Josh Patterson (F) 2000-2003: 3: Peterborough Petes: Lukas Krajicek (D) 2000-2003: 3: Peterborough Petes: Jon Howse (F) 2000-2003: 3: Peterborough Petes: Not Activated Sections Endorsements All get tossed. puts it, "it got real, real fast." You did right by him and were loyal, and he would do anything for you. Ndur charged the Kalamazoo bench and tried to kick a linesman. Such a city will have many of the bad elements of a metropolis and few of the good. The documentary does a great job capturing on the emotional story of Wingfield and his strong relationship with both A.J. says, shifting uneasily in his seat. Between periods, players take off their jersey and pads. But for the Trashers, there was a third game, although neither Jimmy nor AJ knew about it. Having failed to agree with players on a new contract, major-league owners canceled the season. (Colella denies this.) The Trashers had the Adirondack Frostbite. "Of course, if we had to do it again, would we have accepted that franchise? Somehow they got the message upstairs. After he was drafted, Vogel invited the couple to Pennsylvania for training camp in August. Jimmy Galante was arrested on June 9, 2006, not long after the final game of the season. He searched two places, one actual, one virtual. Some say he did it as a civic benefactor, to give a depressed city something to rally around. It was a twist Elmore Leonard might have considered improbable. We had one [enforcer], and the poor guy got challenged every shift. The government seized most of his assets, including 25 trash companies and a string of race cars. Same for Mike Rupp. I know its not healthy, but I cant help myself. As he headed to baggage claim at the small suburban airport, something didn't look right. He'd already played 12 seasons of pro hockey: a total of 13 games in the NHL, followed by years of wandering the minors. But Galante got around it in classic mob fashion: no-show jobs. ", "WE LOVED THOSE FANS," SAYS OMICIOLI. Most teams rode in a rickety, Partridge Familystyle bus. was taking calls from players and agentsincluding, he says, Sean Avery'sasking for a Danbury roster spot. A.J. was a senior at New Fairfield (Conn.) High, he was at a family pasta dinner when his father, Jamesknown to all as Jimmycasually asked, "How would you like to run a pro hockey team? Nothing.. "Every character they had, we had. The Galantes admit that their favorite player was Brad Wingfield, a.k.a. Important: An official team/league url or a team document must be provided for us to update player stats. He graduated from Manhattanville with a business management degree in 2008 and bought into a New York City company that sells heating oil and diesel fuel. There was an incident where one of our players attacked one of the Adirondack coaches, and that ended up in the Toronto Star. Following a successful junior hockey career, he played four (4) years of college hockey at Eastern Michigan University, where he was a CSCHL All-Star in 2001. PHOTOGRAPHS BY WENDY CARLSON (MASCOT, 5); VIDEO STILLS BY THOMAS BUTKIER (2). Then, as A.J. Defense. At a home game in Danbury, he beat up three Adirondack forwards, AJ said. As Wingfield skated away, Elzinga grabbed the back of his opponents jersey and pulled him over his outstretched leg, breaking Wingfields left tibia, fibula and ankle. I suspended his son." "You don't get involved in verbal altercations," Brosal admonished the ref. 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. In 2015, AJ opened a boxing club across from the Danbury arena. The Danbury arena, meanwhile, has returned to its old existence as a youth rink. He did have a weakness, though. Catalyzed by their new scorer, the Trashers cruised through the regular season, finishing 48--17. After signing Gretzky, he went for Jim Duhart, the Crash Davis of minor-league hockey. On Oct. 15, Jimmy began serving his time. The closest team to Danbury, the Frostbite played in Glens Falls, New York, just three hours away by luxury coach. recalls, "even the commissioner was like, 'I would advise against that. Says Pomposello, "Jimmy's old school. North American Hockey League United States Hockey League ", THESE BONDS were cemented by a brand of violence the Trashers purveyed without apology. Besides, what choice did he have? Adam Elzinga. Hockey Fights is an entertainment site with no direct affiliation to the National Hockey League, its teams, or NHLPA. It was all over the blogs and hockey-fight sites, the craziness. Yet in some ways Galantes biography seemed unlike that of a traditional hood. (Jimmy was allowed to answer only a few questions by email sent through A.J. The players exchanged looks of confusion. Asan instructorand Director for the HuronHockey Schools at a young age, Steve has been very fortunate to be able to work side by side with some of the best