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 garnered respect from coaches and players on all levels. He spent six years in Allenwood, a federal penitentiary in central Pennsylvania. Born Jul 23 1982 -- Burbank, IL. "I cut a foot off the visitors' bench," says Pomposello, "so they'd be all squished together." Teaching athletes to learn and howto think, over just going through the motions of drills, brings the best out of each athlete. A tale of goons, no-show jobs, and a legendary minor-league franchise that helped land its owner in prison. They were the cream of the UHL, one of its best teams and a pet project of hockey celebrities: The franchise was owned in part by the former NHL coach Barry Melrose and the ESPN broadcaster Steve Levy. Because adult-sized chest protectors were too big for her, she initially wore one meant for children. ago] Height 6.02 -- Weight 205 [188 cm/93 kg] Regular Season. Wingnut went down awkwardly, and a crack could be heard in every part of the arena: Wingnuts left tibia and fibula. It was populated by the die-hard, the angry, and the drunk. I remember being so pissed, I had to do something. In his 56 games with the Trashers, Wingfield piled up 496 penalty minutes. And what's more entertaining than a bunch of crazy guys getting into fights?". 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 Watch Unreal Save by TJ Semptimphelter. His job was to be the Kevin Costner to Brent Gretzkys Whitney Houston. First year, he was playing for the Port Huron Beacons, killing us. Players' wives were put on the payroll of Galante-owned companies though they performed no discernible duties. He would also wash the Trashers' jerseys in Crisco and slather Vaseline on their helmets so opponents couldn't grab hold in a fight. 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. 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. A.J. "No," Jimmy replied. 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 fights with heart. Most of these guys, if theyd been drafted into the NHL, had gone late, in the triple digits. Originally from the Metro Detroit area, Craig grew up playing youth hockey in Michigan within the Detroit Little Caesars organization. The teenage sports exec became an irresistible media story. Jimmy owned a stock car racing team and had long talked about becoming a sports magnate. Jimmy Galante purchased an expansion franchise in the United Hockey League, the equivalent of Double A baseball. He allegedly kicked a referee. He went online to find the main switchboard number for the Roanoke Valley (Va.) Vipers, left a message and eventually made contact with his counterpart. The Trashers folded three days after Galantes arrest. She forgets about being in the chair, Greg added. In the first period Wagner instigated a fight, and an all-out brawl broke out. "I was a big Oakland Raiders fan," says A.J. After he was drafted, Vogel invited the couple to Pennsylvania for training camp in August. 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. The roster was constantly in flux, but it usually had more enforcers than players in need of protection. They happily agreed. The game turned into a riot, everyone taking a run at everyone else. My dad wasnt too happy, and in so many words I was told, We need a fucking scorer. I was on spring break from college, and my break consisted of me in my room researching I didnt really have any relationships with other hockey people. The lockout sent NHL stars into the cold. Mahfuz riad. Next year were going to kick the son of a bitch in!, It was like that with the Trashers. "Every character they had, we had. Also, its funny as hellThe Sopranos meets Slap Shot. Originally from Montreal,Charlieplayed over 900 games professionally around the globe over his 17-year career, including the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. Additionally, Charlie is the Head of Academics for TPH, Estero. (A.J. Her neck was really bothering her that night and she said, I dont think Ill be going to get on the ice, Vogel recalled. 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. But as Wingfield skated away , Elzinga stuck his leg out and pulled back on the left wing's jersey. The Trashers' marquee player was Brent Gretzky, Wayne's kid brother. The Trashers still trigger strong responses in Danbury, too. Then the FBI moved in. You'll be the president. "You had blue-collar guys banging on the glass. Typical New York Rangers or New York Islanders fans were in the position of heroin addicts whod lost their supplywhich is how they found their way to the Trashers. First of all, if you look at the bus, it was pretty sick, Mario Larocque told me. "When we got him," A.J. If you have any questions or problems with the league statistics contact: League Admin That team was uniquely physical, to put it nicely, Doug Christiansen, a 6-foot-5 Trashers wing, told me. "We loved those fansI mean loved," says Omicioli. Through United States Ice Rink Association Gilles has acquired his Hockey Director Certificate, Human Resources Management Certificate and Programming, Marketing and Promotions Certificate. The Trashers traveled in a luxury coach; they played card games and talked all night. Now and then, he liked to make an elaborate gesture, something attention-getting. Soon they were regulars, and at one game they renewed their marriage vows. 