In this way, they happened across, in addition to all sorts of other malfeasance, evidence of those no-show jobs, which ultimately resulted in additional charges against Galante. Jimmy Galante was arrested on June 9, 2006, not long after the final game of the season. Thank you." They loved playing for Jimmy, because he took care of them. Josh Elzinga vs. Brad Wingfield, December 03, 2005 - Kalamazoo Wings vs. Danbury Trashers. But Jimmy Galante was smart, and the G-men could never quite nail him. The United States government came in and seized my assets, and one of the assets was the team, Galante told me. Though he scored on the play, he lost sight in his left eye. "You need a wild card," says A.J., "so we decided we would beat people to submission. 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. Join Facebook to connect with Josh Elzinga and others you may know. Dissatisfied with the response he got from police, DeLuca went to Galante. We were maybe the toughest team to ever play this game. In the spring of 2003, while playing for the New Jersey Devils, Rupp had scored a game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup finals. Then the FBI moved in. For himself he built a skybox equipped with a kitchenette and a flat-screen TV. So in 2004 Galante sank his money into the hockey equivalent of Double A ball. 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. The UHL comprised 14 teams, including the Quad City Mallards, the Elmira Jackals, the Flint Generals, the Fort Wayne Komets, the Kalamazoo Wings, and the Adirondack Frostbite. He was born in the Bronx but grew up in bucolic South Salem, New York; did a stint in the Air Force; and then took a job driving a garbage truck. He has talked casually with A.J. We're here to win.". The Trashers' marquee player was Brent Gretzky, Wayne's kid brother. The teenage sports exec became an irresistible media story. They stayed in the best hotels and ate at the best restaurants. "Jimmy's a guest of the government, and I love that man." They weren't just happy to go to games. "He made fans feel like they were an integral part of the team. "But you got to stir it up sometimes.". 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. 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? The 200405 Trashers blew through the UHL like a freak storm. The 200405 UHL season coincided with the NHL lockout. Gilles was the Lead Hockey Instructor for National Hockey Development for 4 years. Teaching athletes to learn and howto think, over just going through the motions of drills, brings the best out of each athlete. 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. Coach Ernie's interest in athletic performance development stems from his extensive career competing in ice hockey. Players' wives were put on the payroll of Galante-owned companies though they performed no discernible duties. After signing Gretzky, he went for Jim Duhart, the Crash Davis of minor-league hockey. 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. They were always pulling them out late, clearing the bench, fighting and celebrating. The rest of the game doubled as a near riot. All would plead guilty, as would Galante. Jim grew up and played minor hockey in Toronto, Canada. says. Home; Fights. They led the league in penalty minutes. made connections over the summer with agents, scouts and middlemen who could deliver that goalie from Manitoba or that playmaker from Quebec. Predictably, Wingnut went after Elzinga, administering a considerable beating and triggering another near riot. The one thing that has given her joy in recent years is hockey. 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. 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. You'll be the president. The lockout sent NHL stars into the cold. By Chris Kazarian The legend of the United Leagues Danbury Trashers was cemented midway through the teams first season in a game against the Kalamazoo Wings. Additionally, Charlie is the Head of Academics for TPH, Estero. Listen to the trailer for Holy Week. Like any father, you want to be able to do something for your son.. Though he lived with his wife and two children in suburban New Fairfield, he was beloved in nearby Danbury, where he had his office. F--- you. When he caught wind of a local kid who couldn't afford college, he quietly wrote a tuition check. 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. Brenda got tattoos of the names of her favorite players. Galante was a philanthropist; a pediatric suite in the emergency department of Danbury Hospital was named for his family. 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. It will have desperate people, lost causes, and crime. She started playing hockey, in her wheelchair. 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. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. He was suspended from the UHL for life., And then there was the broken-leg game. People who tell the story start with the date, as if recalling an event of historical importance: December 1, 2004. To circumvent the cap, Galante regularly doled out cash bonuses, gave some players exorbitant living allowances and gave others checks for housing after their allowances had already been paid. But Galante got around it in classic mob fashion: no-show jobs. The Trashers had the Adirondack Frostbite. Al wenton to a successful financial career before building and operating his own ice rink in Lithia, Florida. The U.S. Attorneys office learned enough to get wiretaps and, eventually, search warrants. The trade rumors negatively impacted Torres on the field. As he headed to baggage claim at the small suburban airport, something didn't look right. No one likes to put on wet clothes. "Before games we'd be mobbed," says Tom Devine, owner of the Two Steps Downtown Grille. There was an incident where one of our players attacked one of the Adirondack coaches, and that ended up in the Toronto Star. Someone had said Galante, with a near-monopoly on regional garbage collection, was driving out competitors. No one wanted to fight him, AJ said. If asked why they hadnt made it, theyd tell you no one had ever really given them a shot. FGCU Ice Hockey - Evaluation Skate Information Meeting. Al lives in Lithia, Floridawith his wife and son. | View as text League Information Josh Elzinga played in four leagues over the course of his career. Throughout his busy professional career, he has also participated in numerous hockey schools around the country. By the second round, they had nothing left. So we knew Jimmy had resources.. It will have mobsters. 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. "He even bought the beer," says Paproski. All Rights Reserved. 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. GET THE PICTURE? said of Beauregard. - Improve your search rank 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.. The Minnesota Wild have acquired forward Gustav Nyquist from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft. The 2004 05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would . As the case proceeded, there was plenty of collateral damage. Some of the UHL's East Coast teams were either moving to other leagues or folding. I suspended him. When the signal comes, they pull on a fresh shirt, put on the gear, head out. The team didn't take itself too seriouslyand didn't take any crapwhich was pitch-perfect for Danbury. 69 posts. 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. Stevealso served as Coaching and Program Director for the NJ Devils Youth Hockey Club before becoming the Program Director for the Florida Golden Wolves, where he has served for the past 11 years. For himself he built a skybox equipped with a kitchenette. It was a different day of hockey., Life for the Trashers was life on the road, going from small city to small city. 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 team slogan was Bad Boys Talkin' Trash. VS. 1st Period - 12:37. In the indictment filed by the U.S. Attorneys office, Galante was charged with 72 counts, including extortion, witness tampering, and racketeering. The league set an annual salary cap of $275,000, with a $2 luxury tax for every dollar spent above the threshold. Important: An official team/league url or a team document must be provided for us to update player stats. "He's the only thing this team has going for it.". 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. wasn't the only reason Galante drew comparisons with Tony Soprano. Gilles was the Lead Hockey Instructor for National Hockey Development for 4 years. Rupp had played two seasons in the NHL and had even scored the decisive goal for the Devils in the 2003 Stanley Cup finals. And racketeering Wingnut went after Elzinga, administering a what happened to josh elzinga hockey beating and another! Impossible, he quietly wrote a tuition check Light and the G-men never... Wiretaps and, eventually, search warrants always pulling them out late, clearing the bench, fighting celebrating! 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