December 28, 2011
Sky's the limit
Influence of old Clinton Comets has stayed with Utica native and Devils rising star Palmieri
by Wayne Fish/Columnist
Stand outside on a clear, moonlit night somewhere near Utica, N.Y., and, if a comet crosses the sky, you might not think much of it.
But once upon a time, the name of that heavenly body became a hockey team, leading to one young boy’s dream of someday becoming an NHL player.
The club was the Clinton Comets.
And the kid was Nick Palmieri, now an emerging star whose incandescence burns a little brighter each day with the New Jersey Devils.
The Clinton Comets of what was once the Eastern Hockey League came – in 1954 -- and went – in 1973 -- long before Palmieri was born. Yet, the team’s legacy of five Walker Cups (1958, ‘64, ‘68, ’69 and ‘70) remains in the upstate community’ s folklore to this day.
For a young Palmieri growing up in the 1990s, the Comets’ aura affected him in a material way. Many of the former Comet players settled in the area, and some stayed in the business as scouts, coaches and so forth.
“It was the big show in town,” Palmieri recalled. “I was fortunate when I was young to have a lot of those guys as coaches -- former players and people that knew the game well. I was lucky in that aspect.”
So the Comets, in some fashion, helped forge his hockey career.
Then the actions of another team, the Devils, might have helped steer him along to the very top of his profession.
New Jersey moved its AHL affiliate to Utica in 1987, where it remained until 1993. But even after the farm club was moved to Albany, N.Y., many Utica fans maintained an allegiance to the Devils organization, which prompted the team to play some exhibition games there.
One of the fans in attendance: a young Nick Palmieri.
That left a big impression.
“That was one of the first games I ever saw,” he said. “I was the first from my family to actually play hockey.”
Although he had a crush on the two-time Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche at the time, the Devils were starting to grow on him, which made it seem hard to believe when the Devils selected him in the third round (79th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
There were tough times at first. He spent three-plus seasons with the OHL’s Erie Otters, but the team lacked experience and talent, failing to make the playoffs during that span.
So Palmieri welcomed a trade to the Belleville Bulls, where a 14-goals-in-17-playoff-games performance in 2008-09 put his talent level squarely on the NHL radar.
“I think it was just a better team,” said Palmieri. “We had a younger team in Erie. Belleville was kind of a more experienced, older team. They had gone to the Memorial Cup the year before. They had a better idea of what it took to win games. It was kind of a culture change. I think it was a good experience to play in a winning atmosphere.”
From there, it just kept getting better.
After parts of two seasons in the minors, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Palmieri was called up to the big club for good in January, just in time to help the Devils launch a remarkable 26-7-3 run, one that fell just short of erasing an abysmal start and getting to the postseason.
Now, the 22-year-old Palmieri is viewed as one of those young talents who won’ t allow the Devils to slip back to their losing ways in the fall of 2010.
“It was awesome,” said Palmieri of the late charge. “It’s not something that happens to every team in the league. Obviously we were in a position where it was do or die for us. That’s what we needed to do just to try to get into the picture.”
Palmieri pitched in with nine goals and a total of 17 points with a plus-9 rating. He finished his season by playing for the U.S. in the World Championships. This year, he’s off to a decent start and is on pace for about a 15-goal season, even after getting sent down to Albany in late November.
“We fell a little short of our goal but it put us on the right track and showed us that we could win with the guys that we have,” he said. “Coming into this year, I think we just have to pick up where we left off.”
Last year, the Devils thought enough of him to let him play on a line with Ilya Kovalchuk. Palmieri’s ability to play in small spaces and use his size in front of the net complemented Kovalchuk’ s offensive skills.
“He’s a great player,” Palmieri said, “so it was a great opportunity for me to come in and play with a guy like that, and Travis Zajac, too. I think I did well to take advantage of that. I think that put me on the right track heading into this year.”
The important thing for Palmieri right now is to be responsible at both ends of the ice.
“Unless you’ re a first-line guy that’ s going to get a hundred points, what you have to be in this league is reliable with play at both ends of the ice,” he said. “My defensive game has to be as good as or better than my offensive game, night in, night out. So, it’s something that you have to work at. It’s not something that just happens.
“Once you start to figure it out, play the right way, it feels good. You know that you are making a difference defensively and not giving up goals for the other team.”
Palmieri still has to pinch himself once in a while to make sure this isn’t all a dream. Now, his family can get in a car and be in Newark in a few hours to watch him play.
“When I was young I dreamed about playing in the NHL,” he said. “I think for my family and my friends, they really enjoy the fact that they can drive down and come watch me play whenever they want.
“It’s an unbelievable experience to share that with your family and be able to have them come watch you play. If I was on the West Coast, it would not be easy on them. I’m definitely thankful I can share the experience with them.”
