After long wait, Jacksonville ready to welcome hockey hoopla at ECHL All-Star Classic
All-Star Weekend is finally here.
Even if the Jacksonville Icemen had to wait an extra year.
Delayed and disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the ECHL's annual All-Star Classic finally makes its First Coast stop this weekend at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena ahead of Monday's game.
A team of 26 selected players from around the league — one from every other ECHL franchise — will take on the host Jacksonville Icemen at 7:30 p.m. Monday night, now among the highest-ranked Kelly Cup contenders under first-year head coach Nick Luukko.
The NHL Network will broadcast the game nationwide, an uncommon platform for a league where players typically compete far from the national spotlight.
"People back home will be able to watch, friends, family and all that, so it'll be cool to play for that kind of audience," forward Abbott Girduckis said.
But the competition on the ice isn't the only aspect of the weekend.
The Stanley Cup trophy itself will be making a stop at the arena for the Fan Fest, along with the ECHL's Kelly Cup trophy and three of the major NHL individual awards: the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff most valuable player), Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) and Vezina Trophy (goaltender of the year).
The Hockey Hall of Fame will also display several exhibits at the arena, highlighting the history of the game.
For the Icemen, among the best-supported franchises in the 27-team league — the ECHL lists the club with an average home crowd of 5,991, surpassed only by Toledo and Fort Wayne — the weekend is a showcase to display both the city of Jacksonville and the talents of the home team's players.
"A bunch of us have never been in an All-Star Game, so it's a good experience for us," forward Ben Hawerchuk said.
Jacksonville currently ranks second in the ECHL South Division, in spite of losing more than a half-dozen players within the past month in call-ups to the American Hockey League, one tier below the NHL. Goaltender Charles Williams, signed Thursday by the Rochester Americans, is the latest of the Icemen on the way up.
Girduckis, tied for the lead in goals with seven among players currently on the roster, said the Icemen have been taking the roster adjustments in stride.
"I think we're just trying to ride our momentum right now and trying to work together as a group, no matter who's in and who's called up," he said. "We're just going to keep it rolling."
For the Icemen, All-Star week represents a celebration in the middle of the 72-game grind, an oasis amid the bus rides and bruising checks of the looming playoff race.
"From the fans to the front office, everyone who's been around Jacksonville, it's exciting," Luukko said. "I know everyone had to wait an extra year, but you know it's finally coming, and I know everyone's super pumped to have it."
Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 2022 ECHL All-Star Classic: Jacksonville Icemen welcome hockey contest
