THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE CHICAGO WOLVES
VOL. 10 ISSUE 4
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GOLDEN STATE OF MIND
BEAU BENNETT WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. IT’S WHERE HE LEARNED THE GAME HE LOVES AND THE VALUES HE TREASURES – AND HE’LL NEVER ABANDON THE LATTER EVEN IF IT AFFECTS THE FORMER.
18 FRONT OFFICE Seth Gold Irwin Jann Mike Gordon Wayne Messmer Dana Wildman
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OPERATIONS & CREATIVE SERVICES Courtney Mahoney Dan Harris Joe Muting Anthony Domalewski Imran Javed Troy Mueller Josh Villanueva Ross Dettman
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COMMUNICATIONS Lindsey Willhite Jasmine Grotto Whitneigh Kinne
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PARTNERSHIPS & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Jon Sata Senior Vice President, Partnerships and Business Development Greg Sprott Director of Partnerships Timothy Weaver Sr. Manager of Partnerships and Media Sales Doug Ferguson Partnerships Sales Executive Amy Bernstein Client Services Manager, Partnerships Katie Anstandig Client Services Coordinator Stefanie Evans Senior Director of Program Development Rob Newburg Youth Hockey Coordinator Leslie Metcalf B2B and Group Event Specialist Michelle Alcazar Group Account Executive John Brooks Group Account Executive Joseph Swintek Group Account Executive Dan Velarde Group Account Executive Adam Goldberg Group Sales and Youth Sports Representative Katherine Damisch Marketing Coordinator
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Kevin Dooley Sr. Executive Director of Ticket Sales Jackie Schroeder Senior Director of Ticket Retention and Services Eric Zavilla Executive Director of Ticket Sales Steve Winner E-Business Specialist Mike Czopek Sales Development Manager Anthony Krzyzak Sales Development Manager Pawel Sienko Senior Account Executive Brian Cyganek Account Representative Brian Franklin Inside Sales Representative Hunter Tickel Inside Sales Representative Kendall Hutchinson Sales and Services Coordinator Eric Rivard Ticket Coordinator
HOCKEY OPERATIONS Norine Gillner Mike Nardella
Hockey Operations Assistant Hockey Operations
MEDICAL STAFF Scott Logue, MD A.J. Acierno, DDS Jessica Soros, DPT Jolie Holschen Caravello , MD
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2017 - 2018 SEASON
Dear Fans, It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2017-18 American Hockey League season, the continuation of a tradition of excellence that spans more than eight decades. The AHL remains proud of its role in developing more than 88 percent of today’s National Hockey League players, as well as the vast majority of the NHL’s coaches, general managers,
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT —— DAVID A. ANDREWS
training staffs, broadcasters and officials. Last year, we cheered on players like Jake Guentzel, Zach Werenski and William Nylander as they graduated from the AHL and made remarkable impressions on the NHL. Since 1936, our loyal and passionate fans have been able to watch more than 100 future Hockey Hall of Famers as well as over 100 Calder Cup champions who now have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup as well. As we begin our 82nd season in 30 cities across North America, we welcome our new fans in Laval and Belleville and wish all of you who cheer for our clubs the best for another exciting season. On behalf of all of our teams, players and staff, thank you for your continuing support of the AHL.
PRESIDENT & CEO, AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Sincerely,
DAVID A. ANDREWS
TheAHL.com
PRESIDENT & CEO | AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE
WOLVES HISTORY
WO LVES WINS WITH
WENDELL YOUNG FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS THROUGH WENDELL YOUNG’S EYES
Wendell Young has been an essential part of the Chicago Wolves organization since the team’s inaugural season in 1994-95. Though his role has evolved from goaltender to executive director of team relations to assistant coach to his current position as general manager, one thing has never changed: Young has enjoyed a terrific vantage point for every great moment in Wolves history. That makes Young (whose retired No. 1 jersey hangs from the Allstate Arena rafters) the perfect person to share insights about all four Wolves teams that captured league titles: The International Hockey League’s Turner Cup champs in 1998 and 2000 and the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup champs in 2002 and 2008.
1998 Armed with a new head coach (John Anderson) and a new general manager (Kevin Cheveldayoff) – who added strong players such as Chris Marinucci, Alexander Semak, Steve Martins, Tom Tilley and Bob Nardella to the traditional core led by Steve Maltais and Young – the Wolves jumped out to a 20-6-2 start and played like the IHL’s team to beat all season. The Wolves didn’t encounter many problems in the postseason until falling behind the Detroit Vipers 3-2 in the best-of-7 Turner Cup Finals. The Wolves returned to Allstate Arena, fed off the huge crowds and knocked off the Vipers by scores of 3-1 and 3-0 to claim the franchise’s first Cup.
