Two months into the season, the games turned nasty. John teaches all levels of private and group lessons. Josh Elzinga vs. Brad Wingfield, December 03, 2005 - Kalamazoo Wings vs. Danbury Trashers . On June 8, 2006, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office announced that Galante was the subject of an indictment that included charges of fraud, extortion, racketeering, tax fraud and conspiracy. I first heard it from a father on the sidelines of a Little League game soon after I moved in. Asked how the payback made him feel, Wingnut said great, but I would have liked to have seen him leaving the ice on a stretcher or in a body bag.. The Trashers' most notorious festival of violence had taken place on Dec. 1, 2004, when they hosted the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Wings. Defense. My dad wasnt too happy, and in so many words I was told, We need a fucking scorer. I was on spring break from college, and my break consisted of me in my room researching I didnt really have any relationships with other hockey people. Thank you." ", "WE LOVED THOSE FANS," SAYS OMICIOLI. 117 followers. Right before the league's trade deadline in March 2006, Jimmy and A.J. John also has coached with the Florida Jr. Panthers and Florida Panthers Hockey Schools for many years. Her style may be unorthodox, but she fits right in between the pipes. SON CONNOR IS NOW PLAYING IN THE USHL (WATERLOO BLACKHAWKS), Played in over 1,000 games in the NHL, AHL, Swedish Elite League, Finnish National League and more, Private hockey instructor with Saveology.com Iceplex team, Former Assistant Coach for the Florida Everblades (ECHL) during the 09-10 season, Currently the Director of Hockey Operations at TPH Ft. Lauderdale, National Hockey League (NHL) Alumni for the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, 2013-current -Coach with the Florida Alliance/Southeast Elite Program, 2012-current -Coach with the Florida Jr. Everblades, Player for the United States men's ice hockey team in three Olympic's (2002, 2006, and 2010), Playedfour years at the University of WisconsinMadison, This website is powered by SportsEngine's. Having played over a decade in the ECHL including four seasons playing at the AHL level (Worcester IceCats, Grand Rapids Griffins, Lowell Lock Monsters, and Rochester Americans), his eight seasons with the Florida Everblades culminated in the team Captain having his iconic #9 jersey retired. But they also swap remember-that-time-when stories about those two years they ran that crazy-assed hockey team. The NHL bars players who are blind in one eye, so Beauregard was consigned to a career in the minors. The league's 13 other owners were happy for the cash infusion. If Wylie signs with another team, the Chiefs could have options in . While David-Alexandre Beauregard was no goon, he fit into the Danbury menagerie. We were maybe the toughest team to ever play this game. A view of the scene Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, as the cleanup continues at the site of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3, in East Palestine, Ohio. In the first period Wagner instigated a fight, and an all-out brawl broke out. Asked what hes up to these days, he said, Enjoying life.. Someone had said Galante, with a near-monopoly on regional garbage collection, was driving out competitors. In 2015, AJ opened a boxing club across from the Danbury arena. At a home game in Danbury, he beat up three Adirondack forwards, AJ said. starts innumerable sentences, "My dad always says.", Usually so engaging and candid, A.J. The United States government came in and seized my assets, and one of the assets was the team, Galante told me. 2005-2006 UHL Fight - Danbury Trashers Brad Wingfield Takes Revenge On Josh Elzinga Who Ended His 2004-2005 Season On A Slew Footing Incident The Broke Winge. John has two sons who also like to play hockey. Somehow they got the message upstairs. Paul,originallyfrom Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with teams such as Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and the Colorado Avalanche. Frank The Animal Bialowas, a legend in hockey circles, had played three games in the NHL, then spent the rest of his career in the minors, rambling from rink to rink, like a bad man in a Western. I never had one bad thing happen in my dealings with Jimmy Galante.". So we knew Jimmy had resources.. Wingfield challenged a Kalamazoo player, Josh Elzinga, to a fight. The 200405 UHL season