Twenty-Five years ago, in the 1982 - 1983 season the Griffin Youth Hockey team pictured here was the New England Hockey League Champions.

Back Row: Keith Walling, John Cathell, Assistant Coach, Tom Brownell, Jamie Waldron,
David Field, Coach Dave Allen
Front Row: Todd Poirier, John Normington, David Cathell, Mark Coderre, Luke Allen




A group of young inspiring hockey players that would assemble to practice and play Pomfret Prep's JV and League hockey teams during the 1971 - 1972 Season


Bob Glenn, Dan Navarro, Chris Heidelberger, Wyatt Daentl, Bob Bulger, Todd Perkins, Eric Porter,
Gary Smith, Zenny Sosnowski
Mike Kalette, Robby Glenn Jr., Doug Woodruff, Hugh Mackenzie, Mark Bangs, Paul McKeenie, Steve Woodruff, David Either,Billy Cole, Jim Navarro, Billy Smutnick



1980 - 1981 Flood's Lounge Griffin Youth Hockey Team


Back Row: Matt Boulia, Coach Oatley, Paul Musto, Mike Bernier, Dave "the Hammer" Smith, Scott Oatley, Coach Kasick, "Big" Al Poirier.
Front row: Ronald Jolicoeur, Kenny Kasick, Craig Baker, Darryl Smith, Pete Lavola




Griffin Youth Hockey 1980 House League




1985 - 1986 Griffin Senior Division House Team

Archived Blast from the Past - November 2008

Whoever said there would come a day when you would be too old to play hockey? These Rusty Blade players prove they still have their hockey skills as they competed along with many other 70 Plus teams to win the Fourth Annual Olde Crabs Senior Invitational.

Men's 70 Plus Division Champions the Rusty Blades


Men's 60 Plus Division Champions the Bud Lite Olde Knights


Men's 50 Plus Division Champions the Bedford Bears


Women's 30 Plus Recreational Champions the Westchester Wildcats


Women's 30 Plus Elite Champions Team Connecticut

On October 24th-26th of this year 28 hockey teams and 400 hockey players descended upon Danbury, Connecticut for a weekend of fun and competition in 50 Plus, 60 Plus and 70 Plus men's and two 30 Plus women's divisions in the Fourth Annual Olde Crabs Senior Invitational Hockey Tournament. The competition was fierce. The winners of the divisions in this year's tournament were the Bedford Bears in the 50 Plus Division , the Bud Lite Olde Knights team from Fitchburg , Massachusetts in the 60 Plus Division, the Rusty Blades from Wooster in the 70 Plus Division, Team Connecticut in the women's 30 Plus Elite Division and the Westchester Wildcats in the women's 30 Plus Recreational Division.

The Olde Crabs Senior Invitational Hockey Tournament was started four years ago by the Olde Crabs Hockey Club to raise money for a charity designated by the family of one of the Crabs who was killed in an auto accident. This year the tournament raised $10,000 dollars divided between two charities, The American Diabetes Association and the Southern Connecticut Storm, a hockey program for kids and young adults with developmental disabilities.

This is the only hockey tournament in America that fields 50 Plus, 60 Plus, and 70 Plus men's divisions as well as eight 30 Plus women's teams. Each year the tournament brings 400 players and their families to Danbury for the weekend. The tournament provides a fabulous weekend for the players and their families while contributing to two worthwhile causes. Those that come to Danbury to play feel that hockey is the greatest sport ever invented.

The Olde Crabs Hockey Club was founded by a group of 50 plus men who found themselves warming the bench for younger players. They wanted to do more than chasing youngsters around the frozen tundra. Every Sunday at 4:40PM from mid October to the end of March at the Danbury Arena the Olde Crabs play. During the year the club travels to weekend tournaments in Ottawa and Vancouver, Canada, Bethlehem, PA, Tampa, FL, Providence, RI, and Baltimore, MD winding up in July at the Grand Daddy of all Old Timer Tournaments, the Snoopy World Tournament in Santa Rosa, California. The Olde Crabs are actively recruiting players and can be contacted through their Web site.

Archived Blast from the Past - October 2008

During the 1969 - 1970 season the NEW HAVEN BLADES played in the Eastern Hockey League out of the long gone New Haven Arena. Player's benches were in the walkway outside of the boards with nothing separating players from fans who were sometimes hostile. Fans were protected by chain-link fencing at the ends of the ice surface. And look out when the Johnstown Jets came into town!

Top Row: (left to right) Don Walker, Pierre LeBlanc, John Brophy, Kevin Morrison, Ken "Gunner" Garrett (trainer), Norm Schmitz, Bob Peters, Norm Guimond, Gordon Smith, Don Perry (coach)

Bottom Row: Mike Rouleau, Murray Kuntz, Bill Smith, Dave Hainsworth, Elgin McCann, Len Haley,
Mike Hornby

Archived Blast from the Past - September 2008

Check out this a photo from the New Haven Bantam 1971-72 season.
See if you can recognize any current youth hockey coaches!

Submit your own "blast from the past" photos for future editions of CT Hockey News.