Halifax Floor Hockey League
Dulong, unquestionably the league's most controversial players, ends his career holding several league records. He is the league's winningest goaltender, with a remarkable 46-6-6 regular season record. He is the only goaltender ever to record a regular season shutout. But to Dulong, his most important record is the five championships that he won with his LAN Hacker team.
In the league's inaugural 1999A season, Dulong was awarded the first overall selection in the draft by way of a random draw. He chose John Price with that selection, and never looked back. Dulong's high-flying Hackers intimidated opponents, set scoring records, and won each of the first four titles in league history. The Hackers' utter dominance led to the catch phrase "Endless parade of beatings", drawing ire amongst the rest of the league.
Although it was not Dulong who coined that slogan, he managed to get under the skin of the rest of the league for several other reasons. His game-day intensity was arguably his greatest attribute, but at times it got the best of him. In a tight regular season game against the Lite-Sabres in the 1999B season, Dulong vehemently argued a late-game Delay of Game penalty against him. His temper got the best of him as he shoved the referee, while setting the single game penalty record of 14 minutes.
Despite this outburst, Dulong's passion and knowledge of the game made him the league's strongest motivator and strategist. Dulong had a knack for taking middle-of-the-road journeymen, and turning them into fierce tactical hockey players.
Despite Dulong's unequalled regular season record, many will remember his playoff heroics. The fiery netminder won his first nine playoff games, and finishes with a 13-3 record in the postseason. His .822 playoff save percentage is second overall, and a full .027 points higher than his regular season mark.
League reaction to the news was mixed. "There's not a single player I hated more than John Dulong", said Fire forward Trevor Murphy, "I sure am gonna miss him."
Dulong's retirement will have major repercussions on the 2003A season. Until Dulong's announcement, the 2003A season was being called the "John Price Sweepstakes", since this would be the last season that Dulong would be able to protect Price under the new free agency rules. Now that Price has assumed the Hacker captaincy, it appears that Price won't be leaving the squad anytime soon. This revelation has many league pundits speculating that Dulong's retirement is merely a ploy to keep John Price on the Hackers indefinitely.
Like him or not, Dulong's intensity, hockey savvy, and motivational tactics will leave a legacy second to none.