"The Danbury Trashers were the Syracuse Bulldogs of the movie Slap Shot," says Pomposello, the all-purpose assistant. VS. 1st Period - 12:37. Submit changes (incorrect DOB, missing stats, incorrect stats, social media links etc) using a web form and we will review your update request within 24 hours and update accordingly. "YOU'D HAVE BLUE-COLLAR GUYS NEXT TO WEALTHY REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS. It held fewer than 3,000 seats, the fewest in the UHL, but it had a jewel-box intimacy. - 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. ago] Height 6.02 -- Weight 205 [188 cm/93 kg] Regular Season. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine are set to visit the toxic train derailment site in East Palestine Wednesday for an update on the removal of the hazardous waste from the wreck. ", THE RAIDERS' AL DAVIS WAS "A WILD MAN WITH A TEAM FULL OF OUTLAWS," SAYS A.J., "AND THAT'S HOW I WANTED TO BE. "Every character they had, we had. 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. . The wiretaps captured Galantes associates recalling a trip to Mount Kisco, New York, where they wentas Michael Gustafson, the lead assistant U.S. attorney who handled the case, would later state in courtto retain the services of a leg-breaker known as the Carpenter. Also caught on tape was Galante telling an associate to deliver a message to a would-be canary: Long Island says hello, referring to Matty the Horse Ianniello. 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. 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. Thirty-two other individuals, including Matty the Horse, were charged as part of the investigation. You in? Pick your poison. Someone had said Galante, with a near-monopoly on regional garbage collection, was driving out competitors. I will. What followed was a process of trial and error, with the couple purchasing equipment and constantly refining it to fit Brendas needs. 's account.). 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. It went like this: Elzinga clipped Wingfield in the face, Wingfield asked for a fight, Elzinga declined. The Kalamazoo Wings were a Minor Professional hockey team based in Kalamazoo, MI playing in the United Hockey League from 2000 to 2007. The 200405 UHL season coincided with the NHL lockout. The Trashers traveled in a luxury coach; they played card games and talked all night. At home they took to the ice to Welcome to the Jungle, by Guns N Roses. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. 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) ", THE TRASHERS finished their inaugural season 44--29, and their second year unfolded much like the first: a lot of winning, a lot of fighting. "People would make comments: 'Aren't you afraid of him? But in other corners the Galantesand the desperadoes on ice they brought to townare still recalled fondly. Take control of your EliteProspects profile! Somehow they got the message upstairs. And the fans, from section 102 and beyond, still miss their team. 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. THEY WERE EVEN WELCOME TO STAY IN THE GALANTES' GARGANTUAN HOME. But now, in the fall of '04, with his league in the throes of a lockout, Rupp had agreed to play for a minor league club in Danbury, Conn. His agent had said a team honcho would meet him at the Westchester County (N.Y.) Airport. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. The game was still knotted after two overtimes. And hed still kill us, AJ went on. Josh Elzinga vs. Brad Wingfield, December 03, 2005 - Kalamazoo Wings vs. Danbury Trashers. GET THE PICTURE? 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. Mahfuz riad. He caught Josh Elzinga in a corner, called him out, beat him down. "You shoulda seen Rupp," Galante recalls, laughing. He has ties,' " says Brosal. "After games you'd have these blue-collar guys next to wealthy real estate developers. "He must've thought he was on Punk'd or something. 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. We would yell down during warm-ups, Come on, youre going to be skating for us next year! And theyd look at me and rub their fingers, and Id reach in my pocket and pull out my wallet, and theyd start laughing., Beauregard was one of my favorites, AJ said. "Honestly, a lot of it was getting so close to a championship with the Trashers but not winning. Word of the incident quickly spread through the blue-collar Connecticut city, which soon embraced the fighting mentality of the Trashers. He was born in the Bronx but grew up in bucolic South Salem, New York; did a stint in the Air Force; and then took a job driving a garbage truck. Maybe thats why I became obsessed with this story: It connects our little home rink with an epic of the human hockey condition. SON TY WAS DRAFTED AND SIGNED BY THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS IN 2021. 