ORONO, Maine — Fifteen players and former associate head coach Grant Standbrook from the 1998-99 University of Maine men’s hockey national championship team had a memorable weekend as the school celebrated the 15th anniversary of their title.
They were introduced in a pre-game ceremony before Friday night’s 3-1 loss to Boston University and several activities were held over the weekend that included meals at Pat’s Pizza, Governor’s Restaurant, Seasons Grille and Lounge in Bangor; a post-game reception at the Alfond Family Lounge and a family skate.
The players also chatted with the current players after practice on Saturday morning before the family skate.
The special bond between the players on the title team is still there.
“We didn’t want to leave each other. We all had fun. At the end of it, we were changing each other’s kids’ diapers,” quipped Brendan Walsh, who had transferred from Boston University to Maine and is now a policeman in Boston. “It was incredible….the fans, the caring people in the state. And they threw in the restaurants that were woven into our past.”
Walsh said standing in the “gladiator tunnel” waiting to be introduced brought back memories.
“Alfond Arena is the best college hockey experience you can have,” he said.
“It was very poignant,” said Standbrook. “The crowd hasn’t changed. We were so well-received. Everyone loved it. We’ll never forget it.”
Steve Kariya said he was very happy to see everyone.
“There were a lot of people I hadn’t seen in 15 years,” he said. “Any time you get the opportunity to be with real good friends, lifelong friends, you have to take advantage of it. It was neat to see a game there again and experience the crowd.”
Jason Vitorino joked that having breakfast at Governor’s and lunch at Pat’s and going to the rink in between “felt like game day all over again.”
Vitorino and his family couldn’t attend the game due to travel complications from Dallas to Bangor which saw them arrive at 11:30 p.m. Friday.
But Vitorino said he was one of several former players who disconnected from the program when Standbrook left after the 2007-2008 season because he felt underutilized as a volunteer assistant under former head coach Tim Whitehead.
“The program went in shambles. We didn’t want to be part of it. To let Grant go was ludicrous,” said Vitorino, adding that he feels second-year head coach Red Gendron and assistant coach Ben Guite, a member of the title team, have installed the same culture of late head coach Shawn Walsh.
“I know the team isn’t off to a good start (3-7-1) but they’re working hard and doing things the right way. Hopefully, Maine will soon be back where it was in the 1990s,” Vitorino said.
Standbrook and the other players saw a lot of positives in the Maine team despite the loss.
“The team played real well. They competed hard,” said Kariya. “They could have just as easily have won the game. They just didn’t finish. If they play that hard consistently, they’ll win more than they lose.”
The returnees said they were grateful to Cheri Damon, president of the Friends of Maine Hockey, the other members of the FOMH group, Nonni Daly and Guite for putting together the weekend.