South Florida team wins Classic in Wake Forest; Sting BC wins Classic in Minneapolis

Maybe in the old days they could barge up and down the ice, but these days their legs do less and less work. Instead, the Pines UnCoachables (also known as the Pines Hard Lickers) let the puck -- and a fair amount of guile -- do most of the work in their adult hockey league. There is a culture to their game. Pass more, skate less and keep the egos small enough to be tucked inside the toe of their skates.

"It's why we don't need a coach," said John Nakis, the 47-year old forward of the South Florida adult hockey team. "The older you get, the more you pass the puck and the smarter you are with the puck. It's our style. Make the puck do the work and pass it around. We don't need a coach to tell us how to play this game."

Indeed, they have been playing hockey so long, the UnCoachables have built a trust with their style. So why let a know-it-all with a whistle interfere? They are all transplants from cold climates who started playing the game when they were 5 years old, so they understand the nuances well enough.

Their tactics were all on display in a Labatt Blue USAdult Hockey Classic, a tournament that featured adult hockey teams in Wake Forest, N.C. The UnCoachables were untouchable in the September event and went 5-0 in the Bronze 30+ division. The team clubbed the Rocky Mount Rangers 10-1 in the final, which is a feat when you know the UnCoachables are in their 40s and their oldest player, Larry Olesky, is one of their best players. He is 57. "Most of us have been together 20 years," Nakis said. "Maybe we don't skate as fast anymore, but we can still play."

There is no such thing as a practice for these guys. They gather twice a week on Tuesday afternoon and Sunday morning, split the $350 fee for 75 minutes of ice time, and they scrimmage. They usually have 15 players and can travel with a roster of 10 to 13 players.

The Labatt Blue USAdult Hockey Classics are held regularly all over the country. After the Wake Forest tournament, which was held Sept. 7-9, a Classic was held in Minneapolis Sept. 14-16.

The Adult Hockey Association in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area offers a reason why these adult tournaments exist. The organization has exploded in growth since it started six years ago. The league, which has various divisions of skills, is projecting 100 teams this season.

The AHA not only has numbers, it has talent. Sting BC won the Bronze 30+ division in the Labatt Blue USA dult Hockey Classic on Sept. 16 with a 2-0 victory over Chiefs. The winners were actually a combination of two teams, the Battle Cats and the Sting from the AHA.

"One of the biggest reasons so many are joining is their kids are playing and they want to learn the game," said Steve Anderson, 34, a bank vice president and the director of the AHA . "They also want to have a good time and they are not interested in playing in one of the bar checking leagues. They want to be able to get out of bed in the morning."