WENDELL SAYS “The biggest thing that year was ‘Chevy’ coming in and Johnny coming in. We had a different mood, a different attitude. Johnny’s not a yeller as a
coach, which was refreshing and made it fun to play – especially when we had an older team. The older guys don’t need a ton of yelling. “We knew we had a good team from the start. We had a really good group on and off the ice and we enjoyed winning. Some teams you’re on? You’re going in there hoping to win. We went into games expecting to win. ‘Chevy’ had something to do with setting the tone. He had a reputation of winning, having won two Turner Cups before he arrived. It seemed like everything came together. “We didn’t think there was any doubt we’d win the Cup, even when we got down 3 games to 2 to Detroit. We had the confidence. We had a little bit of a strut. And I think we win Game 7 even if there hadn’t been the big fight during warmups. It just added to the game’s drama. Actually, it might have calmed everything down because everybody had been on guard. “Right after we won, I actually kicked everybody out of the locker room except the players and we had a few minutes by
ourselves. I said, ‘This is the last time we’re truly going to be together as a team. So look around, realize what this is and take it all in. Call the people who are important to you – whether it’s your parents or coaches or anybody else who helped you get here.’ “We had maybe five minutes of that, and then we opened the door and it was Game On! We had an amazing celebration that was the absolute epitome of our organization because we included so many people involved in our success. Our families…our off-ice staff…the police…the people who work at the rink…it was all-encompassing. Everyone gets a picture with the cup, a drink out of the cup – whatever. It’s a way of recognizing everybody. No one’s shut out. “I remember we ran out of beer and, the next thing I know, the doors open up and a tractor’s pulling into the locker room with a pallet full of beer -- courtesy of (Allstate Arena boss) Pat Nagle. I’ve never seen that before or since.”
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2000 The Wolves fell one game shy of the Turner Cup Final in 1999 – a painful finish that set the tone for next season. The players performed decently during the first half of the year, but came alive when they saw the finish line. From Feb. 25 to March 30, the Wolves reeled off 19 wins in 20 games to hit the playoffs with a full head of steam. The Wolves wound up capturing their second championship with a Game 6 triumph at Grand Rapids on June 5, 2000. Oddly, the Turner Cup Final was almost anti-climatic after the incredible Western Conference Final series against
2002 It was a brave new world for the Wolves as the American Hockey League accepted a fistful of teams as the International Hockey League dissolved. The Orlando Solar Bears, who defeated the Wolves in the 2001 Turner Cup Final, didn’t make the jump as a franchise, but their players came to Chicago to join forces with the Wolves veterans. Instead of thriving with all of this talent, the Wolves struggled to put the pieces together. It took a late-season burst just to sneak into the playoffs. But when it was all over, the Wolves hoisted the Calder Cup with a double-overtime
2008 The Wolves delivered one of the most dominant performances from start to finish in AHL history to claim their second Calder Cup. John Anderson’s club posted a 13-0-1-0 record during the first six weeks to set a dizzying pace. The Wolves coasted to the West Division title by 13 points over second-place Rockford before knocking off Milwaukee, Rockford, Toronto and Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton to capture the franchise’s fourth title in 11 seasons. Veteran center Jason Krog earned the league’s Most Valuable Player after
the Houston Aeros. The Aeros knocked out the Wolves in the 1999 Western Conference Final and appeared poised to do it again. Houston won the first two games on Allstate Arena ice, then took a 3-0 lead in the first period of Game 3.
WENDELL SAYS “We absolutely were not even in the same rink with Houston in those first two games. Then we go into Game 3 and we were down 3-nothing after the first period and that was being polite. We could’ve been down 6 or 7 to nothing. You get to a point where you’re just beaten down and you can’t do anything right.
victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on June 3, 2002 at Allstate Arena.
WENDELL SAYS “I retired after the 2001 season, so I was in management at the time as the Wolves’ executive director of team relations and I was doing charity work. It was a strange year for the team. “I remember talking with Rob Brown and with Steve Maltais – telling them that the coaches and management are really backing you up with the big team (NHL partner Atlanta Thrashers) because there’s some controversy over who should be playing.
pacing everyone in goals (39), assists (73) and points (112). Linemates Brett Sterling and Darren Haydar each averaged more than a point per game while Ondrej Pavelec was a rock in goal.
WENDELL SAYS “We knew we were good. We found out Krog and Haydar played together at the University of New Hampshire and then you put them with somebody like Sterling, who was such a good shooter and scored 55 goals the year before as a rookie. “We had a powerful team and Pavelec in goal. He was a rookie and just 21 years old, but he could have been MVP in the
“Then we were shorthanded early in the second period. They were on the power play and had a bunch of chances. Right at the end of the power play, we were just exhausted. And Tom Tilley has the puck and he’s supposed to dump it in. But he keeps holding it, their guys kind of let him go and he throws an absolute soft shot at the goalie and it goes through his legs. It was like the light turned on and Houston never recovered. We went on to win the next four games. I’ve never seen a change in a series like that. “When guys get together to talk about old times, 99 percent of the time we’re not talking about stuff that happened on the ice. But that is one thing that guys still talk about. “
“I said to them, ‘You know what? Why don’t you just put your head down and play and prove them all wrong?’ And I think ‘Maltsy’ had a hat trick in the first playoff game after that. I’m not saying that’s the reason the team rallied, but I think they needed to know from somebody on the outside that people had their back and believed in them. “The Wolves’ victory was also a win for everyone who came from the International League. The ‘I’ was always thought of as a lower-echelon league than the American League. But then the core of the team that won the last season in the ‘I’ came in and won in their first season of the ‘A.’ ”
playoffs instead of Krog. He was that good. He made some phenomenal saves at key times. You never had to worry about the goaltending, “I was behind the bench coaching with Johnny and “Nellie” (Todd Nelson) that season and it was different. When you’ve got the equipment on, you can kind of control the game. When you don’t have the equipment on, you’re telling them how to control the game. “But I enjoyed the championship 100 percent as much as the other ones. When you win it as a player, you’re one of the kids who won it. When you’re a coach, you almost feel like a father. Your kids have won it. You’re the proud dad. It’s nice to see the guys enjoy it.” BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE
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DON LEVIN
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD / GOVERNOR Donald R. Levin (luh-VIN) founded DRL Enterprises, Inc., in 1969. The Glenview-based company has holdings in many industries including tobacco processing; aircraft and medical equipment leasing; licensed sports product manufacturing and distribution; and motion picture production and distribution. Levin’s film company has made nearly 20 motion pictures distributed in the U.S. and overseas. His films have featured such stars as Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Sharon Stone, Rodney Dangerfield and Chuck Norris. Levin founded the Chicago Wolves with Buddy Meyers and Grant Mulvey in January 1994 and has served as the team’s chairman of the board throughout. Levin donates his time and serves on the board of directors for several charitable organizations. The Chicago native was recognized at the Boy Scouts of America’s Northwest Suburban Council’s Distinguished Citizens Banquet as its 2005 Honoree. Under Levin’s direction, the Wolves organization has held a scout night for the Northwest Suburban Council at a home game for the last 18 seasons. Levin was inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame on Jan. 27, 2013. He was honored as the International Hockey League’s Executive of the Year for the 1999-2000 season, which concluded with the franchise’s second of four championships. Before beginning his business career, Levin served in the United States Marine Corps, from which he was honorably discharged. Levin and his wife, Kathleen Ann, have a son, Robert, and live in the northern suburbs.
