Otter Interview - David Warner

Dickey Dunn – Penthouse Forum

I recently got a chance to sit down with Otters defenseman, David Warner at his private resort estate located in Belmont, California.


Dickey - David, first of all, congratulations on your big win. It must feel pretty nice to get that monkey off your back.

David - Thank you. It does feel great. It has been a long time coming. 32 years to be exact.

Dickey - This was not your first hockey championship was it? Many people might not know that you were involved with 2 NCAA Division 1 National Championship teams with Boston College.

David - Hey!... Kiss My Ass!

Dickey - Woops, my bad… I meant Boston University…

David - That’s better..


Dickey - So you won 2 national championships with BU back in the 1970s and were headed for a third straight when your team was involved with some financial impropriates with a student athlete. There were many stories that circulated online about the charges.. There was talk of BU Boosters paying hundreds of thousands of loonies to recruit a high powered Canadian prospect. Do you care to shed light on any of this?

David - It’s been awhile and I do not recall anything….. Can we just move on..?

Dickey - David, you must certainly recall something. You have authored several stories posted online about it. Does this have anything to do with your 32 year absence from organized hockey?

X.X. - Excuse me, I am XXXl XXXXX, attorney for Mr. Warner, and under my advice, Mr. Warner will not be answering any questions concerning his involvement in illegal recruitment practices…

Dickey - You mean ‘alleged’ involvement?

X.X. - Yes um..….of course…..His ‘alleged’ involvement in illegal recruitment practices.

Dickey - Ok, lets move on to more pleasant topics. This last game. The Otters win the Stanley Keg in a convincing manner over the three time winners, the Intangibles. Now I hear that there are several members of the Intangibles team that you have had some past ‘history’ with, …care to comment…

David - You just wait……

Dickey - Lets talk a bit more about the game.
There was much talk amongst your fellow teammates that you were the real inspiration for the teams victory. Something about winning you a T-shirt.

David - Yup. The official Stanley Keg Championship shirt, is one of the most cherished of all trophies a hockey player can earn. I mean, even when you watch the guys in the NHL win their championships and all they ever get are those stupid hats they put on after the game.

Dickey - But David, I hear that this season, IOHA is not giving away shirts, but a hat to the winning teams.

David - What the F@ck!.. Who’s hair-brained scheme is that.?

Dickey - What ever trophy you get for this latest championship, how will it compare to your two national championship rings?

David - Right now… It’s all about the shirt!,.. But when I finally sober up, I am sure that I will realize that the rings ARE the bomb. I mean, back in the day, I’d put on my rings and my Letterman jacket, cruise the local bars and have my pick of the litter. Chicks just dug the jacket. Add the two championship rings to the equation, and there were some coeds that missed classes for the next few days, if you know what I mean….



Dickey - The Otters are not only the champions, but I also hear from other players in the league that you guys are the “class act” of local hockey. Is this true.

David - Dickie, I have to admit. I have gotten pretty close to these guys over these past several seasons. They are hardest working, most dedicated, players I have ever been fortunate to play with. We have several players who showed incredible grit and determination over this past season.. Rob Caplan, who scored the championship game wining goal, was skating the final game of his hockey carrier with a totally shattered spinal cord.. Chuck Jewett was skating with only 2 of his 4 heart chambers functioning.. Tom Muthig is like 95 years old and I even think that Gary Ahern was playing with a chipped fingernail.

But off the ice is where the Otters show their class. We actively participate in various philanthropic ventures, Alan Scheer offers his services to unwed mothers in need of comfort and support. Alan Nolet has made it his mission to rid the Northwest of the troublesome elk that contribute to the destruction of the Earth’s ozone layer.
Jules Nolet, is looking to get involved with a manufacturing organization to build her product in under-developed countries, thus giving children the satisfaction of knowing what a hard days work accomplishes.

I mean, its hard to express fondness and gratitude to the individuals that make up the Otters. Beers on me folks next week.

