2010.01.17

The first game of the 2010 season was held at Jingu on Sunday and Teams Red and White battled to an epic 11-11 tie. Ties are often referred to as a “sister kisser” and not in the mildly interesting James Voigt/Angelina Jolie sense. This game, however, was nothing of the sort, providing a little something interesting for everyone.

Post holiday hangovers and New Year’s Resolutions took their toll on attendance as each side iced only 2 full lines prompting honorary Team Red captain Rob Smaal, who holds the honour of being the only current player born during the Eisenhower administration, to ask when the first break would be. Informed that this would be a battle to the death, or 11:30 whichever comes first, Smaaly said a few Hail Marys and hopped the boards for what would be the first of his 80 minutes of ice time on the night.

Team White dominated the early going and got solid goaltending from Nobu Araki, who was breaking in his new “circa 2002-03” JS Giguere equipment that Santa thoughtfully left under the tree. Clearly Santa was not watching while Nobu was awake at Sayuri and Propoganda the other night, but I digress. Dave “Nike Sucks” McKinnon got the White siders on the board early with a pretty shot to the top shelf.

Red started to get things going quickly thereafter, however, and Mike LaRose, who was conspicuously absent last game, bagged his first of 4 (if you are counting) to even things up. White came storming back and after McKinnon pounded one off the post, Scott Collins jumped on the rebound and got his first goal in a Red and White game as Team Red looked for a whistle from referee Chuck Vincent.

Replays showed that Chuck V was right on the money in his call and the goal stood. The line of McKinnon, the always dangerous Dan Stevens and the raw, but talented, rookie Collins were creating lots of chances and would bag more than their fair share on this night and stake Team White to an early lead. This put Team White up by a few early and created a hole out of which Team Red would eventually need to climb.

The 3M line (McCain, Montague and McDonald) created a lot of chances with Lotockin’ Dave and Koby quarterbacking at the point but had come up zeroes for about the first 30 minutes. A turnover behind the net was gathered up by Brent McCain who fed Shawn Montague for a one timer that squeezed through Nobu’s new pads. Seconds later, Bruce McDonald did what we pay him the big bucks to do and dug the puck out of the corner and on to the stick of McCain who went high on Nobu and suddenly the game was 5-4.

Next shift, Rosey was at it again and all of a sudden a slow start had turned into a nice little game of fire wagon hockey. The momentum clearly shifted and Red started to pull away as LaRose piled up a couple more goals and dished left and right to special guest star Chris Antonelli and Tim Laurie as their line carried the load for Red and Tatsu started to take charge in Red’s net flashing that glove that has earned him so much acclaim in this column. Said Collins, “I will have nightmares about that glove. I had the game in my hand and he robbed me.”

Just when it looked like Red would walk away with things, Naoki Kaneko and his ANA Line woke up. With goals from Kaneko, Ogi and a patented Chaw wrister from the circle, the game was close again. The defense of Nick Bigwood, Kevin the Kid Holt and Mihail “Sputnik” Markov tightened. The goal of the night goes to Dan Stevens who converted on a pretty little three way passing play, shoulder faking Tatsu and sliding it into the gaping net. Call it 9-9 at this stage.

LaRose and Montague got quick late goals and it looked like the Red gang would come away with a hard earned two points. It was not to be on this night as once again youth, in the form of Naoki, was served with a couple of late goals to tie things up. A frenzied last minute and a half solved nothing and Chuck V whistled it dead at 11:30 on the dot. Make the final 11-11.

Your Allied Pickfords 3 Stars
1st Star: Mike LaRose with 4 goals, a couple of helpers and a whole lot of spit, grit and duct tape.
2nd Star: Dave McKinnon with a couple of goals early and got in on a couple more late. Sparked the “2nd line” and gave Red something more than Naoki to worry about.
3rd Star: Dan Stevens with the goal of the game.

Comings and Goings

The rather fluid nature of the Tokyo ex-pat community took its toll on TCHC over the holidays. Two key members of the squad have been repatriated to the Motherland.

Jade Leung: He had a major impact in his first 18 months keying a tournament victory in Bangkok and preparing what is now and forever more will be the best balance sheet TCHC has ever seen. Jade was a solid defenseman on the ice, a regular social event attendee and a strong participant in the off ice activities, departing as the Treasurer on the Executive Committee. He will be missed but I suspect he will be back if only for the odd tourney in Bangkok, the Mississauga Firefighters Old Boys tournament proving not so exciting now that he has seen the world.

Cam Knox: Another standing member of the exec, Cam is a long time TCHC member whose on ice exploits are too many for us to list in this column. Anyone who has seen Cam coming down the wing with a full head of steam, no shoulder pads and a sense of purpose knows what a player he has been. Cam has been a member of many of the trophy shelf building efforts of TCHC over the years and a strong social member having most recently headed the efforts to raise funds for the Run for Hope (Terry Fox Run) as well as being one of the few who actually made it around the 10 km circuit. Here’s hoping that this is not the end of Cam’s time here in Tokyo.

Please join us in wishing Cam and Jade happiness and success in their new ventures.

2009.12.13

No themes or special games were needed for the final Red and White game of 2009. The boys showed up ready to go and despite some last minute scratches and a couple of no shows, the turnout was solid and the teams very even. As has been the case in most of the games this year, the offenses started slowly and the defenses dominated….for about 5 minutes before all hell broke loose.

