Spring of 2014 was all about Joe. Between the store, the auctions and trips to Boston and Canada, it was hectic as hell. Nick had settled into the Temple life in the city quite effortlessly. After a first full year of living away, Joey had assimilated into the Junior hockey lifestyle. There were a few hitches though. Lori and I went out to visit him in Indiana in October towards the beginning of the season to watch him play. He was staying with the Black family. They had one 10 year old son and three younger daughters. A hockey family, Mr. Black coached the local club hockey team and High School team. Joe became the big brother, babysitting and ferrying them all over a lot. He didn’t sign up for that but a Billets job is to become part of the host family. Dad was a police officer and mom a nurse. A quiet Midwestern couple. Nice fit. We watched a three game stint where Joe scored the overtime goal in the final game to seal the win and the series. Not bad for a kid from Philly who had just turned seventeen. The average age on his team was nineteen to twenty. Especially, one twenty year old hockey phenom from Alberta, Canada. He was the nephew of the head coach. Coach was a long time NHL star. Joey really looked up to him for skill and guidance. The season went well although but he really missed us. And we him.
We took another trip out to see Joe in the winter, around Presidents weekend, but something had changed. The Captain Canadian phenom looked thin and haggard. He went from being the leading scorer in the Minnesota Jr. Hockey league, to barely making an impact on the team. This, in a six month time period. Strange. We met with Joe’s GM and Head Coach and they gushed over Joes improvement, skills and grit. Great to hear. We said our goodbyes and flew back home. Happy to be able to watch Joe again and hear good things, made our decision to send him away much easier. When Lori and I got home and called Joe to check in, I immediatly inquired about his team captain. He said that we would talk about it later. Ok bud. Love you, stay safe.
At this point there were only a few weeks left in the season. My next call to Joe did not go well. “Well Dad, our Captain is a heroin addict and he has been trying to push the stuff on our teamates”. “Including you”, I asked. “Yes, sir”. Ok then. Joe let me know that he had not taken part in the gestures but some teammates did. We hung up the phone and I immediately dialed his GM and Coach. This was a disgrace and I would have no part of it. Apparently, this was becoming evident and relevant to the team very quickly. In twenty-four hours, Joe was packed up and headed to Cincinnati where he was traded to the Cincinnati Swords at my behest. Immediately! He said his thank you’s and goodbyes and was on his way. A new team, a new billet family and a fresh start away from the dire situation in Dyer, Indiana. His new home was in Kentucky. I didn’t realize that Ohio and Kentucky were just one bridge apart. News to me! Anyway, Joey scored an end to end goal on his first shift of the game, dissecting the other team and their goalie. Joe’s new coach didn’t like that and labeled him a superstar, too good for himself. Funny,..Joe left to come home the next week. Wasn’t his thing with that coach. I watched his phone tracker as he decided to drive home at seven o’clock on a Sunday night. Thirteen hours straight. I got no sleep. Crazy, eh?
The 2013-14 season in the Mnjhl was a warm up for what would be his first year in the CCHL..The Central Canadian Hockey League. The Nepean Raiders in Nepean Ontario had invited him to their spring camp in April for a week. Joe and I headed up to his first big time Junior tryout. This was a big deal because Canadians really don’t like American players broaching their border to try to earn a spot. That spot is for a Canadian! So be it. Let’s go Joey! The Gm/ Head Coach was a burly man named Peter Goulet. A Canadian gentleman and well versed in the coaching and picking talent for the team. He really liked Joey’s speed and grit. Joe didn’t let him down. He lit it up! Four days of flying around the ice, big hits, big boys and some heavy scuffles. He could handle it. In fact, he amazed the gallery many times with his speed and stickwork. At the end of camp, Joe was invited to play on the Nepean Boston Pre-Draft team in May. The top Junior players in the US and Canada. Tons of tournament style teams made up of College level players, players already signed to big University teams. A big deal and experience. The tournament was coming up in May and it was there that GM Goulet would begin to sign his team.
As May was approaching and the PreDraft tournament around the corner, my boy was working out and skating as often as possible to be ready. This was big for him. A chance to prove him worthy of Canadian acceptance and a spot on the team. He aced the test. Played great! Almost won the final game by stealing the puck and splitting two D1 defenseman and just missing the winning goal towards the end of the game. The Giant Harvard committed goalie missed Joe’s shot but it clanked off the post, one quater inch away from glory! Goulet was impressed and later that day, Joe signed his first Canadian Junior Hockey contract for the 2014-15 season. In the coaches hotel room. I was so proud of him. In August, he would still have to prove himself at the Main Camp to earn a starting position on the team. He was So proud, So pumped, So focused and So ready to prove himself worthy of his place on a Canadian Junior team!
As the summer wore on, Joe spent time in the gym, the rink, and at his job. Working for Buckingham Auto Detail in Doylestown, Joe became a master detailer, working on high end cars, personal vehicles and dealer cars. He loved that type of work. Physical, gritty, exotic and it payed very well. Sometimes the boss would ask the guys to do extracurricular activities if needed. Joe and a coworker were summoned to do some landscaping on the owners home. They didn’t mind. It turned out to be a decision that would terribly and devastatingly alter Joe’s hockey career.
August was approaching rather quickly and Joe was in top form and ready for camp. Lean and muscular. Confident as hell. About six foot tall and 175 lbs. Just right. And Quuuiicckk! Omg. About six weeks before that camp in mid August, Joey came home looking very tired and not feeling well. Something wasn’t right. We got him to bed, gave him some Ibuprofen and hot tea. He had a slight fever on top of everything. Within a few hours, that slight fever was peaking at 105.5 degrees and Joe was green. We were trying to cool him down with washcloths but that wasn’t working. Time to get him to the ER. I drove him to Doylestown Hospital as quickly as I could and he was seen immediately. The nurses took bloodwork and started an IV to get fluids and meds started. His blood counts were terrible and the fever worse. The ER doc wanted to give him a spinal tap to assess the situation. But wait! A little blond female doctor walked in and asked for a minute to assess him. She told Joe to roll onto his belly and stretch his arms and legs out. There it was. Like a beacon pointing the way. A large red and purple 🎯 Bullseye on the back part of his knee. About three inches in diameter, plain as day. Joe was in the grip of Lymes Disease. And it was bad. He would have to get testing for the disease and remain hospitalized for a few days until the diagnosis was confirmed and treatment started. He was a very sick boy. Thanks Buckingham. Only if he had stuck with the car detailing.
A four week regimen of heavy antibiotics beat him up. He had no appetite and lost forty pounds. How sad. In two weeks after the medicine regimen was complete, he had another tournament and then the main camp tryouts. No practice, no workouts, no weights and no luck. This really sucked. Joe was sad and worried but he was a tough cookie. He would muster every little bit of energy that he had left…and begged me to let him play. He looked emaciated. Get better son. We shall see.
A Footnote: The Captain of Joe’s Indiana team, from Canada, actually earned a hockey/academic scholarship to a Chicago University. He was a force for his team in the beginning until he relapsed into his addiction and died of an overdose before his first season ended. Such a waste. A phenomenal talent. Life cut short by addiction. May he rest in peace and leave a lesson for those who knew him. Hockey Good…Drugs Bad…Very sad.
Next Up: A Valiant Attempt