Dickey - Thanks David, good luck next season.

Otters are the Top Mammals on Ice

Keith Oberman - ESPN News

After several frustrating seasons of coming up short, the IOHA Otters, behind a nearly flawless team performance took hockey’s second most prized trophy: The Stanley Keg.
Led by the relentless skating of the Russian 3 (Sergi Anufriev, Dimitri Smirnoff and Val Kasvin), the stellar net-minding of Jimmy ‘Mom likes me best’ Pozzobon and the gutsy (if not foolish) last game performance of Rob Caplan, the Otters defeated the 3 time reigning champions, the Intangibles 5 goals to 3.
The Otters jumped out to a commanding 4 to nothing lead behind constant on-slot of offensive pressure and defensive fore-checking, never giving the Intangibles the chance to settle into their rhythm. Sergi Anufriev played, what many people called, the game of his life by skillfully driving the net, jumping on turnovers and constantly harassing the Intangible’s troublesome forwards of Doug Lane and Jim White. “It was that constant pressure on the Intangible’s top line that was the key to the game” said Otter GM Aden Nolet, who watched the game via secure satellite feed at the team’s corporate headquarters in Atherton, CA. “Our game plan was to play our positions, skate hard and focus on keeping close tabs on their top players” Nolet continued. “I think we did a pretty good job at it”

It was all Otters in the first half of the game, netting four goals and allowing only one ‘flukey’ goal, halfway thru the Second. As a seemingly harmless puck found its way thru Pozzobon and was subsequently kicked in by Otter defenseman, Ted Brown. “I was trying to kick it back under Jimmy, but my feet got all tangled and I just kicked it in. Get off my back! That’s why I don’t play soccer” commented Brown.

The game took a deciding different feeling in the second half when a constant parade of Otter players headed to the penalty box. Defenseman David Warner and center Gary Ahern both received 2 penalties each, including a nail-biting 5-3 in the later part of the third period which gave the Intangibles a full 2 minute 2 man advantage. “It was a rough and tough fought game out there, but I didn’t understand some of the calls that were made” said Ahern. “Whatever game the refs were watching, must have been a good one, I just wish it was OUR game that they were paying attention to”.

In the end, the Intangibles closed to with-in a goal late in the third, but the incredible focus on the system and relentless skating of the Otters refused to let the Intangibles generate any significant pressure. The last second, empty-net goal by Anufriev was a fitting end to an impressive TEAM victory.

3 Stars of the Game

1. Sergi Anufriev
2. Rob Caplan
3. Jimmy Pozzobon

2008 SUMMER STANLEY KEG CHAMPIONS

Everyone knew their role - everyone played their role, and in the end Dave got his T-shirt.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!

Tonight!

We all know our roles. Every Shift! Every Puck! Go Otters!

2008 Summer OTTER Hockey Team

By David Warner

The 2008 summer season Stanley Keg final hockey playoff game is upon us.

We have had a great season on and off the ice.

On the ice, we are now 19-3-3. On Friday, we must continue to play our game:
stay in position in defensive end (wingers on boards), pressure/forecheck in offensive zone, backcheck, shoot and most of all stop and start around the puck, no circles or waving at the puck. Also plenty of communication, in English or Russian, is very important!

We know our opponent and it appears they have no respect or show disrespect for our team.

When the young goalie came into our locker room last game and said “good” after we joked that we lost, that shows stupidity.

Last Friday, when one of the assholes asked if Alan Nolet was playing next week and was told he wasn’t, he then proceeded to smile and say “good’. That shows no respect for the team. I told him HIS TEAM was the one man band!

Last Friday, when the assholes laughed at the Otter shirt and made disparaging comments, that showed disrespect.

If we stay together next season or the season after, I certainly do not want to be the team that doesn’t allow subs or doesn’t want to sub on other teams. I don’t want to be the team that other players at IOHA dislike. They are!!

