On a recent winter day in Humboldt Park, neighbors gathered at the edge of one of the park’s frozen lagoons, transforming it into an informal hockey rink. The group, known as the Humboldt Hockey Club, has made it a tradition to play pickup pond hockey during Chicago’s coldest months.
Kevin “Bubbles” Grish, who helps maintain the ice, described their approach: “It’s pretty DIY. A little water, a little snow and within a couple minutes, it’s good to go.” Grish and Anandha Abhay are considered the unofficial leaders of the club. They regularly check ice thickness—ensuring it is safe for skating—and bring extra equipment for newcomers.
The club began during the first pandemic winter when Abhay tested the ice and invited friends to skate. Since then, participation has grown steadily. “It’s been incredible to see it grow,” Abhay said.
Members clear snow from the pond before each game and have even built makeshift tools to keep the surface smooth. Last season they constructed a homemade Zamboni by attaching a damp towel to a crate weighted down and dragged across the ice. “It was super scrappy, but it worked,” Grish said. He noted that someone took off with their invention last year since they had not secured it.
Matt Perez, another regular player, recalled playing through a snowstorm: “We were out here for like five hours. There were families walking through with their kids, and we’d hand them sticks and let them mess around. The kids were holding them the wrong way, just figuring it out. It’s turned into this really nice community thing.”
Pond hockey traces its roots back to Indigenous communities in North America and European immigrants who adapted traditional stick-and-ball games for frozen lakes and rivers. In Minnesota—a state often seen as central to pond hockey culture—the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships take place annually on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis.
Recently, unrest in Minnesota following fatal shootings by federal immigration agents prompted some players to consider joining protests after skating together that morning. Grish explained: “We still want our voices heard. One thing we talk about is how easy it is for people to feel isolated right now. Coming out here is kind of the opposite of that. It’s joy. It’s being together. They don’t want you to experience joy — they want you stuck at home doom-scrolling.”
Players say that gathering outdoors during winter provides needed connection amid isolation brought on by long winters or current events. Perez emphasized: “Even if it’s just for a couple hours, you get outside, see your friends, play some hockey. That stuff matters,” adding that community strength comes from showing up for one another.
After each session on the ice—some lasting several hours—players shovel off accumulated snow before leaving loose plans for future games depending on weather conditions.
“Chicago winters can feel long, but this gives people a reason to get outside,” Grish said as he packed up his bag at day’s end.“We just like having people out here.We really want this to be about the community.”