Team White jumped out to a huge lead only to see a superior conditioned Red squad come storming back to make this one of the closest and most entertaining games of the year. Capitalizing on a defensive turnover and a set of wingers perched perilously high in their “own zone,” JO Caron banged home White’s first goal of the night. Naoki and Cam Knox wreaked havoc in Team Red’s zone and, on the first of a pair of Joji Hiratsuka’s goals and at least one from grizzled veteran Patty Morris, White was flying. Denny Waechter, back from his hammy sustained while barbequing too aggressively, also chipped in with a pretty shot over Tatsu’s oft tested but rarely beaten glove hand and the White siders had a 5-0 lead.

Team Red was not ready to give up however. Jim Heather and newly minted president and sometime Embassy denizen Dave Lotocki rallied the troops. The self proclaimed 3M line of Brent McCain, Shawn Montague and Bruce McDonald hopped the boards and had a spirited shift or two highlighted by Montague missing 2 wide open nets, McCain firing a one timer 8 feet wide from 2 feet out and McDonald tipping a slap shot into McCain’s throat before running into and nearly decapitating Montague. Chris Antonelli got things going in the right direction by corralling a puck at the point, leaving the covering winger jockless with a nifty move and roof daddying Red’s 1st goal of the night. Montague got off the schneid cashing in a pretty pass from McDonald for his first of an eventual hat trick and things started to look better for Red at 5-2.

After a series of blatant muggings, referee Chuck “oh my aching groin” Vincent had had enough. After a Red defender pretended to hit Cammer, Chuck called the 1st penalty shot of the year and Cammer made no mistake on this night making it 6-2 White.

The line of Dave “Nike Sucks” McKinnon, Tim Laurie and Dan Stevens then started to carry the load chipping in 2-3 quick ones and with big Bruce McDonald netting his first of two, the score was tied 6-6. Joji’s second goal was set up by a brilliant rush by fellow cagey veteran, Rob Smaal.

It brought tears to the eyes of all who could remember Bobby Orr streaking through defenders and dishing to Phil Esposito in the days of the Big Bad Bruins. Unfortunately, the only guys old enough to remember watching this combination in person were Smaaly and Joji - and I think their tears were the result of a lack of oxygen more than tears of joy. Red came back again and Nick Bigwood tied the score at 8 which touched off a brief but delirious celebration on the Red bench.

Team White was too much on this night, however. Shifting Cammer back to the point and Roppon Guy Roberge back up front created just the spark White needed. Defensive stalwart Jade Leung banged one in. Naoki continued to be too much for Red’s old legs to handle and eventually the score ballooned back to 12-8.

White was dead or so most thought. Shawn Montague completed his hat trick, Brent McCain converted a late breakaway and suddenly things were tight again. Jimmer consulted the team and yanked Tatsu in favor of an extra skater, throwing McCain back over the boards and getting instant rewards when the Montrealer banked one in from the doorstep to make it 12-11 with a minute to go. Team White proved too much as Naoki outlegged the spent defense and buried an empty netter with 30 seconds left, the final dagger as it turned out. Make the final 13-11 White.

Your Allied Pickfords 3 Stars
Naoki Kaneko (White) – Speed kills and he had speed to burn as well as 4 goals and a bunch of chances created.
Joji Hiratsuka (White) – Two big goals and lots of jam.
Shawn Montague (Red) – Paced team Red with 3 goals.

2009.11.19

The 2nd Red & White game of the year took place last Sunday and another big turnout sparked a lively affair. Team White stormed out of the gate but Tatsu was flashing leather as he had been in our glorious Bangkok victory. With cat like reflexes and a quick glove Tatsu kept team White off the board well into the game despite a furious attack from the Mark Didcott/Cam Knox/Patty Morris line. Joji got in on the act, dancing through the defense before getting stoned by a suddenly scorching hot Tatsu.

Team Red, buoyed by the keeper, started to pepper Nobu who would eventually see more rubber than a Roppongi Saturday night. Jade Leung got his first R&W goal of the year to break the ice and the defense continued to contribute as newly minted president Dave "Low-shootin'" Lotocki fired a laser low to the glove side and with a loud ping of the post, Team Red was up 2-0. Newcomer Bruce McDonald then scored the first of his 3 on the night from the doorstep. Back in the 50s Bill Mosienko set a record by scoring 3 goals in 21 seconds. The Elias Sports Bureau confirms that Bruce has set a new 3 goal record, netting the hat trick from a combined total of 9 inches from the goal line. Congratulations on this record breaking effort.

Patty Mo broke the ice for Team White to get the score back to 4-1. Diddler, who was sporting a vicious hangover and a penitent soul, banged home his first of 3 to get things rolling and Nick Bigwood's wrister sailed by a screened Tatsu to get things to 4-3. A couple of late whistles later, Team Red was up 7-3 with goals coming from Frank Harrison (2), Dave "Reebok SWAG for Everyone" McKinnon and a host of others, possibly including JO Caron.

