You can keep your UConn coaches and chefs or whatever (well, most of them) — when I looked over the list of celebrities and amateurs playing in the celebrity pro-am Wednesday, the only name that jumped was Farmington’s Nick Bonino’s. Caught up with him for a couple of minutes. Said he hit ’em pretty well in a foursome with Bryce Molder.
Thanks @TravelersChamp for having me today, what a blast! Can't get much more nervous then I was on the first tee #pulleditright #bogeysave
— Nick Bonino (@NickBonino) June 19, 2014
His Anaheim Ducks had a pretty successful year all in all. “It was a fun year, individually and team-wise,” Bonino said. “Obviously we wanted to go a little further, but it is what it is.” He’d played the full year last season, but obviously that was lockout-shortened. This then was his first “full”-full year in the Show. He said he kept gaining confidence — “it always comes down to confidence,” he said.
I had to be the goof and ask: Compare and contrast, scoring a series-ending overtime goal in the NHL versus scoring a state-championship-winning overtime goal in high school in 2005. “It’s a bigger stage,” he said, “but it means the same to the teammates you’re with. It always means something to win a championship or a series. They’re both goals I’ll remember forever.”
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Among those invited to the national junior evaluation camp by USA Hockey: Greenwich’s (and Yale’s) John Hayden, North Branford’s Adam Erne and Quinnipiac’s Connor Clifton.
The Flyers have let John Paddock go.
The Cumberland County Civic Center is now Cross Insurance Arena. Please make a note of it. And remind me.
Justin Bourne points out that executives from the Arizona Sundogs, Kevin Colley’s team in the Central League, have one heck of a publicity stunt to sell season tickets. It’s not camping out on the roof of the Coliseum. It’s more the opposite.
And the Calder Cup playoffs resume… next April. Ah crud.