BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Liam Pecararo and Aaron Luchuk represented their ECHL clubs, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, and the Orlando Solar Bears respectively with the Hartford Wolf Pack’s blessing at the ECHL All-Star Classic in Jacksonville.
Each was given a formal release so they could play and beat an impending snowstorm/rain event. Pecararo, however, has been loaned to the Charlotte Checkers and is staying in North Carolina. He played against the Checkers last week and is not coming back to Hartford, but Luchuk will.
Luchuk finished with one goal, two assists, and a plus-four in a 14-7 victory over the WOlf Pack and New York Rangers’ ECHL affiliate, the Jacksonville Icemen. Pecararo had two assists including a primary assist on the fourth All-Star team goal.
OTHER PARTICIPANTS OF NOTE
In his last ECHL season, ex-Pack T.J. Hensick, playing for the Toledo Walleye, garnered three assists. Joe Masonius representing the Adirondack Thunder, and a former UCONN Husky, has two assists. Mike Lee, a recent call up to the Wolf Pack was representing the Indy Fuel. Lee attended Hamden and The Gunn School and was a plus-two. Goalie Ken Appleby, formerly of Bridgeport, was representing the Worcester Railers, He had 10 saves in 83 minutes of work.
Another recent Pack call-up Brandon Fortunato (QU) from Jacksonville managed a goal for the Icemen.
O’REE
Former New Haven Nighthawk Willie O’Ree, the current NHL Diversity Ambassador, will formally have his #22 retired and raised to rafters by the Boston Bruins in the Boston Garden. He was inducted into the NHL Hall-of-Fame in May 2019 and was selected (pre-pandemic) to the Springfield Hall-of-Fame in 2017. He was a member of the 1957-‘58 Springfield Indians. He was also inducted to the New Brunswick Hall-of-Fame in 1984, but surprisingly is not in the AHL Hall-of-Fame.
He was honored by the AHL Beast of Haven in their brief history in 1998. His number is retired and is in the rafters of the AHL San Diego Gulls Pechanga Arena.
He was made his debut on January 18, 1958, in Montreal at the old fabled Montreal Forum two years before being blinded in his right eye when hit by a puck in a game in St. Catharines while playing junior hockey in the OHA for the Kitchener Canucks. He kept the secret the rest of his career. He didn’t score his first NHL goal until five years later in Montreal.
He was drafted on February 12, 1972, in the WHA Universal Draft by the LA Sharks. He never played for the WHA version of the Sharks, but did play for the San Diego Gulls and then with the LA Sharks for 14 years (two years as an independent and the Pacific Hockey team was his last stop). O’Ree resides in San Diego.
OTHER EARLY BLACK PLAYERS
It was 14 years later before the next black player, Mike Marson, a fellow Maritimer, played in the NHL.
New Haven had eight players of color. Dave Nicholls in 1985, Peter Worrell with the Beast of New Haven (1997-the 99). There were two Black players who played for the Senators, Jason Firth (four games), and, Blair Atcheynum (1992-93). The UHL New Haven Knights had Billy Newsom (Enfield – 2001).
The New Haven Blades of the old Eastern Hockey League in the 1950s and 1960s had two players. Alf Lewsey, who skated for two years and played on the 1955-’56 championship team. The following season Ray Leacock was on the 1957-’58 team, his last pro season.
New Haven Blades legend Kevin “Squid” Morrison whose mother was Lebanese and his father was of Scottish background.
MORE MINORITIES
Former Bridgeport Sound Tiger Joey Haddad was Morrison’s first cousin by marriage. Ironically, his mother’s maiden name was Haddad.
Morrison loves being part of this niche part of hockey history.
The Hartford Whalers had Ray Neufeld and Scott “Chief” Daniels, a full Cree native Canadian plus assistant coach Ted Nolan, a full-blood Ojibway Native Canadian.
Atcheynum was a Whalers draft pick but never played for them. He did play for the New Haven Senators (AHL) was also a full-Cree like Daniels.
The New England Whalers had one player Henry Taylor, on their 1976-77 team he played some exhibition games, but played for two years with the famous Johnstown (PA) Jets in the old North American Hockey League (NAHL).
The Wolf Pack first edition had defenseman Jason Doig, Donald Brashear, Ryan Constant, a full-Cree like Atcheynum and Daniels, Cuban-American goalie Al Montoya, now with Dallas, and current Maple Leaf’s assistant coach Manny Malhotra, of Indian-Canadian descent.
The Wolf Pack 2.0 had had Akim Aliu, Andre Deveaux (CT Whale), Boo Nieves, Charles Williams, James Sanchez, and Syracuse’s Daniel Walcott.
The former Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who were re-christened as the Bridgeport Islanders have had several players of note.
Rhett Rakhshani, who grew up in California learning hockey on the streets in roller hockey leagues with one-time roller hockey guy with Connecticut (New Haven) Coasters, Berkley Hoagland, as one of his coaches is a second-generation Iranian-American.
Justin Johnson, from Alaska one of 14 Alaskans to play in the NHL that includes ex-Pack, Joey Crabb.
Ex-Sound Tiger Tim Wallace resigned from Nottingham (England-EIHL) two weeks ago after three years and becomes a playing Director of Player Development of his old team, the Milton Keynes Lightning (England-NIHL).
Another son of ex-Sound Tiger is on the move. Dick Tärnström, son Oliver Tärnström, who played for both Rögle BK Super Elite J-20 and SHL (Sweden) teams has been sent to Tingsryds AIF (Sweden Allsvenskan) on loan. He is a NY Rangers 2020 NHL draftee in the third round 92nd overall.
