2013 Top Twelve

1. Patrice Bergeron’s game-winner for the Bruins against the Maple Leafs—hear the Dave Goucher's call or from the announcers in Finland.

2. Writing to Pope Francis, asking for his opinion about Holy Donuts in Portland, ME. (Papa Francisco: Espero su respuesta.)

3. Celebrating twenty years of marriage to the AMHL Photographer.

4. Seeing my little brother, Dennis (the one with the most hockey talent in our family and an Avalanche/Michael Jackson fan) and his youth hockey pals and other punks all grown up.

5. Blue Star Donuts in Portland, OR.

6. Publishing a piece at Puck Daddy.

7. St. Andrews, NB: Our annual visit to the safe house where the protagonist in my novel plays hockey and mentioning the sea-side town in a song I wrote.

8. Learning how to play “I Wanna Drive the Zamboni” (Gear Daddies) on the guitar (I know the basics, anyway) as well as playing tunes by Canadians Michael Bublé and Bryan Adams.

9. The Bear and the Gang Christmas Spectacular: Everything from Dave Goucher’s voice to Patrice Bergeron’s Christmas present, to Dougie Hamilton’s red nose to Rene Rancourt’s toboggan ride with the Bear. Fa la la laugh out loud.

10. Tuukka Rask—two Us, two Ks… and Zdeno Chara—two goals—shut out the Flames.  This was a special game not just because Jerome Iginla’s ex-team was at the TD Garden but also because it was 80’s night: Terry O’Reilly dropped the honorary puck, and the in-game music included an a-ha moment and New Kids on the Block.

11. J.-P. Plouffe’s eccentric world where hockey, society, and art all get along (mostly).

12. Reconnecting with my AMHL friends after the Thursday Fall 2013Championship Game. 

AMHL Thursday Championship: Christmas Miracles

December 19, 2013

Bruins vs. Blues

Concord, MA

Two weeks ago, the odds of the Blues (4–10 regular season record) and the Bruins (6–7–1) advancing to the Final were as slim as Santa Claus in the off-season. (Little-known facts: Papa Noel spends the off-season as a park ranger in the Arctic Cordillera, Canada’s “Far North,” hiking the high peaks and reporting his research to McGill University. Just before he bulks up for Christmas, he weighs about 165 lbs.)

For more than a dozen years, the AMHL Photographer drives to the rink in hopes that everyone on each team will play. Perfect attendance would make her job easier and would increase the likelihood of capturing compelling images that she posts online and places into the prizes given to players whose teams play in the championship game. Even in final games, perfect attendance is not as regular as she would like, and this often means she must haul undistributed prizes back to her workshop.

As we join the game in progress, the Blues leading the Bruins, 1–0, she takes inventory of players she has tracked all season.  

“Everybody’s here except Neal (Hesler),” she says. “It’s a Christmas miracle.”

Fall 2013 Champs

Filling in for Hesler is Steve Scansaroli. Scans cracked two ribs about a month ago. His doctor cleared him to play goalie, a position he will later say allows him to control collisions, but not to skate out as he had done for the Blues in the regular season. Maybe not full-blown miracle, but only four week’s recovery?

As many a New Englander ponders the birth of the Savior and sings along with Christmas carols played on Magic 106.7, Scans watches the Bruins—skating right to left across your IcePad. Blues defenseman Mike Moore launches a slap shot from the right point. Scans smothers the puck against his chest (and upper rib) protector.

Scans braces as Bruins forward and AMHL veteran Aaron Sherman, a right-handed shooter on s his off-wing, passes to rookie Matt Buono. He shoots glove side—ding—off the post and wide right.

Still in the second period and now leading 2–0, the Blues attack again. Tyler Spring, at the right point, shoots—ding—off the post and behind netminder Dan Barros. 3–0 Blues.

“C’mon Yellow,” a Bruins bench jockey bellows, “plenty of time now!”

He’s not talking about the five shopping days until Christmas but rather the twelve minutes remaining in the second period.

Two minutes later, Bruins forward Andrew “Kala Christougena” Zacharakis, cuts from the far boards fronting the Bruins to the slot. He wrists a shot past a defender and past Scans, the puck bulging the twine. 3–1 Blues.

The teams trade exchange presents (a Bruins player scoring on his own goalie and Scans surrendering a softie or two, and the Blues lead the Bruins, 4–3 after two periods.

Buono makes good on a rebound attempt, which Scans considers another gift, and Buono scores again less than four minutes later. Almost faster than you can say Buon Natale, the Blues have not only squandered a three-goal lead but are now down a goal.

But they still have eleven minutes to tie the game.

Blues defenseman Brian Rogers shoots from the point as oncoming traffic approaches. As the opponent blocks the shot, Rogers’s stick breaks, the blade separating from the shaft. As play continues the other way, d’Entremont reaches over the boards with his own stick to retrieve the detritus. No way is he going to pull this off—or up. d’Entremont hoists the blade up the boards and lifts the blade along the boards and then lowers his makeshift crane to retrieve the shaft. He repeats the exercise with such strength, determination and dexterity—all in the name of player safety—yanking the detached shaft upward and then over the boards.

Impossible n'est pas français.

The Bruins dominate play but have not scored as the puck is frozen along the near boards.

“Time out!”

With 2:30 on the clock, Barros poises himself for the inevitable onslaught, generated by the squandering a three-goal lead, testosterone, and the thought of unfinished Christmas shopping.

The Blues once again carry the play. Barros turns his left heel out to make a save. He rises, seemingly hurt and unsure of himself as the teams prepare for a face-off.

His Bruins clear the puck, celebrate the victory, and then pose for the team photo with the Koffey Cup. A Bruin, filled with the joy of victory and mayhap the holiday spirit, yelps his delight.

The Bruins file off the ice to the locker room to admire their personalized photo calendar prizes.

“Nice comeback, eh, Jimmy?” Bruins defenseman Mike Moore to this reporter.

Barros exits and then responds to the question about his awkward save and if he was injured.

Not an injury, he says, and then replicates the save, He turns to his left, extends his left heel outward, and then says, still bewildered, “I haven’t made a skate save in ten years.”

Maybe not Miracle-on Ice-material. But near-perfect attendance, fast-healing ribs, d’Entremont’s feat…and that last by Barros—plenty to celebrate.

Buon Natale, Feliz Natal, Kala Christougena, Joyeux Noël, Merry Christmas…and a happy and healthy New Year, everyone.