coaches in the business. He fashioned his club as the bad boys, the evil empire of the UHL: If we cant beat you, were at least gonna beat you up. The Kalamazoo Wings were a Minor Professional hockey team based in Kalamazoo, MI playing in the United Hockey League from 2000 to 2007. The 2004 05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would . , New Brunswick, Canada, Gilles Richard is the current Vice-President of Hockey Operations for Southeast Elite Hockey. Ice hockey coach and former NHL forward who won a gold medal in 1980 with the U.S. Olympic hockey team. When the 2004--05 lockout ended, Rupp returned to the NHL and is still playing, for the Wild. Kalamazoo Wings (Kalamazoo,MI) United Hockey League [Minor Professional] 2000-2007 [click to view all-time roster] Josh Gratton vs Adam Elzinga - Sep 5, 2001 - YouTube NHL hockey fights, brawls, scrums, roughs, hits, cheap shots, and other incidents. Typical New York Rangers or New York Islanders fans were in the position of heroin addicts whod lost their supplywhich is how they found their way to the Trashers. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Predictably, Wingnut went after Elzinga, administering a considerable beating and triggering another near riot. During that time he has played for the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburg Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning. For himself he built a skybox equipped with a kitchenette. It has survived not only five centuries, 25. december. To the delight of the Danbury press and public, they also brought exciting hockey action and stars such as Brent Gretzky (playing and signing autographs), kid brother of you-know-who. The team slogan was Bad Boys Talkin' Trash. The Galantes hired J. Todd Stirling, a son of former Islanders coach Steve Stirling, as the inaugural coach. Currently, Al isanAssistant Coach of the 05 AAA Florida Alliance Elite team. Originally from Montreal,Charlieplayed over 900 games professionally around the globe over his 17-year career, including the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. "Especially for a guy with one eye. Josh Elzinga NOT the Josh who broke Brad Wingfield's leg . The former Director of Hockey Operations for the Jacksonville Ice and Sports Complex, Gilles is no stranger to youth hockey. "I said, 'Sure,' which, to my dad, was like signing a contract. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. It was four years to the day from the Trashers' first game. Home; Fights. If asked why they hadnt made it, theyd tell you no one had ever really given them a shot. Having been a professional player, coach, and instructor for over 15 years, Gilles has been able to help continue to grow youth hockey programs across the state of Florida. said of Beauregard. "He even bought the beer," says Paproski. Residents greeted the new hockey team with considerable excitement. "Right from day one, they've said they wanted to be the bad boys of hockey, the most hated team, the Evil Empire," Marc Potvin, coach of the Adirondack Frostbite, one of the Trashers' rivals, disapprovingly told the Toronto Star in February 2005. 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 garnered respect from coaches and players on all levels. The rest of the game doubled as a near riot. The Danbury Whalers of the Federal Hockey League now play downtown, and it's fair to wonder whether they would be there were it not for the hockey culture Jimmy Galante started and the arena he built. "It was loud," says A.J., "and security was very, let's just say, flexible." After a few minutes of glaring at them in lacerating silence, Galante dumped the contents of the basket. It was all new to him, but he was sure of the player he wanted most: Brent Gretzky, the brother of the NHL legend Wayne. (He also forfeited his ownership in 25 trash-hauling firms.) 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. Steve Lynch has been coaching ice hockey for over 20 years. And hed still kill us, AJ went on. They also saw the Trashers as a kind of validation: Someone believes in Danbury. Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read. Hed been named with several others, including Trashers Coach J. Todd Stirling, who pleaded guilty to taking part in the salary-cap fraud. It will have desperate people, lost causes, and crime. 