July 21, 2023
It’s been a month since the
Hershey Bears claimed the club’s 12th Calder Cup Championship in the California desert more than 2,500 miles from home. An epic run to the title that culminated with a Game 7 victory in overtime provided us with so many moments that we’ll never forget.
While those moments are timeless, there was so much behind the scenes that helped make this championship possible. The stories and thoughts below are from the Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch. These are the untold stories of the Bears' run to the 2023 Calder Cup.
THE WEDDING SINGER
Comedy movies are a favorite on the bus, with movies like Old School and The Hangover providing laughs during the many miles logged away from Chocolatetown. Featured in both of those movies is a hilarious, raunchy wedding singer that had the team in stiches.
It turns out the actor, Dan Finnerty, who plays the wedding singer in both movies, was in the same Emerson College fraternity as Hershey media specialist Jesse Liebman.
Thanks to Liebman, Finnerty sent a video message wishing the Bears well, while also reenacting some hilarious snippets from his movie performances. In the hours prior to Game 1 in Charlotte, the team was surprised with the video, and the players and coaches loved it. After a bye gave the Bears 13 days off, there were certainly worries about rust as they opened the playoffs, but the video lightened the mood as Hershey roared out to a 4-0 lead in Game 1 on the way to a 5-2 win over the Checkers.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FUCS
Hershey fans had the pleasure of watching Zach Fucale enjoy several standout seasons to propel his career to the next level.
Despite only appearing in relief in two games during the playoffs, Fucale’s impact on the run was large according to his teammates and coaches. He was the ultimate teammate, being his usual chatterbox self to create energy on the bench and provide light moments when needed. He was Hunter Shepard’s biggest cheerleader.
Ahead of Game 4 in Rochester, the Bears had a team dinner, coinciding with Fucale’s 28th birthday. After the team surprised him with their rendition of “Happy Birthday”, Fucale was required by his teammates to make a speech. The netminder, who is rarely at a loss for words, was a bit choked up and touched by the gesture. He remarked how much he loved the group of guys and how badly he wanted to win with them. It was a great moment, and one of the many reasons we’ll miss Fucale as he continues his career overseas in the KHL.
TOOTHLESS WELLAR
Another moment during that dinner in Rochester was a bit more troubling for assistant coach Patrick Wellar. The former Bears defender lost his share of teeth during his playing career and now that he’s behind the bench, he has a permanent bridge to replace his missing upper chiclets.
During the course of the meal in Rochester, Wellar’s bridge became dislodged and fell out. Not being able to get it fixed until the club returned home after Game 4, it left Wellar without his usual smile and just two metal posts in place of a handful of his front teeth.
The lack of teeth gave Wellar a noticeable lisp, and at the urging of the other coaches to prank their fellow comrade, I told Wellar the next day he had to do an interview with FOX43 in-between periods on camera. His response was, “
That'th gunna be a problem.”
Wellar quickly got his teeth fixed when he returned home, but he helped provide some extra laughs ahead of Game 4. With his teeth fixed in the club’s return to Rochester for Game 6, his defensive group and penalty kill provided him with a game to remember, so no doubt he was smiling a little extra that night.
NO SKATES NEEDED FOR THIS PHOTO
When the Bears won the Eastern Conference in Rochester, the club was presented with the Richard F. Canning Trophy by the American Hockey League.
It’s a relatively new tradition in the AHL, and somewhere down the line, word didn’t make it to the Bears that they needed to stay on the ice for presentation.
The club retreated to the locker room and then realized they needed to return to the ice. Some players tend to get undressed very quickly, and
if you look closely at the team photo, Logan Day can be seen in the photo in flip flops as he had already removed his skates and hockey pants. Additionally, goaltenders Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard are sans-chest protectors and look a lot less bulky than normal.
“WE’RE GOING TO BE OKAY”
Head coach Todd Nelson’s confidence in his club never wavered, even after dropping Games 1 and 2 in Coachella Valley by a combined 9-0 score. After the Game 2 loss, we returned to the hotel, and I sat in the lobby completing some post-game work. Like the team, I was certainly a bit dejected and baffled after another shutout loss in which the Bears somehow had to kill nine penalties. The task to win the Calder Cup never looked more difficult.
In the lobby, Nelson had a conversation with captain Dylan McIlrath, then made his way over to me. After a few quick remarks and a short conversation, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, “You know what Shark, it’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.”
Suddenly I felt better, despite the result and daunting task at hand. If Nelson could make me, the broadcaster who has no impact on the game, truly believe our team could pull this off, imagine the impact he has on the guys in the locker room. There is no wonder he’s won seven championships.
