Jamie Thompson - Elmira Jackals - United Hockey League (UHL) on MLN Sports Zone

Elmira Jackals [UHL]

Till They Kick Him Off The Ice
Following a courageous comeback from a fractured pelvis, Jamie Thompson has no intentions of leaving the game he loves.

By Dan Hickling
MinorLeagueNews.com

01.15.04 - Elmira, N.Y. -- Minor league hockey is full of guys who have one burning desire, namely get to the National Hockey League.

Jamie Thompson isn't one of them.

First off, don't call him crazy. Thompson would love to get to the NHL, eventually.

For now, leaving the United Hockey League [UHL] for a trip back to the American Hockey League [AHL] would suit the speedy left wing of the Elmira Jackals just fine.

Bear in mind that it’s a wonder that Thompson is skating at all.

He sat out almost all of last year with a fractured pelvis that he suffered while playing for San Angelo of the CHL.

This is why Jamie, who spent four seasons in the AHL with Worcester and Providence, doesn't mind having to start over.

For him, there is joy in the journey.

"I've always been a patient person," said Thompson, who hails from Framingham, Mass. "People have been telling me my whole career, 'you're never going to make it.' But I feel that the Lord has given me a strong mental capacity to handle whatever adversity comes my way, to work harder, and I feel blessed for that."

Thompson's spiritual strength underwent an acid test after he sustained his debilitating injury, just six games into the 2002-2003 season.

In one brief flash, his hockey career was placed in doubt.

Fortunately, the injury, while still severe, wasn't as bad as first feared.

"I think the biggest thing is that it was a fracture, it wasn't a full break," Thompson said.

It wasn't long before Jamie got himself on the comeback trail, long and twisted as it was.

Luckily, Thompson had a little help from his friends.

He enlisted Tommy Mulligan, head trainer of the Tampa Bay Lightning, to help with conditioning. The two became acquainted during Thompson’s days in Providence.

Once whipped into game shape by Mulligan, Thompson went job hunting.

The first call he made was to Elmira, where Todd Brost is coach and General Manager of the Jackals.

The two men go back to El Paso of the old Western Pro League, when Thompson was a rookie out of the University of Maine.

Brost was all too happy to give Thompson another shot.

"I knew the kind of character he has and the kind of work ethic he brings to the table," said Brost. "Conditioning and timing are things [we] can work on. Character, work ethic and leadership are things you either have or you don't, and he has them."

Thompson also has speed, lots of it. Enough to give any UHL defenseman fits.

Enough to create all sorts of scoring chances, for him, and linemates Don Smith and Greg Koehler on what has become the Jackals' top unit.

In his first month as a Jackal, Thompson piled up points at better than a point a game clip (8-10-18 in 14 starts).

Still, he's the first to admit that he accumulated plenty of corrosion during his year away.

"I'm rusty," he said. "Very, very rusty. Pucks are flying off of me. In key situations, I'm thinking a second late."

Thompson feels he can counteract this by going back to the basics.

"I'm trying to play as simple as I can, make good defensive plays, and try to capitalize on my offensive chances," he said.

Thompson concedes that he's nowhere near ready to work his way back up to the AHL. In time though, he could be a very nice pickup for a club making a strong Calder Cup bid.

"I'm no where in conditioning, or in a mental mind state to go back up there, right now. I still need maybe two months to get going again. A year is a long time off. I'm blessed that I'm able to go out and do little things to help us get a "W".

Those "W's" are elusive enough, but regardless of what happens, Thompson has already scored an upset victory, just by making it back on the ice.

If he has his way, it's going to take a lot more than a broken pelvis to keep him off it.

"I still have a lot of hockey in my blood," he said. "I know I'm 29 years old, but I've played since I was two. I just love this game, and you've only got one chance to do it. After you hang 'em up, you can't come back, like [most] jobs. I'm here for the long haul. I'm going to keep skating until they kick me off the ice."