Rocky and Roxy spent a week in Portugal ahead of the start of pre-season training. Here are some pictures from the hike above the clouds.

These two fine Tomcats took part in an annual boys fishing trip, the 30th Anniversary for the trip. Just like the Tomcats, they keep the tradition going due to the friendships and memories!

The Tomcats own Tropical Depression, loving referred to as Hurricane, recently returned from an overseas trip. He took a picture that he feels many Tomcats golf fanatics might enjoy. Any thoughts on where Hurricane is standing in this picture?

Also, as the Tomcats consider a move into Motorsports (hard to get hockey traction in the south), Rocky was recently out testing some vehicles that can live up to the Tomcat name on the racing circuit. Below is Rocky putting a Porsche through its paces. What other vehicles should we consider plastering the Tomcat name and logo across?

Keep letting us know where Tomcats are showing up this vacation season.

By Harry Ballsonue

Three Tomcats travelled to Battle Creek Michigan and played golf at a prestiges course called Marywood.

“It use to be a private course back in the day…but then opened to the public 40 years ago. It has been one of our favourites for a long long time…at $26 a round with a cart for a senior, how do you beat it?” stated the Sealion.

Coordinator of the trip Mr. Bundura indicated, “I challenge any of the good golfing Tomcats to come out and try this course. It’s long, it’s hilly… Undulating greens and some greens are three stories high….you can tell this was at one time a private course.”

The Bundura had asked a few others to come along but the players he asked all could not commit. “We had a great time . We stayed at the Firekeepers casino and visited the slot machines and sport betting bar…the wings are very good there,” The Bundura added.

They plan to go next year same time, same place.

Two days of golf ..same course… one night stay…it’s a beautiful thing

Bender is still living out his East Coast ambitions in PEI and representing the Tomcats?

Where else will other Tomcat swag be this summer? Send in your pics!

Hello Tomcats. Hopefully everyone’s summer is off to a good start. Kids are about to be done school and the weather is heating up. What are Tomcats planning for the summer? Lots of golf, travel to a beach somewhere, plenty of fresh cold ones with friends? The Tomcats want to know. We would love to share photos each week of Tomcats doing offseason stuff. Send your pics to Rocky and we’ll get a weekly update blog going. Tomcat swag in the photo, especially in exotic locations, is always fun to see. However, family and friends pics from a backyard BBQ are also awesome to see!

Let us know what you are up to!

The Tomcat Board of Directors, and other involved Tomcats, took part in the annual meeting last evening at the Soup-R-Dome in Tecumseh. In attendance for the meeting:

Rocky, Soupy, Sunny, The Rake, LaBamba, Chevy, Skippy, Kamikaze, Doc and Snowpants.

Stevo, Hollywood and Green Giant provided some thoughts ahead of the meeting but were not able to attend.

Here are key decisions made for the 2024-2025 Season:

– The hall is always in question so backup options are trying to be identified in case we need to pivot

– Season Dates: Start September 17th. Last night in 2024 is December 17th. First night back in 2025 is January 7th, last day of season is April 12th (read below

– Costs: $60 to start (up $5 from last year), still $5 per night.

– Start of Season Gift – Hollywood has a cool idea and the BoD approved. All will have to wait and see.

– Tournament: Big, Big change here. Stevo’s Christmas will not be the last Saturday in February. We will play the tournament on Saturday, April 12th and will finish the season with the tournament. This will give more lead time for commitment and hopefully be easier for more to attend.

Captains will be:

The Professor, Killer, Kamikaze and Skippy

Captains will draft honorary Coaches from a list of available retired Tomcats. A great way to have all Tomcats take part in our special day. Other retired players will also still be asked to take part per usual.

The longer format of playing each team twice will occur with 10 min periods and 3 min half time breaks. ALL GAMES MUST BE PLAYED on tournament day.

Rule Changes: No new rules but rules will be clarified and reminded to all Tomcats at start of season including: slap shots (waist height/stick parallel to floor at max), high stick is shoulder height, no chopping of sticks of any kind, no attempting to play ball if goalie is about to cover it.

– Other Tomcat events:

Christmas gathering in early December at Schooley’s bar – informal but agree on date and time and everyone shows up

Look to merge some of the various golf outings as there are too many related to Tomcats. No official Pantalone de Neige Tournament for 2024 being planned.

Special Nights – 2 Big Net Nights planned – one in fall, one after the New Year.

– Recruiting: More young talent needed. Players such as Toretto, Hobbs, Splitter,Sunny’s boys considered for full time status. Falcon’s boys, still being teenagers will be considered key fill-in players. Tomcats are asked to consider their friends for good Tomcat-like guys and potential invite out. Snowpants and Skippy have identified one potential candidate.

Franchise Player Tag – The BoD approved Sunny as the Franchise Player. Motion put forth by Stevo and unanimously approved. Sunny did not vote as that would be a conflict of interest.

