Many players were silently counting down the days till hockey resumed, and it helped to pass the time by reading the summer blogs posted.
Speaking of summer blogs, I really liked the one showing Stevo on the beach; still looking in beuuuutifuk playing form. Rumour has it he only had a few moments to stand still, as he was constantly being stalked by Tomcat fans.
Speaking of ‘Opening night’, it felt ‘much’ different as marquis players like Rocky, Soupy and the great Hurricane were notably missing.
Vegas odds had Hurricane ‘once again’ starting the year with yet ‘another’ goal. With Hurricane missing, along with the notable and reliable scoring of Soupy, it really was ‘open season’ for someone to fill the gap.
The first goal – and had I not seen it myself I may have thought it was another ‘AI ruse’ went to Skippy; who after the game was heard saying, ‘I did ask my daughter’s magic 8 ball if I’d score – and it said, ‘it is certain’. I guess I had more confidence in my shot tonight and I hope I made Hurricane proud.
That first game was a true nail biter with the Black Bender Beauties edging out the White Chico Chicklets 5-4.
Game 2 was another story as Bullwinkle, Chevy, Professor, Hobbs, LaBamba and Skippy really found their grove (5-2).
Snowpants, Animal, Tonto, Shack and the ‘surprise’ ‘re-appearance’? of Flinstone; despite the two game loss, had more to say about the continued ‘disappearance’ of the Sparky Clock.
Scoring, heat, summer regrets of ‘I should have kept in better game shape’ and despite the aggravation of ‘manually’ keeping the score – all was quickly forgotten as the boys took to the stage to celebrate the return of Tomcat hockey.
It also helped when the ‘season’ opener gift was revealed – a true gem, and something I expect to class up many an event to be attended.
While you’re wondering why I didn’t reveal ‘what’ the gift was, I noticed your Handzonmecac.
Right off the bat I wish to say, that I booked my trip way before the lunacy started in the United States. I also wish to say, that I went for a week, booked a condo in Canadian Dollars. I did not buy a factory there and hire 100 Americans.
Something else you should know and some may know this, I am an American. I was born in the States.
I love the beach and the place I went to is called Myrtle Beach, so you can see where that would be fun for me. I enjoyed my time in Myrtle Beach but now at this stage of the summer, I would be the one calling the folks at the Kapusta Kow and confirming start times and to see if it was alright to still play. I would then be starting the recruitment process to see who was in to play this year and if we would have enough goalies, Rocky gets to do all that now.
Did I tell you I enjoyed my time in Myrtle Beach, I got a new tank top (so yes some money was spent there) but I look pretty good in the tank top, so please give that one to me….and they (USA) are our neighbour and have been a good neighbour of ours for years, I felt, one delusional man should not ruin the beach experience for me, so I went.
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and comes to the Windsor Tomcats ready to play in what we know as the 36th year getting together at the Kapusta Kow in September, thank you Turk, for the hockey, (first two years as the Fabulous Thunderbirds, playing basketball) thank you Legend.
36 years is a long time, but the glue that holds the Tomcats together is stronger than ever, thank you Rocky and Soupy and of course everyone else, The Terror, The Falcon, Sunny, Bullwinkle, Matador, Killer, Chevy, Shack, Tonto, Kamikaze , La Bamba, Sparky, Snowpants just to name a few along with the newbies, Hobbs, Bender, Smiley, Big Ned and Escalade.
Thanks for reading, if you want to see me in that tank top, shoot me a text, I will send you a photo. Tomcats Forever!
It’s that time of year again…time to transition from offseason partying and get into pre-season conditioning. The 2025-2026 Tomcat season is just one month away. Tuesday September 16th will be opening night. Look out for an email from Rocky and Soupy asking for commitment. more details will be included in the email, including some changes happening at the Kapusta we will need to navigate.
Alright, Tomcat faithful, Chevy here, stepping in for Stevo this week, mainly because he’s still muttering about “logistical oversights” and “unforeseen tournament attendance.” We just got back from what was supposed to be the golf trip of a lifetime: The Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Think pristine fairways, the roar of the crowd, and us, the Windsor Tomcats, showing those pros a thing or two.
So, the plan was flawless, right? Stevo, Hatchie, Big Easy, and yours truly, along with our incredible wives/girlfriends – Tamster, Sporty Spice, Sweet Feet, and Sugar Mama – were heading to Northern Ireland. The ladies were going to enjoy some “cultural immersion” (read: shopping and not watching us shank balls), while we’d casually stroll onto the hallowed grounds of Royal Portrush, clubs in hand, ready to channel our inner McIlroy.
