As the hockey world celebrates Black History Month, the Hershey Bears will spotlight several players who made key contributions to the 87-year history of the hockey club's tenure in the American Hockey League.
Mike McHugh went from a 25-game tryout contract to become a franchise stalwart in his five seasons with the Hershey Bears.
A native of Bowdoin, Maine, McHugh was the first American-born Black player to play NCAA hockey (where he starred at the University of Maine) and reach the NHL (spending several years within the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks organizations) before coming to Hershey.
After two seasons with the Springfield Indians, where McHugh played under Jay Leach, the left wing followed his head coach to Hershey at the start of the 1993-94 season, inking a 25-game tryout contract two days before the start of the campaign.
"He has National Hockey League speed," Leach remarked to the Patriot-News. "He is tenacious and sound defensively. He's the type of guy who can get you 20 to 25 goals and clean up in his own end."
It didn't take long for the Bears to decide they wanted to keep McHugh around beyond a tryout basis, inking him to a full-fledged AHL contract seven games into the season. After missing the playoffs the season prior, Hershey captured the AHL's Southern Division title and McHugh enjoyed his finest pro season to date offensively with a career-high 70 points (27g, 43a) in 80 games and captured the club's Arlene Tighe Memorial Award as the club's unsung hero.
Over the next two seasons, the Bears continued to make the playoffs, but postseason success continued to elude Hershey and McHugh. That changed with the start of the 1996-97 campaign, which brought with it a new NHL affiliate in the Colorado Avalanche and new head coach in Bob Hartley.
In late February, Hartley designated McHugh as team captain to take over for Mike Hartman, who had undergone surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle, and the Bears went 8-6-2-1 down the stretch with McHugh wearing the 'C.' But it was in the 1997 Calder Cup Playoffs that McHugh elevated his game to another level.
McHugh and teammate Blair Atcheynum became the first Bears players to record multiple playoff overtime-winners in the same year, with McHugh netting his in Game 3 of the Southern Conference Finals against Springfield and Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals against Hamilton. All told, McHugh netted four playoff game-winners that spring, including the series-clincher in Hershey's 3-2 Game 7 victory over the Philadelphia Phantoms at the Spectrum.
By the time the final horn sounded at Copps Coliseum on June 13, the Bears had defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs 4-1 to claim their eighth Calder Cup in franchise history, with McHugh appearing in all 23 of Hershey's playoff games, collecting 16 points (9g, 7a).
"It hasn't sunk in yet," a choked-up McHugh told reporter Dan Sernoffsky. "But since day one, we had one goal in mind. We worked hard, harder than any other team in the league, and it paid off."
For his efforts, McHugh received the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
"I'm just a small piece of the puzzle. [The MVP trophy] is a nice thing, but when I put that (championship) ring on, that's what matters," McHugh said. "For me, this is my Stanley Cup. This is the greatest moment personally that I've ever had. This is what teamwork is all about."
"I can really say that the trophy couldn't have gone to a better recipient," beamed teammate Paul Jerrard. "Right from game one, he's been one of the hardest working guys. He just seems to get better. His leadership qualities really surfaced this year and he was an unbelievable captain."
McHugh played one more season in Hershey before hanging up his skates prior to the start of the 1998-99 season. McHugh remained in the area, where he's spent the last 26 years with HydroWorx International, a local aquatic therapy equipment provider.
"Physically, I just can't do what I used to do. It doesn't interest me to play if I can't be competitive and be one of the top players. I don't want to just hang on to make money. There are other ways I can do that."
All told, McHugh left his mark on the Hershey record book in several statistical categories - he is tied for 29th in franchise history with 282 points, 40th with 101 goals, 23rd with 181 assists, 22nd with 556 penalty minutes, and 31st with 366 games played - while making history as the franchise's first Black captain.
Written by Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman
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