Santa Rosa's Redwood Empire Ice Arena is known as Snoopy's Home Ice and has been a gathering spot for locals for generations.
Built in 1969 by Charles M. Schulz, creator of the comic strip “Peanuts,” the rink was where he brought part of his Minnesota hometown to his new home in Sonoma County.
Schultz was, of course, very famous, and his ice rink gave him a way to “just get into the fold,” according to his longtime friend Phil LeBlanc. In 1971, Schultz began inviting people to the rink to play hockey on Tuesday nights.
More than 50 years later, and nearly 25 years after Schultz's death in 2000 at age 77, hockey nights are still going strong.
This weekly game is now called “Sparky's Skate,” and Sparky is Schultz's longtime nickname.
The club meets around 6-7:30 p.m. and currently has 33 members ranging in age from early 40s to late 80s. And nearly all of them have some connection to Schulz, whether through family or simply being fans of the comic book artist.
Mr. LeBlanc, 67, is the group's unofficial leader. He has spent most of his life in Sonoma County and is one of the players who considered Schultz a friend.
“(Schultz) was very competitive, but fair…(He was) a very humble, very thoughtful person,” LeBlanc said one Tuesday night in March. “He was an all-around great guy.”
The presence of manga artists is always with them.
Each year, on the Tuesday closest to the anniversary of his death on Feb. 12, the group takes time to remember him on the ice.
And every year, when LeBlanc asks his players to raise their hands if they know Schultz, “quite a few” hands go up.
“It takes my breath away because he was a friend of mine and a friend of so many people here. There are pictures of him everywhere and so many reminders of him here,” LeBlanc said. Told.
Photos of Schultz and his family and friends surround the ice rink, which is still owned by the Schultz family. There are also many references to his hockey jersey and “peanuts”.
“Someone asked me, 'Do you think there's a presence of him here?' To me, it's definitely everywhere you look,” LeBlanc said.
Schultz also influences the types of games the members play. The group strives to ensure that everyone has a chance to be on the ice and to play a clean game, free of abusive or offensive language, just as Schultz defends the game.
Warren Smith, 78, is another member of the skating group who knew Schultz personally. When asked if he ever gets rough on the ice, Smith replied: We try to live up to the spirit of Sparky. ”
For Smith, this was a night not to be missed.
“My boss would have a meeting in Milpitas about once a month, on Tuesdays,” Smith said. “I said, 'That's enough, I'm going to church on Tuesday.' He never let me go there on Tuesday again.”
Smith said it's the camaraderie that keeps him coming back week after week since 1976.
“They tolerate an old guy like me still trying to play and skate. How many people would do that?” Smith said with a laugh.
LeBlanc echoed similar sentiments, saying it takes about 30 minutes to put on and take off hockey gear, making it easy to form friendships.
The minimum age to join is 40 and once you join, you stay forever.
A 2013 Press Democrat article profiled the now-defunct group's 91-year-old scorekeeper, Alex Young, who had been a member of the group since 1973. His daughter Patricia Young currently keeps the score, and she's been doing so since 2017, but she never recorded it. play.
“Sparky's Skate” is incredibly tight-knit, and as a result, a spot on the roster is incredibly coveted.
“I'm honored to be invited to play,” Young said.
Robert Happy, who is in his 50s, began attending weekly games through one of Schultz's sons and has been with the club for more than 15 years.
“It's fun skating. It's not overly competitive. Everyone is having a good time,” Happy said. “It's for the love of the game.”
The group expects its longstanding Tuesday night reservations to continue to be renewed by ice rink management. Smith said he thought media coverage of the game “may persuade the rink to continue to respect (Sparky's skating).”
LeBlanc said he is grateful to the ice rink and the Schultz family for allowing him and his cheerful group of hockey players to continue playing. Each member of the club works together to cover the cost of private ice rental.
The passion in the rink and the joy the members derive from Tuesday night is palpable.
“I hope and pray that this situation continues,” Happy said. “It's the best thing in the world.”