GAME 5 BENCH CAM BLISS
No doubt, Game 5 versus Coachella Valley is up there as one of the best games in GIANT Center history. The 1-0 overtime win gave Hershey a third straight victory and a 3-2 series lead thanks to Garrett Pilon’s heroics.
For your viewing pleasure, the full clip from the bench cam tells a story worth a 1,000 words.
The roar of the GIANT Center, the emotion of the players, Todd Nelson getting smothered by his assistants, and the amount of energy from strength and conditioning coach Mike Wagner are all storylines in this clip. Watch it a thousand times and you’ll still be entertained.
Game 5 will be forever etched in my mind. In my time here, the GIANT Center has never been louder, and I still get goose bumps thinking about it.
NELSON FAMILY BARBECUE
Game 6 did not go Hershey’s way in Coachella Valley, and the series advanced to a deciding game for the championship.
On the off-day before Game 7, the team gathered at the rink and had a team-building activity where they showcased how they’d leave it all on the line.
Back at the hotel that night, the Nelson family decided to host a barbecue for players, staff, and families. With Nelson’s wife Josette leading the charge and working the grill, there were burgers, hot dogs, and a lot of laughs. Everyone enjoyed each other’s company, and the realization that the next day’s game marked the finish line no matter what left everyone cherishing the moment and the task at hand.
Everyone was wound too tight before Game 6. This changed that. Once again, the Bears' coach helped lead his team into battle with exactly what they needed.
As I went back to my hotel room that night, I firmly believed we’d win the Calder Cup the next day.
A FAMILIAR FACE AND A NEW ONE
Hershey equipment manager Josh Carter had a thrilling few weeks, welcoming his first child into the world and winning the Calder Cup shortly after.
While Carter did in fact make it out to Coachella Valley for the victory, there was some uncertainty initially, so the Bears went to the bullpen and employed the services of former equipment manager Justin Kullman. He had been there for Cup wins in 2006, 2009, and 2010, and brought the luck again. His passion for the Bears is no doubt still there,
as evidenced by his reaction captured in this Instagram Reel produced by the Washington Capitals.
As for Carter, he and his wife Paige were able to put
little baby Carson into the Calder Cup at the Championship Celebration for a priceless photo of the newest Bears fan.
GOOD OMENS FOR GAME 7
There were some good omens ahead of Game 7 in Coachella Valley. The calmness of the team was apparent at the Morning Skate, and it carried over into the afternoon. As I arrived at the rink with the staff ahead of the players, the hallway outside the dressing room had the equipment managers playing motivational tunes. I spent around an hour down there before heading to my broadcast perch, listening to hit after hit with the equipment managers, just soaking in the moment. When the players arrived, some of the themes from the “Rocky” movies played, and as the music continued, players popped out to enjoy a quick moment or two while getting into their routine. The feeling was totally different around the team than it was in Game 6.
As doors opened for the fans in Coachella Valley, the first song the DJ played was a remix of Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” John Walton texted me and a few others immediately and said, “First song of the night at door open from THEM is about birds crying? Bears by a million.” During warm-ups, at the request of FOX43’s Andrew Kalista, the DJ played “Turbulence” which is a favorite at Hershey home games. During a break in the action in the first period, the Firebirds played ABBA's “Gimme! Gimme! Gimmie!”
which of course is Hershey’s victory song. Then during the second period, the DJ played one of Hershey's other locker room songs, "Black Betty", known to the team as "Shep Daddy" in honor of their MVP-winning netminder.
A few hours later, those songs would be blasting in the Bears’ locker room
as I was soaked in a bath of champagne and beer.
CELEBRATING TOGETHER
After the Bears won the Calder Cup, the team spent virtually the entire night together as a group at the hotel in Coachella Valley. There was no rushing to a night club or a bar, just hour after hour of telling stories, reminiscing on great memories, and drinking a few adult beverages out of the Cup. The guys spent time in the pool, then each player and staff member made a speech in the lobby about what the win meant to them. The flight the next morning came quickly, but no one seemed to care.
The run to the Cup was legendary. It was the
first sudden-death Game 7 overtime win to claim the title in league history.
There was drama, comebacks, overtime heroics, overcoming long odds, and so many moments along the way that are unforgettable.
From early in the season, this team seemed special. The play on the ice certainly backed that up. But the sheer love this group had for each other was what made them the most special group of guys I’ve ever been around. This was a tight-knit team that wanted to win as a unit, and each and every guy in that room would give the shirt off his back for his teammate.
While not every player will be back from the 2023 Calder Cup Champs, this group has written a new chapter in the already legendary history book of this iconic franchise. They’ll walk together forever as champions, and come October 14, they’ll hang in the GIANT Center rafters for eternity.
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