HARTFORD, CT – Professional hockey playoffs at all the major professional levels are well underway and there is still lots of news being made, not only for the Hartford Wolf Pack but for the sport worldwide.

JUNIORS MOVING UP

Ryder Korczak of the Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) signed his initial three-year Entry-Level Contract (ELC) paying $925K-NHL/$80K-AHL. He will be in Hartford in the fall after a 25-goal and team-leading 79-point regular season.

Ex-Hartford Whaler Mark Greig’s son Ridley was assigned from Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) to Belleville.

RUSSIANS AND THE DRAFT

How will the NHL’s 32 franchises handle the selection of Russian players in the upcoming July entry draft in Montreal?

How the situation will be handled is currently being formulated between the NHL and NHLPLA. The general feeling is a ban on all players in keeping with league policy in cutting off all contact with players, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, and the commercial side of Russia. The CHL (Canadian Hockey League) has announced all Russian and Belarussian players as being banned from the annual draft at the annual CHL Import Draft. Those selections are usually conducted a week after the NHL Draft where top Russians and other European players are usually paired up with teams in either the QMJHL, OHL, or WHL which make up the CHL.

The outright ban is a tricky proposition. While some wish to show their disgust and indignation with Russian actions in the invasion of Ukraine, however, will this collective guilt stand and be sustained in any potential legal challenges that are likely to come?

There is the famous 1978 Alabama case when a judge ruled in favor of Canadian junior players (Ken “The Rat” Linseman, Craig Hartsburg, Mark Napier, Gaston Gingras, John Garrett Rob Ramage, Michel Goulet, Rick Vaive and Pat Riggin) dubbed the ‘Baby Bulls’ (only Linseman, Vaive, Gingras, Ramage, Riggin and Hartsburg made the team). At the time they were seeking to work for the renegade WHA Birmingham Bulls successfully overturning the established minimum of being 20-years-old to be eligible for the NHL Draft and making it 18-years-old which the NHL still operates under.

At that time, another underage player, Keith Crowder, played five games late in the season for Birmingham and there were three other “underagers” who played in the league that year. Those players were former New York Rangers’ All-Star Mike Gartner (Cincinnati), Mark Messier (Indianapolis and Cincinnati), and a youngster named Wayne Gretzky (Indianapolis and Edmonton).

Many North America are not going back to the KHL and are signing elsewhere and some teams have opted out of the KHL in protest.

These issues, however, are obviously different. Banning players who clearly are not a party to the conflict will not be easy and won’t be going away any time soon.

OFF-SEASON PLAYER MOVES

Ex-Pack Nicklas Jensen saw one of those teams, Jokerit Helsinki, pull out of the KHL over the war. On Friday, the left-winger signed a one-year deal with HC Rapperswill-Jona (Switzerland-LNA). Joining him from Jokerit in Switzerland will be his teammate, and former Yale Bulldog and US Olympian, Brian O’Neill.

Ex-Pack Tomas Kundratek switches Czech Elite League teams going from HC Ocelari Trinec to HC Brno.

Ex-Sound Tiger Ty Wishart signs with the Melbourne Mustangs of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). He started the year in Poland with Unia Oswiecim (PIZHL) before moving on to ETC Crimmitschau (Germany-DEL-2).

River Rymsha, the son of former New Haven Nighthawk Andy Rymsha, heads across the border from HK Poprad (Slovakia-SLEL) to HK Hradec Kralove (Mounfield HK) Czech Republic (Czechia)-CEL.

Kristoff Kontos, the son of former Nighthawk/Ranger, Chris Kontos, leaves Kristianstads IK (Sweden-Allsvenskan) to HC Banska Bystrica (Slovakia-SLEL).

MORE MOVES

Former QU Bobcat goalie Mike Garteig goes from HIFK Helsinki (Finland-FEL) to ERC Ingolstadt (Germany-DEL).

Declan Bronte of the CT Chiefs (EHL) of Melbourne, Australia heads back home and signs with the CBR (Canberra) Brave (AIHL). His older brother Tyrone is the only Australian playing NCAA Divisio-I hockey with Michigan Tech (CCHA) after transferring from Alabama-Huntsville.

Former Yale Bulldog John Hayden (Greenwich/Brunswick Prep) of the Buffalo Sabres was named to the US World Championship team that will play in Finland in two weeks.

COLLEGE NEWS

Boston University Hall-of-Famer Jay Pandolfo is a new coach at Boston University.

The BC Head Coach position was filled as Associate Head Coach and Hartford-born Greg Brown was announced Friday to be elevated in the fall to replace NHL and US Hall-of-Famer, Jerry York.

Brown is the son of former NHL’er Doug Brown (Devils, Pittsburgh, and Detroit) who also attended Boston College under Len Ceglarski and had two nephews (Chris and Patrick) played under York. His brother-in-law is New York Giants co-owner, John Mara.

Providence College Head Coach Nate Leaman signed a multi-year extension to remain the PC coach.

Adam Nightingale, the older brother of former Wolf Pack player, now Rockford assistant coach Jared Nightingale, is hired by Michigan State (Big 10) from the USNDTP program. Their other brother, Jason, is the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Buffalo Sabres.

LOTS MORE COLLEGE NEWS

Nate Raboin, the Minnesota assistant coach, is named the new bench boss at the brand new 62nd Division-I program at Augustana (SD) University.

Nick Oliver, an assistant with St. Cloud State (CCHA) leaves to be the head coach of the USHL Fargo (ND) Force.

Illinois was flirting with going D-I and heading to the Big 10 but instead announced they’re passing, citing a 30% increase in construction costs of a new on-campus arena as one of the reasons.

Stonehill (MA) College from the D-III NE-10 is heading D-1 next year heading to the AHA.

Mike Murtagh, a UCONN commit in 2023-24, heads from the Gunn School (Washington, CT) to the Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL) next year.

The Huskies got their first 2025-26 commit in right-handed shooting defenseman 6’3 Braydan Smith 17, from the Saskatoon Contacts (SMAAAAHL).

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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BY: Alex Reed, Jacksonville IceMen

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Jacksonville Icemen, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, announced the game schedule for their South Division Semifinal Playoff Series with the Atlanta Gladiators.

Due to scheduling conflicts with Atlanta’s Gas South Arena, the Icemen will host the first four games of the first-round series at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena beginning on Thursday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m.

If necessary, the series will shift to Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, for the final three games of the series.  The following is a complete listing of the best-of-seven series.

SCHEDULE

#2 Atlanta Gladiators vs. #3 Jacksonville Icemen (Best-of Seven Series)

Game 1:  Thursday, April 21, Atlanta at Jacksonville, 7:00 p.m. (Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena)

Game 2:  Friday, April 22, Atlanta at Jacksonville, 7:00 p.m. (Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena)

Game 3:  Wednesday, April 27, Atlanta at Jacksonville, 7:00 p.m. (Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena)

Game 4:  Thursday, April 28, Atlanta at Jacksonville, 7:00 p.m. (Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena)

Game 5:  Sunday, May 1, Jacksonville at Atlanta, 3:00 p.m. (Gas South Arena)   **

Game 6:  Monday, May 2, Jacksonville at Atlanta, 7:00 p.m. (Gas South Arena) **

Game 7:  Wednesday, May 4, Jacksonville at Atlanta, 7:00 p.m. (Gas South Arena) **

**If Necessary

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Icemen have announced an official hashtag for the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs.  The team will use #WeAreBold to honor Jacksonville as the “The Bold City.”

Tickets may be purchased on Ticketmaster, or call the Icemen office at 904-602-7825 for playoff ticket packages.

Fans may also catch the Icemen game broadcasts online at www.mixlr.com/jaxicemen and FloHockey.TV.

Bold City Tattoo presents the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

#WeAreBold

JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN

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HARTFORD, CT – The annual Hartford Whalers Day at Dunkin Donuts Park, home to the Hartford Yard Goats, was a special day filled with plenty of reminiscing about days gone by with some of the team’s legends.

André Lacroix holds a special place in his heart for Hartford. He was beloved for his play on the ice and his work on the WTIC-AM radio with Chuck Kaiton. He recently published his memoir, “After the Second Snowfall,” a well-crafted paean to his family. Lacroix was the youngest of 14 children and grew up near Quebec City.

Like the famous French-Canadians artists Marc-Aurèle Fortin and Alfred Pellan, the crafty playing Lacroix weaves a beautiful picture of his ascension to the upper echelons of hockey from small-town in Quebec.

THE BOOK TITLE

A seemingly innocuous title, Lacroix couldn’t wait to speak about it.

“Nobody has asked me about it,” Lacroix, now 76-years-old, said in his beautifully French-accented English. “I didn’t want to write a book just about stats. I really wanted to tell people about my life behind the numbers.

“When I was writing this book, a lot of my friends suggested, “The Magician,” which was my nickname when I played, but everybody knows that. It was a big thing for us kids in Quebec. When you had the first snowfall, you knew what was coming next. Our real hockey season was gonna start.

