Congrats to Tom Kelly SR for winning the cup for the 2nd time out of the 24 tenure of the cup.  What a fantastic day out, so great to see everyone!
PIctured above:  Stouts, Mook, Freitos, Bail Bonds, Doughboy, Stew Pidass, Stix, Ezo, Ruvon, TK, TK Jr

FINAL SCORING (Adjusted/Gross):
TK:  71.5/89
TK Jr:: 72.0/84
Derek E: 72.5/80
Bailey D: 72.5/95
Dennis C: 72.5/103
Mike C: 74.5/121
Doug B: 75.0/84
Chris D: 75.0/98
Paul F: 75.0/106
Steve S: 78.0/107

 
 

Congratulations to Bailey Doggett who added his name to the ever-saught after GBO Cup, who finished with a final adjusted score of 74.  The weather held up just enough for us hackers to get out there to compete for the pewter cup.

 

It was almost midnight on Thursday, November 15, 2012 when we last skated off the rink as a team.  This year marks the 22^nd annual GBO, one more year than our Blades’ hockey tenure.  From1991 – 2012, the EH Blades put fear in our opponents eyes, or should that say “laughter”?…  Either way, we had a blast and thanks to all who contributed to the legacy.  From Plainville, to Enfield, to East Hartford, back to Plainville, then ending in Glastonbury, I still believe we were the longest running roller-hockey team in CT history.  Thanks to Jim for the initial logo design.  After some tweaks thru the years, still a cool design!  And more thanks to the rest of all of your contributions:  Jim for your dipsy-doodling around opponents & scoring the last Blades goal ever, Tom for that far-side slapshot (and for what I think played in every season going back to the tennis court years), Derek for that added offensive power we needed (especially that game where you showed up just for OT and netted the game-winner), Chris for being Johnny on the spot and driving up from NJ to play a 10PM game in Plainville (Stew!), Stix for somehow getting the deflections on net from every angle (and the image of a fawn trying to stand on ice), Robbie Robble for your unfashionable balance skating that mesmerized us all, Jon for your dependability and stellar defense, as well as your help in our web page (says over 39k visitors… is that true?), for our goalies:  Klett, Stuka, Taylor, Freitas, Pat & Graney, without you guys we’d never have a team…  Stuka, great mask I witnessed in the making, Stolfi, Hazen & Doug for being enforcers (sometimes even to female opponents), your son Kevin for one of the only Blades to win a championship and receive a 2-game suspension in the few games he played for us, Harrison for being the offensive defenseman (because we had no one else to play back), Jeff for making my nose crooked, and for #44, for no one remembering your name and you’re probably selling our jersey on EBay…   and Steve Lambert (RIP)…  and so many more to mention just by name:   Bourdeau, Disque, Creel, Bouchard, Dalaura brothers, Duchesne, Furnari, Murkowics, Corey, Spencer, McGuire, Ing, Larue, Accomazzo, the Balamucki brothers, and the list goes on and on… Thanks again.  Never forgotten.  Glad to see I’m remembered for my “whoop” calls and flopping on the rink with stick and gloves flying off of me like Charlie Brown getting hit on the pitcher’s mound.

Check out our previous game and season stats, schedules and entertaining game summary articles for many years back.  Click on FORMS and "HISTORICAL" summaries to remember the good times.

Email me if you have any memories, comments or grievances you may wish to share on here.  Always welcome!
Thanks Jon for contributing these few videos from Glastonbury: 

Next up:  Uconn hockey game, vs. Merrimack, Friday Dec 2, 2022.  Contact me if interested in tickets.

Yet another successful turnout for the 22nd annual Greater Blades Open.  Derek takes home the coveted cup yet again, barely edging out Tommy.  All in all, a great time by all, with some additional guests joining us for the after festivities.   

   
ATTENDEES (from left to right): Dennis C, Chris D, Paul F, Jon R, Doug B, Tom K, Jim S, Tommy K, Derek E, Bailey D, Steve S

FINAL ADJUSTED SCORES:
Derek: 72.0
Tommy: 72.5
Bailey:  72.5
Tom:  75.0
Doug: 76.0
Steve: 77.0
Chris: 78.0
Paul: 79.5
Dennis: 80.5

   

Congrats to Tommy K who won the 21st annual Greater Blades Open with a gross score of 77, and adjusted down to 72 using the Calloway scoring system.  Finishing second was 2020's champion Derek Ezovski, along with Dennis Connors, both receiving an adjusted score of 74. 
Total scorebord is listed below, but special thanks for all the hackers who participated on this Indian Summer warm and very windy day, with leaves on the ground making it hard for the best of us to find our balls.