The score went back to 7-4 when a wrap around effort by Brent McCain was video reviewed and Diddler was awarded his second of the night about 25 minutes after the fact when it was determined that no whistle ever blew on the play before he banged it home. This was done without any warning and/or consultation but in the end it had relatively little impact due to the solid defensive efforts of Red's impressive blue line of Leung, Lowshootin’ Dave, Young Kevin Holt and Mihail "Sputnik" Markov. White's line 2 of Jiffy, Tim Laurie and Koby were turned away time and again as Team White struggled valiantly to get back into the contest.

Roppon Guy moved up front while Cammer dropped back on D with Jim Heather to create some offense for Team White and spurred by a cantankerous and inspiring Brent "Killer" Carlson a 5th goal was scored but that was all for the white siders. Brian May, Dan Stevens, special guest star Chris Antonelli and the rest of the Red forwards kept the heat on and eventually the flood gates opened up. Make the final 11-5 Team Red.

On a sad note, this game was Brian May's last one as he will move to Dallas shortly. Please join me in thanking him for his contribution to the team on and off the ice and in wishing him well in his future endeavors. Come back soon Brian and know that a spot is always open if you find yourself back here.

2009-2010 TCHC Set to Kick-off

2009.10.01

Another exciting season of Tokyo Canadians hockey is set to begin. After a trophy case-building season in 2008-09, the club looks to turn the page on its Bangkok and Manila glories and look forward to building on the club’s storied tradition.

The season officially kicked off with the Annual General Meeting at Legend's Sports Bar & Grill on Thursday, October 1.

Selection of the Executive Committee: The new President is Dave Lotocki and the V.P. is Patrick Morris. The treasurer is Jade Leung and surely his days in audit will serve him well. Brent McCain is the Secretary/Internal Communications guy while Joji Hiratsuka will head up International Communications. Cam Knox and Mike Treytiak will spare responsibility for Charity Events/PR while Brent Carlson (with an assist to Dave McKinnon) will manage the website. Satoshi "Koby" Kobayashi will be in charge of the all important fundrasing parites this season and will be counted on to ensure that this year's is even better than last year.

Last season the TCHC donated 250,000 JPY to Father Joe's Human Development Centre in Thailand and 150,000 JPY for the Terry Fox Run in Tokyo. It was felt by all that team can do even more this year.

Departures were not as numerous as expected given the economic down turn but sadly we will say good-bye to the following players:

Mike Slaton: Past president, sometime sniper and frequent flyer. Slates will be plying his trade in Washington DC with the Hilton group (I smell some great group rate deals for tournaments). Mike has been an integral part of the club on and off the ice and will be greatly missed. Several leads on hockey teams ensure that he will be in tournament shape and he assures me that he is still hoping to play with us a few times next year and beyond.

Brian May: Stalwart center and silent assassin. Brian will be moving to Dallas to be closer to key clients. Brian's departure leaves a large hole down the middle.

Steve Hawkins: We just learned today that Steve will head back to the US. At least Steve goes out a winner having rallied his troops for a stirring 6-5 victory in his last Red/White game. Given the general aversion to backchecking on our squad, Steve’s defense and his Foligno style circa 1982 helmet will be sorely missed.

Arrivals include:

Shawn Montague: Shawn arrives in Tokyo from Orlando to work at Disney. There is no truth to the rumor that he has accepted a position as a "dancing mouse." He will actually be working as an engineer and his main responsibility will be reducing the ridiculous wait times at the Tokyo park. Shawn played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Club Hockey team and graduated as the Club’s all time leading scorer. At 28 years of age, he has dramatically reduced TCHC’s average age.

Hot on Ice

2009.06.24

There was a great turnout for the Sunday night Red/White skate at T-baba. The game was a well-attended and well-played affair that went right down to the wire, with Joji's Red men eventually skating to a dramatic 6-5 victory over Meehan and his Pale Riders.

J.O. opened the scoring for Red after a nice rush down the right side by D-man Rob Voisine, but Cam Knox soon responded with a pair for White to put his side up 2-1.

Patty Morris tied things up on a setup from veterans Mike Larose, Brian May and Ryo put Red ahead 3-2 off a feed from Koby. However, White replied with a pair of goals set up by Ome, with Dave and Bobby rippling the mesh to once again leapfrog into the lead.

It wouldn't be a R/W game without a little controversy and that came with White enjoying a 4-3 lead. As Knox skated in all alone on Tatsu with vision of hat tricks dancing in his head, Eddie Shelton, a former Vanguard and the unofficial referee/scorekeeper, blew the play dead, calling it offside for a two-line pass.

Before Knox could lay any lumber on Eddie, we explained that the two-line pass rule was no longer in effect, having been phased out back when Scottie could still see his belt buckle. Knox was awarded a penalty shot—yes, the most exciting play in hockey—and he made no mistake, beating Tatsu like a red-headed stepchild to give Meehan's men a two-goal lead.

But this baby was far from over. Justifying the "C" on his chest, the wily veteran Hiratsuka took matters into his own hands, scoring unassisted to make it a one-goal game. With time winding down, May made Joji look like a GM genius when he scored to tie it off an assist from Ome's buddy.

With defenseman Steve Hawkins rallying the troops on the bench, young Ryo, who had been lurking in the weeds all night, then got the game winner, evoking memories of the thrilling 6-5 final of the '87 Canada Cup. May and Ryo will forever be mentioned alongside Lemieux and Gretzky when Canadian hockey fans look back at great moments in the game's history. Yes, his name is Ryo and he dances on the ice, for all you Duran Duran fans like Mike Treytiak, who still sports the Simon LeBon 'do, and Rubes out there.

