Glenn Allan "Chico" Resch (born July 10, 1948) is a
Canadian-American
Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship.
The term ''Canadian'' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. Canadians ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
and television
sportscaster. He played in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) from
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
to
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
, and won a
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
with the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
in
1979–80. He has served as the
color commentator
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...
for telecasts of
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
games on
MSG Network
The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by MSG Entertainment, Inc.—a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation (itself a spin-off of local cable provider ...
and
MSG Plus
MSG Sportsnet (visually branded on-air as MSGSN) is an American regional sports network owned by MSG Entertainment; it operates as a sister channel to MSG Network. The network serves the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cov ...
.
Playing career
Junior and minor pro hockey
Resch started his playing career as goalie for the
University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. After earning a degree in education, he turned pro with the
Muskegon Mohawks
The Muskegon Mohawks were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1965 to 1984. Muskegon were Turner Cup champions in 1968.
This team was originally named the Muskegon Zephyrs. After the completion of ...
of the
IHL where he won three awards in his first season: the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the fewest goals allowed, rookie of the year honours, and selection to the First All-Star team.
The following year he graduated to the
New Haven Nighthawks
The New Haven Nighthawks were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1972 to 1992. They had affiliations with the Minnesota North Stars (1972–1977), New York Islanders (1972–1973), New York Rangers (19 ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
and then spent most of the 1973–74 season with the
Fort Worth Wings
The Fort Worth Texans were a professional ice hockey team based in Fort Worth, Texas. They started play in 1967 as the Fort Worth Wings, a minor league affiliate for the Detroit Red Wings. They were part of the Central Hockey League and played t ...
of the
CHL, where he won the league's MVP Honours and was voted a First Team All Star. He made his NHL debut with the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
on February 3, 1974, in a 4–2 loss to the
California Golden Seals
The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The S ...
and earned his first NHL victory two nights later, with a 6–2 win over the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
, before returning to the Wings for the remainder of the season.
New York Islanders
The next season,
1974–75 was Resch's first full year in the NHL. In 25 games, he had twelve wins, seven losses, and five ties, with three shut-outs and a 2.47 goals against average. He did well in the playoffs too, earning eight wins, four losses and a 2.17 goals against average. Resch was in goal as the Islanders overcame 3–0 deficits against the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
and
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
. The Islanders defeated the Penguins in seven games, winning the decisive game 1–0 on a goal by team captain
Ed Westfall
Edwin Vernon Westfall (born September 19, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders from 1961 until 1978–79. Notable as a d ...
. The comeback is considered one of the greatest in sports history and is one of only five times in history that a
North American professional sports team won a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games (the others were the
1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs, the
2004 Boston Red Sox (
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
), the
2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers, and the
2013–14 Los Angeles Kings). In the following round, the Islanders again rallied from a 3–0 deficit to force a game seven, but the Flyers eliminated the Islanders with a 4–1 win in the deciding game.
In
1975–76, Resch played 44 games and earned 23 wins, 11 losses, eight ties, seven shut-outs and a 2.07 goals against average resulting in his being selected to the
Second All-Star team by season's end. Over the next few seasons, he shared the goaltending duties with another promising young goalie,
Billy Smith. In 1978–79, Resch and Smith backstopped the Islanders to the best regular season record in the league, and Resch earned
Second All-Star team honours again. However, the team was beaten by the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
in the Stanley Cup semifinals.
In 1979–80, his sixth full season with the Islanders, Resch served as the backup through most of the team's successful playoff run to the Stanley Cup. He was one of the key players from the Islanders' 1979 first place team who left the team or had their roles diminished; before the end of the season, General Manager
Bill Torrey
William Arthur Torrey (June 23, 1934 – May 2, 2018) was a Canadian hockey executive. He served as a general manager in the National Hockey League for the Oakland Seals, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers. He developed the Islanders in ...
had traded away longtime and popular veterans
Billy Harris and
Dave Lewis to the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
in return for
Butch Goring
Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. He is a four- ...