Tommy K: 72
Derek E:    74
Dennis C:  74
Steve S:    75
Paul F:      75
Adam E:   75
Doug B:   76
Chris D:    76.5
Tom K:      77
Bailey D:   77

NAME	ADJ SCORE	GROSS SCORE
Derek	73	85
Dennis	75	107
Tom K	76	86
Tommy	76	86
Doug	76	89
Paul	76.5	104
Stix	77	107
Chris	78.5	103

The 20th annual Greater Blades Open was a great success for the 8 hackers that participated.  Congratulations again to Derek for winning his 13th cup.  Yup, 13th!  Even though Covid-19 has many restrictions, it was not enough to keep this band of brothers from meeting up for their annual golf tournament.  Special thanks to the Kelly's who opened their home for the a great lunch with lots of laughs. 

 

 

 

 

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All in all, another successful board meeting, consisting of Reid, Freitas, Connors, Stix, Robbie-Robble & TK.

 

 

Congrats again to Derek for winning his 12th GBO in 19 tries.  All in all, a great time was had by all!

 

GBO19 hackers:  Stix, Bloomer, Pidass, Far-side, Kleenex, Champ, Runner-up, Stouts, Yankee fan, Rookie

 

GBO XIX FINAL RESULTS:

Hacker       Gross       Net
Ezo               81           73*
TKJr             84            73
Dennis         115           75
Stix               107          75.5
TK                 91           76
Dave B         93            76
Doggett        101          77
Doug            91            78
Paul             113           78
Adam           109            80

 *tie breaker: lowest gross score

 

Fellow Blades enjoying the Yard Goats on a great summer night.  Good times.
TOP ROW:  Paul Freitas, Jeff Stickles, Steve Stickles, Dennis Connors, BOTTOM ROW:  Derek Ezovski, Chris Doggett, Jim Smith

The EH Blades gathered last night at the Hartford Wolfpack game and exchanged stories, memories, and plenty of jabs at each other.  When speedy defenseman Jon Reid and "far-side" Tom Kelly were asked who was the all-time best defenseman for the Blades, they each answered the same, "you're looking at him".  If they had gloves on, they were sure to be dropped.  Jim Smith was agreed upon as the best all-time stick-handler, and Doug Bloomquist was voted the best girl opponent enforcer.  Steve Stickles and Chris Doggett debated who was the better shot deflector (aka, stand in front of the net guy), and that debate may never be resolved.  One of the best ball-player goalies Paul Freitas was present, and helped provide a few championships for the Blades. Dennis Connors was somehow identified as one who would shoot the puck at the referee the most.  Maybe that happened once in 1993, but there's no concrete evidence or video of it.  Connors was last seen checking with lawyer Michael Cohen on his availability to defend him in this matter.  A case is pending, and might be for a long time to come...

 

 

Associated Press:  It was truly the "Cinderella story" as Steve Stickles won the 18th annual Greater Blades Open, defeating the rest of the Blade hackers with a net adjusted score of 73.  TK Jr grossed an impressive 83 gross score, but with the ever impressive Callaway scoring system, he netted a score of 73.5.  Congrats to the rest of the hackers for attending in what turned out to be a great fall weather day for golf.  Final scores were as follows: 

Hackers         Net Score   Gross Score
S Stickles           73                109
TK Jr                  73.5              83
D Ezovski           74                  85
T Kelly               75                  90
D Bloomquist     77                  102
C Doggett         78                 106
P Freitas           79                 107
D Connors         79                111

Yes, you read this correctly...  Derek Ezovski takes home the cup yet again...  Actually, he strategically "forgot" the cup at home (probably just in case he didn't win).  It never matters to the Blades hackers who wins, just a PERFECT day for golf at Top Stone in South Windsor where 9 players and offspring gathered for some good times. 
Congratulations Derek!  Full results below.  Next up:  Everyone is already talking about a night out with an expected bigger turnout for either a Wolf Pack or UConn hockey game at XL.  Stay tuned for date suggestions, and already looking forward to GBO 18 (yes, 18th year!).