We rolled up to Royal Portrush, all swagger and dreams of perfectly struck irons. The sun was shining, the air smelled of freshly cut grass, and… chaos. Not the pristine fairways we’d envisioned, but barriers, crowds, and enough security to guard a small nation’s gold reserves.
“Excuse me, mate,” Stevo puffed to a rather stoic security guard, “we’re here for our tee time. Stevo, Hatchie, Big Easy, Chevy. The Windsor Tomcats, you know?”
The guard just stared, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “Sir, this is The Open Championship. You might have noticed the thousands of spectators and professional golfers.”
My jaw, along with the dreams of a green jacket, hit the tarmac. Hatchie, bless his usually sharp mind, chimed in, “So, what, we can’t just… pop on for a quick eighteen?”
The security guard actually snorted. Sporty Spice, ever the pragmatist, chimed in, “You mean to tell me you guys dragged us all the way to Northern Ireland during the biggest golf tournament of the year, expecting to just play Royal Portrush?”
Silence. The kind of silence usually followed by the sound of male egos deflating. Big Easy, ever the optimist, cleared his throat. “Well, darling, we did assume they’d have, you know, a few spare slots. For discerning gentlemen such as ourselves.”
Sweet Feet, bless her patience, just shook her head. “You guys are unbelievable.”
Tamster, Stevo’s rock, just gave him that look. You know the one. The “I told you so, but I’m too polite to say it out loud” look.
The Unplanned Detour to Royal Forty-Seven
So, with our tails tucked firmly between our legs, and the distant roar of the crowd a cruel reminder of our folly, we huddled. The dream of Royal Portrush was dead. But a Tomcat never gives up! We had a backup plan. A contingency. A course “down the road.”
That’s how we found ourselves at Royal Forty-Seven. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was… a golf course. It had grass. It had holes. It even had a rather enthusiastic groundskeeper who greeted us with a smile and a slightly chipped scorecard. The pro shop was more of a “shed with some forgotten clubs,” and the “clubhouse” seemed to double as someone’s backyard storage unit.
The ladies, to their credit, were troopers. Tamster even managed to find some humor in the “rustic” charm of it all. Sporty Spice, ever competitive, declared the putting greens “character building.” Sweet Feet just focused on her swing, probably trying to block out the sounds of Big Easy complaining about the lack of a beverage cart. And Sugar Mama? She just kept saying, “Well, at least the air is fresh.”
We didn’t set any course records. Unless “most golf balls lost in one round” counts. Hatchie somehow managed to hit a tree on a wide-open fairway, Big Easy mistook a squirrel for his caddy, and I spent more time looking for my ball than actually hitting it. As for Stevo? Let’s just say his short game was, shall we say, “a work in progress.”
The Real Victory
But you know what? As the sun set over Royal Forty-Seven (a truly majestic sight, even if it was just over a farmer’s field), with our wives laughing and the air filled with the scent of… well, certainly not championship golf, we realized something. It wasn’t Royal Portrush, and we definitely weren’t pros. But we were together, we were laughing, and we were still the Windsor Tomcats.
So, next time you see us, don’t ask about our Open experience. Ask about the time we conquered Royal Forty-Seven. It’s a much funnier story. And trust me, the ladies will back me up on that one.
Until next time, keep those swings smooth, and always double-check the tournament schedule!
We hope all Tomcats and families are enjoying summer holidays and vacations. Rocky and his family are traveling through France and Italy, but Rocky, in order to make the vacation expenses a write-off, is there on “strict Tomcat business.” Rocky is said to be recruiting talent in those countries. While one might say, “why would you go to France and Italy for talent…there’s no hockey players there,” let us remind you previous Tomcat management toured through the Greek islands years ago and came across Sunny, Soupy and Shack. “Look at those gems that were found in a non-traditional hockey part of the world,” said former Tomcat President, Stevo. Rocky is hoping to catch the same luck in France and Italy. Besides, Italy is where Bullwinkle was discovered!
Here’s Rocky at the Spanish Steps in Rome
Have a great summer. Send Rocky any pictures to share of vacations and interesting locations where Tomcat swag is being worn.