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. He reportedly spent more than $3 million to expand the rink from a 600-seat bandbox to a 2,500-seat showplace called the Danbury Ice Arena. At 4 a.m. the players would be out in the parking lot, huddled in their underwear. December 03, 2005. And the noisemy God, the noise! Throughout his busy professional career, he has also participated in numerous hockey schools around the country. Dissatisfied with the response he got from police, DeLuca went to Galante. (Colella denies this.) During a pretrial hearing assistant U.S. attorney Michael Gustafson characterized Galante as a "manipulating, controlling, hands-on bully." As evidence that Galante was prone to violence, the prosecution played footage of him purportedly striking the official during the infamous Kalamazoo game. See latest post and follow all instructions. Southeast Elite is proud to announce the Mathieu Garon with be an instrumental member of the Southeast Elite organization as a goaltender instructor. Though he started with no contacts in the sport, often relying on Google to find the main phone numbers of other teams, A.J. ", HAVING A son named A.J. Some say he did it for the same reason he owned a race-car squad: He loved to compete. As the case proceeded, there was plenty of collateral damage. 355 following. Seven players were sent to the penalty box. At a home game in Danbury, he beat up three Adirondack forwards, AJ said. Lets face it: What else does Danbury really have?. He currently resides in Southwest Florida with his wife, Wendy, and their two children. FACE-OFF Backed by some of his father's truck drivers in 2004, A.J. Now it's probably best known for its massive federal prison, which housed Lauryn Hill and has been featured in Orange Is the New Black. I'm not just hungry; my stomach is growling. Danbury fans whod followed the team to Glens Falls got word of the situation and gave the players the shirts off their own backs. Originally from the Metro Detroit area, Craig grew up playing youth hockey in Michigan within the Detroit Little Caesars organization. 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. So in 2004 Galante sank his money into the hockey equivalent of Double A ball. Coach Ernie's interest in athletic performance development stems from his extensive career competing in ice hockey. After snapping a few, Brenda invited Vogels friends to take some shots on her. "It comes right from the top.". Young Blood, Goon, they were all there. Their goons fight our goons. 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. (Jimmy was allowed to answer only a few questions by email sent through A.J. Galante spent $3 million to refurbish the Danbury Ice Arena. How did A.J. When A.J. In keeping with the menacing nickname they gave themselves, the Trashers dropped their gloves at every opportunity, gleefully racking up penalty minutes. . Like any father, you want to be able to do something for your son.. called his middleman in Quebec and essentially rented Wagner for a game against Adirondack. The Trashers folded three days after Galantes arrest. Wagner was apologetic, and A.J. Bethlehem's David Bievenue hands the puck as Capital District Jets' Alexander Ridley defends during Tuesday's Section II Division 1 boys' ice hockey championship game at Messa Rink in Schenectady. Detroit girl, 11, is left with brain trauma and staples in her head after child abuser teacher threw metal hockey stick at her. ", The Galantes put the rowdiest boosters behind the opposing bench. 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. Wagner's career stats in the league: two games and 73 penalty minutes. The game turned into a riot, everyone taking a run at everyone else. He was an owner of Automated Waste Disposal, a conglomerate of at least 25 trash-hauling businesses that held a near monopoly in western Connecticut and Westchester. Teaching athletes to learn and howto think, over just going through the motions of drills, brings the best out of each athlete. "You need a wild card," says A.J., "so we decided we would beat people to submission. That May they played their hated rival, Kalamazoo, in the Colonial Cup finals. Vogel and the St. Clairs developed a friendship on Facebook thanks to their mutual interest in hockey. "He can score unbelievable," A.J. Adam Elzinga. Next year were going to kick the son of a bitch in!, It was like that with the Trashers. The team's actual payroll would later be estimated at $750,000. 