Bio

I started playing hockey like most kids of my era on roller blades playing street hockey or in our case basement hockey. I grew up with 5 younger brothers so we always had a “game” to play or in our case a “brawl” to be had.

My brother Jim, Greg and myself would recreate the old barn/arena in our basement with paper board and whoever was able to check the other one through the boards was the star of the game.

Some great memories was my brother Greg being told to kneel down with a chest protector on and block Jim and my shots from close range-2 feet….I could raise the puck at that time....Jim couldn’t!

Greg wore glasses and it would get so hot and his glasses would steam up-didn’t stop us we kept pounding away-he prided himself in being al arbour (due to his rec specs).

After we got tired of pounding each other we would enlist a neighboring “friend”-after we ran out of friends we went back to pounding each other.

During the winter months we would skate on pools or ponds didn’t matter, wherever the ice was we would skate and skate and skate.

I played for so many teams as a youngster I cannot recall all of them. I do remember playing for saint louis country club even though we were not members. They had a good coach there cannot remember his name but he played for one of the ivy league schools and said I was a “pretty descent player” and should attend a few hockey schools to better my skills.

We had a large family and parents had no interest in taking us here or there to play hockey when we could walk to baseball, soccer etc. They let me join the blues hockey school and Bill Selmans hockey school.

I did not learn much from the blues school because Noel Picard was our instructor with Earnie Wakely. Wakely said nothing and I could not understand one word Picard was saying.

Still a wonderful experience and felt fortunate my parents allowed me the chance to attend. Mr Selmans program was very regimented and skill oriented. Since I had very little skill I took on a different style.

I have to say that Mr. Selman, Eddy Olson were major influences on my passion for hockey. However, I have to illuminate the grace and aplomb of a man I care greatly for today and who I reflect on regularly. That man is Bill Mkenna. Bill was an accomplished athlete of many sports as well as a skilled referee.

High school hockey had just started and I played varsity as a freshman (only because it conflicted with same season as soccer and we did not have enough guys participate).

Bill was the quinessetial gentleman and seldom made a bad call. He took a liking to me but not my brand of hockey. I recall one day “performing” like a jerk on the ice and as I was going to the penalty box….who looked directly in my eyes and said, “you know you could be a pretty good hockey player if you cut out all that silliness.” It was like my father talking to me I did not want to disappoint him and from then on I tried to be a true hockey player vs a performer.

Not sure I succeeded but I know bill mkenna advice helped me not only in hockey but also life. Speaking about life…some of my greatest friends today or my hockey opponents/teammates of 50 years ago. I still play a few times a week and still compete as hard as I did back in the day. My shot still sucks, I still have a tough time stickhandling and skate faster backwards then I do frontwards….both, dreadfully slow.

But i hope to play the greatest game in the world until the day I die and if for some reason I am unable…..then I still hope I have the energy to go to the “room” bull shit with the guys, talk about how good we once were, embellish every game we played, what teams we still hate (Vianney, Southwest) and just be with “the guys”.

Nothing like it….whether the rainbow rockets, the chiefs, Chaminade flyers/red devils, the gong show of the BHL or playing midnight hockey at winterland-and now my tiger brothers, the mitch crew at Kirkwood hockey or jost, chief, hoppy, catch, lugs at affton-nothing better then the cold, damp, smelly rink and running someone through the paper boards just like we did it in the basement with brothers greg and jim or the odd time (me) would score a goal. What a game, what a life and how fortunate I am to be in the company of true hall of famers…

I am blessed, I am humbled and I am so grateful I could be around so many wonderful competitors and enjoy the greatest game I have ever had the privaledge to play-I am grateful to you all even those of you who went to vianney and southwest!