The draft is done, the teams are set, and Wednesday afternoon hockey is ready to roll.
We had enough players to draft six 60+ teams, originally with 12 skaters apiece. One late withdrawal leaves FOT opening with 11, while the other five teams begin with 12.
Before getting into the rosters, a big thank-you goes to the guys who stepped up to run teams this season.
Running a team sounds simple until you are the one dealing with lines, absences, goalies, roster questions and all the opinions that come with Oldtimers hockey. These guys volunteered to take that on, and the league is better because of it.
We also looked back at recent 60+ statistics and the larger pool of 50+ stats to see what these rosters might have in store.
Past performance guarantees absolutely nothing, of course — except perhaps that certain players will continue believing every shot they take was headed top shelf.
Saber
Team Manager: Bruce Fridline
Brian Rousseau
Thad Shegos
John Tomko
Cliff Miller
Bruce Fridline
Dale Bigger
Bob Kolar
Jim Watters
Paul Spitale
Bob Cooper
Ron Evans
Chris Doll
There is a pretty obvious place to start with Saber: Bruce Fridline.
Bruce is a big guy with surprisingly good hands and the ability to weave through traffic with the puck. He has also been one of the better goal scorers in the 60+ league.
Bruce brings something else to the rink, too:
An opinion.
About goalies.
About rosters.
About line combinations.
About pretty much anything else that matters.
Bruce was also one of the first people to declare that Dave’s Gears.beer roster was stacked.
The crying has begun already.
Brian Rousseau deserves a special mention. Brian is just under the normal age threshold, but he stepped in to help us fill out the rosters. He is a hard-driving skater who plays the game with plenty of pace and should add another offensive threat for Saber.
What to Expect
Saber has size, scoring and a team manager who will make sure everyone knows what he thinks.
Early scouting report: Bruce can create offense himself, Rousseau can drive the play, and there is enough experience throughout the roster to make Saber dangerous.
Tucker
Team Manager: Steve Berriman
Brian Ladd
Lenny Koskodan
Steve Berriman
Scott Poliskey
Tim Taylor
Carl Ledford
David Fiebernitz
Jim Jensen
Rich Stoick
Glenn Syrowik
Joe Garcia
John Bishop
If anybody should be qualified to run a hockey team, Steve Berriman probably makes the list.
When he isn’t playing or refereeing hockey, Steve works with the OHL and NHL, so there should be no shortage of hockey experience behind the Tucker bench.
Whether any of that experience helps when 12 Oldtimers start offering suggestions at once remains to be seen.
Brian Ladd is exactly the kind of player nobody enjoys battling in the corner. He is tenacious, works for loose pucks and doesn’t give up easily.
Tucker also has Tim Taylor and Glenn Syrowik, both of whom have shown they can generate offense.
And then there’s Scott Poliskey.
Scott may be a fine hockey player, but Dave would like the official record to reflect that he beat Scott at poker Friday night.
We are still waiting to determine whether that translates into the advanced hockey metrics.
What to Expect
Tucker looks balanced, experienced and hard-working.
Early scouting report: Don’t expect many easy pucks. Ladd will fight for everything, Steve knows the game, and there’s enough scoring throughout the lineup to make Tucker dangerous.
Gears.beer
Team Manager: Dave Crabill
John Fialka
Steve Seres
Gordon Schafer
Mike Rutherford
Pat Putnam
Mike Stevens
Don Wheaton
Phil Holland
Charlie Mann
Dave Crabill
Robert Graham
Tom Murray
Now we arrive at the roster that has already generated accusations.
According to Bruce Fridline and Mike Petty:
Gears.beer is stacked.
Dave’s official response remains:
“The crying has begun already.”
One player worth watching is John Fialka.
John is a competitive water skier, and that athleticism shows up on the ice. He has good speed, strong stickhandling and can create space quickly.
Then there is Mike Rutherford, better known around the rink as “Lumberjack.”
