USA Hockey Adult Hockey

The Z on the front of the ZStars’ jersey means everything to the guys on the adult hockey team based in Fisher, Ind.

Rich Zoellner was a staple and one of the founders of the Hat World North Stars team back in 1999. In 2012, Zoellner was having some health issues and consulted a number of doctors.

“I remember when he started missing games he thought something was going on behind his knee, because he was having problems with his foot and knee on one leg,” Zoellner’s friend and ZStars captain Dan Walsh said. “He went to the doctor, because he thought he had actually pulled something in his knee. He couldn’t skate and missed a bunch of games.”

After numerous tests, it was determined Zoellner had ALS. His hockey days were over.

Last season, the longtime teammates of “Z” changed their hockey team’s name to the ZStars — turning the N from the old Minnesota North Stars jerseys sideways — to honor one of their own.

“Every game I think to myself when I’m leaving the house, and I’m sure all these guys do, Z would do anything to get in the damn car and get to the rink and play,” Walsh said. “We mention that from time to time in the room when there’s something going on or there’s a big game or we have to pull it together. ‘Let’s do it for people who can’t.’ We know who everyone’s referring to when we say that. That’s definitely in my mind every time we play: I think of Z.”

Added Zoellner’s friend and teammate Brian Bucher, “It’s a big focus of our locker room and our team, certainly. Changing the jerseys around and our team name was a tribute to him and makes us think about him, not that we wouldn’t otherwise. I think it motivates us.”

The ZStars, who play in the adult hockey league at the Fuel Tank, are playing in their fourth season without Zoellner. Last year during playoffs, Zoellner was able to attend one of the ZStars’ games, but since his health has diminished and he’s in a wheelchair, getting around has been difficult.

His former teammates said Zoellner, now 48, hasn’t let ALS get the best of him. Zoellner and his wife, Stacey, have a 4-year-old daughter. Kelsey was just 1 ½ when her dad was diagnosed with the crippling disease.

“The guy has some serious mental fortitude,” teammate and friend Justin Hendricks said. “He remains positive, at least publicly anyway. He and his family are just unbelievable people.”

Walsh, Bucher and Hendricks were each able to skate with Zoellner for about 15 years. The guys don’t let a Sunday league night go by without being thankful for their chance to play hockey.

“It’s really easy when Sunday nights come around and we’re tired from the weekend and we’re going to work the next day — you’ve got to think one of our comrades, one of our buddies, is not able to get out and skate,” Hendricks said. “It would be really easy to sit at home on the couch with my old lady. He is certainly a motivator to get out and skate for not just him, but for guys who can’t. I’ve always said, I’m going to continue to try and skate as long as I can. If I’m walking, I’m going to try to be skating.”

The ZStars haven’t had much turnover since the team started 16 years ago. Walsh figures that only three or four players have come and gone from the team over the last 13 years.

“The core seven guys that are here today are still important for sure, but I would say even the new guys — I think everyone’s expectation is that if you’re still around in Indianapolis, you’re coming back,” Hendricks said. “It’s a pretty unique scenario, I think.”

If the team has to add someone to its roster, it chooses a close friend or a person whom one the players knows.

“We just don’t take a guy off the street,” Walsh said. “It’s somebody who’s been checked out and we made sure the guy is a good guy. The chemistry on a hockey team is just as important as the talent. If you can’t be a team, you can’t play as a team.”

The ZStars play in the A Division, which boasts the best and youngest skaters at the rink. The team has had success in the past, winning league titles four times.

The guys on the ZStars range in age from late 20s to 53, where Walsh is the oldest player.

“We’re getting older, obviously. And we’re still trying to compete at a higher level in our A League,” Bucher said. “Some of the guys are more here to be around the guys than hockey in some cases, just because it is a tight group. They can’t not be around the group on Sunday nights.”

When they aren’t playing during the league months, the ZStars enter a couple tournaments each year. They like to travel, having played in Chicago, Las Vegas and St. Louis over the years.

The guys just love spending time together. However, it hasn’t been the same without “Z” in the locker room or on the ice. Zoellner can’t attend games any longer, but he’s never forgotten.

“He is certainly at the forefront of our minds when we lace them up,” Hendricks said.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.