USA Hockey Adult Hockey

People of a certain age will remember that “Family Affair” was a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1966-71. But “family affair” also is applicable when discussing the Chicago Creeps, a team that has competed the last two years in the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships in Eagle River, Wis.
 
The team is comprised of Paul Guidice Sr.; sons Paul Jr., Mark and Anthony; plus nephew Tom Guidice. Two family friends, Kamil Czarnowski and Joe Vrtis, also join the team.
 
“This will be our third year going to nationals,” Anthony Guidice said of the Creeps’ plans for the 2013 tournament. “Most had never played hockey. My dad played when he was young … 18 or 19 … but stopped after he got married and started having a family.
 
“Dad taught me how to play. When I saw this tournament, I told him about it. I thought it would be fun, so I submitted the form with an empty roster [in 2010]. I asked my brothers and they said they never played ice hockey before. But we started practicing.”
 
Competing in the Novice Division, the Creeps placed fifth in the 2011 nationals and lost to the eventual champion. They placed third last year, which was respectable.
 
“Now, it doesn’t sound so bad,” Anthony Guidice said. “But we really want to win because we all have a competitive side. We really wanted to win last year.”
 
What’s noteworthy about the Creeps’ endeavor is that pond hockey is essentially non-existent where they live in Chicago.
 
“There isn’t any pond hockey here,” Anthony Guidice said. “There are a couple of parks that that are set up with a liner and rinks. But there are frozen lakes around.
 
“Nobody had played pond hockey before. It was interesting when we first got there, but we were overwhelmed.”
 
One factor that helped ease the transition was the fact the Guidice family is comprised of people who are the opposite of “coach potatoes.”
 
“We’re a big outdoor family,” Anthony Guidice said. “We like camping, for example.”
 
The family also is big on floor hockey, which, eventually, also helped ease the transition to pond hockey.
 
“We’ve run a floor hockey league for kids for 20 years,” Anthony Guidice said. “And we’ve played floor hockey in a league that was formed seven years ago. We’re in an adult league here and play year-round. But this is our favorite trip of the year.”
 
And with good reason, because the Creeps bring their wives and children, which truly makes the trip a “Family Affair.”
 
“It’s important in our family,” Anthony Guidice said. “It’s fun to have our wives and children coming on the trip. It’s amazing to see my daughter there, too. Her going last year made it even better. Even my sister comes and brings jerseys.
 
“The other two guys on the team have been my friends since we were 4 years old. Even the time we spend at the hotel joking around is fun. Going on trips is nice, but adding hockey to it makes it even better.”
 
It’s so much better that the Creeps have added a second team that will compete in the Bronze 21-and-over Division.
 
Ironically, this new team also has family roots since it’s comprised of two sets of brothers: Jim and Mike Martin; Joe and Mike Stevens; and a Stevens brothers’ cousin, Nick Smith.
 
“We’re really excited to come back because it’s such an amazing time,” Anthony Guidice said. “I think what’s impressed me the most because it’s very competitive is that everybody’s so friendly.
 
“There are 250-plus teams from all over the world and you can talk to anybody you want. That’s the main thing, how friendly everybody is.”
        
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.