Hockey in New Jersey took some time to become part of the culture of sports. Looking at the statistics, the sport wasn’t on the radar for decades. Despite the New York Rangers being one of the Original Six teams in the NHL, that didn’t turn into popularity for the sport in the Garden State. There was a disconnect there.
Just look at the prevalence of players from New Jersey in the NHL. The first player ever born in New Jersey to play in the top league was Randy Wood, who was born in 1963 and made his NHL debut for the New York Islanders in March 1987. The first goaltender to be born in New Jersey and to play in the NHL is Anthony Stolarz. He’s currently in the league and is just 31 years old.
There was an explosion of popularity for hockey in New Jersey in the 1990s and 2000s. The fact that the New Jersey Devils were winning Stanley Cups and were constant contenders helped, but it took a rise in youth hockey to really make waves in the state. Future superstars like Bobby Ryan, Johnny Gaudreau, James van Riemsdyk, and Ross Colton. One man is given a lot of the credit for helping the sport grow: Vin Godleski.
Godleski is a member of the NJ High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame for his work building the sport. According to his bio, he worked to increase the availability of arenas in New Jersey, along with qualified referees, to help with leagues. When he moved to New Jersey in 1962, there were only 20 approved officials in Metro NJ-NY-CT. Today, multiple reports say there are more than 100 in New Jersey alone.
He started the first referee school in the United States, partnering with Paul McInnis to make it happen, and was integral in making NJ the first state in the United States to coordinate USA Hockey and NIHOA referee programs.
Where he’s most known nationally is becoming a linesman for the famous “Have another donut,” game in 1988. After Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld went on a tirade against the crew. The famous saying “have another donut” became lore in the NHL. It’s still discussed today.
The part many outside the Devils and Bruins fanbases might not know is Lou Lamoriello got an emergency injunction to allow Schoenfeld to continue to coach despite previous decisions from the league to suspend him. The league was worried about an uprising from Devils’ fans, who were literally in their first playoff run in their franchise’s history.
To keep the game going, the league had to get replacement refs at a moment’s notice, as the current crew refused to officiate the game. One of those linemen was Vin Godleski. And that crew did a great job, and the Devils won Game 4 by a score of 3-1. They eventually lost the series in Game 7, but it added to the lore of Godleski.
For decades, the Devils and Godleski partnered to grow the game in the state. His legacy is incredible, and he continued to be a beacon for the sport until his final days.
Godleski passed away on Sunday at the age of 88. It was a life that brought immense joy to a sport that might otherwise go unnoticed. New Jersey thanks Godleski for his efforts in our state, as it has clearly made a huge impact to hockey as a whole.