, New Brunswick, Canada, Gilles Richard is the current Vice-President of Hockey Operations for Southeast Elite Hockey. To Galante, it was a rounding error. MIKE RUPP wore a look of confusion. Al wenton to a successful financial career before building and operating his own ice rink in Lithia, Florida. We had 10 goons! 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. made connections over the summer with agents, scouts and middlemen who could deliver that goalie from Manitoba or that playmaker from Quebec. In 2003, from their desks above what was once center ice, agents began investigating Jimmy Galante. 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. 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. Guess what? Brad WingfieldWingnutchallenged Elzinga: Drop em; lets get it on. 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. DeLuca pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of threatening. The Danbury arena, meanwhile, has returned to its old existence as a youth rink. But haberdashery isn't what it used to be, and Danbury has struggled to find a new commercial base. Barely two months into the season Ndur was suspended for 20 games after fighting not just opposing players but also officials and opposing coaches. And how is this kid running a hockey team?". A.J. Rumun Ndur ended up seeing red and going batshit crazy, AJ told me. The Trashers traveled in a luxury coach; they played card games and talked all night. Galante, then a freshman at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., introduced himself as team president. 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. 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. John has two sons who also like to play hockey. So while Greg, 49, can walk, his wife is paralyzed, relying on a motorized wheelchair to move around. One player told me he did actual work in waste removal for Galantenothing no-show about his job. 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. And thats how Greg and Brenda St. Clair were introduced to hockey, enough to motivate them to attend the Trashers next game and eventually become addicted to a sport they previously knew little about. Lets face it: What else does Danbury really have?. But as Wingfield skated away , Elzinga stuck his leg out and pulled back on the left wing's jersey. He was a star in the UHL, having scored 43 goals for the Port Huron. That May they played their hated rival, Kalamazoo, in the Colonial Cup finals. John also has coached with the Florida Jr. Panthers and Florida Panthers Hockey Schools for many years. After taking swipes at various players, he grabbed Potvin, the Adirondack coach, and knocked him down. Detroit girl, 11, is left with brain trauma and staples in her head after child abuser teacher threw metal hockey stick at her. Word of the incident quickly spread through the blue-collar Connecticut city, which soon embraced the fighting mentality of the Trashers. 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. 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. says. "We did our due diligence, and they put in the proper paperwork and were professional," says Richard Brosal, then the UHL's commissioner. about getting back into sports. says wistfully. Then Sen. Joseph Lieberman hailed Galante as a "shining example" in the community. 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. I first heard it from a father on the sidelines of a Little League game soon after I moved in. But AJs favorite was Brad Wingnut Wingfield. Listen to the trailer for Holy Week. But Galante got around it in classic mob fashion: no-show jobs. Originally from the Metro Detroit area, Craig grew up playing youth hockey in Michigan within the Detroit Little Caesars organization. There was an incident where one of our players attacked one of the Adirondack coaches, and that ended up in the Toronto Star. 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 can score unbelievable," A.J. 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. The jerseys featured the team mascot, Scrappy, a garbage can with the lid raised just enough to reveal two almond-shaped eyes peering from the darkness. Jimmy owned a stock car racing team and had long talked about becoming a sports magnate. Last seen in the 2003-2004 season with the Chicago Steel (USHL). That meant late-night sessions on hockeydb.com, where he searched for telling stats. began moonlighting as a boxing manager. No slow dissipation for the Trashers, no aging and decline. 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. ", HAVING A son named A.J. Still, as one might expect from a teenage GM, the roster was dense with goons. Gilles was the Lead Hockey Instructor for National Hockey Development for 4 years. If Wylie signs with another team, the Chiefs could have options in . Jon (Nasty) Mirasty averaged more than eight minutes of penalties over 25 games. You have to understand, Dave MacIsaac, who played 62 regular-season games for Danbury, told me. Many Trashers playersnow scattered in office complexes and neighborhood rinks across North Americaspeak of this as the greatest night of their hockey life. But as Wingnut moved away, Elzinga stuck out his skate and grabbed Wingnuts jersey. 