Charles Bradley: Pucks, Pets and CAN-AM Camaraderie, Part II

Continued from Part I

Charles Bradley, black and blue thumbnail and all, is back in business and back in the game. At the Dunkin’ Donuts in West Concord, he’s his same old amiable self as he sits at the table next to my wife and me. Caring to the core about pets and humans like me, Charles listens to my wife describe my ongoing injury saga and makes a suggestion or two from his own experience as a hockey player and animal doctor. (You’ve probably seen the bumper sticker, “Be kind to animals. Hug a hockey player.” Right?)

Stop by Domino Veterinary Hospital (DVH), Charlie says; I’ll give you a brochure for the doctor that fixed my wrist.

He stands up to get in line for his coffee as my wife and I prepare to leave.

We run an errand and then meet Charlie at DVH in West Concord.

Paint greets our nostrils as a contractor applies color to the door leading to the reception area. We shuffle to the right and see Dr. Bradley.

Charlie rises from his chair in a side office and then leads us on an impromptu tour of the new facility. We walk from room to room, Charlie showing us machines for examining and treating dogs and cats.

If I were a patient or pet owner, I’d like the soothing, soft colors—including sage and beige—of the treatment and special procedure rooms and pharmacy that serve customers in Concord, Sudbury, Maynard and beyond. The place is bright and cheery. Just like Charlie.

He’s not about to apply for sainthood and is the first to admit the adversity he has endured in the aforesaid changing veterinary market. He left the profession, and the AMHL, a few years ago to dabble in the home renovation business, but that endeavor proved unsuccessful.

We move on, chatting about Charlie's drives through Vermont to Canada and listening to CBC Radio. Charlie asks if my wife and I are familiar with Stuart McLean. 

Of course. 

We agree that the Canadian storyteller-comic (born and raised in Montreal West, a few blocks away from Charlie’s Loyola High School) and McLean's The Vinyl Cafe program are akin to Garrison Keiller’s A Prairie Home Companion. (Dave and Morley, often featured on McLean's hour-long variety show, own a dog, Arthur.)

We reach the front lobby and discuss the nuances of Canadian parlance.

“He says ‘eh’ a lot less than he used to,” Dr. Bradley's assistant, sitting behind the new desk in these new veterinary digs, says.

But it’s not all about the “eh;” it’s also about the A, as in Yahoo!, Mazda and pasta. YEAH-who, MAZZ-duh, PASS-tuh, right?

“Right,” Charlie says, smiling about a Canadian’s propensity to end a sentence with an affirmative interrogative.

We change topics from linguistics to cross-border cooperation to Can-Am adventures and camaraderie, and ultimately circle back to hockey.

Are you over the devastation, my wife wonders, of the Canadiens losing in the first round? She’s not aware that Charlie told me ten years ago that he’s a Bruins fan.

“I made the conversion,” he says.

In an amped-up professional hockey environment where the lines between rivalry and rage often blur and can block us from seeing the beauty of our game, Charlie Bradley sticks out like a sore thumbnail.

“You call him Charlie?” his assistant asks.

“They’ve seen each other in garter belts,” my wife says.

Charlie explains that we hockey players assign pet names (my pun, not his) to each other, adding an –ie or –y to our first names. “Charlie, Jimmy…,” he says.

I can call him Charlie. And if I had a sick dog or cat, I’d call Dr. Bradley.

Charles Bradley: Pucks, Pets and CAN-AM Camaraderie, Part I

May 11, 2013

Saturday morning

West Concord, MA

The AMHL Photographer and I sit at our usual table at Dunkin’ Donuts, discussing an upcoming doctor appointment to address my Humpty Dumpty Groin.

She notices a familiar face entering the place, and I look left to watch Charles Bradley, an AMHLer, a veterinarian and one fine Canadian, approach. Wearing a solid bold blue short-sleeved shirt and smiling, he extends his right hand to meet mine.

Half of his left thumbnail is black and blue. Looks like a hockey injury to me. Charlie raises his hands, like a begging beagle, to reenact his awkward attempt to block a shot during a 3–1 loss on Tuesday morning. He laughs at himself.

Despite his Avalanche losing to the Leafs and his bruised lunula, Charlie seems happy, like the same fellow I got to know ten years ago, when he shared his hockey (and donut) story with me.

I asked him on that Tuesday morning in March, 2003, “Given your preference, Tim Hortons or Dunkin’ Donuts?”

Just then someone opened the fire escape door, not because of an emergency but because the door was closer to his car. This triggered a fire alarm bell.

“Tim Hortons,” Charlie said.

Tim Hortons, I say, OK.

“Definitely.”

I had a feeling, but there was a pause

“Because of the bell,” he says.

I switch from donuts to hockey and learn that Charlie was born and raised in Montreal (pronounced MUN–tree–all) and started playing hockey when he was four or five years old. 

“Our grade school was in Loyola Park, and we had four hockey rinks and one skating rink right behind us. The City maintained it.” Charlie said. “And in those days (1960s), we didn’t have really artificial ice, except for the (Verdun Auditorium) and Montreal Forum. Well, we played hockey every day; we played because the rinks were maintained by the City.”

These were outdoor rinks?

Charlie said, “Outdoor ice, yeah. And the guys would come out, the municipal workers would come out and flood every night. They were illuminated, and we could play all the time unless there was a thaw. It was great. That’s where we learned our skills.”

As we chat after his Tuesday morning game, comedian and AMHL mainstay Chris Howell interrupts us. “I just want to say that Charles Bradley is probably the biggest liar I’ve ever met.”

“Thanks a lot, Donut Boy,” Charlie replied, enjoying the friendly exchange.

After Donut Boy exited, I asked Bradley if he had aspirations of playing junior hockey.

Loyola High School, he said. "Pretty high-level hockey.”

The Jesuit-run school, created for English-speaking Catholics in the Côte-Des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-De-Grâce neighborhood of Montreal, resides on Rue Sherbrooke and is contained by Concordia University, a few blocks west of Parc Loyola.

Charlie wore the school’s maroon and white sweater.

“We did tournaments, and we were usually the champions or near the top in the Montreal league,” he said as the Zamboni did its thing around the Valley Sports rink. “And we had our rink, so that helped a lot. We skated every day. We skated probably about seven to ten hours a week. It was good for skills as well.”

After high school, though, hockey took a back seat to professional studies. He graduated from The University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College and then worked at dozens of practices in the next almost twenty years, travelling from Ontario to New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

He found his way back to hockey, though. In 2000 or 2001, Charlie says that after learning of the AMHL at a Valley Sports Stick Time session on a Friday afternoon, he registered to play.

“I was really surprised at the level of hockey,” he said. “This is a nice league because, the difference to me, other than the time, is that everyone plays hockey for the fun of it. They don’t take it too seriously. That was a real put-off for me when guys were getting really really serious, competitive, and angry at each other, smashing each other and holding grudges. We don’t see that in this league. And the idea of rotating the teams through is really good. Having the time after for the CAM-uh-rah-duh-rie and fellowship, that makes it really good.”

