The Alaska Aces today announced their 2016 Hall of Fame class -- among players, the honored will be Anchorage Aces winger Paul Williams of Anchorage, defenseman Matt Shasby of Anchorage, defenseman Peter Metcalf and winger Barrett Heisten of Anchorage. Also to be inducted are former broadcaster Jack Michaels and fan Ron Tomblinson.
The players all scored a punch of points. Shasby, Metcalf and Heisten all played on the team that in 2006 won the first of the franchise's three Kelly Cups in the ECHL.
But here are some things you may not know about the players and Metcalf.
Shasby: A reporter's dream because he has a glib sense of humor and loves to bring the funny. For instance, when he "retired'' after the 2009 season, Shasby said, "I don't believe you can 'retire' from minor-league pro hockey -- you just kind of do something else.''
Metcalf: Cagey dude. Remember one time he blocked a shot, with his gut if memory serves, to kickstart a 2-on-1. As Metcalf slowly made his way to the bench, he hesitated long enough to watch his team score a goal. Metcalf said there was no way he was stepping off the ice when his shot block had the chance to generate a plus for him in the plus-minus category. Once the goal was scored, Metcalf stepped onto the bench. No flies on him.
Heisten: In this old man's 30+ years of experience covering hockey, dude was easily the fastest dresser after a game, and the fastest interview. You'd have to hustle down to the room if you wanted to get a quote from Heisten because he was almost always the first dude out of the room, and he was fast. He'd gladly stop to talk, and man he talked fast. Direct, to the point, and so fast. Barrett would get your post-game interview done inside 60 seconds and give you what you needed.
Williams: Always marveled at his sweet hands. Asked him once how he developed such nifty hands and, if memory serves (hey, I'm old), he said it didn't hurt that he grew up stick-handling tennis balls in the basement of his family home.
Michaels: An amazing multi-tasker who, as a broadcaster, was excellent at weaving anecdotes into the play-by-play and yet still giving the listener a clear idea of what was going on. About that multi-tasking -- he once borrowed my computer on press row to make an airline reservation for an incoming player and never missed a beat during the game.