If you look real close, you can see Jerry Pytlewski on the far right.
"Little People" from Buffalo capture Bubble Boy Title June 2, 2003
ANAHEIM -- While the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the New Jersey Devils paused today between Games 3 and 4 of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Finals, hockey players of a different sort competed for a championship trophy\ of their own this evening. Hockey's "Great One" - Wayne Gretzky - ESPN / ABC hockey commentator Barry Melrose, and Bud Light hosted the fifth annual Bud Light Bubble Boys Hockey League (BBHL) National Championship, capping a four-month, adult consumer promotion held in bars and restaurants across the country. ESPN hockey analysts Brian Engblom and Bill Clement joined Melrose, seated behind the trademark ESPN SportsCenter desk, to provide play-by-play during the championship playoff. Thirty-two two-person teams who won their local market competitions met tonight in a table hockey tournament for the BBHL national title and a chance to take on Gretzky, the BBHL Commissioner, and Melrose. Mark Wojtkiewicz and Tony Eichhorn of team "Little People" from Buffalo, N.Y., defeated Jeff Euber and Jim Arpey of "Vermont Sandwich Co." from Essex Junction, Vt., 3-1 to claim the title. "Tonight's Bud Light Bubble Boys Hockey Championship was a fun and competitive event for loyal hockey fans and Bud Light consumers," said Jim Gorczyca, brand manager, Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "The tournament provided a great opportunity for hockey fans across the country to compete for the national championship and a chance to play Wayne, which is a dream come true for any fan." Following a trophy presentation by Gretzky, the 2003 Bud Light Bubble Boys national champs faced off against "The Great One" and Melrose, and true to form, "Little People" upset its tough competition 5-0. Also making an appearance were the guys from the popular Bud Light Hockey Falls commercials. Hockey Falls - a small hockey hamlet located just north of the Dakotas and a wee bit south of our sister to the north, Canada - is featured in Bud Light's campaign supporting the NHL. In Hockey Falls, hockey is more than a game; it's a way of life. The guys from Hockey Falls include: Doug "Dooger" Armstrong, a devout Blues fan who works at the Falls Savings and Loan; Ray Orr, a lifelong Bruins fan, self- confessed "rink rat" and worker at the local paper, The Falls Gazette; Matt Poleski a Rangers fan, movie buff, Falls Video employee and pizza delivery man; and, Steve "Shotz" Park, a Sabres-turned-Devils fan and manager of the Falls Hardware store. "Bubble Boys" are fictional three-inch characters based on the classic bubble- domed, barroom table hockey game. Throughout their 1999 season, Bubble Boys tried to join the NHL but were repeatedly denied due to their small stature. Frustrated by rejection, the Bubble Boys created their own league to challenge the NHL, naming Gretzky as acting commissioner in 2000. In addition to the Bubble Boys promotion, Bud Light supports its NHL sponsorship by annually awarding the Bud Light / NHL* All-Star Most Valuable Player Award at the NHL's All-Star Game and the Bud Light Plus - Minus Award, recognizing the player recording the top plus-minus rating during the regular season. This season's Plus - Minus Award was awarded to Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk, both of the Colorado Avalanche. Bud Light, the world's best-selling premium light beer, is brewed by Anheuser- Busch, Inc., is the world's largest brewer.
Jim and Jerry poses with a couple lovelies in Anaheim.
Jim and Jerry stand tall with the Hockey Falls dudes. Note, the Lemont guys don't have mullets.
Getting there was half the fun
Jerry and Jim outdistanced all the other Chicago teams they played to make it to Anaheim. Here are a couple of photos:
