The Gems were still back in the dressing room, their Central Hockey League opener delayed because the bus transporting the visiting Evansville IceMen broke down about 75 minutes out of town.
It wasn’t how Gems management saw the night going.
“There has been so much anticipation waiting for the puck to drop,” said president Joe Greene.
“But I’m proud of the people here. A number of them could have left. To me, it says a lot about our fan base and the potential.”
The game, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., finally got under way at 9:45 p.m.
“Did we envision that this is how our season would start?” Greene said. “Absolutely not. But do I see it as a negative? Not at all.”
The lizard king
Hockey’s toughest players are typically some of the most eccentric guys in a dressing room. Think about it, if you’re willing to throw punches to earn a living, you must be a little out there, right?
Matt McCue is no exception.
The towering, 22-year-old Gems defenseman has an affinity for the coldblooded – as in reptiles. McCue is the proud owner of seven lizards, all kept at his family home back in Cochrane, Alberta.
As a kid, he would catch snakes and frogs at his local pond but nothing slimy was allowed to enter the house.
“My mom would never let me have any,” McCue said about why he started his collection of assorted geckos and his prized green plumed basilisk, known as the Jesus Christ lizard because it walks on water.
The Gems know they have a character both on and off the ice in McCue, who is currently under contract with the New York Rangers.
When Dayton head coach and GM Brian Gratz heard that the Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack were looking to find a place for McCue and fellow Gem Tysen Dowzak to play, he made some calls to land the two 6-foot-5 defensemen.
“He’s a great kid,” said Gratz. “He keeps things light.
“Matt’s here to work and improve himself – and he’s doing that.”
McCue is currently on the 10-day injured reserve list after getting hurt in practice. He’s expected to miss the next two weekends but he can’t wait to play after a long off-season. McCue split time last season with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors and the Manitoba Moose, AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.
He recognized some faces in Manitoba. When McCue was a member of the Anaheim Ducks back in 2009, he made his NHL debut against the Canucks in an exhibition game and dropped the gloves with Alexandre Bolduc and Nathan McIver, both eventual teammates.
“(Vancouver’s star goaltender) Roberto Luongo was the first star and I was the second,” McCue said with a smile, nodding yes when asked if he won the fights.
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