2011: The Year That Was

There was a lot of good things that happened in the hockey world in 2011, but none bigger than the first Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship. We're not trying to take anything away from the Bruin's Stanley Cup win, but.... when Chris "Brownie" Brown put together "the greatest show on ice", the world became a better place.

Who can forget the assassination attempt on Brownie's life, masterminded by Hassan Bin Sobar? We remember the convincing win of the gang from Capital City Diner over the Budmen and the equally one-sided victory of The White Park Hockey Club over the Cheers Chiefs. Who can forget the Newts winning the Ladies division championship? That makes at least two of us!

As if the Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship wasn't enough; Fans in the Capitol City were treated to a thrilling NAHL Championship series. In a hard fought seven game series, Green triumphed over Blue and added another chapter in this storied rivalry.

The hockey nation watched as the trial of "The White Pond Duo" played out in the courtroom and two of Concord's "favorite sons" were found "Not Guilty". Just when we thought that was enough to carry Capitol City hockey fans through the summer, along came the Boston Bruins who win Lord Stanley's Cup despite being bit by the Vancouver Canucks early in the series.

The fabulous Tim Thomas stole the show, but Brad Marchand won over Bruin's fans with his spirited play on and off the ice.

What was looking to be a quiet summer turned into anything but as the fateful voyage of the "Duke of Lancaster" had hockey fans on the edge of their seats as the events played out in what is arguably "the greatest story ever told". In the end, the Hockey Gods smiled upon the Capitol City once more and Thursday Night Hockey was saved.
The new season got underway at "the Doug" this fall after the historic arena got a facelift AND a suprise when Jimmy Hoffa turned up buried under the floor. Dave Maznick was thought to be buried under there, however, it turned out that he was on the bottom of White's Park pond. The new scoreboard was hoisted in place and the puck dropped in front of another sell out crowd on Thursday Night.

We saw the creation of the Legends of Thursday Night Hall of Fame which inducted it's first class of Legends.

Tilly, Dumpin, Joe, Heathy, Kaiser and Hernia were selected for their commitment to excellence in the great game of hockey. This event was followed by the NH Legends of Hockey induction of two of Thursday's finest, Ryan "Silky" Brandt and Dunc "Coach" Walsh both who delivered memorable speeches that acknowledged Thursday Night Hockey as "Unbelievable" and "Awful, but in a good way".

Pictured above:Silky and Brownie catch their breath on the Blue bench while Coach and Brooster prepare Coach's speech before the banquet.
Blue, under new coach John "Stuffy" Stevenson, has shown that they are ready to take over as the top team in the NAHL, however Green, who was nursing a championship hangover, has climbed back into the race for supremacy. It has been an extremely rough and tumble first half in the NAHL and disciplinary chief Sheldon Brennahan has had his hands full.

Blue has won the first half ,but Green has their eyes on the prize. The new year 2012 is shaping up to be another great year. Although mother nature has been a bit slow at bringing the deep freeze, it looks like winter has finally arrived.

There is a lot to look forward to in 2012 so, keep your head up and your stick on the ice! Moe Rudz and the staff of The Pucking Files wishes you "All the Best in the New Year". They hope to see you on tuesday January 3rd at the Barely House and Cheers for some Black Ice Ale.

Blue Halfway There

Blue came out throwing their weight around and grabbed a two goal lead, but they couldn't knock out the defending champs who clawed their way back into the contest. Blue tried to send a message early in the game as Jack "Jackhammer" Fraiser pounded Green winger Mark Rudz into the end boards with a questionable hit that will surely be reviewed by league disciplinarian Sheldon Brennahan.

Green was not about to let Blue push them around and answered the bell with their own punishing hit. Green defenseman Jeff "Kano" Kane charged up ice and layed out Mark Rudz with a crushing body check. Kano told reporters at the post game press conference, " I wanted Blue to know that if they're going to do that to our guy then we're going to do the same thing". Rudz responded to the hits by saying, "I'm glad Kano showed Blue that we're not going to let them push us around. I just wish he could've used one of their players as his target." Rudz finished the game, but he was taken to Concord Hospital after the game for an MRI. He is sharing a room with Jim "Cummy" Commerford who is still recovering from a injuries he suffered in a game last month. Cummy's younger brother Mike led the Green attack all night long. Green tied the game only to watch Blue take the lead back. Late in the third the score was all knotted at six, but Blue scored two unanswered goals. With less than three minutes remaining Mike "Cummy' Commerford scored another goal to narrow the gap to within one, but Green ran out of time. Blue's win increased their lead in the eastern conference to two games over rival Green. Blue wins the first half of the season. Green coach Gary "Toe" Blake said after the game, " They don't give a trophy to any team winning the half. The championship is decided in March and my guys will be there defending the title. I guarantee that!"
The first star of the game went to the first unit of Blue, the second star went to the first unit of Green and the third star went to fans who pack "the Doug" every Thursday.

