Drinkin' local...in Beer League!?

At a certain age, dreams of NHL stardom disappear. Then begins a second phase in every hockey player's life - Beer League Hockey. 

Ice times are late, aches and pains are common, and the only spectators are Zamboni drivers impatiently waiting for the final buzzer so they can go home. In this phase of a hockey career, the beer part becomes a bit more important than the hockey part. 

I’ve played beer league hockey all across Canada. It all started in Calgary, then to St. Catharines, Ontario, then to Hamilton, and now back home in Nova Scotia. 

Finding a good team is tough. Teams that have been together forever can be hard to join as a newbie. Teams that are just a random assortment of players can have horrible locker room culture - you just want to get your gear off and go home. And then there’s the beer policy.

Great teams have a dedicated beer provider - or a rotating order of beverage slingers. The worst teams have a BYOB policy. You can debate me if you want, but I know I’m right.

Beer league locker rooms have been dominated by the big beer brands. Budweiser, Molson, Coors, etc. The beer that’s cheap to buy and quick to drink. 

Over my 13 years of late night hockey, I’ve never seen local beer brands in the coolers.

But Nova Scotia is different. Well, at least the South Cove Auto Rippers are different!

After a few years of trying to find a new team since moving home to Nova Scotia, I finally found a team thanks to my buddy, Taylor Daurie. He’s not just my neighbour, but is also the designated beer guy for the Rippers.

Playing out of the same arena that I often played minor hockey games in as a kid, this team has pretty quickly become one of my favourites. You want to stick around and chat with this team.

There’s something you should know about Taylor. Aside from being a top notch good guy, he’s also a massive fan of Toller Lite from Dartmouth’s Spindrift Brewing. 

With the classic Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever prominent on the can, this beer clearly leans into its Nova Scotia roots. But unlike so many craft beers, Toller Lite has mass market appeal. It’s light and crisp, low in ABV (4%), is sold in 355ml cans, comes in 12 packs, checks in at 90 calories and only 3g of carbs.

If you want a local alternative to the big beer brands, you can’t beat Toller Lite. Especially since it tastes way, way better than the Budweisers of the world!

But hockey locker rooms are not known for embracing change.

So, the first day I saw Taylor break out a 12-pack of Toller Lite in the room, I thought he was losing his mind. Introducing a new beer opens you up to some good chirping. But introducing a new beer that’s also low calorie and low carb? Now you might as well paint a target on your back.

I sat back and watched, waiting to see my buddy to get ripped apart. There were a couple jokes, but that was followed up by a lot of guys taking a sip, holding the can out to look at, and then quietly saying “huh, that’s pretty good!”

For game one, Taylor brought one Toller case and one Budweiser case. Ease them in - smart strategy. After two games of that, he went full Toller Lite. And no one complained. If anything, Toller became the expectation. Guys have started buying it themselves at home and the running joke is that we need to adopt the Toller dog logo as our secondary jersey.

For the first time ever, I’m playing on a Beer League team that’s drinking exclusively locally made beer. It blows my mind.

When I shared this story with Spindrift, they made sure to say thank you to Taylor directly, which says a lot about the character of the company. Independent businesses have a unique appreciation for dedicated customers. For so many, it is the most dedicated buyers who helped those small businesses stay afloat in the early days. They never lose that gratitude. 

These are the moments when we can all help people switch to local options in their own lives. Where you have a larger audience and you’re the one providing the drinks or food. Backyard BBQs, company parties, group camping trips, and yes, even hockey locker rooms.

Each situation calls for a different, but if it’s at hockey, follow Taylor’s lead - Toller Lite all the way!