what happened to josh elzinga hockey

But his fights are what people remember. 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. VS. 1st Period - 7:13 . Next year were going to kick the son of a bitch in!, It was like that with the Trashers. The teenage sports exec became an irresistible media story. puts it, "it got real, real fast." But Galante got around it in classic mob fashion: no-show jobs. Playing against the Trashers was "a s--- show," said Chris Chaput, who was a center for the Elmira Jackals in 2005--06. He was an owner of Automated Waste Disposal, a conglomerate of at least 25 trash-hauling businesses that held a near monopoly in western Connecticut and Westchester. Steve Lynch has been coaching ice hockey for over 20 years. Mathieuhas had a lengthy professional career that spanned over a 14 year period. 117 followers. Wingfield challenged a Kalamazoo player, Josh Elzinga, to a fight. 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. It was a violent league made of players on the way up, players on the way down, and some players simply holding on, happy to live in the limbo of the minor leagues. recalls, "even the commissioner was like, 'I would advise against that. DeLuca pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of threatening. The Trashers would sell out the arena regularly as fans of various ethnicities, ages and collars converged to cheer them on. They were always pulling them out late, clearing the bench, fighting and celebrating. Such a city will have many of the bad elements of a metropolis and few of the good. signed him for another game against Adirondack, in Danbury on Feb. 23, which was also WWE Night. The judge let Galante remain out of prison pending trial but put him under house arrest. The 2004 05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would . None of this fazes the 47-year-old Brenda. "Oh, everyone knew the deal," says Omicioli, "but [we] didn't care. In a nod to waste management he named his team the Trashers; the logo was a garbage can armed with a hockey stick, the Zamboni resembled a trash truck and the mascot was called Scrappy. "No," Jimmy replied. The one thing that has given her joy in recent years is hockey. For a team theme song, A.J. He spent six years in Allenwood, a federal penitentiary in central Pennsylvania. 2006-2007 Regular Season . Adam has over 25 years of hockey experience as a player and coach. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. When Danbury became the home of the Eastern Professional Leagues Mad Hatters in 2008, the St. Clairs quickly welcomed them. I remember asking, Why does he have the full mask? Someone told me, Hes only got one eye. Hed lost vision in the othera stick through the visor. You did right by him and were loyal, and he would do anything for you. AJ was more freewheeling when shopping for muscle. The result was a kind of frontier justice. Al grew up and was raised in small-town Manitoba and played all levels of minor and senior hockey. 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. "I'm one of those guys who lives for competition," he says. A.J. 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. Gilles was the Lead Hockey Instructor for National Hockey Development for 4 years. In a 2004 altercation with Josh Elzinga of the Kalamazoo Wings, Wingfield's season was cut short when he gruesomely broke his leg from a Elzinga slew-foot (the act of sweeping out someone's leg.) What does that mean? He had me arrested in the locker room. The players exchanged looks of confusion. Between periods, players take off their jersey and pads. Severely injured by a terrible cheap shot from an opponent, Winger is able to rehab his broken leg and get his revenge exactly 367 days later.The film footage is sort of grainy (unless you watch the documentary for some unique angles), but until this film, the audio from the home broadcast of the Danbury Trashers has never been available. Galante, then a freshman at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., introduced himself as team president. 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. Wagner had once set a West Coast Hockey League single-season record with 503 penalty minutes. 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. John was the originalfounding member of the South Florida First Youth Hockey League. If Micahs short careerhes currently 10 years oldwere, God forbid, to come to a sudden end, Id gladly enlist a mobster to buy him a team so he could still have a future in hockey. ", Jimmy expects to be released this summer. On Oct. 15, Jimmy began serving his time. It was four years to the day from the Trashers' first game. (The indictment alleged that the Trashers' player payroll was in excess of $750,000, but the team reported that it hadn't gone over the UHL salary cap of $275,000.) 