Over 30 Hockey League

A solid team player who can play either defense or forward depending on his team’s needs and what is asked of him, Naz is one of the best team mates you can have on your team and one of the most loyal players in the Over-30 league who will do whatever is needed to help the league.  His sense of humor always has a way of coming through on the rink.  You can count on Naz to have extra water, tape and hockey balls for his team mates.  Strangely though you never see him bring any beer for his team mates after the games.   You can always count on hearing some play by play commentary from Naz during a game; usually, on those rare occasions that he accidentally trips over his own feet to stop the opponents star player.  As a defenseman, Naz holds his own as a stay-at-home type of player and is one of the Over-30 league’s more durable and reliable players.   

Throughout the years, Naz’ hockey skills have not developed and transformed him into one of the Over-30’s elite players; instead, they have steadily remained stuck at the level of “better than average.” However, what he lacks in elite hockey skills, he surely makes up for in his development and growth as an individual leader with the Over-30 league.  Over the years, Naz has been asked to take on more responsibility in his tenure with the league.  From being asked to fill in as a player on a team’s roster, to an emergency referee or timer, to promoting the Over-30 league and contacting its players with league information, to reminding the players about their registration balances, or to represent the league and officially present any rookies with the game ball after they scored their first goal playing in the league.  He was asked to be a team captain and has shown tremendous potential and promise as a leader, leading his team to 2 championship games in a three year span.  He has also taken on “unofficially” the role of Assistant League Director and handled his assigned duties admirably while maintaining what is best for the league at all times.  

Now playing in his 35th season, Naz was not always a defenseman when he started in the Over-30 league.  In his earlier playing days, he competed as a wing on the Peabody Warriors team that played for years up at Hockeytown on Monday nights.  Whenever a goalie has a bad game in the Over-30 league you will always hear Naz comment on his versatility as a player and talk about the good ole glory days of how he was the only Hockeytown goalie to ever shut out the Stoneham Reckers!

Rumors & Facts:

• Naz has taken advantage of his connections and influence in the Over-30 league and shown his go getter skills by pandering his Girl Scout cookies to every league player.  The Over-30 league is still waiting on Naz to deliver its 2 free boxes as compensation for allowing this brazen solicitation pitch..
• Alleged Assistant League Director (although still no official acknowledgement) after “quitting” as the Special Advisor to the League Director; rumor has it that he quit his position as the Special Advisor when he just couldn’t deal with the frustration and refusal by the league’s webmaster to update and maintain the league’s website on a weekly basis
• Can be seen offering his best wishes and “get well soon” comments to any player on the injured reserve, whether it be a minor lower body injury, a more serious type of injury, or even if they announce their retirement from playing in the league
• Has not won a championship since the Spring of 2002 and thought he finally ended his personal drought when he played first with those two championship deliverers in Franco Grutti and Dave Curcio, followed by Matty Iannello, albeit unsuccessfully.  We hear that Dan Broderick is next on Naz’ wish list.
• Naz’ claim to fame is not his 4 championships won in the Over-30 league, nor his years playing with one of the legendary teams up at Hockeytown in the Peabody Warriors, nor his “alleged” title as Assistant League Director.  Rather, it continues to be his boasting of his suspect goalie skills and reminder that he was the only Hockeytown goalie to ever shut out the Stoneham Reckers team during their championship heydays.

* - denotes a championship team