“Usually, after the second snowfall, it would be cold enough for the ponds in the area to begin to freeze in my hometown of Lauzon. I never played in an indoor rink until I was 13.”In 1989 Lauzon became known as Lévis after the two cities merged and later amalgamated with ten other cities in 2002. Lauzon was northwest of Lévis but located along the south shore near the mighty St. Lawrence River and is located east of Quebec City, separated by the Quebec and Pierre-Laporte bridges that connect western Lévis. The ferry was a common way to travel to the historically beautiful and architecturally rich Quebec City.

Hélène

Coming from a huge family, Lacroix was in a team environment from the beginning. His sister Hélène was an amazing part of his early journey in Quebec.

“My sister Hélène was born in 1940. She followed me playing hockey from the start. She was wonderful. She had a job in Quebec City with an insurance company, and she found out that I was going to play junior in Quebec City, so she knew I had to take the ferry from Lévis to Quebec City, and I had to pay a fee to get on the ferry.

“She bought me a booklet of tickets, so my parents would not have to pay for my travel to practices and games. I really don’t know what would have happened if Hélène did not do this for me. She followed my whole career, and I owe her a lot.”

JACQUES

Another important sibling was his brother Jacques, number 13 in the family tree. He became a priest and was a great older brother figure along with his parents. His mother’s name is Albéa, and his father is Alfred, whom he patterned some of his life after.

“My brother Jacques was born in 1944. Jacques was always the quiet one in the family. He played a little bit of hockey when he was about ten years old, but he did not like it as I did.

“It was such a good feeling when he decided to be a priest. It made my mother so happy. Having such a big family and having a priest was very special. Jacques did, and still does, a lot of good work in every parish he was assigned to.

“He also volunteers every year to go to Haiti to help the people in need. My parents were the biggest influence on how to conduct myself on and off the ice. I never wanted to do anything that would hurt their feelings. I believe that both Jacques and I felt the same way about our parents. We were brought up Catholic, and I attended Mass as often as I could. Sometimes it wasn’t easy because of my schedule. Our church in Lauzon was St. Joseph church.”

JUNIOR HOCKEY MEMORIES

Lacroix played junior hockey with the Montreal Junior Canadiens and the OHA (now OHL) with the Peterborough Petes, where his skills grew and got him noticed by scouts. He led the league with 80 assists, for the second straight year, and 120 points. He won the Red Tilson Trophy.

In 1966, Lacroix played an exhibition game against the Soviet Union that was considered the first big game between the two hockey powers.

Canada held a 3-1 lead after two periods. Lacroix assisted on a goal by his junior teammate, Danny Grant, and scored one as well. The team would go on to lose the game, 4-3. That team also featured Bobby Orr, who was with the Oshawa Generals (OHL) lent to them a year before going to the NHL.

“To be honest with you, I don’t remember much about that game. I knew I was playing with the best junior players in the world, and it was very special.”

NUMBERS

Lacroix wore number seven for most of his career. But, unfortunately, there isn’t much of a back story as to when the Whalers were admitted to the NHL from the WHA in 1979, and Lacroix had to switch his jersey number.

“My first choice when I started playing was number 16 because of the great Henri Richard of the Canadiens. We were about the same size, and I always enjoyed watching him play hockey. That number was taken, so I chose number 7 because I thought it was a lucky number.

“I went to number 4 in Hartford because (defenseman) Gordie Roberts had number 7, and we asked him if he would like to change his number 7 to number 4, and he did not want to do it.”

WHA BRINGS CHANGES

The WHA opened the door for hockey players in the minors, juniors, and especially college players who had been passed over until the late Jack Kelly began drafting and signing them with the New England Whalers.

The WHA revolutionized hockey. Some of their innovations succeeded like playing Europeans and Americans, playing the Soviets and Europeans regularly, challenging the draft system, and changing the system completely. But, unfortunately, some of their moves didn’t work, for example, the blue puck, getting a team in Florida, and their failure to land a consistent national TV contract.

“The WHA did so much for hockey. It increased the salary for the players. It opened the door for a lot of players who were playing hockey in the minors. It also opened the door for coaches and general managers.

“The NHL had a monopoly, and they lost all of that,” Lacroix said. “When the WHA started, the NHL never believed the league would survive, and we sure proved them wrong.”

GETTING INTO PRO HOCKEY

Lacroix’s players’ rights were claimed in the WHA General Draft on February 12, 1972, by his hometown, the Quebec Nordiques. On paper, it looked like a home run for the new league, starting with Lacroix in his hometown Quebec City starting a new league, but ultimately it didn’t work out when he didn’t sign with the team.

“The reason I did not sign with the Nordiques was that we could not come to an agreement on the terms of a contract. We tried, but they wanted me to take a discount to play in my hometown, and I would not do it as much as I wanted to play there.”

Lacroix’s rights were traded for cash to the Miami Screaming Eagles franchise, which never got off the ground. Instead, the franchise relocated to Pennsylvania and became the Philadelphia Blazers, where Lacroix began his WHA odyssey.

NO CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT CLOSE

Despite a productive and well-traveled career, Lacroix never captured a championship title.

“I wished I could have won the Avco Cup or the Stanley Cup, but I am very happy with the success I had on all the teams I played for on and off the ice.”

The closest he came to winning a title was with the 1967 AHL’s Quebec Aces. They were the top team in the AHL when he received a late-season recall to the Philadelphia Flyers.

“I believe we would have a great chance to win the (Calder) Cup with the Quebec Aces if I would have stayed there.  I would have won the scoring title since I was up by about 25 points in scoring when I was called up. I also had a chance to beat a record of six hat tricks in one season in the AHL. I had six hat tricks when I decided to join the Flyers.”

The Quebec team featured future NHL and WHA players Simon Nolet and Rosaire Paiement. In the finals, they lost to the Rochester Americans in six games.

BACK TO THE WHA

Lacroix was up against some highly-skilled players in the WHA. Real Cloutier, Marc Tardif with the Nordiques, Robbie Ftorek with the Phoenix Roadrunners and Cincinnati Stingers, the late Tom Webster of the Whalers, and the course the Howes, Gordie, Mark, and Marty, all of the Houston Aeros and the Whalers.

The upstart league came at a price professionally for those who played there as far as the NHL was concerned.

“That list of players would have been great players in the NHL too. There were not that many teams in the NHL when I started, and I think the league was ready to punish any player that joined the WHA. I played against some very good centers in the WHA. Every team had some strong centers, and we always played against each other. The coaches wanted to play their best against the (other teams’) best. “

TOUGHEST PLAYERS LACROIX PLAYED AGAINST IN THE WHA

“Gerry Cheevers (Cleveland Crusaders) was the toughest goalie I played against in the WHA.”

Wayne Gretzky was with the Indianapolis Racers during his time in the WHA, and to Lacroix, it was obvious that The Great One was unique.

“You could tell Gretzky had the skills, but he was so young at the time (just 17). Who knew?”

After seven years and 25 cities, the WHA ended. Lacroix stood atop the mountain with 547 assists and 798 total points and was fourth in goals with 251 in 551 games. He led the league in scoring twice. The first was in 1972-73 and the second in 1974-75.

Tardif, a fellow Quebecer, was second with 666 points. His 106 assists in the 1974-75 season were a pro hockey record for seven years until Gretzky broke it with 120 in 1981-82.

TOUGH GUYS GALORE

The league, among its other qualities, when fighting was more of a part of the game, had a collection of ruffians that also made the crossover to the NHL after the two leagues merged.

“There were a lot of tough players in the league,” Lacroix stated. “Every team had at least one player who knew what his role was, but they never tried to come after me. (The late) Dave Semenko in Edmonton, Kim Clackson in Winnipeg, Nick Fotiu in Hartford, Jack Carlson in Minnesota, and Paul Stewart in Cincinnati. They would go after the tough player on the other team and left me alone.”

SLAPSHOT, NOT A FAN

Don’t count Lacroix as a fan of the movie Slap Shot.  It’s based on the true and wild antics of the old North American Hockey League. There’s also a touch of the Eastern Hockey League, and a dash of the WHA.

“I did not watch Slap Shot when it came out because I thought it was a disgrace. It showed hockey in a very bad light. I did not want the people to think this is what hockey looks like.”

HARTFORD DIDN’T GO AS EXPECTED

His last season of playing pro hockey was playing in Hartford. It still doesn’t sit well with him.

“I did not think the Whalers handled my situation very well in my last year. I believe I had probably a couple more good years, but their mind was made up before training camp. I did not have an agent, and I think I would have been coaching after I retired if I had an agent. In those days, agents represented players as well as coaches and general managers.”

Lacroix’s association with the Whalers ended resulting from his unbridled honesty about how the Whalers were playing.  The games were heard on WTIC-AM 1080, whose signal boomed all the way to Quebec and Ontario at night and as far south as Virginia and west of Hartford all the way to Indiana.

