A Quick History of Gitler's Gorillas
Ira Gitler, a Manhattan-based jazz critic and hockey writer, began dodging cars in the streets of Brooklyn as a roller hockey goalie at the tender age of 13 (circa 1941). A Rangers fan from the early 1930s, he taught himself to ice skate at Wollman Rink in Central Park in the early 1950s. After playing pick-up games on the Central Park lake, Tibbets Brook Park, the Hackensack River, etc., he began playing in rinks at Long Beach, and Roosevelt Field, Long Island; Riverdale in the Bronx; and West New York, New Jersey.
When the West New York rink closed for good in 1970, he founded a scrimmage group (see below) at the original Sky Rink on West 33rd Streent in Manhattan in the fall of that year. In the summer of 1973, Sky Rink inaugurated a Senior League and the Gitler's Gorillas were formed out of the scrimmage group. They went undefeated in winning the championship.
Through 39 glorious seasons the team has won 13 championships in leagues around and in New York City, including Sky Rink, Long Beach, Chelsea Piers and the Icehouse
Entering the Fall 2012 - 2013 season at the Icehouse the Gorilla record stood at XXX-XX-XX
Coach Ira's Perspective On The Formation of the Gorillas
I can remember being in the locker room at Sky Rink in the spring of 1973 discussing the state of affairs of New York City Adult hocke and our team about to be entered in the first league to be formed at the only indoor hockey rink in NYC not named Madison Square Garden.
Sky Rink had come a long way from it's humble beginnings when it opened bare bones in the fall of 1969.
Can-Am had held a hockey camp in the summer of 1970 and as a result boards had replaced the metal fences that the rinlk had started with. After the West New York (New Jersey) rinkhad ceased operations in April of 1970 a new place for the passionate group of local hockey players had to be found.Sky Rink was a natural and a bunch of us began a Monday Night scrimmage group in the fall of 1970. I don't remember how or why I took on the obligation of running the group but I did.
When the rink decided to run a summer league in 1973, the Monday scrimmage boys were ready to join. We had a pretty good nucleus of skilled skaters and in an informal process they appointed yours truly as coach. The teams perspective names were bandied about. At the time Roy Gerela was the celebrated field goal kicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had his own fan club called "Gerela's Gorillas". I think Danny Brickman threw the "Gitler's Gorillas" suggestion out there. Then someone said "How about Gitler's Gonhorreas" and I countered with "Why not Vinnie's Claps.
This was not the first time someone had made a joke using Vinnie's last name. I knew all about stuff like that. Remember, I went through grade school in the late '30s and World War II with the name Gitler. I would often hear the taunts of "Gitler, Hitler" in the schoolyard . . . and these were the Jewish kids. I would tell them "His name is reall Schickelgruber" and pop them in the face on the "gruber". I guess it kind of toughened me up for Gorilla hockey.
Oh, where was I? Ah, back to the the team's name. Since Vinnie's Claps was a little too over the edge so Gitler's Gorillas it was and I am very proud that we are still here today playing Gorilla hockey like it was our first game.
Ira's Open Hockey Scrimmage Night
The weekly, year-round scrimmage game continued even after the founding of the Gorillas. After starting at Sky Rink in 1970, it remained active there through the early 80's moving to various weekday nights alomng the way. The scrimmages didn't end at the rink, though. A good deal of the core scrimmagers, many of them also Gorillas found their way up to Eric's on the Upper East Side. Erics's was owned by the Nalven family of which Eric was an original Gorillas. Scrimmages started after 11 PM so prime team for a post-scrimmage pub gathering was 2-4 AM with Eric holding court amongst his loyal late-night patrons, and giving his fellow skaters the "Gorilla discount" which meant that every other drink was free. Great clam chowder and the best juke-box in the city.
After a falling out with Sky Rink in the mid-80s the scrimmage moved first to Flushing Meadows 'square' rink and eventually migrated to South Mountain Arena in West Orange, NJ where it continued under the capable guidance of Gorilla Rob Yurman through the 90s.
Among the hundreds of players who have participated over the years are Michael Ontkean, the actor who did the striptease in "Slapshot"; actor Brad Sullivan, also from "Slapshot" and the "Untouchables"; Fritz Peterson, New York Yankees pitcher; international jazz tenor saxophone star Igor Buttman;; NHLers Rod Gilbert, Nick Fotiu, and Brian Mullen. Gilbert even played a game with the Gorillas, as did Fotiu, and Buttman has often suited-up with the team for league play.
A while back put some of his thoughts about the original Tuesday scrimmage to paper in the form of a poem:
TUESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY - by Ira Gitler
On the rink you have to think
But not of the things that bug you
The speed of the game is very nice
So lose your cares in a spray of the ice
Then to Chinatown for pork fried rice
Whizzing around the frozen drink
Beats weekly visits to the shrink
And the smoke feels good, that's for sure
After the game when the lungs are pure
And to make the dry throat clear
There's Eric's icy stein of beer
You don't play to plose but the game's the thing
With competition edged keenly
You don't have to hear the goalpost ring
When you've beaten the goaltender cleanly
But the goalie wishes the forwards to cease
When they get too rambunctious in the crease
Some think they're in the Stanley Cup
And skate a bit delerious
Sooner or later they are all wised up
And learn not to take it too serious
It started out as the Blues and Reds
Then the colors became many
We divide the teams after counting the heads
It costs six bucks a man to the penny
Then it came to Greens and Yellows
But the spirit proceeds unabated
There's all different kinds of fellows
But on the ice they're all related
Once again the jerseys are motley
And the price has gone up to seven
But the Tuesday night scrum on the 16th floor
Is our idea of HEAVEN