BUDDY MEYERS VICE CHAIRMAN
Buddy Meyers, a principal owner of the Wolves who founded the franchise with Don Levin and Grant Mulvey in January 1994, has been involved in the world of hockey for 46 years. He is a former certified agent of the National Hockey League Players’ Association and is past attorney for the Soviet Red Army Hockey Team (CSKA). He is a practicing attorney and the principal in the law firm of William Buddy Meyers, Ltd. His concentration is in the areas of worker’s compensation and personal injury litigation. Additionally, he is a member of the Illinois Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and Illinois Workers Compensation Lawyers Association; a former director of the Better Boys Foundation and River North Association; and a recipient of the Shomrim Society of Illinois’ Man of the Year Award in 2006. He also supports numerous charitable and environmental organizations. Meyers, who was inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame on Jan. 26, 2014, is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a juris doctor degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology/Chicago Kent. He and Jill live in the River North area of Chicago and have five children between them: Justin, Lindsey, Zak, Brad and Leslie. They also have four grandchildren: Emmie, Macartny, Sienna and Elle.
BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE
HOCKEY OPERATIONS
WENDELL YOUNG GENERAL MANAGER
Wendell Young is in his ninth season as the Chicago Wolves general manager. During his tenure, the team has compiled a .593 winning percentage during the regular season and captured four division titles: the 2010 West, 2012 Midwest, 2014 Midwest and 2017 Central. Young has been a member of the Wolves organization in virtually every capacity — including player, coach, and executive — since the team’s inaugural campaign in 1994. He served as assistant coach and executive director of team relations for six seasons before transitioning into the general manager role in August 2009. The 54-year-old stands as the Wolves’ all-time leader among goaltenders in games (322), wins (169), saves (8,467), minutes (17,912), and shutouts (16), and was a member of Chicago’s 1998 and 2000 Turner Cup championship squads. His jersey number “1” was retired on Dec. 1, 2001 — becoming the first Wolves player to receive the honor. The Halifax, Nova Scotia, native, who was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 2007, is the only man in hockey history to have won all four North American championships: the Stanley Cup, Turner Cup, Calder Cup, and Memorial Cup. He captured the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 1988 Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears, the 1982 Memorial Cup with the Kitchener Rangers, and the 1998 and 2000 Turner Cups with the Wolves. He also was behind the bench as a coach for the Wolves’ 2008 Calder Cup victory.
BILL BENTLEY
ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER Bill Bentley is in his 10th season as Wolves assistant general manager and stands as one of a handful of people who has been with the organization since the team’s inception in 1994. Bentley has been instrumental in the hockey operations department for more than 20 years, which includes all four seasons that finished with a championship. The Chicago native joined the organization as a statistician in 1994 and was promoted to team services manager a year later. The 48-year-old spent 12 seasons as the director of hockey administration — handling team travel, immigration, and accounting for the hockey operations department — before assuming the assistant general manager role in August 2009. A graduate of Quincy College, Bentley served as director of media relations for the Chicago Cheetahs of the now-defunct Roller Hockey International during the 1993-94 season.
GENE UBRIACO
SENIOR ADVISOR/DIRECTOR OF HOCKEY OPERATIONS Gene Ubriaco, who has been with the Wolves since the franchise’s inception in 1994, is in his 21st season as the team’s director of hockey operations and ninth as senior advisor. Ubriaco served as the Wolves’ first head coach and guided the expansion team to a 3433-14 record and a berth in the 1995 Turner Cup playoffs. The 79-year-old began his coaching career at Lake Superior State University in 1972-73. Four years later, he led the Milwaukee Admirals to the Turner Cup playoffs to become the first International Hockey League coach to lead an expansion team into the postseason. In 1988-89, Ubriaco moved on to the National Hockey League to coach the Pittsburgh Penguins. Under his tutelage, the Penguins shattered several team records and advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a seven-year absence. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, native also played professional hockey for 10 years spilt between the American Hockey League and NHL. At the NHL level, He skated for the Penguins (1967-68), the Oakland Seals (1968-69) and the Chicago Blackhawks (1969-70). In the AHL, Ubriaco recorded 162 goals, 258 assists and 420 points in 456 games spanning nine seasons. Ubriaco dedicates himself to numerous charitable causes, including the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association with which he has been involved since 1974.
