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Elite Division Semi-Finals

John Power vs. Greg Scoma
Lou Marinoff vs. Roger Owens

John Power went into his semi-final match hungry to beat Greg Scoma. Greg had edged him out of contention—and out of the medals—a few times already this year, starting at the Original Six classic that John had organized back in September. Then in January, in Las Vegas, John and Greg had faced off in a quarter final match, the winner facing me in the semis. Greg once again prevailed over John. Their rivalry went down to the wire during the NYCTHA regular season, where only two points separated them after 124 games. Now John had a chance to become a playoff finalist, with his parents there to support him. I refereed a couple of games in that series, and I can tell you that John was sharp. He redeemed himself on this day, by winning the series handily in 5 games.

Roger Owens and I faced off in the other semi-final, and it played like a final series. Roger had the second-best points percentage in the division this regular season, and handed Kenny Dubois his only loss in last September's Breezy Point tournament. I won the first two games, but Roger is a great competitor. He recovered to win game three, then came back from a 4-0 deficit to tie game four. The overtime would be decisive, either leveling the series and giving Roger momentum, or giving me a 3-1 edge in games. I was fortunate to score a quick goal in OT. Game 4 was also close, and I broke a 2-2 tie in the final minute to win the series. The last three games had been one-goal games, and pressure-packed. Roger is a talented player, and I felt very relieved to get past him.

Roger Owens and Greg Scoma then faced off for third place, and Roger resumed his winning ways to capture the medal.

Game #1 was very close. I scored about midway through, and held a 1-0 lead into the last minute. John elevated his play, took control of the puck, and did everything but score the tieing goal. I got what amounted to an empty-net goal with about 10 second left. (LM 2, JP 0).

Game #2 got away from John. I managed to score early, and padded the lead. (LM 8, JP 2)

Game #3 was the closest of the series. A titanic defensive struggle, both of us foiled multiple gilt-edged scoring chances. We were tied 0-0 well into the final minute of regulation time. I did not want to face JP in OT in this pivotal game, and managed to score with seconds to play. (LM 1, JP 0).

Game #4. Great competitor that he is, John refused to be demoralized by the late goal in game #3. I gradually built up a 3-0 lead in game #4, but had the feeling that John was not going away. He came back to score the nicest goal of the series. After that I managed to keep him at bay and get a late insurance goal. (LM 4, JP 1).

John played a tougher series than the sweep indicates. With any luck he would have won game #3, and then who knows? He beat Dave Kraehling 4-1 in Las Vegas, and that was no accident. JP's game has really improved this year, as has everyone's in the NYCTHA. He is a worthy competitor.

The last time I hoisted a league championship trophy was back in 1983, my final season in the Montreal Table Hockey League. That feels like several lifetimes ago. It gave me pause to reminisce. Here's what I dug up from my table hockey past.

CTHL & MTHL, Simpson Cup
1978-79-80-81-82-83
Montreal, Quebec

NYCTHA Classic Cup
2007
New York, NY

I think I would defeat the 1983 edition if I could play him today. But we had a close-knit table hockey community back then too, full of dedicated players and their supportive families, just as we do today. John Power has built not only a league but also a community in the NYCTHA, and so I share his vision of a community. Here's a snapshot of our Montreal Table Hockey League community, back in 1981. Our annual awards banquet was covered by the sports section of La Presse.

La Presse, Montreal, March 24, 1981

Sam and his brothers were (and maybe still are) dangerously talented players. Sam got in touch with me this April 2007, and Alex went to see Carlo Bossio about getting a board. I would love to see the Anoussis brothers back in the sport. Play it again Sam!

Sam and I were the league finalists in 1983, my last year in the MTHL. I unearthed the scorecards from the 1983 final series, and they tell quite a story. The series went seven games, three of them into overtime, and every game decided by just one goal.

