Mallards sign minors’ top active goal scorer
The Quad-City Mallards were looking for some offensive punch.
Where better to start than with minor league hockey’s leading active goals scorer?
Don Parsons, a 15th-year forward whose 585 goals rank ninth on minor-league hockey’s all-time list, will be in uniform at 7:30 tonight when the Mallards visit the Rockford IceHogs.
“He’s got it,’’ Mallards coach Brian Curran said after Parsons participated in a Thursday morning practice. “You don’t do what he has done without having something special. Even when he is out there just fooling around, you can see what he is capable of.’’
The 37-year-old Parsons has 1,125 career points, with 540 assists in 811 regular-season games.
He has scored 100 or more points in a season four times and scored 50 or more goals in six seasons, and needs 26 goals to pass Joe Burton as the all-time leading U.S.-born minor leaguer.
Parsons skated seven seasons in the ECHL, and played seven games at the Triple-A level. He was the UHL’s fifth leading scorer in his lone season in Flint seven years ago.
Parsons also has 59 goals in the postseason in his career, and has been a part of three championships while competing in league finals on two other occasions.
He had 55 goals as recently as two seasons ago at Memphis, when he led the Central Hockey League in goals for a third time.
Parsons spent the previous six seasons in Memphis, winning championships in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. He was CHL MVP both seasons and was named CHL Man of the Year in 2003-2004.
An early-season slump followed by a broken collarbone slowed Parson’s production in Memphis last year, where he had 29 goals and 36 assists in 52 games.
And he was pondering retirement after Memphis coach Kevin McClelland opted not to bring him back.
Then, Mallards president Tim Taylor called.
“When he called I just thought I was going to retire,’’ Parsons said. “The next week, I figured I was ready. I don’t want to be pushed out of the game.
“I know from playing in Flint that Quad-Cities is a class organization and I might as well end my career in a great place,’’ said Parsons, who signed a two-year deal.
At 37, the native Bostonian said he still has plenty of game.
“If there was any doubt whether I could do it or not, I wouldn’t have taken a chance selling my house in Memphis and moving the kids to different schools and a different city after seven years,” said the married father of three. “I love the game. I know I can do it. I know I can be a big part of the team.
“Plus, I know as soon I retire I’m going to have a lot of pains so I am going to delay that as long as I can.”
Parsons discovered on arrival in the Quad-Cities he may have few immediate aches and pains for having joined Curran’s conditioning-heavy practices.
“I didn’t do my homework too much on coach,’’ he said, “but everything I hear is I am going to be in shape by next month.”
Curran said he will spot Parsons in and out of games tonight and again Saturday in Fort Wayne as the Mallards attempt to improve after last weekend’s 9-2 season-opening loss in Muskegon.
Curran said he will decide today whether newcomers Ray Smegal and Ryan Oylnyk make their debuts this weekend. Also uncertain is whether rookie defenseman Marcus Reszka and first-year forward Tim Plett come off the injured reserve list.
Certain not to play are veteran forward Jeff Petruic, who is out injured for an extended period, and veteran defenseman Andrei Lupandin, who arrived from the Ukraine this week but is not yet in playing shape.
“Obviously, I have some tough decision to make,’’ Curran said. “A few players are going to be playing for their jobs this weekend and wherever it lands, it lands. We’ve got a lot up front.’’
Front and center is Parsons, who Curran expects to be a big contributor on and off the ice.
“Here is a guy who has had an incredible career,’’ said the coach. “He loves to play the game and he has won championships. People like that know what it takes and can be a great asset in the lockerroom.’’
Parsons hopes that is the case.
“The championship teams I have been involved with were some of the best lockerrooms I have ever been in,’’ he said.
In addition to his back-to-back titles in Memphis, Parsons scored 46 goals and dished 103 assists for the UHL champion Flint Generals in 1999-2000.
He also scored 10 goals in a postseason run that included a four-game sweep of the Mallards in the championship series.
“I took a championship away from the Quad-Cities,’’ Parsons said. “Now, I’m here trying to bring it back.’’
Craig DeVrieze can be contacted at (563) 333-2610 or cdevrieze@qctimes.com