WORCESTER—The IceCats were the city’s first truly professional hockey team.
They arrived on the scene in 1994, exactly 40 years after the Worcester Warriors played as an amateur team in the professional Eastern Hockey League.
The IceCats brought the American Hockey League here. The AHL was a one-step-away league with more than half of its players headed for the NHL, or with previous NHL experience.
They were in town for 11 seasons totaling 940 games including playoffs. They used 276 different players and attracted 2,634,337 fans to games in what was named the Centrum when they debuted.
The IceCats, (yes, this includes Scratch!), are being remembered this weekend as the Railers play the Florida Everblades. Here is one opinion of what an all-time IceCats All-Star team would look like.
First team:
Goaltender: Dwayne Roloson; 2000-01.
It is hard to put a one-season player on any All-Time team but Roloson’s 2000-01 performance was so good he breaks that rule. He was 32-15-5, the AHL’s best goaltender, with a superb .929 goals-against average. After that one season in Worcester Roloson went on to play 10 more in the National Hockey League.
Defense: Terry Virtue; 1994-2004
An original IceCat, he remains the city’s Mr. Hockey with the Railers’ Anthony Repaci in pursuit. Virtue was tough, productive, inspirational and a fan favorite. In six seasons here he played 455 of a possible 480 games and along the way scored the first game-winning goal in team history.
Defense: Rory Fitzpatrick; 1996-2000
He was a key member of the city’s initial first place team, the 1996-97 squad and was a dynamic presence on defense for parts of four seasons. Fitzpatrick wound up playing 15 pro seasons overall including 287 games in the NHL.
Forward: Eric Boguniecki; 2000-2005
He is the only Worcester pro player to win an MVP Award in any season. That came in 2001-02 when he was 38-46-84 and plus-22 in 63 games. Boguniecki led the IceCats in points and PIM (181) in the same season, hard to do. For his Worcester career Boguniecki was 69-86-155 in 141 games.
Forward: Marty Reasoner; 1998-2001
Another rare IceCats forward with more points (125) than games played (122), Reasoner spent his Worcester career on the St. Louis shuttle, but was a game-changing player in the American Hockey League. He is, to date, the only Worcester player to record a hat trick that included a penalty shot goal.
Forward: Stephane Roy; 1995-1999
Sometimes being unspectacular is a drawback when getting awards and Roy was unspectacular. He was also dependable with some toughness for a smaller player. Roy was a classic 200-foot forward, great penalty killer and solid in the playoffs. He was also the first Worcester player to score a two-man down goal.
Second team:
Goaltender: Brent Johnson; 1997-2004
It seemed like Johnson played here forever, but it was three full seasons and parts of two others. He made his pro debut here, so IceCats fans watched him grow into an NHL career that lasted 309 games.
Defense: Darren Rumble; 1999-2002
He played parts of three seasons here as one of the best minor league defensemen of his time. Rumble was a playmaking defensemen who was plus-23 for his Worcester career and later sent the city the Railers current assistant coach, Chris Rumble.
Defense: Jason Widmer; 1994-2000
As a raw rookie, he was one of the best players on the early IceCats. Widmer was the first Worcester player to graduate to the National Hockey League when he joined the Islanders. He was a great skater and tough, whose career was shortened by injury.
Forward: Marc Brown; 1999-2004
Until passed by Repaci last season, Brown was the all-time leading goal scorer in Worcester hockey history. Steady and unspectacular, he netted 30 goals in 2001-02.
Forward: Justin Papineau; 2001-2003
He and Boguniecki are tied for the franchise record for most goals in a season with 38. They both did it in 2001-02. Papineau has the third most goals in team history (66) and sixth most points (143).
Forward: Michael Handzus; 1997-98
Another rare choice who played only one season in Worcester, but what a great season with 63 points in 67 games. Plus, Handzus was one of the best defensive players in the league. He had a four-goal game; only John Carter and the Railers’ Ashton Calder have done better. Handzus skated in 1,009 NHL games.
Third team:
Goaltender: Curtis Sanford; 2000-2005
He still holds the city record for most career shutouts with 10. Sanford and Johnson are almost statistical twins but Johnson a litte more entertaining in net.
Defense: Bryce Salvador; 1997-2004;
He also grew up as a pro in Worcester where he played 181 games and rarely made a mistake. That wound up earning him 786 games in the National Hockey League.
Defense: tie; Matt Walker; 2000-2005; Barret Jackman; 2001-02
Walker was a very similar player to Salvador but a more frequent guest in the penalty box because he fought a lot, and well. That included 164 PIM in 49 games in 2001-02.
Jackman was a one-year wonder. A pro rookie, in 75 games he had 14 points and 266 PIM. He then played 876 games in the NHL and is in the St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame.
Forward: Blake Evans; 2001-2005
No team needs nine forwards like Evans but every team needs at least one like him. Defensively strong, an offensive opportunist, Evans hardly ever missed a shift or a game. He holds the city ironman streak with 140 consecutive games played.
Forward: Jame Pollock; 1999-2004
He is a hybrid, having played extensively both on defense and at wing during very productive IceCats career. Pollock scored 63 career goals for Worcester including a 23-43-66 season in 2001-02. Owner of a great slap shot, he is the last Worcester player to score from outside the blue line because the goalie could not move fast enough.
Forward: Jeff Panzer; 2000-2004
A small but quick playmaker, he had back to back 20-goal years in 2002 and 2003. Probably best known for scoring the winning goal in overtime on March 30, 2003 when Worcester came back from 6-1 deficit to beat Manchester, 7-6.
The honorable mention list would be a long one and there is plenty of room for debate in the all-time rankings. There is no room for debate, though, about how important the IceCats are in the city’s hockey history.
The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, Jan. 9 and 10, for IceCats weekend at the DCU Center, where the IceCats take on the Florida Everblades both nights.
Bill Ballou covered the Red Sox for the Worcester Telegram from 1997 through 2018. He has covered pro hockey in Worcester since 1994 and currently does a weekly column for the Worcester Red Sox. Ballou can be reached at vetgoalie@aol.com
