John has two sons who also like to play hockey. AL hasattended many coaching seminars and clinics around North America. Yet the father delegated personnel moves to the son. During a pretrial hearing assistant U.S. attorney Michael Gustafson characterized Galante as a "manipulating, controlling, hands-on bully." Most of these guys, if theyd been drafted into the NHL, had gone late, in the triple digits. "You had blue-collar guys banging on the glass. 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. Torres said he lost confidence at . "My dad always put me in sink-or-swim-type situations," he says. Josh Elzinga has an equally impressive professional playing career and has served as Adam's Assistant Coach for the past 4 seasons. "Especially for a guy with one eye. Gilles was the Lead Hockey Instructor for National Hockey Development for 4 years. Word of the incident quickly spread through the blue-collar Connecticut city, which soon embraced the fighting mentality of the Trashers. "We loved those fansI mean loved," says Omicioli. The Trashers sprawled in the locker room as the Zamboni worked. 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 hear it again every time my son Micahs Squirt Division travel team plays a home game at the Danbury arena. Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read. A.J. I wound up having words with the referee, and unbeknownst to me, he was a full-time police officer in upstate New York, Galante told me. He allegedly kicked a referee. 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. said. It was a different day of hockey., Life for the Trashers was life on the road, going from small city to small city. Some fights started spontaneously, following a big hit. The judge let Galante remain out of prison pending trial but put him under house arrest. Although Jimmy and A.J., with their contempt for other franchises, took pride in letting proxies handle league board meetings and conference calls, Brosal says they were fine corporate citizens of the UHL: "Jimmy would get fined, and he would argueWho do you think you are?and five hours later the money was wired into the account. Someone had said Galante, with a near-monopoly on regional garbage collection, was driving out competitors. I never had one bad thing happen in my dealings with Jimmy Galante.". 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." Barely two months into the season Ndur was suspended for 20 games after fighting not just opposing players but also officials and opposing coaches. No slow dissipation for the Trashers, no aging and decline. 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? 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. It will have mobsters. But Jimmy Galante was smart, and the G-men could never quite nail him. The intimidation factor was unreal. Rumun Ndur was the only Nigerian-born player ever to make it to the NHL. The game plan was 'Keep your cool and you'll get a power play,' but it didn't always work out. "We're probably not going to want to participate," he said haltingly. December 03, 2005. "Every character they had, we had. 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. ", Jimmy expects to be released this summer. 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. 117 followers. Workers were still welding in seats 90 minutes before the first game, but opening night was a success: A sellout crowd of about 2,500 showed up, and Danbury beat Adirondack 3--1. Galante, his hair buzzed to the scalp, a neatly trimmed goatee rimming his mouth, stands off to the side, his iPhone pressed to his ear. "Before games we'd be mobbed," says Tom Devine, owner of the Two Steps Downtown Grille. The roster was constantly in flux, but it usually had more enforcers than players in need of protection. After signing Gretzky, he went for Jim Duhart, the Crash Davis of minor-league hockey. You did right by him and were loyal, and he would do anything for you. (Colella denies this.) In many ways, the first round of that postseason was the high point: the Trashers versus the Frostbite, best of seven. U.S. Hockey Report provides exclusive amateur hockey news reporting and scouting services in the United States and Canada. I suspended his son." That's all we needed to hear. Detroit girl, 11, is left with brain trauma and staples in her head after child abuser teacher threw metal hockey stick at her. 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. Galante was a philanthropist; a pediatric suite in the emergency department of Danbury Hospital was named for his family. Adam Elzinga. None of this fazes the 47-year-old Brenda. North American Hockey League United States Hockey League As the case proceeded, there was plenty of collateral damage. And, according to court papers filed by the U.S. Attorneys office, his business disputes occasionally ended in violence: For nearly two decades, Galantes enterprise promoted a climate of fear through violence, threats of violence, economic sanctions and threats of economic sanctions. Jason Chen explains the effect in depth before New Jersey plays Wednesday. 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. But his passion for sports never faded. 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. It turned into a brawl. [40 yrs. John was the originalfounding member of the South Florida First Youth Hockey League. PHOTOGRAPHS BY WENDY CARLSON (MASCOT, 5); VIDEO STILLS BY THOMAS BUTKIER (2). THE PLAYERS KNEW THAT THEIR OWNER WAS, WELL, CONNECTED, BUT THEY DIDN'T CARE. Predictably, Wingnut went after Elzinga, administering a considerable beating and triggering another near riot. Stevealso served as Coaching and Program Director for the NJ Devils Youth Hockey Club before becoming the Program Director for the Florida Golden Wolves, where he has served for the past 11 years. It was a clean shot [but] they came right at AJ, and he had a very severe knee injury, couldnt play hockey anymore. The team played in the Wings Stadium. Timo Meier's fantasy hockey value trends up after the New Jersey Devils acquired him. During a 1994 junior hockey game he was on a breakaway when he caught a high stick under his visor. "It was loud," says A.J., "and security was very, let's just say, flexible." Be a goalie, to which she said, Alright. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. starts innumerable sentences, "My dad always says.", Usually so engaging and candid, A.J. In his first semester of college A.J. Nothing.. 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. The Kalamazoo Wings were a Minor Professional hockey team based in Kalamazoo, MI playing in the United Hockey League from 2000 to 2007. Many Trashers playersnow scattered in office complexes and neighborhood rinks across North Americaspeak of this as the greatest night of their hockey life. First of all, he was a really good player, AJ explained, and second, the name recognition.. 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. HOCKEY IS BACK!!!. The team was largely the same, with a few additions, including yet another minor-league-hockey legend, David Beauregard. Jon (Nasty) Mirasty averaged more than eight minutes of penalties over 25 games. FUNNY THING about Connecticut: It's one of the wealthiest states, but it also has a good many broke cities and hard-ass working-class towns. He made some contacts, hung out in gyms in the Northeast, met some promoters and trainers, and so far he has represented three fighters. ", Jimmy paused. It was populated by the die-hard, the angry, and the drunk. Season. Mathieuhas had a lengthy professional career that spanned over a 14 year period. 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. Just two unforgettable seasons sealed in amber. 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.J. But by 1 a.m., the Trashers were out of fresh shirts. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? GET THE PICTURE? Says Pomposello, "Jimmy's old school. 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. According to authorities, DeLuca said yes and provided Colella's address. 2006-2007 Regular Season . Upon his release he had rebuilt his empire and now, according to The Hartford Courant, was worth more than $100 million. The players exchanged looks of confusion. I will. What followed was a process of trial and error, with the couple purchasing equipment and constantly refining it to fit Brendas needs. He found skill players on the internet, assembling his squad the way he might have assembled a fantasy-football team. (Galante denies having had this conversation.) "I'm one of those guys who lives for competition," he says. A tale of goons, no-show jobs, and a legendary minor-league franchise that helped land its owner in prison. Jimmy and A.J. 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. 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. ", "WE LOVED THOSE FANS," SAYS OMICIOLI. He was a great owner." says wistfully. Wagner had once set a West Coast Hockey League single-season record with 503 penalty minutes. All Rights Reserved. Danbury fans whod followed the team to Glens Falls got word of the situation and gave the players the shirts off their own backs. After he was drafted, Vogel invited the couple to Pennsylvania for training camp in August. 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