MY COLUMN - MIKE MCMURRAN
A little over a year ago, one of the regular readers of this column hinted that it was somewhat of a surprise that the RiverCity Rage allowed reporters from this fine weekly to cover their events, let alone advertise in The First Capitol News. The reader came to this conclusion as a result of the previous owner of the Rage and his political philosophy – not to mention his openly biased opinion and hatred this paper.
“Nope,” I said then and repeat now, “the new owners of the RiverCity Rage are some straight up, men of their word, down to earth guys.” Not only did they advertise in our sports page, they did so without a contract. Just a shake of the hand from Scott Wilson and we were in business. Now I suspect some of you with business savvy would scoff at such business dealings, but I admire it. One of the lessons I most wish to teach my children is “a person is only as good as their word.” Scott Wilson is a man of his word.
Another person in the Rage organization that impresses me is Mike Thompson, director of media relations. Many of you are familiar with Mike from his work as a d.j. on KLOU; he is the guy with the golden voice, born to be an FM d.j.
Stay with me now, this isn’t just a story brown nosing the Rage, but rather a story on their big heartedness. Last year the Rage played their home games at Family Arena in beautiful St. Charles. You may remember there was a scheduling conflict and they were forced to play their playoff game at Savvis Center. If you really have a good memory and are a regular reader of this column you will recall that I said it seemed much more like a courtship than a courtesy that Savvis was available – low and behold I nailed that one, but I digress.
Someone from the Rage asked me what I thought of the move, to which I replied something along the lines of it makes good business sense. By playing in downtown St. Louis the likelihood of attracting folks from Illinois would certainly triple. “But,” I told them, “I know one person who will be heart broken.” It seems that Andrew Tollefson of St. Charles might just be one of the biggest Rage fans there is. I know this because I would see he and his dad, Kevin Tollefson at most every home game last season. Kevin informed me as soon as the Rage schedule came out that he and Andrew would not be able to make it downtown for the Friday night games. “So our entire Rage season will be the season opener on Sunday,” Kevin told me.
I shared this story with Scott and Mike and their reply was, “Then let’s make it a game Andrew won’t forget.” All they did was insure Andrew, his dad, his brother Peter and sister Sophie has V.I.P. seats for Sunday’s contest. This meant that Family Tollefson were basically the guests of the Rage for the afternoon. All drinks and food were included, and we are not just talking pretzels and nuts here. This also meant Kevin was afforded the opportunity to enjoy all the adult beverages which he cared to enjoy – of course he declined and stuck to soft drinks. Just when it looked like it couldn’t get any better – it did!
Just after half time Scott Wilson and Rage defensive lineman Michael Kortkamp (Howell North and Lindenwood alum) presented Andrew with an official NIFL football, signed by all the players. Fortunately the moment was saved by my partner Bob Barton. Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to see happiness, look at the accompanying picture of Andrew and his dad, and look at how Andrew is focusing on his new possession. I’m telling ‘ya, Barton’s eyes were swelling from it all.
So, if a person is only as good as their word, Scott Wilson, Mike Thompson, and the rest of the Rage front office and staff, from my perspective, and certainly from the perspective of a little boy named Andrew – their word is a good as gold.
United Hockey League
Colin Chaulk: Now A UHL Veteran
Career Blossomed in Missouri A Few Seasons Ago
By Louis J. Launer
If there are fans who have followed the Missouri River Otters since their beginnings in 1999, they do remember Colin Chaulk. Chaulk was one of the first River Otter players ever to wear the green and navy blue. He played in Missouri’s inaugural season and provided emotion and youth to a successful team coached back then by Mark Reeds.
At the same time, the River Otters were affiliated with the International Hockey League’s Kansas City Blades, which really was not fielding good teams from 1999 through 2001. There were many games where Chaulk, who was a scoring leader for the River Otters would be called to Kansas City for a weekend and literally sit on the bench and not see ice time. At the same time, Missouri would slump and not win games because of his absence.
“Missouri always had great fans when I played there,” he said. “They are loyal to their players if they play well. They still have some great fans.”
Chaulk played 50 games for the River Otters in the 1999-2000 season, scoring 19 goals and 47 assists. He was unable to see playoff time due to injury that season. But in the next season, he split his time evenly between Missouri and Kansas City. Out of 39 games for the River Otters, he scored 14 goals and 39 assists. In the same year when he got called to Kansas City, he played 37 games for the Blades, but only scored 5 goals and 13 assists. Colin admitted that he preferred Missouri that season.
