CANTLON’S CORNER: DANIELS A MODEL WHALER  

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Scott “Chief” Daniels was a seventh-round (186th overall) draft pick for the Hartford Whalers in 1989. Daniels was the epitome of hard work and perseverance, especially during his career in junior hockey. In his four years in juniors, he played for the Regina Pats after skating for the Kamloops Blazers and New Westminster Bruins.

Daniels worked his way into the lineup as an effective fourth-line role. He handled the fighting role in his day, but over time, his role began to evolve, and Daniels was as effective as any player and cherished by his teammates.

He was a good skater and the first in on the forecheck. Rambunctious might best describe his play. “We all had roles to fill for our team, and I carved out mine. I got to play with a solid, great group of players. Most of us had played with and against each other in juniors in Western Canada, and we came through the ranks together,” Daniels said.

His family settled down in the greater Springfield area.

TIME IN THE MINORS

After toiling with the Louisville Icehawks (ECHL) for nine games, Daniels was called up to the Springfield Indians (AHL), the farm team for the Whalers, who had moved from Binghamton the year before.

For Daniels, he saw it as a perfect fit.

“For so many of us kids from out West, this was a big adjustment for us. We were all kids out living on our own for the first time. We were really learning to be pro hockey players, and there was so much to learn. So for the team and me, having Jimmy Roberts as our coach was the best this thing that could have happened to me.”

Roberts struck a fierce pose at first glance, but he was a true player’s coach, and in those days, he was the coach. “There were no assistants, video coaches, advanced scouting. You were at practice at 9 am.

“He really taught so much about the finer points of the game that you weren’t even aware of. He played on those Stanley Cup teams in Montreal and learned from the top guys like Scotty Bowman and Toe Blake.

“He would talk to you as a person. He had an open-door policy. You could speak about anything, and as a young player, that was really big for me. I really valued him for it as a coach outside of hockey.”

FIRST STOP SPRINGFIELD

Daniels’s first season in Springfield came after a disastrous AHL season for the Whalers’ farm team the year before in Binghamton. Then, there was an outright mutiny against head coach Doug McKay, who eventually quit the job. He still coaches in Europe, but he has not set foot in a North American rink ever since.

“Guys told me all the stories what a horror show it was. But, one thing, there was nothing but respect for Jimmy with those all those rings on his fingers,” said Daniels of Roberts, who won five Stanley Cups – all with Montreal – on two separate tours of duty in the mid-1960s and again in the mid-1970s.

Roberts was among the first expansion picks of the St. Louis Blues in 1967. He would finish his career there. In his last season, he was the only season where he posted a minus in the plus/minus category. He passed away from cancer at age 75 in St. Louis in 2015.

SPRINGFIELD IS A SECOND HOME

For Daniels, Springfield became a second home.

“I really learned a lot there, and it was really helpful. We had a lot of Western Canadian guys there, from Brian Chapman, Blair Atcheynum, Jimmy Black, Jim McKenzie, and myself. We all played either with each other or against each other, so we had an idea right off the bat what our strengths and weaknesses were.”

The Springfield team went to the Calder Cup finals that year and won, beating the Rochester Americans four games to two.

“That was really a great way to end your first pro season. We had everything going right. Terry Yake, another Western guy, was playing well, Blackie (James Black), Kay Whitmore in the net.

Jimmy got us some important players at the trade deadline with goalie Rick Knickle, Dale Henry, another Western guy who won Springfield the year before, and Manny Viveiros (the current Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) head coach) all clicked.

“We had leadership with Brian Chapman (a Vancouver Canucks scout), John Stevens (the Dallas Stars assistant coach), and Bergie (Marc Bergevin, the Montreal Canadiens General Manager),” Daniels remarked.

Daniels missed the postseason due to injury.

LOCKER ROOM STUFF

Bergevin had made a promise he would sing a song in French if they won the championship. His teammates didn’t forget and made him keep his promise.

“I’m not sure what he sang, but we all sang along as best we could. We didn’t care what we sang; we had won the title.”

Daniels and his teammates own a record that will never be broken. They’re the ONLY AHL team to win back-to-back Calder Cups with two different affiliations.

MEMORIES OF ROBERTS

He had some funny moments with Roberts too.

“He always had his mittens on, his hat, and his chew. Had his cup nearby for spitting, but one time I was skating hard, I cut too close to him and scared him; he spit out his chew all over me. Man, that jersey stunk pretty badly.”

After five seasons and 260 games in Springfield notching 42 goals, 92 points, and 994 PM in 1995-96, he got a permanent seat on the Whalers bench.

GETTING TO HARTFORD

“It was a long time, but you put in the time a lot of factors go into it, but I made it there. What helped me again was having a lot of Western Canada guys on my line (known as The Destruction Line) with Kelly Chase and our center Mark Janssens, who I played with in Regina and was the smartest guy in our league.”