But financial struggles—tough to earn find stability in a veterinary market where clinic ownership can change hands— took him away from his passions: taking care of cats and dogs and playing hockey. He dabbled in local home renovation, but that endeavor never took off. He and his family decided to move to Ontario in 2009.

Upon learning of the move across the 49^th Parallel, AMHLers expressed their respect for Charlie by email.

“On behalf of all the AMHL officials, we would like to extend our best wishes to Charlie and his family as they go back to the mother country. Bradley was a great competitor and statesman from Canada and will be missed,” wrote Referee Peter Bagley.

Terry Loebs: “I will remember Charles Bradley as the most accomplished backchecking defenseman in AMHL history, and the all-time leader in evoking the same question ("Is that guy playing 'D' or forward?") among AMHL newbies. Good luck, Charles (eh?)”

Mike Schneider wrote, “Nicest guy off the ice. On the ice? Tenacious, quick, strong. A beast on defense. The kind of guy you fear going towards or fear may be on your heels. If you beat Charles, you know you played your best.”

Now, Bradley is back in business and back in the game. At the Dunkin’ Donuts in West Concord, he’s his same old amiable self as he sits at the table next to my wife and me. Caring to the core about pets and humans alike, Charles Bradley listens to my wife describe my ongoing injury saga and makes a suggestion or two from his own experience as a hockey player and animal doctor. (You’ve probably seen the bumper sticker, “Be kind to animals. Hug a hockey player.” Right?)

Stop by Domino Veterinary Hospital (DVH), Charlie says, I’ll give you a brochure for the doctor that fixed my wrist.

He stands up to get in line for his coffee as my wife and I prepare to leave. 

(To be continued)

Fall 2012 AMHL Championship Week Roundup

Tuesday, December 18

Flyers vs. Penguins

Concord, MA

As Tonawanda (NY) residents watch (via satellite and streaming Internet) the AMHL Tuesday Championship game, referee Peter Bagley announces the return to five-on-five play in the third period. “All even!” he yells to the Flyers and Penguins, the teams tied at two goals.
 

Tonawanda native Mike Moore eludes two Penguins

Bereft of their beloved Buffalo Sabres, the good citizens of Tonawanda are on their feet to watch their native son, AMHL Flyers defenseman Mike Moore. Will Mikey, they wonder, be able to repeat his spectacular performance in the 2012 Summer Championship?

Moore played his youth hockey way back when Brighton Arena (where he says “the Moore brothers never learned how to backcheck”) didn’t have a roof. He later attended Kenmore East High School (2011-2012 Division II state hockey champs) and worked at Ted’s (Mike recommends the footlong  dog, toasted bun, with everything on it.)

Fast forward to Overtime, the Flyers and Penguins still tied, 2 –2. 

Moore strides forward—skating right to left across your AMHL Internet— cradling the puck and circumnavigating would-be defenders. A left-handed shooter, he arrives in enemy territory and skates below the right face-off circle. Backhand…goal!

Sweet victory for the Flyers, who win the donut-studded Koffey Cup, and fans in Upstate New York, who “head to Ted’s” (and then Paula’s Donuts).

Wednesday, December 19 
Sharks vs. Sabres
Concord, MA

Mike Moore doesn’t play on Wednesdays, but Tonawanderers have traversed the Internet again in search of Sabres hockey. They find the AMHL Wednesday Sabres, who eked out a penalty-filled 2 –1 victory last week against the Rangers, struggling to land shots on Sharks netminder Chris Bade. 

The Sharks, who endured a seven-game mid-season losing streak, are riding hot goaltending and a three-game winning streak.

Chris Bade: All the Big Stops

 

Bade watches his offense-generating players, like defenseman Larry Brown, block shots. Up 3–0 in the second period and the Sabres shooting right to left across your Internet connection, Sharks forward  Rob Witty—a goal-per-game guy—takes one for the team.

In the third period and the Sharks nursing a shut-out, Tony “Sharkie” Psikarakis slides and sweeps the puck from a Sabre’s stick.

The Sabres score twice, though, and Tonawanda is all atwitter.

But Bade and company return to form and put the kibosh on a second celebration in Greater Buffalo. 

Sharkie credits his goalie, saying that Bade “made all the big stops.”

Thursday, December 20
Avalanche vs. Panthers

Concord, MA

Moore is playing on Thursday, for the AMHL  Bruins.  When the folks in Erie County learn Moore is on Rink Two, however, they are not consoled. South Jersey, though, is thrilled to witness one of its own playing for the Koffey Cup.

We join Brent Delehey  and his Panthers against the Avs. Delehey, a Bobby Clark fan if ever there was one, is amped up (after the game, he'll  say his increased intensity may have been caused by the two Aleves he took earlier this morning.) The most likely reason for his elevated compete level is not naproxen but rather that his eldest two sons, Jack and Kevin, are home from college.

The boys watch, from the stands behind the goal in the west end, as their dad wreaks havoc on the Avs.  Delehey is credited with two goals in the first period, and the Panthers lead, 5–3, in the second stanza.


Delehey shoves an Av in front of the players’ bench.  Merry Christmas from Bobby Clark.

“Geez,” one of the boys says as their feisty father skates to the sin bin, “Dad really took that guy out.”

The Panthers kill the penalty, and Delehey (whose nickname in college was “Brr”) is a free man.

Panthers Center Brent Delehey: Channeling His Inner Bobby Clark

To the third period, the Panthers ahead  5–4 and skating far end to near end, Brr plants himself in front of the Avalanche’s crease.  Teammate Paul Nelson shoots. Jack and Kevin watch as the puck deflects off their dad’s skate—and then trickles… over the goal line.

The college kids rise to their feet, applauding and hooting.

Delehey glances upward and flashes a wild child-like grin, not yet knowing that he will spend another two minutes in the penalty box, that the Avs would score on the power play…or that Panthers goalie Anthony Bonfiglio will save the day for the Deleheys, the AMHL Panthers, and all those Philly Flyers fans in the Garden  State.

Friday, December 21

Hawks vs. Whalers

Concord, MA

“It wasn’t our season,” says Moore, after yet another consolation game, this time playing for the Kings. The Royals lost last week to the Whalers, who advanced to play the Hawks.

We rewind the championship game to the second period and the Hawks winning, 5–2.  

Mike Travalent, who netted a hat trick last week against the Stars, shoots low and just inside the post to bolster the lead.