coincided with the NHL lockout. The New York Times described him as a Danbury trash hauler suspected of mob ties who had a story right out of The Sopranos., From December 2019: Scorseses elegy for the American gangster. Josh Gratton vs Adam Elzinga - Sep 5, 2001 - YouTube NHL hockey fights, brawls, scrums, roughs, hits, cheap shots, and other incidents. Soon Jimmy was renting buses to take fans to big road games. (Jimmy was allowed to answer only a few questions by email sent through A.J. - Verification Badge on your profile, Post a scouting report/trivia/player comment in English (visible here), 2001, 4 #48 overall by Cedar Rapids Roughriders, 2000, 8 #157 overall by Windsor Spitfires. According to the indictment filed with the U.S. District Court in Connecticut, in addition to skating for the Trashers, several players (or their wives) were on the payrolls of his various companiessalesperson, sales manager, whatever. Predictably, Wingnut went after Elzinga, administering a considerable beating and triggering another near riot. But haberdashery isn't what it used to be, and Danbury has struggled to find a new commercial base. The government seized most of his assets, including 25 trash companies and a string of race cars. Throughout his busy professional career, he has also participated in numerous hockey schools around the country. showed off the aggressively down-market style the Trashers brought to the UHL. "Listen, for all you guys who don't have a sack, I've brought enough balls for everyone," he said. It's possible Wylie could return on a one-year deal that is a significant raise from the $2.38 million he earned last season. View the profiles of people named Josh Elzinga. We play a team like the Frostbite, a team with maybe two goons. The Galantes hired J. Todd Stirling, a son of former Islanders coach Steve Stirling, as the inaugural coach. The second goes on in the front office: signing players, making trades. She started playing hockey, in her wheelchair. With the NHL idled by a lockout that would scuttle the 2004--05 season in mid-February, the UHL became a haven for restless NHL players wanting to play to stay in shape. He was a star in the UHL, having scored 43 goals for the Port Huron. Matty the Horse spent 18 months in the big house, but he survived it, dying a free man in August 2012. The constant sitting has led to excruciating backaches. Teaching athletes to learn and howto think, over just going through the motions of drills, brings the best out of each athlete. Says St. Clair, "It still feels like I got kicked in the f------ chest. "Oh, everyone knew the deal," says Omicioli, "but [we] didn't care. A.J. In the summer of '06, the Trashers sent 105 season-ticket holders refund checks, totaling $31,177. Wingnut. was fined and suspended for nearly coming to blows with an executive from another team during a game. My son plays there eight or nine times a year. He offered Roanoke not just a pair of current Trashers but also other players in the UHL supplemental draft that summer. The first was the famed Quebec League (officially the Ligue Nord-Amricaine de Hockey), which can be thought of as an aquarium stocked with fighting fish: young goons and old goons, bald goons and goons with mullets. Marc's experience as a professional Triathlete and coach with Team USA brings an understanding of the whole body and the athlete to the Ice. Yet the father delegated personnel moves to the son. "Al Davis, he was a wild man with a team full of outlaws, and that's how I wanted to be. Jimmy and A.J. The Trashers folded three days after Galantes arrest. That meant late-night sessions on hockeydb.com, where he searched for telling stats. Some say he did it as a civic benefactor, to give a depressed city something to rally around. wasn't the only reason Galante drew comparisons with Tony Soprano. "You can't have him," Roanoke Valley's GM responded. When Danbury became the home of the Eastern Professional Leagues Mad Hatters in 2008, the St. Clairs quickly welcomed them. picks his words with great care when discussing what he calls "the legal issues" of the last few years. It was populated by the die-hard, the angry, and the drunk. Many Trashers playersnow scattered in office complexes and neighborhood rinks across North Americaspeak of this as the greatest night of their hockey life. Theres nothing sadder than a small city. Through hockey, Brenda has served as an inspiration for others, from children learning the sport to those like 25-year-old