GBO XVII FULL RESULTS:

PLACE      NAME       GROSS    ADJUST'D   

1               Ezovski          80                 73
2               TK JR            92                 74
3               Tom K           90                  75
                 Connors       114                 75
5               Steve S        109                 76
6               Adam E        107                 77
7               Doug B          97                  78
                 Chris D         109                 78 
                 Paul F           109                 78

 

The Blades continue their quest for the cup, the GBO Cup, that is.  Not surprisingly, Derek Ezovski gets the honors again by getting his name engraved for the 10th time.  It's all good as everyone had a great time on a great day out on the links.  In an interview after, Derek said "I played the best round of the year today.  These guys bring out the best in me."  The round didn't go without its controversy, as it's rumored that Derek hit the wrong ball on hole 18.  TMZ has 2 pictures of his 2nd shot, where he hits a ball towards the green, then found his initial ball afterwards.  KRAMER rules of golf (rule #41 about Steve Gennison) clearly state that you cannot pick up the ball and clean it unless it's on the green. But that rule has no impact with what happened here. 
All in all, 6 past Blades plus 3 sons and 2 friends had a blast during the 3 tee time outing.  This "band of brothers" attitude continues to show its strength even after the skates are hung up.

 

2016 Hackers:  Dennis Connors, Tommy Kelly, Tom Kelly, Bailey Doggett, Chris Doggett, Derek Ezovski, Adam Ezovski, Steve Stickles, Paul Freitas
(missing:  Corey and Steve, Doggett's entries... thanks for playing)

 

FINAL SCORES (Gross - Adjusted using the Calloway Scoring System):
Derek:  76 -73
Stix: 103 - 75
TK:  93 - 76
Chris:  102 – 77
Dennis:  109 – 77
Paul:  118 – 78

Scores for non-eligible:
Corey:  85 – 71

Tommy K:  91 – 74

Bailey:  95 – 74

Steve:  101 – 79

Adam: 109 – 79

 

On this perfect crisp fall day, the Blades hackers tried everything in the books to keep the cup from Ezo.  However, Derek played a great round ensuring his 9th engraving on the cup.

FINAL RESULTS:  Adjusted (gross):
Derek:  75 (89)
Tom:  76 (90)
Dennis:  76 (105)
Paul:  76 (106)
Stix:  79 (103)

 

The Blades were able to hold a very important board meeting to check on the status of the team, even if only in their minds.

 

Attendees:  Top Row:  S. Stickles, Freitas.  Middle Row:  Kelly, Bloomquist, Stolfi, Connors, Doggett.  Front Row: Massori, Reid, Ezovski.  Joining us after for reception dinner were Smith and R. Stickles.

Congratulations goes out to Tom Kelly, for winning his first GBO in 14 years, defeating out the 2013 defending champion, Chris Doggett, GBO's 5-peat winner the previous 5 years, and 5 other hackers.  The weather held up long enough to allow the GBO hackers to have a great time, enjoying some good laughs, and some spectacular shots (as well as "not so spectacular" shots). 

See more photos posted in PHOTO ALBUMS, then select BLADES 2014 GBO.

2014 HACKERS:  S Stickles, D Connors, D Bloomquist, P Freitas, T Kelly, T Kelly JR, D Ezovksi (missing: C Doggett)

 

 

 

GBO 14 FINAL STANDINGS:

Tom Kelly	73
Dennis Connors	74
Doug Bloomquist	74
Steve Stickles	74
Paul Freitas	74
Derek Ezovksi	76
Tom Kelly JR	76
Chris Doggett	78

EH Bladss board of directors met Friday night and debated in to the wee-hours to try and come up with a contract to bring back the Blades franchise.  But after many debates on to play ball or not, that Stix's knees could hold up, and for which beer to buy next, the Blades called it a night with little settled, except to have some good times... 

So anyways, that's how it ends...   for now.  More to come.

 

and so the Blades era ends... or did it?

