‘No one wants to miss a Tuesday’: Sparky’s Skate carries on Charles M. Schulz’s legacy

The Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa, better known as Snoopy’s Home Ice, has been a gathering spot for generations of locals.

Built in 1969 by Charles M. Schulz, creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, the rink was a place for him to bring a slice of his Minnesota hometown to his new home in Sonoma County.

Schulz was, of course, very famous, and his ice rink gave him a way to “just be one of the guys,” according to longtime friend Phil LeBrun. In 1971, Schulz began inviting people to the rink on Tuesday nights to play hockey.

Over 50 years later, and nearly 25 years since Schulz’s death at the age of 77 in 2000, the hockey nights are still going strong.

The weekly game is now called “Sparky’s Skate,” Sparky being Schulz’s longtime nickname.

The club, which meets from around 6 to 7:30 p.m., now consists of 33 members who are anywhere from their early 40s to late 80s. And nearly all of them have some connection to Schulz, whether through family or just being fans of the cartoonist.

LeBrun, 67, is the unofficial ringleader of the group. He has spent most of his life in Sonoma County, and is one of the players who considered Schulz a friend.

“(Schulz) was very competitive, but he was fair ... (He was) very humble, very thoughtful,” said LeBrun on a Tuesday evening in March. “He was just a great guy all the way around.”

The cartoonist’s presence is always with them.

Every year on the Tuesday closest to the anniversary of his Feb. 12 death, the group takes time out on the ice to remember him.

And every year, when LeBrun asks players to raise their hand if they knew Schulz, “quite a few” hands go up, he said.

"I get choked up because he was my friend, he was a friend to a lot of the guys here. You see his picture everywhere, you see things here that remind you of him," LeBrun said.

Photos of Schulz, his family and friends surround the ice rink, which the Schulz family still owns. There is also his hockey jersey and plenty of “Peanuts” references.

"Somebody asked me, 'Do you think there's a presence of him here?' For me, most definitely. Everywhere I look," said LeBrun.

Schulz even influences the kind of game that members play. The group makes sure that everyone gets a chance to be on the ice, and that the games are clean, with no roughhousing or unsavory language, just like Schulz would keep them.

Warren Smith, 78, is another member of the skate group who knew Schulz personally. When asked if it ever gets rough out on the ice, Smith said, “Oh no, not with this skate. We try to go with the Sparky spirit.”

For Smith, the night is not to be missed.

“My boss used to call meetings in Milpitas on a Tuesday once a month or so,” said Smith. “I said, ‘No more, I got church on Tuesdays.’ He never made me go there again on a Tuesday.”

Smith said it’s the camaraderie that has kept him coming back, week after week, since 1976.

“They tolerate an old guy like me still playing, trying to skate. How many people would do that?” Smith said with a laugh.

LeBrun echoed a similar sentiment, mentioning how, since it takes around 30 minutes to change into and out of your hockey gear, friendships are easily formed.

The minimum age to join is 40, and once people are in they stick around.

A 2013 Press Democrat article showcased the group’s now deceased 91-year-old scorekeeper Alex Young, who had been a member of the group since 1973. His daughter, Patricia Young, now keeps score and has been doing so since 2017, though she never plays.

“Sparky’s Skate” is incredibly tight-knit, and, as a result, spots on the roster are incredibly coveted.

“It’s an honor to get invited to play,” said Young.

Robert Happy, in his 50s, got introduced to the weekly game through one of Schulz’s sons, and has been a part of the club for over 15 years.

“It’s a fun skate. It’s not overly competitive. Everyone’s having a good time,” said Happy. “It’s for the love of the game.”

The group is hopeful that the longtime Tuesday night reservation will continue to be renewed by ice rink management. Smith said that he thinks media coverage of the game “might convince the rink to keep honoring (Sparky’s Skate).”

LeBrun said he is thankful that the ice rink and the Schulz family allow him and his merry band of hockey players to continue their games. Each member of the club pitches in to afford the private ice rental.

The passion in the rink, and the joy that the members get out of these Tuesday nights is palpable.

“I hope and pray it keeps going,” said Happy. “It’s the best thing in the world.”