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REMEMBER THE NAME WOLVES FORWARD STEFAN MATTEAU CONTINUES TO SET HIMSELF APART FROM HIS FATHER Chicago Wolves forward Stefan Matteau was a few days shy of one month old when his father was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the New York Rangers. No one knew in March 1994 that the firstplace Rangers’ acquisition of Stéphane Matteau and former Wolves player Brian Noonan would be so vital to the team’s first Stanley Cup in 54 years. In fact, Matteau’s father is immortalized in the annals of Rangers and Stanley Cup history. He was responsible for netting a double-overtime goal against eventual Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. As any good hockey fan knows, the Rangers went on to win the Cup and the Matteau name was forever etched on the chalice. The elder Matteau earned the NHL’s pinnacle achievement at the midpoint of his career — he skated two seasons (198890) in the International Hockey League and then enjoyed a 13-year NHL career before retiring as a member of the Florida Panthers organization in 2003. All the while, the younger Matteau was beginning to carve out his path to professional hockey – a path that included becoming an early NHL Draft pick just like his father. Stephane was drafted early in the second round in 1987 while Stefan went late in the first round to New Jersey in 2012.
BY JASMINE GROTTO
Some of Matteau’s earliest memories involved traversing NHL dressing rooms and being welcomed with open arms. As a matter of fact, when the Wolves traveled to San Jose in January to face the Barracuda for the first time, Matteau made sure to stop by the parent club’s dressing room and say hi to his old friends.
But Matteau’s World Junior disappointment was short-lived as days after the end of the event, the NHL and the NHLPA came to an agreement and the NHL resumed play following its second lockout in a decade. That’s when Matteau got the call from New Jersey. The Devils wanted to give the 18-year-old an immediate opportunity.
“My dad was playing there and they have a very family-friendly locker room, so I was always around,” Matteau said. “The trainers are still the same trainers when I was there (16 years ago). Whenever I play against them, it’s always weird seeing those familiar faces and they’re always happy to see me.”
“I wasn’t expecting to go to camp,” Matteau stated. “There was no real training camp — it was a week of practice and the season started. Lou Lamoriello (Devils president and general manager) called me and was like ‘Hey, Stef, you’re doing real well, so we want you to come. Just pack for a week and we’ll see what happens.’ ”
Stefan started making his climb toward becoming a professional hockey player long before he could be a pro. Early in his amateur career, he accepted an invite to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program based in Michigan. For two years, Stefan trained with his equals and represented his country in a number of tournaments, including the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and several Nations Cups. He did not, however, make the tournament roster for the 2012 World Juniors team that won gold. “It was really the first time I got cut in my life,” he said, “so it kind of hurt.”
Matteau made his NHL debut on Jan. 19, 2013, against the New York Islanders and spent the remainder of the 2012-13 season with the Devils. Five years later, Matteau continues to follow the family’s path. In addition to spending most of this season with the Wolves, he earned a two-week stretch with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. While he has enjoyed the ride and the achievements along the way, it’s no secret which goal excites him the most: breaking into the NHL full-time for a chance to put the Matteau name on the Stanley Cup again.
BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE 13
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VISIT THE KIDS ZONE BEHIND SECTION 109 OR SIGN UP ONLINE AT CHICAGOWOLVES.COM/SKATESMATES
TEEMU PULKKINEN LW / H: 5-10 W: 185 January 2, 1992 Vantaa, Finland
PETTERI LINDBOHM D / H: 6-3 W: 198 September 23, 1993 Helsinki, Finland
DMITRY OSIPOV D / H: 6-4 W: 234 October 4, 1996 Moscow, Russia
GRIFFIN REINHART D / H: 6-4 W: 212 January 24, 1994 North Vancouver, B.C.
NOLAN VALLEAU D / H: 6-1 W: 177 Nov. 15, 1992 Novi, Michigan
TYLER WONG RW / H: 5-9 W: 174 February 28, 1996 Cochrane, Alta.
CONNER BLEACKLEY C / H: 5-11 W: 195 February 7, 1996 High River, Alberta
JASON GARRISON D / H: 6-0 W: 205 November 13, 1984 White Rock, B.C.
KEVIN LOUGH D / H: 5-11 W: 185 March 4, 1992 Kanata, Ontario
BEAU BENNETT C / H: 6-2 W: 195 November 27, 1991 Gardena, Calif.
MACKENZIE MACEACHERN LW / H: 6-2 W: 192 March 9, 1994 Troy, Mich.
PAUL THOMPSON RW / H: 6-1 W: 204 November 30, 1988 Methuen, Mass.
T.J. TYNAN C / H: 5-8 W: 165 February 25, 1992 Orland Park, Ill.
KEEGAN KOLESAR RW / H: 6-2 W: 219 April 8, 1997 Winnipeg, Manitoba
SCOOTER VAUGHAN F / H: 6-1 W: 202 April 8, 1989 Placentia, Calif.
WADE MEGAN C / H: 6-1 W: 191 July 22, 1990 Canton, New York
STEFAN MATTEAU C / H: 6-2 W: 220 February 23, 1994 Chicago, Ill.
TOBIAS LINDBERG RW / H: 6-3 W: 215 July 22, 1995 Stockholm, Sweden
BRYCE GERVAIS C / H: 5-9 W: 175 February 26, 1992 Battleford, Sask.
BRANDON PIRRI C / H: 6-0 W: 183 April 10, 1991 Toronto, Ontario
BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE
MEET THE WOLVES
JAKE BISCHOFF D / H: 6-1 W: 195 July 25, 1994 Grand Rapids, Minn.
BRETT STERLING LW / H: 5-7 W: 177 April 24, 1984 Los Angeles, Calif.
