BOSTON -- When Charlestown resident Paul Myers won The Kitchen Cup hockey title last summer with teammates Matt Grzelcyk, Jimmy Vesey and Brendan Collier, he knew he was a witness to history.
The Kitchen Cup might not have the panache of its Canadian brethren (Lord Stanley, or the Grey for that matter), but in the 1-square-mile patch of earth that constitutes Charlestown, it's a point of pride -- as are Myers' three teammates from the summertime roller hockey tournament.
All three players were selected in last weekend's NHL entry draft. All three grew up Townies. All three sharpened their skills at The Kitchen.
"There's so much pride in the fact that from one square mile, three people were drafted," Myers said. "That's unheard of. And we're all each other's best friends."
Turn the corner from Main Street onto Eden and there it is. The Kitchen floor is black asphalt with four faceoff dots painted on. It's enclosed by 3-foot-high boards and a black chain-link fence.
As soon as the winter ice melts, The Kitchen is open for business. It's busiest every August, when The Kitchen Cup is contested. The teams skate four-on-four, no pads, and the play can turn physical at times. The participants range in age from school children to adults, but most are Townies.
