At nearly 90, he’s still lacing up for hockey games in Worcester
Members of an over-60 hockey team skate into their 80s — and beyond
THERE’S NOTHING UNCOMMON ABOUT RETIREES WAKING UP AND PUTTING ON THEIR FAVORITE SWEATER, BUT FOR ONE GROUP IN WORCESTER, THAT SWEATER IS PAIRED WITH PADS, A HELMET, AND SKATES. MEET THE CENTRAL MASS. RUSTY BLADES AND OVER 60 HOCKEY CLUB. WE SKATE THREE TIMES A WEEK MONDAY, WEDNESDAYS, AND FRIDAYS IN THE MORNINGS ALL YEAR ROUND, AND IT’S JUST A GREAT BUNCH OF GUYS THAT GET TOGETHER AND SKATE AND LOVE THE GAME OF HOCKEY. AND HOW DO PEOPLE REACT WHEN THEY HEAR ABOUT THESE SEASONED SPORTSMEN? IF YOU ASK MY DOCTOR, HE THINKS WE’RE CRAZY. A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE WILL SAY, ARE YOU TOO OLD TO BE PLAYING? AND WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU FALL DOWN? I SAID, WELL, WE GET UP LIKE WE LIKE TO SAY, ONCE YOU STOP MOVING, YOU START RUSTING AND WE’RE THE RUSTY BLADES. THE RUSTY BLADES ARE PLAYERS IN THEIR 60S, 70S AND 80S. BUT WHEN THE CLUB REACHED OUT TO US WITH A STORY FROM YOU, IT INVOLVED ONE VERY SPECIAL PLAYER MEET 89 YEAR OLD LIONEL BOURGEOIS. YEAH, I’M FROM A LITTLE TOWN CALLED BUCTOUCHE, NEW BRUNSWICK, AND IT WAS IN THE BACKWOODS THERE WHEN I WAS YOUNG IN CANADA. YOU KNOW, POND HOCKEY. I WAS ABOUT 6 OR 7 YEARS OLD, BUT AROUND THAT TIME HE LOST HIS MOTHER, HIS FATHER, A LUMBERJACK, TRAVELED MILES INTO THE WOODS DURING THE WEEK, WHILE LIONEL, A LUMBERJACK HIMSELF, HUNTED GAME WITH A BOW AND ARROW. AT 23, A RELATIVE IN WALTHAM INVITED LIONEL TO COME TO THE STATES. I WENT IN THE ARMY FOR A WHILE, AND I DIDN’T. I DIDN’T EVEN SKATE UNTIL 33. I LOST TEN YEARS. BUT HE MORE THAN MADE UP FOR LOST TIME RELEARNING HOW TO PLAY THE GAME HE LOVED. IN 1999, AT THE AGE OF 63, HE JOINED THE RUSTY BLADES. NOW HE’S THEIR MOST SENIOR PLAYER EVER, AND IN MAY 2026, HE’LL MARK ANOTHER MILESTONE. YEAH, YEAH, JUST JUST A NUMBER 90. ACCORDING TO HIS TEAMMATES, THE SOON TO BE 90 YEAR OLD STILL HAS PLENTY OF GAME. HE’S A GOOD CENTERMAN AND HE’LL TELL YOU HE DOESN’T SEE YOU. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GET THE PUCK. HE STILL HAS A GOOD SHOT AND HE COULD SKATE LIKE THE WIND UP AND DOWN. HE’S JUST A GREAT GUY. HE EATS, DRINKS AND BREATHES HOCKEY. YOU’VE GOT TO KEEP GOING. YOU KNOW, IF YOU PEOPLE THINK WHEN THEY RETIRE, THEY’VE GOT TO SIT DOWN AND DO NOTHING. YOU KNOW THAT’S NOT THAT’S NOT THE RIGHT THING. I THINK YOU’VE GOT TO KEEP DOING THINGS. YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHAT I DID. STAY ACTIVE. AND WHAT’S THE SECRET TO PLAYING HOCKEY FROM YOUR 60S TO YOUR 70S THROUGH YOUR 80S AND INTO YOUR 90S? MY WIFE’S A GOOD COOK, AND SHE COOKS GOOD FOOD. EVERY ONE OF THESE GUYS IS A GREAT GUY. THEY’RE ALL HERE FOR THE SAME REASON. FOR THE LOVE OF HOCKEY. AND JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY’S RETIRED. AND THIS IS REALLY A SUPPORT GROUP THAT WE ALL HAVE. AND IT’S IT’S A REALLY SPECIAL GROUP. OH, I LOVE THEM. THEY’RE ALL NICE. YOU KNOW, THEY TAKE CARE OF ME ANYWAY. BRA AND LIONEL PLANS TO CELEBRATE HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY WITH HIS WIFE AND FOUR CHILDREN, TWO OF WHOM ARE ALSO RETIRED. RETIRED. TWO OF HIS KIDS ARE RETIRED. HE’LL ALSO BE JOINED BY TEN GRANDCHILDREN AND TWO GREAT GRANDCHILDREN. NOW, LIONEL’S FAVORITE HOCKEY TEAMS, THE BRUINS AND THE CANADIENS, WHICH I DIDN’T EVEN THINK WAS POSSIBLE. YOU’D THINK HE’D BE TORN APART BY INNER CONFLICT AND ANGST. I DON’T THINK SO, BECAUSE HE SEEMS HEALTH
At nearly 90, he’s still lacing up for hockey games in Worcester
Members of an over-60 hockey team skate into their 80s — and beyond
Updated: 8:12 PM EST Jan 14, 2026
In Worcester, the Central Mass. Rusty Blades are redefining retirement. The over-60 hockey club skates three mornings a week, year-round, simply for the love of the game. “Once you stop moving, you start rusting,” says team member Paul LaVenture. “And we’re the Rusty Blades.”The group includes players in their 60s, 70s, and 80s — but one teammate stands out. Meet 89-year-old Lionel Bourgeois.Born in rural New Brunswick, Canada, Lionel learned hockey young, playing pond hockey before life pulled him away from the game. He lost his mother early, worked in the woods, served in the Army, and didn’t lace up skates again until his 30s. “I lost 10 years,” he says.He made up for it — joining the Rusty Blades at age 63. Now, as he approaches 90, Lionel is the oldest player the team has ever had. Teammates say he still skates hard, shoots well, and lives for hockey.“You gotta keep going,” Lionel says. “When people retire, they think they gotta sit down and do nothing. That’s not right.” P.S. Lionel tells us he is a fan of both the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, and credits his longevity to his wife’s cooking.
WORCESTER, Mass. —
In Worcester, the Central Mass. Rusty Blades are redefining retirement. The over-60 hockey club skates three mornings a week, year-round, simply for the love of the game.
“Once you stop moving, you start rusting,” says team member Paul LaVenture. “And we’re the Rusty Blades.”
The group includes players in their 60s, 70s, and 80s — but one teammate stands out. Meet 89-year-old Lionel Bourgeois.
Born in rural New Brunswick, Canada, Lionel learned hockey young, playing pond hockey before life pulled him away from the game. He lost his mother early, worked in the woods, served in the Army, and didn’t lace up skates again until his 30s. “I lost 10 years,” he says.
He made up for it — joining the Rusty Blades at age 63. Now, as he approaches 90, Lionel is the oldest player the team has ever had. Teammates say he still skates hard, shoots well, and lives for hockey.
“You gotta keep going,” Lionel says. “When people retire, they think they gotta sit down and do nothing. That’s not right.”
P.S. Lionel tells us he is a fan of both the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, and credits his longevity to his wife’s cooking.