The Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast Hosted by Mark Willand. "The Voice of Hockey Legends"
Episodes
Monday Aug 20, 2018
Monday Aug 20, 2018
In Episode 12 of the Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast, we’ll play three periods:
In Period 1 we talk classic New York Rangers Hockey with George Grimm, the author of “We Did Everything But Win: An Oral History of the Emile Francis Era New York Rangers (1964–1976)” …. We focus our discussion on two franchise-altering trades with the Boston Bruins in the 1970s and one potential blockbuster deal involving a Bruins Hall of Famer that would have changed the course of history for both teams.
In Period 2 we welcome hockey historian and the voice of the Boston Bruins Alumni our good friend John Horrigan, who has an entertaining talk with four-time Stanley Cup Champion and NHL All Star Mike Krushelnyski. Originally produced for the “Bruins Alumni TV” series, this interview was recorded at the recent NHL Alumni Pro-Am outside of Boston.
Period 3 features a remembrance of Finnish hockey star and former WHA Phoenix Roadrunner Lauri Mononen, who passed away on August 5th 2018. Mononen, who played two WHA seasons, was one of many Finns who played in the WHA. That includes Hexi Riirhanta, Veli Pekka Ketola, Matti Hagman, Markus Mattson and Roadrunners teammates Juhani Tamminimen, Seppo Repo and Pekka Rautakllio.
Selected to the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991, Mononen, represented Finland in six World Championships, one Olympics and a U18 European Championship.
For insights on the life and career of Laurie Mononen, we welcomed back his teammate in Phoenix, Jerry Rollins.
The Episode of the Pro Hockey Alumni podcast is presented by hockeytournaments.com. If you’re looking to play in a tournament or just list your tournament just visit hockeytournaments.com.
“We Did Everything but Win” on amazon.com
Monday Aug 06, 2018
Monday Aug 06, 2018
Today we pay tribute to a hockey warrior - John Schella — who passed away on August 3rd 2018 at the age of 71.
John Schella was Born May 9 1947 -- Port Arthur, ONT.
He gained notoriety as one of the “Thunder Bay Boys” before signing with the Peterborough Petes in 1966-67.
After honing his skills in Houston, Denver and Rochester he became an original Vancouver Canuck in 1970-71.
Two years later John joined the fledgling World Hockey Association, where he would spend the next six years of his career, winning two WHA Championships and earning the admiration of teammates and respect of opponents.
John concluded his career in San Diego on the Pacific Coast League in 1978-79.
Today’s tribute includes memories from former teammates Andre Lacroix, Jerry Rollins, Scott Campbell, Cam Connor and Larry Lund.
All these legends would agree: John Schella was tough, talented and a great teammate. Most important, when things got tough, John always had their backs.
Let’s remember John with the words of his teammates.
Rest In peace, John
Host: Mark Willand
Wednesday Aug 01, 2018
Wednesday Aug 01, 2018
Jerry Rollins was a hard-punching defenseman, who fought all the tough guys in the wild World Hockey Association.
A 2nd round draft selection of the Detroit Red Wings and the WHA Toronto Toros in 1975, Rollins earned the respect of teammates and foes alike as the protector of his team’s skilled players.
Jerry is an entertaining and thoughtful man, who recalls a number of great stories from his playing days, including:
- How his run-in with a future NHL Hall of Famer startled his junior teammates and earned him a spot on the Flin Flon Bombers roster.
- A brutal brawl in junior hockey that saw him nearly having his fingers bitten off by a future WHA-NHL enforcer.
- Growing up as the son of NHL MVP and Vezina winning goalie, Al Rollins, who would eventually become his coach with the WHA Phoenix Roadrunners.
- His first impressions of a pair of teenagers - Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier — and his surprising comparison of the two at the Indianapolis Racers training camp in 1978.
- The one player (and future movie star) who nearly knocked him out with one devastating punch in 1975.