“Wear ‘em down, guys,” a Hawks bench jockey bellows, “Wear ‘em down.”

Neither team scores another goal in the second period, but the Hawks—comprised of several Stow (MA) residents,  score three more in the third to win going away, 9–3.

With that, the AMHL media wishes everyone—from Upstate New York to South Jersey to Middlesex County, MA— safe travels, a joyous Christmas, and happy New Year.



Summer 2012 AMHL Championship Week Roundup

Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Blues vs. Flyers
Back to School

"It's textbook," Blues defenseman Scott Gelin says in response to teammate Adam Berger’s stepping into a Flyer as the former poked the puck off the latter’s stick. Classic AMHL interference.

Late in the second period, the teams tied at two, Flyers D-man Michael Moore conducts a power play clinic.

The Tonawanda (NY) native and Buffalo Sabres fan channels Tim Horton and Phil Housley as he mans the point. Moore fires a low shot, and faster than you can say “power play goal,” the Flyers lead.

Less than two minutes later, Moore targets another low shot on net. Rebound. Scramble for the puck. Goal. 4–2 Flyers.

Up 5–2 in the third period, Moore—an eight year AMHL veteran—crosses the Blues’ blueline, dishes a neat pass to Vincent MacNutt, a right hand shot on the off wing. The AMHL rookie shoots glove side, just inside the post. Score!

Mike Moore: Back Row (Second from Right)

The Blues insert themselves on the syllabus, converting a turnover into a goal—a shorty by Zach Zacharakis—but the Flyers keep the tuition and win the Koffey Cup, 6–3.

 

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Rangers vs. Canadiens
The Spirit of Stuart Smalley

“We’re better than them…,” Rangers defenseman Mike DeLeo says to his teammates before the third period against the Canadiens, the score 3–3.

“…And by golly, people like us,” the AMHL Photographer completes the affirmation. “Isn’t that Stuart Smalley?” Sort of.

The Rangers lost their first six regular-season games and must have wondered what it would take for them to win. “That’s just stinkin’ thinkin’,” Stuart Smalley would say.

With DeLeo’s ever-abundant upbeat presence and the emergence of rookie sensation Mark Cavanagh (23G, 14A), the Rangers turned a despairing season into Koffey Cup contention.

But down 1-3 against the Canadiens, the Rangers again encountered adversity. “Trace it. Face it. Erase it,” Smalley would say.

Goals by Larry “Breakaway” Brown (courtesy of DeLeo’s long pass), and Cavanagh bring us to this second intermission, where they and the other six Rangers listen to their leader. Will the Rangers believe DeLeo or permit thoughts of their dubious beginnings to run amok?

And what about the Canadiens? Collapse or reclaim their team-esteem?

Midway through the third period, the score still three-all, the Blueshirts and Les Habitants battle their doubts and each other. The Rangers kill a penalty. Confidence: the key to success.

Can the Canadiens dispel their dismay and summon the spirit of a Saturday Night Live skit?

With just over seven minutes remaining, the hockey gods answer: DeLeo—skating right to left across your AMHL imagination—steals the puck at the Canadiens’ blueline, drives below the far circle, skates toward the crease, and then beats the goalie.

The Rangers convert this blossoming confidence into another goal and realize they are on the (b)rink of victory.

Mike DeLeo: Front Row (Second from Right)

The Rangers pose for their championship photo and listen as the hockey gods repeat the underdog’s mantra, this final Stuartsmalleyism, modified for the Koffey Cup winners: “We’re the Rangers, doggone it, and people like us.”

 

Thursday, August 23
Bruins vs. Capitals
ALL CAPS

It’s ALL CAPS as the third period is underway and the Bruins lead, 3–2. Bruins netminder Neal Hesler makes a save. His teammates clear the puck. Icing.

The game resumes: Feisty play, fraught with frustration foisted upon the referees, prompts this comment from the AMHL Photographer: ““Matt,” she says, referring to the iconic AMHL arbiter, “must love these games.”

The gruff and disgruntled combatants, their language as foul as the stench seeping from their hockey sweaters and sweaty hockey socks, continue. Blades slicing ice. Bodies crashing the net and into each other.

Hesler and his counterpart, Dan Barros, are on their A games. The Bruins still lead, 3–2, when Capitals forward Aaron Sherman—skating near to far across the Bruins’ blueline—accepts a pass, beats a would-be defender along the boards, and then bears down on Hesler. The slimmed-down Sherman cuts toward the crease and scores. 3–3.

To OT, where mayhem awaits: The three-on-three format, a partial power-play, time-outs. Confusion. And ultimately no scoring after five minutes.

To the shoot-out. In a championship game? How many players will participate? How many goals to win? Best of five, the referees decide, and the Bruins will go first.

1.       Kevin Leverone (B’s): Barros says no. (0–0)

2.       Mike Losier (CAPS): Hesler slams the door. (0–0)
3.       Kevin Daigle (B): Barros won’t budge. (0–0)
4.       Dave Losier (C): No juke and jive, just a shot…and a GOAL. (0–1)
5.       Ben Budds (B): He skates, he stops…he watches Barros poke the puck away. (0–1)
6.       Paul Webster (C): Alternating speeds… shifty and nifty…GOAL! (0–2)
7.       Mike DeLeo (B): He must score. He does score. (1–2)
8.       Aaron Sherman (C): Mr. Calm. Mr. Master the Moment. Goal. CAPS WIN THE CUP!

Mr. Master the Moment: Front Row (Second from Left)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, August 24

Stars vs. Kings
It’s Not Easy Being Green

Hi Ho hockey fans. Kermit the Frog, guest amphibian/blogger, here at the, uh, hockey and donut site.

It’s, uh, not easy being me, as you know. And any Muppet would tell you it’s not any picnic being the AMHL Stars. Not this morning anyway. Of course I’d prefer them to win, their primary color being what it is and all. But it’s better to be wearing white, grey and purple, folks.

The Kings have been a royal pain (go ahead, you old geezers, guffaw) in the neck for the Stars. Tim Donahue, Friday’s perennial points leader, and Scott Kessler, the normally smooth–as–Smuckers (original)–peanut–butter forward, have lost control of the puck more times than Fozzie Bear has delivered a wonderful pun-liner. Waka waka.

And any momentum the Stars generate, well, they just can’t sustain the green energy.

Instead, it’s the Kings who, like Miss Piggy, are hogging the spotlight: the Mike Statkuses, T.J. Uminas, and the Jim Reichhelds—the AMHL dreamers who watch the time on the clock like it’s a rainbow, connecting the joy of imminent victory and the promise of donuts.

Ah, those donuts affixed to the Koffey Cup…they are a sight to be seen…better to be a King…than to be wearing green.

