Colorado Pro-Hockey loses another captain to retirement

LOVELAND, Colo – For the last five years of their six year history the Colorado Eagles hockey club have followed their talented, emotional, and volatile veteran leader, Greg Pankewicz. On Monday August 10, 2009 Pankewicz announced his retirement as an active professional hockey player and accepted the assistant coaching position with the Colorado Eagles beginning in the upcoming 2009-2010 season. With his two young daughters, Taylor and Makenna, in attendance along with several Eagles players, staff and top brass, Pankewicz gave a very emotional and heartfelt farewell to his professional career.

Former Coach and current GM/President of the Eagles, Chris Stewart, told the story of his recruitment of Pankewicz from the Pensacola Ice pilots. He immediately focused on Greg Pankewicz as the best player for his new team and brought him to Colorado for a look see. Northern Colorado and the professionalism and vision of founder Ralph Backstrom and Coach Stewart sold Pankewicz on the Eagles. In his 18 year career Pankewicz has played 2 seasons in the IHL, 3 seasons in the ECHL, parts of 7 seasons in the AHL, a total of 21 NHL games over 2 seasons and 6 seasons with the CHL’s  Colorado Eagles. After assuming the captaincy with the Eagles in their second season Pankewicz subsequently led them to four championship finals resulting in two league titles. Pankewicz also holds eight team records most of them scoring records but his penalty minutes in a game and number of penalties in a game are also a testament to his intensity and toughness. During the press conference Pankewicz insisted that it was not the veteran rule restricting each CHL team to 4 veteran players (other than goalies) that led to his decision to retire but the physical wear and tear on his body over 18 seasons of sometimes brutal play and nightmarish scheduling. As the Colorado Avalanche team captain, Joe Sakic, attested to in his retirement speech earlier this Summer,the effort required to get into hockey condition before the start of each season was getting more and more difficult each year, this applied to Pankewicz as well. “I just couldn’t go through another Summer trying to mend everything back together,” said Pankewicz, “There was a couple surgeries I was going to have to have and I just knew it was time to step away and I was given an awesome opportunity to stay into hockey.” His new career as a coach is one Pankewicz is looking forward to and his leadership role as team Captain has given him a head start on coaching.

Pankewicz says,”Anytime you are given a leadership role you pay more attention to what’s going on and you are a little bit closer to the coaching staff it is something that was intriguing and interesting and there is goods and bads to it all. You know what, I have a lot of respect for Kevin McClelland, he is a players coach, he comes to the rink everyday and works hard. He is very knowledgeable about the game. I remember watching him in the Oiler days and he is pretty good at punching heads in so it’s great to get on the other side and see his knowledge and what he has done for his family. I am just real excited and can’t wait to get started. I can’t wait to get with the guys and teach them what I know.” CHL Hockey fans, players, coaches and many of the on ice officials will miss Greg Pankewicz’ playing the game but at least they will not have to look far to see the man himself and witness what he can do behind the bench as a coach. Contact the author at terry.sanford@prohockeynews.com