Welcome to

Our 44th Season

Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving 2013

The Duffers will watch the Redwings play Boston on February 14 then we will play in the Joe Louis Arena on February 15, 2016. Total cost will be $245.00 for Bus, Redwing ticket, Tee shirt, ice rental, bus beer and snacks.  You and your roommate (s) pay the room cost.  $109 plus tax includes a free breakfast.

We don't have room for any more skaters but we have room for 3 spectators on the luxury bus.

Busy Weekend in Detroit

We have 3 full lines and 4 goalies who will go either way as needed.  I have 43 tickets to the Redwing/Boston game, so 3 tickets for spectators.  Bus leaves Yorktown on Saturday February 13 at 9:00 and returns Tuesday afternoon/evening February 16.

Duffer News

We Gave Thanks!

Romeoville, IL November 26, 2015  Attendance: 23 Plus kids
Reds 4, Whites 6  Tweedy got the win for the Whites.

What a great day to be a Duffer!  We had sons, daughters, dads and granddads all on the ice celebrating the best holiday of the year.  Better than Christmas or New Year's Day you may ask? No contest, we don't have ice on Christmas or New Years.  We had Art playing against his drug dealing son, AJ.  (He is a pharmacist) Bill BTW was teamed up with his daughter, Lillia,  on defense.  She covered for him so that he could crash the net and tip in Beak's slap shot.  Commander Ken played against his son Jack while his son Ryan

Thanksgiving 2015

made sure they played by the rules in his striped shirt.  He asked Santa for an orange arm band so that he can put his Dad and brother in the penalty box.  Our goalies Barron and Tweedy had their sons, Chris and Luke, helping Ryan drop the puck on some face-offs.  Greg Z and Berserk had their sons Jake and Cal helping with that too.  Steve the Hammer squared off against his son, Matt, and roofed a nice top shelf goal for the Whites.  Joe Drago Evans brought his son Jack to join in the fun.  We had a thrilling low scoring game, it was 1-1 after one with late period goals by Greg Z and AJ, who redirected a Bill BTW slap shot.  The Reds took a 4-3 lead after 2 periods with goals by Rags, Berserk and Bill BTW who adroitly redirected a Beak slap shot.  The 2 White Goals came from Greg Z and Art.  Tweedy shut out the Reds in the third while his guns scored 3 on the Barron.  White Goals by Jimmy Bones Nice roofer with an assist to Terry, Steve the Hammer also roofed one over Barron.  Art had a tap in assisted by the Czar.  We got great goal-tending by Tweedy and The Barron.
We had Duffer History made when we had our 3rd Duffer DOD (Duffer Of a Daughter) play in a game. Bill BTW's Daughter Lillia played defense and covered her Dad's aggressive play.  She joins Cammi Granato, who was the first DOD to play with us.  Robby Granato's daughter Allie was the second. She is on her way to play in Vermont.

Perfect Attendance: Beak and Fruitcake.

Drago and BTW with Jack

Tom, Dan and Luke!

I Give Thanks!

In my 2004 Duffer News letter, I wrote a Thank you letter that found its way onto The Anvil's coffee table for the holiday, where Eddie's wife read it and shed a few tears. That inspired me to give thanks again in 2005 and in every year since.  As always, I have many things to be thankful for again this year.
I Give Thanks in 2015 to Donny Granato for giving me a new stick that propelled my slap shot past Tweedy.  I don't know how Bill BTW ever saw it! 

Here is my 6th Annual Thank You Letter.
6 years ago, when I came home from Peoria, after 24 hours of nonstop fun with old friends, young friends and new friends, I realized how lucky I was to be playing hockey at the age of 64.782 with great guys every week! I wrote a Thank You letter that made it to the Anvil's Coffee Table. Mr. and Mrs. Anvil shed a tear or two. I'm sort of sorry about that, but I was born with that make a goalie cry gene, so here is my 6th annual thank you letter to all of the people that I have been blessed with, because of my involvement with hockey. (If you are doing the math, this should be my 7th Thank You letter, but I forgot to say thanks in 2007) I'm Sorry. If I was thankful then, imagine how thankful I am this year as I am still playing as I approach my 71st birthday. I give Thanks for My good health, that has allowed me to play over 30 fun filled hockey games last year without any pain and without any pills. (Although a post game beer helps a lot, Thanks to Brinks and his assistant, Mini Wheezer.) I don't even hurt on Saturday mornings. My titanium hips are holding up well and there have been no recalls on the 5 and 6 years old hips that I have. Hockey is a wonderful game. I won't repeat many of the things that I gave thanks for in the past, even though I am still thankful for all of them. You can read them on line by clicking the links below. I just want to thank Mike Presecky for another fun filled road trip to Nashville. It was special, since both of my sons were able to join us on this trip. The last trip that all 3 of us were together was in 1998, when we played in the San Jose Shark Tank. I give Thanks to Cammi Granato, for making us proud as she was inducted into the Hall of Fame. I want to thank Tony for inviting us to play in Pittsburgh this year. You can't beat a long bus ride filled with beer and Duffers. I'm really thankful for Donny Granato for playing at 30% speed when he joins us. (Unless his team is down 3 goals) It was great to see 8 Father-son Duffers last Thanksgiving. I am happy to be retired after 39 years and it is great to hear kind words from former students who managed to find me out in Cyber Space.

I'll be brief again this year. Thanks to Dan, Tommy and the Wags team. I have so much fun watching those guys grow old. Thank You God for letting most of us grow old with relatively good health!
Links to past Thank You Messages.


