Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Options Author
Whether or not it was his fresh-faced, clean-cut 1960’s look with the Quebec Aces, his 70’s-style mustache with the Rochester Individuals, or the proud father and grandfather going into the AHL Corridor of Fame this week, the images converse to only how lengthy René Drolet has had a connection to the American Hockey League.
Hockey has taken Drolet to numerous completely different locations in his 80 years. His hometown of Quebec Metropolis. Richmond, Va., which had by no means had professional hockey earlier than. Rochester, one of many AHL’s cornerstone cities. Philadelphia and Detroit within the NHL. The stands of Place Bell to look at the Laval Rocket. And on Monday, Palm Desert, Calif., for his induction among the many AHL’s legends.
Standing 5-foot-7, and taking part in in an period with far fewer NHL alternatives than as we speak, Drolet had a troublesome path to any NHL work. However he made it, taking part in one sport for the Flyers in 1972 and yet another for the Purple Wings in 1974. And he was a star within the American League, the place he broke in full-time with the Quebec Aces in 1966-67 earlier than transferring on to the Richmond Robins, Virginia Wings and Rochester Individuals.
By the point he retired in 1978, Drolet had compiled 741 factors (298 targets, 443 assists) in 840 AHL video games.
Driving alongside him the complete approach was his spouse, Louise. They went to the Calder Cup Finals in 1968 and 1969. They moved to Richmond in 1971 when the Aces, the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, relocated south. They mastered English within the American South; daughter Julie realized the language in school. René and Louise obtained assist selecting it up by watching TV exhibits like The Worth is Proper and Let’s Make a Deal. Socializing with gamers’ wives and girlfriends, they grew to become much more fluent and cozy; Julie stays in contact with household pals from that point.
“The individuals there, they have been actually good for us,” Drolet stated. “We made some nice pals there… We have been household.”
When the Robins opened Richmond Coliseum in October 1971, hockey was brand-new to town. The AHL was transferring into new markets, bringing an unfamiliar sport to individuals nonetheless desperate to embrace it. And instantly it grew to become clear that the environment there could be completely different from their years in Quebec.
“The women in lengthy clothes, the lads in tuxedos, they have been coming to see the present,” Drolet stated, laughing as he recalled the opening-night scene. “My spouse couldn’t consider it.”
However hockey caught on rapidly. The Robins by no means discovered numerous success within the standings, however they helped to arrange prospects for future success with the Flyers, who would win the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975. Richmond constructed rivalries with Hershey – “If I might have requested for a commerce,” Drolet stated, “I might have requested to be traded to Hershey. We performed there more often than not on Saturday nights, and it was a full home all the time.” – the Baltimore Clippers, and their new neighbors in Norfolk, the Tidewater (later Virginia) Wings.
And 12 months after 12 months – 10 seasons in a row, in truth – Drolet scored 20 or extra targets. In 4 of these seasons, he crossed the 30-goal mark, together with a career-best 34 with the Robins in 1972-73.
Drolet was an vital key to the success of the AHL in so-called non-traditional cities. Half a century later the game has unfold throughout the US – together with to the Coachella Valley, which like Richmond had by no means hosted hockey earlier than the Firebirds’ arrival in 2022. So when Drolet obtained his first have a look at the state-of-the-art Acrisure Enviornment, he couldn’t assist however be struck by how far the league has come since his taking part in days in rinks circled with rooster wire relatively than Plexiglass.
The AHL’s expertise additionally stands out. When he attended a sport at Place Bell in Laval two years in the past, he got here away impressed.
“I couldn’t consider how briskly it was,” Drolet stated.
Folks like Drolet helped the AHL turn into what it’s as we speak. He turned professional in 1965, and he and Louise married. After a protracted profession in enterprise following his taking part in days, as we speak Drolet is absolutely immersed in life as a grandfather. He beams when he mentions that Julie, his son Nicolas, and his granddaughter Veronica all have graduated from prestigious McGill College in Montreal; Julie is a registered nurse at Dawson Faculty, Nicolas is an administrator in McGill’s dental faculty, and Veronica works for the Montreal Alliance of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
Monday’s ceremony introduced again many recollections for Drolet. He additionally famous in his speech that there have been no video clips in his induction montage, as a result of when he performed “it was simply footage.”
These taking part in days have been a very long time in the past. However they helped to convey his household to the place they’re as we speak. All these years within the AHL, that transfer to Richmond to attempt one thing exterior of their consolation zone, nonetheless depart Drolet smiling. And whereas he’s pleased with his taking part in profession, it’s his cherished one who animate him most.
“I’ll at all times be proud to be an American Hockey League participant and Corridor of Famer,” he stated. “My hockey profession has been good for me. Nevertheless it has been nice for my household.”
On the American Hockey League beat for 20 years, TheAHL.com options author Patrick Williams additionally presently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a daily contributor on SiriusXM NHL Community Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his excellent protection of the league in 2016.
