Last skate of the season

[jcp2 2]

I've been playing pick-up with a group of regulars Sunday afternoons this past winter at an outdoor rink that has a roof and is refrigerated. Tonight was our last skate and we closed down the facility; the rink is being melted down and they're going to open the adjacent outdoor pool on Memorial Day. I'll have to admit that I've had much more fun with this than I have had in the beer leagues I've been a part of previously. It was also nice to experience the weather (cold, sun, snow, rain once) while playing, kind of like when I was much, much younger. My former team started to "get serious" and had roster problems in terms of managing ice time, having "lines" for each situation, etc., etc. I'm considering hanging up the skates until next winter to keep the whole thing fresh. Anybody else have a similar experience?