As you’re reading this, Santa Claus and his team of reindeer are flying somewhere over this great blue orb of ours, delivering gifts to good little boys and girls while spreading joy the world over.
So if you’ll allow me, let jolly ol’ Saint Phil (hey, I’ve got the Santa shape, so give me some leeway here) deliver a holiday wish of his own to the high school hockey players of the North Shore.
Be happy with the gift of hockey, no matter where — or for whom — you play.
Celebrate where you are. Revel in the fact that you get to go to the rink every day, hang with your buddies, strap on your skates, tug on your sweater and bucket, grab your stick and hit the ice.
Playing hockey is not a God-given right; it’s a privilege. Never forget that. Embrace every moment you feel the crunch of ice under your blades, the puck cradled on your stick, doing what you love and forgetting about all your worries.
To be more specific: don’t waste time wondering where you could be; bask in the moment of where you are, right now, and soak it in for all it’s worth.
High school hockey remains special. Playing in front of family, friends, classmates and hockey-loving townsfolk — of which there are many in the region — is a great thing. Those crowds only increase as the season unfolds and the playoffs come, where full barns are the norm.
While the level of high school hockey may be much different than years past, the excitement remains. Live it, breathe it, savor it while you can as a player.
We have been conditioned to think there is always something better Out There. A better job. A nicer car. A more spacious living quarters.
In some cases, this is absolutely true. What parent doesn’t want their children to be better off than they are, be it financially, emotionally, or otherwise?
But when it comes to hockey at this level, that, more often than not, isn’t the case.
I’m not sure what the hockey equivalent is to ‘the grass isn’t always greener’ (the ice isn’t always as shiny? I don’t know). But I know that tired old cliché applies here.
Am I saying players aren’t allowed to dream of better hockey opportunities? Of course not. If you’ve got the talent, drive, size and speed to strive for and play at the next level, go for it. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from doing so.
But that path is not for everyone. It’s not for most players, actually.
Yes, I am well aware that the high school game has changed exponentially. As someone in his 36th year on the job, there are times it’s like watching a different sport from three-and-a-half decades ago.
With droves of other options available to players (and their parents who are willing to pay) — various levels of junior hockey, New England prep schools, Tier 1 and Tier 2 club teams, hockey academies, etc. — high school teams sometimes get the short stick.
But is the tradeoff worth it? Depends on who you ask.
No one doubts that there is broader exposure playing in one of the above-mentioned scenarios, where scouts and/or coaches keep an eye on the proceedings. For many of these programs there’s also far more of a hockey emphasis than on the student-athlete as a whole.
If we’re being completely transparent, no one playing North Shore high school hockey right now is playing Division 1 college. Not exactly breaking news there, but still. Scant few will ascend to play Division 3. As strong as college club teams are these days, even that dream is a stretch for many.
I get that for all the miles put on the family vehicle, all the ungodly hours spent at faraway rinks, all the money spend on skates and broken sticks and larger gear and the like, folks would like to see it balance out in the end in terms of a scholarship.
But it rarely works that way. And it that should never, ever be the end-all for all hockey players. Playing for the pure joy of competition and camaraderie should.
For most local players, where they are right now, be it Beverly or Danvers or Marblehead or Peabody or Gloucester or Masconomet or St. John’s Prep or Essex Tech or Bishop Fenwick or Swampscott or Rockport or wherever, this is it, the last time you’ll play competitive hockey. Playing with guys you grew up with, learned the game with, have formed forever-tight bonds with. You know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, have won big games and lost heartbreakers together, and would do anything for the guy in the stall next to you.
I’d love to see the MIAA take a place out of the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC)’s book and make the season 30 games, with 18-minute periods, in an effort to keep more kids at home. There isn’t a player in the Commonwealth who would turn down the chance to skate in more contests.
Call me naïve, but the still-new decision to allow Canadian Major Junior Hockey players to transfer and play NCAA hockey could have a positive effect, over time, on local high schools. Hear me out: a proliferation of skaters north of the border that now can also play Division 1 in the states (currently at 120+ set to do so for the 2026-27 season) will be taking spots that otherwise the Lower 48 were fighting for. This means on the truly, truly elite will ascend to the 60-odd Division 1 college hockey programs, and there will be a similar trickle-down effect at the Division 3 level.
Perhaps this means more players will say I love playing hockey and I’m pretty good … but I’m not THAT good. Maybe instead of chasing a pipe dream, they choose to stay home, play with their lifelong friends, and skate before packed houses instead of playing 11:30 a.m. games on a Wednesday before a janitor, a handful of parents and maybe a few scouts.
Or maybe those are just sugarplum visions dancing in my head. Who’s to say?
So I’ll leave you with this: In this season of celebration, think of how lucky you are to be healthy and playing hockey … and celebrate it, no matter where you are or who you play for.
The memories you make today will carry with you for a lifetime.
The Blue Line Report appears each Wednesday during the high school hockey season. Contact Phil Stacey at pstacey@salemnews.com and follow him on X @PhilStacey_SN.