Links to past Thanksgiving Pages

2005 http://www.lopatka.net/11-25-05/index.htm 2005 Team Picture
2004 Thanksgiving 2004 http://www.lopatka.net/12-03-04/index.htm

2003 Thanksgiving 2003 (Stumps New Hip) http://www.lopatka.net/11-27-03/index.htm

2002 Thanksgiving 2002 http://www.lopatka.net/11-28-02
2001 11/30/01 Peoria and Thanksgiving 2001 http://www.lopatka.net/11-30-01.html
2000 Thanksgiving 2000 http://www.lopatka.net/12-1-00.html

Thanks to Allison Kroll for taking these team pictures

I missed photographing Berserk and his son Cal on the ice.

Thanks to Terry for cooking up some great brats and SK!

Go to the Last Duffer News

Go to Duffer History   Duffer Nicknames

Wags Hockey

  Alphabetical Nicknames

Classic Duffer News

Go to Lake Placid News for some laughs.

http://www.lopatka.net/1982-Lake%20Placid/index.html

1996 March Hayward Trip  We saw Comet Hyakutake

December 6, 1996  Duffer news #85

December 15, 1996  Duffer news #86

December 20, 1996  Duffer news #87

Go to 10/25/96

Go to 9/6/96

January 12, 1996  Duffer news #50

 

Go to 2012 The Last MLF Game

Go to 2011 MLF Game

(Anvil's Daughter won it!)

Go to 2010 The First MLF Game

Visit The Rampage Women's Hockey Team web site at: http://www.rampagehockey.org/index.cfm

They Have 2 WODs and  on their team. Their DOD moved to Canada for Graduate School.

WOD=Wife Of a Duffer, DOD = Daughter of a Duffer

Links to Duffer Hockey Newsletters

2008-2010 Stats page

Tweedy's Wags Game

Links to 2014

Links to 2013

Links to 2012

Links to 2011

Links to 2010

Links to 2009

Links to 2008

Links to 2007

Links to 2006

Links to 2005

Links to 2004

Links to 2003

Links to 2002

Links to 2001

Links to 2000

Links to 1999

Links to 1994

Bar-toons

Peoria History

Nashville Game 2

Bill Gaston interview

Michelle Spillman hits and fields

      

To E-mail the Duffer News Web master, just click here! g.lopatka@comcast.net

You can e-mail History updates to Beak. 

Duffer Nicknames

Duffer road trips

website counter  

 

Opened Monday May 11, 2015

 
Plainfield's newest tattoo and piercing studio with over 20 years experience! We are located in the Lincoln Plaza in the same strip next door to the comics.
 

16030 S. Lincoln Highway Unit 106 (Lincoln Plaza/same strip as comics)

Plainfield, Illinois
(779) 234-6420
http://www.boundlesstatto

Mike won 11 awards for his artistic creations at the Tattoo convention in Champaign.

mikeylotattoos@att.net

(Above) Mike's work of art on Joe Mazzarella III's leg.

(Above) Mike's work of art on Joe Mazzarella III's ribs.

Ann Arbor Music DVDs are ready to ship.  $10 includes shipping and handling. you can also get classic copies of:

 

You may find the following links useful:

Ben Oskroba's First professional goal for the Peoria Rivermen

Drago's Hockey Lessons

Here is a video, thanks to Perry and Paula on How to be a Hockey Player 

 

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Michelle Spillman

Michelle Spillman 10-31-10

Michelle hits a 2 run home run for Romeoville High School in a 3-0 victory against Joliet Catholic Academy.

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JC-Homerun.MOV

Michelle Spillman hit a 2 run Home run to beat Joliet Catholic on April 18, 2012. ... greg Lopatka ... Michelle Spillman and Romeoville High School. ...

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Highland Park-Homerun.MOV

Michelle Spillman hit her 4th homerun on April 21, 2012 to beat Hershey High. ... greg Lopatka ... Michelle Spillman "outdoor sports" ...

 

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Michelle3Base hit.MOV

Michelle hit a triple to help beat Highland Park High 8-5 on 4/21/2012.

 

Patrick Kane Stickhandling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REAqCB9vfbU

Brandon Bollig Stickhandling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3B8v_ZHA10

 

Duffers Hockey Canlan Ice Sports Romeoville 2014-2015 Schedule

wk      Date              Time

1 September 5, 2014 8:00 PM ***

2 September 12, 2014 8:40 PM

3 September 19, 2014 8:40 PM

4 September 26, 2014 8:40 PM

5 October 3, 2014 8:40 PM

6 October 10, 2014 8:40 PM

October 17, 2014 NO ICE

7 October 24, 2014 8:40 PM

8 October 31, 2014 8:40 PM

November 7, 2014 NO ICE

9 November 14, 2014 8:40 PM

10 November 21, 2014 8:40 PM

11 Thanksgiving 8:45 at Downers Grove IceArena

November 28, 2014 NO ICE

December 5, 2014 NO ICE

12 December 12, 2014 8:40 PM

13 December 19, 2014 8:40 PM

December 26, 2014 NO ICE

14 January 2, 2015 8:40 PM

15 January 9, 2015 8:40 PM

16 January 16, 2015 8:40 PM

January 23, 2015 NO ICE

17 January 30, 2015 8:40 PM

18 February 6, 2015 8:40 PM

19 February 13, 2015 8:40 PM

20 February 20, 2015 8:40 PM

21 February 27, 2015 8:40 PM

22 March 6, 2015 8:40 PM

23 March 13, 2015 8:40 PM

24 March 20, 2015 8:40 PM

25 March 27, 2015 8:40 PM

26 April 3, 2015 8:40 PM

27 April 10, 2015 8:40 PM

28 April 17, 2015 8:40 PM

29 April 24, 2015 8:40 PM

30 May 1, 2015 8:40 PM