Flichel keeps on competing

He?s heard it a thousand times. And just to set the record straight -Yes, Marty Flichel is coming back for the Steelheads? 2011-12 campaign. ?It?s funny when people ask me if I?m going to play again and are surprised when I say yes,? laughed Flichel, who is entering his 16th season as a pro and 9th as a Steelhead. ?For the most part I think the concern is genuine but there are some who wonder why I?m still out here killing myself for a couple hundred bucks a month.? For Flichel, the answer is clear, and it doesn?t have anything to do with how much money he makes. ?I?m blessed to live in a great city and to still be able to play the game I love,? Flichel stated. Flichel?s ability to stay in Boise and continue playing hockey is due, not only to his talent on the ice, but the respect he has garnered from fans and colleagues. ?He?s a really good player, but he?s also a really good person,? said head coach Hardy Sauter. ?His teammates like him, the people in the organization like him and he is a really good representative of our hockey team and our community.? Born in Canada and raised on a grain farm, Flichel?s workhorse mentality was fostered at an early age and continued when he started his own business upon arriving in Boise. Founded in 2005, Flick?s Landscaping has allowed Flichel to put in the time to stay in shape and stay competitive while supporting his family. Flichel?s professional career started in 1996 with the Dayton Bombers, then of the ECHL. Five teams and 15 years later the Steelheads consider themselves lucky to have retained the star for so long. As the all-time leading scorer in franchise history (455 p) Flichel has scored 20 or more goals in four of his eight seasons with Idaho, including 39 in 2006-07 and a career-high 48 assist in both the 06-07 and 07-08 seasons. He was named first-team All-ECHL in 2007 and named to the ECHL's "All-Decade" team last season. While the father of two doesn?t show signs of slowing down any time soon, he jokes that he does experience some ?senior moments.? ?I feel older when we get in the dressing room and start talking about video games and I don?t know what they?re talking about,? laughs Flichel. But as for now, retirement talks are on the back burner and Flichel is focused on the ultimate goal of returning to the Kelly Cup Finals with a group of new faces and young talent. ?That?s what keeps me coming back, is getting a taste of that Kelly Cup in 07,? Flichel said. ?It?s a feeling you can?t explain, something that everyone strives to do every year. It?s amazing and it doesn?t come along all the time.? (Feature written by Media Relations Intern Jake Drzayich)