By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack played their 2,000th game this past weekend, which featured a boatload of activities.
Among all the faces from the past to return to the XL Center, one of the most important and influential in the team’s history to make their way back was the team’s voice for over 20 years, Bob Crawford.
Also returning to the XL Center was Todd Hall. While now just a retired player, Hall is now a head coach for Hamden High School and is enjoying the life he and his wife Melissa have built watching their two girls grow up. In his last season, Hall was in Binghamton after sailing to the ECHL in Charlotte with the Checkers after the first month of the season.
Hall was happy to find the team was relocating to Hartford in the Whalers’ absences, and family and friends could see him play.
“We heard rumors late in the season. I was on a one-year contract with the club and an option for the second year. I figured I wouldn’t get the second year if they moved to my home state. If they stayed in lovely Bingo, they would resign me,” said Hall. “It obviously worked out for me and my family. The rest was, as they say, is history.”
Terry Virtue, has been a free spirit, one of his more comical moments came as an opponent (he played with Providence, Springfield and Worcester) trying to get back to Hartford.
The only two New England cities he didn’t skate for were the Manchester (NH) Monarchs and Portland (ME) Pirates.
“Yeah, it was unique; Dirk Graham and I didn’t get along, and neither did too many other players either.
“I had a great time in Hartford, and truth be told, I was nearly traded to them in the 2002-2003 season, but it didn’t work out. I was here, and yeah, on the opening faceoff in a game between Springfield and Hartford, I skated up and whispered in Kenny’s ear if he could see if they would trade for me, I REALLY wanted outta Springfield,“ Virtue said with a chuckle. “I think Kenny was a little shocked by my request. He wasn’t sure if I was kidding or not, but this was a serious request.”
Stefan Cherneski’s career was terribly cut short at just 40 games over a three-year span, by a catastrophic knee injury in his first 11 games. He would skate just 29 games, but the team never forgot about him as he was enduring the most grueling rehab, but the damage was too great.
The very funny and bright, engaging Cherneski doesn’t regret anything and any chance when the Wolf Pack calls, his answer is always yes.
“It’s all good, it had its moments (his career), but I made a lot of good friends because of the Wolf Pack. So, when they ask, it’s always a privilege to wear the sweater again, “ commented Cherneski, who has settled in greater Hartford and has put his mathematical acumen to work, showing why he was the WHL Scholastic Player of the Year two years in a row.
Who can ever forget the last game before he had to sign his financial settlement, ending his career? John Paddock, in a tremendously kind act let him skate the full final minutes of the game that were his professional moments, it was genuinely one of the most emotional in the history of the Wolf Pack.
“Man, what Steph went through was brutal.
“First of all, Steph was a talented player and an even better person. He worked really hard every day in practice and always had a smile.
“Unfortunately, he was injured before he had a chance to flourish. I witnessed his rehab, and it was still hard to imagine what he was going through. He was in pain, but still wore a smile no matter what. Even after the first surgery didn’t take and went through all that painful rehab, he had to go through it all again. It was the same surgery and the same painful recovery. He stayed tough through it all.
“(It) showed how huge a competitor and warrior he is,” remarked Hall, the first of six Connecticut natives to play for the Wolf Pack (Chris Winnes-Ridgefield was in the first year with Hall, a RI firefighter).
“Two were born here in CT in Kevin Colley New Haven (five Pack games, where his late father Tom was a legend with the New Haven Nighthawks in the mid-70’s AHL) and Josh Wesley Hartford (father Glen a Whaler at the time.)
The others are Ryan Haggerty (Stamford-played at Trinity Catholic CTPUB and now is an assist coach at New Canaan CTPUB), David Hallisey (Wethersfield/Westminster Prep (Simsbury)-played one game), Mike Paliotta (Westport/Choate Rosemary-Wallingford) and Mike Lee (Hamden/Frederick Gunn School) who played for Hall in high school. He is still playing in Slovakia.
Crawford has landed on his feet very well, and he is now working in NHL services in New York. He helps coordinate all the league special projects and PR work for the NHL Draft, the outdoor games, the Stanley Cup Finals, and the recent All-Star game.
“My experience (in Hartford), it’s hard to put into words. It was essentially my entire working life prior to this current gig, and it shaped much of who I am. I’ll always treasure the experiences and memories and all the great people that I was privileged to meet and work with,” commented Crawford, whose two children he and his wife had are out of college now.
Jed Ortmeyer, Director Ranger Player Personnel, an ex-Pack, was signing some autographs before the game on Saturday,
”I remember when I went to the first camp with Rangers. Dale “Diesel” Purinton was there and very politely asked me if I wanted a towel or water. I thought he was part of the training staff. Going out for warm-ups, and he’s out there skating with us! What dope I was.”
He remembers the battles with Springfield: “All those games were wars. They had Trevor Gillies and Mitch Fritz at the time.
“I dreaded those games, going to them and then coming home; I was happy, I survived!
“I didn’t spend much time here (2003-04), but we had a good playoff run (16 games) when I came back from my injury in New York (torn hamstring), but I enjoyed Hartford.”
He was sitting as a solitary figure before game time, signing autographs; several fans didn’t know who he was despite a name card sitting right in front of him.
Ortmeyer handled the inquiry with a smile, grace, and aplomb.
Dispensing advice, like a young father, he was imparting wisdom to the kids, “Remember two things, work hard (which he did) and have fun.”
Ortmeyer nearly didn’t have a career at Michigan, where he had a torn ACL and was facing his second medical redshirt season with the Wolverines. Against his doctor’s advice, he played anyway.
“Yeah, slapped on the old brace and went out there,” Ortmeyer said.
You do need an ACL, hockey player or not.
“The doctor mentioned it in passing,” joked Ortmeyer, who still resides in Nebraska.
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