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Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
Wednesday, July 4, 2001
IceRays re-sign veteran forward
Wickenheiser decides to join Corpus Christi for another campaign
By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times
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| Wickenheiser |
Not even an hour after the Corpus Christi IceRays were eliminated from last season's playoffs, Kurt Wickenheiser was ready to call it quits.
"I may have just played my last game," Wickenheiser muttered before boarding the team bus in Tupelo.
Three months have passed since the T-Rex ousted the IceRays in their first-round playoff series, during which Wickenheiser has had time to rethink his future.
Corpus Christi announced Tuesday it had signed the veteran forward for the 2001-02 season, bringing back the team's leading scorer from last year.
"I couldn't imagine playing anywhere else," said the 36-year-old Wickenheiser, who led the IceRays with 29 goals and 36 assists last season. "I just want to win a championship so bad here in Corpus Christi. The last two years have been great. We've done a lot of work so far, but we're not done yet."
IceRays head coach Dale Henry said Wickenheiser "is the type of player you build a team around."
"He's been playing hockey for 15 years, so he definitely knows the game," said Henry, hired last month to replace Taylor Hall, now the team's general manager.
"When you can get a player that knows the game of hockey and has the skill and heart that Kurt possesses," Henry said, "then you do whatever it takes to sign him."
Following Corpus Christi's season-ending loss to Tupelo April 7, Wickenheiser said he felt he was at a crossroads.
"Every time you lose out like that, it's depressing," said Wickenheiser, who had three goals and three assists against the T-Rex in the playoffs. "I kind of felt in my heart maybe it was time to retire, but I wasn't sure."
Wickenheiser thought about becoming a head coach, and after speaking with Hall, entered his name for the IceRays' vacant position.
The turning point, Wickenheiser said, happened while back at home in Regina, Saskatchewan. It was advice from family friend Doug MacLean, president and general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets, that kept Wickenheiser in uniform.
"He said if you can still play, keep playing, because you can't always play. You can always coach, but you can't go back to playing," Wickenheiser said. "I had a GM in the NHL telling me to keep playing, so right then and there, I decided."
In just 135 games, second most by any player, Wickenheiser has become the most prolific scorer in the franchise's brief three-year history. He leads the IceRays in goals (92), and is second in assists (91) and points (183). Wickenheiser also leads the team with 14 game-winning goals.
Last season, Wickenheiser reached several career milestones, which included his 800th goal and 700th assist. Wickenheiser has scored 1,509 points in 713 games as a professional.
Contact Javier Becerra at 886-3734 or becerraj@caller.com
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