Absurd Goalie Monday: Corrado Micalef

With the fantastic announcement that Amway will be sponsoring the Detroit Red Wings this year, we go to the Motor City. Many have said that these Wings teams were so horrific, it wouldn't have mattered who was in net. Luckily, this netminder is going to be worthy enough to be put into the AGM archives after today. This week-- the profile of Corrado Micalef

Micalef started his career with the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Castors beginning in the 1978-79 season, where he would play in 42 games, posting an 18-11-3. The starting role beckoned Micalef after that and he saw 64 games in the 1979-80 season, finishing with a 38-15-7 record; then 10-5 in 15 playoff games, placing him on the Second-Team All-Star team at the end of the season. The 1980-81 season was monumental for Micalef, as he would play in 64 games with Sherbrooke and go 35-26-3, while going 7-7 in 14 playoff games. Plus, Micalef was able to get a spot on Canada's World Juniors team, but went 1-2-1 in five games. However, the big coup came for Micalef when Sherbrooke loaned him to the Cornwall Royals for the 1981 Memorial Cup, as the Royals' goalie was injured. Micalef went 3-0 in his three games, helping the Royals win the Memorial Cup. Micalef took home the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy for top goaltender of the tournament, as well as the Memorial Cup All-Star Team, plus the QMJHL First-Team All-Star squad.

That performance allowed Micalef to get drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1981 Draft at pick #44. Micalef was thrown into the Wings cage immediately, playing in 18 games for the 1981-82 season-- however, he'd only go 4-10-1. Micalef was sent down to the AHL's Adirondack Red Wings, playing only one games in relief before being sent to the IHL's Kalamazoo Wings, playing in 20 games there. The 1982-83 season brought some more opportunities, as Micalef would play in Detroit for 34 games and have a better go by finishing with a 11-13-5 record in Detroit, while going 6-5-0 in Adirondack.

For the 1983-84 season, Micalef only saw 14 games in Detroit (5-8-1), but would get more time and a bit better performance in Adirondack, finishing with a 14-10-5 record in his 29 games down there. With that, Micalef only played on games in Adirondack in the 1984-85 season (a win) and spent most of the year with Detroit. Yet, in his 36 games that season, Micalef only went 5-19-7. The 1985-86 season wasn't much better for Micalef, as he would go 1-9-1 for Detroit in two stints-- as he would make a seven game stop in Kalamazoo and then a 25 games stop in Adirondack (12-9-0). It would be a quick 1986-87 season for Micalef in North America, as he would only play in one game for Adirondack (a loss), before leaving town.

Micalef went over to Europe and signed on for the rest of the 1986-87 season with HC Fribourg-Gotteron of the Swiss League, playing in 13 games there. While Micalef sat out the 1987-88 season; he went to the French League, playing for HC Villard-de-Lans for two seasons, then moving to HC Briancon for two seasons starting in the 1990-91 season. The 1992-93 season has Micalef go to his family's homeland of Italy to play for Vasace Hockey, but he would move on from there to HC Courmaosta for two seasons starting in the 1993-94 season.

The IHL came calling for Micalef in the 1995-96 season, as he signed with the San Francisco Spiders, playing in 18 games and posting up a 4-8-2 record. It wasn't enough to keep Micalef in North America.

The 1996-97 season has Micalef going to Germany to play in the second divison with EHC Trier for two seasons, then move to Braunlager EHC Harz for the 1998-99 season. Micalef dropped to the third division in 1999-2000 season with ESC Erfurt for two seasons, then moved to ESV Bayreuth for the 2001-02 season before hanging up the pads.

Also of note, during his European vacation; Micalef came back to North America in the summer to play for Roller Hockey International from 1994 to 1997, playing with the Montreal Roadrunners, Orlando Rollergators, and San Jose Rhinos.

Currently, Micalef stays busy with the PEI Rocket of the QMJHL as an assistant coach for them.

While his NHL was not very memorable, Micalef was able to keep plugging along over in Europe and made his way through the lower, unknown leagues and kept his passion alive. While he will be a blip on the radar of the Red Wings history, he was a part of the very lean years in Detroit-- which is a time no Wings fans want to to remember what-so-ever.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Matt DelGuidice

Usually, I don't do guys who have had fewer than 20-some games in the the NHL, but I think I'll make an exception on this for a number of reasons. First, he had those fantastic Aeroflex pads, which were before their time. Second, he played in Roller Hockey International, and third-- he went from a Division II school to a prime Division I school, then onto the NHL and minor pro leagues after that. This week, we look at the career of Matt DelGuidice.

