Take control of your EliteProspects profile! If Wylie signs with another team, the Chiefs could have options in . "People love to watch him perform. Danbury, Connecticut, is the ultimate small city. Al has coached youth hockeyfor the last 9 years and isa level 5 USA Hockey coach. 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. Hockey Fights is an entertainment site with no direct affiliation to the National Hockey League, its teams, or NHLPA. 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. Craig is aUSA Hockey Certified Level 4 coach; his background includes being a former Head Hockey Instructor for Maximum Development Hockey based out of Windsor, Ontario Canada, coaching numerous Southeast Elite AAA select teams and coaching within the Junior Everblades organization for over 15 years, winning multiple state championships. "Then everyone would ask for the check so they could be there for face-off. John teaches all levels of private and group lessons. The Galantes admit that their favorite player was Brad Wingfield, a.k.a. Residents greeted the new hockey team with considerable excitement. During a 1994 junior hockey game he was on a breakaway when he caught a high stick under his visor. He has ties,' " says Brosal. One year ago we knocked on the door, he said. According to authorities, DeLuca said yes and provided Colella's address. But as Wingfield skated away , Elzinga stuck his leg out and pulled back on the left wing's jersey. Initially, just as a spectator. Brian was born and raised in Detroit Michigan. An 11-year-old girl in Detroit had to get staples in her head after . THE NEW HAVEN division of the FBI is located downtown, on the old site of the New Haven Arena, a prime hockey venue that housed minor league teams from the 1930s to the '70s. The 2004 05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would . The Trashers were even able to land a few genuine NHL players, one of whom was Mike Rupp. After the game they'd come back and greet the players. Be a goalie, to which she said, Alright. He searched two places, one actual, one virtual. (The video was inconclusive.) Tampa Bay fans still include him among their grievances: a wasted pick. Danbury fans whod followed the team to Glens Falls got word of the situation and gave the players the shirts off their own backs. Many signed with the American Hockey League, the league directly below the NHL, pushing AHL players down to teams in the UHL. It was a big to-do. Although Galante claims that he never actually made contact, he was charged with assault. Torres said he lost confidence at . Important: An official team/league url or a team document must be provided for us to update player stats. Established 1996 -- Celebrating Our 25th Year . "We had two defensemen hurt; otherwise we woulda won," A.J. Jimmy owned a stock car racing team and had long talked about becoming a sports magnate. Cortisone shots help her deal with frequent elbow pain. He currently resides in Southwest Florida with his wife, Wendy, and their two children. Little separated the team from its fans, physically or culturally: They mostly made nothing, were going nowhere, and knew unfairness. The constant sitting has led to excruciating backaches. 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 Then Jimmy went about being the Jerry Jones of the UHL. HOCKEY IS BACK!!!. A big city has its strivers and fine food and bright lights. Then, as A.J. Josh Gratton vs Adam Elzinga - Sep 5, 2001 - YouTube NHL hockey fights, brawls, scrums, roughs, hits, cheap shots, and other incidents. He scores like it's drinking water. After snapping a few, Brenda invited Vogels friends to take some shots on her. "Jimmy's a guest of the government, and I love that man." The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Nick Jensen to a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4.05 million. Player after player came by the house to show support. (He also forfeited his ownership in 25 trash-hauling firms.) "We're probably not going to want to participate," he said haltingly. In that time he has been instrumental in helping change the face of hockey in Florida. Currently, Al isanAssistant Coach of the 05 AAA Florida Alliance Elite team. AFTER THE FALL While Jimmy (below right) serves out his prison sentence, A.J. Pick your poison. Somehow they got the message upstairs. Now, the younger Galante has embraced boxing instead of hockey. But even Wingnut had nothing on Chad Wagner. AJ filled out the roster with a mix of has-beens and might-bes. 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. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? 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. It will have desperate people, lost causes, and crime. You did right by him and were loyal, and he would do anything for you. But for the Trashers, there was a third game, although neither Jimmy nor AJ knew about it. Like Mike Tyson in his prime.". Just two unforgettable seasons sealed in amber. "Listen, for all you guys who don't have a sack, I've brought enough balls for everyone," he said. And fans werent the only ones who found the Trashers; players did too. Barely two months into the season Ndur was suspended for 20 games after fighting not just opposing players but also officials and opposing coaches. Nothing.. "I loved every player," Jimmy asserts. One was Rumun Ndur, a Nigeria-born Canadian who was known for his aggression. Asked by email whether there could be a sequel, a Danbury Trashers II, Galante responds, "Anything is possible! Something was off-brand, faded; he was like a dollar bill thatd been through the wash. Hed already played 12 seasons of pro hockey: a total of 13 games in the NHL, followed by years of wandering the minors. They also saw the Trashers as a kind of validation: Someone believes in Danbury. 