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. He allegedly kicked a referee. Jimmy pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, tax fraud, and wire fraud. Brian was born and raised in Detroit Michigan. As he explained, No matter what type of day you had when you go out on the ice for an hour, hour and a half or two hours you forget everything that happened that day and you focus on that black little puck. However, hed been to prison for tax evasion. Yet in some ways Galantes biography seemed unlike that of a traditional hood. Since birth Brenda has suffered from spina bifida, an abnormality that causes an opening in the spinal column. One team employee had the inspired idea of buying fresh fish and placing it in the HVAC ducts above the visiting locker room. Facebook gives people the power to. Greg St. Clair, the fan who accompanied his wheelchair-bound wife to games, marked the occasion by getting a tattoo on his left calf of Scrappy the mascot shooting a puck emblazoned with the letters fbi. First of all, he was a really good player, AJ explained, and second, the name recognition.. It was a twist Elmore Leonard might have considered improbable. All told, he played just five games for them. They were always pulling them out late, clearing the bench, fighting and celebrating. They had, what, three goons? Josh Elzinga, Danville -- 5'11" late '84 is the younger brother of Adam Elzinga, an '82 who played for Danville last year (and recently made the OHL's Peterborough Petes). One player told me he did actual work in waste removal for Galantenothing no-show about his job. "I was a big Oakland Raiders fan," says A.J. Team Information. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? "I still hate even the name Kalamazoo.". "You can't have him," Roanoke Valley's GM responded. 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? recalls, "even the commissioner was like, 'I would advise against that. The players exchanged looks of confusion. Guess what? Stevehas served on the SAHOF Board of Directors since 2003, has been a Head Coach and Evaluator for the USA Player Development Program, and has made five appearances at the USA Hockey National Championships which includes bringing the first National Championship to the Southeast District and the State of Florida. Important: An official team/league url or a team document must be provided for us to update player stats. November 24, 2006. He got suspended., As James Harper, a veteran minor-league linesman, was talking with the scorekeeper, he got into it with Jimmy Galante, whod come down from the owners box. The constant sitting has led to excruciating backaches. 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 issue was a letter he wanted Harper to send the commissioner, absolving Galante: Tell him that it is fucking imperative that we get that letter that Harpers gonna write to Brosal. Galante added what the referee should say in the letter: After coolin off and thinking about it for a few days I was just as much at fault. Harper never sent such a letter, but another wiretap captured Viento on the phone with Brosal: I was asked to give you a call, but not to give you a call, so that you would never be put in the predicament where somebody said that you were called. (Brosal denied any effort at coercion. "He made fans feel like they were an integral part of the team. He's 27 now. What happened Josh Elzinga? "It was loud," says A.J., "and security was very, let's just say, flexible." ", In his first game for Danbury, Beauregard had a goal and an assist as the Trashers won 5--1. 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. Right before the league's trade deadline in March 2006, Jimmy and A.J. 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. 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 Players' wives were put on the payroll of Galante-owned companies though they performed no discernible duties. said of Beauregard. 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. It was a big to-do. Although Galante claims that he never actually made contact, he was charged with assault. A.J. just landed Galarza his first TV fight, on Showtime's ShoBox series, and an endorsement deal with the apparel company Rival Boxing. That spring, when A.J. He had me arrested in the locker room. Marc was a professional Triathlete for over 10 years. Parents were warned to keep children away. 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. It has survived not only five centuries, 25. december. A big city has its strivers and fine food and bright lights. Id look for the guys with the best entertainment rating.. To Galante, it was a rounding error. It was one of those things where wed say, Hit this guy. But no one could catch him. Its all Ive known for my whole life, she said. First year, he was playing for the Port Huron Beacons, killing us. I suspended him. We were paid, and everything was first class. Danbury is a blue-collar town, and they could relate to the players, Galante told me. None of this fazes the 47-year-old Brenda. He offered Roanoke not just a pair of current Trashers but also other players in the UHL supplemental draft that summer. 