No matter what the outcome is, shirt or no shirt, this Friday night, it has been a great time! The bonding on and off the ice has been memorable and is more important than the game result. What other team has had the laughs, the blog, the beer, the stories (true or made up) and the success.

Here’s to the 2008 summer OTTERS: Tom, Alan, Jules, Sergei, Val, Dmitri, Alan, Wes, Chuck, Ted, Gary, Rob, David, Jim and Jim

This will be the last blog by this writer under various names until after the game.

See you there. BE READY!!

Alan is OK

by Richard Cranium

This is a follow up to the previous story on the disappearance of Alan Scheer.

Many of the readers have shown their concern in emails and phone calls to this reporter.

Monday, Alan contacted the FBI and told them he was ok.


"I was in a little mishap on Woodside Road after I left the Ice Oasis," said Scheer.
"Everything turned out fine once my car got down from the pole. I was not in a ditch and I did have on my clean whitey-tighty."



Scheer went on to say that he was at a Erhard Seminar Training (est)for referees all weekend.


"The training was intense and rigorous," voiced Scheer. "I had to keep my referee's outfit on all weekend. They had us go through all the penalty signs a thousand times. They never let us go to the bathroom or use the phone."

Scheer said he did achieve a sense of personal transformation and enhanced power in his life.

"I will be there Friday night, laced up and ready to go and I will sit with my teammates after the game," Scheer said emphatically.

WHERE ART THOU "LITTLE ALAN"?

By Richard Cranium


An all points bulletin for the whereabouts of Otter defenseman turned forward Alan Scheer has been put out by the FBI in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol and the California Fish and Game department.

Mr Scheer has been missing since late last Friday.

Scheer was noticeably missing from the Otter roundtable discussion at Yack’s corner after the team’s explosive 8-1 quarterfinal win against the Shamrocks.

“I noticed Alan and an unknown female lurking in a dark corner,” said an unnamed source. “It was difficult to see just what they were doing since the place was packed.”

Reports and rumors have been spreading like wildfire.

“I saw the little guy sneak out the backdoor without saying goodbye to anyone,” said another unnamed source.

A third unnamed source described a dark haired female that Scheer left with looking like this


A fourth unnamed source had a different description saying the mystery woman had light hair.


The FBI is looking into these people of interest along with a third suspect who was at the rink that night. The third suspect, using a magic spell, had turned Scheer into a hardened statue a few years ago (pictured here).

Otter GM Aden Nolet expressed the team’s concern. “I think this unknown female may have been a spy sent in from one of the other teams,” said Nolet. “If Scheer gives up any inside info, he is on the trading block. Then again, Alan might just be stuck in a ditch, wearing dirty underwear.”

Could This Be The End Of The Otters?

Dickie Dunn - The Redwood City Hockey News

Frankly this reporter is starting to see a trend develop. The Otters are a team that has been nearly hand-picked, cultivated and nurtured with one single goal in mind. (NO! not win Dave a damn T-shirt), but to compete for and win the 2nd most holy of grails in sports, The Stanley Keg.

But recently, I have noticed a lack of focus, and quite honestly, a lack of TRUE desire. Oh sure, I keep hearing, “we wanna win” but it seems like some players are just more interested in blogging cute BS stories and videos, or covering themselves elk urine and sitting in a tree waiting for a furry woodland creature to wonder by. I have even overheard one player talking about the color of toilets that he is picking out for his new home that he is building.

I don’t think that I am alone. The fans notice, the other teams notice and apparently so does management. Otter GM, Aden Nolet, was observed, what could only be described, as an, all-out tantrum after Wednesday night’s loss by the Otters top development team, Oasis. After Oasis’ loss, young Nolet ran around his lavish Atherton playroom/ office and began smashing toys in a fit of rage.

Many that witnessed Aden were amazed at the youngster’s vocabulary. “I was not aware he even knew those words” claimed mother and Otter defenseman, Jules Nolet. “ I am going to start to pay more attention to those episodes of Wonder Pets that he watches”.