 

Not Pictured: The Banana King

 

AMHL Championship Week: Top Twelve Quotes and the Koffey CUPdates

The venerable Koffey Cup (KC) has been stolen, or mayhap last season’s champions have forgotten to return the hardware to Valley Sports Arena, where this week’s championship games have commenced. Where is KC? An inquiry to AMHL Commissioner Mitchell Weiss is in order.

Until we determine KC’s whereabouts, we celebrate another stellar season of morning hockey. I present then, to AMHL fans worldwide, the top twelve quotes (what the hey, I’ll make it a baker’s dozen) from last week’s action.  

Tuesday

May 1, 2012

Leafs vs. Penguins

1.      “Penalty shot!” The Leafs beg referee Matt Bielak to call foul play against the Leafs Kevin McDonald for whacking and hacking at Penguin Rob Mirak as the latter skated toward goalie Leafs goalie Tyler Boudreau. Bielak, his mind already made up, raises his arms, his wrists connected and hands forming a V: penalty shot.

Mirak skates straight toward Boudreau, dekes left to his forehand and then shuffles right. Boudreau thrusts his left leg to meet the puck. No goal.

2.      “I don’t give those away like candy, my friend,” Bielak says as play is about to resume. “You have to earn them.”

3.      “You got your Marco Sturm moment,” the AMHL Photographer says to this reporter.

She’s referring to the ex-Boston Bruin’s OT game-winner against the Flyers, his subsequent power leap at the Plexiglas at the 2010 Winter Classic and Kevin MacDonald, who has just celebrated the Leafs’ 5–2 victory by raising both arms and launching himself at the Plexiglas near center ice.

4.      “You gotta against these guys...Dennis Seidenberg is my hero.” -Leaf defenseman Bill Chioffi, on why he resisted temptations to join the offensive rush and stay at home.

5.      “I know what I’m gonna where to work today.” -Chris “Donut Boy” Howell on the AMHL T-shirts awarded to the victors.

Wednesday

May 2, 2012

Sabres vs. Canadiens

6.      “No media in the locker room,” says Stephen “Whoa Nelli” Antonelli as he leads the victorious (3–0) Sabres into the room.

7.      KC: (think: Lenny Clarke) “It’s all good fellahs. Mitch is finally coughin’ up the dough to replace that broken crown uh mine. I know I’m not in the team pic-shah, but my career ain’t ovah ‘til I say it’s ovah. Not sure when I’ll be back. I cont make it tuh-day. But Denis Leary is taking care of me…so no need to rescue me.”

Thursday

May 3, 2012

Panthers vs. Bruins

8.      KC: “Ah you for real? Boys, yah killin’ me,” he says after learning that, in the team photo, he has been replaced by a pylon topped with Kenny “KISS Fan” Tarr’s mask.

9.      “I just had to be average,” says Kenny “KISS Fan” Tarr after his Panthers beat the Bruins, 4–2. He gave all the credit to his teammates, like Peter “Focused” Kokas, who scored a backhand goal from the non-Euclidian corner.

10.  “I’m going to boycott my nose,” this reporter says as Chris Howell, his pickup truck’s radio tuned to NPR and a story about striking workers, drives through Maynard. “What?” Howell asks? “I’m going to picket” I say. “That’s bad.”

Friday

May 4, 2012

Stars vs. Kings

11.  “It’s back,” The AMHL Photographer says. KC, gleaming in refurbished glory—his new coffee cup emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes and the Maple Leaf—waits for the champions to carry him into the locker room.

12.  “Anyone need a double extra large besides me?” asks the slender Gerry Evans, the Stars’ stand-up comedian.

13.  KC: “Me and Mahshall McLean—you know he scahhed fotty-two goals for the Stahs this season—ah gonna go to New Hampshuh. He’s gonna take me to the top uh Mt. Cahdigan. Can you believe it? Me and Mahshall!

Five-holes and Donut-holes: True Stories about Professional Hockey Players and Their Favourite Donuts

There’s a hole in the title. Professional goalies aren’t the only players featured here. The title, courtesy of creative collaborator Msr. Jean-Pierre Plouffe, (a.k.a. Puckbite) is a teaser, an appetizer à la the Timbit or Munchkin, to introduce those whose skills and diligence are or were sharp enough to play professional—at any position. Regardless of their goals-against average or plus/minus rating, each of the players listed below, like those of us not destined for hockey divinity, share an affinity; dare I say weakness, for that oft-round and tasty treat: We are all rendered enervated and yield to the yeasty (or cakey, as the case may be) feast that is the donut.

For the uninitiated: The hockey-donut convergence originates from my affiliation with the best morning hockey league evah, where would-be beer-leaguers are more prone to retire to bed before midnight, awaken before dawn, and then drive to Valley Sports Arena in Concord, MA. There in the venerable arena, we partake in the conviviality—the joie de vivre of the hockey and donut dream—that the AMHL (as in 6:30 A.M Hockey League) promises. This amateur co-ed confederation of pucksters/donut connoisseurs loves hockey and the post-game staple just as much as the pros love our game and donuts.

Gerry Cheevers: A few minutes before the Bruins-Islanders game on March 3, 2012, Cheesie sat at a small table outside the Bruins Pro Shop. My wife/AMHL Photographer then went inside to purchase Unmasked, Cheevers’s autobiography, written with Marc Zappulla. Book in hand, I approached the former netminder. We chatted about his hometown, St. Catharines Ontario, the Don Cherry-Colorado Rockies connection...and then I asked him about his favourite donut. “Chocolate Glazed,” he said. “Just had one.” (A portion of the poceeds from Unmasked will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Hal Gill: While the under-appreciated, in my opinion, defenseman was in Finland (during the 2004-05 NHL Lockout, Gill played for Rauman Lukko), he responded to my email query: His favorite Dunkin’ Donut franchise: “In Wilmington (MA) across from the practice rink (Ristuccia).” His favorite donut: “What else, the (Boston Kreme). It’s perfection washed down with a French Vanilla coffee.”

Aaron Ward: In 2008, at the first annual ‘Cuts for a Cause, a fundraiser for the MassGeneral Hospital for Children, I shaved Wardo’s head (true story). Afterwards, I asked him...you know... Because he lived in Carolina, the crucible of Krispy Kreme, I expected Wardo to promote his hometown favourite. “Boston Kreme,” he said. “True story.”