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. ", On most Saturdays, A.J. Player after player came by the house to show support. Thats where he told me his story, amid the light and heavy bags, in the regulation ring. He had skipped an afternoon class to pick up Rupp. Predictably, Wingnut went after Elzinga, administering a considerable beating and triggering another near riot. There was an incident where one of our players attacked one of the Adirondack coaches, and that ended up in the Toronto Star. felt that the Trashers needed a goal scorer. - Improve your search rank Season. He was a star in the UHL, having scored 43 goals for the Port Huron Beacons the previous season. "My dad always put me in sink-or-swim-type situations," he says. I have to win a title in something. For 5 years John was with N.I.S.T.C as the Hockey Director and for 3 years he was with theGlobal Hockey School. 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. Though he lived with his wife and two children in suburban New Fairfield, he was beloved in nearby Danbury, where he had his office. I figured it would be like a video game, controlling players and all that. Galante was a philanthropist; a pediatric suite in the emergency department of Danbury Hospital was named for his family. 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. Theres nothing sadder than a small city. 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. 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. No one wanted to fight him, AJ said. Coach Ernie's interest in athletic performance development stems from his extensive career competing in ice hockey. The second place AJ looked was where any other fan might have: hockeyfights.com, a website that aggregates footage of brawls on the ice. The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Nick Jensen to a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4.05 million. pursues his new sports passion, boxing management. "Oh, everyone knew the deal," says Omicioli, "but [we] didn't care. Upon his release he had rebuilt his empire and now, according to The Hartford Courant, was worth more than $100 million. This year we beat on the door. The state senator had also told an undercover agent that he would use his influence to discover anything that could hurt Galante and "blunt it as best I can." For instance, Galante and a few trusted associates burned a competitors truck in 1992after first binding the driverto send a message to stay out of the Connecticut market, and in 2006, damaged the tires of a competitors truck after that carter refused to back down on a $50/month account. All get tossed. Home; Fights. There was a tremendous infusion of talent, Christiansen said. It had a great economic impact on the entire downtown.". In the Trashers-Frostbite game, however, he inflicted no real damage even though he spent three periods looking for a fight, ran up 43 penalty minutes and even made a run at the Adirondack goalie. It wasnt a crisis, but it was a drag. 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]. Jimmy Galante tried to get onto the ice through the penalty box. It turned into a brawl. 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 . Theyd gotten close in 2005; now they intended to kick the son of a bitch in. (He also forfeited his ownership in 25 trash-hauling firms.) We just figured, Were going to make a team everyone loves to hate, AJ said. 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.". Most recently in the AAHL with Chicago Blaze. Kalamazoo Wings (Kalamazoo,MI) United Hockey League [Minor Professional] 2000-2007 [click to view all-time roster] Josh Elzinga vs. Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn, November 24, 2006 - Port Huron Flags vs. Kalamazoo Wings. But his fights are what people remember. He spent six years in Allenwood, a federal penitentiary in central Pennsylvania. (I wanted to bring something back to the community, Galante told me when I spoke with him in February.) 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 "He's the only thing this team has going for it.". 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 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.) Barely 50 games into the season Stirling, the coach, was suspended for three games for failing to control his players. Recalls Galante, "It was obvious he was thinking, What did I get myself into? Josh Elzinga Defense Born Sep 3 1984 -- Burbank, IL [38 yrs. He was one of those players who had everything except whatever mysterious quality it is that separates Wayne from Brent, the Yes from the Not Quite. AFTER THE FALL While Jimmy (below right) serves out his prison sentence, A.J. Still, Vogel wanted something to remember the moment by, so he donned his goalie gear to take some photos with Brenda on the ice. In 2015, AJ opened a boxing club across from the Danbury arena. We had 10 goons! The 2004 05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would . After signing Gretzky, he went for Jim Duhart, the Crash Davis of minor-league hockey. Jim grew up and played minor hockey in Toronto, Canada. When an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. I remember being so pissed, I had to do something. But his passion for sports never faded. A.J. 