Kevin Oklobzija
When Scott Metcalfe played youth hockey, he never focused on being the goal scorer for the Charming Boy.
So are good things. That would really annoy his parents June and Bryan Metcalfe. They didn’t raise some Waltzing Matilda.
“This is what my mom used to call me,” Metcalfe said when she entered Twilight in the American Hockey League career in 1996. “She would tell other parents, ‘I’d rather have my son sit in a penalty box for two minutes than play like a kid.” Transparent
Over the years, the fine box sometimes lasted five minutes as he moved to Major Major and then professional hockey. OK, maybe often It lasted for five minutes.
But at least he is not a Waltzing Matilda. Not through junior hockey, nor in a 14-year career, but in the glory days of spending with Rochester Americans in the late 1980s and mid-1990s. Whenever he tied his skates, Metcalf showed resilience, perseverance and passion.
His style and loyalty to the Amerks logo make him love his fans. In turn, he began to fall in love with the city and Rochester became his home. He and his wife Jane raised three children, sons Tanner and Keegan and daughter Quinn.
But today, the Amicks family is mourning. Metcalfe, a member of the 1996 Calder Cup champion team and a 2006 inductee in the Amerks Hall of Fame, suddenly surrounded by his family at Strong Memorial Hospital on Friday morning. He is 58 years old.
“It’s a very sad day for the organization,” said Amerks legend Jody Gage. “Scott’s personality over his life has resonated with Amerks fans in Rochester. He proudly wears red, white and blue every night, is the ultimate competitor and the ultimate competitor and always puts his teammates and the organization first.”
That’s exactly how he piled up a 1,424-minute franchise record in 499 games.
“He is very proud to be the Amic and Rochester,” said Dane Jackson, captain of the 1996 Calder Cup. “As a newbie, in Rochester in 1995, I always respect how much Frawls (Dan Frawley) and Gager care about the program.”
They care because it is their city, their team, their lives. Metcalfe was born and raised in Metro Toronto, but Rochester became his home.
“This is his NHL,” said Scott Nichol, a Hall of Fame member of Metcalfe’s racers in the 1996 Cup. “He goes all out. He belongs entirely to the community.
“He scored goals, he fought; he was an entertainer. He taught me a young man, and it didn’t matter at the time, you took it.
Although Metcalfe always plays with Snarl, he also has a lot of tricks. He is still ranked seventh in franchise history, assists (212) and 11th place.Th in the target (137). He won’t win any hiking races, but he did everything he could to help his team win.
That’s why he’s so popular with fans.
“I don’t understand why my dad was so upset when Mickey Mantle was in the past – I got it now.”
Indeed, Metcalf’s influence goes far beyond statistics and far beyond the skating rink. Metter loves to laugh and have fun.
“On Monday night, one Tuesday night, everyone in the town knew Mitster,” Nicole said. “He was the mayor.”
And he also knows how to read the room. In the locker room, he privately summoned his teammates, who were deviating from the task at hand. He provides encouragement when they need to improve. He put his neck in the group and was in a closed-door chat with the coach.
“That’s a leader; the leader doesn’t put himself in front of everyone else,” his circle captain and roommate Rob Ray said in the 1988-89 season. “He is the final teammate.”
Metcalfe was named the most popular player of the Amerks by the Exec Club. He was awarded the McCulloch Trophy for community service three times. In 1996, he was selected to represent the Amerks in the AHL All-Star Classic.
“Scott Metcalfe molds have definitely been used once,” Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens announced the death of Metcalfe in a team’s press release. “Unsure I remember most is Metter: his joking or serious side; his strong hockey player side or very smart, reading side; he loves entertainment, friendly side or his personal side.”
The 1988-89 lineup with Metcalfe, Ray and Kevin Kerr is still deeply remembered by Amerks fans. And it may not be that defensive players of that era are so kind, they are knocked onto the finishing board time and time again.
One of the most memorable American station lines ever? “Maybe the most interesting,” Ray said. “He taught me a lot. When I was a kid, I didn’t know anything. He would drag me off the couch to exercise, he would drag me off the couch to do other things. We did everything together.”
Even after Ray moved to the Buffalo Sabers and worked in his 15-year NHL career, Metcalfe was in his corner.
“He would watch the game on TV and call me and say, ‘maybe try it’ or ‘this might work’,” I learned more from him than anyone else.
“He works harder to help everyone outside of himself.”
Metcalfe joined Amerks in February 1988 through a trade between the Saber and the Edmonton Oilers. He was the mid-season for the next three and a half seasons, helping Rochester reach the Calder Cup finals in 1990 and 1991.
Before rejoining the Amerks in 1993-94, he played in Germany for the next two seasons, and he was part of the 1996 winning team, playing against Frawley and Nichol.
“They are by far our best defensive line,” Jackson said. “They’ll break the puck into it, like lingering the dogs on pre-censorship. They’re ruthless.”
Opponents don’t like to play against them.
“Metter was asked to check the top line of another team, and that type of player didn’t want to fight him,” Nicole said. “They don’t want to go into the corner with microns or capes because they know they’ll come out with bruised wrists or painful ankles.
“He loves the game, he loves his teammates,” Nicole said. “He is one of them.”