Adam McQuaid: In San Jose for the Bruins-Sharks game on March 22, 2012, the AMHL Photographer and I learned we were staying in the same hotel as the Bruins. As the B’s waited in the lobby for the bus to take them to the Shark Tank, my wife and I approached Mr. Mullett, a.k.a. Darth Quaider. My wife chatted about our visits to Prince Edward Island, McQuaid’s home province, and then she acquired his autograph for her co-worker. My turn. I introduced myself and the notion of morning hockey, handed McQuaid my business card, and then asked him The Question. “Krispy Kreme,” he said. I told him I’m not a big fan of that brand because the donuts are too perfect. No character. Upon further reflection, I accept them as part of the donut family, although their lack of flair could be considered akin to a mullet-less McQuaid.

Terry O’Reilly: At the Honda Center, before the Bruins would beat the Ducks, Taz walked along the mezzanine. I introduced myself and my purpose. Favourite donut? He paused to ponder The Question, so I prompted him with another: Perhaps something from the Land of Dunkin’? (By the way, I didn’t see one DD shop in California.) “Maple Frosted,” he said. I didn’t have a business card handy, so I told him if he Googled donut and hockey, he’d find me. He repeated my name, as if to consider searching for this true story.

AMHL Wednesday Championship: For the Francophone (or not)

"Although our main priority remains to win hockey games and to keep improving as a team, it is obvious that the ability for the head coach to express himself in both French and English will be a very important factor in the selection of the permanent head coach,” said Montreal Canadiens Owner Geoff Molson.

His quote, which appeared at CBC, comes two days before the (AMHL) Canadiens face the Rangers in the AMHL Wednesday Championship.

The AMHL Canadiens, sans un entraînement, could use a francophone to guide his players to victory and then chat with reporters for French language media outlets like La Presse or Le Devoir.

Jacques Martin? Non. Gilbert Cote? Impossible. Cote, a francophone Bruins fan who was not available for comment, despises le blue blanc et rouge. But J. Pierre “Puckbite” Plouffe in Montreal, who was not aware of the coaching vacancy, later said that he would have risen to the challenge.

Nonetheless, after one period, the Habs and Rangers are tied at one goal apiece.

In the second period and the Rangers skating right to left across your AMHL app, Ranger forward and AMHL perennial points leader Tim Donahue skates toward Hab goalie Tyler Le Holt’s doorstep. Ding dong. The proverbial door opens a crack, so Donahue shoots—just as Le Holt slams the door. Mon dieu, what a save, a la Carey Le Price.

Back the other way, the Canadiens’ top two scorers, Rob Le Witty and Marc Le Finneran flank the lone Ranger defender. Le Finneran sells the pass to Le Witty—and then shoots on net. Netminder Tyler Boudreau makes a bread-basket save.

With less than a half-dozen minutes remaining in la deuxième période, Boudreau makes another save. The rebound goes to Canadien Michel Le DeLeo, stationed in the slot, and he then snaps a shot past the goaler to lift Les Habitents to a 2–1 lead.

“Ole, Ole,” the Habs’ fans chant, most of whom don’t care if their coach speaks French or not. Winning is what they want.

Skating left to right to start the third period, the Rangers attack. Forward Mike Statkus, who’s contemplating bringing his band, White Collar Criminals, on a three-bar tour in Montreal, slaps a shot from the top of the right circle. Kick save by Le Holt, who steers the puck to his right.

Midway through the third, and the Rangers pushing to tie the game, Le Holt is caught out of his crease. A Ranger lifts a shot past Le Holt—but Le DeLeo bats the biscuit off course. C’est magnifique, Michel!

A minute later, Le Witty, his ragged green breezers flapping in his wake, cuts across the crease. Boudreau braces himself, not wanting to surrender the short side or leave any holes that the ever-wiley Le Witty would exploit. The netminder holds his ground and averts the crisis.

Then Mike Gardner, the Ranger defenseman who hasn’t scored a goal (eight helpers, though) all season, breaks out the Bobby Orr-like moves. He circumnavigates three defenders to reach the slot and fires—wide left.

Teammate Howard “Ho Ho” Hobbs, out with what he will later call a “lower body injury” watches the action from behind the glass to Le Holt’s right, where Le Koffey Cup awaits the outcome. Will the Habs hold on for another seven minutes?

Le Witty controls the puck some 150 feet way. No one near him.

Échappée or breakaway, no matter the preferred language, fans gathered at Le Centre Bell watch the Jumbotron as Le Witty strides toward Boudreau. Root for the one with the French surname or he who is about to shoot la rondelle?

Le Witty scores, and the crowd goes gaga. “Ole, Ole,” they sing again.

“Time out, White,” referee Pierre Bagley says. “Deux, Deux, Un,” he says through a translator, and then resets the clock to 2:21.

A little more than a minute later and the Rangers sans goalie, the Blueshirts score. 2–3.

Will the Habs choke?

Le Witty, now a fan favourite from Laval to Longueuil, scores an empty-netter, much to Gilbert Cote’s chagrin.

AMHL Tuesday Championship: A Cast of Christmas Characters

"Blitzen," "Kevin Mac," "Snow Miser," "the Grinch," and the other Cup-winning characters

December 20, 2011
Concord, MA

“(Mike) DeLeo’s like Bumble: He bounces,” says the AMHL Photographer as the ever-ebullient Penguin rises from the ice in the second period. His team has not yeti scored on Tyler “the Grinch” Boudreau and trail by three goals.

The Orange and Black, whose cast of characters include goal scorers Peter “Blitzen” Standish and Kevin “Home Alone” McCallister-MacDonald maintain their 3–0 lead as the second period continues.

“Pay attention!” yells Mac, the palms of his gloves flush against his helmet, from the bench as the teams prepare for a face-off in the Flyers’ zone.

His teammates seem a-snooze like the Whos on Christmas Eve, and the Flyers control the puck. But the Grinch, ultimately a benevolent character and on the same team as the Whos, well, that ol’ nasty-wasty weasel slinks and slunks all about his crease. He makes save after save, leaving the Penguins muttering like Yukon Cornelius, the misfit seeker of silver or gold who always comes up empty. “Nothin’.”

Boudreau continues his convincing performance into the final scene, er, period. And his teammate, Jay “Snow Miser” Muelhoefer puts the victory on ice with the Flyers’ fourth goal. And all the reindeer loved him, shouting out with glee, “We’ll go down in history!”

And DeLeo (who, unlike the Abominable Snow Monster, appears to have all his choppers), will bounce back as he is wont to do, to participate in two more reindeer, er, championship games this week.

AMHL Thursday Champioship: Breaking News

Thursday, August 25 2011
Concord, MA

We interrupt your regularly-scheduled coverage of (insert your East Coast natural disaster here) for this important hockey news:

While some Eastern U.S. residents perform minor clean-up after this week’s earthquake, and New Englanders prepare for a tropical storm, the AMHL Panthers and Avalanche are engaged in a scoreless tie in the championship game.

