#chuckkaiton

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - There is plenty of hockey news and notes throughout the sport as teams at all levels are preparing for the 2023-24 season despite the continuing saga of the Stanley Cup Championship currently underway that sees the Las Vegas Golden Knights leading the Florida Panthers 3-games-to-1. The New York Rangers rewarded winger Anton Blidh for his strong play in Hartford with a two-year contract extension. Blidh was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche for Gustav Rydahl, who is heading back to Sweden. Blidh will make $775K for playing in the NHL and $350K for his play in the AHL. Cooper Zech was also acquired at the trade deadline by the Wolf Pack. He never played in Hartford but was sent to play for the team's ECHL affiliate, the JacksonvilleIcemen, instead. But rather than report to Hart City at the beginning of the playoffs, Zech instead went home and signed with HC Kosice (Slovakia-SLEL) for next year. EX-PACK AND UCONN PLAYER MOVEMENT A pair of ex-Pack players, Sean Day, is signed again with a one-year extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning / Syracuse Crunch on a two-way deal for $775K-NHK/$200K-AHL and Mike O’Leary signs with the Iowa Wild (AHL). Former UCONN forward Kale Howarth re-signs with the Rockford IceHogs. Ex-Pack and ex-UCONN goalie Adam Huska re-signs with Torpedo Novgorod (Russia-KHL). Allan McPherson with Hannover (German DEL-2). Ex-UCONN forward Carter Turnbull has signed with HC Banska Bystrica (Slovakia-SLEL). He leaves HKM Zvolen (Slovakia). HARTFORD WHALER WEEKEND Whalers Weekend with the Eastern League Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies) is July 21-22. These are the committed players who will be in attendance as of now; Norm Barnes, Wayne Babych, Bill Bennett, Mark Bousquet (Poodle from Slap Shot), Pat Boutette, Jeff Brubaker, Bob Crawford, Yvon Corriveau, Scott Daniels, Mark Janssens, Marty Howe, Grant Jennings, Chuck Kaiton (Radio PBP), Andre Lacroix, Gerry McDonald, Don Nachbaur, Doug & Gordie Roberts, and Mike Rogers. Several others are possible but have yet to be finalized. Three newcomers exist in Boutette and the Roberts brothers. Rogers, after a year off, returns from Calgary. The rest have been attendees since this started five years ago. FLORIDA EVERBLADES GO BACK-TO-BACK IN ECHL The Floria Everblades won the ECHL Kelly Cup title in a sweep over the Idaho Steelheads. It is their sixth time in the finals and second consecutive championship for Florida. They join five other teams to win back-to-back titles. Two ex-Packs were rostered on the runner-up Idaho. They are Ryan Dmowski (Old Lyme/Frederick Gunn School) and Matt Register. GREG CRONIN AND EX-SOUND TIGERS After three years with the Colorado Eagles (AHL), former Sound Tigers head coach Greg Cronin was hired by the  Anaheim Ducks as the team's new head coach. When Cronin was named the Head Coach in Bridgeport, he announced he had been the only surfer in Maine for the Black Bears while an assistant there. Once, he was forced to apologize after excoriating Maine (HE) fans in an expletive-ridden rant for not showing up for a road game during a Maine Blizzard. Ex-Sound Tigers Greg Mauldin re-signs with Stavanger (Norway-NEL), while goalie Eamon MacAdam re-signs with Guilford (England-EIHL). Lane Sim, the son of ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger Jon Sim, signs with the Sarnia Sting (OHL), who drafted him. DAN RUSANOWSKY Congratulations to the only radio voice of the San Jose Sharks (NHL) since its inception in 1991. Dan Rusanowsky (Milford) received the Foster Hewitt Award and the notice he will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on November 13th. Rusanowsky was the last voice of the Nighthawks (1987-1991) and becomes the second Nighthawks broadcaster that will be inducted into the HHOF on Yonge Street in Toronto. Fellow Californian Nick Nickson (1977-1981) preceded Rusanowsky calling the Nighthawks team as the radio voice of the Los Angeles Kings and was selected and entered in 2014. Rusanowsky was the voice of college hockey for St. Lawrence University (1979-1987). Nickson was just announced as the sole play-by-play voice for the simulcast on TV and radio of the Kings starting next season. Long-time radio color commentator and former New Haven Nighthawk player Daryl Evans has been reassigned to a yet-to-be-specified on-air role. ODDS AND ENDS Ronan Buckberger, the son of former Beast of New Haven forward Ashley Buckberger, heads from Saskatoon (SMAAAHL) to Nipawin (SJHL). Craig Puffer (New Canaan), departs Nottingham (England-EIHL) and signs with HC Anglet (France-FREL) in the Elite Magnus League. Charles Greszes, formerly of Choate Rosemary School in Wallingford-is traded from Tel Aviv (Israel-IHL) to HC Bat Yam (Israel-IHL). Former Hartford Whaler Jim Culhane, the video coach for Denver University (NCHC), was named video coach for the US 2024 WJC team in December. The 30th AHL player to head to Europe is Anthony Hora, from Division III SUNY-Brockport (SUNYAC). He heads to Évry/Viry Hockey 91 (France- FFHG Division-2). Three more also signed Europe, moving the total to 33. QUEBEC REMPARTS The Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) won the Memorial Cup. They did so in a 5-0 shutout win over the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) for their fifth Memorial Cup title in the franchise’s eighth appearance. Undrafted Kassim Gaudet registered a goal and an assist and was a plus-four with five shots on goal. That is a solid performance for a young man with only 11 career QMJHL goals. Théo Rochette had two assists, while undrafted goalie William Rousseau, the grandson of Rangers and Montreal Canadiens great Bobby Rousseau, had 32 saves and won a Memorial Cup 65 years after his grandfather won his under the guidance of a young Scotty Bowman. His late great-uncle Rollie also won a Memorial Cup in the late 1940s. The elder Rousseau is, sadly, in the early stages of battling Alzheimer’s. MORE ON THE ROUSSEAU FAMILY How was the younger Rousseau rewarded? He was traded to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for a possible over-age year if he doesn’t land a pro deal for the next season two days later. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

