Vecchione adds another championship to his impressive hockey portfolio

With a second Calder Cup in the books for the AHL’s Hershey Bears, the Saugus native eyes the hat trick next year

By Joe McConnell

Last year, Saugus native Mike Vecchione scored the overtime goal in Game 7 of the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Calder Cup finals to secure the first championship for his Hershey Bears since 2010. As a result, the Bears ended up beating the Coachella Valley Firebirds, 3-2.

The same two teams went at it again last month in the AHL finals. It took six games and another overtime period for the Bears to accomplish the back-to-back feat. This time, they defeated the Firebirds, 5-4, in the clincher. The triumph was one for the history books, because it marked Hershey’s 13^th Calder Cup championship, the most ever among AHL clubs.

Vecchione suited up for 20 playoff games this spring and was credited with 2 goals and 8 assists. During the regular season, he had 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points in 67 games.

After another successful season, the first question for Vecchione is fairly obvious: What is it like to win consecutive Calder Cup championships? “Words really cannot even begin to describe it, and I am not sure where to begin, because it just happened so fast,” said Vecchione. “It feels pretty surreal. I mean, after last year’s finals, I thought that was the top of the mountain, but here we are. It feels like a blur.”

“The offseason was so short, and the next thing I knew we were back playing in Hershey and making a Cup run. And at the blink of an eye, we were hoisting another [one],” added the Saugus native, who has also won championships in high school at Malden Catholic and at Division 1 Union College.

That opportunity to win on all three levels is not lost on Vecchione, especially as a pro. “It is crazy, because there are so many friends of mine – or players I have crossed paths with – that have neither made it to the playoffs nor won a Cup. When you step back and take a breath to soak it all in, it still does not feel real. Once you win, there is so much partying going on, and the next thing you know guys are leaving and signing with new teams, and it is on to the next season. But that’s just the nature of the business, even though at the same time we will always share that moment together as brothers forever,” he said.

Just like the NHL’s (National Hockey League) Stanley Cup, players on the winning team get their day with the Cup. But this year might be different. “I’m not sure when, or if, I will be getting the Cup again this summer, because of the incredibly short offseason. But if I do, I’m certain that it will sink in, and I will have another memorable day with it like I did last year,” Vecchione said.

After finishing with the AHL’s best overall regular season record (53-14-0-5), the Bears had to endure a long, agonizing and sometimes frustrating run in the playoffs. They earned a first-round bye before beating the Lehigh Valley Phantoms three games to one. They then swept the Hartford Wolfpack in three games. But the Cleveland Monsters gave them all they could handle in the Eastern Conference finals, taking them to a seventh game, before succumbing on the Bears’ home ice. But before they did, the Monsters staged a furious comeback bid after going down 3-1 in the series. The Firebirds also made them earn their second straight Cup with the finals going six games.

Despite the long playoff run, it was not unlike last year’s journey. The only difference was that the 2023 Eastern Conference finals went six, while the aforementioned finals took all seven games, before the kid from Saugus won it in overtime. But for fans, this year just looked tougher, but Vecchione has a simple explanation for it.

“This year’s playoff run got tough, because of the physicality of Cleveland,” he said. “They were a heavy team that could forecheck well, and we did not protect our defensemen as well as we could have, and it cost us dearly. We lost three of our six starting defensemen in that series, and they were not able to return for the remainder of the playoffs. We also lost two of our leading goal scorers for a short period of time in that series, one for oral surgery after taking a puck to the face that caused him to lose 10 teeth, and the other one from a bad hit into the bench. It was more of a mental battle than anything else for us, because we had the guys to win. We just were not executing at the level we were before, because of the adjustments we had to make. But give Cleveland credit. They saw blood in the water and capitalized. Once we got through that series, we were back to playing Bears hockey, and were able to beat Coachella in six. We dominated the physical aspect of the game in that series, and it took a toll on them, which is why I believe we were able to win the last three games to secure our second Cup.”

Mike assesses his last two years with the Bears

Vecchione is signed through next year with the Bears, the Triple A affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, but that doesn’t mean he’s still not planning his future.

“These past two years basically ended the same way, but from a player’s perspective, they were completely different,” he said. “I felt I had another great year, but if you compare my points to last year, then you would think I had a bad season. The reason for that was because I took on a different role. I was a guy that stepped in and played every position up front, while moving up and down the lineup to play where I was needed. I had to take on more of a leadership role, and do what was best for the team. I played primarily on the third line during the playoffs, helping to take the weight off a couple of first and second year linemates, who had zero Calder Cup playoff experience. I was asked to take big faceoffs when needed, and block the most shots as a forward. There are so many different ways to produce or make an impact in this game, and it’s always up to the player to go out there and do it.”

But beyond next year, Vecchione says he’s done trying to move around to chase that NHL dream. “I absolutely love playing in Hershey. NHL scouts are in the stands every night, including our own Washington scouts. They are watching the games, but I have not gotten any calls as of yet,” he added.

Good to be home

Mike is now enjoying his time back home in Saugus, where he will continue to do his training and skating in the area to get ready for the start of next year, which gets underway in just two short months Specifically, he has also been playing street hockey with friends on rollerblades. This type of activity keeps the hands and legs loose. But it’s not all business. Socially, he has a couple of weddings and golf outings to attend. But otherwise, during his down time, he will rest to get his body back to where it needs to be to compete for a third straight Calder Cup championship.

Going down memory lane

Championships aside, Vecchione will always remember his teammates the most. It’s as simple as that. “The season happens so fast that you have to forget about the games. You just played them, and move forward,” he said. “It does not matter what happened the night before, you just have to continue to build and build until you have reached the top.

“We forget about the games almost immediately, except for the big ones, of course. But [teammates] you will never forget. During the long workdays, where we battle each other for what seems like forever, we skate together until we cannot feel our legs.”

The fun times were even more memorable. “During the long bus rides home after a road sweep, we would be laughing, playing cards, listening to music or just singing together with smiles from ear-to-ear. I also liked the road dinners, where we would get to go out and spend your per diem money at a nice, fancy steakhouse, and then just talk, laugh and eat for three hours. The locker room banter, sauna sessions and freezing our bodies in the cold tub while watching music video concerts on TV just to get ready for the next game will never be forgotten, as well,” he recalled.

“Being able to share my biggest career moments with my fiancé and her parents [he plans to get married next Aug. 8] is more stuff that I will always remember,” added Mike. “You don’t win championships if you don’t come together and become a family. That’s what our head coach, Todd Nelson, has come to Hershey and accomplished, besides winning back-to-back championships. He has been able to take a group of guys ranging from 19 to 36 years-old and make them a family. I will always remember winning back-to-back Calder Cups, and scoring the game-winning goal last year in overtime, but I will also never forget my teammates. They will forever be my brothers.”