New Experiences in Rochester with Leila is a mini-series written by Rochester newcomer, Leila Rakhshan. Come along as she and her family learn and experience our community.
Rochester Grizzlies
Home Ice: Rochester Rec Center
21 Elton Hills Dr., Rochester
The Rochester Grizzlies are an NA3HL team; a training ground for student-athletes looking to play college hockey in the NCAA.
Tickets: $10 general admission | $8 student/seniors | $6 military (all tickets +$1 processing fee)
A New Generation of Hockey Fans
For the last two years, my 7- and 5-year-old kids and I have enjoyed going to hockey games to support our local team, the Rochester Grizzlies. We fell in love with their games, especially during one impressive home game experience.
We packed the bags with blankets and other necessary items to keep us warm and headed to the Rochester Rec Center. It was close to 7 pm on a Friday in February 2024. The Rec Center parking lot was almost full. Many people were there to see the hockey game between the Rochester Grizzlies and Granite City Lumberjacks. Stepping out of the car, the gusts of wind seemed to attack me as if evaluating my resilience. The howl of the wind mingled with the voices of boys and girls who were bargaining with their parents for snacks. 
I entered the building and looked into the eyes of the kind and pleasant woman who sat at the entrance to sell the tickets and check passes. She engraved every one of the hockey fans in her mind. She could easily remember many with her curious, shiny eyes, as she greeted the arrival of the fans. I waved at her and without any hesitation she remembered me. She asked, “Did you get the pink T-shirt from the Grizzlies team last week?” I had asked her the week before about the place where the team jerseys were sold. I said no but I was going to buy a regular jersey for my son that night.
I walked into the corridor above the rink in such a happy mood because I felt so welcomed by the host. When we arrived, the game had already started. The sound of the players on the ice was the loudest and most dominant one. In the corridor, I saw cheerful children having lively discussions with each other or their parents. It looked like they were having the best night of their lives in their favorite place. The sense of experience, the feeling of joy, and the emotion of recording childhood memories could be seen in the eyes of these little angels.
Support in the Stands
When we walked to the stands, I decided to watch the game from seats slightly higher up this time. I sat in a row where only an elderly man with a very kind face was seated. I sat next to him and said hi to him. He responded very warmly and cordially. I had seen him several times before at hockey games.
Even though the crowd was relatively large, and even with the noise of the children in the hall, there was a deep and breathless silence among the fans. This sound of silence turned in my head as I watched the game. In that silence, only hockey sticks with a hissing voice on the ice brought a charming melody and a wordless song.
Each moment of the game brought new and exciting moves. Every pass, every shot of the puck, raised and lowered the heartbeat of the Grizzlies fans. I have seen many of the games this season. However, that Friday night game, nobody wanted to leave the stands under any circumstances, except for those who were forced to go to buy snacks for the kids.
The enthusiasm and the exuberant shouts and encouragements of this lovely old man were extremely interesting to me. I said to him that we were lucky to have that goalie and what a game it was. He said to me, “Yes, the goalie is my grandson.” What a proud grandfather he was! Whenever the opponent’s players approached his grandson’s goal, he squeezed the bars in front of his chair and screamed with all his might to give his grandson hope and support.
When the pressure of the players was on the other team’s goal, he spoke to me of his grandson, of his games, of his victories, and the passion he had for the game. To be fair, anyone watching him play praised his bravery in taking the shots from the opponent’s teams. This lovely gentleman traveled to Rochester from the cities for the home games, and knew every player. I thought his support alone would be very lucky for a team. “You’re the Grizzlies’ grandfather!” I said. He said that tonight was his birthday, and he was hoping for a win. He introduced me to his daughter, the goalie’s mom, with pride.
I could see love and life in the old man’s eyes. I asked myself, when he watches his grandson defending the goal, what does he imagine? Perhaps he sees his youth in him. Moments of delightful defending of the goal and moments of repeated attacks on the opponent’s goal along with a game filled with dedication, cooperation, and selfless plays that intensified the excitement and cheers of the Rochester team’s fans.
At the height of the game’s tension, the Grizzlies scored against Granite City and the arena filled with shouts and cheers. Rochester managed to keep the game up until the final four minutes of the game, where Granite City took a lead the Grizzlies couldn’t match. Their courage in those difficult moments was a feat of effort and persistence. The fans’ talks and cheers showed how proud they were of their team, despite the loss.
After the game was over, I was looking at the footsteps of the goalkeeper’s grandfather as he was leaving the hall. I wondered what wise advice he would give to his grandson the goalie at his birthday party.
I also thought about the little boy in the yellow jacket standing behind the Grizzlies’ team bench glass. Despite the players leaving the arena, he was sitting there, hoping to get a signed hockey stick from the Rochester team players. That boy had hoped to get a signed hockey stick from the Grizzlies team all winter. That little boy was my son. I went on and dreamed about a day that he might grow up and compete on a big stage. I thought about the grandfather with whom I was sitting, and about a similar excitement on one of my future birthdays watching my son play as the Grizzlies Goalie did.
I have found an exciting way to spend our winter weekend nights for the next several years: watching the Grizzlies. I hope to see our new friend, Grizzlies’ Grandfather for a long time and learn more life lessons from him. I will be sure to ask for his name when I see him next.
I am Leila Rakhshan. I married my husband Fred ten years ago and came to America. I decided to become a mother and focus on raising our children after years of working in public relations for charitable and private organizations, freelancing as a multimedia writer, and teaching at the university level. I mostly endeavored to read, enjoy moments of my children’s growth, and engage in their childhood experiences.
Now that both my daughter and son are attending elementary school, I can begin writing again, much like the years before, and continue learning and sharing my experiences.
