AHL Hershey Bears

Perrin's return to Chocolatetown is huge on and off the ice

Published on September 7, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


This one reflects well on all of us. It also reminds us of what makes this place so special.

Eric Perrin and the BEARS announced today that the centerman extrordinare will don a HERSHEY sweater this season should the NHL plunge itself into nuclear winter. This is more than just a player signing; it should make us all feel good to be part of the HERSHEY family. You don't have to be a player or work in the front office to be proud of what this team stands for. Every season ticket holder, every fan who listens to the team on the road, every one in this community should have heard the words and the meaning behind them when Eric talked to me over the weekend about coming back. He and his family are thrilled to be coming back, and for those of us that live and work here, we all know why.

I was on my way to a family wedding in Detroit when BEARS President/GM Doug Yingst called me to say that Eric was coming back later this month if a work stoppage occurs. I made the call to Eric right after that to congratulate him and also to ask him for a couple of quotes for the press release today. I wish everyone could have heard the enthusiasm in his voice and all the things he said because his comments were overflowing with sincerity. This guy has played on the biggest stages the NHL has to offer He's played in big cities and small. He's played in North America and Europe. He's played for one of the greatest college programs in Division I hockey and is still revered as one of the greatest players to put on a Vermont uniform. Given his hockey resume, take another look at his quote from today's press release. "My heart wanted very much to be in HERSHEY, I had the best time last season. (HERSHEY) is the best place I've ever played, it's the best organization, and it's the whole package." I had to stop him at one point during our conversation because I kidded him I couldn't write that fast. He wants to play here for the reason that so many players have come before him and so many will come after him, but it serves as a reminder to all of us how special this place we call home is. It serves as a reminder why so many players choose to stay here after the noise of the crowds fade into retirement. This place that Milton Hershey founded just over 100 years ago has a magic that has to be experienced to be understood. Eric Perrin never played here or anywhere in the American Hockey League before last season. Now he understands the attraction and can't wait to be a part of it again. It's the appeal that brings tens of thousands here in the summer as a tourist destination, and the appeal that packs the house on winter nights to see the boys in Chocolate and White compete.

Eric Perrin also gives us an example in perseverance. He played in 418 professional games in three different leagues before earning his first NHL call-up this past March. He suffered an injury during the 1999-2000 season in Kansas City that left him on the outside looking in at the start of 2000-01. He went overseas to continue his career and his dream of playing in the NHL. Even when he got back to North America, he was a healthy scratch with a veteran heavy roster on opening night in Syracuse last October. He never complained even when his hope of seeing a National Hockey League game had to have flickered more than once through his career. Through all his stops, the dream was realized on a bus ride home from Wilkes-Barre on March 26th. After a 4-2 loss and a somber ride home from Wachovia Arena, the phone call came to coach Paul Fixter's cell phone at the front of the bus from BEARS GM Doug Yingst: Perrin would be flown from HIA early Saturday morning to play for Tampa Bay against Washington Saturday night. The mood of the players transformed almost at once. I think all of us on the bus that night are better people for having been there when his dream was finally realized. It was the last time in 2003-04 that we would see him on the bus. For the rest of the season, players on this team usually had two questions when they saw me on the bus after games First, what did Binghamton/Norfolk do tonight? Second, how did "Perresy" do tonight? He earned the respect and admiration of his teammates, and they truly cared about him and his dream as much as they cared about their own dreams.

I read something on the air the day after Eric was called up to Tampa Bay in late March. It was a note that he wrote to his teammates that they found the next day when they came in for the pre-game skate. Even in the one moment he had dreamt of since he was a boy in Quebec, his thoughts were still with HERSHEY, his teammates and the chase of a playoff spot. He wrote. "My heart is still with this team. Keep fighting, boys. I'll be back to help when I can." It took longer than we thought, but here he is. As the BEARS prepare for training camp, today's news certainly has to excite the fan base about the expectations for the upcoming campaign. What will happen starting October 15 in Norfolk remains to be seen. We certainly remember the cruel twists of fate that embodied the 2003-04 season all the way to the final minute of the final game, but we also know this. When you have a leader like Eric Perrin on your side, fate has a much better chance of being nudged in the right direction. Welcome back, Eric. It's just about time for hockey again here in HERSHEY.

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American Hockey League Stories from September 7, 2004


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