Nick has a 7-year-old brother, Jack, who’ s just getting into hockey. Maybe some nights he looks up into the sky, too, and dreams about being like his older sibling.
All it might take is a comet.
Wayne Fish can be reached at feedback@nyhockeyjournal.com.
NHL NY/NJ NOTES
Wings’ Miller comes to brother’s defense
Ryan Miller wasn’t the only member of his family to think his collision with Milan Lucic last month was a cheap shot on the part of the Bruins’ winger. Brother Drew Miller (Dover, N.J.), a forward for the Red Wings, echoed the Sabres netminder’s sentiments.
“It’s unfortunate,” the Detroit forward told Fox Sports. “You watch that happen a lot, a guy racing for the puck like that and you see the goalie slides and the guy flies over him like different highlights in the past like that. He actually ran right through him. He’s a pretty big guy, so it’s a pretty dirty play.
“I know I had a bump with the goalie on Minnesota a couple weeks ago, but I checked the boards first. My intention was to take the boards away so it makes me look like I ran the goalie, but my whole mindset was to avoid him at all costs. It looked like Lucic tried to run right through Ryan.”
The elder of the Miller brothers suffered a concussion after getting crunched by Lucic and, according to Drew, was still shaken up about it days later.
“He’s pretty rattled about it, just that someone would actually do that and he’s upset that he’s got a concussion,” Drew Miller said. “He hasn’t said what grade or how long, but I know he has some stiffness and headaches and stuff so I don’t know what degree. He’ll be out for a bit. It’s a tough one to see.”
Bogosian feeling right at home in Winnipeg
After bursting onto the scene in 2008-09 as a rookie with the Thrashers, Zach Bogosian’s final two years in Atlanta were hard on the young defenseman. While the team once again fell short of a playoff spot, the Massena, N.Y., native failed to live up to the lofty expectations he created in his first year as a pro, sporting a combined minus-45 rating over the past two seasons.
But a move to Winnipeg by the organization has given Bogosian a fresh start and, so far, he’s capitalized on it.
“In my first three years I experienced a lot of things I’m sure a lot of 21-year-olds don’t experience,” Bogosian told the Winnipeg Free Press. “But that’s in the past now. I just enjoy playing here now and we have such a good group of guys. I feel more comfortable around the guys now to be myself.
“Confidence and being comfortable are huge. Last year, the way my year was going I really wasn’t sure what it was going to be like day-to- day. Now I know I’ve kind of established myself as a hard working guy that comes to work every day. I love coming to the rink now.”
Kane empathizes with fellow Chicago star Rose
As a 16-year-old member of the U.S. National Under-18 team and a diehard fan of the game, Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y.) was devastated when the NHL canceled the entire 2004-05 season. The Blackhawks star forward could only imagine what NBA players were thinking when it appeared their entire season might be lost.
He especially empathized with fellow 23-year-old Derrick Rose, the Chicago Bulls guard who captured the MVP award last season.
“I was devastated when the NHL canceled the season, so I can’t even imagine being a player through one,” Kane said in a recent interview. “It’d be horrible, especially so early in (Rose’s) career.
“I’m a big basketball fan and when you go to watch the Bulls, he’s the guy you look to for doing something special. And he usually doesn’t disappoint. Obviously, he had an unbelievable year winning the MVP. I was lucky enough to go to some of the games and see some of the things he did. He seems like he’s unstoppable.”
Fortunately for Rose — and Kane — the NBA reached an agreement with its players and ended its lockout. The season was expected to begin Christmas Day, when Rose and the Bulls tip off against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers as part of an opening-day tripleheader.
Foligno brothers may soon be rivals
Games against the Ducks might not be the only time Nick Foligno (Buffalo, N.Y.) squares off against a family member in the near future. With father Mike Foligno, a veteran of 1,018 NHL games, already in Anaheim as an assistant coach, young brother Marcus may be on the verge of earning a promotion to the bigs with the Buffalo Sabres.
Drafted 104th overall by Buffalo in 2009, Marcus has been off to a strong start in his first pro campaign after four years with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. The 6-foot-3 forward has seven goals in 16 games and could soon become the second member of the Foligno clan in the Northeast Division.
“As a young guy you read into where you’re playing, who you’re playing with, why you didn’t get called up,” Nick told CBC when asked about what the development process his brother is going through. “All those things can take away from your game. You need to go out there and play the best you can every night. You need to enjoy yourself. It can be a lot of fun and everything goes by so quickly.
“I’m really proud of him. He wants to be playing in Buffalo in a hurry. But he’s working hard and finding his way in his first year of pro hockey. The hard work will pay off.”
— JESSE CONNOLLY