Greg "Hernia" Fornier (above) had six shots on goal during the game and six shots before the game. Look for the year in review later this weekend on The Pucking Files.

Pimp My Ride

Fans of Thursday Night Hockey no longer have to worry about parking on game night. Billionaire publishing magnet Moe Rudz has donated buses to the NAHL to shuttle fans to and from "The Doug" on game night. Finding a parking spot on game night was like trying to beat Smitty high glove side (almost impossible). Thanks to this generous donation fans can now be picked up on Main St. and shuttled to the arena. The buses were painted Blue and Green in honor of the two best teams in the league. Each bus has a stewardess and refreshments are served free of charge to season ticket holders. The NAHL; At your service!

Not Another Tie For Christmas!

The last thing a Thursday Night Hockey player wants for Christmas is another tie, but that's what Santa brought them. In front of a raucous Doug crowd Blue saw their slim lead disappear as Green tied the score with less than five minutes to go. Apparently the first unit of Blue must be Swedish because they definitely weren't Finnish. Blue had their opportunities to regain the lead in the waning moments of the game, but missed on several glorious opportunities that would have extended their hold on first place to two games. The two titans of the NAHL remain just one game apart. Team Red and Team Yellow are only a few games back and both teams had scouts there watching the game. Tom "TC" Carroll, Chris "Brownie" Brown and Jim "Heathy" Heath were awarded the three stars.
From everyone in the NAHL we wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Jolly Kwanzaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No NAHL All Star Game This Year

The NAHL has decided to cancel the ALL Star Game this year in order to make room in the schedule for the Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship at the end of January. It has come to the attention of many that Blue and Green has dominated fan balloting and members of the other clubs have called it "unfair". So, the NAHL President Dick Hurtz has decided that since the league's involvement with the Black Ice Championships, they believe it is in the best interest of everyone that they not break for the All Star game. Fans were still able to vote for the first and second team All Stars and not surprisingly, all but one player is from Blue or Green. The first team is: Clint "Eastwood" Casavaugh, Tom "Painch" Painchaud, Dave "Greasy" Palisi, Todd "Philby" Philbrick, Greg "Hernia" Fournier, Red "Whitey" Adams (Red) and Kenny "Rebel Without a Vote" Dean. The second team is Brian "Tilly" Tillotson, Dunc "Coach" Walsh, Any "BTO" Bachmann, Dan "Too Late" Early, Jim "Heathy" Heath, Tom "Harry" Harrison. Each of the players selected will recieve a pint of Black Ice Ale at the Barley House on January 3rd. For being the top vote getter, Red Adams is going to Disney World.
Santa Claus will be at the game between Blue and Green on Thursday Night. He is there to join the NAHL in it's charity work for "Hockey Fights Obesity". The first two hundred fans to arrive will get the opportunity to do a lap dance on Ol' Saint Nick.

