Interviews/Floyd Sommers

Floyd Sommers. January 2001.
see also: Marquette Mirror Player Profile for this player.

Is there a win or loss that you particularly remember?
Well...let me think...one that stands out?...one that stands out for me was a game, I don't remember what year it was, but I scored an overtime goal to win the game. That was a high point for me personally.

What players, including opponents, stand out in your mind?
Oh, there are a few, but Wayne McQuaig. He was naturally strong, a big guy. About 6'3", 220 [lbs]. He'd even be considered fairly big today.

Is there a humorous story you can tell about those days with the Iron Rangers?
Well, I can tell you about the time O'Neil, Hanford, and I got clean towels in our lockers and the other guys couldn't figure it out. We had given the towel guy a pair of goalie skates, and he would put clean towels in our lockers. The other guys didn't have clean towels, you see. They'd ask us, "How did you guys get clean towels?" We'd say, "We paid the guy for towel service!"

What is the story as to how you got on the team?
Oh, I just tried out. I was a local. There might have been some guys who were better players than me, but some of them couldn't afford to stay around. They were from out of town, but I could afford to stay. But, I just tried out and made the team.

Can you say anything about the fans in the Palestra at the time?
It was nice to play in front of people you knew. You knew most of the people, and it was fun, you know, to play in front of your home crowd.

Are there any stories that you can recall that exemplify how hockey was different now as compared to back then?
The biggest thing about then was that people kept there sticks on the ice. Today you've got sticks coming up and hitting people all the time because of those football helmets they wear on their heads. We didn't have the masks and shields that they use today, so everybody had to keep the sticks down. If you cracked someone with a stick you knew that you were going to get it back, so guys kept their sticks down most of the time.

What were some high points about those Ranger years? Low Points?
(Jokingly) Flying in airplanes was the high point. I don't know...Let me see...The bus trips were probably the low point. The fumes were terrible...it would give you a headache from whatever they burned in those things back then...number 2 diesel or something. I would go out on the ice with a headache from that sometimes. You know those blankets they use for moving? One time we had to put those over us because it was minus 15 or whatever it was...

Can you say anything about the road trips to different cities?
Well, the biggest crowd I ever played in front of was 7000 people in Chicago. That's all I'll say about the road trips.

Literally thousands of people from Marquette County think of that team as very special. Why do you think that is so?
Well, it was sort of the 'in thing' back then. Thursday, Saturday night that's what a lot of people did. It was the biggest sporting event in the U.P. then, so a lot of people remember it.

Was there any involvement with the team by Women? Minorities? Kids?
No, we never had any minority players. Although I'd tell the guys from Canada they were minority players...just kidding them. We had a woman goalie who was a backup to Lunney I think. Sometimes we'd, the team, would get together at the Fitch Street House. I think four of the guys lived there. Guys would bring there wives, girlfriends there. So you'd get a chance to talk to them there.

Any memories specifically about the Palestra?
When those radiators would rattle. Those coal radiators would sound like someone hitting it with a mallet...just pounding on it.

What do you remember about actually playing the games?
I was usually nervous before games. But you get knocked down a couple of times, you knock somebody down, then you're fine.