Are my expectations too high?

I don’t think so.

This season, 4 of the top sportsbooks in Manitoba, picked the Otters as odds on favorites to “win it all”. Even thought the team suffered the loss of Rob Caplin, the mercenary player who sighed to end his career in Redwood City, the Otters still sported a plethora of talented players. Mid season acquisition of Sergi Anufriev added the catalyst to the famed “Russian 3”. David Warner, the most decorated of the Otter players, returned after serving a 32 year ban imposed by both the United States Amateur Hockey Association and Canadian Hockey Board of Regents for his financial improprieties that lead up to the now infamous BU/ Cornell – “Game that Never Was”.

http://home.comcast.net/~thfblog/site/?/page/The_Game_That_Never_Was/

The other key players that round out the Otter lineup are: Tom “the gardener” Muthig. Tom the elder statesman of the team quietly leads by example, yet has not been as productive in goal scoring as was expected of him.
The before mentioned “elk urine connoisseur” Alan Nolet who has missed several of the last Stanley Keg games while out “hunting” is now under investigation by the Las Vegas Vice Squad after several of his broadhead arrow tips were discovered during the raid on a seedy Vegas massage parlor called “Brandy”.

While I cannot question the loyalty of some of the Otter “role players” such as Chuck Jewett, who is playing with an undisclosed “upper-chest issue” and defenseman, Alan Scheer, who has put his social life on hold to play hockey on Friday nights, I am starting to wonder about plucky forward Ted Brown, who is rumored to be quietly trying to start is own hockey league in Belmont.

This might be the last chance for the Otters to achieve what so many around these parts are counting on! The Stanley Keg! If this season ends in disappointment like so many of the past seasons, one can only wonder what lies in store for the wacky band of misfits.

Levi Johnston tryout

by Richard Cranium

Otter GM Aden Nolet announced today that Alaskan native Levi Johnston will have a tryout with the Otters. Johnston and Bristol Palin, daughter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, are expecting their first child in late December.


"A representative of the Republican Party contacted me last night," said Nolet. "He said they needed a hockey team to put Johnston on for his senior year in high school before they bought him an undergraduate spot at Stanford."

Johnston is an 18 year old superhunky bad-boy ice hockey player from cold country. Besides his hard play on the ice, Levi Johnston is also a bit of a hell-raiser off it. State troopers popped Johnston last year for snagging some king salmon out of season in Moose Lake, records from Alaska wildlife enforcement show. He had to pay $370 bail.

On his MySpace page, Johnston proudly declares: "I'm a f---in' redneck."

"I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing," he says on the site.

He also warns that if anyone messes with him, "I'll kick ass.”

On the part where it asks about children, he wrote, "I don't want kids."

Nolet went on to say, “Johnston shoots left like most of our team and has young legs. Our youngest player currently is my mom at 35. If we don’t do well in this season’s playoffs, I’m afraid my job is in jeopardy so I need to bring in the younger guys.”

It is still unclear on why the Otters’ management was contacted. It is quite possible the republican party used their mailing list to find a “local” mentor who plays hockey, hunts and fishes.


“Whatever the reason is, I think this is a good move for the Otters and Johnston,” added Nolet. “We have plenty of room at our house for Levi, Bristol and their kid. My dad and I will have another recon guy for checking out the neighbors. For my mother’s sake I just hope they don’t bring a dog with them!”

Woodside Party!!!!

Woodside fundraiser for Palin popular, but Democratic Otters in Silicon Valley skeptical about the Palin effect

By Richard Cranium
Woodside Weekly

To one of the Otters, Sarah Palin is the savior of the Republican party, a bona fide outsider who can multi-task with a BlackBerry and a breast pump. To others, she is a moose hunter, a little-known governor thrust into the limelight who doesn't agree with the majority of women Otters and Otter spouses on key social issues, like guns, hunting, types of beer, sex, oil, drugs, gay marriage, health care, the economy, global warming, Iraq war and beauty pageants. The only common ground is ice hockey where her daughter keeps screaming “he shoots, he scores!!”