Mike is one of the stronger defensemen in the league and is not bashful about getting the puck out of the defensive zone. Sometimes there is finesse involved.
Sometimes the puck simply needs to leave.
Lumberjack takes care of that.
Charlie Mann, Pat Putnam and Dave Crabill have all shown the ability to contribute offensively, while the roster is filled with experienced players who understand where to be.
What to Expect
This team may not have one overwhelming superstar, but it has a lot of experienced hockey players who understand positioning, puck movement and each other.
Early scouting report: Veteran hockey sense, speed from Fialka, toughness on the back end from Lumberjack and enough offense to create problems.
Stacked?
We’ll let the season decide.
Rolls
Team Manager: Tim VanKirk
Dan Clemons
Mark Fridline
Darren Long
Timothy Doucette
Tim VanKirk
Russ Hyjek
Christopher Summers
Ward Clarkson
Tom Odegard
Paul Martel
Art Autio
Bill Richards
Tim VanKirk was recruited by Art to take the reins for Rolls.
That’s partly because Art already has plenty on his plate helping run both leagues, and especially handling what may be the least appreciated job in Oldtimers hockey:
Goalie selections.
Tim has stepped up to handle the team, and he has an interesting roster.
Dan Clemons has one of the hardest shots in the league. When Dan gets time to load it up, goalies know it.
Darren Long is a playmaker and an all-around grinder. He’s one of those players who contributes in a lot of different ways and doesn’t need to be the guy scoring the goal to have an impact.
Then there’s Bill Richards.
Bill is at the upper end of the age range in the league but remains one of the more skilled defensemen out there. Good hands and good hockey sense don’t disappear just because the birth certificate gets older.
Paul Martel and Tim VanKirk have also shown an ability to distribute the puck.
What to Expect
Rolls could be one of the better puck-moving teams.
Early scouting report: Hard shot from Clemons, playmaking from Long, experience on defense with Richards and several guys capable of moving the puck effectively.
Antcliff
Team Manager: Mike DiCosola
Mike Gorney
Mike Huey
Ken Roy
Brian Hill
Gerald Edwards
Mike Aulseybrook
Diamond Ferraiuolo
Mike “Shaggy” McGrath
Darrel Delling
Mike DiCosola
Craig Medon
Jim Allen
Mike DiCosola takes the manager role for Antcliff, and he inherits a roster with some serious offensive potential.
The first player to watch is Mike Gorney, better known in some circles as the “Gorn Star.”
Gorney is one of the hardest-skating guys in the league. When he gets the puck, he is coming downhill fast.
One word of advice:
Watch for the blue helmet.
His head is generally down.
Gorney isn’t waiting around to survey the ice. He’s going.
Then add Mike Huey, another proven scorer, and Antcliff has a legitimate one-two offensive combination.
Ken Roy also brings a little history in the penalty-minute department.
We’ll politely describe that as competitive spirit.
What to Expect
Antcliff has speed, scoring and players who are willing to push the pace.
Early scouting report: If Gorney gets rolling through the neutral zone, get out of the way. If Huey gets open, find him quickly.
FOT
Team Manager: Mike Pettey — Unless He Recruits Someone Else
Dave Toombs
David Bachichat
John Butterfield
Chris Burkland
Evan Moore
Mike Pettey
Tim Allen
Bob Rogers
Jon Marango
Ed Guiry
John Lamson
Mike Pettey currently has the FOT manager job — unless he successfully convinces somebody else to take it.
Mike also works with Art helping run the leagues, so like Art, he already has plenty going on behind the scenes.
FOT may be starting one skater short, but there is still plenty to like here.
John “JB” Butterfield is back after an injury, and that’s good news for the league.
JB is over 70 and may still be the hardest-driving skater we have at that age. He doesn’t coast. He attacks the play and continues to compete at a level that gets everyone’s attention.
Evan Moore has proven scoring ability, and Pettey himself has produced goals and assists.
