Arizona Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong will always have fond memories of Worcester

BOSTON — The man who runs the Arizona Coyotes played his last professional shift in Worcester.

Bill Armstrong remembers it fondly.

The Coyotes' current general manager was recently in town for a game against the Bruins, and he recalled March 20, 1999. Armstrong was the assistant coach of the Providence Bruins and holds the distinction as one of the last player-coaches in American Hockey League history.

Although Randy Cunneyworth owns that accolade with the Rochester Americans in 1999-2000, Armstrong’s last game against the IceCats was definitely entertaining.

The DCU Center used to be known for its outstanding pregame media meal. In fact, scouts would stop in Worcester to eat en route to their next stop in Providence, Lowell, Manchester, or Springfield (more on the meal later).

The P-Bruins needed reinforcements against Worcester, so the team called up Garry Gulash from the Quad City Mallards of the UHL. At the time, the 6-foot, 215-pounder had 342 penalty minutes in 56 games.

“He was tough as nails, and we couldn’t wait to see this kid play,” Armstrong recalled. “Worcester was a tough team, too. He makes it to Providence right before we get on the bus to leave for Worcester. He literally got dropped off in a cab, and we were like, ‘Yes, he’s going to play tonight.’ ”

The P-Bruins arrived at the DCU Center 30 minutes later when league officials inform coach Peter Laviolette that Gulash is not eligible to play because he was suspended in the UHL for a severe beating he put on an opponent.

“Absolute maniac,” said former P-Bruins broadcaster and PR man Adam Alper. “We were disappointed not to see him do his thing.”

So Laviolette held his pregame meeting before the coaches enjoyed the legendary media meal in Worcester.

“It’s the best buffet — ever,” Armstrong said. “I went down and ate for three.  I had two meals and three desserts.”

Uh-oh ... feast may have been ill timed

When he returned to the visitors' locker room, Laviolette was waiting with a good-news, bad-news scenario.

“Big guy, the good news is the trainers can get your equipment in Providence and get it here before game time,” Laviolette told Armstrong. “Bad news, you won’t have it in time for warmups.”

Equipment? Warmups?

Armstrong pointed out the fact that he hadn't skated backward in almost a month since he was coaching and not playing. Laviolette told his assistant he had no choice and had to play.

“I wasn’t that good when I was at my peak,” Armstrong said with a laugh. “I hadn’t played and was out of shape.”

Armstrong ran the defense as the assistant coach, so when he was getting into his equipment, he told his D partner, Mattias Timander: “I don’t touch the puck tonight.”

Due to the amount of food he ate pregame, along with the fact that he was out of shape and played only five other games that season, the first period was ugly for Armstrong. However, he gained his second wind in the second period and started benching the prospects for more playing time.

“I even put myself on the PK, but I ran out of gas,” Armstrong said. “I eventually benched myself.”

Knowing that it would be his last shift of his career near the end of the game, Armstrong grabbed Worcester defenseman Matt Smith and tried to entice him to fight.

“He looked at me and said, ‘Hey, aren’t you the coach?’ True story, and that’s the last game I ever played,” Armstrong said. “The best part about it was we set an American League record for most wins that season, but we lost all the games I played.”

A P-Bruins fan actually wrote a letter to Laviolette, asking the coach to stop playing Armstrong. Laviolette read the letter to the team before a game.

“It was one of the funniest letters ever,” Armstrong said.

Focus turns to coaching, front office

Since AHL coaching jobs were few and far between, Armstrong wanted to focus on his coaching career. At that time, every assistant in the AHL had played in the NHL, but Armstrong never got that chance. He knew he was in a unique spot and didn’t want to mess it up.

His work ethic was evident, and Laviolette knew it and helped mentor the young coach.

“Peter was such a great coach and also a great teacher of the game,” Armstrong said. “It was amazing to work with him for two years and we won the (Calder) Cup.”

Armstrong won a Memorial Cup with the Oshawa Generals in 1989-90 as a player, the Calder Cup in 1998-99 as an assistant coach, and a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues as an assistant GM in 2019.

He’s done it all in his career. As a player, he was an assistant captain, captain and then served as both an assistant coach and head coach. He ran an entire ECHL organization in Trenton, became a scout with the Blues in 2010 and then served as director of amateur scouting before being named assistant GM.

He even sold tickets during his tenure in Providence.

“It’s a weird one,” he said of his career both on and off the ice. “I think of myself as a hockey man. I’ve gone through all the steps, which enables me to walk into every room and have a conversation and feel comfortable about everything I’m saying. Whether I’m talking to the coaches, or talking to the amateur scouts, pro scouts or the players, I feel comfortable because I’ve done those jobs.”

If there’s anyone who can turn the Coyotes into a winner, Armstrong is the man. He has surprised many in the game with his hockey ops and front-office success, but he’s always believed in himself.

“I’m very grateful for my career,” he said. “It’s not like everyone else. I set out to play in the NHL, and I never made it, but along the way, I’ve collected a Memorial Cup, a Calder Cup and collected a Stanley Cup. I don’t think I’m any more talented than anybody else, but I do think I have the ability to fit into a team and make it better.”

He tried to make the P-Bruins a better team on March 20, 1999, but the IceCats’ legendary pregame meal did him in before his playing career officially ended that night.

Armstrong will always remember Worcester.

—Contact Joe McDonald at JMcDonald2@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeyMacHockey.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong will always have soft spot for Worcester