A trip down memory lane, a look at the Royals all time best

READING, Pa – While the current crop of Reading Royals are going through the worst season in team history, here at PHN we thought it would be a good time to look at the brighter side of things. After all, it is the season to be jolly, cheerful, and all of that other fun stuff. There is still plenty of time to go over what has gone wrong on downtown Penn Street, but for now we thought now would be as good a time as any to think of who we would consider to the Royals all time roster. As with any all-time roster, there will always be healthy debate about who should be on the list and who shouldn’t, but for now, this is how we’d stack out team for a Kelly Cup run if we were allowed to bring everyone back for one last run. Part of our criteria doesn’t necessarily mean who has the most points in team history at their respective positions, but who has done something with his career at the ECHL, AHL, and NHL levels as well. So sit back and relax Royals fans, you’ve earned it. Enjoy the ride down memory lane as we through the Reading Royals all time roster. Center – Rich Peverley, Dave Steckel, Greg Hogeboom, and Greg Michler Peverley is currently a member of the Nashville Predators, but for 11 games, Royals fans got to see a gifted skater and play maker who really didn’t belong in the ECHL. He had 4 goals and 11 assists in the 2005-06 season. While his time was brief, Royals fans will always think “what if” Peverley had stayed on the team longer than he had. Steckel is currently a member of the Washington Capitals and like Peverly didn’t stay long. He started the first 9 games of the 2004-05 season, but had 3 goals and 6 assists in 9 games. Today he is a valued part of the Capitals on the teams third and fourth lines. The Royals had a ton of very good centers come through Reading in the teams 9 years, so you can imagine how hard it was to pick only four centers. Still, only four Royals ever had more than 100 points in the team’s history. Greg Hogeboom had all the tools and could have been something special at the next level. He finished with 39 goals and 101 points in 73 games. Greg Mischler was the other center with more than a 100 points with 27 goals, 123 points in 134 games. Mischler is the team’s all time assist leader with 96.  Left Wing – Danny Roussin, Joe Zappala, Chris Bala, and Brian MacCullough

Roussin, who’s famous for being Sidney Crosby’s linemate in Juniors, had 53 goals and 127 points (second most in team history) in 153 games played. So far Roussin has struggled to make the jump to the next level, but if he can return to form he could be back in the AHL for a long period of time. Joe Zappala is one of the teams most underrated players. Still he had 41goals and 88 points in 115 games. Chris Bala, who recently went into the Royals Wall of Fame, had 36 goals and 91 points in 108 games played. Bala is always one of the fans all-time favorite players. Brian McCullough played oinly one season with the Royals, but it was a memorable one in 2002-03 scoring 39 goals and 95 points in 69 games leading the Royals to the conference finals against Florida. Right Wing – George Parros, Brad Rooney, David Masse, Doug Christianson No one in Reading will have fond memories of George Parros because of his scoring prowess for the simple fact that he never scored a point in 3 games with the Royals. What they will remember about him is his ability to pound opponents into dust. Today Parros does the same thing for the Anaheim Ducks, and has a Stanley Cup ring to show for it. An original Royal, Brad Rooney might not be as memorable as some other Royals that have played on Penn Street, but Rooney is the Royals all time scoring leader with 139 points and is tied with Dany Roussin in career goals with 53 goals. Like Rooney, David Masse spent two seasons in Reading scoring 22 goals and 44 assists. Doug Christiansen was another key component to the Royals run for the playoffs for two seasons scoring 41 goals and 75 points. Defense – Jeff Finger, Simon Trembley, Eric Werner, Dean Arsene, P.J. Atherton, and Reagan Rome. Like most great players playing in the minors, they don’t stay in the minors for very long. Jeff Finger is the Royals best defenseman ever. He only played in 10 games, scoring 2 goals and 5 assists in 2003-04, but his impact was felt, and is being felt currently with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His four year, $3.5 million dollar a year salary made more news in the off-season than most free agents due to Finger’s lack of NHL experience. Simon Trembley, an original Royals, is the team’s all-time leading scorer among defenseman with 19 goals and 67 assists for 86 points. Only four other players have more assists than Trembley, all are forwards. Eric Werner was a solid performer for Reading with 15 goals and 49 points and is currently playing in the AHL. Dean Arsene might be more memorable to Hershey Bear fans than Royals fans, but he did play in 46 games in 2003-04, and is one of the best defensive defenseman to come through Reading. P.J. Atherton is second among Royals defenseman in goals (16) and third in points (41). Reagan Rome is the teams all time leader in games played with 176, scoring 12 goals and 73 points. Goalies – Jonathan Quick, Barry Brust, and Cody Rudkowsky. Quick just might go down as one of the best NHL prospects to come through Reading. A former third round pick of the Kings in 2005, Quick spent most of last season in Reading and was a key reason the Royals made the playoffs posting a 23-11-3 record. Quick is currently up with the Los Angeles Kings having played in 6 games with a 1.72 goals against average, and a .937. His performance earned him honors as the NHL’s Third Star of the Week for the week ending December 28^th. His play prompted the Kings to trade Jason LaBarbera to the Vancouver Canucks. Barry Brust might have had the best season in Royals history as a goaltender. Brust went 27-9-4 with a .928 save percentage and a 1.96 goals against average. Had it not been for some bad breaks the Royals had against their arch rivals, the Trenton Titans, the Royals could have won the Kelly Cup that season. Brust was originally a Minnesota Wild draft pick and is back with the Wild organization with the Houson Aeros (AHL). Rudkowsky is the teams all time leader in games played (104), and wins (56) and in playoff games (15). Rudkowsky was also recently named to the teams Wall-of-Fame. So what do you think Royals fans, do you think someone should have gotten bumped off of the list? If so tell me who and why, we’d love to hear back from you. And remember, better days are ahead for the team, even if it’s not this season. Contact the author at Brian.jennings@prohockeynews.com