Janssen popped out from the alumni’s suite at Dunkin Donuts Park to check on Daniels’s whereabouts. He quickly chimed in,” Scott was the engine for our line,” said Janssen dishing off a primary assist.

Janssens won WHL Scholastic Player-of-the-Year two years in a row. That feat has only been done three times since the award was established in 1984. Former Wolf Pack Stefan Cherneski won in 1996 with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and current incoming Wolf Pack goalie Dylan Garand won it in 2019.

The very first winner was New Haven Nighthawks legend Ken “The Bomber” Baumgartner with the Prince Albert Raiders.

HARTFORD MEMORIES

In Daniels’ only full season in Hartford, he made his mark with his rambunctious play. In 53 games, he had a team-leading 254 PIM. The battles between the Whalers and Bruins were highly memorable.

“Those games were always interesting,” remarked Daniels remembering the heated nights at the Hartford Civic Center and Boston Garden.

Among his many memories are fights with the Buffalo Sabres’ Rob Ray and the Washington Capitals’ Craig Berube and a line brawl with the Bruins after a goal was scored; they are among his best battles for his team.

His first Whalers roommate, Dave Tippett, who’s now the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, really helped him out.

“Like any rookie, you’re looking to limit your mistakes and do the right thing. He was always so calm, telling me to calm down, relax and enjoy the ride.”

Another big help in Hartford was his head coach Ted Nolan, a full Ojibwe Indian of the First Nations. Daniels is a full Cree.

HERITAGE

Of his heritage, Daniels has mixed emotions. He is part of a small, vibrant fraternity of Indian players who have excelled and played in the NHL. His nickname of “Chief” was never derogatory. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. His teammates held him in high esteem.

“It’s a tricky question to answer. My teammates were always good about things, and Ted was a great supporter. Playing for the Indians, Blair (Atcheynum) and I, being Cree, we liked playing for the team the logo, is a part our heritage,” said Daniels.

The Indians logo was designed by the late Frank Carter, a Native American, and Orchard, MA resident. Carter’s mother was of Native American heritage, and he created the design to pay tribute to her.

“On the other hand, in the outside world, few people really understood what it was like growing up on a reservation, what it’s really like. There were a lot of issues then, and still some now, and we’re still coming to grips with everything,” Daniels said very diplomatically.

The recent discovery in Kamloops, BC, of a gravesite of young Native American children taken from their homes to a Catholic church-run facility. It was a misguided social experiment that very sadly led to rampant physical, mental and sexual abuse. It’s opened intense wounds in Western Canada and Canada-as-a-whole.

DANIELS CAREER CLOSE AND POST-CAREER WORK

Daniels would play move on from Hartford and played with the Philadephia Flyers and New Jersey Devils. Ultimately, the injuries from over six NHL seasons and 146 games took their toll, and he completed his pro career in Albany in 1998-99. His career total included 273 AHL games registering 98 points and 1,091 PM.

Since ending his professional hockey career, one thing that brings Daniels great joy is coaching. He is an assistant coach with the Westfield State Owls (MASAC), a Division III college school at Amelia Park Ice Arena. The General Manager of the Amelia Park Arena is former New England Whalers and the face of Springfield hockey, Bruce Landon.

Daniels spent ten years with the USPHL’s Springfield Pics program as an assistant coach. His daughter, Sydney’s involvement in the women’s game, brings out a bright, wide smile.

“I’m so very proud of how far she has gone and what she has done playing at Harvard (ECACHL-W) getting a degree. To balance school work and hockey showed her high level of dedication,” said Daniels.

DANIELS DAUGHTER

Dad got her started with those early days of skating.

“She use to bug me about it, and finally I said if you really want to do it, but ya’ gotta listen to me,“ Daniels said with a chuckle.

“She picked it up very quickly. We did the usual routine with chair and learning balance and everything. In fact, in a month, she was twirling around the ice. I remember a guy asked how long she had been skating, and I said about a month, and he thought she had been doing it for years.”

After a brief NWHL career of just one season, Sydney Daniels is now behind the bench as an assistant coach for her Harvard Crimson alma mater. SHe’s been at it for the last three years after a standout career where she was the captain her senior season. She also played for the very successful Assabet Valley (NEGHL) program and Westminster Prep.

Daniels loves the Whaler Day with the Yard Goats and hasn’t missed one yet.

“It’s a lot of fun getting together seeing friends again, and of course, all those stories since we have all come from different backgrounds, it’s a tremendous amount of fun here.”

Like many other college and junior programs, the Owls will be in full swing this fall, and Daniels will be there passing along the lessons from Jimmy Roberts, Ted Nolan to a new generation of hockey players.

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