Not bad for a team that hadn't played yet.Īfter a slow start, the team went on a winning streak, getting to the top of the league. Once the season got going, Danbury even signed two locked-out NHLers Mike Rupp and Garrett Burnett.īefore the season started, The Hockey News' minor league rankings pegged the Trashers to finish second in the league. Doug Christiansen, Jeff State, Bruce Richardson, Semir Ben-Amor, and former big-time knucklechuckers like Frank Bialowas and Stephen Peat were given contracts. Later on, after Wingfield was injured, the team brought in Jon Mirasty, a man who may actually shit nails. AJ signed veteran slobber-knockers Rumun Ndur, Mario Larocque, Brad Wingfield, and J-F David to start the season. Over the course of the team's existence, AJ hired more goons than you could shake a bloody fist at. AJ might have gone a little overboard there. The real fun began when it was time to hire muscle.
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To free the team up in the crease, AJ signed goalie Scott Sterling, that year's league MVP. Next, he signed Brent Gretzky, the little brother of Wayne – a move that would surely bring people in. He signed the league's leading scorer, Jim Duhart, for a big sum. Meanwhile, AJ's friends designed the team's logo, a possessed garbage can with eyes about to beat the word “TRASHERS” with a bent hockey stick.ĪJ and Jim may have been pretty green to the hockey world, but they knew you need two things for a minor-league expansion team to work goals and fights.ĪJ called and emailed far and wide, looking for the best players he could find. A brand-new Zamboni, built to look like a garbage truck, was part of the deal. New equipment was bought and paid for, and a brand new dressing room was built for the team. More than 2,000 new seats were added, and the facilities were upgraded. He sunk $1.5 million into updating Danbury's rink, the Danbury Ice Arena, to fit league standards. Galante spent even more money once the team was in place. When league officials were told about this, they thought it was an April Fool's joke. He was 17 at the time, still in high school in Danbury. Once Jim bought the team, he let AJ have his wish.ĪJ was named the team's GM. Since AJ was young, he'd dreamed of operating a major sports team. That wasn't the only reason why Galante wanted a team, though. Galante's son, AJ, had played for his local high school's team, leading them in penalty minutes. Galante was inspired to get involved in the game after seeing how popular high-school hockey games were in Connecticut. Jim named his team after the business he made his name in hence the name, the Trashers. His company owned most of the garbage-hauling operations in his state and in parts of New York, which made him – no pun intended – filthy rich. Galante made his cash in the garbage disposal business. Galante spent $500,000 to get the league to give him an expansion team.
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Local businessman Jim Galante announced he would be founding a new team in the low-level United Hockey League. The whole story begins on April 1, 2004, in Danbury, Connecticut. Here's one minor league team whose story sticks out above the rest: the real-life version of Slap Shot's Syracuse Bulldogs, the Danbury Trashers. While you might think those days of crazy minor-league antics are long over, let me just remind you of one thing: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Sometimes, these teams seem like something the creators of Slap Shot left on the cutting room floor. Teams are founded and folded often in the minors, whether it's from affiliate changes, poor management, or just not having asses in seats. Bonino!Ĥ) - A Simple Thank You to the Wild community and FansĬlick here for all 32 NHL Subreddits DivisionĮvery minor league hockey fan likely knows a really good disaster story. He will always be a Pen to us and is cemented as Dexter's favorite player forever. His eye contact, reactions, and willingness to pose is a shining example of this man's class. r/hockey stands with BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ NHLġ) - Nick Bonino appreciation and shout-out for sharing a few moments of Sundays warmup w my son.
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