Major memories of the minor league

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What a treat for us at HNIC to have an American Hockey League game on the network this Sunday at 1 p.m. (ET) from Toronto's Ricoh Coliseum between the Toronto Marlies (NHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) and the Abbotsford Heat (NHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames).

Why am I so excited, you might ask?

Well, I played two entire seasons in the minors and I have the fondest memories of my time with the Indianapolis Checkers of the Central Hockey League.

Led by our insightful coach Fred Creighton, we enjoyed two championship seasons under his guidance because he taught us about commitment and the focus needed to be successful in an environment with a lot less pressure than a young player feels in the NHL.

A favourite memory I have of Fred is during my first year, my roommate Monty Trottier and I would have video sessions at Fred's house on most Monday nights - the video, of course, would be from the weekend games. After many of these sessions, Fred and his lovely wife Elaine - whom I adore - would take Monty and I out for pizza and we would talk for hours it seemed, about hockey and life.

Not many coaches can ever say they have taken such a genuine interest in a young player's life and I have to say I've had a real special bond with Fred and Elaine ever since.

As teammates, it's awfully rewarding to see and hear of so many of the guys I've played with in Indy going onto successful careers in many different fields, including hockey.

An impressive list of notable people still involved in the hockey world includes Darcy Regier and Scott Howson as general managers, Dave Cameron, Gord Dineen, Greg Gilbert, Lorne Molleken and John Marks in coaching plus Kevin Devine in scouting.

I tell people all the time, even though we grow up dreaming of playing in the NHL, there is no shame in playing in the minors.

For many of us, without that experience, we never would have had careers in the show.

I'm sure I will be reliving many great memories while bragging on-air about these future stars of our game on Sunday.

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