9/1/05 -- Well this is bloody awesome: 95-year-old Steve Moria (actually, he's 42) continues to play, this time around with the Milton Keynes Lightning in Britain. "Steve, a modern legend in the British game, oozes class and has been one of the most influential players to ever play in the UK," the Web site reports. 8/8/05 -- Brief Hawk Lane Lambert has been hired as an assistant under Dave Baseggio with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
6/29/05 -- There's probably other things I could put here, but for now let's just point out the obvious: Dave Baseggio is the new head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
1/30/05 -- Sighting: former Hawks captain Billy O'Dwyer played in a charity game at the Arena at Harbor Yard tonight after the Sound Tigers-Wolf Pack game. O'Dwyer played in a game with the likes of Ken Hodge, John McKenzie and Kenny Morrow to benefit childhood glaucoma charities.
1/15/05 -- A man's gotta work: Eurohockey tells us Nolan Pratt has signed an NHL lockout deal with someplace called EV Duisburg - Die Füchse. Sounds dirty to us, but a paycheck's a paycheck. (Yes, this one's a Beast update, but I couldn't resist.)
12/27/04 -- Well it's about time Todd Elik signed up again. He's hitched back on with SC Langenthal, says eurohockey.net, at age 38.
7/2/04 -- "Steve Moria?" I shouted at my computer screen. "That Steve Moria?" Yep, that Steve Moria. He signed with the London Racers in England, continuing a career in Britain that has lasted since he left New Haven in 1986-87. Moria is apparently a young 41 years old.
6/7/04 -- John Tortorella and his Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup. Tortorella was an assistant coach under Rick Dudley in the memorable 1988-89 season. Two other New Haven connections, former Beast defenseman Nolan Pratt and former Senators defenseman Darren Rumble, were also part of that Lightning team. Ex-Beast Marcus Nilson was part of the valiant but just-short Calgary Flames.
3/9/04 -- John Miner -- yes, John Miner -- popped up on eurohockey.net after being loaned to a club team in Austria, EC Black Wings Linz, from Augsburger Panther in Germany. Miner, who had 15 points in the 1989 playoffs, is only 38 years old. He'll play until at least 39: Augsburger's site says he's been signed for next year, too. (It also says the Panther have signed J.F. Labbe, awesome for several AHL teams, for 2004-05.)
2/6/04 -- The movie "Miracle" opens today. Saw a preview a couple of days earlier and enjoyed it quite a bit (though that team couldn't have done it without the equipment manager! Where is he?!? There's not even an equipment manager on the bench in the wide shots -- I didn't even see a stick rack!). Anyway, here's to the three players from the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team that went on to play for New Haven: Dave Silk, Mark Wells and late cut Ralph Cox, who gets plenty of screentime in the movie.
12/10/03 -- Five-game Nighthawk Glen Hanlon was named the 13th coach of the Washington Capitals today, replacing the fired Bruce Cassidy.
11/4/03 -- A nice feature (complete with a New Haven reference) in The Hockey News dated today on Dave Gagner, who, according to Adam Proteau's story, owns a rink-construction business in Burlington, Ontario. Also, it should be pointed out that Joe Paterson is an assistant coach for the Toronto Roadrunners.
8/19/03 -- Jerome Bechard was named assistant coach of the ECHL's Columbus Cottonmouths.
8/14/03 -- Bridgeport signed forward Kevin Colley today, which is a huge Nighthawk reference: He's the son of The legendary Nighthawk, Tom Colley. That also makes him a New Haven native, and he's kind of excited to be coming here.
7/28/03 -- Pointed out by Bridgeport Sound Tigers broadcaster Bill McLaughlin: Scott Gordon, a four-game Hawk in the independent year, is the new head coach of the Providence Bruins. Gordon was an assistant under Mike Sullivan last year till Sullivan went up to the big club, when he took over on an interim basis. (Of course, after the big B's were eliminated, Sullivan came back for a few games.)
