Duda's No. 11 heads to the rafters for Wichita Thunder

With the ceremony to retire his jersey quickly approaching, Jason Duda was in a reflective mood, recalling the good old days of rooming with goofy Eddy Merchant, sharing the ice with close friend Travis Clayton, playing games against rival Tyler Fleck, and.æ.æ.æ.

Wait a sec. Fond memories of Fleck? The man that the Wichita Thunder despises, the player local fans love to hate?

It’s true.

Granted, there were no tears shed when Fleck was discussed, but Duda clearly has respect for the hard-hitting defenseman and misses lining up against him.

Then again, Duda misses nearly everything about playing hockey for the Thunder, and he would probably be starting tonight’s home opener if back surgery hadn’t forced his retirement last season.

A fan favorite and the face of the franchise for years, Duda will be honored for a distinguished 14-year career when his No. 11 jersey is retired prior to the game tonight against the Tulsa Oilers at Intrust Bank Arena.

Duda is the franchise leader in every major offensive category — games (730), goals (337), points (870) — and he’s among the Central Hockey League’s top three in those categories, too.

“I hope people understand that I went out there and worked every single night, and that I was proud to be here in Wichita through the good times and the bad,” Duda said. “And I tried to be a standup guy for my teammates.

“If people remember me for that, that’s all I can ask for.”

Outgoing and funny, Duda can spin a good yarn, so it’s a treat to listen as he reminisces about the highlights of his career.

Duda still chuckles about Merchant, who he roomed with as a rookie in 1996-97.

“He was the most laid-back, didn’t-care guy in the world,” Duda said. “If we had to be at the rink at 9, we weren’t leaving until 8:52. If he didn’t feel like going out for food, he’d eat a crusty piece of bread that had been sitting on the table for four days.

“If that was all gone, we’d just have a couple beers for dinner.”

More laughs come when Duda recalls practical jokes he organized, such as the time the team pulled Kris Schultz’s truck onto the Kansas Coliseum ice and started firing pucks under it.

“It was pretty comical,” Duda said.

Although Duda played in 66 playoff games and scored 72 points, both franchise records, his most-memorable postseason moment is easy to identify. In 1997, he scored a series-clinching overtime goal against Oklahoma City, the team that traded him to Wichita as a rookie.

The major disappointment of Duda’s career is that, although he reached the playoffs eight times, the Thunder failed to win a CHL title during his career.

Nonetheless, Duda said he is pleased he stayed with the Thunder. He has often said that he could have never guessed that he would stay so long in Wichita, but he now has a family — two young children with wife Deah — and is an assistant for new coach Kevin McClelland.

“The good memories far outweigh any bad ones,” he said, “and I’m proud to call Wichita my home.”

Friday’s Game

Tulsa 4, Wichita 3

Wichita 2 1 0—3

Tulsa 2 2 0—4

First Period—1, Wichita, Bennefield (Falloon), 5:598. 2, Wichita, Bennefield, 10:22. 3, Tulsa, Reed (Costello, Combs), 11:10. 4, Reed (Costello, Beausoleil), 18:37 (pp). Penalties—Scoran, Wichita (tripping), 6:25; Steffes, Tulsa (holding), 14:38; Gale, Wichita (interference), 17:34; Weeks, Tulsa (slashing), 19:06.

Second Period—5, Wichita, Hughes (Hubbauer), :39 (pp). 6, Tulsa, Beausoleil, 9:46 (sh). 7, Tulsa, Costello (Combs, Eastman), 18:25 (pp). Penalties—Greene, Wichita (slashing), 5:01; Standish, Tulsa (tripping), 8:22; Linder, Tulsa (cross checking), 8:27; Cloud, Tulsa (fighting major), 13:45; Hand, Wichita (fighting major, game misconduct), 13:45; Greene, Wichita (tripping), 17:01. Galbraith, Wichita (high sticking), 17:53.

Third Period—No scoring. Penalties—Fleck, Tulsa (tripping), :47; Eastman, Tulsa (roughing), 6:44; Fleck, Tulsa (hooking), 9:21; Combs, Tulsa (slashing), 11:41; Cullaton, Wichita (hooking), 19:01; Beausoleil, Tulsa (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:01.

Shots on Goal—Wichita 7-9-11—27. Tulsa 11-7-3—21.

Power-play opportunities—Wichita 1 of 8; Tulsa 2 of 5.

Goalies—Wichita, Keserich (21 shots-17 saves). Tulsa, Cann (27-24).

A—5,826. T—2:19.

Referee—Boone Bruggman. Linesmen—Bo Wedlake, Michael Johnstone.

This story was originally published October 16, 2010 at 2:38 AM with the headline "Duda's No. 11 heads to the rafters for Wichita Thunder."