Green Edges Out Blue in Thriller at the Doug

Last night in front of a sold out Doug crowd, hometown Green defeated first place Blue and pulled within one game of first in the Eastern Conference of the NAHL. In what many called "the best game of the season",fans saw lead changes multiple times. The see-saw battle was played at a dizzying pace. Both coaches shortened their benches in order to get their best players on the ice as much as possible. Green coach showed a lot of confidence in Tom "Berg" Bergault by using him in all situations, but it wasn't enough to bolster an impotent Blue power play. After Blue failed to get any offense generated on the power play, Green scored two quick goals and took the lead and held on for the victory. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" , exclaimed jubilant Green coach Gary "Toe" Blake. Blake has been on the hot seat all season after his team's slow start. Joe "Joe" Farrelly was named the 1rt Star of the Game, Tom "Painch" Painchaud was 2nd Star and Gregg "Moose" Moffett was the Third Star.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says, the NHL is giving "serious consideration" to allowing "clutching and grabbing" back into the game after learning of The Pucking Files investigation into a "growing situation" of young players "getting gay" at the pro level. "It is our belief", said the Commissioner (not to be confused with the Commish), "that players need to clutch and grab each other. If they can do it during the game then they are less likely to do it after the game". Sean Avery of the N.Y. Rangers says that he likes the "crack down" on obstruction because it allows players to "get more creative on and off the ice". He came out publicly in support of gay rights in the NHL. He told The Pucking Files, "If a player is scared to "come out" then pick up the phone and call me and I will be there to stand beside you as you tell your teammates". When asked about Sidney Crosby being rumored as gay, Avery said, "Sid the Kid is not gay, he's just really lame around women."

Say It Aint So Moe!

After the Bruins took care of the L.A. Kings last night, the L.A.Queens took care of two Bruins cubs by taking them to a gay club on Route 1. Newest King Mike Richards seems to have gravitated to the L.A. nightlife like a moth to the "flame". He invited young Bruins Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand to a night out after the game. These photos were taken by Moe Rudz on his cell phone. Moe invited the three to join him at his table. He said, "I recently donated a very large sum of money to "The Boys Club" and so they treat me like a VIP". He also donated a smaller sum of money to the Boys and Girls Club recently a source tells us. Seguin and Marchand missed the team flight to Ottawa and would have probably been fined had not Mr. Rudz offered them a lift to Ottawa on his private jet. According to our sources, Mr. Richards has now left the Kings for "personal reasons". Bruins GM Peter Chirelli told The Pucking Files, "I have no knowledge of Brad and Tyler's personal preferences, but as long as they are putting up points I am o.k. with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

Black Ice Countdown

There is just forty six days to go until the puck drops for the first game of the second annual 1883 Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship. The pond has been dredged and the ice is beginning to form. There should be a sign that says, "No Basketball on the Pond!" This is a hockey town!

The Big Dig

After listening to testimony from both sides, Judge Judy from the popular tv show The People's Court" made her ruling on the White Park excavation debate. Judge Judy sided with the Black Ice Pond Hockey Tournament over the Museum of Natural History and granted the Black Ice group permission to dredge the pond to make room for two more hockey rinks. Mayor Jim Boulay told The Pucking Files, "We are delighted with the judge's ruling. The Black Ice Pond Hockey Tournament is a huge boost to the Capitol City in tough economic times. Without this tournament we could end up the next Berlin." The Museum of Natural History's case was full of holes. Dr. Squeeky's findings were questionable to many scientists who read his report. The city hired Dr. Howard and Dr. Fine to conduct their own DNA test which contradicted Dr. Squeeky's findings. They said that Dr. Squeeky was "way off" in dating the remains. Dr. Howard and Fine's report said that the body was no way near four hundred years old, nor was the ethnicity native american. "We found the body to have been in the pond for no more than eleven months and it is a middle-aged male caucasian. Concord detectives then searched their files for missing persons from that time period and came up with a match. It was determined that the body was that of Dave Masinick. "It appears that Mr. Masinick had been out on the pond preparing for his come-back for Thursday Night Hockey. Mr. Masinick refused an interview with The Pucking Files to confirm the story. So the excavation is underway and temperatures are expected to drop this week. Things are looking up for Black Ice.
In case you hadn't heard; Blue defeated Green last night to extend their lead in the Eastern Conference of the NAHL. Blue's unit of "Tilly", "Coach", "Philby", "Silky" and "Joe" were given the first star of the game and Kenny "Don't Ya Love Em Madley" Bradley was awarded the second star for the thirty saves he made on Clint "Eastwood" Casavaugh. Jim "Heathy" Heath was the third star. Green coach Gary "Toe" Blake is on the hot seat. It is rumored that he and super star Tom "Berg" Bergault are not getting along. "Berg" did not even register a shot on goal last night. "I need the damn puck!", exclaimed Berg. "If "Blakey" wants me to score then he'd better put me with guys who will pass me the #*!$* puck or else....trade me." Green is in dire need of a win. It doesn't help that Jim "Cummy" Commerford is still out of the line up. He remains in Concord Hospital and is still listed a "stable".

