Over on the 210Sports Facebook page I’ve been posting daily updates for each day in Worcester hockey history. In case people missed some, I’ll gather them at the end of each month here on the blog.
1
2000 – The AHL suspended Worcester IceCats forward Jan Horacek one game for a slew foot against Rocky Thompson on December 28th at Saint John.
2006 – Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram reports that the San Jose Sharks will be moving the Cleveland Barons, their AHL affiliate, to Worcester for the 2006-07 season.
Birthdays: Arvid Rekis (1979); Riley Gill (1985); Devin Setoguchi (1987); Freddie Hamilton (1992)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/01/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-1/
2
2000 – Springfield Falcons center Eric Healey suffered one of the most frightening injuries ever seen in an IceCats game. Healey had his left wrist stepped on by a skate and cut wide open midway through the third period. After Worcester team doctor Brian Busconi stopped the bleeding in the trainer’s room, Healey was rushed to UMass Hospital. The skate cut went down to the bone, but after several surgeries, Healy made a full recovery and played another dozen years of pro hockey.
2003 – The AHL named Worcester IceCats forwards John Pohl and Sergei Varlamov to the 24-man PlanetUSA roster for the AHL All-Star Classic February 2-3 in Portland, Maine. Pohl was selected to the starting lineup for PlanetUSA by the fan ballot.
2010 – The Worcester Sharks Booster Club named Alex Stalock Player of the Month for October and Steven Zalewski Player of the Month for November.
2018 – The Worcester Railers sign Vinny Muto.
Birthdays: Rick Mrozik (1975); Connor Graham (1996)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/02/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-2/
3
1995 – Worcester IceCats defenseman Roy Mitchell won the fan balloting in Worcester to be named to the All-Star Game, which was played on January 17th in Providence.
1996 – Worcester IceCats goaltender Eric Fichaud and defenseman Jamie Rivers were voted on to the American squad for the 1996 AHL All-Star Game. The game will be played on January 16th at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pa. Fichaud was selected by a vote of Centrum fans. Rivers was chosen by league coaches.
2002 – The AHL named Eric Boguniecki and Jeff Panzer to PlanetUSA for the All-Star Classic, scheduled to be played February 14 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
2003 – The AHL named Worcester IceCats forward Justin Papineau to the 24-man Canadian roster for the February 3rd American Hockey League All-Star Classic in Portland, Maine.
2010 – For the first time Worcester Sharks head coach Roy Sommer calls the line of Andrew Desjardins, John McCarthy, and Dan DaSilva “three crazed rats who haven’t eaten in a month”. The “Crazed Rats” would go on to be the most successful line combination in Worcester pro hockey history.
2018 – The ECHL names Worcester Railers Woody Hudson to the North Division team for the ECHL All-Star game scheduled to be played in Indianapolis on January 15th.
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/03/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-3/
4
1995 – The AHL suspended Worcester IceCats forward David Haas one game. (There appears to be no record available as to why).
1996 – The St. Louis Blues acquired Ken Sutton and Igor Kravchuk from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Jeff Norton and Donald Dufresne.
2002 – The AHL named Justin Papineau to the Canadian team for the All-Star Classic, scheduled to be played February 14 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
2010 – Worcester Sharks forwards Logan Couture and Benn Ferriero were named co-winners of the AHL Rookie of the Month award.
2012 – The AHL named Worcester Sharks defenseman Matt Irwin and goaltender Tyson Sexsmith to the Eastern Conference All-Star team. The skills competition and game would be held on January 29 and 30 in Atlantic City.
2018 – Worcester Railers announce that the club has received defenseman Brock Beukeboom from the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in exchange for forward Wade Murphy. This completed an earlier voided trade where Greenville had sent Curt Gogol in exchange for Murphy. Gogol failed his physical.
Birthdays: Kevin Colley (1979); Nathan Moon (1990); Eddie Matsushima (1994)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/04/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-4/
5
1999 – Worcester IceCats Lubos Bartecko and Ricard Persson were chosen to take part in the AHL All-Star game, scheduled to be played on January 25th in Philadelphia.
2000 – The AHL named Worcester IceCats forward Ladislav Nagy Rookie of the Month.
2018 – In what had become a running gag all season, Worcester Railers goaltender Mitch Gillam finally had his hockey pants approved by the NHL. The old red ones he was wearing were trashed.