KASIMIR KASKISUO G / H: 6-3 W: 194 October 2, 1993 Vantaa, Finland
IVAN BARBASHEV C / H: 6-0 W: 187 December 14, 1995 Moscow, Russia
MAX LAGACE G / H: 6-2 W: 190 January 12, 1993 Longueuil, Quebec
OSCAR DANSK G / H: 6-2 W: 198 February 28, 1994 Stockholm, Sweden
CHRIS CASTO D / H: 6-1 W: 203 December 27, 1991 Stillwater, Minn.
ZAC LESLIE D / H: 6-0 W: 175 January 31, 1994 Ottawa, Ontario
TOMAS HYKA RW / H: 5-11 W: 159 March 23, 1993 Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic
REID DUKE C / H: 6-0 W: 191 Jan. 28, 1996 Calgary, Alberta
HOCKEY OPERATIONS
KEVIN KACER
CRAIG KOGUT
RYAN SHOUFER
STAN DUBICKI
JEFF CONKLE
HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER
HEAD EQUIPMENT MANAGER
ASSISTANT EQUIPMENT MANAGER
GOALTENDING COACH
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
BY LINDSEY WILLHITE |
| PHOTOS BY ROSS DETTMAN
BEAU BENNETT WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. IT’S WHERE HE LEARNED THE GAME HE LOVES AND THE VALUES HE TREASURES – AND HE’LL NEVER ABANDON THE LATTER EVEN IF IT AFFECTS THE FORMER.
When Beau Bennett was a tyke, the house next to his family’s home in Gardena, California, fell into foreclosure. When nobody stepped forward at the public auction, Kirk and Louanna Bennett, Beau’s parents, swung into action and purchased the property. The Bennetts viewed it as an investment – in their children. Kirk, an independent contractor, built a Sport Court on the property’s back yard. As Wade, Beau, Shane and Bailey Bennett grew up, the hockey nets, basketball hoop and tennis court called their names every day – but mostly the hockey nets. BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE
GOLDEN STATE OF MIND
While it wasn’t the point of the Sport Court, Beau developed into the highestselected native Californian in NHL Draft history when he went 20th overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2010 draft. He’s in his sixth year as a pro and his first with the Chicago Wolves. Wade spent two years in the British Columbia Hockey League before playing briefly in college. Bailey’s enjoying up her freshman season at Colgate University, where the Raiders have ranked among the nation’s top five teams with hopes to reach the school’s first NCAA Frozen Four. “We wanted to have an environment where they could invite their friends over and be outside and have fun,” Kirk Bennett said. “But our rule always was, ‘If your homework’s not finished, you can’t go out to the Sport Court.’ And I told them if you ever break your stick
because you’re angry, I will NEVER buy you another stick.” “In terms of hours put into a sport, I put hundreds of thousands of hours into roller hockey,” Beau said. “I would wake up early for school. I’d go out there from 7 to 8, go to school, come back and go out there from 3 to 5. I just enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t do one private lesson growing up. Zero. My parents never made me work out. Never made me skate. “When we’d try to fake being sick and stay home from school, our parents would say, ‘OK, if you stay home from school, you can’t go to hockey practice.’ Then we’d pop right up and be like, ‘All right, I’m not THAT sick.’ ” Kirk remembers taking Beau to local rinks on weekends and they’d stay for 7-8 hours without Beau ever taking
off his skates – that’s how much he loved the sport. Just as fondly, Kirk remembers the rides home when they’d talk about some of the players he’d just faced and Beau would say, “Oh, Dad, how about that No. 22?” or “That goalie was sick!” or otherwise spreading the love and praise around. “As a parent, you always want your kid to be a good person,” Kirk said. “He’s just a kind person.” At 26, Beau Bennett has grown into the person who remembers being a little kid who was treated well by older hockey players, so he tries to pay those feelings forward. With social media such an omnipresent part of today’s world – and Beau possessing 53,000 Twitter followers (@BeauBennett19) and 19,000 Instagram followers (@ beaubennett8) thanks to his witty, selfdeprecating posts – that’s where he does most of his outreach. “I don’t do it for attention or anything,” he said. “I just like to interact with people. If I was growing up and one of my favorite players interacted with me either through tweeting or direct messages, I would have loved it. I try to keep that going. “I get a bunch of direct messages from groups of hockey fans. They’ll add me to their group and I’ll just jump in every so often and say, ‘What’s up, guys? How you doing?’ and they love it. It takes one second to make someone’s day, so I just try to do that.” There were periods, though, where Bennett either deleted or ignored his Twitter account because he was told it might be better for his hockey career if he tried not to be himself.
