A few weeks ago we asked for what former Bears you would like to see as emojis. After much work (and delay), we finally present our third set of Bears emojis, featuring Andrew Gordon, Braden Holtby (circa 2010), and Joel Rechlicz!
Photo via @WMSpecialHockey
Joel Rechlicz has been a fan favorite in Hershey ever since the birth of #RechliczFace. Since then, Joel has moved on and is now with the Grand Rapids Griffins. On Sunday, Recker skated with kids from the Western Michigan Special Hockey Association and a young girl who he helped out during the day.
Lower Paxton Township – Joel Rechlicz watches a drill at Edge Performance Summer Camp on Sunday afternoon (Kyle Mace / Chocolate Hockey)
Former Bears heavyweight Joel Rechlicz is back in town for a summer youth hockey camp in Harrisburg. The Edge Performance Summer Camp is taking place at Twins Ponds East where over sixty young skaters are taking part in a week long session lead by Rechlicz and former Bears Calder Cup champion Rob Shearer.
We are four days into voting for our first ever SHOEY Awards and all races are still really close, especially the social media awards. There are three categories that fall under the social media awards: Tweet of the Year, Tweeter of the Year, and Social Media Champion. Three, it’s a magic number. Will that magic wear off on some of our nominees?
Yesterday we announced our first ever “SHOEY” Awards! Throughout this week, we will be breaking down each category and the nominees. The first two are Goal of the Year and Fight of the Year.
HERSHEY, PA – Joel Rechlicz celebrates with teammates Patrick Wellar and Steve Oleksy after scoring his first goal since December 18th, 2011 (Matt Trust / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Saturday night was the final night in the Hershey Bears season after being eliminated from playoff contention Friday night. With other Bears players banged up, Joel Rechlicz got back into the line up for his first game since March 23rd. And as Rechlicz skated with linemate Chris Brown for the final game of the season, the “Recker” did something he hasn’t done since December 18th, 2011: score.
HERSHEY, PA – Bears players salute the crowd at the end of their final game of the season (Matt Trust / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
It was a perfect cap to the end of a season. With a crowd of 10,964 in attendance and the Chocolate and White out of the playoffs, Hershey would go on to beat Adirondack by a score of 2-1 in the season finale of the 2013-14 season.
Photo via Official Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’s Facebook Page
Saturday night the Hershey Bears leap frogged the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the standings with a high-scoring 5-4 victory. While Giant Center has been an intimidating building for Bears’ opposition of late, Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township does not have a much kinder reputation.
Sunday the Chocolate and White concluded a home-and-home stretch against their I-81 rivals, and escaped victoriously for the first time this season in the W-B. Ryan Potulny scored a third period game-winning goal en route to a 3-1 win over the Penguins, finishing off a perfect six point weekend sweep for Hershey.
HERSHEY, PA – Dane Byers celebrates his game winning goal against Portland during Hershey’s 2-1 victory over the Pirates (Tim Stough / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
In 2009, the Hershey Bears dropped the Manitoba Moose in six games to win the Calder Cup. Shortly after the cup clinching game, “Count ‘Em Ten” T-shirts were released to the general public to celebrate the franchise’s tenth Calder Cup Championship.
Saturday night, fans gained the right to break out the former catch phrase in honor of not the Bears’ tenth Cup, but their tenth consecutive victory on Giant Center ice. Dane Byers scored a third period game-winning-goal, and the Chocolate and White celebrated a 2-1 over the Portland Pirates.
HERSHEY, PA – Joel Rechlicz looks towards the Norfolk Admirals bench after his fight Sunday night (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Joel Rechlicz is arguably the most popular Hershey Bear in recent memory. He might not be the top scoring player, but Recker contributes to the team by motivating the Chocolate and White on the ice and in the locker room. Rechlicz is also one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, signing autographs for each and every fan after games, interacting with all like he’s known them for years. This explains why fans go insane when he drops the mittens and has a go against one of Hershey’s opponents.