At 11:54, on Thursday, November 15, 2012, the EH Blades heard the horn sound ending their final game on Zrink, as they lost 4-2 to the Mother Puckers in the first round playoff game in this fall 2012 season. The Blades skated off the rink and to their locker room not with their heads down low, but rather held high, knowing they just completed an era of roller hockey that no one else ever did, as this could could be the longest running roller hockey team ever to skate not only on the state, but the country. I challenge anyone to find a team that lasted longer than the EH Blades.
Special thanks to ALL past and current EH Blades roster, including all of the Stickles brothers (Rob, Jeff and Steve) who were part of the original team in 1991 along with Mike Stuka in nets. Through the years, die hard teammates have come and gone like Doug Bloomquist, Paul Freitas, Matt Ing, Jay Creel, Brian McGuire and Ken Spencer... along with Bill Dechesne, Patrick Doyle, Tony Dalaura, Todd Disque, Gyslain Bordeau, Will Harrison, Bob Taylor, Bob Burbank, the late Steve Lambert (R.I.P.), and especially Jon Reid, who was a pivital player for the Blades throughout many years. The EH Blades recently welcomed players from the "other Blades" team like Pat Massari and Dave Stolfi, and especially players from our brother team, the RipTides like Jon Graney, Troy Hazen, Chris Larue, Tom Accomazzo, and Dave and Mike Balamucki. Chris Doggett and Derek Ezovski are the longest running non-original teammates that were picked up 10+ years ago in East Hartford have created the team that we are today. The core of the team that have been there for the full 21 years are Tom Kelly, Jim Smith and Dennis Connors. It's hard to believe that so many years have been played together to bring home 14 championships after 21 years, but it's even harder and sadder to imagine that this could be the end of this era... or is it? With the hope of a new rink to be constructed in the near future and local to all, this team may once again skate together as the "band of brothers" they have grown to be. If not, it has been with great pleasure to play with such a variety of guys, that have grown into such great sportsmanship and friendships.

If not on the rink, hopefully everyone looks forward to hitting the links next year for the 13th annual GBO, when Ezo willl have to fight off a 5 stroke disadvantage after winning 5 years in a row.

Stay tuned to this website, and may everyone have a happy and safe holiday season. The Blades would like to gather where they can enjoy some brews at a CT Whale game, tentatively looking at Saturday, January 26, 2013 vs Springfield. Or better yet, we hope to see you all again in a few months back on the rink to continue this era of the longest running roller hockey team in the country, maybe the world. Honestly, I challenge someone to find a longer running team containing some of the original players.

LAST ONE OUT, HIT THE LIGHTS!

G.B.O. XII has come and gone, with similar, but outstanding results, with Ezo taking home the cup again to display proudly on the mantle for Adam. Congratulations again to Derek for winning the his 5th straight GBO cup with an unbelievable 70 adjusted score (73, 3 over par un-adjusted score). Coming in 2nd place again, is Tom Kelly, who is "always a bridesmaid, but never a bride". Aside from playing 4 holes of golf in a good rain, with 2 holes in a monsoon, the day out was a success with 8 hackers hitting the ball very respectively. Congrats again to everyone for coming out, as well as Pat Massari and Dave Stolfi who joined us for the after festivities. A special thanks goes out to Tom and Chris Kelly for opening their home to smelly, wet golfers. Final GBO XII results are as follows:

Hacker: Adjusted Callaway Score (Gross Score)
Ezovski: 70 (73)
Kelly: 72 (82)
Connors: 74 (94)
S. Stickles: 74 (99)
Freitas: 75 (97)
Bloomquist: 75 (99)
Smith: 75 (102)
Doggett: 76 (102)

The EH Blades did it again, winning their 14th overall championship by defeating the pesky Fog Cutters 7-5 in a hard fought, see-saw game, with both teams coming up with good chances to put the game away.

More news to come......

Next up: The 12th annual Greater Blades Open to be announced soon. Stay tuned...

EH Blades captain Dennis "Stouts" Connors met his idol Saturday night at the CT Whale game, when Mr. Stoughton was inducted into the CT Hockey Hall of Fame. Stouts expects to be joining him in the Hall in the near future. Dennis is also contemplating re-growing his mullet. (In the background, Mike Liut holds his head down in shame that he was not asked to be photographed with Dennis).

Yes, it's true, the inevitable happened again, as Derek Ezovski took home the cup for his 5th straight year, and his 7th time overall. Derek shot an incredible 83 gross, but adjusted to 72 after the Callaway scoring system was put into play. Paul Freitas AGAIN tied Derek in this final adjusting scoring, however, the tie breaker goes to the lowest gross score. All other GBO hackers just watched in awe as Mr. Ezovski brings home the cup to this son yet again. Congratulations Derek/Adam, in another win.
Hackers shown in picture below are Paul Freitas, Steve Stickles, Rick Boggio (last minute fill-in, who also tied Derek & Paul with adjusted score of 72), Dennis Connors, Tom Kelly, Derek Ezovski, and Chris Doggett.

Below are the final standings for the the GBO 11.
D Ezovski - 72 (83 gross)
P Freitas - 72 (92)
T Kelly - 73 (88)
S Stickles -74 (108)
C Doggett - 75 (101)
D Connors - 76 (109)