The players and their families heard the often loquacious Lacroix, and some weren’t happy, and neither was management. Lacroix stood his ground and wanted proof from the team, but it never came, but his eight-year association with the voice of the Whalers Chuck Kaiton came to a very sudden and swift end.

POST HOCKEY

His post-hockey career has brought him some amazing moments.

A major highlight for Lacroix came when his hometown named a hockey rink after him. It is now known as André Lacroix Arena, located on Boulevard Guillaume-Couture in Lévis.

“I was so happy when I received word that they were going to name an arena after me in my hometown. It was amazing and a complete surprise. I was very happy to grow up in a small town, and it makes it so special when people reward you with your name on a building.”

Lacroix still visits Quebec City.

“I still go see some of my old friends when I get a chance to go back, and I always stop by the arena that has my name on it. I can’t go now, obviously, but I will go when the borders open up. I will also be going in 2022 because Quebec City (and Las Vegas) will host a 50th anniversary of the WHA (Nordiques team being born).”

CHARITABLE WORK

Lacroix started a foundation to assist people with disabilities while he was in Connecticut. It’s work he cherishes and treats those accomplishments as he does the ones he did on the ice.

“My Foundation does not exist anymore. It stopped when I left Hartford to go to Oakland, California. The May Company helped me a lot in Hartford, and I could not find a strong enough company to help me in Oakland. I am very proud of all the work we did with my Foundation.”

Lacroix now resides in Chagrin Falls, OH, where his son Andre, Jr. lives. His daughter, Chantal, resides in North Carolina. Both of his children played their youth hockey at a Kingswood-Oxford, prep school in West Hartford.

Lacroix dabbled in coaching at the Division-III level at Trinity College and until three years ago was coaching at The University School, a private prep school in Ohio. He never caught on coaching juniors or in the AHL because of his strong, independent streak.

“The thing that hurt me the most was the fact I did not have an agent, and I also believe that people did not want to hire somebody who might know as much or more than them. I tried very hard to get into coaching, and the answer that I kept getting was that they were set with their coaching staff. I knew deep down I could have helped a team with all the knowledge I had about the game.”

Lacroix still managed to impart a lot of knowledge and hockey wisdom to a broad array of players from all over the world.

PERSONAL LIFE

Lacroix is now a grandfather of seven, some of which are playing hockey.

“Things are great in Chagrin Falls right now. My son Andre, Jr. has three boys, and they are all playing hockey for their school in Andre III, Anthony, and Alex.

“Chantal lives in North Carolina and has four children, one boy and three girls.

“My other grandson, Luke, plays hockey as do my granddaughters Beatrice {fraternal twin with Luke) and Adie 11 plays hockey.”

Andre III wears the number 7 skating for Gilmour Academy in Ohio.

Lacroix’s hockey journey has been both a work of art and a labor of passion. His contribution to the Hartford hockey community cannot be diminished…even all these years later.

HARTFORD WHALERS

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BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The intensity and flow of hockey news are increasing with each passing day, especially since the NHL is plotting out their Phase III and Phase IV return to play plans and a date for the start of the playoffs is also in the news.

Cantlon’s Corner has learned from several collegiate sources that the Ivy League, which includes both Yale University in New Haven, and Quinnipiac University in Hamden, might be reaching a monumental decision regarding athletics and their response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the 2020-21 season. It will be announced by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

The current discussion under serious consideration is a proposal that would see the fall semester consist of just freshmen, juniors, and seniors only to be allowed on campus with sophomores excluded. In the second semester, Freshmen will be excluded from campus.

Should this come to pass, it would effectively end all sports for the 2020-21 season. It’s expected to be announced as a conference-wide policy.

All sports teams, men’s, and women’s would be adversely affected in one way or another and the decision would have national repercussions for all other college sports conferences.

Every Division I conference will be backpedaling on how to handle COVID-19, starting with the big moneymaker, college football.

It’s one thing for a Division III school like Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine to start spots on January 1st, but the ramifications for both the programs and university staff personnel will be immense.

For ECACHL hockey. it will likely lead to major transfers by under-classmen for colleges that will play Division I hockey starting in the fall.

Players, if eligible, could be returning to US junior hockey in the USHL or NAHL or head north to play Canadian Junior A hockey (Canadian citizens only) in order to retain their US collegiate eligibility under present NCAA rules, unless a waiver of some sort is granted by the NCAA to treat the situation like a transfer year.

Players also might elect to go to the Canadian major junior route if they have a Canadian passport as the border still remains closed to non-Canadian residents.

Players could drop out of school altogether and take a gap year, waiting until the dust settles and hopefully when life returns to normal in the fall of 2021.

Then some players, like Cornell’s Morgan Barron whom the New York Rangers drafted in the sixth round (174th overall) in 2017, have their NHL team working on them to leave school early. In Morgan’s case, the Rangers have been in discussions with him for over a year. Barron wants to get his Cornell degree switched his major last year.

Barron may have to turn pro as his only alternative and begin to play in the AHL in Hartford for the 2020-21 season… whenever that may happen.

At age 21, with a December 2nd birthday, he is no longer junior hockey eligible. His younger brother, Justin, 18, plays in their hometown for the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL). He played 34 games last year before developing a blood clot that ended his season prematurely and was being scouted as well by New York.

The AHL season is likely to start in late-November or by January 1st according to several pro hockey sources.

This is all under review. There are no guarantees, and the situation is very fluid where views and changes come day-to-day.

The Ivy League schools were ahead of the curve in the spring as they were the first to close-and-cancel all winter tournaments and spring sports schedules in response to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

The June 30th expiration of AHL deals has come-and-gone with no change from the NHL, so players are free to seek deals.

The Wolf Pack’s Steven Fogarty is an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA), but he’s on a two-way (NHL-AHL) deal. The Wolf Pack has three Group 6 free agents with Vinni Lettieri and Danny O’Regan on the open market. Their third Group 6 FA, Nick Ebert, signed a European deal with Orebro HK (Sweden-SHL) last week.

The NHL has moved the date for expiring contracts until the end of the 24-team, NHL Stanley Cup playoff tournament this summer.

What remains, however, is the big issue of getting players back from Europe with new EU restrictions regarding COVID-19.

The season-ending rosters for the 31 AHL teams, a total of 620 players (20 per team as average) plus 147 have European home addresses makes up 24% of the players can be affected.

Laval signed two players for training camp, goalie Sam Vigneault, who was with the Cleveland Monsters last season, and defenseman, Corey Schueneman, who was with the Stockton Heat last season.

The deal for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ Mikhail Vorobyev with Salavat Yulaev (Russia-KHL) has been officially confirmed.

Dominik Masin of the Syracuse Crunch is close to a deal with Amur Khabarovsk (Russia-KHL).

Currently, 34 AHL players have left for Europe. 19 of 31 teams have lost at least one player.

Former Yale Bulldog, Antoine Langaniere, re-signs with EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL).

Two more college-to-pro signings. Tyler Nanne, the cousin to the Pack’s Lettieri, goes from the University of Minnesota (Big 10) signs a one-year AHL deal with the Hershey Bears.

After four years at Bemidji State (WCHA), Tommy Muck signs with Kansas City (ECHL).

Will Graber of Dartmouth College (ECACHL) heads to Hershey (AHL), while Luke Bafia, of the Western Michigan Broncos (NCHC), departs to the Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL).

Aidan Pelino of Bentley College (AHA) signs with RoKi (Finland Division-1).

Currently, that makes a 101 Division I college players to sign North American pro deals and 174 (Division I and III) players total have signed North American and European pro deals.

According to Rhode Island-based, collegiate hockey writer, Mark Divver, forward, Garrett Wait leaves the University of Minnesota (Big 10) and transfers for UMASS-Amherst (HE) making 23 Division I school transfers. There have been 18 grad transfers for next season.

One player not going to Europe who has decided to retire instead, and the first casualty of the new EU visa rules restricting Americans from entering the 14 country Euro travel zone, and non-area European countries like the UK.

Former Whalers TV announcer, and the voice of the Springfield Indians, John Forslund, is on the open market as a broadcast UFA after his contract expired with the Carolina Hurricanes.

EX-PACK RETIRES

Chad Kolarik, 34, and a former CT Whale has hung up the skates rather than return for another year with EC Salzburg (Austria-EBEL). Kolarik spent a little over two years with the Pack after being acquired from the then Springfield Falcons, for then captain, Dane Byers, who had requested a trade on November 11, 2010. It came just as the Wolf Pack’s name was changed for the ill-fated move to the CT Whale brand. He would play the very first Whale game against Springfield.

Byers was injured on the third day of training camp with a torn ACL and it cost him a year-and-a-half of hockey. The time was extended by a major Rangers procedural screw-up that left him off the Whale playoff Clear Day roster in February because he was not medically cleared at that point to play.