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. "But you got to stir it up sometimes.". says. He was a great owner." December 03, 2005. Soon, a 3-on-3 scrimmage was underway with Brenda, for the first time in her life, facing shots in a real game. A.J. He was suspended from the UHL for life., And then there was the broken-leg game. People who tell the story start with the date, as if recalling an event of historical importance: December 1, 2004. I remember being elated, guys tumbling over the boards like wed won the Stanley Cup. The Trashers went on to win that series, but lost the next. By game's end they were hooked. SON TY WAS DRAFTED AND SIGNED BY THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS IN 2021. He took a shot at us, AJ told me. AL hasattended many coaching seminars and clinics around North America. He knows how to treat people. You in? 2023 ABG-SI LLC. When Danbury became the home of the Eastern Professional Leagues Mad Hatters in 2008, the St. Clairs quickly welcomed them. Get access to our unique free agency lists and many more premium features, Drafted 2001, 4 #48 overall by Cedar Rapids Roughriders in the USHL Entry Draft, Drafted 2000, 8 #157 overall by Windsor Spitfires in the OHL Priority Selection. Their goons fight our goons. All told, he played just five games for them. DeLuca believed his granddaughter's husband, Mark Colella, had physically abused her. Maybe because Im Italian and in the garbage business.. They had scorers and skaters and playmakers and defensive stalwarts. "Before games we'd be mobbed," says Tom Devine, owner of the Two Steps Downtown Grille. General Manager of the Augusta RiverHawks of the SPHL (2009), General Manager of the Jacksonville Barracudas of the SPHL (2004-2009), Played in 5 leagues over the course of his professional career, Played in the Sunshine Hockey League; Southern Hockey League; ECHL; Atlantic Coast Hockey League; and the World Hockey Association 2, St. Thomas University Graduate (Fredericton, NB, Canada) on an Athletic Scholarship. In 1980, after the Houston Oilers barely missed a trip to the Super Bowl, Coach Bum Phillips gave their fans a famous pep talk. Fifteen years have passed since the Danbury Trashers disbanded in 2006 as a result of the federal investigation that landed Jimmy Galante in prison after he pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, tax fraud and wire fraud. The judge let Galante remain out of prison pending trial but put him under house arrest. Still, it was clear who had the ultimate authority: Before and after some games Jimmy gave the team fiery pep talks and blistering critiques. Brenda got tattoos of the names of her favorite players. He was unreal down the stretch., The Trashers finished their second season 481711, then rolled through the playoffs, making it all the way to the finals, where they lost to Kalamazoo in five games. "He made fans feel like they were an integral part of the team. In 2004, this meant buying a minor-league-hockey franchise and installing it at the local youth rink, the Danbury Ice Arena. BY JANUARY 2005 the Trashers were so riddled with suspensions that they had to suit up an assistant coach, Bobby Stearns, who suddenly became a 36-year-old pro hockey rookie. To Galante, it was a rounding error. He was just back from that broken leg when the Wings came to Danbury. There was something else in the books too. 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. Winger Frank (the Animal) Bialowas, a former runner-up for Mr. Manitoba, was not much for impulse control either. As with hockey, he had no real connections when he started, but he figured, How hard could it be to break in? "My dad always put me in sink-or-swim-type situations," he says. ", "Dad, if this guy had two eyes, he might be one of the greatest NHL players ever! But he would become something of a hockey Crash Davis: He would play through 2013, retiring at 37. Having been a professional player, coach, and instructor for over 15 years, Gilles has been able to help continue to grow youth hockey programs across the state of Florida. Originally from the Metro Detroit area, Craig grew up playing youth hockey in Michigan within the Detroit Little Caesars organization. signed him for another game against Adirondack, in Danbury on Feb. 23, which was also WWE Night. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? But it wasn't just the players who were punished. Gilles is a Level 4 Hockey Coach with USA Hockey. Within weeks, the agent was seated beside the boss himself in the owners box at the Danbury Ice Arena, cheering as the Trashers skated out. The roster was constantly in flux, but it usually had more enforcers than players in need of protection. In the spring of 2003, while playing for the New Jersey Devils, Rupp had scored a game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup finals. 's account.). The teenage sports exec became an irresistible media story. 14U A - Josh Elzinga 14U AA - Eric Ricard and Johnny Pelletier 16U A - Dylan Forsythe and Devon Rodriguez 16U AA USPHL - Tony Lessel 18U AA - Peter Jerabeck Coach's Bios Will be released the week prior to tryouts For more information contact: Tony Lessel, Hockey Director [email protected] - 239-948-7825 x1303
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