Orthodox Hockey Club

Hockey is a large part of Northern American & Canadian culture, and the sport continues to grow beyond that as well. Many of us grew up playing hockey, and though "just a game", it came to represent a large part of our lives and certainly played a role in forming us as men.

It forged our character through bodily asceticism, teamwork & self-sacrifice, discipline, and obedience. For many of us it was our first introduction to the pursuit of goals, in both individual and team settings.

Most of us have had to cultivate necessary virtues like faith, hope, obedience, courage, self-control, and what the Greeks would refer to as "ipomoni" or patience/endurance. Things that apply to all of life, and certainly our spiritual condition.

At any level, any man who's ever played the game can say that he has become stronger through it.

Most of us did not and will not become professional hockey players. Going pro is a byproduct of having an elite level of success within the arena, but not the purpose of playing. Joy is a byproduct, but also, not the purpose. Exercise is a byproduct, but again, not the purpose.

The purpose of playing, is to cultivate the virtues through fellowship, brotherhood, and the successful completion of challenges through struggle. It was not the need for exercise, nor was it the desire to become a professional, that compelled man to invent a sport like hockey.

It was that spirit of competition, in its most pure form, in conjunction with an appreciation and embrace of God's creation during a harsh season, that gave birth to the game. The desire to play a game, is at its core, the desire to compete.

Competition is to test one's own mettle vs the other. To sharpen iron with iron. We compete against ourselves, through competition with others, bringing out both the best in ourselves and our "opponent". Bringing out everyone's best, gives glory to God. Understood in that way, our opponents are actually not our opponents at all, but our greatest benefactors. For without an opponent, there can be no game.

With Christ, competition is complete, wholesome, and good. It excels without tearing down. It desires victory and pursues it, but doesn't rely on itself for sustenance or strength. It hates to lose, but will through God's grace; endure it, learn from it, and overcome it. It's orderly, plays by the rules, and flourishes within a hierarchy, but it isn't afraid of chaos or the edges. It loves honor & virtue above outcomes, but it isn't disinterested or indifferent to outcomes. It wins with satisfaction and happiness but without boasting, and it loses with disappointment but not despair or jealousy. It shakes hands and seeks reconciliaton, irrespective of what happens, and above all, seeks to encourage, uplift, & inspire.

Competition only seems polarizing, ruthless, childish, or pointless, when we view it in a still frame and divorce it from the long-term perspective that brings it its meaning. We pity the loser as a type of unfortunate prey animal, and wish to reverse his loss, failing to see how he's being built up through it. We see the winner as a type of predator, and wish to see him humbled, failing to see his excellence, his perseverance, or his virtue in spite of previous failures not evident to onlookers. We even wish sometimes, that the competition didn't need to happen, failing to see that if it didn't, that potential would remain potential, bringing shame and regret to us, and ultimately robbing God of glory.

Exercise & joy, the fruits of the game that we all seek through men's hockey or "beer league" as most of us would refer to it, only come in good measure when this most fundamental factor is a) in place (since mindless, lazy, & indifferent play is fruitless & unbecoming), and b) when it isn't distorted or overdone (since excessive, obsessive, & unbalanced play is reckless, and opposes prudence).

Orthodox Hockey Club is centered on striking that balance. Our goal is to field men's hockey teams, comprised mostly of Orthodox Christians, in recreational leagues across various cities, in order to provide a rich context for fellowship & brotherhood among men over 18. A context not only where we can have some fun and connect, but one that we can grow from.

Orthodox Hockey Club is based out of Metro-Detroit and we currently have 1 team that will be playing out of Troy, Michigan in Fall 2025. If we get any interest beyond that, we can field multiple teams.

We are open to fielding more teams beyond Detroit, anywhere in the US or Canada. E-mail us to get one started, and we can provide support.

It's recreational hockey, so there aren't many requirements. To join a team, you must fit the following criteria:

• Men over 18 years of age - this may change depending on league requirements, which vary arena to arena. In Troy, MI, the requirement is 18+ with no age maximum
• Member or Catechumen of an Orthodox parish (all jurisdictions are welcome- Greek, OCA, Serbian, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, etc)
• Skill level is not that important. Its recreational hockey at the end of the day, but it's important that you can at least keep pace in a league where most have played competitive hockey at some point.
• Able to commit to weekly games. Normally held on the same day each week, at times ranging between 7 and 11 PM (late games are less frequent, but do happen)
• For those who can only play sparingly, we will have a separate substitute list of players who we will call on when we're short.

This will vary league to league, but the cost to field a team is typically split between all roster members equally. Normally the cost averages out between $10-$20/per game, depending on how many guys and other factors.

It depends on the arena, but you can typically expect a weekly game, with 3 periods, a score/stat keeper, and 2 referees.

Seasons will include a playoff and a championship. Extra-curricular tournament play is optional.

We were all beginners at one point or another. Some of us started before we were 5 years old, others at 12, and some as late as into their 40's or even later in some cases.

Though a difficult sport to pick up later in life, it's done with success very frequently. It's good for both our bodies and our souls, to do hard things. New hobbies and undertakings have a tendency to refresh and enrich our lives. The most compelling reason to start something new, is that you never know who you will meet, and how those relationships will impact your life.

If you've never played before, no worries. We can help you find the right equipment and practice opportunities, in order to get you up to game speed. Reach out here

If you're a hockey player, you know it to be true that some of the most enriching fellowship a lot of us have ever experienced has been on the ice and in the locker room. It follows that bringing together those of a shared faith to play together and to compete against one another, would only enhance this reality.

Additionally, it is our hope that anybody who joins will have an opportunity to connect to men in other parishes and jurisdictions, and build relationships outside of the rink.