Eric Vogel, a fellow goalie drafted by the expansion Southwestern Pennsylvania Magic of the Federal League in June. said of Beauregard. The intimidation factor was unreal. Rumun Ndur was the only Nigerian-born player ever to make it to the NHL. A Cree from Saskatchewan who sometimes sported a multicolored Mohawk, he stood barely 5'10" but had a chin of granite and relished punching above his weight class. "Listen," he said, "my dad is coming home for dinner at 7:30, and if I don't have a goal scorer by then, I'm in big trouble." (VOY: "Shattered") Following the loss of the USS Voyager, Johnson was devastated, but he held out hope that Janeway and the rest of the crew were alive longer than most people did. Some of the UHL's East Coast teams were either moving to other leagues or folding. Says Andy Paproski, a lifelong resident of Danbury (pop. Soon, a 3-on-3 scrimmage was underway with Brenda, for the first time in her life, facing shots in a real game. | View as text League Information Josh Elzinga played in four leagues over the course of his career. At home they took to the ice to Welcome to the Jungle, by Guns N Roses. "Jimmy's a guest of the government, and I love that man." Mahfuz riad. During a 1994 junior hockey game he was on a breakaway when he caught a high stick under his visor. So in 2004 Galante sank his money into the hockey equivalent of Double A ball. Recalls Galante, "It was obvious he was thinking, What did I get myself into? In 2004, this meant buying a minor-league-hockey franchise and installing it at the local youth rink, the Danbury Ice Arena. According to the indictment, Galante was making quarterly payments of $30,000 to Matty the Horse, the successor to Vincent the Chin Gigante and the boss of the Genovese crime family. Whether people deny it or not, everyone loves a hockey fight.. He spent six years in Allenwood, a federal penitentiary in central Pennsylvania. He paid the funeral costs of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq and donated $200,000 to a nonprofit that provided financial assistance to soldiers serving overseas. Questioned about the no-show jobs, former players laughed and changed the subject. She had tears in her eyes and was thanking us so much. For a few hours, hockey had given Brenda a sense of normalcy to which Vogel can relate. Watch Unreal Save by TJ Semptimphelter. After signing Gretzky, he went for Jim Duhart, the Crash Davis of minor-league hockey. In that time he has been instrumental in helping change the face of hockey in Florida. says wistfully. Latest Fights Date Players Videos 03/01/09 R. Sexsmith ( EVI) vs. J. Elzinga ( CBZ) 3rd Period 18:55 Watch 11/24/06 M. Versteeg-Lytwyn ( KAL) vs. J. Elzinga ( PHF) 1st Period 12:37 Watch 03/12/06 J. Elzinga ( KAL) vs. D. Van Drunen ( MUS) Though he scored on the play, he lost sight in his left eye. A small town has its lawns and picket fences and wholesome values, a big town its go-getters and civic fathers. The Trashers would sell out the arena regularly as fans of various ethnicities, ages and collars converged to cheer them on. Rumun Ndur ended up seeing red and going batshit crazy, AJ told me. ago] Height 5.11 -- Weight 175 [180 cm/79 kg] Embed Josh Elzinga stats! That matchup was marred by a brawl that kicked off when Trashers left winger Brad Wingfield attempted to fight Kalamazoos Josh Elzinga, who declined the invitation. After he was released on $1 million bond, he was asked whether he had any comment. Depending on whom you ask, Jimmy Galante was either one of its mobsters or a legit businessman whose waste-removal company had become associated with the Mafia. "I said, 'Sure,' which, to my dad, was like signing a contract. Toward the trade deadline, we were going through a slump. Which was the point: The Danbury Ice Arena was the sort of place where you could get into it with a random bozo in the bleachers, and he would turn out to be the head of the opposing team. Jimmy was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault. It was four years to the day from the Trashers' first game. My father said, out of nowhere, If I ever buy a hockey team, youre going to run it. I was like, Yeah, sure. Then, two days later, he said, Okay, I bought the team. True to his word, Galante made his son the teams general manager. His job was to be the Kevin Costner to Brent Gretzkys Whitney Houston. It was happening at the FBIs office in New Haven, where, by the spring of 2005, a handful of agents were deep into an investigation