Starting off with the East Haven Comets in the Connecticut High School system, DelGuidice started his trek to a pro career playing in the NCAA with St. Anselm College, playing Division II hockey with the Hawks for the 1986-87 season. He would play 24 games with a 5-11-3 record, but sported a solid .916 save percentage in that year and was able to get Second Team All-American honors. The Boston Bruins picked DelGuidice in the fourth round of the 1987 Draft. After that, DelGuidice moved to bigger condition by joining the University of Maine team, but had to sit out the 1987-88 season because of his transfer. Coming back in the 1988-89 season, DelGuidice split time with Scott King, playing in 20 games with a 16-4-0 record, then going 3-1 in the post-season.. Back for the 1989-90 season, DelGuidice would play 23 games behind King with another 16-4-0 record and yet another 3-1 record in the post-season in five games of play.

With his college career over, DelGuidice went into the pro ranks with the Maine Mariners of the AHL for the 1990-91 season, where he would take over the starter's role in playing 52 games with a respectable 23-18-9 record, as well as a 1-1 record in two playoff games. DelGuidice also got a call-up to Boston, where he would play in one game in relief of Andy Moog. The 1991-92 season saw DelGuidice take over the back-up role out of training camp and getting some time in net during his two stints in Boston. He would get 10 games in for Boston, going 2-5-1. As he was put back to the AHL, he wouldn't fair so well with the Mariners with a 5-15-0 record in 25 appearances. As the Bruins affiliate moved to Providence in the 1992-93 season, so did DelGuidice, but he would only play nine games with Providence, with an 0-7-1 record. He was also shipped to the IHL's San Diego Gulls, playing in one game, a no-decision.

Without a contract in the NHL with the 1993-94 season, DelGuidice would bounce around the minor leagues, spending most of his time with the Raleigh IceCaps of the ECHL, playing in 31 games with a solid 18-9-4 record, then a 6-6 record in the playoffs. He would also spent time in the AHL, playing in five games for the Albany River Rats (1-2-2) and one game for the Springfield Indians (0-0-1). It was another nomadic year for DelGuidice in the 1994-95 season, where he would play in the ECHL, mostly for the Nashville Knights; where in 18 games, he would post a 7-8-2 record and 0-1 record in two playoff games. DelGuidice would make stops with the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL for five games (2-2-1) and then in the IHL with the Atlanta Knights for one game (no decision). Things settled in the 1995-96 season, where DelGuidice would play with the ECHL's Roanoke Express, playing in 35 games with a 13-10-3 record; then another 0-1 record in two playoff games.

The 1996-97 season brought a new chapter and new league with DelGuidice, as he would play in the Western Professional League with the Amarillo Rattlers. In the first season, DelGuidice would go 13-26-7 in 49 games on a team that had 17 wins all season. The 1997-98 season wasn't much better, as DelGuidice would see only 31 games in net with a 7-17-4 record with Amarillo before getting traded to the Monroe Moccasins, playing for 16 games with a 9-7-0 record. DelGuidice would stay in Monroe for the 1998-99 season, though he would only play in eight games sporting a 5-3-0 record before getting traded to the Corpus Christi Ice Rays, where he would play only four games, finishing with a 1-2-1 record. That would lead him to hanging up the pads after the season was finished.

Mentioned in the opening that DelGuidice played in the RHI, which was a summertime roller hockey league. DelGuidice would play for three summers from 1994 until 1996, compiling a 11-16-4 record in 37 games split between the San Diego Barracudas, the New Jersey Rockin' Rollers (two stints), and the Ottawa Loggers.

While he has dipped out the spotlight, the experience and travel miles DelGuidice logged after being lost in the Boston Bruins system is something that makes him an interesting subject. From one league to another, ice to roller-- he definitely made the most of his career. Starting with a Division II team, then being good enough to move to Division I with a solid program; he had promise-- but like always-- a bump in the road ruins everything.

Revisiting the Ghost of Roller Hockey Leagues Past

Wrapped up in the excitement of the Draft, pre-free agency trades, and then the Free Agent Frenzy; the IIHF is pimping the hell out of the InLine Hockey World Championship in Sweden with the top eight teams in the Top Division and the other eight in the Division I part of the things. It seems like quite the ordeal for those who are hockey deprived. The interesting thing is that no one knew about this, including some that were unaware of USA Hockey even having an Inline National Team. I know my old home rink back in Maryland-- the Gardens-- has a league in many divisions, as they shutdown their main rink (for all intensive purposes) for the Inline league.