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. The Galantes told Trashers who were suspendedinvariably for fightingto watch the games from the 102 seats. Jon Nasty Mirasty, a Cree from Saskatchewan, wore a Mohawk, sometimes multicolored, and would average eight penalty minutes a game for Danbury. Sign up for EP Premium and verify your profile to access these benefits. Jason Chen explains the effect in depth before New Jersey plays Wednesday. "It comes right from the top.". He was a star in the UHL, having scored 43 goals for the Port Huron. ), According to ESPN, an FBI wiretap that was capturing Galantes phone calls would later reveal that three days after Wingnut broke his leg, Galante asked his business associate Ciro Viento to call Commissioner Brosal. So while Greg, 49, can walk, his wife is paralyzed, relying on a motorized wheelchair to move around. 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 . Their goons fight our goons. The Trashers had the Adirondack Frostbite. 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. The game plan was 'Keep your cool and you'll get a power play,' but it didn't always work out. November 24, 2006. Through United States Ice Rink Association Gilles has acquired his Hockey Director Certificate, Human Resources Management Certificate and Programming, Marketing and Promotions Certificate. "The Danbury Trashers were the Syracuse Bulldogs of the movie Slap Shot," says Pomposello, the all-purpose assistant. Josh Elzinga vs. Brad Wingfield, December 03, 2005 - Kalamazoo Wings vs. Danbury Trashers. "Especially for a guy with one eye. Gilles is a Level 4 Hockey Coach with USA Hockey. The United States government came in and seized my assets, and one of the assets was the team, Galante told me. When he caught wind of a local kid who couldn't afford college, he quietly wrote a tuition check. acted decisively. In the first period Wagner instigated a fight, and an all-out brawl broke out. "Honestly, a lot of it was getting so close to a championship with the Trashers but not winning. Last seen in the 2003-2004 season with the Chicago Steel (USHL). 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. Recalls Galante, "It was obvious he was thinking, What did I get myself into? Josh Doan and Jack Judson scored for the Sun Devils (15-19-0), who were forced to play a man short against the Nanooks (19-10-2) due to mounting . Young Blood, Goon, they were all there. A senior at New Fairfield High, AJ had been an alternate captain of his schools hockey team, which played at the Danbury Ice Arena with Jimmy often in attendance. Learn more about them from these League History pages. 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. 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. From November 2019: My family story of love, the Mob, and government surveillance. Seven players were sent to the penalty box. That meant late-night sessions on hockeydb.com, where he searched for telling 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. It was a different day of hockey., Life for the Trashers was life on the road, going from small city to small city. Al grew up and was raised in small-town Manitoba and played all levels of minor and senior hockey. The cornerstone of Marc's approach is focusing on making each hockey player a better athlete. "I got lectured a lot by Mr. Brosal, our commissioner," A.J. 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? In 1980, after the Houston Oilers barely missed a trip to the Super Bowl, Coach Bum Phillips gave their fans a famous pep talk. Its all Ive known for my whole life, she said. The Trashers would sell out the arena regularly as fans of various ethnicities, ages and collars converged to cheer them on. It started becoming urban legend.. 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. Investigators alleged that by paying a quarterly $30,000 "mob tax" to Matthew (Matty the Horse) Ianniellothen the highest-ranking member of New York City's Genovese crime familyGalante's companies had muscled out potential competitors and charged counties and businesses inflated carting rates. But they also swap remember-that-time-when stories about those two years they ran that crazy-assed hockey team. Soon they were regulars, and at one game they renewed their marriage vows. 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. - EP Contact Book listing of your profile (optional) The league set an annual salary cap of $275,000, with a $2 luxury tax for every dollar spent above the threshold. "It was loud," says A.J., "and security was very, let's just say, flexible." 