It was sometime before the 1800s when someone, for the first time, strapped blades onto their boots, grabbed a club-shaped branch and pushed a ball around on a sheet of ice.

Fast forward to 2021, and that is all hockey player Luke Dyer, second-year business student, has to work with.

“Staying Fit” is a series of photo stories where University of Saskatchewan students share how they continue to keep active throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For part three of the series, Dyer shows the changes COVID-19 has brought to the hockey world.

Dyer typically plays competitive hockey for the Delisle Chiefs from Delisle, Saskatchewan.

The health restrictions have wiped nearly a full season away after a late-November COVID-19 announcement ordered all team sports to put their season on pause. This means roughly three to four organized ice times have been subtracted from Dyer’s regular fitness routine. 

This lead him to go back to hockey’s grassroots and play the game on outdoor rinks. Weather, as well as his studies, now play a role in the number of times Dyer is able to lace up the skates per week, but he typically likes to get out two to three times. 

After playing just five games in November, his hopes for a return to play diminish each day. The changes in the season will determine when his outdoor skating will come to an end. 

For now, running practice and drills is in the hands of Dyer, and any games in the near future will most likely be against friends. 

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Nicholas Saretzky | Contributing Photojournalist

Photos: Nicholas Saretzky | Contributing Photojournalist