.
Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils
The next season, on March 10, 1981, Resch was traded to the struggling
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
along with
Steve Tambellini
Steven Anthony Tambellini (born May 14, 1958) is a Canadian former NHL player and former general manager for the Edmonton Oilers (July 2008 – April 2013). He is currently a scout for the Anaheim Ducks.
Playing career
Steve Tambellini played hi ...
for
Mike McEwen and
Jari Kaarela. He returned to
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
for the first time as an opponent on February 20, 1982. The Islanders defeated the Rockies 3–2 on a goal in the final minute by
John Tonelli
John Alexander Tonelli (born March 23, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward from Milton, Ontario. He was a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Islanders, and also played with the Calgary Flames, Los Angele ...
. The victory was the Islanders' 15th straight, which set an NHL record at the time. Resch played in Colorado for the rest of the 1980–81 season and the
1981–82 season before the franchise moved to
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
to become the
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
. Resch shouldered a heavy load over the next few years, but the Devils did not win many games.
Philadelphia Flyers
Resch was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers on March 11, 1986, for a third-round pick in the
1986 NHL Entry Draft
The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was the 24th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 21, 1986, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the revers ...
(who turned out to be
Marc Laniel
Marc Laniel (born January 16, 1968 in Oshawa, Ontario) is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted in the third round, 62nd overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He played the first ten years of his p ...
). He served as a backup to rookie sensation
Ron Hextall
Ronald Jeffrey Hextall (born May 3, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and executive. He is the current general manager#Sports teams, general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hext ...
in 1986–87. Resch did not play in the 1987 playoffs, when the Flyers defeated his old team, the New York Islanders, in seven games in the second round. In the pre-game warm-up of game six of the conference finals with the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
, Resch was ejected from one of the games for his part in starting a pre-game brawl with Montreal's
Claude Lemieux
Claude Percy Lemieux (born July 16, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for six teams between 1983 and 2009. Lemieux won four Stanley Cup championships during his care ...
. The Flyers won that series but lost to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in the Stanley Cup Finals. In 1986–87 he went 6–5–2 in 17 games, his first winning season since he left the Islanders. When he retired in 1987, he was the last active player who had been born in the 1940s.
International play
Resch is the only goaltender to represent two different countries at
Canada Cup
The Canada Cup (french: Coupe Canada) was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world ...
. In 1976, he was a member of the Canadian team, whereas in 1984 he represented the United States as he attained U.S. citizenship after marrying an American and being a legal resident for many years. In 1981, he turned down Don Cherry's offer to represent Canada at the
1981 World Ice Hockey Championships
The 1981 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Sweden between 12 and 26 April 1981, with games being played in the arenas of Scandinavium in Gothenburg and Johanneshovs isstadion in Stockholm. Eight teams took part, first splitting into t ...
in Sweden, and represented the U.S. at the same tournament
the following year in Finland.
Personal life
Resch resides in
Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Lyndhurst is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 20,554, reflecting an increase of 1,171 (+6.0%) from the 19,383 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in tur ...
during the NHL season and in
Brainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluence with ...
and
Emily, Minnesota
Emily is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 813 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the Brainerd, Minnesota, Brainerd Brainerd micropolitan area, Micropoli ...
in the off-season. During his playing career with the Devils he lived in
Little Ferry and
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958,[Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...]
and
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
, where the Devils play their home games.
[Yorio, Kara]
"Canadian born, former Islander, Flyer and Devil has become a Jersey guy"
''The Record (Bergen County)
''The Record'' (also called ''The North Jersey Record'', ''The Bergen Record'', ''The Sunday Record'' (Sunday edition) and formerly ''The Bergen Evening Record'') is a newspaper in New Jersey, United States. Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and P ...
