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Mike Stothers still holds the record for most penalties with the Hershey Bears – a whopping 283 minutes in 1986-87. The former tough guy says a recent battle with cancer has only made him a touch less intense.
“I don’t think I would use the word ‘mellowed’ but I am a bit more tolerant about mistakes that happen on the ice,” the assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins says over the phone from Pennsylvania.
“I’m more realistic about appreciating what I have in life. I’ve been in hockey since I was five years old – and that makes me the luckiest guy in the world.”
A product of the Kingston Canadians, he still has a big place in his heart for the Limestone City. He attended Bayridge Secondary School, where he met his wife Judi.
“Yes, I married my high school sweetheart,” he says. The couple has two daughters and three grandchildren.
In 1979, the Toronto native was drafted by the Canadians and spent the next three years with the squad.
“I was thrilled to be drafted by Kingston. I would have been happy to have played anywhere but Kingston turned out to be fantastic.”
Even decades later, he can still recall his first day at training camp. “I was 6 ft 4 inches tall but I only weighed 187 pounds. The first person I met was Tim Kerr – who weighed almost 40 pounds more than me. I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into.”
In fact, he had joined the team at an opportune moment. In 1980-81, the Canadians had the strongest playoff run in franchise history, a record that is comparable to Kingston Frontenacs playoff drives in 1993 and 2018. Kingston made it to the league semi-final before losing to the Sault Greyhounds.
Kingston was loaded with talent. Future pros included Bernie Nicholls, Scott Howson and Rik Wilson. And they were coached by the legendary Jim Morrison and his assistant Jim Dorey, a former star with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Morrison was always very positive and emphasized the importance of learning,” Stothers recalls. “He was like a grandfather figure and Jim Dorey’s experience was valuable.”
“As a team, we grew on the ice. The coaches were great role models. They taught us about the sacrifices we would need to make to get deep in the playoffs.”
After all these years, Stothers is still irked by the loss to the Greyhounds. “I was a little disappointed that we didn’t go further. Kingston is a city that deserves to go to the Memorial Cup tournament.”
That hasn’t happened since 1926 when the Kingston Combines went to the final.
Taken off the ice on a stretcher
In the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, Stothers was selected in the first round (21st overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers.
He vividly remembers his first game with Philadelphia that year. A Washington player fired a slapshot from the point and it struck Stothers in the face. He crumpled to the ice as blood poured out of his broken nose.
“Some players score a goal in their first game in the NHL. My claim to fame in mine was that I got taken off the ice on a stretcher.”
He went on to play 10 seasons in the NHL and AHL, including 18 games with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Much of his career was spent in Hershey - during eight seasons with the Chocolatetown squad, he totaled 1,519 penalty minutes.
“I attribute that to poor officiating,” he jokes. In fact, he’s philosophical about the dubious record.
“Back then, it was a very physical and intimidating style of play. Every player had a niche to fill and being tough was mine. I have a bit of an Irish temper that sometimes got the better of me.”
“But I don’t necessarily tell my grandchildren about the penalty record with Hershey,” he laughs.
Still, his play there was strong enough to earn him a spot two years ago in the Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame.
After hanging up his skates, Stothers turned to coaching, serving in the American, Ontario and Western leagues. He was named the top coach in the AHL in 2015 after leading the Manchester Monarchs to a Calder Cup championship.
He joined the Anaheim Ducks as an assistant coach in 2021. In March 2023 he discovered a pea-sized growth on his groin area. While on a road trip in Tampa Bay, he got a call from his oncologist – he had Stage 3 melanoma of the lymph nodes.
Stothers immediately phoned his wife and daughters but decided to continue with the road trip.
“I wanted to keep occupied and didn’t want to be a distraction for the players and the coaching staff,” he recalls. “During games it’s incredibly busy and I couldn’t load extra work on the other coaches.”
When he finally made it back to California, he met with the oncologist and broke down crying. The treatment plan: A series of immunotherapy infusions followed by surgery. It was successful and at this point he is cancer free.
The Ducks management were supportive and gave him whatever time he needed to recover. However, they were shifting his position to the back office and he decided to retire. Then the Pittsburgh Penguins came calling, offering an opportunity to go behind the bench again as an assistant coach. He loves the new job.
Last season, the Penguins made the playoffs and then lost in the first round to the rival Philadelphia Flyers.
“I think we exceeded the expectations of the hockey pundits who predicted we would be bottom dwellers. This year, we plan to build on that success with a team that is much improved.”
“We’re ready.”
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