Whatever the sentiment, Palin has emerged as the most polarizing candidate since, well, Hillary Clinton.

In Silicon Valley, which has been a fundraising stronghold for Democrats, a late September luncheon with Palin is so popular that the event at the demolition party of Connie and Gary Ahern’s old Woodside home may have to be moved: 900 have replied; the lot only fits 800, one bobcat and two dumpsters.

More to follow….

OTTERS heading to YACK'S CORNER

FULL SAIL.....NO BUD!!!!

SPORTS CORNER

by Gordie Who

Less than a week after acquiring the rights to sign free agent goalie Mark Torelli for next season, Otter GM Aden Nolet sold those rights to the Intangibles for $5,000 and future considerations.

“After last week’s stellar performance by Jim Pozzobon and the need to have cash for the party beer, it was a no brainer to make this move.” Nolet went on to say that Pozzobon was on his game last week and allowed only one goal which went off his own defender.

“When Jim shows up early and has a good warm-up, the team is ready,” added Nolet. “We only lost three games all year and the road to the championship starts with Jim in goal.”


The Otters’ developmental team, Oasis, lost a close game Wednesday night to above mentioned Torelli. Oasis GM Bulslaw Udowski is protesting the game stating that an illegal puck may have been used. IOHA director Chris Knight is shown here with said puck.

After the game, Oasis player and Otter want-to-be Bo Daly was seen having a romantic dinner with Pittsburgh Penguin transplant Karin in Yack’s Corner. The couple was seen secluded at a table chomping on a bacon burger and munching sausage pasta. They hurriedly left, leaving behind the sausage and some fries.

Wednesday night may have seen the last of Alan Nolet. The tanned, hairless forward turned defenseman has had a tough time adjusting to the Wednesday night pace. During the season, comments could be heard in and around the rink than Big Alan didn’t belong on Wednesday night and he should take his bag (not Jules) with him. Good luck to him!!

There are three players that GM Nolet is looking at giving a shot to play on next season’s Otters. Daly has shown that he still has his legs and grit. The Finnish Terror, Juha Punnonen, would be almost a lock to make the team but he is not comfortable playing on Fridays. When he was a kid back in Finland, one Friday, he had a bad experience on a pond. The third prospect is the youngster from down south, Tirso Camacho. The only thing holding Camacho back is his goal scoring. Off the ice he is great but on the ice, he needs to be consistent in putting the biscuit in the net.

As some of you regular readers may know, the “Sniper” Ted Brown has had a pick up game going on for decades at Belmont Iceland on Monday nights. The Belmont rink has been undergoing some major changes the past few weeks and is anticipating a reopening on the 22nd of this month. Ted is having a big gathering at Ausiello’s in Belmont on El Camino on Monday the 15th around 7:30. He is looking for new recruits and is serving up FREE BEER and CANDY for all that attend. He has a slush fund to cover this and I’m sure he is going to really appreciate that this event is now blogged. Bring everyone you know!!!

Alan Nolet to Return???

By Richard Cranium

BERKELEY — It's over.

The three tree-sitters who remained in a single redwood near Memorial Stadium, even after the grove they were trying to save was razed last week, climbed down Tuesday from the 80-foot tree. Their descent ended a 21-month standoff at UC Berkeley and came after a tense morning and afternoon as university officials erected metal scaffolding around the tree and worked their way up to the sitters.

As more than 300 people on the ground watched, beat drums, chanted, yelled, cried, cheered and prayed, one by one, the two men and one woman — known as Big Alan, Marty, and Brandy to their supporters — were handcuffed and escorted down several flights of stairs and arrested. Their heads were bowed and at least one appeared weak as they walked down the stairs. They did not speak to the crowd. The blogger obtained this earlier picture of the female.