“There was a time when we had to play the [Quad City] Mallards at Family Arena,” he said. “When I got reassigned to Missouri, I had only an hour to get ready for the game. But I was happy to be there. I think the fans were happy to see me, too.”
Chaulk’s best season in the Show-Me State was the 2000-01 season, although he split his time between the IHL and UHL, he did help Missouri to the playoffs and was a leading participant for the River Otters. In his first UHL playoff season, he played four games, scored 4 goals and 2 assists. Ironically, the opponent that the River Otters lost to that year, were the Fort Wayne Komets.
The 2001-02 season was a season of soul searching for Chaulk. At first, he signed with the Wheeling Nailers in the ECHL, believing that he could get more ice time and he could become more of an experienced center. Somehow, he did not fit in the Nailer’s overall plans and Chaulk headed west to Colorado Springs, where he played 55 games for the Colorado Gold Kings. His 19 goal, 46 assist season impressed some with the Grand Rapids Griffins, a key AHL team one level below the NHL. The Griffins called him up from Colorado. Despite playing 13 games and scoring 3 goals and 1 assist, his ability to get Grand Rapids to the playoffs as a team player was what he needed. He only played two games. But it gave him the confidence to find a team and a league where he could play.
He returned to the United Hockey League. The Missouri River Otters did not want him.
In 2002-03, the Fort Wayne Komets were trying to get themselves more of an edge, since they were playing against tough teams such as Quad City, Muskegon, Elmira, Flint and Adirondack. At the same time, Kalamazoo and Rockford were rebuilding and fans there were hungry for a championship. The Komets signed Chaulk and became the team’s leader on the ice. Playing 70 games in 2002-03 for the Komets, Chaulk scored 23 goals and 59 assists. In the same year, he played all 11 playoff games for the Fort Wayne Komets, scored four goals and 12 assists, but set up a number of scoring opportunities for the Komets in their championship run, giving the team it’s first Colonial Cup and the team’s first championship since 1993, when they were members of the International Hockey League. Chaulk was named the finals’ most valuable player.
Chaulk has played consistently for the Komets in the last four seasons. Last season, the Komets lost to the Muskegon Fury in four straight games. This season, he is enroute to his best season as a pro as he has so far scored 24 goals (surpassing his career-high 23 in 2002-03 and 2003-04) and recorded 48 assists. He is the Komets’ top center and if it works in the Komets’ favor, he could be a key player in this year’s Colonial Cup playoffs.
There will be a number of River Otter fans who will remember Colin Chaulk and the games he played for the River Otters. Some fans think Chaulk is one of those who got away from Missouri. A few fans who appreciate minor league hockey know that Chaulk worked his way to being a successful UHL hockey player and Missouri was just a stopping off point in his career.
CHAULK’S PRESENCE FELT THIS WEEKEND: Colin Chaulk did make his presence known for the Komets when they visited the River Otters last weekend at Family Arena. He scored the game’s first goal at 5:54 of the first period. J.P. Beilsten tied the game. But it was Chaulk’s role as captain and the one setting up the plays that had the Komets in a tough game against the River Otters. The game went to a shootout with Kevin Miller and Alan Luciuk scoring for the Komets in a 2-1 shootout victory. On Sunday, the River Otters traveled to Fort Wayne, where Chaulk only received one assist on a goal and the Komets still won, 3-2 in another shootout.
OTTERS “TRASHED” BY DANBURY: In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, the Danbury (CT) Trashers dominated the Saturday night game at Family Arena. The Trashers are known for their rough play and it showed. The Trashers had a 4-0 lead going into late in the second period when Jim Duhart finally scored for the Otters at 17:39 in the second period. Scott Dobben scored late in the third for the Otters, but Danbury took the victory, 4-2. Danbury most likely will be the top seed in the Eastern Division when the playoffs take place in late April.
RAGE
By Mike Thompson
To fans of the RiverCity Rage, he’s big number 38...to his teammates, Rage Linebacker Terrell Washington is known as “T-Rex” because, as defensive back Brandon Gregory likes to say, “he’ll swoope down on you in a hurry, get the bite, and leave nothing behind.” Ask any hurried quarterback in the National Indoor Football League who’s been chased down in the pocket and seen that number 38 on Washington’s Rage jersey loom larger and larger, bigger, bigger, until the full force of “T-Rex” has slammed him to the turf with an earth shaking vengeance. The University of Illinois must be the Jurassic Park of college football, because it was during his three-year stint as a starting defensive end at the Big 10 School that Washington says he took on the tough persona of prehistoric mayhem.
