FORT WAYNE, Ind. - They stood outside the locker room and chanted.

They chanted for the equipment manager, of all people. And they chanted for more than an hour.

Joe Franke lived the dream of all sports fans. He may be older, balding and a bit out of shape, but he played with the big boys and he won. And the fans wanted to thank him.

"Everybody has that dream or that thought, 'Boy, what if I was able to be put in that position?'" Fort Wayne Komets president Michael Franke said. "Joe had his 15 minutes of fame that all of us, as sports fans, can dream about. We wish we could have that opportunity to feel that."

It was a Saturday night, and the Komets were without a goaltender.

Their No. 1 "netminder," Tom Lawson, had been called up to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League the previous day. Backup Pokey Reddick couldn't go on any longer because of muscle cramps and would need an IV.

That left Joe Franke, the 42-year-old longtime equipment manager, to skate into a 1-1 game with 11:03 remaining on the scoreboard. He had never played in a professional game, hadn't played organized hockey since high school but had dressed as an emergency backup about 28 times throughout his years with the Komets.

He had eaten two hot dogs and drank four Mountain Dews during the first two periods. He had been at the rink since 8 a.m. tending to uniforms, equipment and players, without a chance to dine.

"I didn't want to do it. I sure didn't want to go in," Joe Franke said. "Thank God it turned out the way it did."

He stopped 4-of-6 shots in regulation and an unbelievable 3-of-4 attempts in an overtime shootout, plus he earned an assist, and the Komets beat the Elmira Jackals 4-3.

The result was pandemonium. The crowd of 6,497 went berserk as the victory was completed. The players stormed off the bench to tackle the middle-aged man. The on-ice officials patted Joe Franke on the back. The supposedly impartial off-ice officials and statisticians gave him a standing ovation in the press box.

"I haven't heard that building so loud in years," Michael Franke said. "There were only about 6,500 people in the building, but it was so loud."

And more than a hundred of those in attendance decided to hold vigil outside the locker room to pay tribute to Joe Franke, a franchise fixture not related to the Franke family that owns the team. Maybe it was because the fans have had little to cheer about this season or maybe there's something more.

Think of your favorite NFL or NHL team. Can you even name the equipment manager?

Well, here's what you need to know about Joe Franke: He makes sure the players have got clean underwear.

Joe Franke is the guy behind the scenes at Komets games that sees to the players' needs. No matter how minute the detail, from equipment to wardrobe, Franke takes care of it.

Need sticks? He'll order them. Jersey ripped? He'll sew it. Going out of town in a hurry? He'll pack.

Need 3-of-4 shots stopped in a shootout? He can take care of that, too.

"I've played hockey for quite a number of years now and he's the best equipment manager I've ever had," 32-year-old defensive player Troy Neumeier said. "He's just as important as anyone else on the team. When you need something done, he's on the case before you even know it."

Lawson was told late on a Friday that he had been called up to the AHL, and he was told less than five minutes later by Joe Franke that his bags had already been packed, underwear and pads included.

"Every player who has ever come through Fort Wayne has always tremendously respected Joe's ability and his rapport with the players," Michael Franke said. "He's always known how to deal with the players. That's such a touchy role. He does their skates and everyone always wants something different."

Joe Franke joined the team in 1977 as an assistant equipment manager in the now-defunct International Hockey League.

He served as the Komets' trainer and equipment manager from 1979 until 1983, then had stints with the IHL's Indianapolis Checkers and Muskegon Lumberjacks. In 1991, the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins called him up from Muskegon to be a trainer for the playoffs.

The Penguins won the Stanley Cup that season and Joe Franke has a championship ring from that time.

He was rehired by the Komets in the summer of 1991 as a trainer and equipment manager, and he's been with the team since. He had to drop his training duties in 2000 because the UHL mandated trainers have a particular certification he lacked. To supplement the lost income, Franke started a landscaping business.

He's missed only one game in 25 years of hockey, and that's because his son was injured.

If the Komets need a power play, Franke will see whether he can detect one of the opposing players using an illegal stick. When center Colin Chaulk struggled early in the season, Franke made him change his number to change his luck.

When the Komets are short a goalie in practice, Franke is asked to suit up.

"I'll tell you what, Joe skated in the pre-game morning skate with us," Komets coach Greg Puhalski said. "He was on fire. That was the best I've seen him look."

No one thought he'd actually get into the game that night, but the fans were certainly thankful he did. As they chanted for him repeatedly, however, Franke was too busy to make an appearance.

"The players were complaining because as soon as I was done talking to (the reporters), I started wiping off the stalls and cleaning up," Joe Franke said.

The dream didn't last long. But it sure was sweet.

Distributed by The Associated Press