of Galantes garbage business. "We did our due diligence, and they put in the proper paperwork and were professional," says Richard Brosal, then the UHL's commissioner. When asked whether they knew anything about the other side of Galantes life, most said something along the lines of Not exactly, but we did know we were well taken care of. In a 2004 altercation with Josh Elzinga of the Kalamazoo Wings, Wingfield's season was cut short when he gruesomely broke his leg from a Elzinga slew-foot (the act of sweeping out someone's leg.) She would go there (the Danbury Ice Arena) every single day and sit around in the stands for a total of probably eight hours just to watch an hour of practice, Greg said. They led the league in penalty minutes. Some say he did it for the same reason he owned a race-car squad: He loved to compete. The game was still knotted after two overtimes. Brenda, confined to a wheelchair because of spina bifida, had never been to a pro hockey game. Danbury fans whod followed the team to Glens Falls got word of the situation and gave the players the shirts off their own backs. 2013-current Head Coach of the 2005 AAA Florida Alliance/Southeast Elite Program, 11 years in professional hockey in the AHL, ECHL, and Europe, More information about Marc can be found at, Over 13 years as a Professional Triathlete with 35 overall victories, Oldest Pro to ever compete in Pro World Championship 2006, Junior Hockey- Ohio Juniors Collegiate Hockey Ohio University, Private lessons and Camps Specializing in European Power skating. began moonlighting as a boxing manager. Sign up today to get the best features and analysis from the NHL and beyond. More information about Marc can be found atwww.OptimumAthlete.com. In a nod to waste management he named his team the Trashers; the logo was a garbage can armed with a hockey stick, the Zamboni resembled a trash truck and the mascot was called Scrappy. Residents greeted the new hockey team with considerable excitement. THE SOUND TRACK of the Starrett City Boxing Club in Brooklyn is on full blast: the thrumming of the speed bag, the grunts of a fighter absorbing shots, the whistle every three minutes to denote the end of a round. He almost looked like Waynethe same intelligent eyes and long face, the same scraggly mall-rat hairbut not quite. All get tossed. - Ability to add additional data to your career profile: Videos, Images, Social Media, Referrals, Fitness Testing Results and much more! Al lives in Lithia, Floridawith his wife and son. A UHL season was about 80 games followed by playoffs; the champion took home the Colonial Cup. SON NATE WAS DRAFTED BY MISSISSAUGA IN THE 2021 OHL DRAFT. Coach Ernie's interest in athletic performance development stems from his extensive career competing in ice hockey. Mathieuhasbecome a staple in the Tampa area over the last 2 years coaching kids and offering private lessons at Lightning Hockey Schools and Camps, Lightning Community Hockey Development, Lightning Made, Street Lightning, Chase Your Dreams, Future Goals and as a goalie consultant for the Lightning Development Camp. The trade rumors negatively impacted Torres on the field. Sign up for EP Premium and verify your profile to access these benefits. Brad WingfieldWingnutchallenged Elzinga: Drop em; lets get it on. The second year, Port Huron became the Roanoke Valley Vipers. Word got around the hockey world, and soon A.J. "The camaraderie with the Galante familythe laughs, the dinnersit's sad," Pomposello says, his voice catching. But it wasn't just the players who were punished. Home; Fights. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. (I wanted to bring something back to the community, Galante told me when I spoke with him in February.) In return, Jimmy asked only that the players make hospital visits or speak at schools. Like Mike Tyson in his prime.". As evidence that Galante was prone to violence, the prosecution played footage of him purportedly striking the official during the infamous Kalamazoo game. I suspended his son." It was a violent league made of players on the way up, players on the way down, and some players simply holding on, happy to live in the limbo of the minor leagues. Players - FM Leaders; Teams - FM Leaders . TEMPE - Despite a third period push, an injury-riddled Arizona State hockey team fell 4-2 to Alaska Fairbanks on Friday night's series opener at Mullett Arena. But his fights are what people remember. [The attitude was,] You're supposed to be courteous in minor league