2002-03 Chicago Steel #6 Josh Elzinga: 2004-05 Kalamazoo Wings #3 Josh Elzinga: 2005-06 Kalamazoo Wings #3 Josh Elzinga 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. The most famous tough-guy team ever was whothe Broad Street Bullies, 7475 Flyers? Originally from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Gilles Richard is the current Vice-President of Hockey Operations for Southeast Elite Hockey. It was a big to-do. Although Galante claims that he never actually made contact, he was charged with assault. ", "Dad, if this guy had two eyes, he might be one of the greatest NHL players ever! SHOWTIME The Trashers didn't just start fights. Wingfield broke his leg in several places during a Dec. 1 game at the Danbury Ice Arena against Kalamazoo when he was tripped by the Wings' Josh Elzinga in the final seconds of the second. Team Information. So in 2004 Galante sank his money into the hockey equivalent of Double A ball. SON TY WAS DRAFTED AND SIGNED BY THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS IN 2021. (The video was inconclusive.) 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 Galantes payments were characterized as a mob tax to ensure his companies primacy in the trash trade. Ohio Gov. You did right by him and were loyal, and he would do anything for you. 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? What does that mean? The fans in section 102 who had once heckled him for his one eye instantly embraced him. But Jimmy Galante was smart, and the G-men could never quite nail him. 69 posts. Teaching athletes to learn and howto think, over just going through the motions of drills, brings the best out of each athlete. This year we beat on the door. There was only one problem: it wasnt protecting her sides, leaving her exposed, and often, black and blue. Nothing.. The Trashers' marquee player was Brent Gretzky, Wayne's kid brother. Wagner had once set a West Coast Hockey League single-season record with 503 penalty minutes. They were always pulling them out late, clearing the bench, fighting and celebrating. You'll be the president. This summer, she took multiple trips to the ER for what she believes is a pinched nerve in her neck. So why was he being greeted by this kid sporting a nascent goatee, earrings and an Allen Iverson jersey? conducted one interview, for a New York Times story, while walking through his high school, where cellphones were banned; he had to hang up on the reporter when he passed a teacher in the hall.) I fined him. Josh Elzinga player profile, stats and championships. They had, what, three goons? December 03, 2005. 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) Some say he did it for the same reason he owned a race-car squad: He loved to compete. I suspended his son." How did A.J. For himself he built a skybox equipped with a kitchenette. "You got us a guy with one eye? 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. Marc's professional athletic career includes: For 10 years John was the Director of Top Shelf Hockey. If you search Jim Duhart, those are what you find: Jim Duhart versus Tom Clayton, Jim Duhart versus Jason Taylor. "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." It has survived not only five centuries, 25. december. The Trashers' most notorious festival of violence had taken place on Dec. 1, 2004, when they hosted the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Wings. said of Beauregard. I hear it again every time my son Micahs Squirt Division travel team plays a home game at the Danbury arena. The rest of the game doubled as a near riot. 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. Featured in the NETFLIX documentary Untold: Crime & Penalties, the story of the Danbury Trashers relives the short and tumultuous history of an old United Ho. I suspended him. They were both in waste management, and both possessed an undeniable charm that compensated for their rough edges. The teenage sports exec became an irresistible media story. Unlike most enforcers, Wingnut could really play. The judge let Galante remain out of prison pending trial but put him under house arrest. He is prohibited from reentering the carting business in New York or Connecticut, but his plea bargain makes no mention of minor league hockey. An email sent to the team asking Rupp to share his recollections of the Trashers elicited this curt response: "Mike is not available for your story." But in other corners the Galantesand the desperadoes on ice they brought to townare still recalled fondly. "Frank would have been a hell of a Danbury Trasher," A.J. 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. Like Danbury, once the producer of many of the world's hats. 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. His accomplishments includeover 30 wins across the World, along with competing with Team USA at World Championships. (A.J. The 2004 05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would . If you have any questions or problems with the league statistics contact: League Admin "Listen, for all you guys who don't have a sack, I've brought enough balls for everyone," he said. John teaches all levels of private and group lessons. Coach Ernie's interest in athletic performance development stems from his extensive career competing in ice hockey. Galante spent $3 million to refurbish the Danbury Ice Arena. Marc also specializes in Power Skating and using the techniques of dynamic edgework and plyometricwhile on the ice. Federal authorities had grown interested in the Connecticut waste-management industry. He's crazy.' said. Josh Elzinga NOT the Josh who broke Brad Wingfield's leg . 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. 2006-2007 Regular Season . 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