Kolarik carried a heavy load of anger and resentment regarding the incident that his teammates despised as it was omnipresent in his off-ice behavior with players and the coaching staff.

He had 35 points in 41 games with the Whale, but was dealt to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on January 24, 2013, for Benn Ferreiro. He then put up 33 points in 35 games and played in the AHL All-Star game in Providence as a Penguin a week after the trade.

That led to one of the tensest exchanges between him and Ken Gernander. It came in a lobby hotel while checking in. It was cordial but frosty.

Gernander was there for his AHL Hall of Fame induction.

HALL OF FAME MEDIA AWARD

Frank Seravalli of TSN, and the President of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA), and Chuck Kaiton, the President of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, and former Hartford Whalers radio play-by-play announcer for their entire history on WTIC-AM (1080), announced today that Tony Gallagher (Vancouver) will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in hockey journalism. Rick Peckham will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.

Peckham had been a broadcast professional hockey for 42 years before his retirement following the pandemic shortened 2019-2020 season. For the last 24 seasons, he was the TV play-by-play voice of the Tampa Bay Lightning, joining the organization in 1995.

Prior to that, he served in the same capacity for the Hartford Whalers for 11 seasons as part of SportsChannel New England and WHCT-TV Channel 18 in Hartford.

During his illustrious career in the NHL, he has received four local Emmy Awards for his work on Fox Sports Sun and SportsChannel New England. Peckham is a 1977 graduate of Kent State (OH) University.

Peckham served as the radio/TV voice of the Rochester Americans of the AHL for seven years.

“I have known Rick for 36 years, since his days covering the Hartford Whalers,” said Kaiton. “Rick has had a most distinguished hockey broadcasting career, which deserves to be recognized by this honor. His longevity and excellence tell the story and passion for his profession came through each broadcast.”

Tony Gallagher is the first writer to win the award for a body of work exclusive to the Vancouver market.

He became one of hockey’s most influential voices in Western Canada in a career at The Province newspaper that spanned from 1970 – 2015. He was recruited by The Province out of the University of British Columbia in 1968.

He was hired full-time in 1970 for high school sports before making the jump to hockey, covering the WHL’s New Westminster Bruins and then the WHA’s Vancouver Blazers.

By 1976, Gallagher graduated to become the paper’s lone beat writer of the Vancouver Canucks. He was promoted to general columnist in 1987, where he continued to break news and stir-the-pot and covered nearly 25 Stanley Cup Finals -including all three Canucks appearances.”

“Tony Gallagher owned the Vancouver market in a time before the internet when scoops lasted for 24 hours in a newspaper world where contact meant everything,” Seravalli said. “He was uber-connected and over time became the voice for the Western Canadian market that has always seemed to have a chip on its shoulder, sitting three time zones away from Toronto. Tony was the perfect writer for that constituency, never afraid to break a few eggs in writing his daily omelet. He fought for Canucks fans against a perceived injustice by both the League or their team, becoming a media icon in his city and beyond.”

Gallagher and Peckham will receive their awards at a luncheon tentatively scheduled on Monday, November 16th and their award plaques will be displayed in the Esso Great Hall at the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside past award recipients

FRANK CAMARA

Best wishes to a long-time Bridgeport off-ice official, Frank Camera, who is battling cancer.

Camara had been a penalty box presence at the New Haven Arena, New Haven Coliseum, and the Harbor Yard Arena for 62 years!

He witnessed the Eastern Hockey League’s New Haven Blades, the AHL’s New Haven Nighthawks, Roller Hockey International’s (RHI) Connecticut Coasters, the AHL Beast of New Haven, the UHL’s New Haven Knights, and the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

He always brings a smile and great stories and is in our thoughts and prayers.

The post CANTLON’S CORNER: HOCKEY OFF-SEASON NEWS AND NOTES VOLUME 16 first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Kelly Masse, Hockey Hall OF Fame

TORONTO (June 29, 2020) –  Frank Seravalli, President of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, and Chuck Kaiton, President of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, announced today that Tony Gallagher will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in hockey journalism, and Rick Peckham will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.

Tony Gallagher is the first writer to win the award for a body of work exclusive to the Vancouver market. He became one of hockey’s most influential voices in Western Canada in a career at The Province that spanned from 1970 – 2015. He was recruited by The Province out of the University of British Columbia in 1968. He was hired full-time in 1970 on high school sports before making the jump to hockey, covering the WHA’s New Westminster Bruins and then the WHA’s Vancouver Blazers. By 1976, Gallagher graduated to become the paper’s lone beat writer on the Canucks. He was promoted to general columnist in 1987, where he continued to break news and stir the pot and covered nearly 25 Stanley Cup Finals – including all three Canucks appearances.”

“Tony Gallagher owned the Vancouver market in a time before the internet, when scoops lasted for 24 hours in a newspaper world where contact meant everything,” Seravalli said.  “He was uber-connected and over time became the voice for Western Canadian market that has always seemed to have a chip on its shoulder, sitting three time zones away from Toronto.  Tony was the perfect writer for that constituency, never afraid to break a few eggs in writing his daily omelet.  He fought for Canucks fans against perceived injustice by both the League or their team, becoming a media icon in his city and beyond.”

Rick Peckham had broadcast professional hockey for 42 years before his retirement following the 2019-2020 season.  For the last 24 seasons, he was the TV play-by-play voice of the Tampa Bay Lightning, joining the organization in 1995.  Prior to that, he served in the same capacity for the Hartford Whalers for 11 seasons.  During his illustrious career in the NHL, he has received four local Emmy Awards for his work on Fox Sports Sun and Sportschannel New England.  The 1977 graduate of Kent State University served as the radio/TV voice of the Rochester Americans of the AHL for seven years.

“I have known Rick for 36 years, since his days covering the Hartford Whalers”, said Kaiton.  “Rick has had a most distinguished hockey broadcasting career, which deserves to be recognized by this honour.  His longevity and excellence tell the story and passion for his profession came through each broadcast.”

Gallagher and Peckham receive their awards at a luncheon tentatively scheduled on Monday, November 16^th and their award plaques will be displayed in the Esso Great Hall at the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside past award recipients.

Recipients of these awards, as selected by their respective associations, are recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame as “Media Honourees” ─ a separate distinction from individuals inducted as “Honoured Members” who are elected by the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee.  This year’s inductees into Honoured Membership were announced on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.

The 2020 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Weekend is tentatively scheduled on Monday, November 16^th in Toronto (preceded by the traditional slate of “Induction Weekend” events beginning on Friday, November 13^th, including the annual “Hockey Hall of Fame Game” hosted by the Toronto Maple Leafs).  Due to the continued fluidity of developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic (including the NHL’s Return to Play Plan, etc.), the Hall of Fame is not accepting ticket orders for the 2020 Induction at this time.  Stay tuned for further announcements in the upcoming weeks which will be posted via HHOF.com and other HHOF social media platforms.

Named in honour of the late Montreal newspaper reporter, the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award was first presented in 1984 by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association in recognition of distinguished members of the hockey writing profession whose words have brought honour to journalism and to the game of hockey.

Named in honour of the late “Voice of Hockey” in Canada, the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award was first presented in 1984 by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association in recognition of members of the radio and television industry who have made outstanding contributions to their profession and to the game of hockey.

The post MASSE: 2020 HOCKEY HALL OF FAME NHL MEDIA AWARD RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Planning for the 2020-2021 AHL season is well underway as is the possible return of the NHL in the summer and a possible late-in-the-year start to the following season are dominant news stories this week.

North American players have been signing deals to play next season in Europe.

The first few of those, even though this AHL season is still a “suspended” rather than a “canceled” season, but expect that designation could change by week’s end or by early next week.

Last week, the Hartford Wolf Pack’s signings for next season of Vincent LoVerde and Mason Geerstsen to AHL contracts combined with two of the five players confirmed heading across the Atlantic Ocean would certainly make it seem like the towel has been tossed in on 2019-20 season.

Nikolai Goldobin of the Utica Comets was the first to announce he was heading back to play with CSKA Moscow (Russia-KHL).

On Sunday, Zach Redmond, 31, an assistant captain the last two season with the Rochester Americans, signed a one year deal with EHC Munich (Germany-DEL). His production slipped to 30 points from 50 after having played in 50 games last season with Rochester. A Ferris State college grad, then in the original CCHA, played 373 AHL games with 70 goals, 157 assists for 227 points. Last year he played in his second AHL All-Star game and was named winner of the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman. He was selected to the AHL First Team All-Star with the most goals by an AHL defenseman (21) in 2018-19 including a league-best 10 game-winners. He played 133 NHL games with five different teams garnering 29 assists and 38 points. Redmond played three seasons of junior hockey with Sioux Falls (SD) Stampede (USHL) in 2008-09.

