Desperate Times....

On Tuesday October 23rd at 4:27 PM, the call came in. "Can you do it?", "Can you come out of retirement and strap on the pads?", "Will you defend the net once again?"

There was a Novice League Game scheduled at Wells Fargo during intermission last night. The Cup O' Kryptonite Team was to face 11 to 7 Insurance. A last minute issue had Cup O' Kryptonite's goalie unable to attend. Captain Matt Johnson's began to sweat and worried about the fate of his team. He even contemplated putting the pads on himself, but then he may have made the boldest decison ever. "Would Joe Bafia put the pads on once again?"

After talking with me for over an hour, begging for my services, I agreed. Although I felt it was unfair to the other team, that a person of my ability would once again entertain the world (or in this case Des Moines), I wanted another opportunity to be on the grand stage.

As we geared up in the locker room prior to the big event, there was a deafening silence as Tony Hansen (the other goalie) and I stared each other down. No words exchanged, just an unspoken rivalry that has lasted decades.

I had my team focused. "You guys worry about scoring", I proclaimed. "The puck will never enter the our net", I guaranteed. As the puck dropped, I flashed back to 1964. My first game against the Swedish National Team had us up by 1 goal with 2 minutes left. We were shorthanded with 3 players in the box and they had pulled their netminder to throw 6 players against our 2 defensmen. (Back in the European Elite League, thats how we played). Although that was the longest 2 minutes of my goaltending life, it was my proudest moment. As my 2 defensemen both had broken sticks that they had to discard, but could not get off to change, I faced a record breaking 114 shots in those 120 seconds. Glove side, stick side, five hole...nothing got through.

Back to the current game, nothing changed. As my unorthodox "caterpillar" style of goaltending took over in place of the more common "butterfly" style, I once again stopped them all. It gave fans another glimpse of greatness that they thought they would never see again.

As Tony stood 176' away, he remained solid as well. The pressure of facing one of the greatest goalies ever did not have him panicked.

As the game ended in a 0-0 finish, we skated off the ice. Players celebrating, smiling & congratulating each other for a game well played, while Tony & I continued where we left off. Silent stares through the corridors heading to the locker room. Quietly, I removed my gear while listening to teammates describe their outstanding play. As everyone exited the locker room, I exchanged glances with Tony one last time. I gave him the traditional "head bob" indicating "nice game" but I did not utter a sound. Surprisingly, the long standing goalie code was broken when Tony muttered under his breath "nice work."

And so the saga continues. Another perfect performance by 2 outstanding goaltenders in the record books. Until next time Tony...oh yeah..and "Nice Work."