A bit of sad news to relay. John Spoltore, former ECHL leading scorer passed away this week.
In addition to being a tremendous hockey player, John was a great person. I only knew him for a short time, but the composure and class he exhibited on the ice was always shown when he skates came off.
Thoughts and condolences go out to John's family as well as those of Vince Scott's.
John can be seen in this video playing on a line with Rob Weingartner and Don Parsons.
A very sad day. John played a huge part in Providence's Calder Cup championship back in '99 potting three straight game winning goals including two in OT after getting called up just for the playoffs. My thoughts are with John's family today.
A very sad day. John played a huge part in Providence's Calder Cup championship back in '99 potting three straight game winning goals including two in OT after getting called up just for the playoffs. My thoughts are with John's family today.
One of the amazing things about John that always struck me was his humility as well as his understanding of the game and the industry. He said he was always told he wasn't fast enough for the AHL, but everytime he was up there he put points on the board. There was not one trace of bitterness in his voice. He said he understood how the game was and was happy with his career.
Oh man... so sad to see a loss this premature. I still remember Spoltore's assist touch when he was paired on a line with Mark Woolf on the 2001-02 WCHL San Diego Gulls - just a scoring monster. He will me mourned, for certain.
Spoltore absolutely made me sick when he was a member of the IceGators. He wasn't quick or big, but he was always in the right spot and would pass like Datsyuk sometimes against my Kingfish. Then, I got to talk to him once and even though I could not stand that team, that guy earned my respect as a stand up, regular guy.
Damn, I was young kid who had just started playing hockey and I remember watching him against the Stingrays way back in the day when they would battle it out as top ECHL teams. He was a great player. RIP John.
