New Mexico Senior Olympics kicks off in Santa Fe with ‘Old Timers’ hockey

For some, ice hockey draws to mind high-speed collisions, yelling and knocked-out teeth.

That isn’t the reality for the Old Timers — though their games often feature a healthy dose of trash-talk.

“College-level and pro is called ‘check hockey’ where, you know, you check people, collide physically,” said Paul Wisneskey, 55, a goalie for the group. “We don’t play any of that in these leagues, so it’s really more no contact. I mean, there’s some shoving and things happen, but it’s not the same rough sport that you see in professional games on TV.”

These rules make the game harder, Wisneskey noted, because you have to play better — “you can’t just be a bully.”

Members of the Old Timers, a fairly small group of hockey enthusiasts who gather at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center in Santa Fe every Sunday, are respectful of different skill levels, he said, especially because some players are well into their 70s.

Several Old Timers — launched for people 50 and older — laced up their skates Monday to become a Santa Fe team dubbed the “No Regretskys” at the New Mexico Senior Olympics. They went head to head with three teams of age 50-plus players — hailing from Los Alamos, Taos and Albuquerque — in an exhibition match and a final game.

The No Regretskys made it to the final, which ended in a tie — the Santa Fe crew and the Taos team both scored 2 points.

“I wish we had more time to settle it for good, but it kind of felt like a fitting end, in a way,” Wisneskey said.

The matches came on the heels of reinvigorated national enthusiasm for hockey, as the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams both took home the gold in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. This marked the first U.S. gold medal in men’s hockey since the 1980 Olympics.

Monday was the first day of New Mexico Senior Olympics’ 2026 Winter Games in Santa Fe — with more than 500 athletes participating in a number of sports through Thursday, including air gun, 8-ball pool and powerlifting.

It was also ice hockey’s only spot on the event calendar.

This year marks the second winter games for the Senior Olympics. (There are also summer games and a bowling tournament.) Last year, there were just two hockey teams — from Santa Fe and Taos — Wisneskey said.

He hopes the increased turnout this year inspires even more teams next year.

“I think everyone was really happy to see it and pull more people in,” Wisneskey said. “We’d love to be able to see the southern part of the state — there’s got to be teams, too. And could we grow it to the point where there’s maybe regional playoffs and then a final and rotate it between here and, say, Las Cruces?”

Everyone’s journey to the Old Timers is different. The group sees people of a wide variety of ages and experience levels, and even some parent-child duos.

Wisneskey got involved with the group after he and his wife moved to New Mexico. He hadn’t played hockey since his late 20s or early 30s.

“I literally was walking by on the [Arroyo de los Chamisos Trail], and I heard the sounds of hockey coming from the GCC,” he recalled. “And got back into it and found just a great, small community — but a really great group of people.”

But for DJ Ennis, 54, playing hockey was not a regular part of his life until his 42nd birthday. A friend from work encouraged him to sign up, and he has now been playing for 12 years. Ennis is a member of the Old Timers and played Monday with the No Regretskys.

“I really found my people and found a fun way to get exercise and get out and make friends,” Ennis said.

Monday was Ennis’ first Senior Olympics. He said he enjoyed playing with some people he already knew and meeting new people.

He described the Santa Fe hockey community as “really great,” regardless of its small size. There are only a few hundred rostered players, he said, which is small compared to places like Durango, Colo.

“For that reason, you get to know each other and how they play and you swap teams a lot,” Ennis said.

He also described the Chavez Center as a “top-tier” place to play hockey — despite the hiccups the rink has seen over the past several years. In the summer and fall of 2025, the ice rink saw a monthslong closure caused by cooling tower and dehumidifier failures, leading to an outcry from some groups who regularly use the rink.

“The city has really dedicated resources to it, and they got new contractors that are specialized in ice equipment,” Ennis said. “Despite the problems the rink has gone through, I’m really happy that the city keeps the hockey community and the ice skating community going.”

Wisneskey echoed this sentiment, noting the Chavez Center ice is some of the nicest ice he has ever played on.

He also encouraged more people to give the sport a whirl, regardless of their age.

The Santa Fe hockey community regularly puts on learn-to-skate and learn-to-play-hockey classes, he said, and it even has loaner equipment for people who don’t have their own.

“It’s like soccer on fast-forward,” he said. “It’s very fast, and just a very dynamic sport.”

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