CANTLON’S CORNER: AHL SUCCESSES AMONG MINORITIES 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The well-deserved accolades are pouring in regarding the Abbotsford Heat’s Yushiroh Hirano, who earned his first AHL goal as a Japanese-born player. However, lost in the shuffle was the success of a pioneer of hockey in the 1980s of an Asian-Canadian heritage, Steve Tsujiura.

A farmhand in Portland, Maine, who then was an AHL team, Tsujiura played six of his eight seasons of a 538 game AHL career with 482 points, was nearly a point-per-game player (.896) yet never played an NHL game or ever given a call-up.

One year when the affiliate was in Springfield with the Indians, and one season with the first run in Utica with the Devils, he was part of the New Jersey organization before finishing his last two years in Portland.

He was awarded the Fred T. Hunt Award in 1985-86 for his dedication from the league writers.

REACTION

“Hands down, a fan-favorite in Portland,” a long-time hockey watcher in Springfield said. Then it was so rare for an Asian player in hockey, still with just ten throughout the various levels now, and his small stature at 5’5, he was drafted in the tenth round (205th overall) in 1981 by Philadelphia. He played with the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), where he finished as the team’s third all-time leading scorer.

After his AHL playing days were over, Tsujiura played in Europe, where he won two titles in Switzerland with NLA HC Lugano (1990) and NLB with HC Davos (1993). Over his eight years in Europe and Asia, Tsujiura spent the last four years in Japan with the Kokudo Bunnies of the Japanese International Hockey League (JIHL). In addition, he played for Japan in four games in the Nagano Olympics in 1998 as a player/Head Coach.

Tsujiura was a national team coach for four years in the early part of the century and was an assistant coach for the Portland Pirates in 2000-01.

Don MacAdam, the former New Haven Senators head coach and now in Hungry as the national team Sports Manager of Player Development for the Hungarian National Junior program. In his first coaching experience in Asia, MacAdam was an opposing coach of Tsujiura with the Nippon Paper Cranes.

“He was a super player and coach in Japan and a great guy,” MacAdam said via e-mail from St. John’s, Newfoundland.

DEALING WITH RACIST EVENT

One of the most challenging issues for him was a very public act of racism that would have caused international headlines today.

The culprit was the team organist at the Palais des Sports Léopold-Drolet in Sherbrooke, Quebec Canada in Novemeber 1988. For Tsujiura, who was a cult hero playing in Portland, then a Bruins affiliation, was rightfully offended by a derisive ditty and conduct of the team mascot.

“Tricolo” was then the Sherbrooke’s Canadiens team mascot. He walked around the arena concourse wearing a headband and waving a Japanese flag. He was bowing in a mocking gesture while the organist played stereotypical Japanese music. It was a direct attack on Tsujiura’s heritage, who was then the captain of the Maine Mariners.

Mike Milbury, who coached the Mariners at the time, approached the organist at one point to demand he stops with the racist and demeaning song. Nothing changed. Milbury got so angry he charged up to the organist with some of his Mariners players and had to be restrained by arena security. Reportedly, there were several punches thrown. The game was delayed by 15 minutes, with Milbury amazingly being ejected. He would subsequently be fined $250 by the American Hockey League. He would have been proudly applauded and called heroic by today’s standards.

Yutaka Fukufuli

In Hartford, the first Japanese-born goalie to win an AHL game was Yutaka Fukufuli on December 30, 2006, with the now-defunct Manchester (AHL) Monarchs in a 5-2 win after trailing 2-0 in a 23-save effort.

He played just five games that season and finished 3-1. In four starts over five games that season, he had a win at home against Providence and another on the road in Springfield.

Former Wolf Pack goaltending great, Jason LaBarbera, was the Manchester back-up netminder that night and is currently the goalie coach for the Calgary Flames (NHL). The Wolf Pack starter was his old battery mate and current MSG-TV analyst, Steve Valiquette.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

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