Aces Memories: Chad Wilcox Welcomes One of my Students into the World of Journalism

When I think about it, this season was easily my favorite of the past five seasons covering professional hockey because not only did I get to blog about the New York Islanders and cover the Aces, I was able to bring some of my Journalism Students to games and teach them the ropes of the field, something I would have wished for when I was first starting out.

The first time I was able to do this, I figured I was going to have some fun with it, so I set up an interview between Aces then captain and EPHL penalty minute leader Chad Wilcox and one of my best students, Joey Curto. Again, dealing with personalities all the time at the college and at the rink, I like to think that I’m a good judge of character and after the fist time I spoke with him, I thought Wilcox, despite his menacing stare that could tear a hole in the universe, was a straight up, no nonsense guy that just wanted to play the game and be a good teammate. Curto, who was in his second class with me after taking a basic English course the semester before was and still is an animated and bright kid that isn’t scared to be himself. I figured it would be a perfect match, in spite of Curto’s mixed feelings that Wilcox was going to kill him during the interview.

Well, while the interview went along smoothly and Curto ended up writing a damn good piece and the first article not solely written by yours truly, it was an adventure that ended up having more drama than the Monday night lineup on TNT. And believe me, they know drama.

Before the interview, I managed to have a quick chat with Ryan Wegs, the EPHL media relations guru at the time, who in addition to his great work ethic is a funny dude in his own right. I told him I had a student with me and I wanted him to interview Wilcox. After a quick eyebrow raise, that I now know was the exact place where things began to turn towards the Dark Side, Curto was ready for his first real interview.

For the guys and gals that don’t see where this is going, lets just say that a professional locker room, before a game, isn’t exactly the best place for a journalism student, as it is the home to usually several “scantily clad” athletes., even sometimes coaches [I remember a great story that Newsday writer and close friend Stephen Haynes once told me about former Staten Island Yankees manager Gaylen Pitts, but this is supposed to be a hockey site that features somewhat suitable reading material]. I know the first time I was in a pro locker room or clubhouse that I was taken a back by it, especially considering that my upbringing and early High School memories would fit right in with Howard Stern’s “Private Parts,” or the exploits of a young George Costanza.

I had a quick discussion with my class about a week before Curto came along to let them know that they may see things they may not want to see while out in the field, not just in sports, but in any story and that they have to be ready for it, but I don’t think they got the big picture. Maybe because I ended with a joke on how one of the happiest days of my journalism career was missing an Eliot Spitzer press conference and not having to see his face [The guy looks like a zombified muppet if you ask me.] On top of that, being comfortable pretty much anywhere nowadays, I didn’t think about it at all when Wegs suggested the locker room for the interview.

So a few minutes later, I take Curto into the Aces locker room, where there are about a dozen naked Aces. Not a big deal right? The guy looked so uncomfortable though that I began to feel terrible, not because it was wrong, but because it wasn’t until a few weeks into my journalism career that I was in a similar situation and figured his first experience would be a bit easier for him to digest. Those emotions quickly subsided however when Aces head coach Chris Firriolo walked over to him and said “You feeling alright, kid?” in a tone that almost had me on the floor laughing and put a smirk on both their faces. Nonetheless, being only a few steps into the locker room, Curto still had no idea where Wilcox was and soon asked me. Looking around and seeing nothing but naked men with all the same body parts and no way to accurately describe them without being lewd, I spouted, “The one over there with the black snow cap.” That line seemed to get a few laughs as well, mainly because the players were beginning to see where this was going. In spite of that, Curto walked over to Wilcox, who looked more like a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers before a concert, than a professional hockey player.

After I introduced them, I walked out and caught a glimpse of Curto, who seemed even more shocked that his professor would leave him alone with a hulking hockey player who was only wearing a snow cap. Five minutes later, he came out and asked why I left him alone and after I stressed that I couldn’t hold his hand in there, he told me about the interview and how well he thought it went. After listening to the audio, it was confirmed, my young student managed to rise against the odds and deliver.

Good work Joey.

And thanks to Chad for giving a young kid from Brooklyn a story he’ll remember the rest of his life.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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