Former Hershey forward Brian Dobbin is excited to skate in the outdoor Alumni Game on Jan. 19 at Hersheypark Arena between the Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Brian Dobbin, now 46, said he is in game shape and ready to go in the outdoor Hershey-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Alumni Game Jan. 19 at Hersheypark Stadium.
"I've been working out so I don't look too bad out there and also coach kids' hockey that keeps me moving and allows me to work on my shot," he said. "It doesn't take long to lose the skills as you get older.
"I'm looking forward to the game and seeing all my old buddies. Last time I
was in Hershey was a number of years ago when I played in a game in the Giant
Center against the Flyers alumni, but this time I'm bringing the whole family."
Dobbin (1985-91), wore No. 18 for three seasons before becoming the third
Bear to wear No. 13 after Robin Burns (1973-74) and Ray Allison (1984-87), did
it just because it was different.
A fifth round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers, "Dobber" only played 63 NHL
games between the Flyers and Boston, but is 12th on Hershey's all-time list with
399 points, ninth in goals (179) and 17th with 220 assists.
"I didn't really know about that but it is nice to be listed because of all
the great players who have been with the Bears," he said about those stats.
"Winning the cup, however, is the biggest thing, so the stats are just icing on
the cake. What I recall the most about my time in Hershey is the people and how
good they were to us and the way they took us in.
"Obviously winning the Calder Cup in 87-88 was the biggest thing. I was just
a young kid in there with a lot
of veterans and we all just came together at the right time and it was
nice to see a lot of them move on after that." He continued, "We won that year but the next year we lost out in Game 7 of
the semifinals to Adirondack or else we probably would have two straight cups.
We were up 3-0 in the series but Don Biggs' wife was having a baby, I got called
up and Chris Jensen was injured so we had a lot of lineup changes that
unfortunately hurt us. It was a surprising year for us, but it would've been nice to win two in a row."
Dobbin finished with 472 AHL points in 381 games, was a 1989 first-team
All-Star and second-team pick in 1990 with the Bears. Still, his best season was
1993-94 with Milwaukee (48-53-101 points) in the IHL.
"Sure I would like to have had more NHL games but I was up and down and
before you know it you're too old, but it was good to just have the
opportunity," he explained about his brief NHL time. "When you get called up and
don't spend a whole season with a team your stats reflect that, but the year
with Milwaukee, I was there all year so that turned out to be the best personal
one because there were a lot of other good players there, too."
In addition to Hershey, "Dobber" also skated for New Haven and Maine in the
AHL then spent IHL time with Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Grand Rapids before
retiring.
For the last five years Dobbin has been a high-profile human resource
director for Canada Post which is like the U.S. Postal Service.
He concluded with, "I haven't played on outdoor ice too often but do remember
doing it when the Bears practiced outside on that small rink behind Hersheypark
Arena but actually playing a game outside isn't something I'm used to any more.
Still, it will be fun playing in the stadium with I hope a lot of fans will be
there."
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