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. Before a big game a team employee might check into the visitors' hotel and pull the fire alarm. "He's the only thing this team has going for it.". The second goes on in the front office: signing players, making trades. 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. A violent, brutal melee from start to finish. You have to understand, Dave MacIsaac, who played 62 regular-season games for Danbury, told me. In the mid-to-late 1970s, he started his own company, Automated Waste Disposal, and by 2004, hed built it into a trash-collection empire of companies valued at about $100 million. Josh Elzinga player profile, stats and championships. They had their own chants and waved body bags when opposing players lost fights. When it came time to negotiate Gretzkys contract, AJ turned the deal over to his father. She accepted and over the next two years would occasionally hit pucks around, even after the Trashers ignominiously folded in 2006. Josh Elzinga has an equally impressive professional playing career and has served as Adam's Assistant Coach for the past 4 seasons. Marc's professional athletic career includes: For 10 years John was the Director of Top Shelf Hockey. His accomplishments includeover 30 wins across the World, along with competing with Team USA at World Championships. Dissatisfied with the response he got from police, DeLuca went to Galante. While other UHL franchises were notorious for penny-pinching, the Trashers traveled in a luxe team bus. And Brenda was given a new on-ice opportunity when Mad Hatters goalie Jeff Hill jokingly yelled at her to Be a man. The government seized most of his assets, including 25 trash companies and a string of race cars. AL hasattended many coaching seminars and clinics around North America. 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. There was only one problem: it wasnt protecting her sides, leaving her exposed, and often, black and blue. 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. 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. Defense. The team played in the Wings Stadium. 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. wasn't the only reason Galante drew comparisons with Tony Soprano. "He made fans feel like they were an integral part of the team. Marc specializes in the full spectrum of athlete development. Rupp had played two seasons in the NHL and had even scored the decisive goal for the Devils in the 2003 Stanley Cup finals. Ndur charged the Kalamazoo bench and tried to kick a linesman. Adam Elzinga. "It was definitely a unique group of individualsas well as management!" We had one [enforcer], and the poor guy got challenged every shift. Launching an expansion hockey team in Danbury seemed less like a vanity play than a natural progression. That team was uniquely physical, to put it nicely, Doug Christiansen, a 6-foot-5 Trashers wing, told me. 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]. Gretzky reportedly earned $100,000, which would have left little for the rest of the team. We were maybe the toughest team to ever play this game. 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. Still, as one might expect from a teenage GM, the roster was dense with goons. A.J. The pediatric emergency room at Danbury Hospital was named for Galante after he helped fund it. was on the phone with agents for some of the best hockey players in the world. Same for Mike Rupp. It was one of those things where wed say, Hit this guy. But no one could catch him. "We loved those fansI mean loved," says Omicioli. Josh Elzinga Defense Born Sep 3 1984 -- Burbank, IL [38 yrs. Though he started with no contacts in the sport, often relying on Google to find the main phone numbers of other teams, A.J. Let's just say hindsight is 20/20. My son plays there eight or nine times a year. With a Premium subscription, you'll get access to over 30 tools, features and benefits. Since birth Brenda has suffered from spina bifida, an abnormality that causes an opening in the spinal column. This updated clip brings back the perspective of how Trashers fans were feeling during this moment of redemption. "Al Davis, he was a wild man with a team full of outlaws, and that's how I wanted to be. Listen to the trailer for Holy Week. 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. Guess what? That is it.. Catalyzed by their new scorer, the Trashers cruised through the regular season, finishing 48--17. At a press conference on April 1, Galante also introduced the team's 17-year-old president, who had just bought a suit for the occasion. The 200405 Trashers blew through the UHL like a freak storm. "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." For video of the Danbury Trashers mixing it up, download SI's tablet version, free to subscribers, at SI.com/activate. A later indictment alleged that in 1992, Galante and associates conspired to set fire to a truck from a rival carting firm and kidnap a driver at gunpoint. 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. ", A.J. As Wingfield skated away,. I hear it again every time my son Micahs Squirt Division travel team plays a home game at the Danbury arena. In professional sports, there are usually two games taking place. December 03, 2005. 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