7/9/03 -- COMEAU MUST GO!... to a lot of scouting meetings and stuff. Over a decade removed from the ire of the Elm City, Marcel Comeau was named head scout of the Atlanta Thrashers.
4/2/03--Just realized I haven't mentioned the name Joe Paterson in the same sentence as "Hamilton Bulldogs" here yet. Paterson is the assistant coach for the AHL-leading Bulldogs, who happen to play in Bridgeport tonight, so we chatted for a few minutes after the morning skate. Paterson has been in Hamilton since late January. More former 'Hawks in the news: 1992 leading scorer Stan Drulia has been named interim assistant coach of the San Antonio Rampage. Drulia had been the head coach of Orlando of the ACHL. The job opened up when head coach John Torchetti was promoted to assistant coach of the Florida Panthers, and assistant coach Scott Allen was promoted to Rampage head coach.
1/21/03--Discovered on Eurohockey.net that Grant Ledyard, who signed with Switzerland's HC Lugano earlier in the month, was not offered a contract for the rest of the year. Ledyard turned 41 on Nov. 19, 2002, a total two greater than the number of games he played in the Nighthawks sweater.
10/23/02--Have been glad to see former Hawk, former New York Ranger, and 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup champion Jay Caufield pop up in ads for NHL Street. Caufield (now 42! Which makes me old) may now best be known as the man who got Mario Lemieux back into shape for his comeback. We'll remember 83 PIM in 55 games.
10/18/02--New Haven Appreciation Night at the Arena at Harbor Yard brought out a bunch of old Nighthawks sweaters, which was fun to see. My colleague Chris Elsberry wrote a nice column about the evening.
8/16/02--Doug Soetaert has been named GM of the new Everett, Wash., franchise in the Western Hockey League.
8/13/02--The mighty Eurohockey.net reports our favorite Italian-Canadian pugilist, Mario Chitaroni, is leaving Germany after six seasons, the last two with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers, for the greener pastures and better food of the HC Milan Vipers.
7/30/02--On-the-fly update, since I just realized I haven't mentioned that Nick Fotiu, a three-time, 45-game Nighthawk, is the new assistant coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack.
6/15/02--Just caught up to a Kevin Paul Dupont feature from a week earlier in the Boston Globe about Ken Baumgartner's graduation from Harvard Business School. The Bomber, after a tour with the school's hockey team (going back to the blue line), now goes to Brentwood, Calif., and will work for Goldman Sachs. (Corrected the writer's name above, 7/14/02. I think KP Dumont plays for the Blackhawks.)
6/13/02--Congratulations to Steve Duchesne, who with his Detroit Red Wings teammates won the Stanley Cup tonight. He becomes the 11th former Nighthawk to claim the title Stanley Cup Champion, the first since Glenn Healy in 1994 with the Rangers.
For posterity: Former Nighthawks to win the Stanley Cup (fulfilling the requirements to have the name inscribed; several others were in Cup-winning organizations but didn't play the requisite games): Steve Duchesne, Detroit, 2002; Glenn Healy, New York Rangers, 1994; Kjell Samuelsson, Pittsburgh, 1992; Jay Caufield, Pittsburgh, 1991-92; Brian MacLellan, Calgary, 1989; Lucien DeBlois, Montreal, 1986; Doug Soetaert, Montreal, 1986; Pat Conacher, Edmonton, 1984; Lorne Henning, New York Islanders, 1980; Garry Howatt, New York Islanders, 1980-81; Chico Resch, New York Islanders, 1980.
Future Nighthawks to win the Cup after the Nighthawks' inception, 1972-73: Rollie Melanson, New York Islanders, 1981-83; Mike McEwen, New York Islanders, 1981-83; Paul Boutilier, New York Islanders, 1983; Dave Langevin, New York Islanders, 1980-83; Rick Chartraw, Montreal, 1976-79; Cam Connor, Montreal, 1979; Larry Goodenough, Philadelphia, 1975.