Finner Award: The Rake was awarded the Finner Award. This award is given out from time-to-time to a Tomcat who goes above and beyond off the floor. Even though retired, The Rake showed up to help clean the Kapusta before the season, brought out snacks and drinks for the boys during the season, agreed to be a coach at the recent tournament, prepared a feast for the last night of hockey, came to the board meeting last night. This guy still bleeds Tomcats even though he had to hang up his gloves. An award ceremony will occur in the fall. Congrats Rake!

Other items stemming from round table:

– floor needs a deep cleaning. Looking at options

– need light solution for Tomcat room

– we will be donating unused sticks from Tomcat room. More details to come by sticks will be move to other side of stage, guys will have a defined timeframe to claim sticks, only allowed to keep two in the room, and all others will be donated to a charity.

– no politics on stage. Tomcat hockey is a break from the BS of the world. Zero reason to debate on anything politically charged or polarizing on stage. This is our happy place!

– Most Improved Award – new award to be given out at tournament recognizing a regular Tomcat player that has elevated his game during the season (not measured in goals or wins)

– Tomcats need to call themselves out if they make a bad play. If you high stick, hold yourself accountable and stop play. Get too physical, call it out. We are adults, we are mature and we should not act like teenagers trying to get to away with something to gain an edge.

– new players will be asked to bring an initiation 1/2 case on their second night

– Tomcats to stock a slush batch of beer to account for guys missing their beer nights.

– Doc and Rake offered to come out and help even though not playing. Doc agreed to ref on a routine basis. If we have a ref, ball drop after each goal. If no ref, then the team who just got scored on starts with ball

– Skippy approved to borrow Sparky clock this June for his special tournament that raises money for a local charity

That is all for now

Enjoy the summer all!

The 34th installment of Tomcat Hockey concluded last night. Yes, 34 seasons have been played. This speaks to the power of The Tomcat’s and the friendships built.

Based on the Tomcat’s staying power, it was only fitting that Tomcats current and former took part on the last night of hockey, which included a feast afterwards. Several retired Tomcat Legends were in attendance including Stevo, The Turk, The Bundura, Sea Lion and The Rake. Other players on IR also came out to celebrate including Hollywood, Doc, Big Easy, etc.

And speaking of the feast, shout outs to The Rake for offering to organize and make sure the feast was the best on-stage food the Tomcat’s ever had. Supporting The Rake was Mrs. Terror with some fabulous pasta salad and Hollywood’s Mother-in-law with her famous cheezy potatoes.

Teams:

Sunny’s Dispositions – Terror in net, Sunny, Skippy, Chevy, Animal, Matador, Chico and Killer

Kamikaze’s Pilots – Falcon in net, Kamikaze, Rocky, The Professor, Soupy, Green Giant, Snowpants and Bullwinkle

The Sunny Dispositions took both games on the heels of amazing goal tending by the Terror. The Kamikaze Pilots had issues getting the ball past him all night. Falcon had to adjust his game to different pads as the Falcon’s usual pads were lost in transit after being unloaded from the equipment hold of the Tomcat Team Antonov 225.

Once hockey was over, the celebrations began which included, after a toast from Rocky, with a rendition of Tomcat’s Forever.

Board of Directors – Wait for word on date and time of BoD meeting. It will be held at the Soupy Sanctum. All Tomcat’s welcomed to take part. Once date is announced, Rocky and Soupy will need a headcount.

Cheers to another great season Tomcat Nation!

Two full teams last night with 4 guys on the bench, allowing teams to strategically run 2 full lines. 15 minute periods were played given the bench sizes, despite the warm air in the Kapusta. The Falcon and Terror were troopers dealing with the heat wearing all that equipment.

TEAMS:

Black Antumbra’s – Terror in net, Max (aka Speed Stick), Skippy, Soupy, Killer, Green Giant, Rocky, Bullwinkle and Hurricane

White Totality’s – Falcon in net, Kamikaze, Big Ned, The Professor, Sunny, Animal, Chevy, Jingles and Chico

Pretty even teams but the Antumbra’s took the night. The winning team featured a forward line that spanned the largest amount of years in age between players – Speed Stick and Hurricane. The lineup proved to be a lot to handle despite the age discrepancy. By the end of the night, the pairing was referred to as Speed Stick and Old Spice.

Shoutouts to the following Tomcats for being true Tomcats by showing up with some goodies for the boys:

– Soupy brought a case

– Sunny brought a case

– Sparky showed up despite still rehabbing the hip with a case

– The Rake showed up despite being retired with beer and some meat, crackers and cheese

These guys remind us all what being a Tomcat is all about!!!

Speaking of The Rake. He has graciously offered to help plan a feast for after hockey (the last night of the season) next Tuesday. He is enlisting the help of Hollywood, Terror’s wife and possibly others from what I am told.

The Tomcats want to invite all Tomcats, old and new, to come out for the final night to play or to just hang out and take in Feast de la Rake. Rocky will send the usual email but needs to know total head count for food and drinks. Let’s send out 2023-2024 with a bang!

Board of Directors Meeting – Like always, a BoD meeting is being planned for a couple of weeks after the last night. Any Tomcat can take part, not just the BoD members. Come and have a say in the future of The Tomcats. Look for more details shortly.