The draft, originally scheduled for Saturday, had to be postponed a day when Joji, after a few too many lemon chu-hais, kept insisting he wanted TCHC legend John Richmond with the first pick.

Thanks to Eddie for keeping notes so I was able to get a little detail in ... blame him if you got screwed out of a goal, like Cam almost did.

Le Pemiere Etoile -- Ryo, for sealing the deal for Red
2nd Star -- Rob "The Flying V," who undressed White defenders like they were up on stage at Chi-Chis
3rd Star -- Knox, for getting a hat trick in a losing cause and showing that there's still a place for good, old Canadian grit in this game

Congrats to Diddler for cycling 300 km to raise money for cancer research. I'm sure there will many celebratory beers being hoisted at No. 5 Orange as I write this to ease the pain of those nasty saddle sores.

Stay tuned for any upcoming activities, which have yet to be planned, but make sure to get in shape by September for the trip down to see Rob and Jay in Okinawa.

TCHC Invitational

2009.05.25

The annual TCHC Invitational was a resounding success on Sunday. A great day on the golf course was followed by a great night in the bar, and what’s not to like about that?

The big winner on the day was Jade “I’m No Sandbagger” Leung, who not only led his foursome to the team trophy but who also took individual honors with a score of 80.

Leung, who honed his game while living in the golf hotbed of Arizona, not only dominated the field, but he did it with a mixed bag of clubs to make the feat even more impressive. If anyone is willing to go out for beers with him, Jade will provide free golf tips. The team of Jade, Low, Slates and Brent Mc took team honors at 5-over, one stroke ahead of runnersup Jamie D, Cam, Nobu and Scottie. Special mention to Jamie, who honed his game on the berry-picking fields of Saskatchewan and shot an 82 on Sunday, the lowest round he’s ever shot in Japan.

In other awards, Sam was closest to the pin on par-3 No. 7, about 10 feet from the hole. Since he didn’t want to reward himself with a 5,000 yen gift certificate to Legends, the award went to Rob Smaal, who was edged by Slammin’ Sammy by the width of a golf ball … and, really, what’s a ball between friends? The certificate was thrown into the pot to help cover the bill.

The “Better Late Than Never Award” went to Cam Knox, who, despite operating on about 20 minutes’ sleep, missing the morning train out to Tsukuba, and showing up at the course as Scottie was in his backswing on the first tee, shot the lowest round of his life with an 88. No Stu, I’m not making this up … it’s a wonder that Scottie and Nobu didn’t have the best rounds of their lives as well, playing in that “miracle” foursome.

After the clubs were safely stored away until next time, it was off to Legends for a typical TCHC celebration that went long into the night. Joining the hackers were a few young guys, like Ben, Taiyo, Jake and Priya (OK, she’s not a guy … but she sure is into basketball). Their attendance brought the average age of the shindig down to a respectable 38.9 years … until Rubes and Diddler showed up and it popped up again higher than a Mike T drive (you know, the ones that go about 200 ft straight up and 12 ft ahead).

Special thanks to Lowtalkin’ Dave for organizing a great day out, Terry at Kasumigaura Kokusai for accommodating our group and giving us 50% off green fees, and Mike T for providing the hardware (or hard plastic, at least).

Canadians Crowned Kings of Siam

2009.05.03

On Sunday night, we had what could be our last Red-White outing for a few months.

Even though it was Golden Week, we managed to get 10-12 team members out and Ogi called out some friends/spares to give us 10 skates aside, so thanks to all who were able to make it out.

Much like the previous Red/White tilt, this one started out with Red jumping out to a quick lead. Guy and Chuck were working well together and one little whipper-snapper in an orange jersey had us asking "Naoki who?" The Harrison Bros, Dennis and Tim Laurie were also looking good in the early going and pretty soon it was 4-0.

But, once again, the lead would not last as White battled back with Patty Mo and Mike Larose leading the charge, complemented by the crusty old Killer on D and the hard-working trio of Ogi, Dan and Chaw-dog up front.

I believe the final score was something like 10-8 White, but a good time was had by all and nobody got hurt.

2009.04.02

The Tokyo Canadians won the 2nd Annual City of Angels Cup in Bangkok, Thailand in mid-March, giving the club a morale-boosting championship title. Congratulations to the over-35 TCHC squad for adding another piece of hardware to the team's recently less-than-overflowing trophy case.

The club started off with a 9-1 win over the Rusty Blades before dropping a 3-2 loss to the Bangkok Flying Farangs in the round-robin portion of the six team tournament. The Quarter Final game saw the Tokyo pucksters skate away with a 3-2 victory against long time foe, Singapore, before beating Beijing 3-1 in the Semi Finals. The Canadians dug down deep and got their revenge downing the host Flying Farangs 4-1 in the Final.

First Star - The team's sponsored 'daughter' Lek, friend Art, and the other HDC kids who came out and cheered for the team.

Second Star - Robert "the Roc" Voisine. Who scored some pretty sweet goals that basically got him the MVP and Best Defenseman awards, but, more more importantly, played a huge factor in the Canadians winning the championship.