Two players are expected to sign in Switzerland are Cory Conacher (Syracuse Crunch) and Philippe Hudon (Laval Rocket). Peter Cehlarik (Providence Bruins) is weighing offers from several Swedish Hockey league teams.

The list of US college players signing with North American teams is up to 90, Including Division III players and Euro signings, such as Zach Remers of Buffalo State College (SUNYAC) with Kalmar HC (Sweden Division-1), the total number is 146.

Former New Haven Nighthawk, Grant Ledyard, was the head coach this past season with the college club program at the University of Buffalo Bulls (ACHA Division-1) in the NECHL (Northeast College Hockey League). His assistant coach was one of his three sons, Ryall, a graduate of the school.

AHL NEWS

It would seem to be a forgone conclusion that by mid-to-late May, the AHL season officially will be canceled. The current blueprint that’s being worked on is to pivot to next season.

Players were paid through what would have been the end of the 2019-20 season. Several independent sources have stated that’s the working AHL philosophy, meaning there will, sadly, be no Calder Cup champion this year.

The NHL, on the other hand, seems to be intent on finishing the 2019-20 season that had about 14-15 games left before the Covid-19 pandemic shut it down. They are discussing finishing the regular season and commencing with a summertime Stanley Cup playoffs.

Cantlon’s Corner has learned that four-to-five cities have been identified with low COVID-19 rates and restrictions that have been or about to be lifted. Those US cities are Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Columbus, In Canada, the cities are Edmonton and Toronto. Las Vegas was also under consideration, but the NBA plans on having one of its camps to resume their season there. It’s a numbers game in how many people can be in one facility at any one given time.

While logic would say that with the NHL, having a team in Las Vegas with none in the NBA, that the NHL would get first shot at it, that’s not where the conversation is at this point in time.

The players are being asked what their status is with all of this. The NHL does not want to get into a nitpicking negotiation for the re-opening. However, some players are balking at the idea of returning with the plan of locking down and isolating the players to reduce the chance of an outbreak occurring while the season is resumed. Some players are not happy that they would be taken away from their families for that long of a time.

The cost of canceling the remaining NHL season and the playoffs is estimated at $1.1 billion. The losses if they do play are expected to be only $500 million.

There is a myriad of tricky issues, one of which is that players with contracts that are set to expire on June 30th. There would likely need an addendum or some other sort of legal instrument that would be approved by both the NHL and NHLPLA to extend the deals till September 1st.

Assuming everything is done by August, free agency would begin in September for both the NHL and AHL. At that time, the NHL Draft, potentially virtually as the NFL did, could possibly be held.

The discussion also includes starting the 2020-21 NHL and AHL hockey seasons after Thanksgiving with the NHL All-Star Game likely to be scrapped. However, the AHL All Star Classic is set for Laval in late January and still could receive the green light.

This all subject to change.

CHARLOTTE 

Relationships change like seasons. Some are equitable, amiable, and a mutually parting of the ways. While others can be more contentious and acrimony ensues. It’s safe to safe the odd exit of the Carolina Hurricanes from the Charlotte Checkers as their top farm team, clearly falls in the bitter category.

On Tuesday, the Checkers issued a very rare, extraordinarily biting and snarky press release that upstaged the worst kept secret in hockey that is frankly, baffling, The Hurricanes are moving their AHL team to the Chicago Wolves and leaving the Bojangles Coliseum behind.

“While we are aware that the Carolina Hurricanes are nearing an affiliation agreement with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, the Hurricanes have had little dialogue with us regarding this matter. In an era when NHL teams are placing great value on affiliations with closer proximity between the two clubs, we understand the confusion such a move would cause.”

Street chatter has the Checkers becoming the affiliate of the Florida Panthers, the only team in the NHL without a clear affiliation with any AHL team.

Could this be a sign of a bigger move lurking in the background?

NWHL DRAFT

Congrats to the Danbury-based Connecticut Whale on their picks in the NWHL Draft.

The five-round event for the league’s six teams saw the Whale take Kayla Friesen of Clarkson University in the first round (second overall).

Yale University’s Saroya Tinger went fourth overall to the Metropolitan Riveters.

The other Whale selections included Victoria Howan (University of New Hampshire) in the second round (seventh overall) and in the third round (13th overall) forward Savannah Rennie (Syracuse University) was selected.

In the fourth round, the Whale chose Amanda Conway (Norwich University – 19th overall), and in the fifth and final round, they had two picks taking, with the 25th pick, Nicole Gaigliaro (Adrian College) and their final pick (27th overall), Maddie Bishop (Sacred Heart University).

The league expanded to Toronto, a former CWHL (Canada Women’s Hockey League) city for 2020-21. With six teams, the NWHL’s status as a minor league operation will help in getting visas for their players from Canada and Europe.

The Toronto team will conduct a name the team contest this summer.

NEW COLLEGE HOCKEY PROGRAM

This came out of left field, but it might fit into a regional puzzle.

The Long Island University (LIU) Sharks announced they will launch the 61st NCAA Division I college hockey program.

The school, located in Brookville, Long Island (Nassau County) already has a women’s program that won their conference (New England Women’s Hockey Alliance) post-season title in year one. when they knocked off Sacred Heart University (Bridgeport, CT) in the semifinals and St. Anselm (Goffstown, NH) in the final.

One NCAA requirement hurdle is now out of the way with a men and women’s program in the same sport.

The surprising announcement stated they would start the program as a Division I independent immediately for the 2020-21 season. They’re already in a national search for its first head coach and are paring candidates down to three finalists.

The press release didn’t mention a conference it might join, but the AHA (Atlantic Hockey Association) would seem to be the most logical choice as they said they have talked to the AHA, ECACHL and Hockey East.

The men’s team, like the women’s team, will be using three rinks to play their home games in. They are The Ice Works in Syosset, the Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, and a game or two at the newly renovated, Nassau Coliseum, the home of the NHL New York Islanders who are building a new arena at Belmont Park.

Interestingly, the school is 20-25 minutes from Ronkonkoma (Suffolk County) where there is a proposed 7,500 seat arena that has been talked about and whose initial proposal was submitted. A group, JJL Group, of Chicago has hired former Islander and New York Rangers great, Pat LaFontaine, to gain letters of commitment from an AHL team and college program to be the primary tenants in the proposed new arena.

The JJL Group was given a second extension by Suffolk County until April to gain the necessary commitments, but with the COVID-19 crisis there has been no word on the project. This announcement might change things,

Over the coming weeks more info will be coming on LIU and the arena in Ronkonkoma.

AWARD WINNERS

The Double AA affiliate of the Wolf Pack, the Maine Mariners announced their team’s season awards.

Center, Terrence Wallin (Gunnery Prep), was named the Community Leader Award winner. He played 23 games with the Wolf Pack in the 2018-19 season.

“Terrence has devoted himself to the community in Portland,” said Maine Head Coach, Riley Armstrong, in the team’s press release, “He continues doing work even now with his zoom hockey skills to help develop and grow the game in Maine.”

The other winner of note as the team’s Most Improved Player went to Ty Ronning, who finished up the year with the Wolf Pack.

“The way Ty approached this season on being sent to Maine was a 180 from last season,” said Armstrong. “His maturity level both on and off the ice was eye-opening for me. The way he played in Maine, he really deserved to be up in Hartford.”

Ronning had 11 goals and 26 points in 28 games for the Mariners and had a pair of call ups to the Wolf Pack – first on October 24th, 2019, and again on February 3rd, 2020, after which he stayed in the AHL for the remainder of the season.

With the Mariners in 2019-20, Ronning had three multi-goal games, highlighted by his second career hat trick on January 24th, 2020 in an 8-1 home win against the Worcester Railers.

Ronning will forever hold unique status in Mariners history for his five-point ECHL debut on November 24th 2018 versus the now-defunct Manchester Monarchs, still a single-game franchise record.

USHL DRAFT

The USHL draft will be held this coming Monday (Phase 1) and Tuesday, (Phase II).

Phase I of the Draft is ten rounds of “Futures” age players only, U-17 players for next year’s season (2004 birth year players only for the 2020 Draft).

Phase II of the Draft will take place the following day beginning with round one. This draft is open to players of all ages eligible to play junior hockey and are not currently protected by another USHL team.

BEIJING OLYMPICS 2022

The final rankings by the IIHF for 2020 for men’s and women’s hockey were announced and they are the bases for seeding and grouping for the 2022 Beijing Olympics to be held February 4-20 2022 in the capital of Communist China.

Group A: Canada (1), USA (6), Germany (7), China (12).

Group B: Russia (2), Czech Republic (5), Switzerland (8), Qualifier 3 (11).

Group C: Finland (3), Sweden (4), Qualifier 1 (9), Qualifier 2 (10).

The Olympic Qualification for the men’s teams has already started in November 2019 and will end with the Final Olympic Qualification scheduled for 27-30 August 2020 in the following groups:

Group D: Slovakia, Belarus, Austria, Poland. In Bratislava, Slovakia.