- His swan-song minor league season in 1978-79 and his impressions of two teammates: Hall of Famer Willie O’Ree and the notorious Billy Goldthorpe.
Jerry applied his lessons from his hockey journey to a successful business career in San Diego, CA. Jerry is now the cofounder and chairman of the Sage Executive Group, where he uses his business expertise to mentor and coach CEOs.
Host: Mark Willand
Saturday Jun 23, 2018
Saturday Jun 23, 2018
Andre Lacroix was the all-time scoring leader in the World Hockey Association with 798 points in just 551 games. Nicknamed the "Magician," Andre averaged nearly an assist per game throughout his WHA career.
After a 147-point season with the San Diego Mariners in 1974-75, Andre was named the French-Canadian Athlete of the year, besting Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne and Gil Perreault, among others.
Andre also had the distinction of playing for five different WHA franchises without ever being traded during his seven years in the rebel league, a journey that began as a Philadelphia Blazer in 1972.
Prior to joining the WHA, Andre was a dominating player in the OHA with the Peterborough Petes and in the AHL with the Quebec Aces. He joined the NHL Philadelphia Flyers in 1967-68 and was twice the leading scorer for the Flyers before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1971.
After his career concluded in 1980, Andre embarked on a successful radio broadcasting career with the Hartford Whalers, where he teamed with legendary broadcaster Chuck Kaiton.
Andre was a huge part of the Hartford hockey community. Personally I spent a lot of time with Andre, Gordie Howe, Mike Veisor, Doug Roberts, Garry Swain and many more Whalers Alumni as we barnstormed through Connecticut to play games for charity.
Now residing in Ohio, Andre remains one of the most popular personalities in Hartford hockey circles and every other stop along his 60-year hockey journey.
In this podcast Andre discusses his career and gives insights on various ex-teammates such as Johnny McKenzie, Bobby Hull, Bernie Parent and more.
We could have talked with Andre for hours — and perhaps we will do that soon. But for now, here’s a great discussion with a true hockey legend.
For all of our podcasts visit The Hockey Alumni Website
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Also, please consider giving back to the game by supporting Hockey Cares for Kids at hockeycaresforkids.org
The Podcast is hosted by Mark Willand and produced by Willand Media
Tuesday May 01, 2018
Tuesday May 01, 2018
Toronto Maple Leafs Enforcer Kurt Walker
Today’s guest on the PHA Podcast is Kurt Walker, who played three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an enforcer on a talented team that included Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, Borje Salming, Ian Turnbull and the always colorful Tiger Williams.
Kurt tells greats stories about his improbable rise from an unknown kid from Hingham Mass to hockey’s biggest stage. He also discusses Dignity after Hockey, a 501C3 charity that he created to help ex-players in need.
Kurt is also involved in the upcoming “Drop Your Gloves” event in Massachusetts on May 5th. This event is in honor of his former teammate Joe Carlevale, a fixture in Massachusetts hockey, who passed away from brain cancer in 2017.
Join celebrity Auction Host Jenny Johnson for this inaugural event to benefit the Joseph F. Carlevale Jr. Memorial Hockey Scholarship Fund!
The event takes place at the DoubleTree Hilton, Danvers, MA 0192
For more information: www.joehockey.org
This episode is sponsored by HockeyTournaments.com, if you are looking to play in a tournament, or list your tournament, head over to HockeyTournaments.com.
Host: Mark Willand
Friday Apr 27, 2018
Friday Apr 27, 2018
Peter Marsh - Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, Cincinnati Stingers
Today’s Guest on the PHA Podcast is NHL Veteran Peter Marsh
After a prolific junior career with Sherbrooke of the Quebec Major Junior League, Peter played eight big league seasons between 1976 and 1984 with the Cincinnati Stingers, Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets.
Peter notched 44 goals in the WHA’s swan song season in 1978-79, teaming with fellow youngsters and future Hall of Famers Mark Messier and Mike Gartner.