Anthony Bonfiglio, who led all Thursday AMHL goalies this season in GAA, and Dan Barros, no stranger to Koffey Cup victories, have endured surge after surge of would-be scorers. Stay tuned for updates as we return you to Barry Burbank and the meteorological maps.

The latest spaghetti diagrams indicate the most likely path—hold on, Barry, this just in:

Broadcaster turned blueliner, Ken MacLeod’s shot. From the right point, MacLeod, an award-winning journalist last seen sporting a salmon-colored tie and sitting behind a news desk, now anchors the Panther blueline corps. He has blasted a slapper past Barros. 1–0 Panthers with less than two minutes remaining in the second period. We return you to your local weather-related news coverage.

The eye of the hurricane is approaching—Sorry, Barry. More breaking news from the rink:

MacLeod has done it again. With less than a minute remaining in the second stanza, Kenny, who grew up cheering for Bobby Orr and the Bruins, charged up the right side, charmed his way into the Avalanche zone, skated left through the slot and snapped a low shot to Barros’s left. 2–0 Panthers after two periods.

And now a word from our sponsor: Advertising agency Arnold Worldwide has landed the Boston Bruins account. And marketing maven and Panther forward Paul “Whoa Nellie” Nelson can bear-ly contain his excitement.

And we’re back to the game: In the waning minutes of the third period, Nellie backhands the puck into an empty net. “Good night, Irene,” the early-morning crowd whispers to each other as they anticipate the Panthers victory and the impending Koffey Cup celebration.

The Three Stars, as voted by the media

3. Dan “Gale Force” Barros: Superb goaltending despite the loss
2. Anthony “the Eyewall” Bonfiglio: Splendid season capped with a shutout
1. Ken MacLeod: Award-winning goals (and ties)

Honorable mention:

The Bruins Bear
Weather-tracking technology
Vermont Tourism

AMHL Tuesday Championship: Hockey and a Hooley

Boys-a-dear, all of Ireland is worried that the AMHL Flyers trail the Leafs, 0–3. The visitors are in a wee bit of trouble, without the services they are, of Ryan “Green Machine” O’Connor and Jeremy “Lucky Charms” Doyle. (The two are on loan to the Brampton Blades. During AMHL championship week, no less.)

Right to left we go, then, across your Internet connection, as we follow the Flyers in the second period. Jeff Quinn, a lad who shoots lefty, skates across the Leafs’ blueline and to the right circle. On a two-on-one, he sells the pass across the slot and opts for the shot. Clank. The puck dings the post and then drops behind the goal line.

Less than three minutes later, his teammate, Dave Mello (ends in O but close enough to Irish for hockey fans on the Emerald Isle) threads the needle—a perfect pass through the crease—to the Quinn, who deposits the disc behind netminder Steve Scansaroli.

Back the other way, Leafs forward and Aerosmith attendant John “(With) The Great One” Bionelli, his index finger affixed with white tape to bolster a broken bone, sidesteps a would-be defender inside the blueline. He strides toward Flyer goalie Brian Monahan, who can’t stop Bionelli’s backhand shot.

“Four-two,” says referee Peter Bagley, as the teams contemplate the third period.

Scans, sans his goalie helmet, faces his own goal as he squeezes his beverage bottle and then swallows a refreshing liquid. He secures the helmet on his head and then turns to face Monahan, 185 feet (56 metres) away. And the boys are raring to go.

Monahan faces a two-on-one-attack, his eye focused on the puck. A shot from slot. The disc darts towards the goal, but the backstop makes a toe save.

Mello, the dab-handed passer, and Quinn, the post-hugging finisher, connect, and post-haste the Flyers trail, 3–4.

When the Leafs counter with a goal with a wee more than eleven minutes on the clook, Ireland sighs; the outlook for victory is grim. But might this match make it to overtime?

Bagley nods in affirmation as Doyle and O’Connor, no doubt, watch via streaming video.

The lads witness a kerfuffle in Scans’s crease… the puck is loose—and then Flyer Dev Barron scores. And then, a tad more than a minute later, Mello scores.

“Five-all,” bellows Bagley.

Seems the ref was right. He’s always right, (even when he’s wrong.), some might reckon.

With the seconds evaporating from the clock, and but five minutes remaining, Mello skates into the crease. Thwack, thwack. He bangs his stick’s blade against the ice. Pass the puck to me. A teammate obliges, and then Dave snaps a low shot inside the post to Scans’s left. The lamp is lit, and Dublin is delighted.

Or maybe Bagley was right? Plenty of time for another goal.

The Leafs, led by the AMHL’s all-time scoring leader, will not surrender. Five seconds left in the game, and Dana Salvo lurks in the slot. As all great goal-getters will tell you, they wait for the puck to find them. Two seconds…and as Salvo sets himself for the shot, Monahan falls—feet first—to the occasion. As Salvo shoots, the keeper slides, like, across the crease to save the morning.

Good man ma da Monahan. And all of Ireland is a ta-ta-ta-ra-ing, craking on, having a hooley (and a donut).

The Three Stars, as voted by the media

3. John Bionelli: Hat trick and a picture with Wayne Gretzky
2. Dave Mello: two goals, two assists, and two ould BC socks
1. Jeff Quinn: hat trick and a hug for the Koffey Cup

Honorable mention:

Ould Irish slang: from Patrick Taylor’s “An Irish Country Doctor”
Score: A Hockey Musical
Peter Bagley: Marketing maven, entrepreneur extraordinaire, and remarkable referee

Breathe, B's Fans

April 17, 2011
Concord, MA

“I'm not leaving without a fight.”


-“The Outsiders” by Need to Breathe

As this song played at my favorite Dunkin’ Donuts on Sunday morning (less than twelve hours after the Bruins lost Game Two to the Canadiens) , I chose to scan— rather than read every word, as I’m wont to do—every story about Boston’s Bruins in the Boston Globe. I plucked from amongst the rubble of negativity, a few positive points to include below.

Top Twelve Reasons to Believe in our Bruins

1. Comebacks: In best-of-seven series, the team down 0-2 has come back thirty-seven times to win that series.

2. Number 37: Patrice Bergeron won fifty-three percent of his face-offs, got a goal, and had six shots on goal.

3. Shots on Goal: Sixty-six in two games. Keep shooting and they will go in.

4. Ding Dong: Our shots that have been hitting a post, which don’t count as shots on goal, will go in, too.

5. Tomas Kaberle: The much-maligned defenseman was a plus-1 in Game Two.

6. The Power Play: The Devils, in 1993, were the dregs of man-advantage play in the regular season. They also won the Cup.