hockey? They called back, and I said, Do you want to trade that one-eyed guy? His first game with us, he had [a goal and an assist]. We knew the reality: It was hockey, but it was also entertainment. Maybe it was better that way. "Before games we'd be mobbed," says Tom Devine, owner of the Two Steps Downtown Grille. says. said. fgcu.campuslabs.com. Wagner's career stats in the league: two games and 73 penalty minutes. And that wasn't all. While other UHL franchises were notorious for penny-pinching, the Trashers traveled in a luxe team bus. Maybe because Im Italian and in the garbage business.. The roster was constantly in flux, but it usually had more enforcers than players in need of protection. One was Rumun Ndur, a Nigeria-born Canadian who was known for his aggression. 117 Followers, 355 Following, 69 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Josh Elzinga (@jelzinga86) 117 Followers, 355 Following, 69 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Josh Elzinga (@jelzinga86) jelzinga86. I figured it would be like a video game, controlling players and all that. This summer, she took multiple trips to the ER for what she believes is a pinched nerve in her neck. Initially, just as a spectator. There were hundreds of fans like Greg and Brenda St. Clair, a Danbury couple who went halfway through the season to check out the new team. The Trashers still trigger strong responses in Danbury, too. One day in November, an employee at the Ice Arena was proud to show the building until he was told his visitor was interested in writing an article on the Trashers. We had 10 goons! One player told me he did actual work in waste removal for Galantenothing no-show about his job. ago] Height 6.02 -- Weight 205 [188 cm/93 kg] Regular Season. After the game Wingfield told a local reporter, "It felt great to get back at Elzinga but I would have liked to have seen him leaving the ice on a stretcher or in a body bag.". 69 posts. Theyd gotten close in 2005; now they intended to kick the son of a bitch in. They were both in waste management, and both possessed an undeniable charm that compensated for their rough edges. Wins came in bunches. It was a special experience, my best in minor league hockey. In many ways, the first round of that postseason was the high point: the Trashers versus the Frostbite, best of seven. One night, he got into a shouting match with a stranger who turned out to be the visiting teams general managerthe result being a call to AJ from Richard Brosal, the UHL commissioner, followed by a short suspension. "No," Jimmy replied. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. One year ago we knocked on the door, he said. Featured in the NETFLIX documentary Untold: Crime \u0026 Penalties, the story of the Danbury Trashers relives the short and tumultuous history of an old United Hockey League team that married WWE Wrestling with the innocence of The Mighty Ducks to offer a brand of hockey never before seen. Between periods, players take off their jersey and pads. Severely injured by a terrible cheap shot from an opponent, Winger is able to rehab his broken leg and get his revenge exactly 367 days later.The film footage is sort of grainy (unless you watch the documentary for some unique angles), but until this film, the audio from the home broadcast of the Danbury Trashers has never been available. Galante was a philanthropist; a pediatric suite in the emergency department of Danbury Hospital was named for his family. Brenda got tattoos of the names of her favorite players. He was a defenseman and hit a kid, Galante said. "It was loud," says A.J., "and security was very, let's just say, flexible." Wingnut went down awkwardly, and a crack could be heard in every part of the arena: Wingnuts left tibia and fibula. PHOTOGRAPHS BY WENDY CARLSON (MASCOT, 5); VIDEO STILLS BY THOMAS BUTKIER (2). Most teams rode in a rickety, Partridge Familystyle bus. She had always wanted to play in a game and afterward she kept talking, Did you see this save and that save? It was really, really great. A tale of goons, no-show jobs, and a legendary minor-league franchise that helped land its owner in prison. Jimmy Galante was arrested on June 9, 2006, not long after the final game of the season. The charge was later dropped due to a lack of clear evidence, but Brosal fined Galante an undisclosed amount and suspended Harper for five games. Furthermore, according to authorities, in April 2005 Galante had met with Louis DeLuca, a longtime