Lamplighter Hockey -- Backyard Rink

No rules, no refs, no pressure - just the purest form of hockey. The Backyard Rink is often underrated, but the skills and lessons learned here are difficult to get anywhere else. Decisions must be made faster, reaction time is tested to the limits, since there is nowhere to hide when you have the puck.

Beginning in November, the summer playground of baseballs and footballs concedes defeat to the inevitable frost and oncoming deep freeze that northern Minnesota so generously gives the ice makers of The Backyard Rink. The ground is transformed into a frozen tablet that will tell the story of the upcoming season: the missed chances, the overtime winners, the "next goal wins", the huge saves, and last, but not least, the memories.

Backyard rinks require a lot of maintenance to keep the ice fast and smooth. It is very possible to spend more time building and maintaining the ice than skating on it. The smaller size of The Backyard Rink does provide a benefit, though, in that it is quicker to clear off a smaller rink than a much larger ice surface. So while it is true that The Backyard Rink does not provide a place to hide, the warming house does - when it's time to shovel!