7. Hit the Road: The Bruins won two dozen games on the road this season, two more than they did at home.

8. Puttin’ on the Hits: Bruins, 35; Habs: 27.

9. Stranger Things: If the Penguins can go 15–10–4 sans Sidney Crosby and minus Evgeni Malkin, the Bruins can win this series.

10. Rebounds: The Bruins have strung together consecutive wins together after having lost two in a row.

11. Remember 2008: Down two games then, we can get this series to Game Seven.

12. Big Zed: Claude Julien says it's "looking good" for Chara to play in Game Three.

We need to breathe, Boston. Let’s back our Bruins.

Around the Globe: Hockey Heroes and Helping Hands

The anxiety I felt about unresolved issues dissipated as I navigated today’s Boston Globe.

Kevin Cullen’s front-page piece about Sudbury’s Scott Milley, a hockey player, isn’t so much about hockey as it is Millen’s sacrifice and his family’s grief.

If that story touches your heart, if not your tear ducts, then Cindy Cantrell’s Metro West story about Kasey, a Helping Hands miracle monkey, might make you laugh. I did. Couple the capuchin’s personality with her purpose, to rescue not only a once-athletic Concord kid but also his family, and you’ve got a story to boost slumping spirits. The story also made me think of Travis Roy.

Concord’s own (via Buffalo), Kevin Paul Dupont, reflects upon the inherent rigors of building a backyard rink. Impossible for hockey enthusiasts and storytellers like me to not to think of Jack Falla, who consulted on KPD’s  project but who is not to blame for the debacle, to be grateful for fond Falla memories.

Still in Sports, Dupes delivers a dose of sadness about a fun man: On page C9, amidst the hockey news, is a snippet about Buffalo-based hockey writer Jim Kelley, who was claimed by cancer. Sad for Dupes, who knew Kelley well, and for me, even if I never met him.

Then again, I never met Scott Milley. But reading these stories has helped me surrender my self pity. They gave me, you might say, a helping hand.

AMHL Championship Week: A Week for the Ages, Part II

(Cont’d from Part I)

Thursday August 19
Concord, MA

Twelve-year veteran Mike DeLeo, who won a Koffey Cup on Tuesday, and rookie Tyler Boudreau, who savored championship victory yesterday with DeLeo, are teammates again. They and the Panthers lead the underdog Capitals, 2–1, after one period.

Boudreau has been watching baby boomers like DeLeo bang into one another—as much as the non-check rules will allow—and crash the crease.

One wonders if the forty-somethings can maintain this rough-and-tumble pace as young guns like rookie Panthers Luke Marchand, who has scored both goals, and Peter Bagley Jr. make names for themselves.

“All even!” Bagley’s dad, referee Peter Bagley Sr. alerts the teams, now engaged in second period action, as DeLeo departs the sin bin.

Bagley Sr. watches his son set up DeLeo, who will be credited on the goal that stakes the Panthers to 3–1 lead. The old-timers then watch Junior skate up ice, over the Capitals’ blueline, execute a stellar outside-inside move on the d-man, and then shoot from the high slot. Clang! Off the crossbar.

With a two-goal cushion and Boudreau on top of his game, DeLeo is confident he will again hold high that cherished chalice, the Koffee Cup. Between periods, he’s easily distracted by this reporter’s retro-metro Lord and Taylor shirt, its slanted black and white stripes prompting Disco DeLeo to deliver his best Tony Malero (John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever) move and then to ask, “Where’s the disco ball?”

“It is old home week,” the AMHL photographer says for the second time, as injured Av and eight-year veteran Brent Delehey walks (no limp, so the MCL is on the mend) along the corridor connecting Rink Two and Rink One to join the photographer, this reporter, and injured Capital Dean Banfield.

Banfield, the silver-haired cincquegenarian, is sporting a black knee brace and can only watch, as his Caps try to conquer le tour de force Boudreau.

“Seven minutes to go,” Banfield says. “Do or die time. Make this exciting.”

From the near boards, Panther forward, the dexterous and never-say-die Ben Budds, zings a pass toward teammate Rob “Mobile” Mirak, who is, ironically, parked near the far post. Boudreau flicks his stick to break up the pass, though.

DeLeo is not just stayin’ alive, he’s thrivin’. He adds another goal (assisted by the venerable and diligent David Hale), and he finds himself once again posing for a picture with the Koffey Cup, with old-timers and the young buck, Boudreau.

DeLeo’s season concludes with three championship victories, and Boudreau will, mayhap, complete the trifecta tomorrow.

Friday August 20
Concord, MA

Twenty-four-year old rookie goalie Tyler Boudreau wears #51, which is the approximate age of his counterpart, the prodigious Kate Fallon. In the second period, she and her Stars are embroiled in a scoreless tie with Boudreau’s Kings.

Like Fallon, fifty-year old King forward Gene “Don’t Call Me George” Costanza is keeping up with the youngsters. Costanza picks Jonathan Corke’s—in his mid-twenties—pocket along the boards. But Costanza cannot deposit the puck past Boudreau.

Fallon appears unfazed, matching the much younger Boudreau save for save. Perhaps not as spry as Boudreau, Fallon has been relying upon steadfast positioning to thwart the Kings, like Brian Barringer. Number 11 shoots from the low shot, and the puck flutters toward Fallon, who is once again in prime real estate to trap the puck like it’s a broken butterfly.

With less than thirty seconds in the second period, King forward Tim Smith controls a pass at the Stars’ blueline and skates in alone on Fallon. He fakes a shot from the slot, freezing Fallon, skirts around the fifty-something and then slides the puck over the unprotected goal line.

Five minutes into the third period, Smith stations himself in the crease, sniffing for rebounds. He pokes home a loose puck, and the Kings lead 2–0.

Boudreau seems like an impenetrable fortress, but Big Green refuses to cease the assault. On the power play, with 1:30 on the clock and Fallon on the bench in favor of an extra attacker, Marshall McLean—the Stars’ go-to guy all season—blasts a shot from the face-off circle. Boudreau blocks the shot with his waffle, once again stymieing the Stars.

After the buzzer signaling the shut-out, King Boudreau taps his stick twice upon the pipe to his right and then skates toward his minions to celebrate his third championship victory this week.

“That goalie is insane,” Corke says as he shakes his head and trudges toward the losers’ locker room.

Boudreau, if nothing else, has been a royal pain in the posterior.

But will the baby-faced substitute—and junior studs like Bagley and Marchand—become regulars and prove as durable and dependable as the senior set—the DeLeos, Barroses, Hales, and Fallons?