Gabe Fleming

It is with great sadness that I write an entry in my blog regarding the passing of a fellow adult league hockey player.

Gabe Fleming was an adult league player for the Slapshot Team. He passed away during a Pay & Play on Saturday, May 23rd, 2009.

Here is the obituary as listed in the Des Moines Register:

Gabriel (Gabe) Dana Fleming, 30, passed away May 23, 2009 in Des Moines, IA. Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, May 27 at Ankeny Funeral Home. Funeral services will be 3 p.m., Thursday, May 28, 2009 at Ankeny Funeral Home.

Gabe was born November 24, 1978 in Dubuque, IA to Dana and Regina Fleming. He and Michele Becvar were married October 17, 2003. He graduated from Ankeny High School in 1997. Gabe owned and operated Fleming Technologies and was employed at Iowa Finance Authority as an Information Technology Specialist.

Gabe enjoyed playing and watching hockey and died with his skates on. He was a die hard Packers fan and also loved riding his motorcycle and spending time with his family and friends.

Survivors include his wife, Michele; parents, Dana and Regina; brother, Zak and sister-in-law, Aly of Ankeny; grandparents, Douglas and Nancy Fleming of Prairie du Chien, WI and Emil and Gloria Schmit of Patch Grove, WI; and five nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to the family.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/dclassifieds?Dato=20090526&Kategori=OBITUARIES&Class=30&Type=CAT1320&Lopenr=90500629&Selected=9

The hockey community is a fairly tight-knit group of players where everyone knows everybody. This type of loss becomes very traumatic to all those that played with & against him. Our thoughts are with you & for your family, friends & teammates.

A Memorial Event is in the early planning stages by some of his fellow players, and more details will come out as available.

Equal Time for Debate

So my good buddy, teammate & Red Wing fan, Aaron Clutts has provided a rebuttal to my previous post, so in fairness to everyone, I will post it here & then respond.

By: Aaron Clutts

Blackhawks vs. Red Wings: The Rebuttal

Let’s begin with a sentiment I believe both Wings and Blackhawks fans can get down with: Sunday’s game was exactly what we look for when watching a hockey game.

Fast-paced action? Check. Lots of mucking and grinding to complement the smooth skating? Check. Top tier goaltending? Maybe. Truth be told, fans watching at home only really saw one end of the ice for three hours – the end with Nikolai Khabibulin in net. You’ll have to trust me that Chris Osgood was playing yesterday even though most of the action occurred 120 feet away from him.

Joe mentioned that the better team need not be explained since it was a no brainer. I can’t refute that any more than the 5-2 stomping Detroit laid out in game one. For the benefit of Blackhawk fans wondering what went wrong, I’ll break it down into three, easily digestible categories.

Logo. While it’s true the Redwings were the Cougars then Falcons until 1932, their logo has truly stood the test of time. It looks exactly the same as it did at the outset. Now look at the Chicago logo circa 1932. Ouch. The special-ed dropout wing of the Helen Keller Institute called. They’d like a crack at it next.

Experience. You can talk about the Methuselah line all you want. The Detroit roster is brimming with players who know what it takes to win in all situations. The Chicago middle-schoolers are still trying to deal with circling “yes” or “no” on the note Mary Jane gave them before recess. Youth might win the sprint, never the marathon.

History. 11-3 isn’t just the probable score of the next win for Detroit in this series, it’s the difference of Stanley Cups won. Guess who has 11? And let’s not get caught up in the argument that the count is so lopsided due to the free-spending 1990s of Mike Illitch. Take away every title in the Lidstrom era and the Blackhawks still come up four short. (Not unlike this semifinal matchup.)

While I’m not foolish enough to anger the gods of the jinx, I feel comfortable saying it will be a pleasure facing the Pittsburgh (Blackhawks of the east) Penguins for the Cup.

Get the engraver fired up. That’s Zetterberg with two “t’s”.

--Thanks for the input Aaron. I guess we'll hope for a great series. As for the logo, I did some research and found that a person by the name Jebidiah Clutts created that logo. Through some genealogy research, that was your Great-Great Uncle, and in typical Clutts fashion, the logo looks great!

Blackhawks Vs. Red Wings

I was hoping to write this entry in a better mood, but after the game this afternoon, I'm not the happiest person. It is hard for me to understand that a team like the Blackhawks who are far superior in every way, could lose to the Red Wings.

Although I do respect the Original 6 teams and am glad that the Hawks play against a real hockey team like the Wings (versus a west coast, sun tanning bunch of Ducks), I was disappointed that the Hawks did not come out with the fire they've shown in the past.

