Troy to host Michigan Senior Olympics men’s hockey tournament

TROY — The Michigan Senior Olympics men’s hockey tournament returns to Buffalo Wild Wings Arena in Troy this week from March 5-7, with senior players from all over Michigan and several from Canada.

In the tournament, there will be age 60-plus, 65-plus, and 70-plus divisions that make up 20 different teams. The teams will compete in round-robin play on Wednesday and Thursday, with the medal matches played on Friday, March 7.

“We’re hoping everyone has a fun time out there,” Becky Ridky of the Michigan Senior Olympics said. “We’re looking forward to seeing some competitive games.”

The Michigan Senior Olympics (MSO) is a local standalone nonprofit housed out of the Clinton Township Senior Adult Life Center. The organization began in 1979 and has seen a lot of growth over the years, now with a full slate of winter and summer games.

“We are expecting to bring in over 800 athletes for our winter games, and then this summer about 1,500 athletes will come from all over,” Ridky explained. “We do try to make sure there’s something available for everyone.”

The hockey tournament has become one of the focal points of the winter games and isn’t just a game for the MSO, but a tradition in the community.

“We’ve seen families that will come, and grandkids that will bring signs and cheer their grandpas,” Ridky said. “We also get a lot of support from our sponsors in the community.”

According to Ridky, Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the largest sponsors of the games, with ATI Physical Therapy set to come and provide lunch for the players this week. Volunteer work is also what makes it so fun, with students and adults from all over coming to support a great event.

“We get a bunch of senior volunteers and we’ve had high school National Honor Society (volunteers),” Ridky explained. “As far as medical volunteers, we’ve got a partnership with Wayne State and their programs there… We get a lot of people from Oakland University and Oakland Community College… It’s pretty cool.”

The community has rallied around these games over the years and the players absolutely love it.

“Instead of the grandparents cheering on the little kids, you got the little kids going, ‘Go grandpa’,” 70-plus Michigan Sting captain Terry Boyette said. “We really enjoy it.”

Boyette has been participating in the Michigan Senior Olympics since 2002 and has seen the hockey tournament go from just four teams in northern Michigan to 20 teams in the metro Detroit area.

“We’ve got teams coming down from Traverse City, Lansing, (and) Port Huron always has good teams,” Boyette said. “It gets competitive.”

The competitive nature of the tournament is also split up. There’s a recreational division for more relaxed play, and an elite division for lifelong hockey players.

“No one wants to play a game and win 10-0,” Boyette said. “That’s how they break it up, and every year it’s always competitive.”

After many years of playing against each other, plenty of fun rivalries have formed, which are always entertaining for players and fans alike. Boyette isn’t shy about what team he hopes to get the best of every winter.

“Beating Port Huron,” Boyette said, after laughing. “It’s always back and forth. We know those guys and they know us, and after the game we’re shaking hands and having a beer together.”

The biggest thing that these games represent, though? The ability to play. Many of these guys are lifelong hockey players and the fact that they still can lace up and take the ice is enough for everyone involved.

“It means I’m gonna be 78 and I’m still playing hockey with my friends,” Boyette explained. “In the leagues, I play with my sons. It’s a great thing. Every year that I can play it’s a benefit.”

This core value is something that the community has really gravitated towards and supported, with new people and families going out to participate and cheer every year.

“Even if you’re brand new, everybody is so supportive of each other in the games,” Ridky said. “The camaraderie of it all… It really is a wonderful thing to see.”

Round-robin play begins Wednesday, March 5 and goes through Thursday, March 6. The medal games will begin Friday, March 7 at about 12:15 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings Arena in Troy.