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!"