WORCESTER—It sometimes takes a while, but the hockey world eventually creates a nice, neat, full circle.
That is the case this week for the Worcester Railers as they celebrate the hiring of Mathieu Darche as the general manager of the New York Islanders, their NHL parent.
Darche, 48, replaces Lou Lamoriello, 82.
The Railers are so excited about the move that Chief Operating Officer Mike Myers, GM-coach Nick Tuzzolino and player and Team Relations Director Tim Foley made the long drive to UBS Arena on Thursday for the press conference formally introducing Darche.
Darche was one of the best players in Worcester hockey history. He was 35-45-80 for the AHL Sharks in 2006-07, their initial season here. One of those goals was the first in team history. It led to a 4-3 Sharks’ shootout victory in Portland.
The Railers’ connection to the New York Islanders goes through the AHL Bridgeport Islanders. In his role as the new GM on Long Island, though, Darche will have complete control of the hockey side of that organization. His decisions will have an impact on what happens at the ECHL level.
Worcester is optimistic that Darche’s experience in the city will lead to a more productive relationship.
“I’m super excited,” Tuzzolino said of the move. “I think it’s going to turn out to be a great thing for our organization.”
The press conference came several days after Darche was hired and he made news right away. Of special interest to the Railers was the fact that one of his first orders of business was to fire the entire Bridgeport coaching staff including assistant Pascal Rheaume, a former IceCats forward.
Darche did not address the status of Chris Lamoriello, the assistant GM in charge of Bridgeport.
“That is still being evaluated,” Darche said when asked about the assistants. “There are a lot of good people here, but right now my focus is on the coaches. The whole structure of how we work with development in the AHL will be immense.”
As the new Islanders GM looks to staff the organization, a name that comes to mind immediately is Riley Armstrong, his former Sharks teammate. Armstrong has put together a strong resume since retiring as an active player. It includes coaching in the ECHL and work in player development with the Flyers organization.
Armstrong was also one of the most popular Sharks players ever. There is no doubt he would enjoy re-connecting with Worcester in some manner.
To date, the Worcester-Bridgeport affiliation has produced average results. The Railers have been competitive but have not made the playoffs since their first season. That last four years have ended with Worcester missing the post-season on the final day of the regular schedule.
Darche spent several years in the minors but never played in the ECHL. Thursday, he sounded like Worcester would be an important part of the Islanders’ talent pipeline.
“For sure,” he said. “It’s all part of our organization and you need players everywhere. You see it all around the league. There are some (NHL) guys who come out of the East Coast Hockey League. Yanni Gorde started in the ECHL and played some games there….so why not? There are 32 teams now and who knows if there are going to me more in the coming years so you need to find your players.”
Darche might make the trip up from Long Island to Worcester at some point in the upcoming season.
“I try to get to at least one (affiliate) game a year,” he said. “We’ll be in touch with those guys and it’s important because you lose a lot of players to injuries in the AHL, and those guys get called up, so you need your East Coast Hockey League affiliate to help you in that matter also.”
Darche was a business major at McGill in his native Montreal and worked in private business after his NHL career with the Canadiens ended. He was then hired to work in the Tampa Bay front office in 2019. In recent seasons, Darche has been a candidate for several NHL general manager jobs.
Rather than naming a GM with prior National Hockey League experience, the Islanders went with a first-timer.
Darche’s linemate in the early part of the 2006-07 season was Joe Pavelski, a potential Hockey Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible. In the time the two played together, a span of 16 games before Pavelski went up to San Jose, Darche was 18-8-26.
Myers was with the Sharks organization the year Darche played in Worcester. He is also optimistic about the hiring considering what a good experience Darche had during his season in the city.
“I always believed he was destined for management,” Myers said. “I was always impressed talking with him about the game. He was analytical. He always had that maturity, a philosophic view of the game. He was obviously a leader, on and off the ice.
“My first impression was how great he was with Pavelski. When he came here, nobody knew how good he would become. He had promise, but people were talking about other guys. The thing that struck me is how Darche took him under his wing, helped bring him along.”
Darche is the first Sharks alum to reach the upper level of a National Hockey League front office. The IceCats have produced three players who became NHL general managers. Two were short-time Worcester players. Marc Bergevin was the Canadiens general manager. Craig Conroy is the Flames GM. Steve Staios, who spent most the 1995-95 season here, is the general manager of the Ottawa Senators.
There are more ex-Sharks in the NHL pipeline, too. Former team captain Jay Leach is being considered for the Boston Bruins’ head coaching job. For the moment, though, the Railers are not looking 40 miles east.
The Islanders are about 150 miles south.
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