Game #1: Sam 3, Lou 2 (OT)
Game #2: Sam 3, Lou 2 (OT)
Game #3: Lou 3, Sam 2 (OT)
Game #4: Lou 2, Sam 1
Game #5: Sam 3, Lou 2
Game #6: Lou 2, Sam 1
Game #7: Lou 2, Sam 1

Too close for comfort. That Simpson Cup was my sixth in a row, one in the CTHL (1978) and five in the MTHL (79-80-81-82-83). Table hockey is all about competition and sportsmanship, and also brotherhood. Here are some brothers from that era. Believe me, we were a tough crew.

left to right: Alex Anoussis, Sid Marinoff, Sam Anoussis, Lou Marinoff, Ron Chesick.
Ron and I organized the MTHL: we were doubles partners. and as close as brothers.

As Martin Labelle astutely observed, table hockey is a game for brothers, and its North American decline in the 80s and 90s was partly due to the demise of the nuclear family. There are fewer brothers than there once were, and that means fewer nuclei of table hockey players. That's why leagues are so important: They create a fraternity, wherein one encounters many brothers.

My brother Sid and I started playing in the late 1950s, when I was 6 and he was 2. We just about never stopped playing, and on so many boards throughout the decades. We went to New York City together in the mid-70s, to play in one of Munro's tournaments. Sid got further than me, that year.

Sid was a great player, with an aversion to losing. He had this habit of breaking up the furniture if he lost when he thought he should have won. This gave him an edge in away games, but a disadvantage at home -- where visitors who beat him got the bonus of watching him break up his own furniture. Sid was even-handed. (He broke up furniture with both hands).

Sid was also into the cult of Guru Maraji. He learned to do a special meditation technique that allowed him to score goals from impossible angles on the Munro board. He made the puck curve through space, or else he bent space itself. Either way, it was unstoppable.

Sid was my table hockey brother during four decades of our lives. Without him as a perennial sparring partner, I would have been nothing at this game. He had the iron will to persist in playing me during early times when -- owing to our 4 years of age difference, a big difference when young -- he lost a lot more than he won. But as Sid caught up to me in proportional age, he showed his own prodigious talent.

It's hard to believe that all this time has elapsed between trophies -- almost a quarter of a century! And with the passage of that much time comes inevitable losses, which accompany the gains. My dear brother Sid -- a gifted table hockey player and furious competitor, who scored from impossible angles -- died in 1992. All who knew Sid will miss him forever. He had an impact on his suburban Ottawa community, too. They named a street after him in Orleans, Ontario -- called "Marinoff Way." Ironically, it's a dead-end. No pun intended. This really would have cracked Sid up. He had a terrific and sardonic sense of humor.

The passage of time really hit home the day after the JGG tournament in Brampton, when I visited my dear schoolboy friend, Richard Chenoweth, in a Toronto hospital. Rick died of cancer in May 2007, -- nobly and heroically -- so had only weeks remaining when I saw him. Rick and I played football together at LCC, and led our Junior team to a City Championship in 1967. That was forty years ago. Where did the time go? My visit with Richard made me even more aware of the limitedness and preciousness of our brief sojourn here on earth. Life is so fleeting -- not a single minute should ever be wasted. Rick lived as fully as possible in every moment allotted to him. He told me that my visit had put a smile on his face. It was true. He put a smile on my face too.

Two weeks after visiting Richard, I hoisted my second trophy in 24 years, and felt mighty grateful: Not only to be alive, but also to be playing table hockey -- always time well-spent. Every five-minute game is a miniature eternity in which we celebrate life, testing our skill and spirit against a fraternity of valiant opponents. It doesn't get any better than this, believe me.

So my profound thanks again to everyone in the MTHL past, for all the wonderful memories, and to everyone in the NYCHTA present, for making possible my rebirth as a league champion. Not everyone is fortunate enough to tell a tale of two trophies two dozen years apart. I am very thankful.

Now the future beckons, as the Quebec Open 2007 looms. I'll be there, God willing, proudly wearing the NYCTHA Classic Division colors, hopeful of giving the elite players of contemporary Quebec some competition, and grateful beyond measure just to be playing table hockey. I will dedicate my performance in Quebec to the everlasting memories of my late brother Sid, and of my boyhood friend Richard. Stay tuned for the final episode in this inaugural season of my comeback trail.