Until next week,

Tomcats Forever

In what was the third-last might of hockey for the 2023-2024 Tomcat Season, we had yet again, a mini. Two mini’s in a row…that hasn’t happened in forever! Lots of interest lately and lots of new young players contributing.

Splitter, who was brought out recently by The Matador and has shown great prowess on the floor, played in net for the first time. He looked like anything but a first-time goalie on the Kapusta floor. “This guy is legit between the pipes’” said future president Soupy. “We may finally have a new goalie to add to the rotation,” added Soupy. This came on the heals of having a young Falcon, Dillon, play net the previous week, giving the Tomcats an even younger up and coming goal tender. These guys make the future of Tomcat goal tending very bright!

Teams:

Terror’s Tighty Whiteys – Terror, Kamikaze, Toretto, Animal, Shack, Bullwinkle and the Professor

Falcon’s Green Garter Belts – Falcon, Green Giant, Matador, Killer, Chevy, Hobbs and the never-ever-respond-to-an-email-and-show-up Jingles

Splitter’s Black Bustiers – Splitter, Chico, Big Ned, Hurricane, Soupy and Snowpants

Very even teams with most games being very close. Splitter and the gang took the night going undefeated (but that includes a tie).

Reminder – couple of physical plays last night including the running of Terror. How many times do we have to say there are no scouts in attendance. We need to be competitive but realize this is for fun and our personal stats do not matter. Play smart and make sure your friends can walk away uninjured each night. Simple stuff really.

Final Night – The Tomcats are soliciting ideas for the final night of hockey (April 16th). The Rake has reached out to ask how he can help and take part. Maybe we bring in some dogs and sausage and grill a little? Send Rocky your ideas.

Bullwinkle Dozers – Hobbs, Shack, Snowpants, Professor, Skippy, Bullwinkle, Falcon in net

Animal Back Hoes  – Matador, Green Giant, Max, Hurricane, Animal, Jingles, Chico, Dylan/Chico in net

Big Ned Mother Truckers – Soupy, Big Ned, Chevy, Chip, Killer, Kamikaze, Terror in net

What a night at the Kapusta…

It’s feast or famine with the Tomcats these days. We went from not having any goalies to having too many; from having to cancel weeks due to not enough guys, to last night, the first Mini Tournament in months, maybe years! 

At the end of the night, it was the Animal Back Hoes taking the tourney handily. The Falcon Triplets shined bright, working hard, making great saves, and fantastic plays all night. A little bit of controversy when Dylan’s (Falcon Jr) night was cut short after feeling ill and puking. Chico stepped right up and strapped on the pads! Chico was quoted after saying, “I may get Ebola from wearing the sick guys equipment, but at least I won’t have to pay the $5 for hockey!” Jingles, who came out just to watch and bring beer, ended up playing and was dominant on defence, stepping in for Chico. 

A desperate call for help yesterday morning by Soupy looking for beer, yielded 4 cases showing up! A couple guys that had missed their night due to absence, and a couple that brought a case “just because” namely Kaze and Jingles. Great move fellas! 

After hockey on the stage is where the night got interesting. The beers were cold, and the jokes and laughs abundant. Soupy was showing off his “ELITE” softball skills to upcoming Coach Matador at the 1st ever Tomcats Combine. There may or may not be video evidence of Soupy hitting “dingers”, and rounding the bases, no Tarp. Some would say he has a body like a milk bag, but the clean up crew had to be called in to mop up after the ladies in attendance! Unfortunately, he was brought back down to earth, after being embarrassed by the Terror in a foot race.  

That wraps it up for this week, be sure to let Rocky know if you are in for next week! There are only 3 weeks left in the season, let’s see a good turnout to finish off. 

Enjoy Guys…

Guest Column by H’aida da Salami

With many of our typical goalies still unable to play, the Tomcats once again had to have Soupy suit up and face shots. After getting most rust off last week, Soupy was seeming much more confident and seasoned. Squaring off against Chico is no easy task, and Soupy was able to play neck-and-neck with Chico, keeping both games close.

Soupy’s Stars:

Soup Daddy in net, Killer, Sunny, The Professor, Rocky, Snowpants and Torreto

Chico’s Cheetahs:

Chico in net, Jingles, Bullwinkle, Animal, Chevy, Matador and Hobbs

Youngster’s Torreto and Hobbs were called up again. These two show the Tomcats are being built for the future. Rocky noted the entire Tomcat group seemed to elevate their game speed to match the play of the youngsters. “These were incredibly fast-paced games tonight,” said Rocky as the teams walked off the floor.

Soupy noted during intermission that Chevy’s shots seemed slower, making them more difficult to react to. After some analysis, it was determined Chevy’s shot was in fact not slower. It only seemed slower comparing to the speed and release of Torreto and Hobbs. The new blood is shifting the Tomcat paradigm!

4 weeks left. Check the beer list as our supplies are gone. Shout out to Tonto…he dropped off his beer at the hall during the day knowing he cannot play, but that it was his night. That there is real Tomcat spirit!

Empty load out will be next week. Please show up early to help load Soupy’s truck. Rocky is out of town next week so Soupy will run the show.

Until next week…

Tomcats Forever