A Hockey Legend Ron Castellano Was Part of the Greatest Dynasty in Minnesota High School Hockey History
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
A Hockey Legend Ron Castellano was part of the greatest dynasty in Minnesota High School Hockey history by BRYAN ZOLLMAN STAFF WRITER selfish player at all. The whole Voce planned to join Mike team was that way. We didn’t Castellano at North Dakota to care if I got three goals or Voce play hockey. Ron played in two If Minnesota is the state of got four, we just wanted to win. series and said, “I gotta get out hockey, Eveleth is the capitol. But no question, Mayasich was of here.” And if you were a good our leader.” “My wife and I had to get hockey player in the iron min- Castellano, Voce and Ma- going,” he said. ing town, there was a good yasich were named to the all- By now he had a teach- chance you could be mayor. state team two years in a row ing degree, and many of his Ron Castellano remembers in 1950 and 1951. teacher friends were heading to growing up in Eveleth in the Growing up on Hayes California where the jobs were 1930s and 40s, which became a Street, Castellano played pond booming. But hockey still ran breeding ground for future col- hockey games against Maya- through his veins. legiate and NHL players, and a sich’s team and other neigh- “They kept calling and birthing nest for coaches whom borhood teams named after the saying we have openings but after leaving the frozen streets street they played on. Most, if I wanted to stay in Minnesota. of Eveleth helped spread the not all kids in Eveleth played I really wanted to coach hock- game of hockey to communi- hockey. It was as regular as ey.” ties throughout the state. He landed a job teaching attending Sunday Church, ex- PHOTO BY BRYAN ZOLLMAN Castellano, who has lived cept they did it on a daily basis. social studies in the northern Ron Castellano holds up a photo of the line that dominated high school hockey in 1950 and in Sauk Rapids since 1992, is “The older we got some town of Babbitt. As soon as 1951. John Mayasich (center) centered Danny Voce (left) and Castellano (right). one of those guys. After leaving kids would drop out,” Castel- he arrived he started a hockey Eveleth, he started the hock- lano said. program. ey program in Babbitt, Minn., Those kids would move The principal gave Cas- where the hockey arena in town on to basketball or other ac- tellano a list of kids interested “The Babbitt Rabbitt” and was now bears his name. tivities. But there was always in playing hockey. One was a one of the members of the 1980 But it all started on the a main core of hockey players, senior and the rest were eighth Miracle On Ice Olympic Gold streets of Eveleth where Italian, which was unusual consider- and ninth graders. There were Medal team. Castellano’s son, Finnish, Swedish and Polish ing the game was foreign to 14 kids in all. Bo, played with Schneider in immigrants flocked to work the their parents. Castellano’s fa- “I had never lost a high high school. mines and raise families. ther came from Torino, Italy, school game as a player and Castellano was in front of “Our team was the Hayes to work the mines. His young that first year as a coach we the television when Schneider Street kids,” said Castellano, bride soon followed and they didn’t win one game,” Castel- scored USA’s first goal in their now 83. “We all played at the started a family that produced lano said. miracle win over the Russians. outdoor rinks or in the streets four hockey-playing sons. He chuckles at the memo- “When Buzzy scored that playing boot hockey. One day “My father didn’t know ry of that painful beginning. goal I could’ve flown off the a week we got to play in the anything about hockey or “We only scored one goal table,” he said. “He was a hard Hip.” baseball or football,” Castel- all season,” he said, shaking his worker and a great kid.” The “Hip” is the Hippo- lano said. “But all four of us head. Castellano’s program pro- drome, the indoor hockey rink played.” But Castellano was just duced several college hockey that helped produce some of the Castellano said many fam- getting started and knew how players over his four decades state’s greatest players, includ- ilies were the same in Eveleth to build a program. at the helm. In 1991, he retired ing Minnesota’s greatest – John in the 1940s — immigrant There was room for an from his teaching and coach- Mayasich. workers who were in search of outdoor rink next to the high ing duties. His wife wanted to Mayasich set numerous a better life in America. school. The athletic director move closer to the metro area. state high school records, went “Mayasich’s family was left it up to Castellano to fig- “I told her, ‘I’ll never leave on to set scoring records at the just like mine,” he said. “We ure things out. So he went town,’” he said. “Who is going University of Minnesota and didn’t have any money. We back to Eveleth and got plans to buy our house? Well, some won a gold medal with the 1960 had eight in our house and the to build an outdoor rink. Once guy from the cities bought it.” United States Olympic team. Mayasiches had more. I don’t the structure was built the cus- Ron wanted to stay near He was also Castellano’s think his folks ever saw him todians used a garden hose to the Iron Range where he had so linemate. Castellano played play. Miners would work the flood it. many memories and so many with Mayasich for three years mines, come home and have a “I told them, that’s not go- relationships. They looked at and helped lead Eveleth to state glass of wine and go to bed.” ing to work,” he said, laughing houses in Duluth, Grand Rap- Ron Castellano never lost a high school game as a player. His titles in 1949-51. The Golden The Castellanos didn’t at the memory. “The next year ids and eventually made their Eveleth teams went 69-0 and won three consecutive state ti- Bears won a state record with own a car, either. they put a fire hydrant in.” way to Brainerd. They came tles. 79 consecutive games from “My dad didn’t even know In those days many of a little further east when they 1948-52. In Castellano’s three how to drive,” he said. the kids didn’t have skates, so found Sauk Rapids. years they went 69-0. The Castellano boys were Castellano would drive five “She said she liked the St. And these kids can all shoot the Castellano’s name is for- “I never lost a game in a big part of Eveleth hock- players at a time to nearby Vir- Cloud area so this is where we puck, and make a lot of subtle ever etched into Minnesota high school,” he said. ey. Ron’s younger brother, ginia to buy skates. Those early ended up,” he said. “But I like moves we never even dreamed hockey lore as a member of The top line consisted of Mike, played at the Universi- days were tough, but he stuck it it. I go to two to three hockey of making. They play a nice the greatest Minnesota high Castellano and Danny Voce ty of North Dakota and played through, and eventually things games a week.” brand of hockey.” school team to ever hit the ice. on the wings, and Mayasich at professionally in Rochester, turned around. Castellano enjoys attend- Ron’s wife passed away in He was an integral part of what center. It was the best line in the Minn., with legends Herb “It was interesting, but we ing St. Cloud State and St. 2002. And out of the starting is considered the greatest hock- state. Brooks and Lou Nanne. survived and finally got an in- John’s University games, high six players on the 1951 cham- ey dynasty in Minnesota high “Mayasich could do so His youngest brother, door rink” he said. school games and watching the pionship team, only Voce, Ma- school history. He is also the much,” Castellano said. “He John, played on two national The rink was built in 1968. Granite City Lumberjacks. His yasich and Castellano are still man responsible for building saw the ice so well and had a champion bantam teams be- “Then our program real- passion for the game, at any around. They stay in touch, a hockey community in Bab- backhand that was unbeliev- fore playing for Eveleth as a ly started to take off,” he said. level, hasn’t diminished even usually at hockey functions bitt and helping grow the game able.” high schooler. He also played “We were one of the smallest though he hasn’t coached in held throughout the state. throughout the state of hockey Castellano and Maya- for the city team, the Eveleth schools in the conference but several years. “I still get back to Eveleth before it became known as the sich also skated with Johnny Rangers. we were pretty competitive.” He has noticed a change quite a bit,” Castellano said. state of hockey. The love he Matchefs, whom Castellano In addition to hockey, Ron They were part of the Iron in how the game is played, Eveleth will always be discovered on the cold outdoor said was one of the best play- excelled at football and attend- Range Conference and had to though.