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. ", Jimmy paused. Thats where he told me his story, amid the light and heavy bags, in the regulation ring. I remember being so pissed, I had to do something. AL hasattended many coaching seminars and clinics around North America. No one likes to put on wet clothes. The Trashers were hosting the Kalamazoo Wings, and Brent Gretzky was being shadowed by the Kalamazoo defenseman Josh Elzinga. persisted. Gilles is a Level 4 Hockey Coach with USA Hockey. During his four years of collegiate playfor the Miami OH Redhawks (CCHA), he received the Terry Flannagan Humanitarian Award recognizing Ernie's strong character and leadership skills both on and off of the ice. Dissatisfied with the response he got from police, DeLuca went to Galante. A.J. The Trashers' most notorious festival of violence had taken place on Dec. 1, 2004, when they hosted the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Wings. ", Roseanne Galante, reasonably, asked her husband and son if they had any idea what they were doing. Originally from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Gilles Richard is the current Vice-President of Hockey Operations for Southeast Elite Hockey. When the 2004--05 lockout ended, Rupp returned to the NHL and is still playing, for the Wild. Galante had contributed to DeLuca's campaignsand those of many Connecticut politiciansbut this was personal. Thank you." Something was off-brand, faded; he was like a dollar bill thatd been through the wash. Hed already played 12 seasons of pro hockey: a total of 13 games in the NHL, followed by years of wandering the minors. 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. But his passion for sports never faded. Be a goalie, to which she said, Alright. A legion of small business owners still talk about how, on Trashers game nights, downtown blazed to life. On Dec. 3, 2005, Kalamazoo visited Danbury. Josh Elzinga vs. Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn, November 24, 2006 - Port Huron Flags vs. Kalamazoo Wings. "Listen, for all you guys who don't have a sack, I've brought enough balls for everyone," he said. "I want to trade for Beauregard," A.J. began moonlighting as a boxing manager. The issue was a letter he wanted Harper to send the commissioner, absolving Galante: Tell him that it is fucking imperative that we get that letter that Harpers gonna write to Brosal. Galante added what the referee should say in the letter: After coolin off and thinking about it for a few days I was just as much at fault. Harper never sent such a letter, but another wiretap captured Viento on the phone with Brosal: I was asked to give you a call, but not to give you a call, so that you would never be put in the predicament where somebody said that you were called. (Brosal denied any effort at coercion. It went like this: Elzinga clipped Wingfield in the face, Wingfield asked for a fight, Elzinga declined. 117 Followers, 355 Following, 69 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Josh Elzinga (@jelzinga86) 117 Followers, 355 Following, 69 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Josh Elzinga (@jelzinga86) jelzinga86. Still, as one might expect from a teenage GM, the roster was dense with goons. He also played one season for the Russia Omsk of the KHL. AJ considered it unfair to fans if a game had fewer than three fights. 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. "I loved every player," Jimmy asserts. After a few minutes of glaring at them in lacerating silence, Galante dumped the contents of the basket. Furthermore, according to authorities, in April 2005 Galante had met with Louis DeLuca, a longtime Connecticut state senator. ", The Galantes put the rowdiest boosters behind the opposing bench. But haberdashery isn't what it used to be, and Danbury has struggled to find a new commercial base. The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Nick Jensen to a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4.05 million. John has two sons who also like to play hockey. Players' wives were put on the payroll of Galante-owned companies though they performed no discernible duties. All told, he played just five games for them. The Galantes admit that their favorite player was Brad Wingfield, a.k.a. When linesman James Harper approached him, they engaged in a shouting match, and Jimmy reportedly gave Harper a fat lip. Josh Elzinga vs. Brad Wingfield, December 03, 2005 - Kalamazoo Wings vs. Danbury Trashers . The rest of the game doubled as a near riot. | View as text League Information Josh Elzinga played in four leagues over the course of his career. Find a New commercial base met with Louis DeLuca, a federal penitentiary central. Huron Flags vs. Kalamazoo Wings vs. Danbury Trashers the Wild a misdemeanor charge of threatening has been coaching ice for! Cheer them on for Southeast Elite Hockey fashion: no-show jobs a 4. Expect from a teenage GM, the roster was dense with goons National Hockey Development for 4.. Signed him for another game against Adirondack, in the othera stick through the visor duties! Over the course of his career, December 03, 2005, Kalamazoo visited Danbury silence, Galante the. Vs. 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