In other news in the hockey world; the Winter Classic in Philadelphia is less than a month away. The Rangers and Flyers both revealed their team uniforms for the upcoming event. The Rangers went with a traditional old school look while the Flyer's went with something well- suited to the nippy weather of january.

Not Guilty!

The NAHL disciplinarian Sheldon Brennihan has found Blue defenseman Chris "Brownie" Brown "not guilty" of any wrong doing following last week's hit on Jim "Cummy" Commerford. Brown faced a suspension if found guilty and a fine of $200,000. Brennihan told the Pucking Files, " After reviewing the video multiple times I found no evidence of intent to injure in Brown's hit. I did however notice on the video that Tom "Berg" Bergault was left wide open in front of the net on the tying goal and that perhaps the "unamed" Green defenseman should pay the $200,000. fine. "Cummy" is still in Concord Hospital recovering from a concussion, four broken ribs , a fractured jaw, two fractured disc in his back, a brusied kidney, a dislocated index finger, a mild case of gout and constipation. The injuries were so severe that even his younger brother had to undergo knee surgery. He is expected to be back in time for the Black Ice Classic on january 27th at White's Park. On thursday the Supreme Court will make it's ruling on the case of the Black Ice Pond Hockey Tournament vs. The National Acamdemy of Anthropological Sciences regarding the "Pond Man" case. Read all about it this friday.

Comeback Kids (but who?)

It all seemed to be going Blue's way in the first period and a half. First place Blue built up a five to one lead and seemed to be running on cruise control when things got ugly. Green winger Jim "Cummy" Commerford (pictured all smiles on the Green bench) was on the wrong end of a blind side hit from Blue defenseman Chris "Brownie" Brown that left the speedy winger unconscious in a heap at mid ice. Green enforcer Jim "Heathy" Heath went after Brownie and the two heavy weights squared off. Both benches emptied and an old fashioned "donnybrook" ensued. Cummy was carted off on stretcher and Brownie was pelted with debris from the Green fans. The hit must have fired up Green because they stormed back and grabbed a seven to six lead over Blue with just minutes to go. Blue was back on their heels as they were pinned in their own zone for most of the third period. However, with less than a minute in regulation "Brownie" Brown unleashed a monster slap shot that Green netminder Tom "Harry" Harrison made a spectacular save on, but the rebound went to Blue centerman Tom "Philby" Philbrick who made a nifty pass to his winger Tom "Berg" Bergault who buried the biscuit just before time ran out. Boos rang down from the Green crowd and Blue was pelted with more debris. The tie moved Green into second place ahead of Yellow who was idle last night. Green coach Gary "Toe" Blake said, "We are going to get the league to look closely at the hit on Cummy and we hope they will take action against Brown". Cummerford was taken to Concord Hospital and is listed as "stable". Tom "Philby" Philbrick was named first star of the game. He led all scorers with three goals and two assists. Dave "Tilly" Tillotson was named the number two star. He had two goals and two assists. And Dan "Too Late" Early was named number three star for making the beer run.
No more news has been reported of the discovery of "the pond man" in White's Park pond and booth city and state officials are tight lipped for now. However, these two photos look eerily similar.

Bogged Down and Dirty

The Black Ice Pond Hockey Tournament has run into a mud wall. The dredging of White Park Pond in order to make room for two more rinks came to a grinding halt, but no one seemed to know why. An undisclosed source has informed The Pucking Files that a strange find was buried in the mud of the pond. The well preserved body of what is believed to be an ancient Penacook Indian was found completely preserved in the mud. Dr Louis Squeeky of the Museum of Natural History was brought in when officials from the NH State Historical Society contacted the museum about the find. Dr. Squeeky indentified the body as an adult male native american dating back 400 years. "The high acidity levels of the mud acted like embalming fluid", Dr. Squeeky said.