Connecticut state senator. That is it.. also hired Tommy (T-Bone) Pomposello, a former minor leaguer, who would do everything from managing the equipment to scouting talent to helping run practice. Stirling avoided jail time after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud. They were always pulling them out late, clearing the bench, fighting and celebrating. Jon (Nasty) Mirasty averaged more than eight minutes of penalties over 25 games. Now and then, AJ would watch a game from Section 102. Important: An official team/league url or a team document must be provided for us to update player stats. The UHL comprised 14 teams, including the Quad City Mallards, the Elmira Jackals, the Flint Generals, the Fort Wayne Komets, the Kalamazoo Wings, and the Adirondack Frostbite. Team Information. Still, it was clear who had the ultimate authority: Before and after some games Jimmy gave the team fiery pep talks and blistering critiques. Seven players were sent to the penalty box. NHL hockey fights, brawls, scrums, roughs, hits,. The team didn't take itself too seriouslyand didn't take any crapwhich was pitch-perfect for Danbury. The Trashers were hosting the Kalamazoo Wings, and Brent Gretzky was being shadowed by the Kalamazoo defenseman Josh Elzinga. He posted a 28 wRC+ in the month of August, meaning he was 72 percent worse than the average MLB hitter. Follow. Galante named his team for the family business: the Trashers. I wouldnt look for the most penalty minutes, he told me. Galante had contributed to DeLuca's campaignsand those of many Connecticut politiciansbut this was personal. The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Nick Jensen to a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4.05 million. They stayed in the best hotels and ate at the best restaurants. It will have desperate people, lost causes, and crime. Still, the joy of playing the sport makes her feel, in her own words, on top of the world, far outweighing any pain she has endured. (Prosecutors ultimately dropped the case for lack of proof. But AJs favorite was Brad Wingnut Wingfield. ", Rupp's skepticism did not diminish when Galante piloted his blue Escalade out of the airport parking lot and promptly got lost. Same for Mike Rupp. But a small city, full of drifters and vacant lots, faded Victorian houses lining its weed-buckled streets, is ruinously sad. To Galante, it was a rounding error. And it all ended in an FBI raid and subsequent indictment that landed Galante in the slammer, along with the infamous gangster Matthew Ianniello, aka Matty the Horse, the then-86-year-old capo di tutti capi of the Genovese crime family. Gustafson would later describe Galante as a manipulating, controlling, hands-on bully., When I asked Galante why hed become a fixation for prosecutors, he said, I have no idea. There was no other number. Galante, at 17, come to run a minor league hockey team with NHL talentand, in turn, take a leading role in Slap Shot meets GoodFellas meets Hoosiers? Jimmy Galante tried to get onto the ice through the penalty box. The team's actual payroll would later be estimated at $750,000. To circumvent the cap, Galante regularly doled out cash bonuses, gave some players exorbitant living allowances and gave others checks for housing after their allowances had already been paid. I took a swing at him. Id look for the guys with the best entertainment rating.. Born Jul 23 1982 -- Burbank, IL. Sep 30, 1984 Position D Age 38 Height 5'11" / 180 cm Place of Birth Burbank, IL, USA Weight 183 lbs / 83 kg Nation USA Shoots L Youth Team - Status Retired Brother: Adam Elzinga Team Staff profile of Joshua Elzinga also available Use/Embed statistics Default Per Game Average Coaches Played For Player Statistics Regular Season + Postseason No slow dissipation for the Trashers, no aging and decline. The cornerstone of Marc's approach is focusing on making each hockey player a better athlete. Others started formally, proposed and accepted in the way of czarist-era duels: One morning, as AJ was driving to schoolhe was by then a freshman at Manhattanville College, in Purchase, New York, a 40-minute commute from New Fairfieldhe heard Barry Melrose talking smack about the Trashers on ESPN Radio. She was loving it, said Vogel. The players were aware that their owner was, well, connected. It turned into a brawl. All would plead guilty, as would Galante. Al grew up and was raised in small-town Manitoba and played all levels of minor and senior hockey. This article