Group E: Latvia, France, Italy, Hungary. In Riga, Latvia.

Group F: Norway, Denmark, South Korea, Slovenia. In Norway (city TBA).

The women’s side has also been set. Sadly, the US and Canada both were placed in Group A derailing a possible Gold Medal game between the two best teams in the tournament.

With only two tournaments played this season, the 2020 IIHF Women’s World Ranking also didn’t change much. The top-six countries remained in the same order and will be the ones directly qualified for the Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament in Beijing 2022, which will be played in two-tiered groups:

Group A: USA (1), Canada (2), Finland (3), Russia (4), Switzerland (5).

Group B: Japan (6), Qualifier 1 (7), Qualifier 2 (8), Qualifier 3 (9), China (10).

The chance of a US-Japan or Canada-Japan or some other nation Gold Medal guarantees no ratings outside of the US and Canada.

A best of three Gold medal series between them would be a ratings winner and help the women’s game on the grandest stage of all.

The US and Canada are clearly heads and shoulders above everyone else in women’s ice hockey someday other nations will join them-just not now.

The women’s world championships were scheduled to be in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia in March and were among the first international hockey events canceled because of COVID-19 as the US was seeking its fifth straight title.

CARLSON ON THE MEND

The last six weeks of COVID-19 has demonstrated that nobody is spared from it.

One-time New England Whaler, Steve Carlson, 64, the youngest of the Carlson brothers, was released from a Johnstown, PA hospital and has initially tested negative for COVID-19.

“Steve is home from a two-day hospital stay. He is continuing to gain strength and is in good spirits. Prognosis looks good with further cardiologist consulting and more testing is needed. He is COVID-19 negative. A special thank you to the doctors, EMT, emergency room, seventh-floor nurses, technicians and security guards at Conemaugh (Memorial Medical Center),” remarked his wife, Vicki Carlson, in a press released late last Friday afternoon.

Carlson and his brothers Jack and Jeff, along with Dave Hanson, made brawling an art form. They were the inspiration of one of the all-time greatest hockey and sports movies, Slapshot as the infamous, Hanson brothers.

Carlson himself addressed the concern for his well being.

“I am grateful and humbled for the outpouring of prayers, concern, and well-wishes. To have friends, fans, and the hockey family, put on the foil during this time, gives me strength. I, and my family, are looking forward to a full recovery,” using one of the more memorable quips from the movie in his foil reference.

Jack had been recalled to the Minnesota Fighting Saints (WHA) during filming, so he didn’t appear in the movie, so Dave Hanson was his replacement and his name helped create the iconic characters.

Steve was not nearly the fighter. His two brothers were never going over the century mark in penalty minutes. He was a more defensive-minded center.

In Johnstown, of the old North American Hockey League (NAHL), he led the team in scoring with 88 points. His brothers were on the wings along with Hanson creating controversy whenever they played. They won the NAHL championship.

He played one full NHL season with the LA Kings in 1979-80. He played with Edmonton on the last WHA Oilers team with his roommate being a very young, Wayne Gretzky.

He played for the harpoon Kelly green uniformed New England Whalers in 1976 and half a season in 1977 each totaling 69 games with 10 goals and 26 points. He was acquired from the Minnesota Fighting Saints, who originally drafted him in the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft, as a free agent, when the first edition of the Fighting Saints folded in May 1976.

He was reacquired on the WHA Intra-League Draft in 1976 by the reincarnation of the Fighting Saints that were originally supposed to be a WHA team in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Then in a cash move, he was traded along with brother Jack, Bill Butters, Mike Antonovich, J.P. Levasseur, and Johnny McKenzie in January 1976 to Edmonton.

Nearly a year later, in January 1977, the Oilers traded him, his brother Jack again, along with the legendary Dave Keon, McKenzie and goalie Dave Dryden (the great Ken Dryden’s older brother) to the Whalers for future consideration in future Hartford Whalers Dave Debol, winger Danny Arndt and cash.

He was claimed off waivers by Edmonton in May 1978 prior to the last WHA season and played the whole season with the Oilers.

Carlson’s entrance to the NHL wasn’t simple either.

His NHL rights were traded to Detroit for a physical minor-league defenseman, Steve Short on December 6, 1978, by LA-even though he wasn’t in the NHL at the time or drafted by either team.

The Kings reclaimed him on waivers from Edmonton prior to the NHL expansion draft on June 9, 1979, the first season after NHL-WHA merger.

Carlson had six solid AHL seasons, two with the Springfield Indians, and the last four of his playing career with the Baltimore Skipjacks finished his AHL career with 207 points in 341 games.

Former New Haven Nighthawk, Dan McCarthy, who played with him in Baltimore, and a full season with the Birmingham South Stars in the old Central Hockey League, has fond memories of their playing days.

“Carly was a great teammate and player. His sense of humor was fantastic. He always had a smile on his face and would pull pranks on players regardless of who they were. Every team needs a Steve Carlson on their team and in the locker room. Hope he gets healthy quickly.”

TOM WEBSTER

Canlton’s Corner received a nice e-mail from former New England Whaler and all-time WHA leading scorer, Andre Lacroix, regarding the passing of Tom Webster last week. “Tommy Webster was a true natural goal scorer. He was a great teammate and he never looked for the glory. He played both ends of the ice as good as anybody. You could always depend on Tommy in a critical situation. The best part about Tommy, he was even a better individual.”

The post CANTLON’S CORNER: HOCKEY NEWS AND NOTES VOLUME 7 first appeared on Howlings.

Total of $35,000 is disbursed to six local organizations

BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, March 10, 2020:  Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation, Inc. president, and Wolf Pack assistant general manager, Pat Boller announced today that the Wolf Pack Community Foundation has issued six separate grants, totaling $35,000 in funding, to six Connecticut non-profit entities.

A grant of $10,000 was made to Gaylord Hospital, Inc, of Wallingford, to help defray expenses for the Gaylord Sports Association’s Wolfpack sled hockey team.  Children in Placement-CT, Inc., of New Haven, received $5,000 to help fund a regional manager position in Hartford.  A grant of $5,000 was made to Ädelbrook, of Cromwell, for help with athletic event expenses for youth with various disabilities.   Special Olympics Connecticut was presented with $5,000 for support of its Northern Time Trials track and field event.  The Children’s Law Center of Connecticut received $5,000, to assist with the costs of representing children in Family Court.  Finally, a grant of $5,000 was issued to True Colors, Inc. Sexual Minority Youth & Family Services of CT, to help fund mentor/mentee activities.

“All of these organizations do great and important work in our community,” said Boller.  “They are all programs that improve the health and welfare of young people throughout the area, and we are grateful to be able to support their good works.”

Gaylord Specialty Healthcare provides world-class rehabilitation for persons who have had a life-altering accident or illness. They serve persons with spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke and medically complex conditions requiring an average in-patient stay of 25 days. They also provide out-patient orthopedic and sports medicine therapy and concussion care. Their adaptive sports program, Gaylord Sports Association, provides team and individual play for persons with physical disabilities.

“Gaylord’s long history with the Hartford Wolf Pack began 15 years ago when we joined forces to host the Tip-a-Player Dinner and Sports Carnival,” said Sonja LaBarbera, President, and CEO of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare.  “We are so grateful for the Foundation’s continued support of the Gaylord Wolfpack. Their partnership not only enables us to purchase new sled hockey equipment and team jerseys but will also serve to shine a spotlight on the important role that adaptive sports plays in improving our athletes’ quality of life.”

Children in Placement-CT is celebrating its 40^th anniversary of serving the children of Connecticut who have been abused and neglected, as their distinct representation in court, providing an insightful and clear report on their best interest for a safe, permanent home.

“Children in Placement is honored to be partnering with the Hartford Wolf Pack in supporting our combined missions of supporting at-risk youth,” stated Children in Placement-CT’s executive director, Janet Freimuth.  “Children in Placement’s staff and volunteers adamantly work to advocate for abused and neglected children throughout the state of Connecticut to ensure safe, permanent homes.  We are grateful that the Hartford Wolf Pack organization sees the benefit of supporting Connecticut’s children.”

Ädelbrook provides residential treatment, special education, trauma intervention, therapeutic group homes, family therapy, in and out-patient services, and in-home care and specialized services, for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and/or developmental/intellectual disabilities.

Ädelbrook director of community engagement Sharon Graves said, “When told about the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation grant, the youth were so excited, they started dancing around, and they all started talking about how they can’t wait to do more 5Ks and the Terrier Tough race, and they were excited to be able to try new sports and events this year.  The grant from the Wolf Pack Community Foundation will allow Ädelbrook youth to engage in physical exercise and provide them with a sense of regulation and adopting mechanisms for coping.  They will be able to participate in athletic competitions, such as Terrier Tough, The Great Inflatable Race, Hartford Marathon, Special Olympics and more!”

