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. No one likes to put on wet clothes. Thats where he told me his story, amid the light and heavy bags, in the regulation ring. called his middleman in Quebec and essentially rented Wagner for a game against Adirondack. Josh Elzinga player profile, stats and championships. He found skill players on the internet, assembling his squad the way he might have assembled a fantasy-football team. ", On most Saturdays, A.J. The government seized most of his assets, including 25 trash companies and a string of race cars. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If asked why they hadnt made it, theyd tell you no one had ever really given them a shot. was fined and suspended for nearly coming to blows with an executive from another team during a game. Theyd gotten close in 2005; now they intended to kick the son of a bitch in. Al has coached youth hockeyfor the last 9 years and isa level 5 USA Hockey coach. He allegedly kicked a referee. That spring, when A.J. Wagner generally played on one- or two-game contracts, and promised AJ that he would take care of the Frostbite. They had scorers and skaters and playmakers and defensive stalwarts. "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." "Especially for a guy with one eye. A promotional video could have doubled as a Dexter ad, with blood spatters on the ice. When an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. Marc also specializes in Power Skating and using the techniques of dynamic edgework and plyometricwhile on the ice. The Danbury arena, meanwhile, has returned to its old existence as a youth rink. 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. During a pretrial hearing assistant U.S. attorney Michael Gustafson characterized Galante as a "manipulating, controlling, hands-on bully." 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. 2002-03 Chicago Steel #6 Josh Elzinga: 2004-05 Kalamazoo Wings #3 Josh Elzinga: 2005-06 Kalamazoo Wings #3 Josh Elzinga When it came time to negotiate Gretzkys contract, AJ turned the deal over to his father. At 32, Todd was younger than some of the players. It was a different day of hockey., Life for the Trashers was life on the road, going from small city to small city. 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. That was the minimum; that was getting your moneys worth. Which was the point: The Danbury Ice Arena was the sort of place where you could get into it with a random bozo in the bleachers, and he would turn out to be the head of the opposing team. Launching an expansion hockey team in Danbury seemed less like a vanity play than a natural progression. Little separated the team from its fans, physically or culturally: They mostly made nothing, were going nowhere, and knew unfairness. I'll own it. There was an incident where one of our players attacked one of the Adirondack coaches, and that ended up in the Toronto Star. He has talked casually with A.J. We would yell down during warm-ups, Come on, youre going to be skating for us next year! And theyd look at me and rub their fingers, and Id reach in my pocket and pull out my wallet, and theyd start laughing., Beauregard was one of my favorites, AJ said. 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. "Oh, everyone knew the deal," says Omicioli, "but [we] didn't care. A.J. 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. He had once set a record in the West Coast Hockey League with 503 penalty minutes in a single season. 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. Today he represents Frank Galarza (11-0-2), the New York State light middleweight champ. 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. 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.. 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. When father and son get together, they talk family, business, the future. Rumun Ndur ended up seeing red and going batshit crazy, AJ told me. She was loving it, said Vogel. The story of Galantes team has become legend in Fairfield County, where I live. 2023 The Hockey News, Roustan Media Ltd, Get the latest news right to your inbox > Sign up here. The 200405 Trashers blew through the UHL like a freak storm. 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 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. Brian was born and raised in Detroit Michigan. Wingnut. 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. But his fights are what people remember. Rupp played 14 games for the Trashersracking up five goals, five assists, and 30 penalty minutesbefore going back to the NHL for nine more seasons. Kalamazoo Wings (Kalamazoo,MI) United Hockey League [Minor Professional] 2000-2007 [click to view all-time roster] By accepting an offer he couldn't refuse. Residents greeted the new hockey team with considerable excitement. 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. At A.J. They also saw the Trashers as a kind of validation: Someone believes in Danbury. FACE-OFF Backed by some of his father's truck drivers in 2004, A.J. (Prosecutors ultimately dropped the case for lack of proof. Wins came in bunches. Last seen in the 2003-2004 season with the Chicago Steel (USHL). In the indictment filed by the U.S. Attorneys office, Galante was charged with 72 counts, including extortion, witness tampering, and racketeering. "Of course, if we had to do it again, would we have accepted that franchise? Hed been named with several others, including Trashers Coach J. Todd Stirling, who pleaded guilty to taking part in the salary-cap fraud. The Trashers folded three days after Galantes arrest. ", "Dad, if this guy had two eyes, he might be one of the greatest NHL players ever! The one thing that has given her joy in recent years is hockey. A.J. Could there be a better symbol of the link between fans and team? You'll be the president. To Galante, it was a rounding error. It had to do with the acoustics. From November 2019: My family story of love, the Mob, and government surveillance. Al grew up and was raised in small-town Manitoba and played all levels of minor and senior hockey. More information about Marc can be found atwww.OptimumAthlete.com. Sign up today to get the best features and analysis from the NHL and beyond. Unlike most enforcers, Wingnut could really play. says. Now it's probably best known for its massive federal prison, which housed Lauryn Hill and has been featured in Orange Is the New Black. Players - FM Leaders; Teams - FM Leaders . It was populated by the die-hard, the angry, and the drunk. "I still hate even the name Kalamazoo.". "I got lectured a lot by Mr. Brosal, our commissioner," A.J. Many Trashers playersnow scattered in office complexes and neighborhood rinks across North Americaspeak of this as the greatest night of their hockey life. View the profiles of people named Josh Elzinga. Marc's professional athletic career includes: For 10 years John was the Director of Top Shelf Hockey. Yet in some ways Galantes biography seemed unlike that of a traditional hood. He also played one season for the Russia Omsk of the KHL. "Well, he's like anyone else to me. "It was definitely a unique group of individualsas well as management!" The roster was constantly in flux, but it usually had more enforcers than players in need of protection. After hearing ESPN hockey commentator Barry Melrose, a co-owner of the Frostbite, trash the Trashers on the radio, an enraged A.J. Players' wives were put on the payroll of Galante-owned companies though they performed no discernible duties. Brenda St. Clair can serve as an inspiration to goaltenders and all hockey fans throughout the world. He graduated from Manhattanville with a business management degree in 2008 and bought into a New York City company that sells heating oil and diesel fuel. acted decisively. 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. As he explained, No matter what type of day you had when you go out on the ice for an hour, hour and a half or two hours you forget everything that happened that day and you focus on that black little puck. "When we got him," A.J. So why was he being greeted by this kid sporting a nascent goatee, earrings and an Allen Iverson jersey? Cortisone shots help her deal with frequent elbow pain. 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. Jimmy pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, tax fraud, and wire fraud. "He can score unbelievable," A.J. All would plead guilty, as would Galante. "We had two defensemen hurt; otherwise we woulda won," A.J. The Kalamazoo Wings were a Minor Professional hockey team based in Kalamazoo, MI playing in the United Hockey League from 2000 to 2007. Originally from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Gilles Richard is the current Vice-President of Hockey Operations for Southeast Elite Hockey. Al wenton to a successful financial career before building and operating his own ice rink in Lithia, Florida. 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. That matchup was marred by a brawl that kicked off when Trashers left winger Brad Wingfield attempted to fight Kalamazoo's Josh Elzinga, who declined the invitation. This summer, she took multiple trips to the ER for what she believes is a pinched nerve in her neck. Most recently in the AAHL with Chicago Blaze. Its all Ive known for my whole life, she said. Torres said he lost confidence at . 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