My expectation is that this series goes 7 games and I get to watch the final game while I'm in Chicago with other Hawks fans. I'm looking forward to running into the streets of Chicago after a nail biting OT win by the Hawks and tipping over cars, looting stores & setting garbage cans on fire (ahhh...reminds me of the good old days of the Chicago Bulls).

People often ask why I think the Hawks are a better team than the Wings. My answer is typically "If you have to ask that question, you are not smart enough to be a Hawk's fan." However, I do understand that some people reading this need their hand held and it is my responsibility to point out why the Hawks are far more superior.

Logo - Just look at. Really look at it. The beautiful artistry of colors incorporated on a face that smiles. A work of art that has stood the test of time. Now look at the Wings. Its a red wheel with a a bird's wing coming off the side. My kid came home from school one day with a picture he drew of a spoon with a tail. This was in kindergarten and I often wonder if the logo designer for the wings took the same "original" art class.

Players - Young & exciting players like Patrick Kane & Jonathon Toews bring life to the great Blackhawks. Duncan Keith & Brian Campbell bring defensive leadership to the team. On the Wings side, you have Henrik Zetterberg. A great player ...if you need a runway model. Then you have Pavel Datsyuk (pronounced PAY-veel Dad-SUCKS) enough said.

Fans - Just look around Des Moines. The die hard fans include such respectable & notable people like myself, the Dylo Bros., Mr. Adam Lowell, and occasionally Matt Johnson. On the other side, hoodlums like Brad Dean (who secretly told me he is a closet hawks fan on our 22 hour ride from Vegas), Aaron Clutts (this from a guy who eats pizza AND cherry cobbler for lunch). The riff-raff is rounded out by others goofballs like Justin West, Tony "You can't see me" Ford & even Dan "I have a My Little Pony tattoo on my butt" Koenig.

So as you can see, it should be a no-brainer as to which team is better. I guess you could say you have to have "no-brain" to cheer for the Wings.....wow a red tire with a wing....hmmm..too bad Goodyear took the Shoe & Wing idea!

Its Playoff (Beard) Time

According to Wikipedia: A playoff beard is the superstitious practice of a National Hockey League player not shaving his beard during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The player stops shaving when his team enters the playoffs and does not shave until his team is eliminated or wins the Stanley Cup. It is believed that the tradition was started in the 1980s by the New York Islanders. The tradition is also practiced by nearly all North American hockey leagues, to include high school leagues and the NCAA hockey teams, as well as minor league affiliates. The tradition has also spread to hockey leagues in Europe.

I believe fans are obligated to do the same if their team is in the playoffs. Only the truest, most die-hard fans carry on this tradition. Some argue that due to workplace regulations, they are not allowed to grow facial hair. If I worked at a place like that, I would quit my job (or take a long vacation during playoff run). Others say they cannot grow a "nice" or "acceptable" beard. This is no excuse. Look at the pictures of Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr or even the Wookies. These aren't the prettiest beards, but yet they show effort.

So as I sport MY playoff beard (that my wife has asked me to shave and I politely said "no") , I ask you to email pictures of your supporting facial hair. I will put them on the blog for others to guess who's beard is it and who you cheer for. Please email your pix to joebafia@gmail.com and please, just pictures of beards. I don't want to turn someone on to the "Catch a Predator" show.

Cinco "Celebration" de Mayo !

Cost of Tourney = $40

Pitcher of Beer = $8

Roll of Tape = $3

Yelling "Leroy Jenkins" = PRICELESS

I was worried and actually a bit disappointed because I thought with only 24 players and 4 goalies, this event would not have the same energy or enthusiasm of years past. Boy, was I wrong.

The tournament was one of the most fun events yet. With Team 4 taking this years Championship, the crew of the Jobgen Bros, the 2 Daves (Green & Gannon), Scott Kelley & Gary Halloway had the right stuff to win it all!

This may have been overshadowed by the other contest happening on the opposite side with the last place teams competing for the best celebration after a goal. Some of the memorable ones included:

Leaving the arena

Autograph the puck

Being intimate with the goal post

Snow Angel

Ride the horse

The top ones as voted by both teams had some great ones as well.

Leap Frog

Sword Fight

Resuscitate the stick

Although playing 5 games in 4 hours while drinking beer & eating pizza in between (and during games) may seem crazy, it was truly an event to end events!

Thanks to all the players that participated. Thanks to Sergey & Haynes for providing some excellent officiating. Thanks to my wife Natalia for organizing the upstairs so I could play (and Dawn Gorelik for driving after the pizza). Thanks to everyone who helped support the kid's college fund by buying sticks, tape, laces & candy! Final thanks to Scott Blomquist for decorating his helmet with the most inappropriate items on the face of the planet! Oh yeah, the Blackhawks beating the Canucks was a fine end to a great evening.

See everyone at the next event!