Special Olympics Connecticut (SOCT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition.  SOCT was formed in 1969 to serve the needs of people with intellectual disabilities throughout the state.

“Special Olympics Connecticut is pleased to welcome back the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation as a Bronze sponsor of our Northern Time Trials event taking place on Sunday, May 3, 2020, at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor,” said Liza Nolan, senior director – foundations & grants for Special Olympics Connecticut.  “The Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation will be supporting Olympic Town at this event, which is an area filled with fun and interactive events for athletes and their families to enjoy during downtime from the competition.  In order to achieve our mission of providing year-round sports training and athletic competition, we rely heavily on the support we receive from our community partners such as the Wolf Pack Community Foundation. The Foundation’s mission to improve and enhance the lives of Connecticut residents is thoroughly aligned with ours, and we applaud the many efforts the Wolf Pack Foundation has made to support underserved communities and individuals throughout the state.”

The Children’s Law Center of Connecticut, through its programs and services, promotes safe, stable environments for children whose parents are in chronic conflict.

Justine Rakich-Kelly, The Children’s Law Center of Connecticut’s executive director, stated, “We are truly grateful to our friends at the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation for their generous support!  The Children’s Law Center represents children in highly contested custody cases.  Because of the generosity of the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation, we will be able to protect more of Hartford’s vulnerable children and help their families to understand and better meet their children’s needs.  The Wolf Pack Community Foundation have been generous supporters, and we are thrilled to be able to partner with them again in 2020.”

True Colors works to ensure that youth of all orientations and genders are welcomed, valued and affirmed at home, in school and in the community at large. They provide youth leadership programming; offer CT’s only mentoring program for LGBTQ+ youth, train more than 5,500 educators and other youth-serving professionals each year and produce the largest LGBTQ+ conference in the nation

“We are so grateful to the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation for their generosity and support,” said True Colors executive director Robin McHaelen. “This grant will allow us to create wonderful new memories for the LGBTQ+ youth in our mentoring program.  What a tremendous gift!”

The Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation supports charitable programs for inner-city youth, and youth amateur sports, in order to enhance and improve the lives of Connecticut’s children and of those in our community.

The post CRAWFORD: HARTFORD WOLF PACK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ISSUES GRANT FUNDING first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners 

PORTLAND, ME – Feb. 24, 2020 – It’s been a major grind for the Mariners through the first two months of 2020. After playing 15 games in January, the Mariners will wind down their 14-game February with two this week – and a third on Sunday to open March. 2020’s third month will provide some relief – with a total of 11 games, seven of which are at home, and nine of which are played in New England (Portland or Worcester). The Mariners sit third in the North Division, ten points up on a playoff spot, in a sandwich between second and fourth place, with a two-point buffer in each direction. Sunday afternoon begins a big four-game homestand and features an appearance by the Kelly Cup and the honoring of a local hero.

The week that was

Tues, Feb. 18^th – MNE: 2, NFL: 1

For as good as Francois Brassard was on Saturday, he was even better Tuesday, making 34 saves to help the Mariners take back-to-back games in Newfoundland. Aaron Luchuk, who would be traded the following day, scored the lone first-period goal for the Growlers before Greg Chase tied it up in the 2^nd period. Terrence Wallin netted his team-leading seventh game-winner midway through the third. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS

Weds, Feb. 19^th – MNE: 5, NFL: 2

Despite giving up the first goal of the game for the third time in four contests at Mile One Centre, the Mariners jumped on Growler goalie Maxsim Zhukov with three in the first from Conner Bleackley, Dillan Fox, and Alex Kile – Kile’s goal coming on a 5-on-3. Newfoundland got the game back to a one-goal margin in the third but Kile scored again to restore the two-goal lead. Ryan Culkin’s empty netter capped off the third win in a row at Mile One Centre – a first for a visiting opponent in Growlers franchise history. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS

Sat, Feb 22^nd – MNE: 2, ADK: 1

The Mariners continued a stellar run defensively, keeping their opponent to two or fewer goals for the fifth game in a row, as goals from Bleackley and Kile were enough for Connor LaCouvee. The Thunder didn’t score until midway through the third period when Mike Szmatula banked one off LaCouvee’s back from below the goal line. The Mariners win in Glens Falls was their seventh in a row, and they improved to 12-4-0-0 overall against the Thunder this season. FULL GAME RECAP

Sun, Feb 23^rd – NFL: 4, MNE: 1

A visibly fatigued Mariners team just didn’t have it from the get-go in their return to Portland after the five-game trip. The Growlers pounced early with a pair of goals before the game was five minutes old and when they took a 3-0 lead through one, the hole was too deep for the Mariners to climb out of. Jeff Taylor scored Maine’s lone goal while Justin Brazeau and Evan Neugold had two points each for a Newfoundland team that snapped a four-game losing streak. The Growlers took a very even season series, 6-5. Over 3,000 fans turned out on a Sunday afternoon for “Miracle Night,” as the Mariners wore 1980 Team USA-inspired uniforms and screen the movie after the game. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS

Transactions (oldest to most recent)
F LEWIS ZERTER GOSSAGE WAS TRADED FROM THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK TO THE LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS
THE MARINERS ACQUIRED D MATT NUTTLE FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS

This week’s schedule (all times Eastern)
Weds, Feb. 26 @ Reading Royals – 7:00 PM (AWAY)
Fri, Feb. 28 @ Wheeling Nailers – 7:05 PM (AWAY)
Sun, Mar. 1 vs. South Carolina Stingrays – 3:00 PM (HOME) – TICKETS 

The Mariners jump back on the road for a pair of games, Wednesday at Reading and Friday at Wheeling. Wednesday night’s game will be a battle for 2^nd place in the North Division, with the Mariners currently trailing the Royals by two points. Friday’s trip to Wheeling is the first-ever in Mariners’ history. The Nailers came to Portland last February and lost to the Mariners, 4-1. All games air on the Mariners Broadcast Network, with pregame coverage beginning 15 minutes prior to puck drop. The radio broadcast streams free on MarinersOfMaine.com/listen or the Mixlr App. A video stream is available on a subscription or pay-per-view bases through ECHL.tv in HD, with the “AWAY” audio option carrying the Mariners broadcast.

On Sunday afternoon, Northeast Charter and Tour Co. presents “Reading Night,” as the Mariners will recognize members of their inaugural “Read with ME” summer reading program. The ECHL’s championship trophy, the Kelly Cup will also be in the building for fans to view and take photos with. During the 2^nd intermission, the Captain Joel Barnes Community Service Award will be handed out to one of three finalists, which were named this past week. Captain Barnes tragically passed away in the line of duty exactly one year ago to the day of the game. The Mariners’ opponent is the South Carolina Stingrays, who currently possess the best record in the ECHL. Puck drop is 3 PM, and fans can skate with the team after the game. Groups of 10 or more can get discounted tickets by calling 833-GO-MAINE. Individual tickets can be purchased at MarinersOfMaine.com, at the Trusted Choice Box Office inside the Cross Insurance Arena, or by calling 207-775-3458. For all Saturday and Sunday home games, Family Four Packs are available when purchased in advance. Family four packs include four tickets, four food, and drink vouchers, and four Mariners can koozies, starting at $80.

Playoff Picture:

TIEBREAKERS:

1. Non-Shootout Wins (ROW)
2. Goal Differential
3. Head-To-Head points (Adjusted for an equal number of home games)

The Mariners “Magic Number” is calculated by the combination of points gained and points “not gained” by the first non-playoff team (Adirondack). For example, each Mariners win reduces the number by two, and each overtime or shootout loss reduces it by one. Conversely, each Adirondack regular loss reduces the number by two, and each Adirondack overtime or shootout loss reduces it by one. The top four teams in the division make the playoffs, with the top two getting “home-ice advantage” in the first round.

Looking ahead:
The Mariners remain home for the first four games of March. On March 6^th, it’s Throwback Night against the Reading Royals at 7:15 PM presented by Partners Bank, as the Mariners wear original Mariners jerseys with Mariners AHL alumni on hand. Sunday, March 8^th is “I Love the 90s” against Worcester at 3 PM with a postgame full-team autograph session after the game. The full promotional schedule can be found here.

Community Collection:

The Mariners and the Cross Insurance Arena are collecting books for the remainder of the regular season for Ronald McDonald Charities of Maine. Fans who donate three or more books will receive a ticket to a Mariners weekday game. Both children’s and adult’s book donations are welcomed. Items MUST be donated at the Promotions Port to the right of the main security gates. While donations will be accepted at the Mariners office and other Cross Insurance Arena events, fans are not eligible to receive tickets unless the items are donated at a Mariners game.