Third Star(s) -Everyone else

NOTABLES

—Chawanya for his winning goal in the dying minutes of a hard fought come-back against Singapore in the Quarter Finals and for his patented roofer which sealed the game in the Final.

—Neil Westcott, the Don of the Macau Mafia, for the laser-like slapshot goal that got us going in Game 3, for the beauty set-up on the Chaw-Dog winner in the Quarter Finals, and for overall great defence. Also for bringing Larry and Matt to BKK and playing with the Canadians.

—Macau (Singapore) Matt who got a clutch goal against Beijing in the Semi Finals, and played solid the whole tourney.

—Young Jade Leung. Some spectacular puck handling, a hat-trick in the opener and solid defence throughout while playing with a slight concussion on Saturday.

—Patrick Morris, as always, solid on the wing digging, whacking, and scoring some sweet goals.

Dennis 'the Menace' Waechter for providing us with some spectacular hightlight reel plays.

—Larry from Macau who was injured on Day 1 but, despite a bum knee, came back and provided much needed extra legs to help the Canadians win the tournament.

—Steven 'the Hawk' Hawkins was a wall of D, led some nice rushes and was a calm anchor when things got rough in our defensive zone.

—Scotty McCracken. What can be said. One bad knee. One big heart. Provided leadership on and off the ice leading the troops to the win.

—Goalkeeper Nobuuuuuuu Araki. First tournament. Championship. End of story.

White Tops Red

2009.03.24

Team White squeaked out a hard-fought 8-7 win Sunday, March 15 at the monthly Red-White tussle at Jingu. In a game that could have gone either way, a few key moments stand out:

—There was Tatsu, manning the White net at the time, seemingly down and out, sprawling on the ice like an dead octopus at Joe Louis, only to reach back and rob Mitsui call-up Kei Matsuura with a rapier-like glove save. Matsuura had a yawning cage staring him in the face, and he appeared to experience a little premature ejubilation as he sent the disc netward, only to be robbed blind by the man between the pipes.

—There were evergreen Red veterans Joji and Knox ripping in a few nice snapshots from the high slot, Cam’s coming after he rekindled memories from Jimmer’s misspent youth with a little Spinal Tap “Smell the Glove” treatment administered to the ornery D-man.

—And there was the young Naoki, dancing through the Red defense in Baryshnikov-like fashion, punctuating several rushes up ice by lighting the lamp.

—On the other end of the style meter, we had veteran White D-man Killer Carlson, seemingly stumbling over the blueline as he set up for one of his patented point-shot cannons, only to see Red start an odd-man rush the other way that ended in a minus-1 shift for Killer and Gang. Doh!

—There was me, sitting in the car with Dennis for the painful ride home, listening to his detailed explanations of how White goals were offside, should have been called back for icing, went in off a guy’s head, etc., and him questioning why – Dammit!! – all the guys going to Thailand weren’t on the same team together.

—White goals were scored by Naoki, Brian May, Dan Stevens, Anto and others I’m sure. When asked for help re the scoresheet, White sparkplug Patty Mo shrugged: “Uh, I’d like to help you, but I honestly didn’t know half the guys out there tonight.”

It was a good turnout, with 14 skaters aside, but several were visitors. As usual, it would be nice to see a few more familiar faces from the TCHC out there, and it all starts from the top down. Even TCHC VP Dave Lowtalker showed up to dispense party tickets and select the teams and, as the final score would indicate, he did a fine job. Low was unable to suit up with, in the immortal words of TCHC social coordinator Rubes, a “busted twat” (otherwise known as a pulled groin).

Finally, congratulations to the guys who went to Thailand last week for the Old Timer's tourney (more on this in an upcoming article). Also, start selling those tickets and pumping up the party … March 28 is just around the corner!!

Canadians Club Chiba

2009.02.28

An undermanned squad of Tokyo Canadians went on the road last Saturday night and picked up a crucial 2 points in Chiba with a hard-fought 9-7 win over a team of locals.

With two lines, two sets of D and Tatsu between the sticks, as they say in soccer, the red-clad Canucks went down 1-0 early against a full squad of smooth-skating youngsters. Before long, however, the boys overcame their car-lag and started to respond, both on the scoresheet and physically.

The line of Cam, Dennis and Patty popped in some nice goals, while the second unit of Koby, Chaw and Ogi held up their end as well. In a sight as rare as a spotted Alaskan wooded tree owl in Hawaii, Koby came back and crossed his own blue line at around the 7-minute mark of the third period, causing gasps on the bench, particularly from ornery veteran Knox.

"He’s like my scooter out there," said the Comox native. "It doesn’t go backwards either."

On defense, wily veteran Joji was pressed into blue-line duty due to dwindling numbers. He was not only solid on D, but he also scored from the point on one of his patented blasts, a shot that surely would have bulged the twine if it only had a little more juice on it.

Young Kevin was at his Bret Hedican-like best out there, with several nice rushes up ice resulting in … nothing. Meanwhile, Low-talkin' Dave was playing like a man on a mission … and that mission may very well have been to get us banned from any more games out in Chiba.