Peter remains an active member of the Chicago Blackhawks Alumni Association, which contributes thousands of dollars each year to children in need.
In this interview Peter recalls key points in his career in both leagues and his frightening connection to the Humbolt bus tragedy.
Peter is also involved in the upcoming “Drop Your Gloves” event in Massachusetts on May 5th. This event is in honor of his former teammate Joe Carlevale, a fixture in Massachusetts hockey, who passed away from brain cancer in 2017.
Join celebrity Auction Host Jenny Johnson for the inaugural 'Drop Your Gloves' Silent Auction Evening in memory of Joe to benefit the Joseph F. Carlevale Jr. Memorial Hockey Scholarship Fund!
The event takes place at the DoubleTree Hilton, Danvers, MA 01923
For more information: www.joehockey.org
Host: Mark Willand
Wednesday Apr 25, 2018
Wednesday Apr 25, 2018
Today’s guest is Shannon Lewandoski
Shannon is not an ex-pro player but he is an integral part of the hockey community.
Shannon is a Financial Planner in Greater St. Louis and an avid adult hockey player, who created the popular LinkedIn Group “Hockey Player Doing Business Together” in 2010. That group has since grown to over 41,000 members and has recently merged with
Hockey Players in Business (HPIB)—an international, not-for-profit network designed to help former and current hockey players build their business networks, continue their professional development, and most importantly, give back to the sport that has helped shape us all.
Host: Mark Willand
Thursday Apr 05, 2018
Thursday Apr 05, 2018
Frank Simonetti was an All-American collegiate player at D2 Norwich University, who went on to play four seasons with the Boston Bruins in the 1980s.
Frank shares interesting stories from his Bruins career, partnering on defense with Ray Bourque, his somewhat awkward introduction to Cam Neely and the talented 1980s Bruins teams.
We also discuss Frank’s Annual “Bowl with a Bruin” event that raises money for the Dana Farber Institute in Boston.
Host: Mark Willand
Website: ProHockeyAlumni.org
This episode is sponsored by Pro Stock Hockey — Your online source for Authentic Pro Stock Hockey Equipment – Sticks, gloves & all the rest!
If the pros don’t use it — they don’t sell it. Visit….
Thursday Mar 22, 2018
Thursday Mar 22, 2018
A member of the US Hockey Hall of Fame, Larry Pleau is one of the most respected people in the game.
Larry was one of the top American hockey players in the late 1960s and 1970s, playing for Team USA at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble as well as the 1969 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Stockholm.
He then played three seasons for the Montreal Canadiens from 1970-1972, winning the Stanley Cup in 1971.
In 1972, Pleau became the first player to sign with his hometown New England Whalers of the upstart World Hockey Association. The Whalers won the WHA championship in 1973 and Pleau went on to become to appear in the 1973, 1974 and 1975 WHA All Star Games.
When his career ended in 1979, Pleau worked in numerous positions with the Whalers, including head coach and eventually director of hockey operations. He went on to become the assistant GM of the New York Rangers and was instrumental in the 1994 Rangers Stanley Cup run.
1997 Pleau took the reigns of the St. Louis Blues and had a great tenure there, presiding over the Blues President's Trophy win in 1999–2000 and being named the Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2000-2001.
HOST: Mark Willand
Friday Mar 16, 2018
Friday Mar 16, 2018
The guest on Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast #3 is film producer and hockey fan Mark Greczmiel, who has produced an entertaining documentary on the California Seals hockey franchise, one of the six expansion teams added to the NHL in 1967.
The nine-year NHL saga of the Seals includes everything from white ice skates and orange pucks, to disastrous trades and an out-of-control owner. From future hockey stars like Reggie Leach, Dennis Maruk and Charlie Simmer, to a female streaker and a cheerleader named Krazy George. From the creation of the World Hockey Association, to a tragic, on-ice death.
Host: Mark Willand
The Pro Hockey Alumni Association