Photo location courtesy of Schaumburg Music Academy
“Being the California kid, I always get a bad reputation because the way I act – having fun or smiling – makes it seem that I may not care as much,” he said. “It’s not the case. It’s just that you have to enjoy what you do. I feel like I play the best when I’m having fun and enjoying what I’m doing. “People are looking out for me (when they tell me that). But, honestly, I will regret more looking back and being, like, ‘Wow, I literally just sleptwalked through the last 20 years. Now I’m 40 and I wasn’t myself.’ I’m just trying to make every day and enjoy it. That’s the key to happiness. “I love where I live. I love having that carefree mentality. Wearing sandals. Enjoying the sunshine. I’ll never change that. And I’ve been told to change that, but I just won’t.” Who can blame him? If every person in the world was asked to provide a 45-second video summing up a great day in their life, then it would be hard to top Bennett’s clip from July 1, 2016, that can be found on the internet (vimeo.com/173186925). Entitled “Stanley Cup 2016 – Manhattan Beach,” the video opens with Bennett and dozens of friends standing on the beach – many of them holding red Solo cups while clad in board shorts or bikini tops. They’re facing the Pacific Ocean and the sun on a crystal-clear day while Bennett holds the Stanley Cup above his head. As the camera pulls back over the water, you see gentle waves lapping at the shore and beautiful homes overlooking the beach. The scene lays out like the quintessential American dream – or maybe a marketing guru’s ideal beer
HE TICKLES THE IVORIES AS WELL AS THE TWINE Among the rules in the Bennett household when Beau and his three siblings were growing up? If you wanted to play sports, you had to take music lessons for five years. “We wanted them to be well-rounded,” said Kirk Bennett, Beau’s father. “I think Beau wanted to be a musician. No doubt about it.” Well, maybe there’s a doubt about it. Starting at the age of 8, Beau took one piano lesson per week. But once he fulfilled his five-year pledge? “I quit,” he said with a smile. “I quit and then just taught myself because I knew how to read music. My parents bought me a keyboard so I can keep it up. It’s unbelievable. You can just go on YouTube and teach yourself right then and there.” When Beau sits down to play, he’s as apt to run through “Apologize” by One Republic and “Faithfully” by Journey as he is “You Remind Me” by Nickelback or “Forgot About Dre” by Dr. Dre and Eminen. Another staple is “Right Now” by Van Halen. “He can rip out Van Halen on the piano,” Kirk said. “He has long fingers. He can stretch a keyboard.” Just don’t ask him to sing while he plays. “Oh, no,” Beau said. “Singing is not my forte. I wish I could sing, but I can’t. My sister (Bailey) is an unbelievable singer.” When Beau returns home to Southern California, his drum-playing dad asks him to join in on a rendition of Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water.” It’s a nod to the radio stations both of them grew up listening to. “We’d listen to classic rock on the way to his games,” Kirk said.
BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE
GOLDEN STATE OF MIND
I’M JUST TRYING TO MAKE EVERY DAY AND ENJOY IT. THAT’S THE
key to happiness. commercial: Friends, fun, laughter, sun, sand, water…and the spoils of victory. Bennett earned his day with the Cup after helping the Pittsburgh Penguins win it all in 2016. He opted to share his spoils with as many people as humanly possible – starting at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo where he welcomed anyone who wanted to take a picture with the Cup. From there, the Cup (and the celebration) moved to the beach and several other spots. “I was lucky enough to get it first,” Bennett said. “It was coming to our owner (Beverly Hills billionaire Ron Burkle) next. It was a chance to celebrate with people I hadn’t seen in years. So that beach party we had was all my friends that I grew up playing with. People flew in and there were about 200 people on the beach.” As part of the beach bash, Bennett and his friends held a volleyball tournament to “win” the Cup. “Then we took it to my family’s house (10 minutes away), which was more my parents and all the coaches and hockey families,” Bennett said. “We had 100-150 people there. Then we took it to the bar. Shellback Tavern is like our watering hole. That was our day and it was great to have it because it was something to rally around to get back together with all these guys I hadn’t seen for so long.” The fact that Bennett didn’t get his name etched on the Cup – he endured another injury-plagued season that limited him to 33 regular-season games and 1 game in the
Eastern Conference Finals – didn’t bother him. Neither did the subsequent jokes that played off Bennett’s unfortunate lengthy history of injuries. One wag found a picture of a wheelchair-bound person wrapped like a mummy in a hospital hallway – and used Photoshop to make it look like the person was holding the Stanley Cup on his lap. The comic even added a fake Sidney Crosby autograph to his leg. Bennett promptly tweeted it out with the caption: “Someone sent this to me…I think the world needs to see it.” Another jokester took a photo of an ambulance that was part of the Stanley Cup celebration procession through Pittsburgh’s streets and captioned it: “Beau Bennett had his own truck for the parade.” Bennett got a kick out of sharing that joke, too, just as he did when The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon lampooned him during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They showed Bennett’s official NHL headshot with his trendy haircut and listed him as “Most Likely To Get A Penalty For Frosting Tips.” As always, he’s up for anything that helps anyone enjoy the day. “I know people enjoy it because I’ve had people say, ‘I know you make fun of yourself, so it helps me go through what I’m going through,’ ” Beau said. “So whenever someone tells me to stop, I’m like, ‘I’m helping people in their daily lives so I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.’ ”
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CHICAGO WOLVES
BY THE NUMBERS
27 | C | BRANDON PIRRI PAIRS OF SHOES
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ROCKY THOMPSON HEAD COACH
Rocky Thompson was named Chicago Wolves head coach on June 7, 2017. The 2017-18 campaign will mark Thompson’s 11th season as a coach, which includes two seasons as the head coach for the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires. His tenure with the Spitfires culminated with a Memorial Cup on May 28, 2017. The 40-year-old spent five years as a coach in the Edmonton organization prior to joining Windsor. Under the same ownership as the Oilers, Thompson began his career during the 2007-08 season as an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League. After three seasons (2007-10) with the Oil Kings, Thompson joined the American Hockey League’s Oklahoma City Barons for four seasons (2010-14). Prior to the 201415 season he was elevated to an assistant for the NHL parent club. Before coaching, Thompson played professional hockey – split between the NHL and AHL – for parts of 11 seasons from 1995 to 2007. Selected in the third round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound right wing appeared in 25 games between the Flames and the Florida Panthers and racked up 117 penalty minutes. In AHL competition, Thompson appeared in 566 regular-season games and compiled 69 points (17G, 52A). His 1,919 penalty minutes rank 10th on the AHL’s all-time penalty-minute list. The Calgary, Alberta, native skated for seven different clubs during his career.