Birthdays: Kevin Hilton (1975)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/05/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-5/
6
2009 – Worcester Sharks defenseman Derek Joslin was named as a starter on the Canadian team for the upcoming All-Star Classic to be played at the DCU Center on January 25-26.
2014 – The Worcester Shark sign Yanni Gourde to a PTO.
2015 – The AHL selected Worcester Sharks defenseman Matt Taormina to be a member of the Eastern Conference team for the AHL’s All-Star Classic scheduled to be played January 25 and 26 in Utica, N.Y. Sharks head coach Roy Sommer was also selected to guide the Eastern Conference club.
2019 – The ECHL selected Worcester Railers goaltender Mitch Gillam to be the North Division netminder at the ECHL All-Star game scheduled to be played on January 21st at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
2020 – The ECHL selected Worcester Railers forward Jordan Samuels-Thomas to be on the North Division team at the ECHL All-Star game scheduled to be played Wednesday, January 22 at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
Birthdays: Scott Ferguson (1973); Marc Tardif (1973); Brennan Evans (1982); Adam Burish (1983); Scott Fleming (1988)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/06/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-6/
7
1997 – The AHL suspended Worcester IceCats forward Rob Pearson three games for an intent to injure high stick against Chris O’Sullivan at Saint John on January 4th.
2007 – The Worcester Sharks signed Brady Leisenring to a PTO.
2009 – Worcester Sharks forward Ryan Vesce was named to the Planet/USA team for the upcoming All-Star Classic to be played at the DCU Center on January 25-26.
2013 – The Worcester Sharks signed defenseman Michael Wilson to a PTO.
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/07/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-7/
8
1997 – The long-awaited shots-on-goal registers were in place and working for the first time, although just partially. They showed the game time and score, but not shots.
2012 – The Worcester Sharks Booster Club named Michael Connolly Player of the Month for October and Tyson Sexsmith Player of the Month for November.
2014 – The Worcester Sharks signed Tyler Gron to an SPC and Yanni Gourde to a PTO.
Birthdays: Alex Vasilevskii (1975); Joe Vandermeer (1977); Rylan Schwartz (1990)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/08/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-8/
9
2005 – The AHL named Worcester IceCats goaltender Jason Bacashihua Player of the Week.
2006 – The San Jose Sharks announced they are moving their AHL affiliate from Cleveland to Worcester and will begin play at the DCU Center as the Worcester Sharks in October of 2006. The team and DCU Center have agreed on a ten-year lease. It then launched its website, sharksahl (dot) com.
Birthdays: Scott Pellerin (1970); Justin Hocking (1974); Igor Valeev (1981)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/09/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-9/
10
2001 – The AHL named Worcester IceCats goaltender Dwayne Roloson as an injury replacement for the Canadian team after J.S. Giguere and Mathieu Garon were both called up to the NHL. The game was scheduled to take place January 30-31 at Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.
2007 – The AHL selected Worcester Sharks forward Mathieu Darche to join the Canadian team for the All-Star Classic in Toronto on January 28 and 29.
2013 – The Worcester Sharks sign Patrick Rissmiller to a PTO.
2020 – The Worcester Railers sign Phil Johansson.
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/10/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-10/
11
2008 – The AHL selected Mike Iggulden for the Canadian team for the All-Star Classic on January 27-28, 2008 at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y.
2011 – The AHL announced that Worcester Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo was chosen as a starting forward on the Eastern Conference team for the AHL All-Star Game in fan balloting. The game was scheduled to be played in Hershey on January 30 and 31.
Birthdays: Rory Fitzpatrick (1975); Tyler Harlton (1976)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/11/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-11/
12
2005 – The QMJHL announces Claude Lemieux will be inducted into their Hall of Fame. Lemieux played 23 games for the Worcester Sharks in the 2008-09 season.
2018 – The Worcester Railers sign Brian Bowen.
Birthdays: Bob Deraney (1966); Lindsay Vallis (1971); Rich Parent (1973); Ben Masella (1993)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/12/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-12/
13
1995 – The Worcester IceCats and David Haas terminated their contract by mutual agreement. In 28 games for Worcester Haas was 11-10-21 and tied for second in team scoring, but his performance was up and down. According to Ballou, Haas had NHL talent but only occasional intensity. And with that, the “David Haas Award” was born.
2001 – The Worcester IceCats signed Jason Lawmaster to a PTO.
Birthdays: Matt Jones (1986); Sean Gammage (1991); Kyle Schempp (1994)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/13/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-13/
14
1995 – The Worcester IceCats signed Chris Gordon to a PTO.