The Tomcat Board of Directors meeting occurred this week, with great participation and some fresh ideas for the future of the Tomcats. Thanks to Soupy for hosting in his man cave and for providing good drinks and food for the participants. Participating this year were as follows:
Rocky, Soupy, The Rake, Falcon, Chico, Bullwinkle, Bender, The Professor, Skippy, Chevy
Making a guest appearance was the late (yet surprising very alive) Steve Jobs who turns out to be amazing at big ideas, but not so interested in execution.
Topics and key decisions made are noted below:
2025-2026 Season Costs: Two options will be presented. Both will require early payment (prior to the first night of hockey) to Rocky. Option 1: Pay $60 early, then pay $5 per night. Option 2: Pay the entire season early and not worry about paying each night. $175 for the entire season. Rocky prefers the early payment via e-transfer so a few Tomcats still living in the Stone Age might need to purchase a 56k modem finally.
Season Start – Tuesday September 16th. End December 16th (pizza party). Start up again January 6th, end April 11, 2026
Tournament – The end of year tournament in April appeared to be a big hit, so we will stay with that timing. Not so much of a hit was the “play everyone twice” format we used. As such, levergaing a recommendation from a few years back from Falcon, and reiterated by Sunny ahead of the BoD, we will go to a format where each team plays the other teams, then go into Round Robin format (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3) and then play a consolation game for 3rd place, followed by the Championship.
All games except for the Championship game will be 2 10 minute periods. The Championship game will be 2 12 minute periods. 2-3 minutes between periods, 5 minutes between games.
Captains – to be decided by December 2025 – The BoD decided to wait to name Captains for next year based on who is playing often during the first half of next season.
Mid-Season Mini Tournament – The Tomcats are considering playing a Saturday Mini Tournament in November, with much less formality than the main tournament (no draft, no shirts, etc.) and follow that up later on the Saturday with the traditional Tomcat Holiday party with spouses. So hockey in the morning, gathering in the evening.
Rule Clarification – Timeouts – Timeouts can only be called during a stoppage (after a goal, ball unintentionally goes out of play, goalie saves and puts ball behind net, etc.). You can’t call the TO simply by having possession.
Recruitment – We have had good influx of young talent last two years so no dire need but would like to still bring out “good fits” for the Tomcats when possible and another goalie option is not a bad idea.
Special Nights – Besides the idea of the Saturday mini, we will continue Big Net nights, and try to plan a game where it is Youth vs. Experience. Need to figure out median age of Tomcats and divide on that age for the night. Who will prevail…Stamina of the Youth? Smarts of the Experienced? We’ll see.
Beer Nights – Once you commit to be a regular, you will be added to the Beer list and you need to be responsible for your nights. That means you either ensure you bring beer on your assigned night, or bring it early. True Tomcats live up to this. Do not be a dud. Tomcats don’t like duds.
Future Leadership Change – Rocky mentioned he will likely look to step down as Tomcat President in the next year or two and is proposing the reigns be handed over to Soupy to become the 3rd President of the Tomcats since 1989. Rocky will garner support for this change over the next year or so.
New Ideas and Thoughts to be considered: – We need to fix the nets or purchase new ones. Soupy and Chico to try to figure out the approach here. – Sparky Clock needs to return. Sparky will be asked to make sure we can have this fixed for the Season Start. – Carousel of Nations – St. Vlad’s is hosting the Ukrainian Village. We would like to have a large contingent of the Tomcats there to celebrate and gather during that event. – Use floor tape to create a goal line between the posts to make sure the nets are aligned and goals more obvious – Create a fun nightly award to hand out each Tuesday – not just for player of the game, but for whoever made the night special. Great way to capture something for the blog and give a shout out each Tuesday. We need a catchy name for this and a small award to hand out (think Champions Belt, small trophy, etc.). – Monthly Clean up of Floor – Assign guys to show up early every 3-4 weeks before hockey to do a quick sweep/vacuum of the floor, steps, stage just to keep the playing surface as clean as possible all year. – Fix the fire extinguishers so they can be easy moved out of the way but still be located in the correct spot for safety reasons – Need to revive the Pantelone de Neige Golf Tournament for 2026 but need a Tomcat to step up. Rocky and Soupy cannot be expected to run everything and there is only a handful of other Tomcats that help with other routine tasks (empty runs, hall clean ups, etc.). We need others to step up to have fun events occur. We need less Steve Jobs types and more willing to execute. – Speaking of executing, The Professor agreed to become the Minister of Pizza since the previous Minister is MIA. – Longer term planning – We are not too far away from the 40th Anniversary of the Tomcats. Will need to keep this on the radar to plan an event fitting of 40 years as an organization.
