Every year, Mike Stahlman and his friends look forward to coming together to compete in the Puck O’ the Irish — an adult hockey tournament held annually at the Longmont Ice Pavilion around St. Patrick’s Day.
Stahlman has competed in the Puck O’ the Irish since 2015, but he hasn’t been able to participate for the past two years because, in 2020, COVID-19 restrictions canceled the tournament and, last year, the tournament interfered with a vacation. As an avid, longtime hockey player but also an employee, father and husband, the Puck O’ the Irish is really the only hockey tournament Stahlman can count on attending each year, he said.
That’s why, on March 11-13, Stahlman and his three teammates — “Mike’s Crappy Team,” Stahlman said with a laugh — are looking forward to returning to the ice pavilion where they expect to dominate in the recreational league, he said. In past years, Stahlman has also played in the competitive league of the tournament where his team didn’t do as well.
During the Puck O’ the Irish tournament, four teams compete in a competitive league and eight teams compete in a recreational league. The 12 teams, each consisting of four players and a goalie, are guaranteed to play at least four 20 minute games during the tournament, although they play more if they continue to win.
According to Jean Scott, the coordinator of the ice pavilion, each team pays about $400 to claim their spot in the tournament. The money goes toward staffing for the weekend, as well as for refs from the Colorado Ice Hockey Referees Association, she said.
The referees were brought in during the first Puck O’ the Irish in 2011. At the time, the pavilion staff worried about the success of the tournament due to the characteristics of the ice rink that make it different than rinks more suitable for playing hockey, and figured the refs would add an element of professionalism to the pavilion’s fun, communal, smaller-rink atmosphere, according to Scott.
“We have a unique rink here (at the Longmont Ice Pavilion) because it’s outdoors and it only has 75% of ice space compared to a normal rink,” Scott said. “But we have a very vibrant hockey community here in Longmont so back in 2011 it was like, ‘even though we don’t fall into the parameters of a normal hockey rink, we still have a lot of enthusiasm for the sport here so let’s try the tournament and see if there’s interest and see if we can make it work.’”
Despite the pavilion staff’s initial worries for the success of Puck O’ the Irish, players like Stahlman don’t compete in the tournament every year with the intention of being awarded the T-shirts and beanies that come along with winning. Instead, it’s all about the sense of camaraderie the tournament fosters, as well as the sheer fun of the weekend.
“There’s a lot of familiar faces on the other teams and there’s a lot of subbing that happens if a team is missing a goalie for a game or if they’re short on skaters,” Stahlman said, “so there’s a lot of camaraderie in that sense.”
Although hockey players occasionally travel from around the Longmont area or fly in from another state to play alongside friends in Puck O’ the Irish, the majority of the tournament’s participants are local, Scott said.
Bonds between Stahlman and many other of the tournament’s consistent players were deepened a few years ago due to the shared loss of Jesse Green, a member of the Longmont hockey community who unexpectedly died on March 12, 2018 — just days before Puck O’ the Irish tournament in which Green had been expected to play on a team with Stahlman.
“He was probably the best player on our team; just a young stud,” Stahlman said. “Our team was a mess that year. It was a sad moment and I always think about Jesse around this time of year because it was such a sad blow… it’s sentimental every year.”
While honoring Green, the players simultaneously embrace the warm, budding spring weather and the festivities around the tournament which cause it to be a fun weekend for all involved, according to Scott.
“A lot of the teams have their families come with them and they will spread out in Roosevelt Park with blankets, play football between hockey games, and kids will be on the playground,” Scott said. “I’ve also seen grills come out down in the parking lot so there has been this kind of low level tailgating experience. Normally a hockey tournament might be a little bit more serious and quiet but we always have a lot of Irish music during the games and stuff like that. We’re just playing for T-shirts and glory here and to have a good time … (Puck O’ the Irish) is just a chance for everyone to get together for this wonderful long weekend.”
Stahlman particularly enjoys the warm weather during the tournament weekend which causes the ice in the rink to melt a little bit, he said. As long as Puck O’ the Irish continues and he’s able to play hockey, Stahlman plans to compete in the tournament every year. “It’s just a really fun weekend — I’ll do it forever,” he said.
Every year, Puck O’ the Irish draws the Longmont Ice Pavilion’s winter season to a close. Although the ice rink will shut down to the public on March 10, Stahlman would encourage the Longmont community to come out and watch the tournament over the weekend.
“Hockey is a really intimidating sport to look at from a distance but of all of the sports I’ve played — and I’ve played a lot of them — it’s the most welcoming group of people that I’ve been around,” Stahlman said. “People should come out, watch a game, ask questions and maybe they’ll be open to giving (Puck O’ the Irish) a shot next year.”