“We had good teams all three years I played at Champaign. We went to the Micron PC Bowl my first year and topped it off with a trip to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans my final season. Even though we lost that game to LSU, I was satisfied that I had taken on a menacing approach to the game. I played every down like it was my last one in football, and I guess I made enough of an impression to warrant some consideration after college. Since I was a youngster playing in the neighborhood Herbert Hoover Boy’s Club program, I had always wanted to make something happen for myself in football.”
Hey, let’s back up from “T-Rex” just for a second, let’s retreat and retrace a few years. Terrell Washington was a starting tight end on the 1996 Class 5A State Championship team at Hazelwood Central, and credits his defensive line coach with motivating him to succeed on the field, in the classroom and looking ahead to success in college. “Coach Benhart was the type of man you just wanted to work hard for, and all the players just went out and played hard for him. He gave off a lot of positive influence and was more like a big brother to the guys than a teacher and coach. He’s a big reason I am the player I am today.”
Motivation in many ways was a big factor in Washington’s life after high school as his first step up in football and study was not a major college program, at least not right away.” Due to a number of factors, I found myself at Hutchinson Junior College in Kansas, and red-shirted my freshman year to boot.” Reaching back for the strong, positive influence of his parents, whom he credits with “arming me with the strength needed to see through some hard times,” Washington’s work ethic on the football field was so outstanding that the Hutchenson JC coaches tried unsuccessfully to take him off the red-shirt list late in the season. “It was too late in the year to really do anything with me that first season, but after it was over, the football program honored me in a way I could never have imagined.” Instigated was the annual Terrell Washington Award, given at the end of each season to the outstanding red-shirt performer who outperforms the starters in practice. To this day, Washington says, “it’s an award I’m really proud to have my name linked to, simply because it represents work and effort.”
Terrell’s sophomore season was a pole-vault to success. Making All-Conference, leading the team in tackles and sacks, he was recruited by top schools like Michigan State and Miami, but was intrigued by the Illinois program and “wanted to display my talents locally, a bit closer to home and the fact that my parents could make the trip to see me play at Illinois was a big factor in making a decision.”
Signed as a free agent by the Houston Texans of the NFL after graduation, Washington played through the 2002 training camp, saw action in the pre-season contests, before being caught up in the infamous NFL ‘numbers crunch’ and was waived. Brought back late in the season (December 2002) Terrell finished the last two games of the season on the Houston roster, before being allocated to NFL Europe to play for the Amsterdam Admirals. An enjoyable time, to be sure, for the young Washington, who finished third on the team in tackles and register five sacks. “I had a great time in Europe. I was able to play football, enjoy the culture, travel, and do all sorts of things I never dreamed I’d get to do, or see for that matter. We finished the season 6-4 and I spent a great deal of time at defensive end, learning a new position.” But the harsh roadblock of NFL-type reality was waiting ahead. Caught up again in the numbers game, Washington says the Texan’s “drafted a guy at my position in the third round and it was a monetary decision, a front office decision and ultimately, worked it’s way down to a coaching decision. It was tough to accept, but I simply went forward and began looking for a new place to play football and stay in the game.”
Welcome to the RiverCity Rage of the NIFL.....The team’s top tackler in 2005....an NIFL leader in forced fumbles and fumbles recovered...a team leader on defense...a player who calls Rage Head Football Coach Mike Wyatt “a great coach to play for, one who can really relate to players, especially in this league. Coach knows we have regular jobs to accentuate football and he finds the ways to get the fit that allows you to keep the game in your life, be it practice schedules, game travel, whatever. He makes it work.”
Pressure on the quarterback, pressure on the quarterback.....”I run on the treadmill and that’s all I think about...getting to the QB and forcing the fumble, getting the sack, stepping up to make the big play for the Rage. I like to be on the field pretending I’m that bull and every opposing player is wearing bright red.”
Comfortable with where he is in football today, Washington lives with his wife Katriena, his daughter Taija and his son Terrell, Junior. And like all RiverCity Rage players, coaches and fans, looks ahead to March 26th when some unfinished business draws some attention at Savvis Center. The Rage will take on the Cincinnati Marshals, the team that wiped out any hope of a Rage NIFL title last year with an opening round loss in the 2005 playoffs. After this weekend’s game in Houston, it’s the 2006 Home Opener, and Washington couldn’t be more ready. “They took it away last year, we owe them. They played a great game and we fell a little short, but I’ve lived with that loss since last July, we all have. I’m ready for payback, and I’ve got an extra incentive to play well. March 26th is my Mother’s birthday, and she and many of my family will be in the stands. I’m excited...I’m up for this one.”
Sounds like he’s ready to swoope down...bite ‘em...and leave nothing behind!!
