The Edge of the World

A cold wind blows across the mighty St Lawrence River from the province of Ontario into the Northern most end of New York driving the snow across the dark and winding road. A lonely caravan of cars press northward at a snails pace slowly making their way through the dark and wintry day. The storm has blotted out the sun turning day into night. Each small town that passes by somewhere out there in the snow look lonely and empty. The only sign of life are the faint flickering of lights that seem farther off in the distance then they truly are. The same scene plays out year after year as teams make their way north to play some of the best youth hockey this side of the Canadian border. Some Canadian teams make their way south fighting the same weather conditions all for a few hours of hockey in the small Northern New York village of Massena. To me Massena always seemed like it sat at the edge of the world. When I think of Massena, I think of two things; cold and great hockey. The whole area is loaded with great hockey programs all across the northern section of New York, and the southern end of Ontario and Quebec. In fact all along both sides of the St Lawrence are some of the best hockey playing and hockey culture that you will find anywhere. The old Massena rink, as well as the new rink that is housed in the local shopping mall showcase how much this area loves the game of hockey. You don’t have to travel very far in any direction to find some strong competition from other long time running hockey programs. We all know strong competition makes for very good hockey. The local hockey scene acts like a magnet to draw other teams from many miles away to see how well they match up against so many local great hockey players. This really is Hockey Town for anyone who’s made the long drive up 37 or along the 401 on the other side of the river. If you’re looking for some great hockey look north to one of New York’s hockey gems, and don’t forget to dress warm. The cold is unforgiving. Maybe it’s the secret to why the teams up there skate so darn fast. When the temperature drops you’ve got to keep moving, and they sure do that on the ice with the puck.