That is the summary for now. Look for more updates on events over the summer.
Until then, Tomcats Forever and as Stevo would say, Stay Beautiful!
Want to play a different format? Think a rule or two should be changed? Have an opinion on the firmness of the ball (Soupy and Matador (aka The Ball Princesses) – your thoughts are well known, no need to bring up)’ etc.? Only way to voice your thoughts is to attend next week’s Board meeting. No complaining on any changes if you don’t participate.
Details below:
– Board of Directors meeting will be held on TUESDAY APRIL 29 at 630 PM.
– Location is The Soup-r-Dome (Soupy’s garage) in Tecumseh, 1878 St Anne St.
– ALL Tomcats are encouraged to attend, as well as some of the newcomers to maybe provide a fresh insight into the future of the Windsor Tomcats.
– Drinks and food will be served
Let Soupy know ASAP if you plan to attend so we can estimate food and drink needs.
The annual Board of Directors meeting will be held on TUESDAY APRIL 29 at 630 PM. it will be held at soupy’s garage in Tecumseh, 1878 St Anne St. ALL Tomcats are encouraged to attend, as well as some of the newcomers to maybe provide a fresh insight into the future of the Windsor Tomcats. Even if you’re not on the BOD, come for some drinks and laughs, maybe even a “Snowpants Storytime”. Drinks and food will be served, and if there is a Leafs playoff game, you can be assured it will be on!
Please let me know if you plan on attending so we can figure numbers for food. It’s a great time to finish off the year, discuss what went well this season, what we can improve on, and some ideas for next season!
The MVP Life:
Want to know how MVPs role after the big tournament? See below for how Chico spends his days basking in the glory.
‘No’ Ghost writer names, ‘otherwise known as’ stuff, synonyms/homonyms, identifiers or any other ‘shenanigan’s’. This is just ‘me’, and from ‘me’.
Another year has ‘sadly’ come to an end and I don’t know about you, but I’m ‘already’ counting the days till the next season begins.
There has been no other place a guy that simply wants to play some ball hockey can be more accepted or welcomed; and ‘welcoming’ comes even easier if you bring a 24 – cause well Tomcats are an easy group to bribe with a good ‘bottle’, or two….
Tomcat nation features some ‘truly’ exceptional players, balanced out well with the rest of us ‘week end warriors’. The typical Tuesday season ‘algorithm’, despite its detractors, has been pretty dead on. Hell even this tourney; despite some ‘first time’ Captains resulted in pretty tight games. Now if we can only get the ‘Sparky’ time clock back…..
I also think moving the tourney to the ‘last’ day of the regular seasons was a ‘big hit’; but lets consider ‘moving’ back the start time….some of us just ‘aren’t’ used to getting up soooo early & ‘getting right to work’
In ‘other’ tournament ‘first’, a VERY RARE trade was finalized with little time to spare. ‘Rumours’ have it the trade ‘might’ have included some ‘beer’. Would you expect ‘anything’ else from a Tomcat?
Speaking of the tournament, think of how it ‘started’ : Captains Skippy and Rocky taking a brief moment to exchange team shirts. Luck of the draw may have had the two ‘start’ the tradition; but each new game featured ALL Captains making a shirt exchange – ‘CLASSY’.
Ceremonial Jersey Exchange
Tourney results? Probably ‘fated’ when Killer went down and wasn’t able to play. If you believe in ‘fate’ or karma; then it comes as NO surprise the Killers took it all – never once looking like they lost a step and Killer, (Seen sporting some fresh bandages to his wound), was able to come out and happily embraced his team upon their ‘most’ important Championship game ‘win’.
2025 Stanley’s Cup Champions – Rocky’s KillersThe refs, Hollywood and The Rake along with Killer, a captain but on IR – Tomcats are thankful he is on the mend and was able to still take part.
Despite teams getting ‘bumped’ out of the ‘big game’, everyone was quick to congratulate the ‘new champs’.
Way to go ‘Killers’ – and hats off to MVP ‘Chico’ and ‘Most gentleman player’ The Professor.
Chico, the Tournament MVP, along with The Professor, who won the Most Gentleman Award, pose with Soupy and Rocky
Tomcat humility, cheering on each other and quickly forgetting about the game when things are all said and done; that’s the Tomcats spirit.
