UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

East Coast GM copes with MS

A lot of guys in the East Coast Hockey League live with the constant fear that their next demotion will be right out of professional hockey. Those are pretty insignificant compared to the fears Pat Pylypuik must reconcile on a daily basis.

Pylypuik, formerly a rugged defenseman for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western League (juniors) and Toledo Storm of the ECHL, and currently the Toledo general manager, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993. The Ukrainian managed to play the rest of the 1993-1994 season, helping Toledo to a league championship, before retiring last season to concentrate on a career in management.

Doctors discovered Pylypuik had been afflicted with the disease since 1987. "I woke up one morning and it felt like I had a terrible hangover," said the 25-year-old native of Pinoka, Alberta. "My balance was off, and I would walk down the street and see things moving around. It was actually a relief to find out what it was."

MS is a disease that strikes most people in the prime of life. For reasons unknown, it attacks the nervous system and blocks messages from the brain to other parts of the body. It takes an incredible emotional toll on its victims because, while many can live a full life without major incidents, the victim never knows whether or when the disease will effectively paralyze him. There is no cure.

"If you talked to me two years ago about this, you would have been talking to a complete basket case," Pylypuik said. "But I've accepted it, and I don't see it as a handicap. I have it, I've accepted it, and it's time to move on."

Contrary to what people might think, the disease did not force Pylypuik into retirement or halt his development. On his retirement: "I stopped because the writing was on the wall, and I didn't want to be one of these guys just hanging on." On never being drafted by the NHL: "I just wasn't good enough. I had lots of chances, but I just wasn't good enough."

Youngest GM in pro hockey

Pat Pylypuik has many words in his vocabulary, and none of them are "quit." That is one thing Toledo Storm owner Barry Soskin noticed about Pylypuik on the ice. And that idea has stayed with Pylypuik in the front office.

On January 5, Soskin named Pylypuik the new Storm general manager. He became the youngest GM in professional hockey history.

"The transition was easy," said Soskin. "Last year, Pat excelled at his community relations position. He completely went over and above the responsibilities of that position, which showed me something. He proved to me that he could take on a position with fervor and not quit until the job gets done. He is a class act, he cares, he's responsible, funny, kind and demanding of himself."

Pylypuik was the first Storm player signed by the organization in 1991. As a player, he was part of two ECHL Riley Cup championship teams and one Brabham Cup team during his playing career in Toledo (he played for the Storm from the 1991-1992 inaugural season through the 1993-1994 Riley Cup season). He was selected to represent the Storm in February 1993 in the ECHL's first All-Star game.

Following the 1993-1994 season he retired from professional hockey. He served as community relations director for the 1994-1995 season. He was promoted before the start of this season to assistant to the president, and then became the third general manager in Toledo Storm history.

"As of right now I have set three types of goals for myself," Pylypuik said. "The first one is to work closely with my staff to stay focused in selling out the Sports Arena every night through aggressive group sales and to cut back operating expenses. My second is to continue on learning the business side and at the same time observe Greg Puhalski's running of the hockey operations. My long- term goal is to someday become a coach and general manager in the National Hockey League."

Pat and hockey are a perfect match, just like the Toledo hockey fans and the Storm.

"I was a rink rat growing up and could honestly never see myself outside the game of hockey," Pylypuik said. "I think the curiosity became more prevalent once I started setting up both the business and hockey operations of my summer hockey schools. I see myself as one of the luckiest people around. It's not very often a former player has the opportunity to move into the front office and at the same time continue to be part of the winning tradition here in Toledo."

With this new responsibility in the Storm front office, marriage (Pat married Ukrainian Laura Strezelewicz in September of 1995) and taking over the coaching reins for the Toledo Junior Storm hockey team, how does he manage everything?

"The key to the hectic day-to-day operations is time management," Pylypuik added. "At the end of every day I try and plan the next day ahead of me. For my wife, she has come a long way since her first hockey game when she left after the first period thinking the game was over since all the people were heading down the aisle. As for the Junior Storm, this has to be the most gratifying time away from my job. The kids I coach have come a long way. I honestly believe that one and possibly two will become pros. Kids today are begging for both discipline and direction. Add hard work, and we, as a team, feel that we can reach our goal of going to the nationals."

If Pylypuik the player needed someone to impress in the Storm organization, he definitely got the right person's attention in team owner Soskin.

"Pat's got a huge heart, a lot of grit and character and the penchant for making the most of his abilities," Soskin said. "He was always sticking up for his teammates, always playing hurt, getting a puck in his face and not missing a shift. This desire exemplifies Pat Pylypuik."

Soskin has been sort of a mentor for Pylypuik since he moved into the front office. And Soskin's vision, which brought hockey back to Toledo five years ago, proved he could beat the odds against it. That is something Pylypuik really admires in Soskin.

"Definitely so, Barry has tremendous vision for the future," Pylypuik said. "You have to admire a person who believed hockey would work in Toledo, five years ago when 99.9 percent said that he was crazy to even think of putting a team here. I don't think our relationship has changed. Barry expects commitment, hard work and loyalty. Once he sees this in an employee, he allows the individual to take on more responsibility."

The new general manager of the Storm has many fond memories of Toledo and will forever love it for what it means to the sport of hockey and the Toledo Storm.

"Toledo has to be the best place to play anywhere and to win two Riley Cups - words cannot describe the excitement and memories," Pylypuik said. "During my time as a player I was fortunate to play for a colorful coach in Chris McSorley, and with a great bunch of players. The support the fans give is second to none. Toledo is a hockey town from the old school, which is good considering I could count my career goals over three years on one hand."

Like many young Canadian kids growing up in western Canada, Pylypuik's goal was to make it in the NHL, and he loved the sport of hockey.

"Hockey has always been my life, from skating at a young age to turning pro," Pylypuik said. "You know it is great to see guys make it out of our league and get a shot in the NHL."

Whatever Pylypuik has accomplished in his life has been done with a lot of hard work, and it's something he thinks is part of every great success story.

"To me hard work is the single most important ingredient in becoming successful," he said. "Hard work is being able to stay focused, to get the job done even through the days in which you might feel like the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

Wherever Pylypuik goes in the professional hockey circle, it seems his hard work will continue to provide him many years of success.

Pat Pylypuik
Born: October 16, 1970, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Married: September 1995 to Laura Strezelewicz
Residence: Toledo, Ohio

Year	Team	Notes
1987	Western Canada	Captain of underage juniors team  paying in Czecho-Slovakia
1988-1989	Lethbridge (WHL)	Captain
1990-1991	Minnesota North Stars (NHL)  Kalamazoo (IHL)  Lethbridge (WHL)	Attended camp  Pre-season
1991-1992	Calgary Flames (NHL)    Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL)  Toledo Storm (ECHL)	Attended camp  Pre-season games vs. Edmonton  Pre-season games with Team Canada,  and Vancouver    First player signed by Storm  Brabham Cup Championship
1992-1993	Toledo Storm (ECHL)	ECHL All-Star  Riley Cup Championship
1993-1994	Toledo Storm (ECHL)	Riley Cup Championship

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 17, 1996, No. 11, Vol. LXIV

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