Low took offense to some of the young uns with the nerve to try and get past him and tried to perform some free dental work on speedy little No. 31 (thank God for face shields). Dennis also took exception to a guy skating in his general vicinity after he buried his second goal of the game (or was it his third?), sending the unsuspecting defender crashing to the ice in his own crease. Nothing like adding a little injury to insult.

Still, it was a fun evening and the victory was dedicated to Ogi Jr., who, at the age of 4 months, now has a better attendance record than many team members.

Post-game Jacuzzis and beers were also enjoyed by the fellas. Thanks for organizing Koby and Ogi and the consensus of the guys who did show up was let’s do it again.

Red Spanks White Dads

2009.02.15

Chris Antonelli scored late in regulation time Sunday at Jingu, giving the Childless Wonders a hard-fought 14-13 win over a team of Dads... or perhaps Duds would have been more appropriate on this night.

Well, maybe that scoreline is flattering the fathers a bit. Come to think of it, young Naoki and his teammates showed a complete lack of respect for their elders, skating to a victory over the Offspringers, perhaps 15-5, or thereabouts. (Whose stupid idea were those teams, anyway?)

Anto did score as the clock wound down, but by then the outcome was in little doubt as the dads were the ones getting spanked on this occasion, bringing shame on their kids who would likely be forced to skip recess the following day to avoid playground beatings.

Naoki dippsy-doodled his way to several scores, Anto tallied at least a pair, Scott Brady was playing like a young Jean Beliveau out there and Jimmer looked like he wanted to make sure White goalie Nobu never would get the chance to reproduce, striding into one of his patented "Duck!" slapshots from the high slot and rippling the mesh.

With thoughts of diaper changes and college tuition — and, in one case, the prospect of being the coolest grandfather cruising Roppongi — running through their heads, the Dads just couldn’t get it going against a team of responsibility-free MoFos. Can't recall for sure who scored for White, but judging by past performances Brian May and Brent McCain would be good bets, and perhaps Meehan chipped in with one or two, as he usually does.

Nobu settled down in the White goal to make a few sparkling saves after a start that can best be described as Troy Gamble-like (before he got contact lenses). Things got so bad at one point that the young Nobster slammed his goalie stick to the ice in frustration, causing a delay in play while he retreated to the locker room to replace the shattered lumber. Part-time tender Dennis Waechter was heard muttering at the ensuing face-off about the brilliance of breaking a hundred dollar goalie stick in an intersquad game.

At the other end of the ice, Tatsu stood on his head to deny the dads. (Who am I kidding... Tatsu played well but Doug Favell could have won this one... at his current age.)

Anyway, thanks to several spares and guests who came out we were able to have a good skate. Several regular TCHC guys were unavailable for various reasons and several others decided not to show up.

There is a game coming up Saturday night, Feb 28, in Chiba. The roster is full for that one but contact Koby if you want to play, or if you decide that you are, in fact, the world's biggest pussy and can no longer play (Diddler... let me know when to post that retirement notice).

Three stars:

Naoki — looked like Ovechkin out there... with better hair and teeth, of course.
Brady — amazing what a bird in the stands will do for a guy’s performance
Dennis — for giving me a ride to the game and back

Patty Mo Steals the Show

2009.01.18

The first Red-White Winter Classic of 2009 was one for the ages.

Patrick Morris got his year started on a positive note with a hat-trick as he led the Red squad to something like a 9-6 victory Sunday night at Jingu. The game marked one of the largest TCHC turnouts in a long time and the result was hanging in the balance going into the third period before Red poured it on to suck the drama out of the affair.

Morris, a reformed goaltender from the hockey hotbed of Hawaii, had the magic touch on Sunday and it wasn’t long before his teammates were pulling for a hatty for Patty. The new dad did not disappoint.

“I dedicate this to my daughter Sophia,” beamed Morris after the game. “My wrist strength has really increased from changing all those diapers, plus with my wife out of commission I’ve been pulling my Walt Podubny a lot lately, so that’s really helped, too.” Spoken like a true Diddler.

While Morris was the man of hour, other Red players to twinkle the twine were the smooth-skating Mike Larose on a breakaway, newcomers Jade Leung and Brent McCain, young Naoki and wily veteran Kevin Meehan. (Sorry if anyone was forgotten... McCaskie, Cam, Anto, Dan??)

Meehan’s goal was the result of some tenacious puck pursuit by the roly-poly Quebecer. After several swats at the vulcanized rubber disk, Meehan stayed with it and was finally able to slide a low wrister past White goalie Nobu as his dogged persistence paid off.

The boys on the Red bench tried to recall the last time Meehan pounced on something with that much intensity and the only thing that came to mind was an ugly incident last summer at the Canadian BBQ, where Meehan and McCaskie both went after the last cheeseburger.

Brian May, playing without his trusty sidekick Chucky V, who is on a conditioning stint in the West Coast League, got White on the board first after a defensive lapse in the Red zone. May and Chuck have formed a Sedin-like bond on the ice and always seem to know instinctively where the other man is. Come to think of it, Brian’s always in the corners digging out the puck and Chuck’s always camped in the slot waiting for the pass, so maybe it isn’t intuition after all.

The game see-sawed back and forth after May’s opening tally with Red eventually battling back to take a 4-3 lead in the second period. Both goaltenders made some fine saves. Red’s Tatsu stopped a couple of Mike Slaton blasts from the slot and he also made a nice glove save to stone Koby on a penalty shot, the most exciting play in hockey.

