How the Peoria Rivermen have ties to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final
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PEORIA — The Peoria Rivermen again have ties to a team playing in the Stanley Cup Final as the NHL playoffs conclude with the championship round, which begins June 3.
A senior advisor and an athletic trainer for the Eastern Conference champions Florida Panthers once were part of Peoria’s hockey franchise.
Rivermen Hall of Fame winger Paul Fenton — a member of the 41-year franchise’s inaugural team in the 1982-83 International Hockey League season — is a senior advisor to Panthers general manager Bill Zito. Florida’s assistant athletic trainer Brian Riedel became Rivermen trainer in the 2017-18 SPHL season, his first pro hockey job.
More: Rivermen trainer Brian Riedel keeps SPHL’s top team patched up, ready to play
More Peoria Rivermen ties
In the Western Conference finals, Vegas Golden Knights lead the Dallas Stars 3-1. If Vegas wraps up that series and heads to the Stanley Cup Final, it will add another former Rivermen to the series.
The Vegas roster includes former St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who played one game for the Rivermen in the AHL during the 2008-09 season.
If Dallas manages a comeback, there are Rivermen ties with that team as well: Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa played 14 games for the AHL Rivermen in 2012-13.
Last season, former AHL Rivermen head coach Jared Bednar, now coach at Colorado, led the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup, the first former Peoria coach to do so. Two more former Rivermen players were part of that Stanley Cup win, including Erik Johnson (player) and Dan Laperriere (Colorado scout).
Peoria Rivermen on the Stanley Cup
Here’s a list of former Peoria Rivermen players whose…
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