What to Expect
FOT has fewer bodies to start the year, but they have enough skill and competitive players to cause problems.
Early scouting report: Don’t sleep on them. JB is back, Moore can score, and Pettey will complain about Gears.beer’s roster while simultaneously trying to beat them.
The Completely Scientific AI Championship Prediction
Naturally, we fed all of this information into our highly advanced artificial intelligence model.
The system considered:
- Recent 60+ goal production
- 50+ scoring history
- Assists and overall point production
- Roster depth
- Number of proven scorers
- Defensive experience
- Playmaking balance
- Penalty tendencies
- Age-adjusted hockey experience
- Manager qualifications
- Likelihood of getting distracted arguing with the referee
- Probability that someone in the corner of the rink yells “SHOOT!”
After applying advanced statistical weighting, machine learning and several calculations that nobody intends to explain, the model has reached a conclusion.
AI Prediction: Antcliff
Antcliff receives the narrow preseason nod.
The combination of Mike Huey and the Gorn Star gives them high-end scoring potential, and the roster has enough depth behind them to avoid being a one-line team.
But the model has the league surprisingly tight.
AI Preseason Power Index
- Antcliff
- Tucker
- Gears.beer
- Saber
- FOT
- Rolls
Gears.beer finishing third should quiet any accusations that Dave rigged the computer.
Although Bruce and Mike may want an independent audit.
The gap between first and sixth is small enough that one hot goalie, one pulled muscle or one guy suddenly deciding he’s 35 years old again could scramble the entire list.
So this prediction is guaranteed accurate until approximately 2:31 p.m. Wednesday.
The Real Wednesday Home-Ice Advantage
Statistics only explain part of Wednesday hockey.
The rest happens in the corner of the rink.
By the time the second and third games begin, there are usually a dozen or more players hanging around, enjoying a beer and providing valuable unsolicited coaching to whoever happens to be on the ice.
We affectionately call this group:
The Peanut Gallery
Some have already played.
Some are waiting to play.
Some apparently came solely to evaluate other people’s mistakes.
And many have a beer in hand.
Their coaching system is simple and remarkably consistent:
“SHOOT IT!”
“PASS IT!”
“GET BACK!”
“CHANGE!”
“WHO WERE YOU PASSING TO?”
And occasionally:
“NICE PLAY!”
That last one usually catches everyone by surprise.
The Peanut Gallery remains undefeated.
Mostly because none of them are actually playing at the time.
There is also a direct correlation between the number of beers consumed and the confidence level of the coaching advice.
By the third game, the corner of the rink often contains more hockey knowledge than an NHL video room — at least according to the guys standing there.
And honestly, that’s a big part of what makes Wednesday afternoons fun.
Play your game.
Grab a beer afterward.
Stick around.
Cheer for the next group.
Give your buddies a little grief.
That’s Oldtimers hockey.
Opening Day — Wednesday, October 7
2:30 p.m.
Saber vs. Flint OT
Goalies:
Shaggy — Saber
Don — Flint OT
3:30 p.m.
Rolls vs. Gears Beer
Goalies:
Robbins — Rolls
Gwillim — Gears Beer
4:30 p.m.
Tucker vs. Antcliff
Goalies:
Drew — Tucker
Corey — Antcliff
A big thanks to Art for juggling the opening-day goalie assignments and everything else involved in getting the league on the ice.
And thanks again to our team managers:
Bruce Fridline — Saber
Steve Berriman — Tucker
Dave Crabill — Gears.beer
Tim VanKirk — Rolls
Mike DiCosola — Antcliff
Mike Pettey — FOT, at least for now
The teams are picked.
The goalies are assigned.
The AI has made its prediction.
Bruce and Mike have already started complaining about the draft.
Everything appears to be right on schedule.
Drop the puck, have some fun, grab a beer when you’re done and join the Peanut Gallery.
See everybody Wednesday!