Montreal (September 22, 2007)
Fifty-five players, including most of the
top Coleco contenders, turned out for this talent-laden
event. Montreal has always been the “Mecca”
of ice hockey and table hockey alike, and this tournament
was no exception. Montreal has special allure for hockey
– in every manifestation of the sport.
First Round
The 55 players were divided into 5 divisions
of 11 players each. Each division played a single round-robin,
with the top 2 of 11 players advancing into the A-Pool.
How’s that for a tough start? My division featured
Junior Gelinas, Alain Gamache, and Daniel Bordeleau. Junior
was very hot on this day, while Daniel is always unpredictable:
he often defeats stronger players while losing to weaker
ones. I lost to Junior and Daniel, but won the rest of my
games. My 8-2 record was only good enough for 3rd in the
division. So Daniel and I got relegated to the B-Pool.
Looking at the stats, I was not unhappy. My goals for and
against were competitive with the best in the division.
The top three players in the division were separated by
just 2 points.
All
First Round Results Here
Second Round
In fact, the B-Pool contained some astonishing
talent: No fewer than three of Quebec’s top ten (Martin
Labelle, Denis Begin, Sam Carrier) had been relegated. That’s
a measure of how many great players showed up for this tournament,
and just how tough the competition was right from the opening
face off. If you don’t believe me, ask Dave Kraehling.
He had a poor opening round, and tumbled all the way into
C-pool! And Dave is a top-five player. The top 6 of 10 players
in B-Pool would be re-united with the 10 players from A-pool,
in the playoff round of 16.
I was also delighted to encounter the Anoussis
brothers, Sam and Alex, who were making their return to
competitive table hockey (like me) after more than two decades
of retirement. Sam and Alex were strong contenders in the
Montreal Table Hockey League (MTHL) of the early 1980s.
Sam and I had played a seven-game final series in 1983,
with every game decided in overtime. We picked up right
where we left off in 1983, tying 3-3 in our B-pool encounter.
I also tied Denis Begin and Daniel Bordeleau, lost to Martin
Labelle and Michel Decarie, and defeated the others. My
offence and defense were relatively competitive, and so
I advanced into the round of 16 (in 14th place overall),
along with Martin, Denis, Michel, Daniel, and Sam.
Meanwhile, the Bosso brothers and Junior
had dominated the A-pool:
But in light of the final results, all these
rankings mean very little. The eventual top 1, 2 and 3 were
seeded 2, 5 and 8 going into the playoffs. In the subsequent
4 playoff rounds, it's all about matchups -- and anything
can happen in a best of 3 series.
All
Second Round Results Here
Playoffs
My aspirations for a top-10 finish (or better!)
were cut short by Junior Gelinas. He was still hot, had
finished 3rd overall in the A-Pool, and we were matched
in the first playoff round (3rd versus 14th). Junior defeated
me 5-2 and 6-4. The upset of the round was Sam Carrier’s
stunning victory over Gino Bossio (16th versus 1st). Gino
had finished 1st overall in the grueling A-pool, while Sam
had hung on to the 6th (and final) playoff spot in the B-Pool.
Sam proved that anything can happen in the playoffs, especially
in a best-of-3 series.
The fast and furious action continued, until
the semi-finals matched this way: Carlo Bossio versus Greg
Peden, and Patrick Cote versus Junior Gelinas. The phenomenon
(Cote) ended Junior’s run (7-4, 4-9, 7-6), while Bossio
and Peden traded wins (1-0, 1-5) to set up their decisive
third game. Bossio led game three 2-1, but Peden tied it
up in dramatic fashion with 30 seconds to play. Peden then
seemed to be playing for the overtime. If so, it was a mistake.
Carlo scored the series winner with under 10 seconds to
play, advancing to the final against Pat Cote. Carlo had
summoned some table hockey magic against Greg, who is magus
in his own right. Did Carlo have enough magic in reserve
to win it all? Meanwhile Greg Peden defeated Junior Gelinas
to assure himself of the “bronze medal” (3rd
place overall) in this very competitive tournament. Kudos
to Greg for waltzing into this tourney from Toronto and
making the top 3!
Dave Kraehling redeemed himself from C-pool,
by playing his way back into B-pool and going undefeated
to win the B Class trophy. Dave had taken quite a ribbing
along with his tumble; people were spelling his name "Craehling"
(with a "C"). Dave is currently ranked number
5 in Quebec, and that is no accident. He is a hugely talented
player. But in this sport you're only as good as your last
performance, and so nobody can afford to slip too far or
too long.
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Dave "K"
for Kraehling (right)
Wins B Class Final over Richard St-Laurent |
Greg Peden Performs (right)
Wins 3rd place over Junior
Gelinas
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The Magic
In the final series, Pat won the first game
(4-2). Carlo then had to win two in a row. In game two,
Pat got ahead and stayed ahead for a long while, leading
5-3 with 1:37 on the clock. A lot of people thought it was
over after Pat’s fifth goal. Greg Peden and I knew
better. We had discussed this very issue after Greg’s
semi-final loss to Carlo. We both knew that Carlo had the
magic to win it all. The question was: Could he summon it?
