My biggest fan; Edward "Poppy" Ugolik

            With Hamden being the hockey town it is, our fan base is huge, and for that we are grateful. Many qualify as a potential #1 fan. In my mind however, it is clear whom I would choose.

            His name is Edward Ugolik, and he is my grandfather. He began watching me play hockey the first time I laced up my skates at the age of 7. I want to say there was a streak of about five years in which he didn’t miss a single game. He has traveled across New England for me. When I was younger, on days when I would stay home from school sick, he would still attend practices and report back to me on how the team was doing. Some claim they live for a specific thing, but this man truly lived to watch my siblings and I compete and prosper.

            Every weekend we would go through our routine. He would pick me up in his olive green Chrysler, and then head to Hamden Sports Center to get my skates sharpened. Now, I am an employee there and every time I see a child come in with his grandfather to sharpen skates I want to tell the kid how lucky he is.

            Next stop was the rink, where I was usually the first one there. To be late for something was a sin to him. He was never big on pep talks, but made sure I didn’t leave the car without exchanging winks. I knew what that wink meant, and tried my best to make him proud. Win or lose, he would be waiting for me afterwards with a blue Powerade, as well as his thoughts on the game.

Unlike other grandfathers, he never told me I was the greatest just because I was his grandson. I heard his truthful opinion whether I played my best or my worst. Brutal honesty. That is what my grandfather was all about.

He has taught me a countless number of things. He was the one who taught me how to whistle, which I often catch myself doing during games when I think about him. He also taught me about character. He was the same person no matter who was around. I loved that about him. To be perfectly honest, there wasn’t a thing I didn’t love about him.

As I’ve progressed through the ranks of hockey he has been right by my side. From the times he picked me up for early morning clinics through the day he handed me my letterman jacket, he had the biggest smile on his face. He was able to witness my teammates and I win two state titles, and did his best to follow this current season while he was in and out of the hospital. He was able to witness me get accepted into the school of my dreams, Trinity College. He was also able to watch me skate out in the beginning of my senior season with an “A” on my chest. I think he was more proud of anything I did than I ever was myself.

Since I began playing for Hamden, he has been confined to a wheelchair. He never let this get in his way, as he sat in the front row of every rink with a handicapped section. My favorite part of games is when I skate by the corner and exchange winks.  Though now he isn’t physically there, I still wink because I know he is winking back.

Poppy passed away today at the young age of 82. For any who knew him, you’ll get a kick out of this:

This morning, he was being his stubborn self when he told the nurse he didn’t want to die in the hospital. They agreed, and put him into the ambulance and on the way to hospice, the driver passed by the old Ugolik house on Woodin Street, and then lastly the Hamden Rink. He became non-responsive as the ambulance cruised by the Lou Astorino Arena. Coincidence? I’ll leave that up for discussion. I like to say he died where his heart was. What is definite though is that he did it his own way, and that is Poppy in a nutshell.

I’ll miss you Poppy, you meant more to me than you ever imagined.