The post KEELEY: MARINERS WEEKLY: SCHEDULE SOFTENING first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners 

PORTLAND, ME: Feb. 17, 2020 – The Mariners went riding high into a pair of off-days in Newfoundland after bringing the Growlers’ ECHL record 19 game win streak to an end on Saturday night at Mile One Centre in St. John’s. The Growlers set a new mark with a 5-1 win over the Mariners on Friday, passing the 18 game streak of the 1994-95 South Carolina Stingrays, but a 3-1 Maine win on Saturday kept the streak from reaching 20. Two games remain in Newfoundland on Tuesday and Wednesday, before the Mariners head back stateside to meet Adirondack on Saturday and finally return home for one more with the Growlers on Sunday afternoon in Portland. One day after the 40^th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Olympics, the Mariners will honor the famous Lake Placid event in the final home game of February.

The week that was

Tues, Feb. 11^th – BRM: 2, MNE: 3/OT

3-2 was the score of choice in all three games between the Mariners and Brampton Beast as they played a trio of games at the Cross Insurance Arena last week, Brampton winning on Saturday and Sunday. The Beast jumped out to a pair of one-goal leads, following the pattern of the series’ previous games, but the Mariners rallied to erase a 2-1 third period deficit before Alex Kile delivered his third overtime winner of the season with less than a minute to go in the extra session. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS

Fri, Feb. 14^th – MNE: 1, NFL: 5

The Growlers sought an ECHL record as they went for their 19^th consecutive home win and grabbed a 3-0 lead through the middle part of the 2^nd period. It was then that Conner Bleackley got the Mariners on the board, but they’d get no closer, as Newfoundland added on two more to skate away with the record and improve to 5-0 all-time vs. the Mariners on their home ice. FULL GAME RECAP

Sat, Feb 15^th – MNE: 3, NFL: 1

The Mariners got the first goal of the game for the first time in five contests as Michael McNicholas struck on the power play early in the 2^nd. Newfoundland’s Riley Woods responded to tie the game late in the frame and it remained 1-1 until the Mariners power play found the net again with less than 90 seconds to go in the third on Morgan Adams-Moisan’s tap-in goal. Greg Chase added an empty netter and Newfoundland’s home win streak was stopped at 19 games. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS

Transactions (oldest to most recent)
D JEFF TAYLOR AND F LEWIS-ZERTER GOSSAGE WERE ASSIGNED TO MAINE FROM HARTFORD (AHL)
F JAKE ELMER WAS RECALLED TO HARTFORD (AHL) BY THE NEW YORK RANGERS (NHL)
D BRANDON CRAWLEY WAS RECALLED TO HARTFORD (AHL) BY THE NEW YORK RANGERS (NHL)
MARINERS RELEASED F EDDIE MATSUSHIMA
MARINERS SIGNED D DALLAS ROSSITER
D RYAN CULKIN WAS RECALLED TO THE LAVAL ROCKET (AHL)

This week’s schedule (all times Eastern)
Tues, Feb. 18 @ Newfoundland Growlers – 5:30 PM (AWAY)
Weds, Feb. 19 @ Newfoundland Growlers – 5:30 PM (AWAY)
Sat, Feb. 22 @ Adirondack Thunder – 7:00 PM (AWAY)
Sun, Feb. 23 vs. Newfoundland Growlers – 3:00 PM (HOME) – TICKETS 

Two more games await the Mariners in Newfoundland on Tuesday and Wednesday at Mile One Centre – both beginning at 5:30 PM ET. The road trip will conclude with a 7 PM faceoff on Saturday night at the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, NY, where the Mariners have won each of their last six trips. All games air on the Mariners Broadcast Network, with pregame coverage beginning 15 minutes prior to puck drop. The radio broadcast streams free on MarinersOfMaine.com/listen or the Mixlr App. A video stream is available on a subscription or pay-per-view bases through ECHL.tv in HD, with the “AWAY” audio option carrying the Mariners broadcast.

Sunday’s “Miracle Night,” at the Cross Insurance Arena will be the last home game of February as well as the final game of the regular season series between Maine and Newfoundland. The Mariners will wear specialty jerseys inspired by the 1980 U.S. Olympic goal medal team, which are currently up for auction through the Handbid app, and will be until the start of the 3^rd period on Sunday. The Disney movie, “Miracle” will be screened on the video board following the game, with a concession stand remaining open to fans.

Fans can avoid Ticketmaster Fees by purchasing tickets to select themed games (including Miracle Night) through the Mariners’ new “Theme Night Tickets” page. For all Saturday and Sunday home games, Family Four Packs are available when purchased in advance. Family four packs include four tickets, four food, and drink vouchers, and four Mariners can koozies, starting at $80.

Looking ahead:
On Sunday, March 1^st at 3 PM, the South Carolina Stingrays come to down as the Mariners name the Captain Joel Barnes Community Service Award winner, plus a postgame skate with the team. On March 6^th, it’s Throwback Night against the Reading Royals at 7:15 PM, as the Mariners wear original Mariners jerseys with Mariners AHL alumni on hand. Sunday, March 8^th is “I Love the 90s” against Worcester at 3 PM with a postgame full-team autograph session after the game. The full promotional schedule can be found here.

Community Collection:

The Mariners and the Cross Insurance Arena are collecting books for the remainder of the regular season for Ronald McDonald Charities of Maine. Fans who donate three or more books will receive a ticket to a Mariners weekday game. Both children’s and adult’s book donations are welcomed. Items MUST be donated at the Promotions Port to the right of the main security gates. While donations will be accepted at the Mariners office and other Cross Insurance Arena events, fans are not eligible to receive tickets unless the items are donated at a Mariners game.

The post KEELEY: MARINERS WEEKLY: MIRACLE REMEMBERED first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners

Nov. 4, 2019 – It was in the month of November of 2018 that the Mariners first hit their stride during their inaugural season. With a 7-2-0-1 record in the season’s second month of 2018-19, it was in that month that the team began to gel. After a 2-4-0-1 October to start their second season, the first game of November went into the win column this past Saturday night, and the home cooking continues over the next two weeks as they look to climb the North Division standings. Another one game weekend is ahead, with a fresh opponent on the other side of the ice.

The week that was

Saturday, Nov. 2^nd – NFL: 2, MNE: 3

It was the third consecutive game for the Mariners against the Growlers, and for the third time, Newfoundland scored first. The game followed a similar pattern of Maine’s win the previous Friday, as the Mariners again rallied from a 2-0 deficit to get even. Taylor Cammarata netted the game winner with less than six minutes to go in the third, completing the comeback. Greg Chase was the #1 star in his return from injury and goaltender Tom McCollum was on top of his game after allowing the two in the first, making 36 saves to earn his 2^nd win. FULL GAME RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS 

Transactions (oldest to most recent)
F Lewis Zerter-Gossage and D Jeff Taylor were recalled to the Hartford Wolf Pack
F Ryan Dmowski was recalled to the Hartford Wolf Pack

This week’s schedule (all times Eastern)
Sat, Nov. 9 vs. Adirondack Thunder – 6:00 PM (HOME) 

Saturday night is Military Appreciation Night presented by Martin’s Point in partnership with Bath Iron Works. The first 2,000 fans through the door will get an exclusive Mariners lobster beanie, courtesy of Martin’s Point. The beanie will not be sold. It’s also another Family Four Pack game – families of four can get four tickets, four food and drink vouchers, and four can koozies for as low as $80. Family four packs must be purchased in advance. The Mariners will take on the Adirondack Thunder at 6:00 PM, seeking their first win of the season against them. Adirondack has won each of the first two meetings by 5-2 final scores: October 11^th at the Cross Insurance Arena and October 23^rd in Glens Falls. 

Mariners Coach’s Show

The Mariners Coach’s Show is back this week, broadcasting live at Three Dollar Deweys on 241 Commercial St. in Portland. Voice of the Mariners Michael Keeley hosts and is joined by players and coaches most Thursday night. The show airs from 6-7 PM and four ice row tickets to Saturday’s game will be given away at Three Dollar Deweys. The show can also be heard on Mixlr at MarinersOfMaine.com/listen.

Looking ahead:
On Monday, November 11^th, “Gritty Does Portland,” when the world famous Philadelphia Flyers mascot pays a visit to the Cross Insurance Arena. A limited quantity of special Gritty packages are available for $100, which include two tickets to the game, two Gritty pucks, two Mariners hats and can koozies, a pregame meet and greet with Gritty, and a professional photo. A full team autograph session will follow Monday’s game as well, presented by Southern Maine Remodeling. The Mariners remain home through the weekend of November 15^th and 16^th including “Wes McCauley Appreciation Night” on the 15^th. The full promotional schedule is here.

Community Collection:

The Mariners and the Cross Insurance Arena are collecting non-perishable food donations to benefit the South Portland Food Cupboard throughout the months of October and November. Fans who donate five items will receive a ticket to a Mariners weekday game. (must donate items at a Mariners game)

The post KEELEY: MARINERS WEEKLY: MARINERS LOOK TO REPEAT NOVEMBER SUCCESS first appeared on Howlings.