Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame: Binghamton adds trio to hockey hall
March 20, 2004

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Scott Lauber of Press Connects.com

Binghamton adds trio to hockey hall

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON-- Jon Smith spent a dozen seasons keeping hundreds of Binghamton pro hockey players healthy, so a healthy tribute was in order.

"There are probably some people who should be honored before me," Smith said Friday night as he joined the city's Hockey Hall of Fame. "But I assure you that no one will appreciate it more than I do right now."

And so it was that a man who did his job behind the scenes stepped front and center-ice before the Binghamton Senators met the Albany River Rats and watched a banner with his name and the names of ex-players Peter Laviolette and Bob Sullivan unfurl from the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena rafters before a sellout of 4,717.

The hall's roster numbers 20 since its 1998 inception.

Smith, the only inductee in attendance, was the certified athletic trainer for the Binghamton Whalers from 1982-90 and Rangers from 1990-94. It's usually the players, not their extensive support staff, who are immortalized like this.

"I knew I wasn't going to be in the limelight as a trainer, but that never mattered to me," said Smith, now the assistant athletic director and head trainer at Broome Community College. "I was just trying to contribute to making the players better athletes, and I woke up every morning looking forward to going to work."

A single father, work occupied much of Smith's time. His son Phil was in attendance Friday night.

For the many friends who offered their help, Smith had a long list of thank-you's.

Laviolette and Sullivan also had plenty to say during the 25-minute pre-game ceremony. They just couldn't be here.

Sullivan's remarks came from Phaffenhoffen, Germany, where he's been coaching since his retirement in 2001. A winger with the AHL Whalers from 1981-84 and the author of a 28-game point-scoring streak in 1981-82, Sullivan was represented by his daughter, Jade, a college student in Sudbury, Ontario.

"To be recognized for something you love doing is the ultimate high in a hockey player's career," Sullivan wrote in an e-mail earlier this week. "I have so many wonderful memories of my years in Binghamton, but the support and encouragement I received from the organization, team and fans during my streak stands out."

Laviolette, now coaching the Carolina Hurricanes, was standing behind a bench Friday night, but the stay-at-home defenseman for the AHL Rangers from 1990-92 expressed his gratitude through a statement that was read by Senators executive vice president Tom Mitchell.

"To say that being inducted is a honor is a great understatement," Laviolette wrote. "I am forever grateful for everything this community of Binghamton hockey has done for me."