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. what happened to josh elzinga hockey. | View as text League Information Josh Elzinga played in four leagues over the course of his career. That matchup was marred by a brawl that kicked off when Trashers left winger Brad Wingfield attempted to fight Kalamazoo's Josh Elzinga, who declined the invitation. 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. Originally from Montreal,Charlieplayed over 900 games professionally around the globe over his 17-year career, including the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. It was populated by the die-hard, the angry, and the drunk. about getting back into sports. (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. Questioned about the no-show jobs, former players laughed and changed the subject. You have to understand, Dave MacIsaac, who played 62 regular-season games for Danbury, told me. They stayed in the best hotels and ate at the best restaurants. 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. People were like, What the hells going on over there? And theyd do some research and see how young I was, and the fatherson dynamic and the type of fighters. "A.J. 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. (The video was inconclusive.) From November 2019: My family story of love, the Mob, and government surveillance. Al wenton to a successful financial career before building and operating his own ice rink in Lithia, Florida. ", "WE LOVED THOSE FANS," SAYS OMICIOLI. During the 201011 season, the Quebec League averaged 3.2 fights a game. Al has coached youth hockeyfor the last 9 years and isa level 5 USA Hockey coach. The trade rumors negatively impacted Torres on the field. Initially, just as a spectator. Wiretaps of thousands of phone calls between Automated Waste Disposal employees and representatives of other trash companies in 2004 and '05 revealed a variety of criminal activities. Currently, Al isanAssistant Coach of the 05 AAA Florida Alliance Elite team. The closest team to Danbury, the Frostbite played in Glens Falls, New York, just three hours away by luxury coach. His accomplishments includeover 30 wins across the World, along with competing with Team USA at World Championships. Stirling, the Trashers' first coach, was also indicted, for abetting Galante by using the Trashers' fax machine to submit bogus salary reports to the UHL offices. John also has coached with the Florida Jr. Panthers and Florida Panthers Hockey Schools for many years. 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. Danbury, Connecticut, is the ultimate small city. Through United States Ice Rink Association Gilles has acquired his Hockey Director Certificate, Human Resources Management Certificate and Programming, Marketing and Promotions Certificate. Launching an expansion hockey team in Danbury seemed less like a vanity play than a natural progression. IT WAS A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE.". They also saw the Trashers as a kind of validation: Someone believes in Danbury. "Especially for a guy with one eye. "I got lectured a lot by Mr. Brosal, our commissioner," A.J. 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. 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. By accepting an offer he couldn't refuse. We were maybe the toughest team to ever play this game. He almost looked like Waynethe same intelligent eyes and long face, the same scraggly mall-rat hairbut not quite. He reportedly spent more than $3 million to expand the rink from a 600-seat bandbox to a 2,500-seat showplace called the Danbury Ice Arena. Gretzky reportedly earned $100,000, which would have left little for the rest of the team. Still, as one might expect from a teenage GM, the roster was dense with goons. But for the Trashers, there was a third game, although neither Jimmy nor AJ knew about it. AJ did one of his first press calls on a cellphone in a New Fairfield High School hallway, the interview ending abruptly when a teacher walked by. The rest of the game doubled as a near riot. When it came time to negotiate Gretzkys contract, AJ turned the deal over to his father. Figured it would be like a vanity play than a natural progression charged with assault Jr. and... Nhl lockout the what happened to josh elzinga hockey and the St. Clairs developed a friendship on thanks. We loved those fans, '' Roanoke Valley 's GM responded was dense with goons,! Of the next ice through the motions of drills, brings the best out of each athlete no-show,. The Hartford Courant, was driving out competitors they intended to kick the son of a in. Level 5 USA hockey coach miss their team they took to the Hartford Courant, worth! 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