Ten Time Champions

1997 Summer
1998 Summer
1998 Fall
2000 Winter
2001 Summer
2002 Summer
2002 Fall
2003 Spring
2003 Fall
2005 Winter




Top Five Moments
in Team History

  1. Tony Wheeler's #13 retirement after the team's tenth championship win.
  2. The Summer 1997 first championship win against The Chickens, who were three-time Northern California champions.
  3. The Winter 2000 championship win.
  4. The Fall 2003 championship win beating out the top three seeds.
  5. The championship run in the Summer and Fall of 2002.




Rotten People is a Hockey Club in Northern California formed in 1995 by Bay Area hockey players Gordon Mueller and Jay Filichia.

They are the only Northern California team to win ten championships between 1997 and 2005.

THE EARLY YEARS

In 1995 Gordon and Jay decided they needed to form a Northern California team that understood that hockey was a team game. They wanted a team where all the players realized the importance of not only the goal scorer, but of all the players who turn every game into a win or a loss.

Scott Spurrier #11 and Troy Nash #72 of the Cronic from Sunnyvale, as well as Don Somera #47 and Tony Wheeler #13 of the Voodoo were first on the list and signed that summer.

Filichia took on captain duties and Mueller would GM the team. They named the team the Scabs and wore Black, Green and White.

Other players came and went from '95 to '97 as the team core worked on perfecting the style of hockey that management demanded for the following decade.

Regular season wins were racked up, but it took the signing of goalie Steve Barker #32 to bring the first championship to the team in 1997, beating the three-time reigning Northern California Champions, the Chickens, in overtime 4-3.

This game propelled the team from obscurity to the team that is remembered today and was voted the second best moment in team history.



1998-1999

After a change to a new venue at the end of 1997 the team won two championships in 1998. This era of the Scabs is most noted for Steve Barker playing forward in the Winter of 1998 leading to the signing of Hall of Fame Goalie Eric Rich #20. Steve Barker is still the only player with the club to win a championship playing goalie and forward. All Time Team members Oliver Nocidal #25 and Joe Marrujo #31 were signed in 1998, as well as Steve Loftus #8.

Another famous moment in team history came in 1998 when management bought out Ben Laughter and one other player to make way for players with better team spirit. This became known as "The Buyout of 98" and showed the fans and the Northern California hockey community what the team was about.

1998 would be the year that the club was renamed the Rotten People after Filichia #3 overheard a fan referring to some of the team's players as rotten people.



Glory Years 2000-2003

After moving to a new state-of-the-art building in '99 the team found its home.

Justin Sarnoski #4, Joey Ross #2, and Sean Kotsubo #9 signed on to the team, and Ben Laughter #27 made a comeback. These new players added to the group of three-time champions would make the Rotten People one of the illustrious and most remembered Northern California hockey clubs.

The team won their fourth championship in 2000 and then won back-to-back championships for the first time in 2002. The 2000 championship was voted the third best moment in team history, and the 2002 run was voted the number five best moment.

The team would go on to win seven championships in their new building until it was torn down in 2007. They won four championships out of six chances from 2002 to 2003. Most memorable was fall of 2003. With a five-and-five regular season record, they would beat the top three seeds to be the frist team to win nine club championships. This was voted the fourth best moment in team history.

The 2003 roster is concidered the best in team history. It includes all six Rotten People Hall of Famers and eleven members of the Rotten People All Time Team.



2004-2007

In 2005, Tony Wheeler #13 retired following the tenth championship win. With a roster minus All Time Team members Kotsubo #9 and Sarnoski #4, the team mustered up the same brand of hockey that had led them to nine previous championships.

With ten championships being a Northern California record and with the fans and players knowing this would be Wheelers #13 last chance, this was voted the number one moment in team history.

2005 also marked the ten year anniversary of the franchise. Five of the players still remained from the 1995 roster. It is rare in this day and age of free agency for one player to stay with one team that long. The Rotten People having five players accomplish this feat added to the mystique of the already famed franchise in 2005.



2008-Present

Although on hiatus while negotiating contract disputes with the AHIL over marketing, franchise fees and other legal issues, the team hopes to sign a contract with the league soon and bring the Rotten People back to the fans.


Steve Barker #32 Jay Filichia #3 Sean Kotsubo #9 Joe Marrujo #31 Gordon Mueller #22 Oliver Nocidal #25 Eric Rich #60 Joey Ross #2 Justin Sarnoski #4 Don Somera #47 Scott Spurrier #11 Tony Wheeler #13