2002 – The AHL suspended Worcester IceCats forwards Steve McLaren two games and Eric Boguniecki one game after each was assessed a match penalty in Hartford on January 13th. Both were for high sticking.
2010 – The AHL added Worcester Sharks goalie Alex Stalock to the PlanetUSA roster for the AHL All-Star Game as an injury replacement. The game was scheduled to take place on January 19th in Portland, Maine.
2015 – The San Jose Sharks loaned Adam Burish to the Chicago Wolves, and in return John McCarthy was loaned to the Worcester Sharks by the St. Louis Blues.
Birthdays: Justin Kurtz (1977); Lane Scheidl (1992); Cody Payne (1994); Arnaud Durandeau (1999)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/14/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-14/
15
2000 – The Worcester IceCats Booster Club named Marty Reasoner Player of the Month for December
2003 – Steve Martins claimed on waivers by St. Louis from Ottawa.
2012 – The San Jose Sharks front office hockey staff holds a “State of the Worcester Sharks” gathering in the DCU Center lobby attended by San Jose GM Doug Wilson, assistant San Jose GM Wayne Thomas, and hockey operations honchos John Ferguson, Tim Burke, Bryan Marchment and Mike Ricci.
2019 – The Worcester Railers promoted Connor Haynes to senior account executive of tickets and memberships.
Birthdays: Justin Papineau (1980); Nolan Schaefer (1980); Lincoln Griffin (1997)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/15/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-15/
16
2006 – Mike Iggulden signed as a free agent by San Jose.
2013 – The San Jose Sharks acquired forward Tommy Grant and a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2014 NHL Draft from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Brandon Mashinter.
Birthdays: Nick Bligh (1993); Ben Thomson (1993)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/16/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-16/
17
2013 – The AHL selected Tim Kennedy for the Eastern Conference team in the AHL All-Star game. The game is scheduled to be held in Providence on January 27 and 28.
2017 – The Worcester Railers were granted full membership in the ECHL.
2018 – The Worcester Railers sign Tommy Kelley.
2020 – Worcester Railers broadcaster Eric Lindquist was suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount for criticizing ECHL officiating.
Birthdays: Don Parsons (1969); Jeff Heerema (1980); Michal Macho (1982)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/17/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-17/
18
1955 – The Worcester Warriors took on the United States All-Stars, the team that was going to represent the United States in the World Ice Hockey Championships in Germany Feb 25-March 5, and lost 4-1. Team USA would finish fourth in the tourney.
2005 – The AHL suspended Worcester IceCats defenseman Brendan Buckley four games for clipping Monarchs forward Yanick Lehoux on January 14th in Manchester.
2011 – The Worcester Sharks game at the DCU Center against the Portland Pirates, originally scheduled for December 26 but postponed because of the weather, was once again postponed due to weather. The game was rescheduled to January 19.
Birthdays: Dennis Wright (1974); Radim Bicanek (1975); Darren Van Oene (1978); Chad Rau (1987); Ryan Carpenter (1991); Jeff Kubiak (1994)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/18/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-18/
19
2002 – The Worcester IceCats signed defenseman Arvids Rekis to a PTO.
2008 – The Worcester Sharks Booster Club named Mike Iggulden Player of the Month for November, and Lukas Kaspar was named December’s Player of the Month
Birthdays: Ian Laperriere (1974); Kyle McKenzie (1993)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/19/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-19/
20
1998 – Worcester IceCats veteran defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick and rookie forward Michal Handzus were both named to the PlanetUSA All-Star Team at the ’98 All-Star Classic, February 12 in Syracuse, N.Y
Birthdays: Bryan Lerg (1986)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/20/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-20/
21
2005 – The DCU Center unveiled their new video scoreboard.
Birthdays: Bobby Farnham (1989)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/21/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-21/
22
1999 – The Worcester IceCats Booster Club named Kevin Sawyer Player of the Month for December.
2011 – The Worcester Sharks hold their first “IceCats Night”, and induct the first class of the Worcester Hockey Hall of Fame. That class included the late Eddie Bates and Larz Anderson, as well as Terry Virtue, Marv Degon, Kelly O’Leary, and Scott Young.
2012 – The AHL named Worcester Sharks goaltender Carter Hutton Player of the Week.