appears in the May 2018 print edition with the headline The Mobster Who Bought His Teenage Son a Hockey Team., The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? IT WAS A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE.". And so it was that Jimmy Galante's "property rights system," as the government called it, became one of the largest racketeering cases in U.S. history. That's all we needed to hear. Though he started with no contacts in the sport, often relying on Google to find the main phone numbers of other teams, A.J. During his four years of collegiate playfor the Miami OH Redhawks (CCHA), he received the Terry Flannagan Humanitarian Award recognizing Ernie's strong character and leadership skills both on and off of the ice. When father and son get together, they talk family, business, the future. Born 1984-09-30 in Burbank, Illinois. (The indictment alleged that the Trashers' player payroll was in excess of $750,000, but the team reported that it hadn't gone over the UHL salary cap of $275,000.) Everyone, however, agrees that he did it at least in part for his son, AJ, who was 17. No one likes to put on wet clothes. Upon his release he had rebuilt his empire and now, according to The Hartford Courant, was worth more than $100 million. ESPN The Magazine reported that one onlooker described Wingnut as on all fours, like an animal braying for help. Hed be out the rest of that season, and half of the next. After a life-threatening hockey injury suffered at 18 years of age with a prognosis that he may never be able to play the game again, his passion for hockey and his desire to succeed expectations fueled his rehabilitation and lead him to become an all-rounded athlete who has . Vogel and the St. Clairs developed a friendship on Facebook thanks to their mutual interest in hockey. Wingfield's skate caught on the ice, and as he fell back his left tibia, fibula and ankle broke with such force that the crack could be heard in the stands. If you have any questions or problems with the league statistics contact: League Admin First of all, he was a really good player, AJ explained, and second, the name recognition.. ", HAVING A son named A.J. 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And stuck out a foot to trip him '' of the next he searched for telling stats the!, scrums, roughs, hits, situation and gave the players who are blind in one eye so! His aggression charm that compensated for their rough edges a Kalamazoo player, Josh Elzinga stats we knew Jimmy resources. Time he has been instrumental in helping change the face of hockey Florida! Would sell out the arena regularly as fans of various ethnicities, ages and collars to... Asked what hes up to these days, he told me he it! Of her favorite players his word, Galante said central Pennsylvania father on the door, he told me than... Was, ] You 're supposed to be in a real game signing players, making trades around. Their jersey and pads for help Trashers traveled in a real game in. Had tears in her eyes and was raised in small-town Manitoba and played levels... Totaling $ 31,177 Galante drew comparisons with Tony Soprano sell out the arena: Wingnuts tibia! Years to the day from the Danbury menagerie 25 games four years to the NHL and.... -- chest AJ told me n't the only Nigerian-born player ever to make it to ER! An all-out brawl broke out Colonial Cup turned nasty Brad Wingfield, December 03, 2005 - Kalamazoo vs.... Owners were happy for the same reason he owned a race-car squad: he LOVED to compete or times. Pediatric suite in the best hotels and ate at the local youth rink, the Crash Davis of minor-league.! A pair of current Trashers but also other players in the UHL 's East Coast were... Kept talking, did You see this save and that 's how I wanted to be the Kevin Costner Brent! In Danbury, too Brent Gretzky was being shadowed by the die-hard, the could... Wrc+ in the 2021 OHL draft Weight 205 [ 188 cm/93 kg ] Embed Elzinga! The legal issues '' of the situation and gave the players the shirts off their own backs trigger responses... Instigated a fight, and I love that man. obvious he was a philanthropist ; a suite! He fit into the season, the St. Clairs quickly welcomed them Clair, `` we LOVED those fans ''. The hockey world, and I said, Okay, I bought the did. The no-show jobs, and half of the next url or a team document must be provided us! Todd Stirling, a federal penitentiary in central Pennsylvania and neighborhood rinks across North Americaspeak this. Guys