Carlo answered the question definitively, by scoring 4 unanswered
goals in 1:37 and winning game two 7-5. Game 3 was no contest.
Carlo overwhelmed Pat 6-1, deservedly winning the title.
King Carlo reigns supreme in Montreal!
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Carlo
versus Patrick |
a spell-binding
final series |
Carlo finds
the magic |
Pat Cote just as deservedly won the inaugural
Coup du Quebec (The Quebec Cup), for the best aggregate
performance in the three Quebec tournaments in 2006-07 :
Montreal, Sherbrooke, and Quebec City. He was truly the
phenomenon of the 2006-07 season. Starting in 2007-08, the
Quebec Cup will be awarded to the best aggregate player
in four coordinated tournaments in La Belle Province: Montreal,
Sherbrooke, Quebec City, and Gatineau.
Thanks to Carlo and Gino Bossio for organizing
a fantastic tournament in Montreal 2007, and kudos to Carlo
for summoning such potent magic on the board. Congratulations
to all 55 players who participated. Perhaps the biggest
winner was table hockey itself. This was the most competitive
Coleco tournament I have ever seen, and I was proud to be
part of it.
Quebec
Cup / Coupe du Quebec -- Aggregate Rankings Here
Caveat on the Comeback
Trail
This has been a memorable comeback year
for me. I want to thank many great players for getting me
back into the sport, especially those who have welcomed
me into their homes for intensive sparring sessions on the
board. The list includes: Denis Begin, Carlo and Gino Bossio,
Burt Brassard, Dominic Froome, Martin Labelle and John Power
– as well as Kenny Dubois, for multiple sparring sessions
in Connecticut. Dave Kraehling and Greg Peden have also
invited me to spar with them in Toronto, and that will happen
too. Beyond this, I have rekindled many friendships from
the “old days,” having been reunited with Sam
and Alex Anoussis, Steve Bernstein, Michel Brossard, Francois
Charbonneau, Ron Chesick, Ron Marsik, and Ajit Sarma among
others. When we were kids, table hockey was a universal
game for brothers. But in the last analysis, table hockey
is not just a game for brothers: It is a sport that creates
and sustains brotherhood itself. All players on the circuit
today belong to this brotherhood, and that’s the greatest
reward. Not only do we have seriously competitive fun, we
also end up having dozens of brothers.
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left to right:
Alex Anoussis, Sid Marinoff, Sam Anoussis, Lou Marinoff,
Ron Chesick, 1983
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left to
right: Ron, Sam, Lou, Alex,
2007. |
Since coming back in September 2006, I have
played in 9 tournaments and 1 league playoffs, with these
results:
September 2006: New York,
finalist (13 players)
October 2006: Montreal, 12th (47 players)
November 2006: Sherbrooke, 14th (30 players)
January 2007: Las Vegas, finalist (13 players)
April 2007: Toronto, 6th (60 players)
April 2007: New York, NYCTHA league &
playoff champion (13 players)
May 2007: Quebec City, 9th (38 players)
July 2007: Chicago, 11th (27 players)
September 2007: New York, 4th (22 players)
September 2007: Montreal, 14th (55 players)
On this comeback trail, I have encountered
many amazing players. To be sure, the top players have won
many more games against me than I have won against them.
I am happy just to be playing again, and of course it’s
a thrill to know that I can still summon enough magic to
win some games against the best. The sport today is incomparably
richer and deeper in talent than it was when I retired 25
years ago. And only in the sport of table hockey could one
even consider making a comeback at age 55! (Hey guys, how
about a “seniors” division: age 50 and over
:-).
Slowly but surely, my game is improving.
My sparring partners know this, and they continue to encourage
me. Playing table hockey at this level – just outside
the top ten, a playoff series or two from being a contender
– is like climbing Mount Everest: The closer you get
to the summit, the harder it is to ascend. Believe me.
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Table Hockey Terminators
and collectors of fine hardware
Martin
Labelle: Johnny GoodGuy 2007, NY Empire Cup
2007
Carlo Bossio:
Sherbrooke 2006, Montreal 2006-07
Patrick Cote:
Quebec 2007, Chicago 2007, Coupe du Quebec 2007
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Recommended Route
Up Mount Everest
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King Carlo refereed one of my matches in
Montreal, and had these words to say: “When he’s
on his game, he can beat anybody.” Coming from Carlo
Bossio, that’s a great compliment. Now, in my second
year on the comeback trail, the challenge is to spend a
lot more time “on my game.” To win a major tournament,
you have to be on your game for about 12 hours continuously.
You have to beat not just anybody, but everybody.
I was among the elite players who did that 30 years ago;
Carlo and the elite players of his generation do it today.
I am glad to see the sport in such great shape, and thankful
to be playing again, at any level.
Montreal 2007: Table
Hockey Brotherhood (plus one formidable sister, Celine Gamache!)