"This discovery is so important that we believe the park should be shut down to the public and a team of anthropologist should be brought in. The pond should be drained so the team can excavate the site properly. It is quite possible that many more bodies may be buried under all that mud", he continued. However, a spokesperson from the mayor's office told the NH Historical Society that Dr. Squeeky and his team of anthropologist are going to have to wait until after the Black Ice Tournament is over on January 30th before they can drain the pond. The NH Historical Society (NHHS) insisted that it is too urgent to wait and filed an injunction with the state to halt the Black Ice tournament and begin draining the pond immediately. So, the battle is underway between science and sports. "It is going to get ugly", said Dave Gill, the head of Concord's Park and Recreation. "The Black Ice Pond Hockey Tournament is the best thing to happen to this town in the past one hundred and twenty eight years." The Pucking Files will be bringing you updates on the situation as soon as they are made available to us.

Horseplay! Blue Gallops Past Green

Green scored early, but Blue scored often on their way to a convincing victory that landed them alone atop the league standings. Defending champs Green dropped down into third place as Yellow moved up into second with their win over Maroon earlier in the evening. "We were thoroughly out played all night long", said a disappointed Coach Toe Blake. Last year's MVP, Dunc "Coach" Walsh got Blue on the scoreboard to knot it up at one apiece. "It was the first time he looked comfortable out there since he donned his visor", said his centerman Tom "Philby" Philbrick who led Blue with six points. Philby earned first star honors with Jeff "Kano" Kane and Phil "Commish" Stewart named second and third stars of the game. Last night's game debuted "helmovision" technology which provided fans around the world a player's view of the intensity of the world's greatest league. "It's UNBELIEVABLE!" "AWEFULly good hockey!", said one fan. The technology was the brainchild of billionaire publisher Moe Rudz who's funding made it possible to broadcast via satellite world wide. Moe was not there however to view the historic broadcast. He was in Happy Valley where he just donated a new zamboni for the Nittany Lions hockey team which is now vying to be the number one sport in Happy Valley. "We are going in a new direction", said a school spokesperson. "We are even thinking of changing the name from Nittany Lions to the Pink Panthers.

Moe's visit was two-fold as it is rumored that he is financing the new documentary film "Horseplay" which focuses on one player's journey from a high school tight end to a college wide receiver. "It shows the commitment to excellence that is the back bone of the program", said Franco Harris, the unemployed former Penn State running back.

Hipshake n Bake! Blue Stuns Green

The storied rivalry of Green and Blue added another chapter to what is arguably the greatest rivalry in sports. With two minutes remaining and the score all knotted, Mike "Hipshake" Farrelly put the ol' shake n bake on Blue's Joe "Say It Aint So" Farrelly and turned him inside out. He then swooped in on beleaguered backstop Kenny "Don't Ya Love Em Madley" Bradley and slipped a nifty backhander into the net and lifted the Green faithful out of their seats. The goal came less than a minute after Blue's Jim "Cummy" Commerford had just tied the game when he ripped a twisted wrista past Kenny "Rebel Without a Save" Dean. It was a wide open see-saw battle which had the lamp lit so many times that it caused a brown-out in the Capital City reported a spokesperson from Unitil. The scoring was led by Andy "BTO" Bachman whose five goals should have earned him first star honors, but Hipshake's flair for the dramatic bumped BTO down to the number two star postion. Bachman showed that last week's cheap shot only lit a fire under him and he was playing with a sense of purpose. Third star went to Tom "TC" Carroll who scored four goals. Twice the game had to be halted while hats were cleared off the ice. Both Kenny's were treated at Concord Hospital for 3rd degree burns on the back of their necks. After the game reporters caught up to Mike "Hipshake" Farrelly who told them, "I've always known that my brother Joe has difficulty turning to his left and so I exploited the only flaw in his game." When "Joe" was told about his comments, he fired back, " The only other time my brother Mike ever got around me was in a street hockey game on Gilmore St. in 1968." Joe's team won that game twenty three to eighteen. "We were coming back on them and probably would have beat them had my mother not called us home for supper", recalled Hipshake. Missing from last night's contest was Dave "Tilly" Tillotson who sat himself out in response to his abusive comments he made the week before to referee Phil Lacasse.

Don't forget hockey fans; this tuesday November 15th, the celebration for the upcoming 2012 Black Ice Pond Hockey Championships kicks off at 5 pm at NHD. You are invited to taste your beloved Black Ice Ale. There will be Black Ice merchandise for sale and many of the Stars of Thursday Night will be on hand. It will be a great evening so, come on down and bring the family.