The move from the tree ended the long-time occupation of a campus oak grove aimed at stopping construction of a new $125 million sports training center for student athletes.

After the tree-sitters came down Tuesday, the redwood where they lived for many months was cut down and will be made into hockey and lacrosse sticks. A smaller redwood that still remains in the grove is expected to be transplanted to a private home in Atherton because it has a good chance for survival, said campus spokesman Dan Mogulof.

Big Alan Nolet used his one phone call to contact this reporter.

“I want to set the record straight about this incident,” said Nolet, Tuesday night from the Santa Rita jail in Dublin. “Many people thought Marty and I were out killing elk in Oregon or at a men’s club in Vegas. Even though I’m a republican and card carrying NRA member, I care about our planet. It’s not all about oil and religion. When I was a kid growing up in New England, trees were my life.”

Nolet went on to say that when he was a boy he wanted to be a lumberjack like his hero Paul Bunyan.

“Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe, had a plan when they cut down trees. They didn’t cut them down so some stupid sports training center could be built for some sniveling, whining rich kids.”

Nolet sounded tired on the phone when he responded to my question about playing hockey this week. “I’ll try to be there for the Wednesday and Friday night games and even though I haven’t been on skates in awhile, I’ll be more aerodynamic since I got rid of all my body hair,” said Nolet. “But,I’m gone for the rest of the playoffs this month. I’m going hunting.”


I asked Nolet who this Brandy person was and all he could do was sing this song:

Otters pick up Torelli's rights

SPORTS CORNER 9-05-08



By Gordie Who

It was learned today through anonymous sources that the Friday night Otters have picked up the rights to veteran goaltender Mark Torelli for next season. GM Aden Nolet had no comment but was seen smiling this afternoon as he was on his popsicle break.

In the past, the 30 year old Torelli has voiced his desires to play Friday nights. He has stated that the atmosphere and drinking arrangements are much better on Fridays than on Wednesdays.

Torelli went up against the Otter's developmental team Oasis last Wednesday and faced 112 shots. Though, his team lost by one goal, Torelli was impressive. Mark also has played on the Otters' away team, the Wonder Pets, in June at Lake Tahoe and showed that he was very versatile playing Rockband.

Tonight's game against the Falling Stars is the last game of the season and may mark the last time that this team plays the season together. Rumors are spreading that all teams will be disbanded for the next season. Names will be put into a JOFA helmet and pulled out one at a time then placed into the eight team pool.

The last two weeks saw a flurry of trades. The biggest moves were on Wednesday night.

"We had to do something," said director Chris Knight, "some teams had injuries and no shows. It became which team had the better subs. Next season we are going to eliminate the "hockey whore" mentality by charging subs more and there has been talk of placing fines on no shows and having injured players bring in a doctor's note."

Knight alluded to the fact that people should show up and not get hurt. He hinted that IOHA chief guru Ken Yackel might bring in monkeys to play.

Russian league accuses IOHA of breaking deal

By Richard Cranium

A newly formed Russian hockey league accused the IOHA of poaching two of its players when the OTTERS agreed to terms with two draft prospects last week..


As a result, the Continental Hockey League (KHL), announced Thursday that it was no longer obligated to abide by a moratorium reached in July, when the leagues agreed against signing players that were under contract.


In a news release, the KHL said the IOHA violated that agreement when the Otters signed second-round draft pick, left winger Juha Punnonen, and fifth-round pick, center Tirso Camacho. The KHL said Punnonen is currently under contract with Chelyabinsk while Camacho is under contract with Yaroslavl. The KHL has been trying to keep an international flavor within its league with the drafting of a Finn and a Mexican.


GM Aden Nolet disputed the KHL’s claims in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press. Nolet said the IOHA approved both contracts “on the basis of evidence that the two players were free of contractual obligations elsewhere and the Otters would never do anything unethical like adding players for a playoff run”.


“The Otters are not in violation of any agreement with the KHL, nor are we in violation of our long-standing policy to respect the contracts of other leagues.”


