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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. In that letter I mentioned playing in pain with a worn out hip. I was pushing 65 and thinking that my years with the Duffers would soon be finished. I was on a high after playing back to back games with a lubricated hip that allowed me to score a goal in Downers Grove on Thursday and another in Peoria on Friday. I was correctly accused of being on steroids. The next year, Dr. Marcoski convinced me that he could give me a hip that would be hockey friendly. I had my right hip replaced and got back on the ice drug free. One year later, I had him replace my left hip. Thanks to Dr. Marcoski, my hockey career has been extended 12 more years. That inspired me to give thanks again in 2005. 2006 Thank You. 4th Thank You 2008 As always, I have many things to be thankful for again this year after playing 12 years with 2 artificial hips. How blessed am I? Twelve of the guys that I mentioned in my 2004 Thank you are gone, but we have acquired some great new guys that have helped the Czar carry on the Duffer tradition that the King started in 1971. I have been blessed with a wonderful wife who loves road trips. She goes on bowling trips and loves the peace and quiet when the Duffers have a trip. I am blessed to have 4 great grown up kids who have given me 8 wonderful grandchildren. My oldest grandson, Mike, has provided me with two awesome great grandchildren. (And he has been bringing beer to our locker room since Brinks retired.) I give thanks for my semi healthy body that allows me to play hockey with my sons, grandsons and some wonderful people. I got a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in the Joe Louis Arena when I was 75 years old! Last Friday Barron's son Chris scored a goal on his Dad. We started calling that an Incest goal 23 years ago, when Don "Brinks" Granato scored on his son Rob when we were playing in Green Bay. Eight years ago on November 12, 2010 I scored an Incest goal when I flipped a pass from Tommy Z over my son Dan's stacked pads. http://www.lopatka.net/2010-11-25/index.html (I give thanks to Tom for all of the assists that he has given me since he joined as one of the New Young Polite Duffers that joined us in 1992) I was blessed last Friday just a few months before my 79th birthday when I scored a goal without shooting the puck. My grandson fired an ice hugging pass that hit my stick and went in for a goal. God is Good, thank You God! Thank You Jeff!
Most of the guys in this 2007 picture are gone, but a few of us are blessed and still playing. |
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We play on Thanksgiving at 8:30 A.M. at Downers Grove Icearena |
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36 years ago, 18 Duffers took a train to Lake Placid to play in the rink where the Miracle on ice gave USA a gold Medal in 1980. History will Repeat when the Duffers have a Train Road Trip in January. St. Louis Thursday January 17th - Sunday January 20th
We will leave from the Amtrak
Station in Joliet on Thursday
Staying at the Marriott in
Downtown St Louis (Walking distance to bars and the Enterprise
Center)
Duffer Hockey Game Friday
Duffer Hockey Game Saturday
Blues vs Senators Saturday
Sunday Return
Estimated cost / Duffer = $450
Right now we have 12 x $100
deposits Hotel Rooms and Blues game tickets are limited. Let us
know asap if you are going.
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 This trio provided 6 goals for the Anvil's win.
Tweedy waits for Aggie to drop the puck in 2000. |
 This is the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of our favorite referee.
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 Ryan Dzingel's Dad will be in St Louis when the Duffers arrive in January because it is the Ottawa Senator Father's weekend. |
 The King loved having Aggie referee because she enforced the 3 line rule, even on Papa Joe. |
 Frankie is now faster than most Duffers. |
 18 years ago, Frankie was learning how to skate while her Mom was referring for the Duffers. |
 (Above) Jeff's boss, Steve, added some speed to the Red team. (Below) Jeff's girl friend Abby has helped out Wild Wing attendance.
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 (Above) Steve's Daughter, Audrey, is the granddaughter of Aggie, our former female referee. (Below) Grandpa Ken and Grandma Aggie were Duffer referees. Ken was our first referee in the 1970s and Aggie was our referee for several years. She has a place at the top of the Duffer Nickname page.
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 Joe played his first game last week then missed the next week. |
 Grandpa Ken got sick and had to miss his first game this season. |
 The Anvil picked up another win. |
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Drago was back for one game! |
 The Czar still has perfect attendance! |
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 The Conties were missing. |
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Anthony scored again and brought the beer again.
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 Terry almost scored a late goal for the Whites. |
 Bill BTW lost his perfect attendance.
2 of these guys have perfect attendance. |
 Grandpa Ken in 1971 on the rink that Tweedy, Ken and Tommy Z learned to skate on. TZ's house is in the background.
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Tommy Z was not traded this week.
Mini Wheezer was missing. He needs a few more bucks to pay for the Duffer Ad page for her High School Play. |
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Tom "TO" O'Connor ended his hold out saying that he can't play until we have our first frost. Joe Evans waited for the first snowfall. |
 Birdman Dan is still on Injured Reserve. |
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The Bear had another great game but he lost a tough one.
Harvey has been busy. |
 Monet Mike was at Penn State watching Carmela's team go 1-1 |
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Grandpa Ken got sick Beak is still perfect. |
 These girls were on the road again. |
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Remember when we always had 15 -20 guys at Wild Wings?
Some guys are turning into Fred, it was great to see Brett and Jeff show up. Thanksgiving Cartoons
We miss you Thor! (We miss Basketball Jones and Magoo too)
We miss these guys too. |
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20 Years ago
Want more Photoshop Gems? http://www.lopatka.net/Photoshop gems/index.htm
Wags Hockey
Classic Duffer News
Go to Lake Placid News for some
laughs.
http://www.lopatka.net/1982-Lake%20Placid/index.html
(Anvil's Daughter won it!)
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
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.
The
Duffer Picnic was Saturday July 29th
2017 at Tommy’s House Morton Arboretum Origami August 1; Kane County Cougar Game August 6; Parkinson's Fund Raiser August 18; Summer Game August 21;
Total Solar
Eclipse August 26; Golf Outing
September 1; Muzzy passed away. He gave us more
laughs than any other Duffer.
He was born on May 20, 1935. My son Dan was
born on his birthday in 1970.
We shared a lot of
Muzzy
pictures in the last Newsletter.
This was 1997 when we brought up Robby Granato to give the
Bombers 2 Illinois ringers. We filled most of the coach seats and
avoided a fun tax. This is the year that Muzzy shocked Hayward
church goers when he came out of the church and boarded the bus with
toilet paper streaming out of his pants. Read
More.... Read the lyrics to
"Wayward in
Hayward" by Jim Coughenhour
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
Here is a video, thanks to Perry and Paula on
How to be a
Hockey Player
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.
Michelle
Spillman hit a 2 run Home run to beat Joliet Catholic on April
18, 2012. ... greg Lopatka ... Michelle Spillman
and Romeoville High School. ...
Michelle
Spillman hit her 4th homerun on April 21, 2012 to beat Hershey
High. ... greg Lopatka ... Michelle Spillman
"outdoor sports" ...
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 |
Go
to Duffer History 
Duffer Nicknames
1996
March
Hayward Trip 
