I’m waiting in the Durham West Lightning U18A dressing room for the young ladies to arrive.
The room is decorated with banners, balloons, and tinsel curtains. Jerseys are displayed around the room with hand-made posters of each player hanging above them.
It’s Senior’s Night.
In this moment of solitude, I take in the decor, which represents the end of their hockey careers and, for many, their childhood.
Every spring, across Canada, players turning 18 hang up their skates and graduate from the minor levels of the sport. While a few may continue playing at the university or professional level, most will either join an adult recreational league or never play again.
They are moving on to post-secondary education and the next chapter of their lives.
For most of the girls and their parents, this marks a major lifestyle change. For the past 14 years, their love of the sport has meant spending much of their family time at the rink.
They’ve driven to early morning practices, raced from school to the rink while eating dinner in the car, and spent weekends at tournaments both locally and across Canada and the United States.
Some have even traveled to Europe for tournaments.
Some players have always played together.
Some have played on teams all across the region. Whether on the same team or as opponents, these girls have been playing hockey together for years.
Through all that time spent together, these players and their parents have formed strong bonds — they’ve become a family.
This year, they all somehow ended up together for their final season which included a few wins, a few silver medals and an epic trip to Nashville. The team has a large graduating class.
Ten players will be moving on, meaning with over half of the players leaving, the team will look very different next season. It’s now up to the younger players to take the lead, and they’re ready for the challenge.
Earlier, the minor players (Amanda, Ella, Kara, Kennedy, Nyah and Sara) prepared the celebration.
As they decorated the dressing room, the atmosphere was a mix of giggles as they struggled to control over-inflated balloons and emotional moments as they looked at old photos from their early hockey days. “Skyley was so cute,” said Mia, wiping away a tear.
Some of the others gathered around her, gazing at the banner of their team captain. Then one of them glanced at the clock and realized the seniors would be arriving soon.
They quickly got to work, coordinating their efforts like they do on the ice. Once the room was ready, they briefly admired their work before being shooed out by Christina, the team manager.
When the seniors entered the room with their parents, I was reminded of the museum exhibit scene from the end of movie A League of Their Own, where the families take in the moment, absorbing its significance.
There was a brief silence as they reflected, and then the tears began to flow, followed by hugs. Soon, the parents joined in. I felt deeply honored to witness such a special moment. I watched as the players recalled memories.
They teased each other over the baby-faced photos of little girls in too-big jerseys and sagging socks taped tightly to keep them up.
Dads who suddenly realized that the ride was coming to an end awkwardly joked about all the money they would save, and moms spoke of being able to make vacation plans that don’t revolve around hockey.
A thin disguise hiding how much they were going to miss their hockey parent days.
A few minutes later, the younger players — the minors — entered the room, also becoming emotional. While it wasn’t their day, they knew they would miss their hockey sisters and role models.
It was also a reminder that their own day to hang up their skates was approaching all too quickly.
It wasn’t long before Kaleigh, one of the seniors, rallied the group. They had a game to play. While often the senior’s night is held on their very last game, this was an exhibition game designed to keep the team in top shape.
Both teams still had games to play in the provincials in the upcoming weeks, some players also had tryouts ahead of them. The exact date of their final game was still uncertain so this one was ceremonial.
Once in uniform, there was an official on-ice red carpet ceremony. To emphasize the importance of the night, the opposing team, the Scarborough Sharks U18A, joined them on the ice.
The Sharks cheered each player, showing the ultimate respect for their longtime rivals.
Coach Tim spoke about each senior player’s accomplishments, sharing details about their post-secondary plans, their fondest hockey memories, and their nicknames.
Then Amanda, who will have her own Senior’s Night next year, spoke on behalf of the minors. She paused several times, choking up as she spoke, sharing personal moments that demonstrated how much the seniors meant to their younger counterparts.
Each senior received a suitcase as a gift — a symbolic gesture representing the many adventures that lie ahead.
As the players left the arena after the game, they smiled and ate the cupcakes provided by the Sharks. It had been an emotional night, but with the provincials still ahead, they knew they had more ice time to come.
When their final skate does happen, it will be bittersweet — hopefully made a little sweeter if it includes a provincial gold medal.
Congratulations to the 2025 graduating classs Bronwyn, Claire, Kaleigh, Lexi, Naomi, Rebecca, Rose, Teagan, Teah, and Skyley!