picks his words with great care when discussing what he calls "the legal issues" of the last few years. The judge let Galante remain out of prison pending trial but put him under house arrest. fgcu.campuslabs.com. Galante was a philanthropist; a pediatric suite in the emergency department of Danbury Hospital was named for his family. And hed still kill us, AJ went on. The game was still knotted after two overtimes. Still, it was clear who had the ultimate authority: Before and after some games Jimmy gave the team fiery pep talks and blistering critiques. But they also swap remember-that-time-when stories about those two years they ran that crazy-assed hockey team. 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. The trade rumors negatively impacted Torres on the field. Word of the incident quickly spread through the blue-collar Connecticut city, which soon embraced the fighting mentality of the Trashers. DeLuca pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of threatening. "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." (I wanted to bring something back to the community, Galante told me when I spoke with him in February.) 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. Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read. ", Jimmy expects to be released this summer. The 200405 UHL season coincided with the NHL lockout. said. "But you got to stir it up sometimes.". Josh Elzinga Defense Born Sep 3 1984 -- Burbank, IL [38 yrs. The team was largely the same, with a few additions, including yet another minor-league-hockey legend, David Beauregard. That is it.. The Trashers featured some of the most storied names in hockey violence. Word got around the hockey world, and soon A.J. If you search Jim Duhart, those are what you find: Jim Duhart versus Tom Clayton, Jim Duhart versus Jason Taylor. 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. He's crazy.' Young Blood, Goon, they were all there. But he would become something of a hockey Crash Davis: He would play through 2013, retiring at 37. Still, as one might expect from a teenage GM, the roster was dense with goons. Join Facebook to connect with Josh Elzinga and others you may know. It started becoming urban legend.. I first heard it from a father on the sidelines of a Little League game soon after I moved in. For video of the Danbury Trashers mixing it up, download SI's tablet version, free to subscribers, at SI.com/activate. The game plan was 'Keep your cool and you'll get a power play,' but it didn't always work out. Others started formally, proposed and accepted in the way of czarist-era duels: One morning, as AJ was driving to schoolhe was by then a freshman at Manhattanville College, in Purchase, New York, a 40-minute commute from New Fairfieldhe heard Barry Melrose talking smack about the Trashers on ESPN Radio. Then, as A.J. "Every character they had, we had. ago] Height 6.02 -- Weight 205 [188 cm/93 kg] Regular Season. Wingnut. And what's more entertaining than a bunch of crazy guys getting into fights?". So while Greg, 49, can walk, his wife is paralyzed, relying on a motorized wheelchair to move around. Mathieuhas had a lengthy professional career that spanned over a 14 year period. They weren't just happy to go to games. With a Premium subscription, you'll get access to over 30 tools, features and benefits. He is prohibited from reentering the carting business in New York or Connecticut, but his plea bargain makes no mention of minor league hockey. Hed been named with several others, including Trashers Coach J. Todd Stirling, who pleaded guilty to taking part in the salary-cap fraud. The league's 13 other owners were happy for the cash infusion. If you have any questions or problems with the league statistics contact: League Admin BY JANUARY 2005 the Trashers were so riddled with suspensions that they had to suit up an assistant coach, Bobby Stearns, who suddenly became a 36-year-old pro hockey rookie. 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. For himself he built a skybox equipped with a kitchenette and a flat-screen TV. Jimmy owned a stock car racing team and had long talked about becoming a sports magnate. ", In his first game for Danbury, Beauregard had a goal and an assist as the Trashers won 5--1. In 2004, this meant buying a minor-league-hockey franchise and installing it at the local youth rink, the Danbury Ice Arena. ", Rupp's skepticism did not diminish when Galante piloted his blue Escalade out of the airport parking lot and promptly got lost. Soon they were regulars, and at one game they renewed their marriage vows. Josh Elzinga, a blueliner for the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Wings, did that for him. They had scorers and skaters and playmakers and defensive stalwarts. Let's just say hindsight is 20/20. He has ties,' " says Brosal. In the indictment filed by the U.S. Attorneys office, Galante was charged with 72 counts, including extortion, witness tampering, and racketeering. 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. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. was on the phone with agents for some of the best hockey players in the world. Gretzky, at 32, was in the descent portion of his career. puts it, "it got real, real fast." Jimmy was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault. My father said, out of nowhere, If I ever buy a hockey team, youre going to run it. I was like, Yeah, sure. Then, two days later, he said, Okay, I bought the team. True to his word, Galante made his son the teams general manager. For all that's happened, the kid still idolizes his father. 's high school Jimmy paid to refurbish the football stadium. You have to understand, Dave MacIsaac, who played 62 regular-season games for Danbury, told me. 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. And how is this kid running a hockey team?". "Of course, if we had to do it again, would we have accepted that franchise? The one thing that has given her joy in recent years is hockey. A.J. So in 2004 Galante sank his money into the hockey equivalent of Double A ball. "You don't get involved in verbal altercations," Brosal admonished the ref. FGCU Ice Hockey - Evaluation Skate Information Meeting. Though the camp was postponed until September, the St. Clairs decided to head south, meeting Vogel at Ice Line in West Chester, where he learned to skate as a kid. "A.J. 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. ), The Trashers finished the 200405 season with a 44297 record, which put them in the playoffs. I remember being so pissed, I had to do something. 