitive. That’s why they’re still playing. But there’s a rule, you know. If you get a hat trick, you have to buy a case of beer for the team.”

Den Besten’s teammate Ron van der Zalm said he would miss the usual night at the arena this week as the league wrapped up Wednesday and the town began removing the ice Sunday evening.  

“I’ve been playing for five years now,” he said, “and two years as a sub before that. I love it for the camaraderie and the cardio. It’s great to play with local guys. It’s really been great for the friends I’ve made over the years.”

“The love of the game was instilled in us during our younger years playing minor hockey in Niagara-
on-the-Lake,” Glauser said. “Many of us have been playing hockey together for about 50 years. You would think we’d have better chemistry on the ice, eh?”

Following the championship game, Tom Greenough made his way over to the Leafs dressing room with the Mike Moore Memorial Cup. He begrudgingly passed it on to Rob Anderson, the captain of this year’s winning team. 

The official passing of the trophy, though, will take place at Kinsmen Hall this Wednesday evening. That’s when all the members of Hot Tub League will gather together to celebrate another successful season, convince each other to come out and play again next year, and probably overstate the severity of the aches and pains they suffered over the last seven months. 

After that, Glauser and the executive will be building their contact list for the league as they begin planning for next year’s draft, which will take place around Labour Day weekend. 

“It looks like we will have five retirees this year,” Glauser said. “If players are over 50 and interested in playing next year, they can email us at [email protected]. And we do let players who are approaching 50 in, too, if we have open spots. Although we have a few imports, we try to keep the league to NOTL residents as much as possible.”