“It’s Your Turn Now”
Do you remember when it was your turn to strap on the pads and give goaltending a shot? Thankful for the opportunity, but many of us couldn’t wait to get those heavy awkward things off and never venture back into the paint, while others still have mental scares to show for from that experience. Wendell Young’s journey in the game started like any other young Maritimer. While most kids dream of scoring the winning goal in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup, the small feisty netminder always dreamt of standing tall between the pipes.
Considered late by today’s standards, Young was 10 years old when it was his turn to dawn the pads. “When it came time for his turn try net early on in the season, Wendell got a shutout and he was hooked from that moment on and stayed in goal” said Wendell’s brother Darrell Young.
Hockey’s spotlight always shines the brightest on the last line of defense. Often the spotlight exposes the slightest of imperfections. Criticized, highly scrutinized and often over analyzed, life in the crease isn’t easy especially when the odds of making it are stacked against you. Wendel Young embraced that spotlight and the enormous pressure of the position throughout his entire career. Many say pressure is privilege, for Wendell Young the pressure was an opportunity to prove he not only belonged under the bright lights it meant he could excel on that stage.
At only 5’9 Wendel Young’s path to the pro hockey seemed insurmountable even during an era where athleticism in the blue paint trumped size and stature. Young’s prowess in the crease is the stuff of legends in his native Nova Scotia, but even then, there was no guarantees to climb the ladder and play elite level hockey.
“We didn’t have goalie coaches like they do today and there were very few hockey schools so when hockey finished in March you really didn’t play again until October,” said Darrell Young.
In between hockey seasons Young played lacrosse, football and softball, it wasn’t until he was probably about 10 before he got his first taste of a goalie coach at a hockey camp. Interesting enough the goalie coach was none other than David Andrews who went on to become the General Manager of the Cape Breton Oilers and long time President of the American Hockey League.
Getting exposure and being seen by scouts was rarity in the Maritimes during that time. The old adage, “if you’re good enough, no matter where you are they will find you” didn’t resonate all that well in this region. “There were few guys playing Major Junior hockey and even fewer scouts,” said Darrell Young, who won a Stanley Cup as a scout with Tampa Bay in 2003-04.
“With no QMJHL in the Maritimes at the time, players and their families could choose which league to play in and still be drafted by all three,” said Young.
Longtime NHL scout and the pride Glace Bay, Nova Scotia Mike Penney played a significant early role in kick starting several young Maritimers careers. “Mike had heard of a couple of good Maritime kids, and he would eventually draft Mike Eagles Al MacInnis and Wendell,” explained Young.
“Back then you could draft until after their second year of Midget hockey, so they actually all ended up living together with the same billet family in Kitchener,” Young explained.
Going the Distance and Championship Glory
1,886 Kilometers, the distance between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Kitchener, Ontario, but that was also the distance between Wendel Young’s hockey dreams and reality. Leaving home at a young age during that era of the game was commonplace and a necessity if you wanted to make it, but it didn’t make things any easier. “His first year up there he had called home in October to say he was going to come home, Dad said, ‘Ok, see you at Christmas.’”
Young stuck it out and would go onto appear in 42 games going 19-15 with 4.44 GAA for an exceptionally young but extremely talented hockey club poised to make a run at a championship the following season. The lessons learned growing up as a young goaltender in Nova Scotia and playing all over the province and Maritimes while doing whatever it took to win was certainly etched in Young’s hockey playing DNA.
The Vancouver Canucks appreciated Young’s skill, technique, athleticism and prowess and selected him in the 4th round 73rd overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Young’s sophomore season in the OHL was nothing short of brilliant. He went 38-17-2 with a 3.37 GAA and made 60 appearances capturing the OHL title and the Memorial Cup.
The undersized ultra competitive netminder from Halifax, Nova Scotia had hoisted junior hockey’s holy grail at only 17 years old. After losing several key players from their championship run a year before the Rangers seemed poised for another potential run due in large part to who they had in the net. Young appeared in 61 games in 82-83 winning 41 times. The dream of going back to back fell short.
Path to the Pros
Young had made a name for himself and was a workhorse between the pipes at the Junior level, but at 19 years of age decided to make the jump to the pro ranks bypassing his final year of junior eligibility. At 20 years old, he appeared in 20 games for the Salt Lake Eagles of the Central Hockey League. That same year he would get his first taste of the American Hockey League close to home with the Fredericton Express.
