By Tim Schmitt
LEWISTON — The names are familiar to hockey fans, more than gibberish on the back of a jersey. Yes, before you ask, No. 10 Mironov for Niagara is indeed the son of a National Hockey League player. His uncle played too.
And over there, No. 27, that’s the son of Dave Hannan, the guy responsible for ending the longest overtime hockey game in the history of the Buffalo Sabres.
So although it’s college hockey that’ll be played today as the final College Hockey America Tournament gets going with semifinal matchups at 3 and 7 p.m. at Dwyer Arena, the league has plenty of ties to the world’s best hockey circuit.
Freshman Jeff Hannan has three goals and four points in his last four games and his father Dave — who played 16 seasons in the NHL and won Stanley Cups with Edmonton and Colorado — typically watches home games from the suite at the west end of Dwyer Arena. Dmitri Mironov, who played 10 seasons in the NHL and won a Cup with the Detroit Red Wings, stands in the corner underneath the suite watching his son Egor, who is currently a senior with a booming shot.
Niagara coach Dave Burkholder said the fact that a pair of former NHL players would choose Niagara for their sons is a positive reflection on the state of the program.
“It means a lot. I know the Hannans did a lot of research and they talked to a lot of people in the game. I know they had contacts in Buffalo,” Burkholder said. “Parents are trusting the university and the coaching staff to make them better not just in hockey, but academically and socially. So when we get the stamp of professionals who’ve had great careers, it really means something.”
Having former professionals in and around the program gives Burkholder a sounding board, too.
“I talk to Dmitri after every game,” said Burkholder, who worked with current NHL players Ethan Moreau and Jay McKee as an assistant coach with the Niagara Falls Thunder of the Ontario Hockey League. “He finds me in the hallway and we chat about what happened.”
Niagara had another player with professional ties in Jordan Meloff, who played from 2000-04. Meloff’s father, Chris, was a draft choice of the Minnesota North Stars in 1972, but never reached higher than the AHL.
And the Purple Eagles have had a number of players sign deals with pro teams including Matt Ryan — who played 12 games with L.A. Kings. Others who’ve inked pro deals include current assistant coach Greg Gardner, who was a goalie in the Columbus system; Sean Bentivoglio with the Islanders; Kyle Rogers with Toronto; Les Reaney with Edmonton; and Matt Caruana with Anaheim.
As for the CHA’s other teams, Bemidji State has had six players see time in the NHL, including long time Calgary Flames star Joel Otto, and current Beaver Chris Peluso is the nephew of former New Jersey Devil Mike Peluso. Also, Jared Ross and Scott Munroe of Alabama-Huntsville have both spent time with the Philadelphia Flyers.
And in terms of Hall of Fame lineage, UAH’s Sebastien Geoffrion is the grandson of Montreal Canadien great Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion, the man some consider the innovator of the slapshot. Sebastien’s father, Dan, also played three seasons in the NHL, including one in Montreal, where Boom Boom was the coach.
Also for UAH, head coach Danton Cole played parts of seven seasons in the NHL, including a short stint with the New Jersey Devils in which he won a Stanley Cup.
While Cole says his time in the NHL isn’t the definitive card in wooing recruits to Huntsville, it helps him start the process.
“It certainly something that gets you into the door. I was far from being famous, but it gets you into the conversation sometimes,” Cole said. “All the guys, that’s their goal. Everybody wants to play in the NHL. It is good, but once you get past that, you have to be able to offer the right things academically.”
Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.
