Sports fans love their championship trophies and rings. They have the Lombardi Trophy in the NFL, the Larry O'Brien Trophy in the NBA, and Lord Stanley's Cup.
You can add one more to the list: The Barrel.
The Ohio hockey team has a three-team, three-on-three tournament every year called the Battle for the Barrel. The Barrel may not be as elegant as the Stanley Cup, but there is a lot of pride that comes with winning an empty keg, painted green, with the names of past champions duct taped around it.
Like the Stanley Cup, it even goes on tour. The Barrel will be displayed at Lucky's Sports Tavern on Court Street.
When this year's winning team, Fuhs' Franchise, clinched the championship, they took the ice and threw their helmets, sticks and gloves in the air, just as players do in NHL when they win the Stanley Cup.
J.J. Plutt, a member of Fuhs' Franchise, skated to center ice and hoisted The Barrel over his shoulders in triumph and passed it to his teammates as they took their championship lap around the rink, waving to fans that weren't there.
Then, of course, they posed for a picture in front of the net ' for a few minutes.
Captain Jim Fuhs, who wore a Plutt throwback jersey
' a jersey Plutt wore as a youngster on the Euclid Stars ' was just trying to enjoy his perfect record.
I guaranteed the win and our team followed through. That's all I gotta say we're the best Fuhs declared loudly in front of the team following the game.
I'm pretty upset
said Dave Fitzgerald, captain of Diggem's Dynasty. The last team I wanted to win this was Fuhs' team. I just don't like that team very much with the way they handle themselves
like this for example.
Fitzgerald wasn't referring to the team acting like they won the Stanley Cup. He was talking about Gerry Raymond, who started taunting Fitzgerald by slamming the Barrel up against the Plexiglas right in Fitzgerald's face.
Phil Oberlin, a member of last year's winning team, had high hopes for the squad he captained this year, Oberlin's Outlaws, but they couldn't back up his guarantee to win.
It was just goal scoring
Oberlin said. We couldn't score enough goals. We lost a key offensive threat in (Tom Ciaverilla). Ciaverilla is no longer with the team.
In the final round of the Battle of the Barrel, Oberlin considered pulling his goalie for the whole game to play with four forwards as a way to generate more goals. In the end, though, he decided against the bold move.
It didn't matter, because the Franchise denied Oberlin a second title.
' Joe Ragazzo is a sophomore journalism major and hockey writer for The Post. Send him an e-mail at jr471106@ohiou.edu.
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