2/10/02--Simon Wheeldon played in this year's Olympics for Austria. Fellow Hawk Andrei Kovalev did as well for the miracle Belarus team.
1/16/02--Hubie McDonough does not need to try out!!! Well, OK, in this case, it was only technical. Today, McDonough, the director of hockey operations for the Manchester Monarchs, signed himself and assistant coach Bobby Jay (not the NYC DJ) to AHL professional tryouts (PTO). Hold off your grand visions of a comeback, though. McDonough and Jay signed up because the Monarchs were short two men, after the Islanders signed Ted Donato and the Kings recalled Brad Chartrand. (Remind me to ask Dave Baseggio when he's suiting up for Bridgeport...)
12/22/01--Another note on an extremely brief Nighthawk career: Garry Galley (four games in 1985-86) officially announced his retirement. Sometime soon, I have to sort through some lists and see how many ex-Hawks are actually still active. If I ever get any time.
12/13/01--Ex-Ranger Raimo Helminen, extremely briefly a Nighthawk in 1986-87, was named to the Finnish Olympic Team. When he hits the ice in Salt Lake City in February, he'll become the first hockey player to compete in six Olympics.
10/27/01--Met short-time Hawk and former Beast assistant coach Joe Paterson at Albany. He's been pro-scouting for Florida in the absence of the Louisville Panthers this season.
9/12/01--A two-for-one shot: The Calgary Flames will split their North American amateur scouting chores between a pair of ex-Hawks. Defenseman Al Tuer (210 games and a team-record 688 penalty minutes) will be their western scout, and left winger Steve Graves (three whole games in 1990-91, with an assist and one measly minor penalty) will handle the east.
8/23/01--It's official: Glenn Healy is a TV guy for real now. He'll join Hockey Night in Canada for the 2001-02 season.
7/31/01--Finally, a Nighthawk reference at the new AHL team in southern Connecticut. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers named Yalie Dave Baseggio as their first assistant coach. Baseggio played 31 games for the Hawks in the independent season, 1991-92, scoring 22 points from the blue line.
7/13/01--He just keeps going. Grant Ledyard, who had two stints in New Haven in the mid-'80s (assigned from both the Rangers and the Kings), signed a contract to return to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts were (and are) the ninth of Ledyard's nine NHL teams (he's returning from his second tour o' duty in Dallas). Maybe he can go for 10: he's only going to be 40 in November, after all.
7/7/01--Goalie Glenn Healy's career is probably over. "I don't think I'm a Wayne Gretzky type who needs to have a formal announcement and say this is it," Healy told Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. He plans to spend his time with his wife, his two daughters, and of course his bagpipes. In addition to being a Nighthawk great, he's also one of the 1994 Rangers that will walk together forever, so to speak. Heave, ho.
6/14/01 -- Right winger Paul Kelly, who ended up in Utica for the 1989 playoffs (i.e., not in the Black and Silver of the Northern Division Champions), was named the new head coach and director of hockey operations of the WCHL's Bakersfield (Calif.) Condors.
6/8/01 -- Mario Chitaroni was always feisty in his one year here, which included a trip to the Calder Cup final. He got a little too feisty at the World Championships, though. Because of a nasty fight at the end of a game between Italy and Switzerland on May 7, Chitaroni (Italian) was suspended for two games at next year's Worlds.
6/5/01 -- If I do anything with my summer, part of it should be going to a Brakettes softball game in Stratford and begging Hal Baird to tape a "New Haven goal, scored by No. 3, HUBIE McDonough!" for me and this web site. The point of that tangent: The 17th-leading scorer in franchise history has survived the death of the IHL and is the new director of hockey operations of the AHL expansion Manchester Monarchs. Fact you may have forgotten like I did: McDonough is from Manchester. Welcome home, eh? (Other incidental fact: according to Ralph Slate's Internet Hockey Database, McDonough is the 42nd-leading scorer in the long and storied and no-longer-ongoing history of the International Hockey League.)
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