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. Adam Elzinga. Jason Chen explains the effect in depth before New Jersey plays Wednesday. At home they took to the ice to Welcome to the Jungle, by Guns N Roses. VS. 1st Period - 7:13 . Then Sen. Joseph Lieberman hailed Galante as a "shining example" in the community. Marc also has over 20 years in Nutritional Counseling as Clinical Nutritionist. The closest team to Danbury, the Frostbite played in Glens Falls, New York, just three hours away by luxury coach. Hockey Fights is an entertainment site with no direct affiliation to the National Hockey League, its teams, or NHLPA. After the game they'd come back and greet the players. It was four years to the day from the Trashers' first game. The Galantes hired J. Todd Stirling, a son of former Islanders coach Steve Stirling, as the inaugural coach. For all that's happened, the kid still idolizes his father. The Trashers had the Adirondack Frostbite. ", Occasionally, though, Jimmy betrayed a temper and turned it on his team. We had 10 goons! "Before games we'd be mobbed," says Tom Devine, owner of the Two Steps Downtown Grille. ", 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 his fights are what people remember. Furthermore, according to authorities, in April 2005 Galante had met with Louis DeLuca, a longtime Connecticut state senator. According to the subsequent indictment, the investigation was part of an effort to thwart illegal practices in the trash hauling industry. It had been kicked off by a complaint. One was Rumun Ndur, a Nigeria-born Canadian who was known for his aggression. Many Trashers playersnow scattered in office complexes and neighborhood rinks across North Americaspeak of this as the greatest night of their hockey life. I sit in Section 102 and let the other parents have it. The game plan was 'Keep your cool and you'll get a power play,' but it didn't always work out. Marc was a professional Triathlete for over 10 years. I first heard it from a father on the sidelines of a Little League game soon after I moved in. Word got around the hockey world, and soon A.J. When he caught wind of a local kid who couldn't afford college, he quietly wrote a tuition check. They stayed in the best hotels and ate at the best restaurants. Mario Larocque was different: Hed been taken in the first round of the 1996 NHL draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. For a team theme song, A.J. There was no other number. When linesman James Harper approached him, they engaged in a shouting match, and Jimmy reportedly gave Harper a fat lip. Wagner was apologetic, and A.J. began moonlighting as a boxing manager. 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. In 2004, this meant buying a minor-league-hockey franchise and installing it at the local youth rink, the Danbury Ice Arena. Galante was a philanthropist; a pediatric suite in the emergency department of Danbury Hospital was named for his family. Most teams rode in a rickety, Partridge Familystyle bus. They had their own chants and waved body bags when opposing players lost fights. The team was largely the same, with a few additions, including yet another minor-league-hockey legend, David Beauregard. Kalamazoo Wings (Kalamazoo,MI) United Hockey League [Minor Professional] 2000-2007 [click to view all-time roster] 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. "I want to trade for Beauregard," A.J. At 4 a.m. the players would be out in the parking lot, huddled in their underwear. Danburys equipment manager would soak the Trashers jerseys in Crisco before they played the Frostbite so the opposing goons couldnt get a firm grip. 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. The team played in the Wings Stadium. I suspended his son." felt that the Trashers needed a goal scorer. Ten years ago, Connecticut waste-management king Jimmy Galante started a minor league hockey team and put his teenage son, A.J., in charge. - Premium Design on your profile page (optional) A.J. Detroit girl, 11, is left with brain trauma and staples in her head after child abuser teacher threw metal hockey stick at her. recalls, "even the commissioner was like, 'I would advise against that. If Wylie signs with another team, the Chiefs could have options in . As evidence that Galante was prone to violence, the prosecution played footage of him purportedly striking the official during the infamous Kalamazoo game. It was a twist Elmore Leonard might have considered improbable. "We're probably not going to want to participate," he said haltingly. From November 2019: My family story of love, the Mob, and government surveillance. They loved playing for Jimmy, because he took care of them. 