CHRIS DENNIS ASSISTANT COACH
Chris Dennis was named an assistant coach for the Chicago Wolves on June 30, 2017, and is expected to operate the defense corps for head coach Rocky Thompson. The 37-year-old spent the last two seasons as the head coach for York University in Toronto, where he took over a last-place program and transformed it into the champions of the 20-team Ontario University Athletics conference. The Lions captured the 2017 Queen’s Cup with a dramatic 4-3 victory on March 11. Prior to taking the job at York, Dennis spent 10 years in the Maple Leafs organization in a variety of roles spanning the head-coaching tenures of Hall of Famer Pat Quinn, Paul Maurice, Ron Wilson and Randy Carlyle. Dennis served as a Maple Leafs assistant coach from 2013-15 and worked as an assistant for the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies when they reached the Calder Cup Finals in 2012.
BOB NARDELLA ASSISTANT COACH
One of the most accomplished players in Chicago Wolves history, Bob Nardella was promoted to assistant coach on July 12, 2017, after serving for two seasons as skills development coach and three seasons as a part-time assistant for the franchise. Nardella ranks second on the team’s all-time regular-season list for games (476), fifth in assists (239) and sixth in points (298) after spending six full and three partial seasons with the Wolves. He was a key player when Chicago captured the 1998 and 2000 Turner Cups as well as the 2002 Calder Cup. The 49-year-old Melrose Park native made his Wolves debut during the team’s inaugural season in 1994-95. Nardella ranks second on the Wolves’ all-time postseason list in games (101), fourth in points (61), fourth in assists (44), and seventh in goals (17).
BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE
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82 SEASONS AND GOING STRONG After a compelling season that reinforced the American Hockey League’s successful franchise launches in the Pacific Division, the AHL remains steady at 30 teams with minimal adjustments for the 2017-18 season. The Wolves are the only team to find a new National Hockey League partner as the franchise has joined forces with the Vegas Golden Knights. Three franchises in the Eastern Conference found new homes: the Binghamton Senators moved to Ontario to become the Belleville Senators, the Albany Devils transformed into the Binghamton Devils and the St. John’s IceCaps headed to Quebec to become the Laval Rocket. The AHL has maintained its two-conference, four-division alignment for the third year in a row with just one change. The Charlotte Checkers have shifted from the Central Division to the Atlantic Division to rebalance the conferences at 15 teams apiece. In each of the four divisions, the top four teams (as ranked by points percentage) will qualify for the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
EASTERN CONFERENCE
/ CENTRAL DIVISION
/ ATLANTIC DIVISION
Chicago Wolves . . . . . . . . . . . . Vegas Golden Knights Grand Rapids Griffins . . . . . . . . . . . Detroit Red Wings Iowa Wild. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minnesota Wild Cleveland Monsters. . . . . . . . . Columbus Blue Jackets Manitoba Moose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winnipeg Jets Milwaukee Admirals. . . . . . . . . . . . Nashville Predators Rockford IceHogs. . . . . . . . . . . . . Chicago Blackhawks
Bridgeport Sound Tigers . . . . . . . New York Islanders Charlotte Checkers. . . . . . . . . . . . Carolina Hurricanes Hartford Wolf Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . New York Rangers Hershey Bears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Washington Capitals Lehigh Valley Phantoms . . . . . . . . Philadelphia Flyers Providence Bruins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boston Bruins Springfield Thunderbirds . . . . . . . . . . Florida Panthers
/ PACIFIC DIVISION Bakersfield Condors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edmonton Oilers Ontario Reign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Los Angeles Kings San Antonio Rampage. . . . . . . . . . Colorado Avalanche San Diego Gulls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anaheim Ducks San Jose Barracuda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Jose Sharks Stockton Heat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calgary Flames Texas Stars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Stars Tucson Roadrunners . . . . . . . . . . . . Arizona Coyotes
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins . . . . . . . Pittsburgh Penguins
/ NORTH DIVISION Belleville Senators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ottawa Senators Binghamton Devils . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Jersey Devils Laval Rocket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montreal Canadiens Rochester Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buffalo Sabres Syracuse Crunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tampa Bay Lightning Toronto Marlies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toronto Maple Leafs Utica Comets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vancouver Canucks
BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE
HOCKEY 101
THE RINK
HOCKEY LINGO
ASSIST
BAR DOWN
BARNBURNER
BREAKAWAY
BUCKET
CELLY
Credited to a player who helps set up a goal. The last two offensive-team players to touch the puck prior to the goal scorer are awarded assists.
When the puck hits the bottom of the crossbar and falls down into the net.
A fast-paced, high-scoring, exciting hockey game.
A clear scoring opportunity where no defensive player is between the puck carrier and the goaltender.
Another term for helmet.
Refers to the expression of joy after a player scores a goal; a celly comes in many forms and the amount of exuberance is usually correlated to the importance of the goal.
EMPTY-NET GOAL
FLEX
HAT TRICK
IRON
OFFSIDE
SAUCER PASSING
A goal scored against an Measure of stiffness opponent that has pulled when force is applied their goaltender for an to a hockey stick. Flex extra skater in an attempt rating indicates the to tie the game. pounds of force necessary to bend the stick one inch. A higher flex rating means a stiffer stick.
When a player scores three (or more) goals in a game.
The red pipes that When a player crosses the An elevated pass; highlight the goalmouth. offensive-zone blue line typically used to evade If a puck deflects off before the puck. an opposing player’s stick one or more of these blocking the on-ice pipes it is said a player pass lane. “hit the iron.”