The penalty shot was awarded when Red D-man Jade caught Koby from behind on a semi-breakaway and got the hook on him. It was a tough call on the newcomer but the veterans wanted to send a message to the new man that back-checking will not be tolerated on this team ... sets a bad example for other guys.

Other White goals were scored by Young Kevin, Koby, Ogi, Frank, and Jonathan Livingston Hiratsuka, whose new strategy seems to be to linger at the center red line and wait for an outlet pass. Joji got a beauty from one of the White D-men last night and skated in alone, coolly slap-chipping the puck over a stunned Tatsu. With the hard-working May and Jimmer pulling out all the stops down the stretch, White was able to get one back late, but it was an all too familiar case of too little, too late.

Three Stars:
Patty Morris -- 3 goals and possibly an assist or two ... who else could it be?
Tatsu -- some sparkling glove saves in the Red net
Jimmer -- refusing to give up until the final whistle and inspiring his team with his “old-time hockey” work ethic

Hit of the Night:
Smaal leveling Slato at the blueline while simultaneously carrying the puck and dipsy-doodling through Team White. Actually it was more a case of incidental contact ... he zigged when Smaaly zagged, and well, you saw the result. Both guys were able to quickly bounce back and shake off the incident, in true hockey form. In the immortal words of Tone Loc: “That’s what happens when bodies start slappin.”

Game notes:
As mentioned earlier, a great turnout on Sunday. For once, the team didn’t have to go to the spares list and we had a good, competitive skate, so let’s try and keep up that level of participation. Only one Guy said he’d show up and didn’t but he will remain sans nom (that’s French for “nameless”). Dennis and J.O. were both late scratches due to flu-like symptoms.

Bummer of the Night:
Contrary to earlier media reports, TCHC veteran Mike Rublack did not don the zebra stripes and drop the puck for the boys. Rubes, whose aversion to strapping on the blades is puzzling to many members of the club, has maintained his status as one of the team’s most popular players, even though he hasn’t been seen on the ice since the Clinton Administration was making politics fun again.

Player introductions:
Prior to the game, TCHC President Mike Slaton introduced himself to some of the new players -- Nick, Jade, Brent Mc, Steven, Dan -- and had them say a few words. “I was wondering who those guys were,” mused Slaton.

Nov. Red/White Game

2008.11.25

With Denny manning the pipes on a bad knee Sunday night last at Jingu, his Red-clad teammates rallied around him to put on a dominating performance, outskating the dirty White boys something like 9-5.

The turnout was good, with 12 Red skaters facing off against 13 for White, but more than half of the guys who showed up were off the spare list. Scott "Don't Call Me Marcia" Brady also made his season debut, albeit in a losing cause. Several guys who committed to play were no-shows, but with old veterans like Kevin Meehan, Killer Carlson, Chaw-dog and Mike Larose out there, the game had a nostalgic feel to it.

When the teams were split up, on paper White looked like a winner. But as any cheesy sportswriter will tell ya, the game ain't played on paper. When the puck was dropped, Brian May, Chuckie V, Young Jeff and the rest of the White boys were no match for the blend of youth and experience iced by the Red men. The speedy Naoki put on some of his trademark bursts of speed to tally a few.

BTW, if anyone has seen Steve Chianese's jockstrap, please return it to him ... he lost it somewhere near the blueline when Naoki slipped the disc between his legs and then beat Tatsumoto like a red-headed stepchild.

Dennis gets first star for dragging his sorry ass out there and backstopping his team to victory on a bad wheel .. not to mention some of the pre-game abuse he took from the crusty veteran Killer Carlson.

Other stars go to Ogi and Smaaly, for doing their part to bring some young blood into the ranks of the TCHC. Word in the dressing room was that Ogi recently became a dad and, at 8:30 pm on Monday evening, lead-footed D-man Smaal did the same.

Congratulations also go to Patrick and Miki Morris on the arrival of their daughter, Sophia. That's five new TCHC babies in two months with El Presidente and the First Lady are due before the end of the year.

Young waves Good-bye to Tokyo

2008.10.20

Meiji Jingu Skate Rink, SENDAGAYA -- In an emotional night at Meiji Jingu, the Tokyo Canadians sent longtime defensive stalwart Jason Young home ... a loser, unfortunately.

Young had a chance to tie the hard-fought Red-White contest when he was awarded a late penalty shot for being an overall good guy. However, Tatsumoto in the White net stonewalled Younger as he skated in on goal with all the intensity of Inge Hammarstrom on Valium. Still, as No. 4 Red exited the ice for the final time, it was hard to find a dry eye in the house, but that may have had more to do with Jiffy's garlic breath.

Team Red, comprised mostly of guys playing in BKK later this month, fell 8-6 to the White team, led by pesky president Mike Slaton. For the White men, Chucky V got his usual array of garbage goals, putting in another Gary Doernhoffer-like performance as Brian May did all the heavy-lifting on the line once again. Jenny Craig poster-boy Kevin Meehan also twinkled the twine, ripping a low slap shot past the Cat from the left faceoff circle late in the game.

