I’ve been dreading this for months.
Where to start? …… at the beginning I suppose.
Joe and I first ‘met’ here in the 1990s. Back when the Taylor brothers started this small site Hockeys Future. None of us ever thought it would become what it is today. No chance.
It was strictly write up articles and what we call the main board. Lucky if we had a few dozen posters daily.
Up against power houses like ESPN, AOL, publication sites, etc.
Why is that important? Because it was when Joe was put at the helm as the numero uno Admin we started to grow and grow.
The team boards were launched. Joe with Mod of Sabres. Me with Bruins. A gentleman named Ken handled everything. But he was moreso into the articles. It wasnt long before we needed a second division if you will to Admin the boards. That was Joe.
He quickly realized it was a big task. More than an individual could handle. He asked me to come on board as his second.
My first assignment was drafting the original site rules. Most as what we see today.
Then Id handle registrations daily. It was all manual.
When he went on annual holiday to Mexico he’d leave the day to day with me while Ken took care of any overall site tech things to help an idiot like me.
The years passed. Joe and I always had , even though some may think otherwise, a very good relationship. Like all friends we’d butt heads. We both have tempers. But our bark is worse than our bite. Resolution came many times with phone calls. As the spoken word always conveys a better message than written.
Those calls could be heated . But damn near everytime ended in laughter. I will now forever miss that voice.
Life got in the way for a spell with me raising a family. I stepped down from my Admin role and our beloved Barb/ Fugu stepped in. What a great decision on his part.
Bottom line is Joe was here for every single thought, change, and decision that made this place the community that it is. No doubt in my mind.
To say I will miss him is the understatement of all time here. He created something that became part of the fabric of my life. More than that he was my friend.
God bless you Joe. I love you.