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Skate away with savory party trays! Ham & Turkey Bundles
Cheese & Sausage Tidbit Tray
Shaved ham and turkey breast on golden and wheat dinner rolls served with pitted black olives.
Eckrich® hard salami, beer salami, Busch summer sausage, Wisconsin American, Muenster, Swiss cheeses and bread and butter pickles.
Hye Roller Tray Roast beef, Turkey or Italian Hye Rollers made on cracker bread with lettuce and cheese, served with assorted relish center.
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ALL-TIME POINTS LEADERS 1. STEVE MALTAIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 951 2. ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 3. DARREN HAYDAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 4. JASON KROG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342 5. BRETT STERLING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 6. BOB NARDELLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 7. STEVE LAROUCHE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 8. CHRIS MARINUCCI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 9. STEVE MARTINS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 10. DEREK MACKENZIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
ALL-TIME WINS LEADERS (Goaltenders) 1. WENDELL YOUNG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169 2. MATT CLIMIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 3. KARI LEHTONEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 4. JORDAN BINNINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 5. MICHAEL GARNETT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 6. RAY LEBLANC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 7. ONDREJ PAVELEC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 8. NORM MARACLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 9. PETER MANNINO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 10. JAKE ALLEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
ALL-TIME GAMES LEADERS 1. STEVE MALTAIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839 2. BOB NARDELLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 3. DEREK MACKENZIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 4. KEVIN DOELL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 5. ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 BRIAN SIPOTZ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 7. BRETT STERLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 8. TIM BERGLAND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 9. DARREN HAYDAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342 10. TIM BRESLIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
LES CUNNINGHAM AWARD (AHL Regular-Season MVP) DARREN HAYDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . (2006-07) JASON KROG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2007-08) KENNY AGOSTINO . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2016-17)
WILLIE MARSHALL AWARD (AHL’S Leading Goal-Scorer) BRETT STERLING . . . . . . . . . . . . (2006-07) JASON KROG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2007-08) WADE MEGAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2016-17)
YANICK DUPRE MEMORIAL AWARD (AHL Man of the Year) KURTIS FOSTER. . . . . . . . . . . . . (2003-04)
2016-17 CHICAGO WOLVES
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORDS & AWARDS
Kenny Agostino became the third Wolves player to earn the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s Most Valuable Player. The league’s players, coaches and media voted on the award.
GOALS LEADERS 1. STEVE MALTAIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454 2. BRETT STERLING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 3. ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 4. DARREN HAYDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 5. CHRIS MARINUCCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 6. JASON KROG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 7. STEVE LAROUCHE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 8. J.P. VIGIER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 DEREK MACKENZIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 10. SCOTT PEARSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
When Wade Megan led the AHL in goals and Kenny Agostino paced the league in points last season, they became the first pair of teammates in seven seasons to top the AHL in those key categories.
GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE LEADERS (MINIMUM 25 APPEARANCES)
1. RICHARD SHULMISTRA. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.89 2. J AKE ALLEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.03 3. K ARI LEHTONEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.33 4. ANDREI TREFILOV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.36 5. E DDIE LACK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.46 6. JORDAN BINNINGTON. . . . . . . . . . . . 2.59 7. D REW MacINTYRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.66 8. ROBERT GHERSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.67 9. F RED BRATHWAITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.68 10. ONDREJ PAVELEC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.69
The Wolves captured the Central Division crown last season, which gives the team four division titles in the last eight years and eight division titles overall.
LEO LAMOUREUX MEMORIAL TROPHY (IHL Regular-Season Scoring Champion) ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1995-96) ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1996-97) STEVE MALTAIS. . . . . . . . . . . . (1999-2000) STEVE LAROUCHE . . . (2000-01) (Shared)
JOHN B. SOLLENBERGER TROPHY
The Wolves set a franchise record with a 13-game undefeated streak from Feb. 12 to March 18. During that five-week stretch, the Wolves posted nine wins and took the other four games to overtime.
(AHL’S Leading Regular-Season Scorer) STEVE MALTAIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2002-03) DARREN HAYDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . (2006-07) JASON KROG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2007-08) KENNY AGOSTINO . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2016-17)
IHL MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD (Outstanding Community Service) TIM BRESLIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1996-97) CHRIS MARINUCCI . . . . . . . . . . . . (1998-99) WENDELL YOUNG . . . . . . . . . . . . (2000-01)
The Wolves piled up 101 points on their way to the Central Division title. It marked the ninth time in the franchise’s 23-year history that it reached the 100-point mark.
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WHAT'S THE DIFF?
Can you find the 10 differences in the two photos below?
WHAT'S THE TRIBONDS DIFF?
What does each set of three have in common?
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WHAT'S CONNECT-THE-DOTS THE DIFF?
Connect the dots to complete this picture of Wolves netminder Max Legace!
GAME TIME
1
2
100 4
99 98 97
5
6 7
82 83 81 80
95 94 84 85
8
96
9 10
93
79 78
91
11
92
12 13
90 89
14 15
20 21 16 17
18
19
22 23 24 25
88
26 38 39
87 86
37
27 36
40 41 43 42
75
35 34 44 45
31 30 32
28 29
46
74 69 73 69
70
47
72 71
48
68
49 50
51 52
67 57 66 65
64
56 63
62
WHAT'S MY THE LASTDIFF? TEAM
61
59
55 54
53
53
58
Unscramble the team names of these Wolves players’ former squads!
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N A V • G N I W EFT
D N A L N I F , A A T