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. A big city has its strivers and fine food and bright lights. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. A.J. The doors to the visiting team's penalty box were also welded together, so opponents had to fling themselves over the boards to enter the box. Asked by email whether there could be a sequel, a Danbury Trashers II, Galante responds, "Anything is possible! If you search Jim Duhart, those are what you find: Jim Duhart versus Tom Clayton, Jim Duhart versus Jason Taylor. It was a big to-do. Although Galante claims that he never actually made contact, he was charged with assault. Right before the league's trade deadline in March 2006, Jimmy and A.J. 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. 117 followers. Dissatisfied with the response he got from police, DeLuca went to Galante. 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. wasn't the only reason Galante drew comparisons with Tony Soprano. Eventually, Donny Grover, a former Trashers defenseman, noticed Brenda in the stands and invited her onto the ice. By accepting an offer he couldn't refuse. John also has coached with the Florida Jr. Panthers and Florida Panthers Hockey Schools for many years. ", "Dad, if this guy had two eyes, he might be one of the greatest NHL players ever! Jimmy and A.J. How did A.J. However, hed been to prison for tax evasion. was fined and suspended for nearly coming to blows with an executive from another team during a game. Not that they just rubber-stamped Galante's application. says wistfully. . Josh Elzinga vs. Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn, November 24, 2006 - Port Huron Flags vs. Kalamazoo Wings. Playing against the Trashers was "a s--- show," said Chris Chaput, who was a center for the Elmira Jackals in 2005--06. We had one [enforcer], and the poor guy got challenged every shift. . Soon, a 3-on-3 scrimmage was underway with Brenda, for the first time in her life, facing shots in a real game. 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." Maybe because Im Italian and in the garbage business.. Before a big game a team employee might check into the visitors' hotel and pull the fire alarm. 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. "You shoulda seen Rupp," Galante recalls, laughing. Hes working to turn Danbury into a boxing meccaup there with Oxnard, California., Galante got out of prison in 2014. What happened Josh Elzinga? A.J. Same for Mike Rupp. U.S. Hockey Report provides exclusive amateur hockey news reporting and scouting services in the United States and Canada. Josh Elzinga vs. Brad Wingfield, December 03, 2005 - Kalamazoo Wings vs. Danbury Trashers. A UHL season was about 80 games followed by playoffs; the champion took home the Colonial Cup. So in 2004 Galante sank his money into the hockey equivalent of Double A ball. 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. And the fans, from section 102 and beyond, still miss their team. made connections over the summer with agents, scouts and middlemen who could deliver that goalie from Manitoba or that playmaker from Quebec. 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. Like Mike Tyson in his prime.". When an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. ", A.J. 69 posts. He was a great owner." Federal authorities had grown interested in the Connecticut waste-management industry. The second place AJ looked was where any other fan might have: hockeyfights.com, a website that aggregates footage of brawls on the ice. "It comes right from the top.". "Especially for a guy with one eye. A legion of small business owners still talk about how, on Trashers game nights, downtown blazed to life. In September 2008, U.S. District Court judge Ellen B. Burns sentenced him to 87 months in prison. After he was released on $1 million bond, he was asked whether he had any comment. ago] Height 5.11 -- Weight 175 [180 cm/79 kg] Embed Josh Elzinga stats! 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.". ", Roseanne Galante, reasonably, asked her husband and son if they had any idea what they were doing. Though he scored on the play, he lost sight in his left eye. 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). 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. He scores like it's drinking water. what happened to josh elzinga hockey. Wins came in bunches. The team's actual payroll would later be estimated at $750,000. Southeast Elite is proud to announce the Mathieu Garon with be an instrumental member of the Southeast Elite organization as a goaltender instructor. We still got eight goons.. 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