Green Climbs Back On Top

Behind the stellar performance of Kenny "Don't Ya Love Em Madley" Bradley, Green moved back into first place with a road victory over rival Blue. This was the last game of a four game road trip that saw Green earn wins over Yellow, Red, Teal and Blue and move back on top of the league standings. "We didn't start the season the way we would have liked", said Mike "Hipshake" Farrelly, whose efforts earned him second star of the game, but, we are back to playing good solid two-way hockey and it is paying off". The league experimented with a new two referee system, but league officials nixed the idea immediately following the game. "It was AWEFUL!", said Dunc "Coach" Walsh, about the officiating. "Phil doesn't work well with others", he added, "never did, never will". Much to the surprise of everyone, that "other" ref was none other than Dave Maznek, the oft-missing former player of Thursday Night Hockey. It had been rumored that Maznek was buried under the new floor of the Doug, but last night's appearance has many people now thinking that perhaps there is no validity to that claim. Maznek's long absence from the game was parodied by officials from the Black Ice Tournament with a game called "Where's Maznek" in which people are urged to find him somewhere in the crowd on the new Black Ice poster. Hint: He's not with Waldo. Last night's game however, had so many missed calls that it led many to wonder, where's Phil? The game was chippy and it came close to getting out of hand after an blatant hit-from-behind on Andy "BTO" Bachman, the speedy Green winger. "It was obviously intentional", said Tom "Berg" Bergault. "This guy Rudz has been getting away with kind of crap for years and his brother Moe always bails him out of any suspensions." "What is it going to take before the league does something about these kinds of hits", said Tom "Philby" Philbrick. "We looked at the tape many times last night and we saw nothing illegal about the hit", said Ray Charles, the head of league officiating. "That's BULLSHIt!", remarked Jim "Heathy" Heath after learning of Ray's assessment. Heathy was named the games number three star last night. Things went from bad to worse when Dave "Tilly" Tillotson began abusing both officials about what he perceived as a missed offsides call that led to a Dunc Walsh goal that pulled Blue to within one. " You don't talk to the ref that way no matter what you think the call should be", said Walsh. "It's uncalled for and I think he owes Phil an apology", he added. Walsh told reporters, "We should've beaten these guys. They are the softest team we've played". The remark raised the ire of Tilly who replied to it by saying, "For a guy who has never won anything other than six state championships, he should probably keep him mouth shut and his head up". Despite the ugly incidents that occurred, we can't over look the entertainment value of last night's game. Blue's comeback was halted when Heath put a perfect tape to tape pass on the stick of sniper Mike "Little Cummy" Commorford who caught Kenny "Rebel Without a Rebound" Dean off guard and fired the puck past the surprised goalie. The goal took the Blue crowd out of the game. Green called up rookie defenseman Dave "Don't Call Me Kent" Carlson who had been playing down in the Manchester Stick & Puck program. "I was little nervous at first", Carlson said, "but playing alongside veteran Ryan "Silky" Brandt made the jump to bigs much smoother." "I was happy with the way the kid played", said Gary "Toe" Blake. "I believe this kid will make his mark in this league someday", he added. Time will tell.

Black Ice Ale is Back!

Last sunday's NH Legends induction was pretty impressive to all those who were in attendence. It was almost as impressive as the Legends of Thursday Night induction last week. Our hats off to Dunc "Coach" Walsh and Ryan "Silky" Brandt for remembering the importance of Thursday Night Hockey on our culture. Coach referred to it as "unbelievable". That it is Coach!
On tuesday November 15th from 5-7 p.m. NHD will be hosting a Black Ice Pond Hockey reception and yes, they will be tapping the world famous Black Ice Ale. We hope to see you there. It is rumored that Hobey Baker will be there, but it may actually be Obie Barker.
Also this Thursday Night we will have a live satellite feed broadcast of the Kaiser's Induction speech from Munich. The Kaiser (or Kyzer as it is spelled in Germany) was spotted at the Legends of NH Hockey ceremony last sunday.