Young would play the better part of two seasons with the Express before getting called up to the show. Often the most unconventional paths in the game of hockey are the most rewarding. The Maritimes had their share of NHLer’s that blazed the trail and inspired the next generation of young players, but when it came to goaltending very few ever made it. Young always took pride in where he was from and even more pride in showing people he could compete, contribute and carry a team on his back. The undersized athletic netminder from Halifax, Nova NHL dream came true making his debut with the Canucks on December 17, 1985.
Young served as the team’s backup that season playing behind Richard Brodeur. Young split time with the Canucks and the Express the following season before landing with the Philadelphia Flyers organization. He would only appear in 6 contests for the Flyers that season but would backstop the historic Hersey Bears organization to a Calder Cup Championship. Young had a sparkling 2.77 GAA and went 33-15-1 record with .912 save percentage that season.
Capturing the Dream and Lord Stanley
Behind the cage and mask lived an ultra talented netminder who always rose to the occasion in the big moments when called upon which is amazing skill in it own. Championship pedigree in a netminder is extremely rare and Pittsburgh Penguins organization identified the perfect candidate when they acquired Young in 1988. There’s no question the Pens hit a homerun with Young and he would go on to help the Penguins capture back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Young via the expansion draft in 1993. Young was sent down to the IHL’s Chicago Wolves over the next few seasons before signing with the Penguins again for the 1994-95 season. Young returned to Chicago the following season and went on another incredibly successful run with the Wolves winning two Turner Cups over a six-year span with the organization. Young decided to end his amazing playing career after that championship run with the Wolves. In the fall of 2001, the Wolves organization joined the American Hockey League, and before they did, they honoured their franchise goaltender by raising his famed #1 to the rafters.
Creating a Legacy
Young’s playing career might have ended in 2001, but his contributions behind the scenes leading the Wolves organization in a brand-new era was just beginning. Anxious to give back to the sport in other facets especially closer to home Young ventured into the business side of the game becoming a minority owner of his hometown QMJHL team the Halifax Mooseheads in 1994. He remained with the Herd until 2002 before he branched off into the coaching world as a goaltending coach with the Calgary Flames. Over that time Young was also involved with the Sherbrooke Castors organization in the QMJHL. The pride of Charlottetown, PEI and longtime pro netminder Drew MacIntrye remembers the impact Young had not only behind the scenes as an owner of his QMJHL team, but also as a General Manager with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
“Wendell was part owner of my QMJHL team in Sherbrooke so he showed up to a couple of training camps and helped me learn more about the path that could be ahead of me,” explained MacIntrye.
Their paths were destined to intertwine in the pro ranks.
“I was with the Wolves when it was his first season as GM, I had some ups and downs that season and Wendell helped sort things out a bit that year,” added MacIntrye, who had a 15 year pro career.
“Wendell is a smart hockey guy and is always there to help for sure,” said MacIntrye.
Young’s class, dignity, sense of pride and competitive nature which he displayed on the ice organically translate in building a championship caliber organization behind the scenes. The savvy hockey mind masterfully built an unmatched culture of winning and became a beacon for the City of Chicago and that community.
Winning doesn’t happen over night, it takes special people on the ice, behind the bench and in the front office and beyond to make everything come together. Wendell Young is a “glue guy” he always has been and will always be.
Winning seems to follow people that create, empower and believe in the right formula and Wendell Young has done that at every step along his journey in the game. The most recent stop along the way is perhaps the greatest acknowledgement of all being enshrined in the American Hockey League’s Hall of Fame.
“Every time he achieved something in the game, I couldn’t be more happier for him. We are very close and I was always very proud of him every step of the way,” said Darrell Young.
“From a young boy to the man he’s become, even though he lives so far away in Chicago, our families remain very close. Because we love being together and support each other and take great pride in each of our accomplishments. We have great respect for one another,” explained Darrell Young.
“When Wendell achieved something, my face would instantly light up with so much joy and pride.”
Young understands how difficult it is to win in anything, in any league or any level especially given his experiences in the game which only adds to his admiration and respect for his brother.
The bond between brothers lasts a lifetime.
The bond between teammates and champions is the stuff of legend and will be forever etched in the record books, history and hockey lore.
“I am so pleased for Wendell and his family,” said former Ranger teammate and lifelong friend Mike Eagles of Young’s induction into the AHL Hall of Fame.
“Having known Wendell for 45 years as a teammate, roommate and friend I cannot think of a better person to be recognized in this manner. He has accomplished in his career what we all dream of and has done it with outstanding integrity and class. I am so happy for him and proud to call him my good friend,” said Eagles.
The crease was his sanctuary. His skill, confidence and trust in his abilities were his greatest allies. His love and passion for the game continues to shine through all the way to the Hall of Fame.
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