Growing up a Pete
By Curtis Trolley
Growing up, I played minor hockey for the Peterborough Petes every year. We weren’t the strongest team for our age group, but we all shared one thing: we all loved going to the rink every day. Hockey wasn’t a chore or a job, it was a game. Each practice was met with enthusiasm and each game left us with a sense of pride. Being young, you don’t think it will ever end and every night, we would leave the rink only to see our teammates again the next day.
I can remember going to watch the Peterborough Petes every Thursday night at the PMC with my dad. Each season, we would have a player billet at our house and to me, they weren’t OHL players or soon-to-be NHL prospects, but big brothers. To now be able to look back and say that I have grown up to be one of those players, even for the short time that I had with the team, is an incredible feeling.
The memories and friendships that I’ve created during my time with this team are unforgettable. I wish we could have continued the season, as I believe, along with many others, that this team was special and could have accomplished something big, given the opportunity. And that’s all you can ask for as a hockey player. An opportunity. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to play for my hometown OHL club and I cannot thank the coaching staff enough for that. They saw something in me that could help this team become better and that’s what I strived to do. I may not have played the most games or minutes, but I always felt I had a role on the team.
To the fans, thank you all for your support during my time with the team. Seeing the faces of young kids in the stands light up as they watch us play will never get old to me. You, the fans, are what makes our experiences great and I will never forget playing at the PMC in front of my hometown crowd.
I also want to thank everyone in the Petes organization for what they do. From the box office to the hockey operations staff, you are what makes the organization run so well. You may not always get the recognition you deserve, but your work does not go unnoticed and I appreciate you making my time here the best it could have been.
As you get older, you begin to realize that nothing lasts forever. Change is inevitable and although you realize this, it is not until after it happens that you truly understand the good times you had. The good times that have been created for me in my hometown of Peterborough, will remain with me forever.
