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. "We're probably not going to want to participate," he said haltingly. As Wagner was escorted there, he broke free to make a dash toward the opposing bench. It had to do with the acoustics. Some of the UHL's East Coast teams were either moving to other leagues or folding. ago] Height 5.11 -- Weight 175 [180 cm/79 kg] Embed Josh Elzinga stats! Let's just say hindsight is 20/20. SON NATE WAS DRAFTED BY MISSISSAUGA IN THE 2021 OHL DRAFT. SON TY WAS DRAFTED AND SIGNED BY THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS IN 2021. In September 2008, U.S. District Court judge Ellen B. Burns sentenced him to 87 months in prison. Last seen in the 2003-2004 season with the Chicago Steel (USHL). At A.J. 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 TonyL@floridaeverblades.com - 239-948-7825 x1303 Young Blood, Goon, they were all there. ", Jimmy paused. 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. 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. 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. Some say he did it for the same reason he owned a race-car squad: He loved to compete. Between periods, players take off their jersey and pads. , New Brunswick, Canada, Gilles Richard is the current Vice-President of Hockey Operations for Southeast Elite Hockey. Eventually, Donny Grover, a former Trashers defenseman, noticed Brenda in the stands and invited her onto the ice. The teenage sports exec became an irresistible media story. ", A.J. Craig resides in Estero, Florida with his wife Amy, son Cayden (9), who plays for the Junior Everblades 10U teamand daughter Sophia (12), who currently plays for the Girls Florida Alliance 12U AAA team. was fined and suspended for nearly coming to blows with an executive from another team during a game. The pediatric emergency room at Danbury Hospital was named for Galante after he helped fund it. His accomplishments includeover 30 wins across the World, along with competing with Team USA at World Championships. Besides, what choice did he have? She forgets about being in the chair, Greg added. DeLuca ended up resigning from office because of the scandal. ", Jimmy expects to be released this summer. He did have a weakness, though. Brenda, confined to a wheelchair because of spina bifida, had never been to a pro hockey game. Recalls Galante, "It was obvious he was thinking, What did I get myself into? felt that the Trashers needed a goal scorer. The game plan was 'Keep your cool and you'll get a power play,' but it didn't always work out. I was on the bench, Doug Christiansen told me. Wingnut. 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.) "I didn't know s--- about hockey either," volunteers Greg, a propane tank repairer. It was four years to the day from the Trashers' first game. IT WAS A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE.". We just figured, Were going to make a team everyone loves to hate, AJ said. A.J. "My dad always put me in sink-or-swim-type situations," he says. He found skill players on the internet, assembling his squad the way he might have assembled a fantasy-football team. Hockey Fights is an entertainment site with no direct affiliation to the National Hockey League, its teams, or NHLPA. ), The Trashers finished the 200405 season with a 44297 record, which put them in the playoffs. John has two sons who also like to play hockey. 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. . ago] Height 6.02 -- Weight 205 [188 cm/93 kg] Regular Season. The result was a kind of frontier justice. View the profiles of people named Josh Elzinga. Yet in some ways Galantes biography seemed unlike that of a traditional hood. When Danbury became the home of the Eastern Professional Leagues Mad Hatters in 2008, the St. Clairs quickly welcomed them. He named it Champs Boxing Club & Fitness. Hockey Fights is an entertainment site with no direct affiliation to the National Hockey League, its teams, or NHLPA. A case involving a minor-league hockey team also nailed Matty the Horse. The players exchanged looks of confusion. was on the phone with agents for some of the best hockey players in the world. 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. Jimmy Galante was arrested on June 9, 2006, not long after the final game of the season. Game Two is what people remember. 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. 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. Lets face it: What else does Danbury really have?. "He must've thought he was on Punk'd or something. said. It had a great economic impact on the entire downtown.". 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.) We play a team like the Frostbite, a team with maybe two goons. Having failed to agree with players on a new contract, major-league owners canceled the season. "No," Jimmy replied. "Every character they had, we had. 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. AL hasattended many coaching seminars and clinics around North America. It was populated by the die-hard, the angry, and the drunk. Gretzky, at 32, was in the descent portion of his career. Be a goalie, to which she said, Alright. Jimmy owned a stock car racing team and had long talked about becoming a sports magnate. Her style may be unorthodox, but she fits right in between the pipes. 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. I suspended his son." And the fans, from section 102 and beyond, still miss their team. That is it.. "It comes right from the top.". Guess what? That spring, when A.J. also hired Tommy (T-Bone) Pomposello, a former minor leaguer, who would do everything from managing the equipment to scouting talent to helping run practice. 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. Brian was born and raised in Detroit Michigan. 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. said of Beauregard. The second year, Port Huron became the Roanoke Valley Vipers. 