Hockey in Every State

By Andrew Vitalis

Let’s Play Hockey

 

There Jeff Keacher was, standing in the hot Nevada sun, enjoying the Las Vegas strip. There he was taking in the sights and sounds of one of the most famous atmospheres in the world.

There he was standing in front of hundreds of locals and tourists alike, in hockey pads. No, not handing out hockey pads or even trying to sell them – he was actually standing there dressed in hockey pads.

It’s just one of many, OK hundreds, of stories Keacher has been able to share from his current rink adventure; a six-month hockey tour taking him to all 50 states and all 10 Canadian provinces with the goal of playing hockey in all of them. The journey began last June in Fridley, Minn., and barring any unforeseen hurdles, will end back in Minnesota in late December. Needless to say it’s been a memorable experience.

“It’s been interesting,” laughed Keacher. “When I was in Las Vegas, there were people on the street impersonating the Statue of Liberty. I saw a Michael Jackson, and I thought to myself, why not a hockey goalie? The response was great. People were honking their horns and coming up to talk to me about Minnesota and my trip. I even got $20 from a drunk guy.”

Almost equally as entertaining as Keacher’s stories is learning about his hockey background and how his “hockey road trip” came together. Keacher grew up in Minnesota and went to Maple Grove High School. Surprisingly, the future software designer didn’t even play high school hockey. As a matter of fact, the closest he came to the ice in high school was playing in the pep band. Although hockey was a love of his, at the time, learning to play the game just didn’t seem plausible.

“In high school, I figured it was way too late to start playing,” Keacher said. “At the same time, I have always felt it’s my birthright as a Minnesotan to play the game.”

Still, the desire remained. It wasn’t until 2004 when his passion for the game boiled over onto the ice. After receiving his undergraduate degree at the Rose-HulmanInstitute of Technology, Keacher returned to Minnesota looking to skate. He joined the Adult Hockey Association (AHA), grabbed his goalie pads and took the plunge.

Yes, that’s right, when facing the decision of what position to play, the hockey beginner chose to play arguably the toughest position on the ice – goalie. Keacher has always prided himself as never turning away from a challenge. True to form, he strapped up the pads and started to learn the game, one save at a time.”

“I like the idea of being the last man on defense,” Keacher said. “Plus, being an engineer by trade, there is a lot of thinking that goes along with the position, understanding angles and thinking about geometry. Also, I have to admit, I’ve always thought the pads are cool.”

Keacher spent the next several years honing his skills. Despite a brief stint away from the game while attending graduate school at Stanford University, Keacher was a constant between the pipes, playing wherever, and against whomever, he could find. He even took personal lessons from professionals.

With each save, his love for the game grew, and with that passion, an idea in his head began to grow. What about a hockey tour through all of the Canadian provinces? The idea continued to grow. What about playing in all 50 states? What about playing hockey in all of the Canadian provinces and all 50 states? As they say, the rest is history.

After Keacher decided to make the trip happen, the planning stage began. Working as an independent consultant, he saw an opening in his schedule, a six-month opening that he felt gave him the time he needed. In terms of money, Keacher saved for nearly a year, stockpiling money away like some hockey players stockpile pucks. When the last i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed, he had finalized a plan which took him on the road from June to December.

“The only rule I set for myself was that I had to play on ice,” Keacher said. “Whether it was a pick-up game or a real game somewhere, the goal was to play goalie in all of those places. As far as I know, it’s never been done before. I talked to the head of archives at the Hockey Hall of Fame and to his knowledge it’s never been done before.

“Given where I was at in life, being single with no children, I figured it was now or never. You can always make money, but you can’t always make time. I knew if I didn’t do this now, I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to do it.”

And so it began. First to the western provinces of Canada, then it was down the west coast to San Diego, then Vegas, then the mountain states ... do you get the picture?

To date, Keacher has racked up over 22,000 miles, has played in all 10 Canadian provinces and 26 states, and has played over 3,100 minutes of hockey. The journey has taken on a life of its own. You can keep track of his progress and read his blog at stoppingineverystate.com.

He has also been interviewed by Yahoo Sports (Puck Daddy), been featured in an Ottawa newspaper and has even appeared on “Canada AM,” which Keacher states is Canada’s version of Good Morning America. While hockey is still his driving force, the journey has turned into much, much more.

“There have been times where I have been moved by the emotion of it all,” Keacher said. “To be able to experience first-hand all of the great cities I have visited, meeting all these wonderful people along the way from all different walks of life. To know that these places exist on a personal level, I just feel really fortunate to be a part of this. It certainly has put some things into perspective and given me plenty of stories to tell that’s for sure.”

Oh yes, the stories. Like when Keacher and a friend were backpacking in Delani National Park in Alaska, coming face to face, well close enough (20 feet), with a mama grizzly bear and her two cubs.

Or when Keacher thought he had a couch to sleep on in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, only to have that deal fall through. Instead, the renter needed a goalie for his men’s league game the next night. Trading a couch for a game? Keacher jumped at the opportunity.

“People are always asking me if I am any good. The answer is always, ‘Not so much,’” laughed Keacher. “It’s not about being good or bad, or wins and losses for me. It’s about the camaraderie of the guys, being in the locker room before the game and interacting with the guys on the ice. It truly is playing for the love of the game. You find that there are a lot of people out there who just love playing the game, just like me.”

Still, not all of the stories are positive. In August, Keacher learned that his cousin, Nick Armstrong, a police officer for the Rapid City Police Department, had been shot and killed in the line of duty. Keacher immediately parked his car in San Diego and flew to South Dakota for the funeral. One week later, Keacher flew back to California, got in his car, and continued the journey.

“That was tough,” Keacher said. “He was around the same age I am. It reminds me that you never know how long you are going to be here. I’m glad I’m doing this trip right now.”

With two months left, Keacher is definitely taking things one day at a time. Currently on the East Coast, the hockey fanatic and his Subaru Outback, which he calls Sam, continue to pack on the miles.

No question, the biggest challenge continues to be simply finding a game. The amount of attention Keacher has attracted since the start of his trip has helped, but he will still need some help to complete his quest on time.

Finding rinks in hockey-scarce states like Alabama and Louisiana will be challenging; and then there’s Hawaii! Considering there is only one rink in the entire state of Hawaii, Keacher is still undecided when he’ll fit that trip into his hectic schedule. Still, where there is a will there is a way, and Keacher has definitely shown he has what it takes to complete the mission.

“Finding games is tough,” Keacher said. “I will go to local rinks hoping to find a game or I will check on some hockey-related websites. People have also logged onto my blog and offered me games, so that has helped a lot. A few times, goalies have even given up their net to me so I can get a game in. That’s been really surprising because I know how hard it is to find a game.

“Hopefully I’ll continue to get the word out and continue to get more opportunities for games, maybe even get in contact with some minor league and professional hockey teams along the way. I’m open to whatever. I kind of have to be at this point.”

 

To follow Jeff Keacher’s hockey quest, go to www.stoppingineverystate.com. Check back in future issues of Let’s Play Hockey for excerpts from Keacher’s blog.

 

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