Interviews/Austin O'Neill

Austin "Ozzie" O'Neill. March 2001

Is there a win or a loss that you particularly remember?
...Well, there are a couple of come-from-behind wins. They were both in Waterloo Iowa against the Black Hawks, and they happened in back-to-back years. They had a camera day for their fans on a Sunday afternoon game. After the game the fans could come on the ice and take a picture of their favorite Black Hawk player. The first year they had that there we were behind 4-0 going into the third period, and we scored five straight goals by five different players and won the game 5-4. And that was...you know...that's a great comeback.
The next year we go down there we're down there again on 'Camera Day', and we're behind 4-2 with a minute and thirty seconds to go in the game. We scored two goals in that minute and thirty seconds to tie it four-four. There were, like, ten seconds to go, and I can remember Bob Caster hitting the goal post where we would have won that thing in regulation. Then we went in to overtime, and fifteen seconds in to the overtime Jerry Sullivan scored, and we beat them five to four both years...straight comebacks on 'Camera Day'. I don't think they invited us back on 'Camera Day'...

What players, including opponents, stand out in your mind for any reason?
Oh...there are a lot of them...ah...players on the Iron Rangers...there are so many I played with, and they're all quality players. Brian Lunney was probably...he played in the National Hockey League...Toronto Maple Leafs...he was an excellent goalie. Jerry Sullivan: He was resident Superstar. He was doing things that Gretzky did with the puck. And I was on his line...I don't know...five or six years and it was an honor to play with him. I mean he elevated my game...
And then Wayne McQuaig, he was, he could skate for a big guy. He could shoot the puck. He could handle the puck. He could have played in the National Hockey League.
Barry Cook: He was an excellent defenseman, shot blocker. He was the captain of the team. He was the leader in the locker room and on the ice. Excellent player.
Matt Oreskovich. Matt was tough. He was fast. He was an excellent player, and he helped me out a lot because I was a skinny little kid. And I really appreciated that.
[Many other players were mentioned in this section by Mr. O'Neill]

Your Brother?
My Brother Buck? My brother Buck is probably the best player to come out of Marquette.

I've also heard that from several other people.
You know I grew up on Center Street playing road hockey. And you get a bunch of kids together playing road hockey, and everybody wants to be Gordie Howe. Well, I wanted to be Bucky. He was my idol. When he was playing for the Iron Rangers he was older. When he was seventeen, eighteen years old he was in tryout camps for the Montreal Canadians and the Red Wings. So that tells you how good he was. And then there was Bill Ostwald. Ostwald came from the Western League, I think. And that's kind of a notch below the NHL.

Eastern?
Eastern League? I thought it was Western. He might have played in the Eastern too. But...Bill was a guy that could play the game any way you would have wanted to play it. He could play wide open hockey or rough and tough. He was a tough, excellent player. Roger Venasky was tenacious. Never quit...always a good player. Bob Cox: I didn't play much with him. I think I played one year with him. But he was another one that could have played in the National Hockey League. I don't want to miss any of these guys. They were all quality players. Doug Paul was good. Steve Sopher: He could handle the puck like 'Sully", shifty, excellent player. Bob Caster: Caster was from the Soo Michigan. An excellent player that hustled all the time. He was good at both ends of the ice. And Mike "Coyote" White: Did you ever hear of him?

Yes.
He was full of energy all of the time. He could skate. He was, like, 31 and he was one of the fastest skaters on the team. Good player.

From Detroit.
From Detroit, yeah. And we had a guy by the name of Buddy Williams who was good. We had a big guy from Detroit named Dave Durkin who could skate...Floyd "Pigeon" Sommers: He was versatile. He could play defense. He could play forward, and he could play it well. Mike L'Huillier: He was probably the fastest guy on the team. He was gritty. He wasn't a big guy, but he didn't back down from anybody. He was a tough, good player...Ron Johnson: I think he played with my brother on the Sentinels. And he played all those years with the Iron Rangers. He had a tough job. He was Mr. Durable...never missed a practice...never missed a game. He played good defense and he was tough...good player. The DeVooght Brothers: Dave and Dennis....excellent players. Joe Cherette: Good player...tough. Mike Greenleaf: A goal scorer. You know he went in the service, and was wounded I think...was an excellent player who could handle the puck...Dale Beerman: Good defenseman who was really strong on his skates...He was just a good athlete. I don't want to miss anybody here. We had a player by the name of Steve Lampman who was a good player. Lon Lytakainen was a goalie from Marquette...Bill Mahan: He was a good player.

Opponents?
Opponents? A lot of good ones come to mind. Waterloo had a guy by the name of Paul Johnson...Whenever I was on the ice with him I didn't think about scoring. I just didn't want him to score...They had a defenseman named Bud McCrae: Good, big, tough defenseman...

Is there a humorous story that you can tell about those times?
Well I can tell you about the Palestra. The first thing that comes to mind when I walked through the door to the Palestra is the smell of Pine-Sol. They would swab the lobby down with Pine-Sol...scrub the floor. It was a strong odor. And to this day if I get a whiff of Pine-Sol, I think of the Palestra Lobby...walking in there...there are a couple of other things I remember about it. We were playing a game against Green Bay, and the place was jammed packed. In the north end where that corridor is?

Yeah.
A fight broke out. It was either Bill Ostwald or Oreskovich just scrapping with one of the Green Bay players, and there was this fan, I think his last name was Bergois, He was at every game you know. He had a video camera, and he was videoing the fight. And he wanted a close-up. So he jumps on the ice...he was right up there. Anyway, the Green Bay goalie took exception to this, and he was a "tall drink of water", I think his name was...