'', October 13, 2013. Accessed October 13, 2013. "Resch is well-known in his Lyndhurst neighborhood where he and his wife, Diane, have lived during the NHL season for the last decade." His daughter, Holly is an artist and she illustrated of one of Resch's books, ''Tales from the Devils Ice''. Resch is one of the supporters and coaches for Hockey Ministries International in the off-season, where he teaches young boys and girls hockey and ethic skills at Christian Hockey Camps.
Resch was given the nickname "Chico" by the Islanders' teammate
Doug Rombough, after the character portrayed by
Freddie Prinze
Frederick James Prinze Sr. (born Frederick Karl Pruetzel; June 22, 1954 – January 29, 1977) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Prinze was the star of the NBC-TV sitcom ''Chico and the Man'' from 1974 until his suicide in 1977. Prinze ...
on the 1970s sit-com ''
Chico and the Man
''Chico and the Man'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for four seasons from September 13, 1974, to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown (the Man), the cantankerous owner of a run-down garage in an East Los ...
''.
[ Chants of "Let's go, Chico!" rang out at every Devils' game when he played. In the early 2000s, the same nickname was given to the ]Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...
' goaltender Robert Esche
Robert L. Esche (born January 22, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who is the current president of the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Utica City FC of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). ...
, whose sticks were labeled 'R.ESCHE', which resembled "RESCH".
Awards and honors
Resch played in the NHL All-Star game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...
in 1976, 1977, and 1984; in the 1984 game he was the winning goaltender for the Wales Conference. Also, he was named to the Postseason Second All-Star team in 1976 and 1979.
Broadcasting career
Resch was considered to be a good subject for interviews during his playing days, so it was no surprise that he became a television commentator. He began broadcasting during his playing days, often working as an analyst for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
's ''Hockey Night in Canada
CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...
'' in the playoffs if his team missed the playoffs or have been eliminated from Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
contention.
After retiring as a player, he worked as a color commentator on the Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
' television broadcasts during the 1987–88 and 1988–89 seasons.
After working as a general manager for a Canadian junior hockey team and as a professional coach, mainly for the Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
, Resch served for fifteen years on Fox Sports New York (later renamed MSG Plus
MSG Sportsnet (visually branded on-air as MSGSN) is an American regional sports network owned by MSG Entertainment; it operates as a sister channel to MSG Network. The network serves the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cov ...
) as a commentator on New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
games with announcer Mike Emrick
Michael "Doc" Emrick (born August 1, 1946) is an American former network television play-by-play sportscaster and commentator noted mostly for his work in ice hockey. He was the lead announcer for National Hockey League national telecasts on bot ...
. After Emrick left to work for NBC exclusively, Resch spent the next three years paired with Steve Cangialosi. Shortly before the end of the 2013–14 season, Resch announced that he would be leaving the Devils crew and moving to Minnesota at the wish of his wife. He called his last Devils game on April 13, 2014. On October 5, 2017, the New Jersey Devils announced that Resch would be joining their radio broadcast team as the color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Matt Loughlin
Matt Loughlin is an American sportscaster who is the radio play-by-play voice of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League on WFAN, where he is partnered with former goaltender and former Devils TV color commentator Chico Resch.
Loughl ...
.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Resch, Chico
1948 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey goaltenders
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winners
Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
Canadian sports announcers
Colorado Rockies (NHL) players
Fort Worth Wings players
Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs men's ice hockey players
Minnesota North Stars coaches
Minnesota North Stars scouts
Muskegon Mohawks players
National Hockey League All-Stars
National Hockey League broadcasters
New Haven Nighthawks players
New Jersey Devils announcers
New Jersey Devils players
New York Islanders players
Ottawa Senators coaches
Ottawa Senators scouts
People from Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Philadelphia Flyers coaches
Philadelphia Flyers players
Regina Pats players
Sportspeople from Moose Jaw
Stanley Cup champions
Undrafted National Hockey League players