Blood & Ice: Tales of 32 Years in the Crease
by
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Chapter 1
Mike sat at the banquet style table listening to the master of ceremonies with a great attention. His plate grew empty of the greasy cheesy sliders that had once occupied it, and his fourth beer had been drained well before it turned warm and lost its foamy head. Commissioner Karl Schmidt was at the microphone, standing and feeding the guests one liners that all had something to do about hockey…well most of them. Zing...and zang...he just kept rolling along in his special "Karl" way, in a way only he can. His delivery was matter of fact and sweet, and after all, it had grown to be his trademark. Karl had his usual soft spoken and good natured personality working for him. The chuckles and laughter grew at times to roars, which just fed him more courage to chance his other repertoire of jokes. Mike was chuckling here and there, but found himself adrift quite a bit. At age sixty-four, he was finally hanging up those goalie pads he had used the past thirty-two years. It was amazing how those pads, 'pillows' as he called them, held up so long. They were the fourth and last set of pads he used over a span of over fifty years in net, and they were indeed heavily scarred with not only the many thousands of shots endured by way of each game and practice, but also with the hundreds of stories they lay witness to as well. And what stories they could tell… Tonight was Mike's night. The scene was set in a Brooklyn eatery that doubled as a bar. It had been the group's place of hangout for the last couple of decades, a nice little unconfining place called Rooster's.
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About the Book
Mike is a sixty three year old goalie who has played at nearly every level of hockey. Moreover, he has also coached on various levels of hockey for over twenty years.
This night, he celebrates his final OHH team appearance, and the Commisioner of the OHH declares the retiring of his number.
Be there for the celebration, and for 32 years of stories and tales from behind the mask and in the crease...from the perspectives of friends, family, peers, adversaries, and himself.
About the Author
Mike Haszto, originally from Islip, NY and now residing in North Ridgeville, Ohio, is an award winning poet with five published poetry books on life and its experiences, with another book in the pipeline.
Nominated Poet of the Year for 2008 by the International Society of Poets, he paints a vivid picture with his words, yet provokes the reader to go further in their thoughts to a different place and time.
This is his fourth novel to date, following Radio Free Mickey and Life On Side B, both fictional tales about a “Mom and Pop” owner of a radio station fending off a corporation buyout and station exploits…and Eyes of Fury, a thriller.
While not writing, Haszto enjoys coaching high school hockey and activities include playing goal for the OHH Hockey Team and playing indoor soccer with The Nachoes, while enjoying spending time with The
Haszto is an avid hockey fan of the New York Islanders...and in his years of playing hockey, has always subscribed to the aggressiveness theories of protecting his crease.
Haszto is a Parrothead disciple and subscribes to the 'escapism' way of life. Give him some palm trees and a nice ocean breeze, and he'll show you the peaceful way of life.