BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
Viking, Alta., is home to the Sutter hockey family, Thunder Bay is home to the Staal hockey family, and now Sudbury has the Zimmerman hockey family.
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The Zimmerman boys take after their dad Todd. Clockwise from bottom Scott 15, Kyle, 19, Ryan, 17 and Evan, 13. Sometimes mom plays goal. |
Right here in our backyard is a family of four boys, Kyle, 19, Ryan, 17, Scott, 15, and Evan, 13, who all have laced up the blades and played hockey.
Their father, Todd, is a former player and veteran hockey coach. He has coached all of his sons at the high school level.
Their roots in hockey and sports are deep.
Three of the Zimmerman boys play high school hockey for the Confederation Chargers. Their father is the coach of the team.
The eldest son played for Confederation last year and now attends Laurentian University.
For Dad, it?s been quite an experience raising four boys, all separated by six years, who love to play hockey.
?It?s been interesting at times,? said Todd.
?It?s also been fantastic. Somebody having four kids playing sports would know what we have gone through, but we?ve always been there for our kids. You would think with four boys, one of them wouldn?t have liked hockey, but they all did.?
Several years ago, the family patriarch constructed an outdoor hockey rink on a vacant lot adjacent to his house.
The rink would become a haven for the family as they all learned to skate and play hockey on the ice.
?I built the rink because I like playing hockey with the kids,? said Todd.
At times, the boys would convince the mother, Nancy, to come out and don goalie equipment.
?We?ve tried to get Nancy out,? said Todd with a smile. ?She would play net, get hit with the puck and then leave.?
Kyle played three years of high school hockey. He?s been playing hockey for 14 years. He coaches midget house
league hockey in the Valley. He also coached the Confederation high school girls? hockey team last year.
Ryan has played two years for the Chargers. He agrees it has been a wonderful experience being able to play with his brothers with his father behind the bench.
?I feel privileged to play with three of my brothers on the same team,? said Ryan.
Scott is just starting his second season with the Chargers. He only played one game last year because of a broken leg. He also enjoys his time playing hockey with his brothers.
The youngest brother, Evan, is looking forward to playing with his brothers in high school action for the first time and knows it will be a learning experience.
?My older brothers have taught me more about the game of hockey than anyone else,? said Evan. ?I?ve never played organized hockey with them before, so it?s going to be fun and different.?
Todd was born and raised in Ancaster. He moved to Mississauga for school, where he met his wife. From there he joined the Peel Regional Police. In 1985, he moved to Sudbury and joined the police force. He?s now a staff sergeant in criminal investigations with the Greater Sudbury Police Service.
