Iceland - The Beginning

In 2007 an idea was born.  My friend Joe had found a tournament in Iceland.  Now parts of our team had already traveled for games in Boston, Lake Placid and even Montreal.  But this would be a little more of an undertaking.  Late night beers brought about bravado of going…to a point that one of our newer teammates obtained his passport.  It would be another five years before he would have the need to use it.

Each year we would be able to muster up the same core group of six to commit to the plan.  Although, one of us continually played the part of Lewis Morris of New York in the musical 1776…abstaining, "courteously".  We needed at least eleven players with one being a goalie.  Each year I contacted the organizer of the tournament and he tried to convince me to come.  He said he could fill out the team with players from another city.  We all felt that if we were to go, we would rather go as a full team.  This year they had moved the tournament from November to October.  The start of it would fall on my friend Joe’s 50th birthday, the one whose idea it was to go to Iceland all along.  I decided I would organize our trip and get the needed players as my present to him.

I first sent out an e-mail to our team this past December.  I put in the subject line “Iceland Tournament (The Country)”.  Some quickly responded they were in.  Great, we were off to a good start!  However, I would find out shortly they failed to read between the parentheses.  We have a hockey rink we play at in New Hyde Park named Iceland…hence “The Country” part…and that is where some assumed we were playing.  With that finally cleared up, we still only had our “original six”…with one of those still a maybe.  A few weeks later that would all change.  After one of our games in early January, four guys on the team finally said they were interested.  It is the furthest we had ever gotten.  Now, we still needed a goalie if we wanted to go.  Also, a few more players wouldn’t hurt either.  One of the four new guys had a friend who played goal and wanted in.  One of the original guys, Dave, had a friend Pat who had played a few games with us before.  He was now onboard too.  We had 10 skaters and a goalie…and a maybe.  We were on our way.

Deposits were made by the end of January, with full payment not needed until mid August.  As the months wore on, some of the guys felt we had been scammed out of our $200.  I was in contact with the tournament organizer, however my friend’s ability to get me to question it was convincing.  From February until May it WAS eerily quiet.  However, he did respond to my e-mails quickly once they were sent.  Finally in June, we were asked for hotel preference and who wanted singles or doubles.  Also, the tournament website went up, along with our teams scheduled games. I breathed a sign of relief.  By the end of August we were all paid up.  Ten of us and the goalie.  The one maybe was now a NO.  Now this “No” was just not any no.  He was part of the core group who spends time together outside of hockey.  Also, we had played together for over 20 years.  One of his best friends is Joe, whose 50^th Birthday was the reason this all came together.  Even with that, he was still balking at the idea.  It was at a party at my house on Labor Day weekend that his wife finally got him to relent…or maybe it was his daughter who kept calling him a wuss.  He was never one to give in to drunken peer pressure but it seemed this time it finally worked.  Being sober the next day he texted to see if there was any way he could get out of it.  I told him it was too late, I changed the No to a Yes.  With that, his check was sent, the team was set.  We knew it would not have been the same without him.

Now with the roster finally set, I decided we would need a plan once we got there.  Having twelve guys trying to come up with one once we arrived, would turn into twelve guys sitting in a bar all day.  While most might not have objected, we didn’t need to go to Iceland to do that…we could have done that anywhere.  The tournament organizer sent me information on a tour guide.  I had already done research on the must see places in Iceland.  I explained what we wanted to do, and we were able to fit it in before the hockey games started.  The plan was that after we checked in, we would head to the geothermal spa, the Blue Lagoon, in the afternoon.  That evening would be dinner in a remote fishing village with the hope of catching the Northern Lights.  The next day we would explore the best Iceland has to offer…an 8 hour tour in what they called the Golden Circle.  I will give all the guys credit…with little hassle and very few e-mails…our schedule was agreed upon.

What had been five years in the making had finally arrived.  About four weeks before we were scheduled to leave I went on a “Vines and Canines” walk with Max.  At then end of those walks he likes to run and jump and pull me along with the leash…and I always oblige.  The next day I woke up with a severe pain in my arch.  I didn’t give it much thought…at this age I usually wake up with a new pain or two.  However this one did not go away…and it seemed to get worse.  Finally after two weeks of unending pain, I went to the podiatrist.  I had researched what it could be, but self-diagnosing is never optimal.  He did however validate my fears.  It was plantar fasciitis.  Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of the plantar fascia, the connective tissue on the bottom surface of the foot.  It is often caused by overuse of the arch’s tendon.  I received ultrasound treatment and the foot was bandaged.  I was told it could last for months.  My hopes of it being healed before Iceland were dashed.

At this point I had not played hockey in over a month.  We had ended a successful summer campaign in mid August winning the Division Championship.  The Fall season was starting up and I wanted to play a game or two before we left for Iceland.  Of course my foot had other ideas.  I missed the first game but knew I had to skate at least once and test the arch before the tournament.  Also, hockey was one thing…walking on it would be another.  We had all those planned tours and a countryside to hike through.  By the time our second game of the season came around I had received a couple of treatments.  It was now only 4 days before we would leave for Iceland.  I had not played in a hockey game in almost 40 days.  That Friday night I left the house sooner than usual to get to the game early.  I wanted to get on the ice before the others so I could both test the foot and get as much practice as I could.  Then the LIE did its best imitation of the LIRR.  With little notice, the LIE was closed at exit 49…WHAT?  It was a Friday night at 9:00pm.  Who the hell does construction now!  As we were herded off the LIE to Route 110 I shot up north to get on the Northern Parkway.  I should have noticed no one was flowing that way.  As I got to the onramp for the Northern Parkway East…it was closed due to construction.  Really?  Let’s close BOTH major arteries on the North Shore at the same time in the same direction at the same exit...on a Friday night.  I am starting to think there is a conspiracy against me.  I wound up having to go back EAST on the Northern Parkway to turn around and come back west.  I finally got to the rink, rushed to get dressed, and missed the warm-ups.  Great, so much for getting there early.  The game went well considering.  I kept my left skate tight to minimize movement…and pain.  By the end of the game I felt better playing, the foot however did not.  This was the best it was going to get for the trip and the tournament.

Tuesday was the day of departure.  I went to the podiatrist that morning to receive one more treatment and one last bandaging.  Afterwards I went to buy a new pair of recommended hiking shoes to alleviate the pressure from all the walking that lie ahead.  Five years in the making…

And I never felt so unprepared.