PEORIA, Ill. – Just what is it about the Peoria Rivermen that made them the 2022 Southern Professional Hockey League champions?
The voice of the Rivermen, Jason Ruff, tells WMBD’s Craig Collins he’s talked to the head coach about that.
“Coach (Jean-Guy) Trudel told me flat out, this might not be the most skilled team in terms of raw talent that he’s ever had, but it’s the most together team,” said Ruff. “It has the most heart. And, really, you just have to spend any amount of time around these boys, around this team, and you just realize that. There’s no egos on this team.”
Trudel led teams to the post season in a number of recent years, but this is the first title the Rivermen have won in 22 years, after defeating Roanoke in a best of five series Tuesday night.
“To say this is one of the big stories surrounding the Peoria area, I think this is an understatement, considering this is the franchise’s first championship ever in the Southern Professional Hockey League, it’s also their first President’s cup, their first playoff championship since 2000,” said Ruff.
The Rivermen are planning a celebration including a parade Friday at 4:00 p.m. through downtown — that will begin at the Gateway Building, move west up Hamilton Boulevard, to Jefferson Street, ending up at the Peoria Civic Center — where a celebration with fans take place starting at 4:15 p.m.
Rivermen COO/Owner Bart Rogers shared details about the party with WMBD’s “The Greg and Dan Show” Thursday morning.
“We’ll have a meet-and-greet with the players, you can get your picture taken with the cup, all of our Championship merchandise will be available to purchase. We’ll have a program starting at 5:15,” Rogers said.
The Rivermen celebration at the Peoria Civic Center will last until 7 p.m. Friday.
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