ANN ARBOR– Once among the giants of D1 hockey, the weary and well-traveled Tom Colis, having spent a number of seasons in D2 hockey, returned to “the Show” Sunday to help Hopslam to 1-1 tie against the Cleveland Steamers.
A truly inspiring tale of man who once had a fan attend the game, Colis found himself mired in frustration as Ashley’s Hopslam suffered season after season of early playoff exits. Colis contemplated the cold, hard reality of retirement. “We knew we had to make a change, for Tom and for our organization,” noted GM Mark Woods.
That change sent Colis to the D2 league, where his career was given a second life. In six seasons, Colis has scored 35 goals and 34 assists, and 9 goals and 3 assists in the playoffs. Throughout, he’s kept a low profile, focusing more on family– a far cry from his wilder Hopslam days, which exploded in a scathing tell-all book titled Just Give Me the Damn Puck!
“He alienated a lot of people with that book,” noted sports writer Match Album. “Calling Chris (Sutton) ‘Suttonly Susan‘ when he had that concussion was both below the belt and too obscure for most of the younger skaters.”
Returning a more humble skater, Colis was welcomed back quietly with handshakes and smiles as the team took, and the proud center took to the ice. The game itself proved one of attrition as each team tried to wear down the other. Cleveland took a 2nd period lead, holding on to it until just under two minutes of play, when Bob Brock slammed home Brad Johnson’s blocked shot to secure the tie.
Colis was once again a part of Hopslam tradition. And, the team drank beer proudly, never saying in words what was clearly etched in their hearts, “Welcome back, Colis. Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.”
Editor’s note: Following the game and just before press time, GM Woods announced that Colis would return to D2. Asked why considering the outcome of the game, his response was, “Well, Bobby (Brock) actually scored the goal, so…”