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Alumni game a thrill to ex-Pen

Tessier savored playing for WBS’ first AHL team

By Tom Venesky tvenesky@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter

Before Casey Harris could finish his question, Jean-Paul Tessier had an answer.

Harris called his former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins teammate to ask him if he’d like to play in Saturday’s alumni game.

Tessier, who was a defenseman on the first Penguins team in 1999-2000, said yes as soon as he heard Harris mention Wilkes-Barre.

“My time in Wilkes-Barre was the best days of my life,” Tessier said. “I will never forget that community.”

Tessier played 77 games for the inaugural Penguins team, posting nine points (three goals, six assists) and 106 penalty minutes. He was known as a physical defenseman with a penchant for throwing big hits.

But Tessier’s physical play isn’t what he remembers most about his playing days for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

“I’ve got memories of the first goal, first assist, first fight and the big hits,” Tessier said. “But the biggest memory I have is the last game we played that season against Hamilton. We didn’t win anything that year, but at the end of the game they lined us up on the ice and there was a capacity home crowd giving us a standing ovation. I’ll never forget that.”

It was because of the fans, Tessier said, that his decision to play in the alumni game was an easy one. During his single season for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Tessier said he and his teammates were recognized everywhere they went. On several occasions fans would stop by the house Tessier was sharing with Harris and Kurtis Drummond and drop off pies and other good eats.

“The fans made our time there great,” Tessier said.

Although injuries forced Tessier out of hockey after the 2000-01 season, he still gets recognized for his time in the Wilkes-Barre area even to this day.

And sometimes that recognition takes place in the unlikeliest of places by some unlikely people.

“I was playing in a charity hockey tournament last weekend in International Falls (Minn.) and I was wearing my Penguins hat,” Tessier said. “A guy came up and asked my name. I told him and he said he heard so much about me from the fans when he played there. It was Joel Laing, the goaltender who played there the season after I did.”

Tessier said he is looking forward to seeing the Wilkes-Barre fans and former teammates, such as Harris, Chris Kelleher, Dennis Bonvie and John Slaney.

“We were all brothers on the ice and you never forget that,” Tessier said.

While four knee surgeries ended Tessier’s hockey career, he still makes a living on the ice.

Rather than a stick and skates, the tools of Tessier’s trade today are tip-ups and jigging poles.

Tessier is the general manager of the Wigwam Resort – a fishing paradise on the banks of Lake of the Woods in Baudette, Minn. He spends his days promoting the year-round fishing and hunting opportunities offered at the resort, and he doesn’t mind sampling them himself, particularly the ice fishing.

“The fishing up here is phenomenal. You’re out the door and in the first five minutes you can have 30 8-pound or better walleye hit your line. It’s nonstop,” he said.

His job at the Wigwam Resort has allowed Tessier to come full circle in his career path. He always wanted to be a professional hockey player, which he did for eight years, and a fishing guide.

Tessier grew up in Minnesota hunting and fishing with his father and grandfather. He spent his youth hunting deer, ducks, geese and grouse and fishing for walleye.

Like hockey, the outdoors has always held a special place in Tessier’s life.

“I have some good hockey memories, but everything else is outdoors-related,” he said. “I want to explore all that I can in the outdoors. It’s just so relaxing being in a place God created.”

Up next on Tessier’s outdoors to-do list is fish for a monster musky and guide anglers hoping to hook an enormous sturgeon this spring.

“Last year we brought out one that weighed 96 pounds. It’s pretty exciting fishing,” he said.

Not a bad way to spend a day at work.

Tessier said he feels fortunate that his workplace is the Lake of the Woods and its 65,000 miles of shoreline and it’s a place where he intends to put down roots.

“I’m looking to build a house on the Rainy River (which flows into Lake of the Woods) and fish my way to and from work everyday,” Tessier said. “This is like a dream come true. I’m where I want to be.”

Returning Penguins

The following players will play for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins alumni team: John Slaney, Stephen Dixon, Steve Parsons, Eric Meloche, Jean-Paul Tessier, Dennis Bonvie, Greg Crozier, Casey Harris, Chris Kelleher, Jim Leger, Brendan Walsh, Steve Webb and David Weninger. The game against the Hershey Bears alumni will be played at the Wachovia Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m. General admission tickets for season ticket holders are $10 and $12 for non-season ticket holders.

To order tickets or for information, call 208-7367.