BY: Kelly Masse, Hockey Hall OF Fame TORONTO (June 29, 2020) -  Frank Seravalli, President of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, and Chuck Kaiton, President of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, announced today that Tony Gallagher will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in hockey journalism, and Rick Peckham will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster. Tony Gallagher is the first writer to win the award for a body of work exclusive to the Vancouver market. He became one of hockey’s most influential voices in Western Canada in a career at The Province that spanned from 1970 - 2015. He was recruited by The Province out of the University of British Columbia in 1968. He was hired full-time in 1970 on high school sports before making the jump to hockey, covering the WHA's New Westminster Bruins and then the WHA's Vancouver Blazers. By 1976, Gallagher graduated to become the paper's lone beat writer on the Canucks. He was promoted to general columnist in 1987, where he continued to break news and stir the pot and covered nearly 25 Stanley Cup Finals - including all three Canucks appearances.” “Tony Gallagher owned the Vancouver market in a time before the internet, when scoops lasted for 24 hours in a newspaper world where contact meant everything,” Seravalli said.  Read the full article

CHUCK KAITON His voice boomed across the airwaves to all points North, East, South, and West of Hartford when he was the official radio voice of the Hartford Whalers back on WTIC-AM, 1080. Kaiton made converts of many as he stepped up to the microphone, replacing the New England Whalers legendary voice, Bob Neumeier. Kaiton created a whole legion of Whaler fans in those days extending well beyond the borders of the Nutmeg State. “It was so much fun today. The fans and the people there are so terrific, wonderful, and kind. I really enjoyed last year and really wanted to come back, and the Yard Goats put on such a nice presentation.” Kaiton said speaking in his wonderful baritone style voice. He marvels at how much the broadcasts were heard way back before there was audio streaming. Things were done the old-fashioned way. There were terms in those days called, "DXing" or "skips" which meant listening to AM broadcasts from far distances. “I always got such good feedback from fans from literally all over parts of the US and Canada that I was amazed were hearing the broadcasts. (WTIC-AM) had a powerhouse signal that went everywhere.” Kaiton's favorite times were the playoffs, particularly the old Adams Division rivalries. “I really like that format; many others didn’t. I thought it was so good. You had the intensity with those rivalries. It was some great hockey. I really wish the NHL would go back to that format personally," Kaiton stated. His favorite goal? ‘Clearly, Kevin Dineen’s OT goal in Game 6 against Montreal was so dramatic going around some of the great Hall of Fame defenseman like Larry Robinson and beating a Hall of Fame goalie in Patrick Roy." His second appearance at the Whalers Alumni weekend couldn’t be more ironic. The Hurricanes, who came into existence with the Whalers move from the Connecticut capitol to North Carolina, ended Kaiton’s 39-year NHL association earlier in the week when the parties couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract. The offer Kaiton received after the season ended was an 80% pay cut and required him to go out and sell airtime. He was being treated like a minor-league rookie and Kaiton knew it was a non-starter. The official timing and announcement, which broke earlier this week, wasn’t an accident for Kaiton. He knew the Whalers weekend was upcoming, and he and his wife planned on attending. “I actually planned it that way! I waited, and ironically I was in South Carolina playing golf with one of the Hurricanes investors, and to be honest, I shut my phone off because I knew when it broke it would be ringing quite a bit. I am grateful for all the kind messages and wishes people sent. It really did mean something to me. It was heartwarming, and hey, things happen, but I’m not retiring that’s for sure.” Kaiton said emphatically. His old radio partner, Andre Lacroix, was in the house and that brought a big smile to his face and Kaiton paid homage to him. “Andre was wonderful and we were like the great Danny Kelly and Noel Picard in St. Louis. Noel Picard also had that wonderful, great French accent. So we were, I think, the only two broadcast teams in the NHL at that time with that style. He had a great wealth of knowledge and credibility being the all-time leading scorer in WHA history, plus his time in the NHL in the Original Six. Andre was a natural. He was so popular in the community. I really enjoyed my time with him,” Kaiton said effusively. Lacroix describes them as a good cop/bad cop team. “I think he was a pretty good cop of an announcer too,“ Kaiton said with a laugh. At 66, Kaiton is not done on the mike just yet. “I can’t go into details, but I am working on a few things. More than likely, they're not for the upcoming season, but next season (2019-20) for sure you’ll be hearing from me.” We'll miss that booming voice on winter nights this season. Read the full article