Oldtimers is a level of recreational hockey for players above a certain age (usually 35-40, with divisions going as high as 70+).
The first recorded “oldtimers” game was in 1896 between the retired stars of the Montreal AAA and the current team. The game was a charity event for a local hospital.
On January 22, 1916 a game was scheduled as part of the war effort between the former players of the Ottawa Silver Seven and an All-Montreal team. All the players had retired from playing (except Jack Marshall) and many had been involved in Stanley Cup victories dating back to 1902.
In 1962 the New Brunswick-PEI Oldtimers beat the Nova Scotia Oldtimers 19 goals to 18 (9:10, 10:8) to capture the first Maritime Oldtimers series title.
The following was written by Oldtimers' Hockey of Canada:
“In October of 1974, John F. Gouett founded the Canadian Oldtimers' Hockey Association (COHA), and prepared the way for the most significant event in the history of Oldtimers' Hockey...the staging of the First National Oldtimers' Hockey Tournament in Peterborough, Ontario in February 1975.
The major success of the First National Oldtimers' Hockey Tournament that brought 56 teams and over 1000 players from across our nation together was the foundation that John utilized for his development of the COHA as a national sports' association with the recognition of the Government of Canada (Recreation Canada) to provide programs and services for it's membership across Canada and internationally.
The Golden Years of Oldtimers' Hockey from 1975 to 1980 was recognized by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) with an associate membership status for the COHA with direct involvement with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and its member country associations.
Member country associations of the IIHF from Denmark, Great Britain, Holland, Japan and Switzerland worked closely with John to establish an International Cup of Oldtimers' Hockey that hundreds of teams participated in along with over 150 Oldtimers' Hockey Clubs and 3,000 players that traveled from Canada to these major international hockey events that were coordinated by John and his COHA national office staff.
In 1980 John passed the leadership torch of the Association to the COHA Board of Directors, and established his European Hockey/Holiday Tour programs providing his personalized services to a multitude of Oldtimers' Hockey Clubs from across Canada and Europe from 1980 onward.“
Numerous oldtimers leagues exist in Canada and the United States. Some of them, such as the Whitehorse Oldtimers Hockey League, Fredericton Oldtimers Hockey League, and the Fairbanks Oldtimers Hockey League, receive significant coverage in the local press. From 1989-2016, USA Hockey hosted Oldtimers Championships with age divisions ranging from 30+ to 70+ some years.