Welcome to

Old News!

The Duffers Have a Road Trip to St. Louis soon

We will board a train in Joliet on January 17

Mike needs a deposit now.

Click here to get the details

 

Catching up with the Granatos,

American Hockey Royalty

The 47th Season Opener

is in the Books

2018 Duffer Summer Fun

20 Years ago

1998 San Jose

 

The Jeff Lopez  Short Version Duffer Video is on Youtube

Duffer Birthdays

November 23, TO 67

November 28, The Brain 46

November 30, Steve Mazz

December 11, Maestro Conti 51

 December 18, Olgi Mazz

December 22, Brinks

Alphabetical Duffer Nicknames

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 You4th 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!

Thanksgiving 2018

 

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Most of the guys in this 2007 picture are gone, but a few of us are blessed and still playing.

 

 

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.

 

   

Four generations are pictured here.

It was good to see Harvey back on the ice.

Art made is first appearance and scored 2 goals.

Image may contain: one or more people

2016

2015

2014

   
   

2013

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(Back Row Left to Right) Beak, V-Man, Terry, Greg Z, Rags, Fruitcake, Drago, Tommy Z, Mini-Wheezer, The Czar, Magoo, DeJesus, Hacksaw, Guest, Harvey, Beak Jr, TO.

(Front Row Left to Right) t&a, T&A, Jake Z, Berserk and Cal, The Brain, The Anvil, Lil' Drago, Tweedy, Dylan, Bill BTW and Daughter of BBTW. 

2008

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2002

 

Remember when we always had 15 -20 guys at Wild Wings?

Image may contain: 3 people, including Greg Lopatka, people smiling, people sitting, drink, table and indoor

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.

2018 Duffer Summer Fun

20 Years ago

1998 San Jose

(Back Row Left to Right) Greg "Beak" Lopatka, Chris "Berserk" Mazurk, Ron "Doc" Dubreuil, Tim Staats, Bill "Klinger" Giffune, John "Cone" Koss, Boris "Hacksaw" Pavichevich, Jerry, "Beernuts" Biernat, Johnny "King Kong" Zagorski, Tom "Zagnuts" Zagorski, Mike "Czar" Presecky, Rick "Stripper" Miceli, Fred "Fruitcake" Bobka, Gene, "Thor" Miller, Ken "Grandpa"Lopatka, Arvydas "Harvey" Dikinis, Paul "Marsha" Novak,  John "Hitman" Heitman, Rick "Dizzy" Dzingel, Bob "Uncle Bob" Oskroba, Dan "Tweedy" Lopatka and John "Wheezer" Clementson

(Front Row Left to Right) John "Magoo" Landry, Jim "Butt Head" Coughenhaur, Joe "GI" Mazzarella, Vidas "Formica" Cemarka, Joe "Cousin" Godfried, Bob "Geek" Friedlander, Jerry "Prince" Miceli, Frank "Knarf" Presecky, Steve "Son of Papa" Mazzarella, Joe "Papa" Mazzarella, Jim "The King" Miceli, Don "Brinks" Granato, Gerry Oskroba and Tom (Beevis) Morgan

(Sitting Left to Right) Vytas "Papa" Cemarka, Backup "Loaner" Goalie and Ken "Stump" Barczynski

I was waiting for my food today and an old guy in a cowboy hat came over to read my shirt. He was not a speed reader. I got tired of holding my chest out to remove the wrinkles.  There was an old guy that was leaving and he made me stop so he could read every word. He was laughing and his wife, who just finished paying the bill asked him what was so funny. He said, "You wouldn't understand."

Duffer Bowling Team is in First Place

Duffer Bowling Team has high series

Want more Photoshop Gems? http://www.lopatka.net/Photoshop gems/index.htm

Go To the Last Duffer News

Beer League Hockey

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 2018

Links to 2017

Links to 2016

Links to 2015

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  

Duffers 2017 Summer Fun

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

 

Opened Monday May 11, 2015

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

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.

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. ...

Highland Park-Homerun.MOV

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

 

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