While the Cat ended up taking the loss, he did use his lightning-quick glove hand to shut up Slaton--who was at his Esa Tikkanen-like yappy best--on more than one occasion. The Red scoring load was carried by the line of Naoki, Jeff and Cam, a former TCHC star who was reduced to B.J. McDonald "Fire Hydrant" status playing between the two speedy wingers.

There was one ugly incident when the ever-ornery Killer "Ulf" Carlson rammed Chuck into the boards from behind. After milking the incident by lying on the ice for several minutes, Vincent finally got up when he realized we were not, in fact, playing soccer. Chuck is a lover, not a fighter, as he reminded us at Zest after the game.

1st star: Younger, for making it out with a severe hangover and for all he's done for the team over the years.
2nd star: Chuck, not for anything he did on the ice but for the nasty stories he told after the game.
3rd star: Meehan, whose Chi-Chi Rodriquez-like post-scoring antics earned a bounty on his head from Red throwback Killer Carlson.

TCHC name new Executive Board

2008.09.29

Legend’s Sports Bar, Roppongi -- The TCHC held their AGM on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008 at the team’s favourite watering hole in The Pong.

Outgoing Prez Mike Slaton summed up the 2007-08 year. Slates ran through last year’s tournament record (not good), but, on a more positive note, he talked about the success of our fund-raising parties. Treasurer Chris Antonelli gave the financial rundown, revealing that the team was in good shape at the moment.

In other business, it was decided that with the departure of long-time stalwarts like Stu Kimoto, Jason Young and smooth-skating D-men Chad Horsman and Mike Doris, three roster spots would be opened up. It was also noted that a few guys would be dropped from the team for inactivity and/or because they still had not paid their dues from last year.

Voting on new members will likely take place over the Internet with a list being circulated of potential candidates, so stay tuned for that.

In the most important business of the day, a new (sort of) executive committee was elected. In a desperate grab for power, the Diddler ran for nearly every position available, only to pitch a perfect shutout. The Colonel Kurtz look-alike put in a Joe Clark-like performance at the polls, but that's what you get for leaving severed heads in your front yard.

The 2008-09 TCHC Executive Committee:
President: Mike Slaton
Vice President: Dave Lotocki
Treasurer: Chris Antonelli
Domestic Communications: Rob Smaal
International Communications: Joji Hiratsuka
Website Administrators: Ken Takagi, J.O. Caron
Party Co-ordinator: Satoshi Kobayashi

Many thanks were offered for the job done by the 2007-08 Exec and all look forward to a prosperous 2008-09 campaign, both on and off the ice.

Finally, a moment of silence was observed to mark the passing of legendary player-coach Reggie Dunlop.

Toyko Canadians Skate into 2008-09 Season

2008.09.22

Sendagaya, Tokyo -- No, that was not the boys spilling their blood last night. Those red streaks across the frozen tundra at Jingu were actually a result of the rust coming off the old blades as the semi-annual East-West TCHC Red-White Classic reared its ugly head once again.

With Prez Mike Slaton furiously working the phone lines and keyboard, a solid turnout was guaranteed. This game resembled more of an oldtimers contest with wily veterans like Meehan, Dober, McCaskie, Diddler, Killer and smooth-skating defenseman/fan favorite Rob Smaal lending an air of class to the event.

The Eastern crew saw the reuniting of the famed DFC (Dueling Frog Combo) line, featuring pesky stickman JO and his trusty sidekick and new papa RopponGuy. Also back together for the Eastern redmen were old linemates Brian May and Chuck "Suitcase" Vincent, who recently returned to Tokyo after a stint in LA doing ... well, who really knows what the hell that guy does. (Anyone out there really believe that story about the picture frame hangers? CIA operative more like it ...)

After experiencing a tough week --- to put it mildly --- on the trading floor, Chris "The Cat" Antonelli came up with a huge night in goal for the Western whiteys, backstopping the Left-Coasters to a thrilling 10-7 win. The Red menace managed to score a couple of late goals to make it close, but White would not be denied on this night. Anto came up with several stellar saves all evening ... Smaaly nearly pulled a groin just watching him make one scintillating kick save.

Youngster Naoki carried the load offensively for the West, using his speed and puckhandling skills to dance through the Red D for several highlight-reel goals. Meehan, once again, carried the load for the East as the big man from Quebec looked to be hauling about 130 kgs of poutine-fueled gut around all night. The defibrillator and oxygen mask were on constant stand-by. Other goal-scorers were Diddler with a pair, showing flashes of the form that saw him play pro briefly in the 1960s, and the DFC line hooked up for a few. Dober emerged from the depths of suburbia to get back on the scoresheet and May, as usual, had another solid two-way game and rippled the mesh in a losing cause.

All-in-all, it was a great turnout and a fun night, hopefully the first of many this season. Even Kenny made an appearance, so those of you unloud types who stayed home to nurse hangovers --- and you know who you are --- get yer arse off the couch next time and come out for a skate.

In other team bizniss, the annual AGM is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 28, at Legends, puck drops at 3 pm. Voting for a new exec will take place and team merchandise will be dispensed. Bring cash for merchandise, annual dues, outstanding party tickets, etc., if it so applies to you. We will also be deciding on new members to replace outgoing guys like Mike Doris and Chad and guys who did not pay their 2007 dues and/or haven't shown up for any events.