But it's easy to miss the allure of the inline hockey landscape. The fact that there lacks a bigger-than-house league for the inline hockey and little exposure for the sport. It did seem the hot topic for the early-to-mid 90s, because of the migration of hockey (and Wayne Gretzky, let's be honest) to the "Sunbelt" and the lack of ice that is there. Sure, people had street hockey by playing on feet, but never did you have the inline attachment to it all. Once it started to catch on at the grassroots level, then the bigger scale seemed to take note and it started to be seen to the masses.

It all started with former Stanley Cup winner Ralph Backstrom, WHA co-founder Dennis Murphy, and famous name having Larry King (not that one) forming Roller Hockey International in 1993. They were able to score a TV deal with ESPN2; which-- at the time-- was on the angle of "out there" sports and unconventional events; it displayed the league very well. The league started with 12 teams spanning from Anaheim to Toronto with stops in places like Calgary, Salt Lake City, and New Haven, Connecticut. It seemed like a decent success, with the 1994 season having double the amount of teams they did in 1993; moving into Atlanta, Montreal, Sacramento, and Las Vegas. However, the league blew it's load way too quick, going from 24 to 19 in 1995; then 18 in 1996. The big hit was taken when the league had 10 teams in 1997 spread all over North America, which definitely made the teams struggle financially-- so much so that the league took a year off in 1998, only to be recreated in 1999 with eight teams before the league finally ceased to be after it officially went under in 2001.

The RHI did have a number of former NHLers join the ranks of the inline league; which included former AGMs Petr Skudra and Daniel Berthiaume, as well as current NHLers Manny Legace and Glen Metropolit and legends Tiger Williams and Bryan Trottier. If nothing else, it gave an outlet to those fringe players, and many goalies, the change to play all year-round. The Anaheim Bullfrogs won two championships in the RHI and made it to four finals. It left use with great names as the New Jersey Rockin' Rollers, Calgary Rad'z, Vancouver Voodoo, and Edmonton Sled Dogs.

After the RHI falter, ESPN2 had another brain child to not only take the roller hockey idea, but add an even more extreme aspect to it and adding the beach, as well. That's how we got Pro Beach Hockey, which started in 1998. The concept was simple: six teams playing each other in a single rink in Hunington Beach, California. The extreme aspect was that behind the nets, there were these quarter-pipe-esque ramp, creating more speed for the players around it, more mayhem because of it, angled glass behind the net to maybe some set plays to ring it up and around the goal to the player in front of the net; and the kicker-- the 2-point line. What could go wrong??

Well, the fact there were only six teams was a start, but it did make it easy enough to follow. More fancy team names-- like the Dawg Pac, Web Warriors, and Salsa. They had motivating factors, like teams getting paid based on standings and the pretty girls on the beach in the outside atmosphere. While they had a lot of RHI players coming over, a sponsorship deal with Franklin Hockey, and a TV gig; PBH only lasted three seasons before ESPN cut off their sponsorship of the league, thus making it fade into the background, leaving us wanting more ramps.

Nowadays, the way to get the fix is Major League Roller Hockey, which was the real resurrection of RHI. The MLRH started in the 1998 season and has continued on, with only two stoppages in 1999 and 2008 due to some conflicts of teams. The league even went to a Super League with the North America teams, as well as teams in the United Kingdom and Czech Republic. It also has branched out to MLRH2 and MLRH AAA and AA, as well. Though it's located mainly on the Eastern seaboard, the appeal is there for players who want to get into another level with the game. Even better team names with this one: Tampa Bay Rollin' Thunder, Chicago RollerSnakes, DC Mad Dawgs, Ohio Wheelz, and Charlotte Outlawz.

Alongside MLRH, the largest inline tournament in the world, NARCh (North American Roller Hockey Championship), which started for amateur teams in 1994 and continues to this day; the most teams being in 2008 with 435 teams in North America. Another big tournament, which a little more pride to it is State Wars, which takes players from each state and they play to see who's the best of the 50 states from around the US. There are different age levels and a provides another side motivator in the competition.

While it may not be a big deal anymore, there was a time where inline hockey shined. Thanks to the West Coast and "Sunbelt" swing of the NHL teams, including the NHL sponsored NHL Street, and the Mighty Ducks skating through random malls and vacated basketball courts; roller hockey was just getting started before it all came crashing down. With Sweden winning the last three IIHF Inline titles, you can tell who is taking note of the possible next uprising of roller hockey. Here's hoping the US or Canada (who took a decade hiatus from the IIHF tourney) will find a new crop of inline players to get North America back to competitiveness.