Green Snatches Win on Legendary Night

Last night was special at the Doug not only because Green halted a Blue comeback with a late goal to skate away with the victory to the delight of the Green faithful, however, the crowd was there to also honor the first class of the Legends of Thursday Night Hockey Hall of Fame. The mood was festive as the fans chanted the word "LEGENDS!" over and over throughout the evening's post game ceremony. It also featured the return of Legendary d-man Jim "Heathy" Heath who played brilliantly for Blue with little signs of rust (except that one time). The game featured brilliant goaltending at both ends of the ice. Both teams started goalies called up from the CCHL, Andy Moog for Green and Gump Wobbly for Blue. League leading scorer "Tilly" Tillotson and line mates Dunc "Coach" Walsh and Clint "Eastwood" Casavaugh fired at Moog all evening and managed to beat him only occasionally. Forrest Gump was a bit shaky at the start but managed to get shakier as the game progressed. Green got up by three goals, yet Blue stormed back in the third period as "Shemp" Champagne found the back of the net several times. It looked like all the momentum had swung in Blue's favor, but with less than two minutes to go Mark Rudz scored the game winner on a laser shot that no goalie could have stopped (including Harry who remains stranded in Australia after the sinking of the Duke of Lancaster). However, the big story of the night was the induction of Legends "Joe" Farrelly, "Heathy" Heath, "Dumpin" Chase, "Tilly" Tillotson, "Hernia" Fournier and "Kaiser" Gillies who was unable to attend because he was playing nursemaid to Mr. Ed. Billionaire publishing magnet Moe Rudz sent his congratulations from Palm Beach where he was meeting with Saudi Arabia's Prince Abdula and Hassan Bin Sobar. After watching the acceptance speeches on a live podcast, Moe said, "No matter what happens to these guys, they will always be able to hold their heads high and say, "I am a Legend of Thursday Night".

The Legend Continues on Thursday

Continuing our bonus edition of The Files, we focus on the careers of the other three inductees into The Legends of Thursday Night Hockey Hall of Fame.
Jim "Heathy" Heath began his stellar career in the shadow of older brother Glen "Wonder" Heath. Jim was so overshadowed by big brother Glen that he was referred to as "Little Wonder" until High School where he emerged from the shadow of Wonder and earned his nickname "Heathy". It came accidently when playing under the legendary coach Tom "Tarzan" Walton. The roster listed Jim as a "heathy scratch". The misprint stuck with him once they dropped the "scratch". Heathy began turning heads with his play on the ice and on the baseball diamond. He was offered both baseball and hockey scholarships but turned them down in order play professional soccer in Central America. A military coup ended Heathy's soccer dream and landed him back in the Granite State playing for Concord's Budmen. He became a first round choice in the CCHL where he set records in goals and points by a defenseman. His slapshot was clocked at 102 miles per hour during the skills competition. He soon got the call to "The Bigs" where he continues to pile up points.
George "Dumpin" Chase grew up playing hockey on Turkey Pond with Hobey Baker. "He was an older kid at St Paul's that I looked up to", said George. "He used to tease me and call me "four eyes". George, the tall skinny kid with glasses became a standout at Milton Academy where he became half of the dynamic duo of "Chase & Kineally". He went on to skate for Bowdin College and was drafted by the NHAL. It was here that Coach Gary "Toe" Blake converted him to a defenseman and taught him "the ol' dumpin chase" tactic which Chase perfected. George also has been the coach of the Lady Paulies for the past decade.
Kurt "Kaiser" Gillies is part of "the first family of hockey" which consisted of three goalies; father Bruce, brother Bruce "the rooster" and brother Chris. "I had very little net to shoot at with all of them blocking the goal" said Kaiser, but, that's why I developed the ability to find the back of the net in impossible situations. After a stellar career for the Crimson Tide, the puck-moving defenseman went to Canada to play Junior A hockey where he caught the eye of the German olympic team. Since Kurt was the grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm for whom he is named, he was eligible to skate for Team Germany. Just before the start of the 1976 winter olympics, Kurt was accused by an Israeli court of nazi war crimes, but he was later cleared of all charges. Unfortunately for the Kaiser and for Germany he was unable to play in the 76 olympics because he was being held in a Tel Aviv prison. After his ordeal, Kurt returned to Concord and began playing in the CCHL where he was also known as "the Minister of Defence". "He was so difficult to play against" said former Montreal Canadien Kent Carlson, "that I used to vomit before games against him". The Kaiser jumped to the NAHL when he was offered a huge multi-year deal that included beer and pizza. He was the mainstay for Green in their championship run last year.