Curran?
No, he played only one year there I think. His name was Berglund I think. Well he was screaming at this guy to get off the ice, and the fan didn't pay any attention to him. This guy (the goalie) throws a glove at this guy and hit him in the shoulder or something.
He kind of looked...the fan started filming the goalie then. The goalie started coming at the guy...the guy starts backpeddling...he wanted some footage. Finally the goalie threw off his mask and his other glove; He wanted to punch the guy. The fan turned around and ran for the boards, threw the camera up, some fan caught it for him, two guys pulled him up by the shirt right over the boards before the goalie could get him!

Interviewer: [laughing]

Can you say anything about the road trips to different cities?
Well, I can tell you about the bus: I hated that bus! There were fumes...I worked and tried to sleep on the way back...forget it. There were some anxious moments on the way back a couple times, but I'd rather fly than take that bus.

Anything else about trip to different cities?
I have a little something about Green Bay. Where the benches were there was a walkway behind the benches where you, the players, sat...and there was maybe...it might have been about eight feet wide, and the seating would go up you know. So the fans could walk right behind the players. So Green Bay...you could drink beer in Green Bay and watch the game. I mean they'd take those...they'd take those long things for the old-time kegs. You could hear 'whoosh'...all game long that's what you'd hear...another keg being tapped. And by midway through the second period these people would be really going, and they'd harass Oakie. They'd come behind us and they'd throw beer at us. They'd throw beer at Oakie. They'd come...full beer...and we're talking 16-ounce beers. So one time we went down there Oakie took his raincoat, his goulashes, and his hardhat, and he wore it during the game...You'd go in the corner and, they didn't have plexi-glass, they had screen...somebody would be holding you or something, and you'd be doused with a beer.

What is the story as to how you got on the team?
The way the story goes is that it was my last year of Junior Hockey and I was playing on a Junior team. My Brother called me one night and said that Oakie was looking for someone to practice. They needed an extra body. Guys would miss practice because they were taking night classes and they couldn't be at practice, and they needed someone to fill in, you know. So he said that Oakie wanted me to come out. Well, I always thought that there were better players than me. Well, I was tired of waiting outside the Palestra for the usher to open the door and turn his back and slipping in the side. So I thought I could get a free ticket out of this...

You were known as being good when you were younger?
I don't think I was...I felt out of place when I first went out there. And there were guys better than me...I was...All these other guys: L'Huillier from Marquette, Sommers, Hanford, Beerman. They were all tough guys...But anyway, the story goes like this: I go out there, started practicing for this free ticket...I never thought I'd be playing. So I get the free pass and I'm still practicing. After...Friday nights were power play nights...we'd practice the power play every Friday night. And after practice he hollered at me and said, "I want to talk to you". So he pulled me aside...he said "You're going to be suiting up Saturday night". I said, "What!". So I ended up playing on a line with my Brother Buck and Rick Olds. That's another guy you've got to put in there as an excellent hockey player. Really fast...an excellent player. So for the playoffs...I practiced all the time and he [Oakie] came to me again and he said "You're going to be suiting up". And I was kind of flabbergasted because these guys were good hockey players...Oakie: He gave the Marquette kid a chance to play. You know he kind of stuck with you. He gave all the Marquette kids a chance. I mean if you screwed up a couple of times he still stuck with you. He didn't bench you... Well he would bench you but he wouldn't say, "See you later. Pack your bags". He was a big influence on me.

Can you say anything about the fans in the Palestra at that time?
Oh yeah...they were very, very knowledgeable fans. They knew the game of hockey, and they loved their hockey. And, really, the Iron Rangers were the only game in town. And I think that that, and the fact that Green Bay had so many Copper Country players on it at the time, added to that. But the fans were great.

Are there any stories that you can recall that exemplify how hockey was different back then as compared to now?
Well, I think one of the things is that there are face masks now. We all had to wear helmets because of the insurance thing...the Marquette team did. But most of the other teams, hardly any of the players had helmets. And nobody wore face masks. And now everybody wears a helmet and shield, and they carry their sticks around a lot higher. They're bigger. Today the kids lift weights, and they play hockey year-round.

Was there a high point during those years? Low point?
I guess the high point for me was just making the team. You know...being able to...heck, they weren't paying me much, but I would have paid them to let me play. The high point for me was just making the team. I guess the low point for me was having to quit. I got a different job...I didn't want to quit. I thought I'd miss it, but actually I didn't. That may sound funny but I didn't...I played about a half a year with the Carlson Brothers. I think I was 25...

Was there any involvement with the team in any way by Women? Minorities? Kids?
Well, we had our team parties. They would go on some road trips. They'd always go to Green Bay to go shopping maybe once or twice a year. Some of the players lived in a house over on Fitch, and after the game they'd have a party. Some of the wives and girlfriends would go there. Everybody's spouse of girlfriend would go to Green Bay for the New Year's Eve game.

What do you remember about actually playing the games?
I always had butterflies before the game you know...

That's what Mr. Ostwald said, too.
I always had butterflies. And they'd play the National Anthem...I always said a prayer that nobody on either team would get hurt. I've seen guys break there legs. I'd seen guys get cut bad, so I just said this prayer...My Mother would always say to me, "I'll say a prayer for you"...before the game. And I'd say, "OK, Ma"...

...I had the opportunity to play with some of the best players you'd ever want to see.