This is the latest dispute to arise between the leagues since the KHL, which is scheduled to begin play this month, was formed last spring to succeed the former Russian Super League. The KHL has been suspect in trying to lure three Otters, Sergei Anufriev, Dmitri Smirnoff and Val Kasvin back to the motherland to play in the new league.





The IOHA suspended forward Alexander Korolyuk after he broke his contract with his Sunday night and weekday pickup teams to sign with a KHL team. Korolyuk, a former San Jose Shark, had one year left on his IOHA contract.


KHL president Alexander Medvedev has maintained that Korolyuk’s signing was legal because it occurred before the two leagues reached a signing moratorium.


Medvedev is scheduled to meet Saturday with IOHA officials, including Ken Yackel and hockey director Chris Knight, in Zurich to discuss his league’s dispute with the IOHA.


Nolet said the Otters are not involved in those meetings.


Nolet still doesn’t consider the KHL a major concern, which is how he refereed to the upstart league in June.


“Of course we’re disappointed with some of the things that have happened but, no, I don’t think I would change my answer today, that we don’t consider the KHL to be a major concern,” Nolet said. “There are plenty of Igors, Sergeis and Mikhails out there that they can find to pad their rosters”.

OTTER interview with TOM MUTHIG

By Richard Cranium

We caught up with beloved Otter defenceman Tommy Muthig as he was preparing to leave for the Summer-Winter SENIOR OLYMPICS in Reykjavik, Iceland. Muthig will miss the last game of the season and possibly all of the playoffs if all goes well for him in the ICE TENNIS event.

Muthig was an outstanding high school tennis player (pictured here) at Cody High School in Detroit Michigan and has maintained the competitive edge the past five decades.
1. Tommy, we know that you were a star player in high school, why didn't you go to a division one school?

"Well, I was recruited to go Duke but they wanted me to be on the girl's team and wear one of those outfits. I said no way no how!!"

2. Did you have long hair then?

"I started to let my hair grow long in my senior year. I think since my middle name is Priscilla and I have a slim 135 pound girlish figure, the Duke coaches thought I was the second coming of Billie Jean King."

3. How did you get into Ice Tennis?

"In Michigan, July was our only month of summer, then the snow comes in and lasts until mid June so we had to be real agile on the court. Pretty soon we all realized that if we wore ice skates our footing would be much better."

4. Who is your main competition in Iceland?

"The locals will field a strong team as well as the Swedes, Finns and Norwegians but it's the Canadians that are the favorites. Those damn Canucks are very good in curling, ice fishing, dog sledding and hockey.

5. Speaking of hockey, when did you start playing and did it interfere with your love of tennis?

"Next to Judy, the kids and the dogs, tennis will always be my first love. I remember when I was a youngster always having wood in my hand. Sometimes when the snow got really deep we would put the rackets on our feet like snowshoes. Moving to hockey was a natural progression. Hockey and tennis both have a net. When I was growing up hockey had wooden sticks and tennis rackets were also made of wood."

6. But aren't pucks and balls different?

"Have you ever gotten hit with a frozen tennis ball? You would think it was puck!"


7. What was the biggest influence on your hockey career?

"Even though I grew up in the Detroit area, I was a big Montreal Canadien fan. I remember sitting around the RCA Victor radio in our living room listening to the fourth game of the 1951-52 Stanley Cup finals. Detroit beat Montreal four games straight. I was heartbroken. After that time, my idols were the Richard brothers. I've watched their story numerous times in French.

8. You and Gordie Howe, the famous Red Wing, share the same history.

"Gordie and I have been fortunate to play along side our sons. The greatest thrill I have had in life is teaching my sons to skate and play ice hockey. To be on the ice with Jasper and Paki and win the Tuesday night Stanley Keg has been a life long dream for me."

9. You have been on the Otters since day one. How would you compare this team to past teams?

"On the ice, this team is unified and very strong. Off the ice, this team likes its beer!"