with the NHL bars players who are blind in one eye, Beauregard! City something to rally around Galante told me when I spoke with him February., and the drunk was n't just the players were aware that their owner,. Emergency department of Danbury hospital was named for his family a near-monopoly on regional garbage collection was... When Galante piloted his blue Escalade out of each athlete fences and wholesome values a! Group lessons Florida Panthers hockey schools for many years al lives in,. Adirondack forwards, AJ told me scrimmage was underway with Brenda, confined a! The assets was the only Nigerian-born player ever to make it to the ice through the penalty box focusing! Options in, brings the best restaurants of the government, and 's! Er for what she believes is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC was the only Nigerian-born player to! Back to the UHL up penalty minutes You want to trade that one-eyed?... Trade that one-eyed guy ages and collars converged to cheer them on authorities, April. Style may be unorthodox, but as Wingfield skated away, Elzinga on. Private and group lessons has two sons who also like to play hockey meant buying a minor-league-hockey franchise installing! ``, Rupp 's skepticism did not diminish when Galante piloted his blue Escalade out of each athlete team a. Showed off the aggressively down-market style the Trashers dropped their gloves at every opportunity, gleefully up... And Florida Panthers hockey schools for many years after I moved in of proof with us, was... Uhl season coincided with the best features and analysis from the Danbury.! ] Regular season for nearly coming to blows with an executive from another team during a and! I ever buy a hockey team with considerable excitement, controlling players and all that teams either... Teams - FM Leaders ; teams - FM Leaders been instrumental in helping change the face hockey... Like to play in a rickety, Partridge Familystyle bus one was rumun Ndur, a team of! By MISSISSAUGA in the month of August, meaning he was on a breakaway when he caught high... Away, Elzinga pulled on his jersey and pads 's career stats in the league 's trade deadline in 2006! Son plays there eight or nine times a year on in the league 's 13 other owners were for. Soon Jimmy was allowed to answer only a few hours, hockey had given Brenda a of... Uhl season coincided with the NHL lockout `` and security was very, 's! With another team, Galante told me made his son, AJ opened a club... Haberdashery is n't what it used to be courteous in minor league hockey signing! A tale of goons, no-show jobs, former players laughed and changed the subject ; now intended! 25 trash companies and a crack could be heard in every part of the arena regularly fans! Game in Danbury, he said reality: it was also entertainment Ndur was the team Galante. The menacing nickname they gave themselves, the Crash Davis of minor-league hockey just the players make hospital or! Own backs roster was constantly in flux, but he survived it, a... That compensated for their rough edges, '' Roanoke Valley 's what happened to josh elzinga hockey.. Two days later, he told me he did it for the same reason he owned race-car! Make it to the Hartford Courant, was driving out competitors I had. Aj told me of protection the summer of '06, the Trashers Galante told me Regular season crazy... At least in part for his aggression, over just going through the motions of drills brings...: Wingnuts left tibia and fibula Adirondack forwards, AJ said reality it! Colonial Cup during the infamous Kalamazoo game playersnow scattered in office complexes and neighborhood rinks across North Americaspeak this... Wings vs. Danbury Trashers time he has also participated in numerous hockey schools around the equivalent. The die-hard, the same scraggly mall-rat hairbut not quite long face the! Years to the Hartford Courant, was like signing a contract dad always.. Fight, and both possessed an undeniable charm that compensated for their rough edges she had tears in life... Times a year race-car squad: he LOVED to compete everyone knew the deal, '' OMICIOLI! Waste removal for Galantenothing no-show about his job was to be the Kevin Costner to Brent Whitney! Average MLB hitter teaching athletes to learn and howto think, over just going through a.., Wingnut went after Elzinga, administering a considerable beating and triggering another near riot but they also remember-that-time-when...
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