A great season and a great day of hockey spent with a ‘great’ group of guys. Is there anything better?
Skippy
Rocky’s KillersProfessor’s PupilsKamikaze’s KrakenSkippy’s StarsThe annual “All-Greek” photo – Sunny, Soupy and ShackBender came prepared with his new custom Goalie Jersey
$20 to your Coach/Captain (coaches to provide full amount for their team to Rocky)
$10 to Soupy for pizza
Game Schedule:
Home Visitor
Skippy vs. Rocky
Professor vs. Kamikaze
Team Photo
Professor vs. Skippy
Kamikaze vs. Rocky
Skippy vs. Kamikaze
Rocky vs. Professor
Kamikaze vs. Skippy
Professor vs. Rocky
Rocky vs. Kamikaze
Skippy vs. Professor
Rocky vs. Skippy
Kamikaze vs. Professor
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
To determine which teams make the championship, it is based on:
⁃ Most Points
– Best +/-
⁃ Most goals for
⁃ Least goals
⁃ Record against the opposing team
⁃ Shoot out
Win is 2 points, tie is 1 and 0 for a loss. Yes, regular games can end in a tie.
Games will be TWO, 7 minute periods Stop time last 1 minute of each period. Time between periods is 2 minutes, 5 minutes between games.
Championship Game will be TWO, 10 MINUTE PERIODS.
If OT is needed for the Championship, refer to Tomcat Rules on the website.
One 30 second timeout allowed per game.
1 minute penalties will be called for rough play.
Referee:
We will have a ref on the floor. Reffing is a tough job. Whatever is called is accepted. We will not tolerate any arguing with the ref.
AND LASTLY REMEMBER, as we have a few newcomers this year, we are all friends out here, this is a fun day to finish off the Tomcats season and have a few beers after to celebrate! Overly aggressive play will NOT be tolerated! For example, If soupy has the ball, don’t go too hard on him, he works very hard to set this tournament up, show some appreciation And let him have a scoring chance! Just saying…Let’s have a great day!
And just like that another Tomcats’s regular season has come to an end. On the final Tuesday night hockey of the season, the boys put on a spectacular show. Everyone looked in playoff form, gearing up for this Saturdays year-end tournament.
In order to get a little practice in before Saturday, Tomcats went with a three goalie rotation. Terror, Bender, and Falcon, donned the pads, all making save after save, keeping the games tight!
Sunny Cork Soakers – Soupy, Shack, Sunny, Hobbs, Big Ned, Smiley, Hurricane, Professor
The Cork Soakers took both games, 6-4 and 7-6 respectively. Plenty of shots, great saves, and fancy passes on both sides of the ball. No one seemed to be “taking it easy” in preparation for Saturday, but it was all good, clean play!
Afterwards on stage, announcements were made, story time with Snowpants, and a few cold ones cracked. By the end, more than a half a dozen tomcats stayed late to chat, share some laughs, and have a beer. That is what it is all about!
It should be noted that newcomer Smiley (killers buddy) was one of those that stayed, he has been a welcome addition to the tomcats, and seems to fit right on with the guys. Way to go Smiley!
Lastly, in a complete honest mistake by the Hurricane, after scoring yet another hat trick on the night, forgot to pay his $5 fee. When asked about it later on he said “oh, I didn’t forget to pay, I’ve been asking for a Seniors Discount for years now, and the board of directors keep saying no, so I figured it’s the last night, I’m taking my own discount!”
You know, when you’ve played as long, and scored as many goals as the Hurricane, in my opinion, you could do whatever the F$CK you want! In a nice move of generosity, his arch- nemesis, and mentor, Chevy, threw in five bucks for him, stating, “I couldn’t beat him on the score sheet tonight, so I’ll have to kill him with kindness.”
Bullwinkle and Professor arrived early to clean up before the annual tournament. These are legit stand up Tomcats!Chico and Soupy arrived early to load empties. Another example of what it means to be a Tomcat. Ask yourself if you live up to Bullwinkle, The Professor, Chico and Soupy?
Also, a reminder that the Board of Directors meeting will be held a few weeks after the Tomcats season concludes, on a Tuesday night probably in early May. As usual, it will be held at soupy’s garage and a email will be sent out with date and time. All Tomcats are encouraged to attend, as well as some of the newcomers to maybe provide a fresh insight into the future of the Windsor Tomcats.
Watch out for an email from Soupy with details for Saturday’s tournament .
Windsor Tomcats 