Roaming The Rinks

Labor Day Weekend is here.  Preseason hockey is already underway in many of Canada's Junior Leagues, and the rest of the hockey world will be back in action within about a month.  For Roaming The Roaming Rinks this weekend also starts the hockey season, at the Elmira Jackals Pro Placement Camp.  This event with 2 days of scrimmages usually kicks off our hockey for the year, and gives that first hockey fix after a long summer.

Sure this camp is essentially a pay-to-play event where players spend a few hundred bucks in hopes to be one of the very few who get invited to training camp for the Jackals, or picked up by a Federal League squad.  The talent level runs the gamut from guys with legit minor league experience, to guys who got overlooked out of junior or college, and even a handful of guys who are barely able to hang with the rest of the guys in their men's league.  Nonetheless these guys hit the ice and play hard and give it their best efforts in chase of a dream.  Throw in a few inevitable scraps and the tryout camp is a great way to start off the season for the hundred or so fans who show up to watch these guys play.