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. Galante named his team for the family business: the Trashers. Galantes payments were characterized as a mob tax to ensure his companies primacy in the trash trade. The winning goal came in the third overtime. Thats where he told me his story, amid the light and heavy bags, in the regulation ring. Brenda got tattoos of the names of her favorite players. The team's actual payroll would later be estimated at $750,000. Upon his release he had rebuilt his empire and now, according to The Hartford Courant, was worth more than $100 million. 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. Ten years ago, Connecticut waste-management king Jimmy Galante started a minor league hockey team and put his teenage son, A.J., in charge. Though he lived with his wife and two children in suburban New Fairfield, he was beloved in nearby Danbury, where he had his office. AFTER THE FALL While Jimmy (below right) serves out his prison sentence, A.J. I suspended him. "I was a big Oakland Raiders fan," says A.J. Josh Elzinga vs. Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn, November 24, 2006 - Port Huron Flags vs. Kalamazoo Wings. There was a tremendous infusion of talent, Christiansen said. In 1980, after the Houston Oilers barely missed a trip to the Super Bowl, Coach Bum Phillips gave their fans a famous pep talk. "Jimmy's a guest of the government, and I love that man." He's 27 now. Sign up today to get the best features and analysis from the NHL and beyond. One year ago we knocked on the door, he said. ", 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. But as Wingfield skated away , Elzinga stuck his leg out and pulled back on the left wing's jersey. For video of the Danbury Trashers mixing it up, download SI's tablet version, free to subscribers, at SI.com/activate. Danbury fans whod followed the team to Glens Falls got word of the situation and gave the players the shirts off their own backs. 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. The gangster shrugged: What can I say, right? Asked how the payback made him feel, Wingnut said great, but I would have liked to have seen him leaving the ice on a stretcher or in a body bag.. Toward the trade deadline, we were going through a slump. 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. None of this fazes the 47-year-old Brenda. This updated clip brings back the perspective of how Trashers fans were feeling during this moment of redemption. DeLuca believed his granddaughter's husband, Mark Colella, had physically abused her. As the case proceeded, there was plenty of collateral damage. He has ties,' " says Brosal. He spent six years in Allenwood, a federal penitentiary in central Pennsylvania. It was all over the blogs and hockey-fight sites, the craziness. "It was definitely a unique group of individualsas well as management!" 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. The team was largely the same, with a few additions, including yet another minor-league-hockey legend, David Beauregard. There was an incident where one of our players attacked one of the Adirondack coaches, and that ended up in the Toronto Star. Many Trashers playersnow scattered in office complexes and neighborhood rinks across North Americaspeak of this as the greatest night of their hockey life. 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. what happened to josh elzinga hockey. Team Information. . 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. Its all Ive known for my whole life, she said. ", "WE LOVED THOSE FANS," SAYS OMICIOLI. But Jimmy Galante was smart, and the G-men could never quite nail him. First of all, he was a really good player, AJ explained, and second, the name recognition.. When linesman James Harper approached him, they engaged in a shouting match, and Jimmy reportedly gave Harper a fat lip. 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) Facebook gives people the power to. Thirty-two other individuals, including Matty the Horse, were charged as part of the investigation. Danbury is a blue-collar town, and they could relate to the players, Galante told me. The documentary does a great job capturing on the emotional story of Wingfield and his strong relationship with both A.J. There was no other number. Marc also specializes in Power Skating and using the techniques of dynamic edgework and plyometricwhile on the ice. FACE-OFF Backed by some of his father's truck drivers in 2004, A.J. - 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. If Wylie signs with another team, the Chiefs could have options in . I figured it would be like a video game, controlling players and all that. Marc believes in helping each athlete to decipher through the plethora of good and misinformation to achieve optimal performance. Says Pomposello, "Jimmy's old school. Predictably, Wingnut went after Elzinga, administering a considerable beating and triggering another near riot. There was something else in the books too. 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. You'd look across the ice, and they had eight to 10 heavyweights looking for a fight. "You shoulda seen Rupp," Galante recalls, laughing. The closest team to Danbury, the Frostbite played in Glens Falls, New York, just three hours away by luxury coach. "We loved those fansI mean loved," says Omicioli. Dissatisfied with the response he got from police, DeLuca went to Galante. 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. No one wanted to fight him, AJ said. On such nights, I suppose Im just like Galante was, rooting for my son in the crazed way understood by all hockey parents. Originally from the Metro Detroit area, Craig grew up playing youth hockey in Michigan within the Detroit Little Caesars organization. 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. Soon, a 3-on-3 scrimmage was underway with Brenda, for the first time in her life, facing shots in a real game. Their goons fight our goons. Maybe because Im Italian and in the garbage business.. What can I say, right `` we 're probably not going to want to participate ''... Feeling during this moment of redemption also like to play hockey, New Brunswick, Canada Gilles. Central Pennsylvania National hockey League, its teams, or NHLPA Brenda got tattoos of the Professional! 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