大象传媒

鈥淕randpa鈥檚 on the ice!鈥�
Ice hockey is thrilling and violent - a slippery world where limbs are corkscrewed, cheeks sliced, and pucks, made of frozen vulcanized rubber, can travel at over 100 mph, capable of ripping a hole in almost anything human. It is also a joyous, addictive sport 鈥� and few players want to give up as the years pass.
The legendary creator of the 鈥淧eanuts鈥� cartoons, Charles M. Schulz, was not one for retiring. He loved ice hockey, and built a skating arena right next to his studio, in Santa Rosa, California, eating his lunch there every day. In his cartoons everyone plays hockey 鈥� Lucy, Snoopy, Linus, Woodstock, and of course, Charlie Brown. He also hosted 鈥淪noopy鈥檚 Senior World Hockey Tournament鈥�, right up until his death in 2000, in which players from the age of 40, up until 97, could compete.
鈥淪noopy and The Mighty Pucks鈥� glides, clashes and side-tackles its way into the tournament - accompanied by the thrilling music of John Adams. Wearing a full-face mask on the substitute bench, we hear up close the thrills, spills, and gallows humour of a bunch of players who are refusing to give up the sport they love. As for Schulz, he played until six months before he died.

Schulz鈥檚 widow Jean, who met Sparky on the ice, shares his tales of growing up in St Paul, Minnesota, when his father would spray water on the back yard to make an ice rink, and his grandmother would stand in goal, facing down the pucks the young boy shot at her - 鈥淚 hope she made a lot of good saves,鈥� he later remarked.
大象传媒 Radio 3 heads for the locker rooms, and out onto the rink in 鈥淪noopy and the Mighty Pucks鈥�.

Music
鈥淪hort Ride in a Fast Machine鈥� & 鈥淪haker Loops鈥� By John Adams

Produced by Sara Jane Hall
A Just Radio production