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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They also share the distinction of being the only brothers to play on the same team.

A far cry from the Sutter’s or the Staal’s however, these two still have college hockey experience under their belts and have both made it to the pros, albeit in two totally different ways.

In spite of being six years younger than his brother, James was a member of a Colorado College team that reached the frozen four. Even before this season, he had a cup of coffee in the ECHL with the Augusta Lynx and the Columbus Inferno. This past season, he was also easily the best pure goal scorer in the league, scoring 22 goals in just 17 games, before spending the rest of the season with the Utah Grizzlies.

Bobby, the elder of the two, played his college hockey at Fredonia before hitting the work force and putting his dreams of playing pro hockey on hold.

On Dec. 27, 2008 however, none of that mattered though as the Aces, who were dealing with injuries, signed BB to a contract. It was doubtful how much he was going to play at first, but at least they were together at the professional level, right?

For that night and the next, the Brannigan boys shared the same sheet of ice, as teammates.

However, the first night was one that didn’t sit too well with Big Bobby.

On his first professional shift, Bobby was on the ice for an Igor Karlov goal that gave the Danbury Mad Hatters a first period lead. To my best recollection, he didn’t get another shift the rest of the game. Getting the opportunity to play with his kid brother, who ironically got the game-winning goal that night was a once in a lifetime experience that washed away any bad feelings he may have had about his own performance.

“I always wanted to play pro hockey with my brother,” the 30-year-old Brannigan said that day. “In all the years that we’ve played, we’ve never played together. It was a lot of fun.”

The next game, against the Hudson Valley Bears, the very next day, Bobby earned a huge personal victory and scored his first professional goal, making the Brannigan’s the only brothers to hit the back of the net in the EPHL’s short history.

The fun was over soon after though, as in an even more bizarre turn of events, the game against Hudson Valley ended up being the last one both of the Brannigan’s played for the Aces as Bobby was released soon afterwards and James was called up the next day to Utah, where he spent the rest of the season.

Nevertheless, in spite of the small amount of time they both spent with the Aces, the ride was a fun one.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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Here’s a new segment I’ll be implementing on the site to give you, the fans, some more insight on a handful of the players on the team that there isn’t much information on.

Enjoy.

Derek Kern spent just 24 days with the Brooklyn Aces this season, but in that time, he worked his tail off on every shift, proving that after four years removed from professional hockey [his last stint in the pros was in 2005, where he was a teammate of former Aces captain Dan Rohanna with the UHL's Kansas City Outlaws, where he scored seven goals and 18 points in 71 games.], he could still perform at a high level.

Playing on virtually every line on the team in his seven-game stint with the team, the 5′8, 165-pound Kern scored five points and provided toughness, despite his diminutive size.

When assessing Kern’s toughness, one afternoon game in February against Danbury comes to mind, where he registered 20 penalty minutes on five minor penalties and a 10-minute misconduct while trying to make sure Danbury Mad Hatters captain Drew Madeiros didn’t take advantage of any of his teammates.

Anyone that followed the team or the league this season knows that Madeiros, while not being the biggest guy in the world, wasn’t shy about giving someone an extra whack with his stick in the corner or rubbing his glove in the face of the opposition when he had the chance. To stand up to him alone showed his toughness, but to do so while not knowing if he was going to be in the lineup the next day showed how brave the guy is.

Well, there’s a reason for that.

You see, Kern is one of New York’s Bravest, a NYC Firefighter. As a matter of fact, that’s how he got noticed by Aces head coach Chris Firriolo in the first place. No, he didn’t save his cat who got caught up in a tree, either. Watching the NYFD hockey team practice at Aviator one afternoon, Firriolo, who was looking for a shot of energy after the team began to deal with injuries and decided to give the 30-year-old a shot.

While Kern didn’t have the staying power of a guy like Chris Robinson, who filled the void at defense after being signed midway through the season, he provided a solid service and helped the team stay in first place while he was here.

A few weeks after the team and Kern parted ways, I saw him play again before an Aces playoff game, where the NYFD took on the Boston Fire Department team. Easily the best player on the ice, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Kern pop up again in the future.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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