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? ", THESE BONDS were cemented by a brand of violence the Trashers purveyed without apology. "You better not lose again. 80,893) who owns a dry cleaning business, "People thought, You know what, he may be caught up in questionable activity, but he's good to the town.". Not that they just rubber-stamped Galante's application. Through United States Ice Rink Association Gilles has acquired his Hockey Director Certificate, Human Resources Management Certificate and Programming, Marketing and Promotions Certificate. He had once set a record in the West Coast Hockey League with 503 penalty minutes in a single season. Hes working to turn Danbury into a boxing meccaup there with Oxnard, California., Galante got out of prison in 2014. He currently resides in Southwest Florida with his wife, Wendy, and their two children. 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 Skokie Hockey is pleased to announce that Adam Elzinga will join the 2016-17 coaching staff as the Head Coach of our 2007 team (Squirt 2). When it came time to negotiate Gretzkys contract, AJ turned the deal over to his father. Then Sen. Joseph Lieberman hailed Galante as a "shining example" in the community. 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. 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. Needless to say it was gobbled right up.The documentary has taken the hockey and sports worlds by storm. 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. Cortisone shots help her deal with frequent elbow pain. 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. What happened Josh Elzinga? But Jimmy Galante was smart, and the G-men could never quite nail him. 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. If asked why they hadnt made it, theyd tell you no one had ever really given them a shot. Initially, just as a spectator. Rumun Ndur ended up seeing red and going batshit crazy, AJ told me. Danbury, Connecticut, is the ultimate small city. No one likes to put on wet clothes. Coach Ernie's leadership, motivational skills, training skills, and exceptional training ethics bring exciting elements to Southeast Elite Hockey. The rivalry between the teams developed fast. What does that mean? They loved playing for Jimmy, because he took care of them. Pick your poison. It will have mobsters. A case involving a minor-league hockey team also nailed Matty the Horse. 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 also has coached with the Florida Jr. Panthers and Florida Panthers Hockey Schools for many years. She had tears in her eyes and was thanking us so much. For a few hours, hockey had given Brenda a sense of normalcy to which Vogel can relate. He's 27 now. An 11-year-old girl in Detroit had to get staples in her head after . It has survived not only five centuries, 25. december. Lets face it: What else does Danbury really have?. AJ called it a coincidence: Changes in the league made continued play impossible, he said, not the legal problem. Of course, his dads arrest played a role. - Improve your search rank Jon Nasty Mirasty, a Cree from Saskatchewan, wore a Mohawk, sometimes multicolored, and would average eight penalty minutes a game for Danbury. But even Wingnut had nothing on Chad Wagner. AFTER THE FALL While Jimmy (below right) serves out his prison sentence, A.J. ESPN The Magazine reported that one onlooker described Wingnut as on all fours, like an animal braying for help. Hed be out the rest of that season, and half of the next. Additionally, Charlie is the Head of Academics for TPH, Estero. Gilles was the Lead Hockey Instructor for National Hockey Development for 4 years. "People would make comments: 'Aren't you afraid of him? (Galante denies having had this conversation.) For a team theme song, A.J. Hockey Fights is an entertainment site with no direct affiliation to the National Hockey League, its teams, or NHLPA. The winning goal came in the third overtime. Brenda has cracked three ribs her first time on the ice she crashed into the boards and years later nearly broke her middle finger trying to make a save. said of Beauregard. Little separated the team from its fans, physically or culturally: They mostly made nothing, were going nowhere, and knew unfairness. Home; Fights. The Danbury arena, meanwhile, has returned to its old existence as a youth rink. Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Adam Elzinga, 1982-07-23 Burbank, IL, USA USA. Currently, Al isanAssistant Coach of the 05 AAA Florida Alliance Elite team. From March 2014: The oracle of ice hockey. says wistfully. But in other corners the Galantesand the desperadoes on ice they brought to townare still recalled fondly. The story of Galantes team has become legend in Fairfield County, where I live. 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. To Galante, it was a rounding error. He made some contacts, hung out in gyms in the Northeast, met some promoters and trainers, and so far he has represented three fighters. We had 10 goons! The cornerstone of Marc's approach is focusing on making each hockey player a better athlete. what happened to josh elzinga hockey. The wiretaps captured Galantes associates recalling a trip to Mount Kisco, New York, where they wentas Michael Gustafson, the lead assistant U.S. attorney who handled the case, would later state in courtto retain the services of a leg-breaker known as the Carpenter. Also caught on tape was Galante telling an associate to deliver a message to a would-be canary: Long Island says hello, referring to Matty the Horse Ianniello. persisted. Still, Vogel wanted something to remember the moment by, so he donned his goalie gear to take some photos with Brenda on the ice. SON TY WAS DRAFTED AND SIGNED BY THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS IN 2021. I sit in Section 102 and let the other parents have it. When an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. Listen to the trailer for Holy Week. At 32, Todd was younger than some of the players. "I was a big Oakland Raiders fan," says A.J. made connections over the summer with agents, scouts and middlemen who could deliver that goalie from Manitoba or that playmaker from Quebec. 2002-03 Chicago Steel #6 Josh Elzinga: 2004-05 Kalamazoo Wings #3 Josh Elzinga: 2005-06 Kalamazoo Wings #3 Josh Elzinga Jimmy pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, tax fraud, and wire fraud. 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