It's exciting for us to receive messages of hockey appreciation from readership up in Hockey's Home, in Canada, but perhaps more so when we receive it from an unlikely outpost of puck passion. Yesterday we received this outreach from reader Robert in Etlan, Va., a relatively small community in the Shenandoah Valley:

"We live in Madison County which is about 1.5 hrs. SW of the Beltway. We have a population of only about 14k. About 12 years ago a couple of brothers who grew up playing ice hockey in Canada decided to turn an unused public tennis court into a roller hockey rink. They and others built the sideboards from plywood and 2×4's. It started small but now we have 3 divisions with almost 100 players.I was never a hockey fan, let alone a player; after all it was too warm here and roller blades hadn't been invented yet. But now my kids are big fans and are counting the days until the season opens although my daughter's broken arm (from soccer) may prevent her from being goalie until January.The operation is now being partially supported by the Parks and Rec Dept., and while our surface is in pretty rough shape, I think we can get by. Maybe next year, we can raise enough funds to get a really good resurfacing job.As far as I know, we are the only street hockey league in our area. And I think people who participate in such leagues either playing or watching are far more likely to want to become Caps fans and go to the games, buy paraphernalia, listen to the games or order NHL Center Ice from the satellite company, as we did last week. By the way, my 11-year old son has memorized the spelling of all the Russian players in the NHL.

Anyway, I called the Caps the other day and asked a Caps rep if there was anything the Caps could do to develop some sort of relationship between the team and our league. He did say they offered to sell tickets for the mezzanine area for $19 if we could get 50 people who wanted to pay that. That's nice but I'm not sure we could get 50 people. In previous years a large group of us has attended a Richmond hockey game which costs about half as much. We don't have Fairfax-type incomes here. (Our web site, incidentally, is http://www.madisonhockey.com/)

In sum, I'm not real sure what I'd like the Caps to do, but I think they have a vested interest in seeing leagues such as ours that have developed such enthusiastic supporters of hockey out of thin air, do well and prosper. I'd also like to see our parents and players develop an identity with the team.

Any ideas?"

Robert:

Firstly, thank you for sharing with us your community's new-found love affair with hockey. We never tire of hearing such tales. One of the beauties of hockey is that it has many enticing off-ice iterations: floor hockey, commonly played in school gymnasiums across the country; roller; and one of the most underrated of all recreational pastimes, street hockey.

Up north, in the States and Canada, fenced-in tennis courts are commonly flooded in winter and skated upon. This winter, the four of us are gonna keep our fingers crossed for a cold stretch of weather to settle in on Etlan one weekend so that perhaps some of its 100 hockey players can lace up some skates -- that rink of yours should be used all year 'round! We also think it's fantastic that Etlan's Parks and Recreation Dept. is actively maintaining it in support of hockey.

The Caps are heavily involved in growing hockey in the surrounding community -- we receive word of each and every one of their visits to schools and hospitals and civic gatherings, and hardly a week passes without such a visit. We're not sure if they've undertaken a trip out west in your neck of the woods, but based on your description of the game there and the people supporting it, they should.

Obviously, it'd be a big investment in time and resources to get a segment of your community to Washington for a Caps' game. Still, we hope one weekend it happens. Remember, too, that there's a terrific experience in taking in say a Saturday morning skate by the team at Kettler Capitals, which is free and open to the public all season long. A bit further up the road, in Hershey, Pa., the pro hockey experience is family budget friendly and among the best in all of hockey. Lastly, the Caps at the end of each season hold a sale of their equipment, and that allows recreational hockey players (and souvenir collectors) access to great gear often at great prices.

We'd like to hear how the season progresses in Etlan, so please stay in touch. And if you do flood that outdoor rink, we know of at least one OFBer who'll point his Jeep west toward the Shenandoah Valley on a Saturday morning and join in the fun.