Chirps from Center Ice

Today, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins announced the plans to unveil the inaugural Penguins Hall of Fame Class during the 2013-14 season.

Press release here. The release mentions honoring players and builders who have contributed to the first 14 years of the Penguins existence.

In the release, they name 23 players up for nomination. The criteria are that they must have been retired for two years, spent at least two seasons playing for the Penguins and have made a significant contribution to the Penguins community on the ice or off.

They are…

• G Adam Berkhoel – with the Penguins from 2008-09 and 2009-10. Probably best remembered for getting his knee drained during intermissions in the Penguins postseason run.
• RW Dennis Bonvie – needs no introduction. Is a lock to be nominated.
• RW Jesse Boulerice – a bruising heavyweight who spent 2009-10 and 2010-11 with Wilkes-Barre.
• D Brendan Buckley – played four seasons for Wilkes-Barre from 2000-01 to 2003-04.
• LW Greg Crozier – member of the inaugural crew of players that took the ice in 1999-2000. Has one NHL game to his credit.
• RW Robert Dome – another one of the pioneers who skated with Wilkes-Barre in 1999-2000.
• C Shane Endicott – 73 goals for Wilkes-Barre from 2001-02 to 2004-05.
• RW Jonathan Filewich – his 64 goals while donning a Penguins sweater cannot be overlooked from 2005-06 to 2008-09.
• C Dave Gove – co-captained Wilkes-Barre in 2008-09 and also won Stanley Cup with Carolina Hurricanes.
• D Chris Kelleher – Massachusetts native had two stints with Wilkes-Barre. 1999-2000 to 2000-01 and 2004-05 to 2005-06 and one NHL game with the Boston Bruins.
• F Jason MacDonald – one of the men responsible for the St. Patrick’s Day Massacre back in 2002. With the team for three seasons beginning in 2000-01.
• C Alexander Mathieu – played the first three seasons of the Penguins existence.
• D Josef Melichar – played 80 games for WBS in 1999-2000 and 46 in 2000-01. Would go on to a pretty decent NHL career.
• RW Eric Meloche – 61 goals scored for WBS in parts of four seasons. Played last year in the LNAH with the Cornwall Riverkings.
• D Alain Nasreddine – next to Tom Kostopoulos, probably one of the more popular captains in WBS history. Currently serves as the assistant coach.
• LW Steve Parsons – that picture of the guy in the St. Patrick’s Day Massacre mentioned earlier fighting bare chested? One of them was Steve Parsons. Owner of the single game PIM record (64)
• D Peter Ratchuk – played a good majority of his professional career overseas. Skated with Wilkes-Barre in 2001-02 and 2006-07.
• D John Slaney – will forever be remembered for being traded during All-Star festivities in Wilkes-Barre to the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2000-01.
• C Michal Sivek – played with WBS in 2001-02 then went to Sparta Praha in the Czech Republic, returned back to Wilkes-Barre in 2002-03 to 2003-04, then went back over to Sparta Praha and retired in 2007-08.
• LW Martin Sonnenberg – scored the first goal in Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins history.
• G Robbie Tallas – played two seasons for the Penguins in 2001-02 to 2002-03 and is now the Goaltender Coach for the Florida Panthers.
• D Mike Wilson – 20th overall pick in the 1993 NHL draft played his North American twilight years for the Penguins in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
• LW Alexander Zevakhin – played all of his North American hockey with the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins from 2000-01 to 2002-03 before departing back to his homeland of Russia.

My vote will go Dennis Bonvie and Alain Nasreddine. As you can probably tell by my recaps, I don’t know much about any player from 2008 or before.

The Penguins mentioned “builders” in their press release, so it is likely that we see a ballot of non-players sometime this season. One name I think that needs to be on that list in Tom Grace. Name two people who are synonymous with this franchise. Dennis Bonvie is one, and Tom Grace is probably the other.

I’d like to see other people like media and front office guys get in as well as long time sponsors at some point in the future.

No bloggers though.