Birthdays: Greg Gilbert (1962); Ivan Kosorenkov (1998)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/22/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-22/
23
1996 – The AHL suspended Worcester IceCats head coach Jim Roberts one game as a result of a game misconduct called on him by referee Scott Zelkin after the first period on January 21st vs Springfield.
2003 – The San Jose Sharks acquired Kyle McLaren and a 4th round pick (would be Torrey Mitchell) from Boston in exchange for Jeff Hackett and Jeff Jillson.
2005 – The Worcester IceCats game against the Manchester Monarchs at the DCU Center was postponed due to snow.
2008 – The ECHL announced that Chris Valicevic had been selected to their league’s Hall of Fame. Valicevic played three games for the Worcester IceCats during the 1994-95 season.
2013 – Injured Worcester Sharks center Tim Kennedy has been scratched from the AHL All-Star Classic in Providence and will be replaced by center Bracken Kearns.
Birthdays: Darren Rumble (1969); Mathieu Curadeau (1985)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/23/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-23/
24
1997 – The Worcester IceCats acquired Chad Dameworth from the Hamilton Bulldogs in exchange for cash considerations.
1998 – The Worcester IceCats Booster Club named Michal Handzus Player of the Month for December.
2015 – Sources confirmed that the San Jose Sharks announced were going to move the Worcester Sharks to San Jose for the 2015-16 season, pending a vote from the AHL Board of Governors.
Birthdays: Warren Strelow (1934); Kevin Rappana (1973); Peter Hay (1979); Mike Brennan (1986); Megan Myers (1992)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/24/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-24/
25
2011 – Worcester Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo was replaced on the Eastern Conference All-Star team by rookie defenseman Justin Braun. The game was scheduled to be played in Hershey on January 30 and 31.
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/25/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-25/
26
2005 – The AHL announced that Worcester IceCats defenseman Dennis Wideman was selected to be the starting defenseman on the Team Canada squad for the All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played Sunday, February 13 in Manchester, N.H.
2012 – The San Jose Sharks acquired Tim Kennedy from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Sean Sullivan.
2015 – Former Worcester IceCats goaltender Frederic Cassivi was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame.
Birthdays: Stephane Roy (1976); Patrick Cullity (1987); Jack Combs (1988)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/26/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-26/
27
1997 – The Worcester IceCats hold an outdoor practice on Lake Chaubunagungamaug.
2007 – First mention in the Telegram of the Worcester Sharks indicating their willingness to host the AHL All-Star game.
2011 – Sharks radio broadcaster Eric Lindquist performed the marriage ceremony of Ed “Shred” Bezoet de Bie and Rachel Jacobs at center ice during the second intermission of the Sharks game against the Portland Pirates.
2014 – The San Francisco Bulls, until Monday the ECHL affiliate of the Worcester Sharks, have folded citing losses in the millions of dollars for their 1 1/2-season existence. The Sharks organization had five players in San Francisco when the franchise folded – goalie J.P. Anderson, as well as skaters Kyle Bigos, Riley Brace, Sebastian Stalberg, and Steven Tarasuk. They were all loaned to the Ontario Reign.
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/27/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-27/
28
1995 – The Worcester IceCats game against the vs Portland at the Centrum was attended by 11,947 fans was, at the time, the largest crowd to see an AHL game in a non-neutral site venue other than the Boston Garden, which hosted the Boston Braves in the 1971-72 season.
2003 – The Worcester IceCats signed forward Ernie Hartlieb to a PTO.
Birthdays: Garrett Stafford (1980)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/28/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-28/
29
1995 – The Worcester IceCats released goaltender Chris Gordon from his PTO and signed him to an SPC.
1996 – The St Louis Blues acquired Rob Pearson from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Denis Chasse. The Blues also signed Terry Virtue to a free-agent contract.
Birthdays: Dustin Kuk (1979); Thomas Greiss (1986); J.D. Dudek (1996)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/29/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-29/
30
1997 – The Worcester IceCats signed Marquis Mathieu and Kevin Hilton to PTOs.
Birthdays: Trevor Gillies (1979); Torrey Mitchell (1985); Chelsey Goldberg (1993); Anthony Florentino (1995)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/30/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-30/
31
2005 – The Worcester IceCats Booster Club named Jason Bacashihua Player of the Month for December.
Birthdays: Maxim Bets (1974); Jesse Rezansoff (1976); Kyle Thomas (1990)
Games: https://210sportsblog.com/2020/01/31/today-in-worcester-hockey-history-january-31/
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