Tim Judy didn’t wait long to grab a Cup.
No, not the Stanley Cup still being held by the champion members of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Kelly Cup, the prized trophy of the East Coast Hockey League.
The former Northeastern blue-liner joined fellow Husky alumnus Leon Hayward and members of the Trenton Titans for a championship run ending on June 1, when the Titans defeated Florida for a 4-2 series win.
Recapping the event is easy for Judy. After all, a skate with the Cup was a sweet taste of success long overdue for the Maryland native.
“I lifted it up and gave it a big kiss,” Judy said of the Cup. “I won a high school championship, and I haven’t been on many winning teams since. Doing this at the pro level, and getting that big ring, it’s unreal.”
Judy, long loved by Husky fans for his intensity and a personal favorite of former coach Bruce Crowder, joined the Titans for the final eight games of the season and had two goals and one assist for Trenton in that span.
In a year without an NHL, the Titans brought a bit of excitement back to New Jersey natives long accustomed to the sight of Martin Brodeur and the perennially contending Devils.
“The fans loved their hockey and were really into it,” Judy said. “In New Jersey and sometimes in Alaska, you could see up to 8,000 fans. With the NHL locked out, it gave them something to cheer for.”
The Titans defeated Atlantic City 3-0 in the quarterfinals and moved onto Reading, where they won in five games. The conference finals produced its share of drama, but the deciding Game 7 went to Trenton.
The first thing Judy noticed when entering the professional league was the sight of each and every talented player around him. A bad decision, or even a bad pass, would carry a lot more weight than it would in college.
“Every guy on the ice is smart,” Judy said. “If you make a mistake, they’ll make you pay. The main difference between the ECHL and Hockey East is that on every team in the pros, you’ll find three solid lines.”
As part of a memorable 2005 senior class, including forward Jason Guerriero and goaltender Keni Gibson, Judy helped lead the team back to the Hockey East Tournament. Despite an exit in two games to New Hampshire, the Huskies had improved upon their previous two seasons while facing the Hockey East schedule with more success.
Far removed from the drama of the Hockey East and the Beanpot tournament, Judy left Matthews Arena for good and used the experience he had gained from facing the likes of Boston College, Boston University and the University of Maine wisely.
Judy’s introduction to a professional league was made much easier by Trenton coach Mike Haviland.
“I came into his office, and he sat me down and he said right away that he thought I could help,” Judy said.
Those reassuring words of confidence eventually led to a lot of skating time for Judy, who would often run the second power play unit and quickly became an important factor in the team’s penalty kill unit.
Hayward, who left Huntington Avenue in 2002 after four full seasons, had seen his share of minor league hockey action, having played for both Manchester and Providence of the American Hockey League.
As a Titan, however, he proved his worth when it counted, as he garnered the tournament MVP award. He scored six goals and five assists during the Cup, giving Trenton an early 1-0 lead in the deciding Game 6.
“[Hayward] did really well and he deserves a step up to the next level,” Judy said. “He did especially well in the last round. The coaching staff really helped out with a great offensive system and [Hayward] seemed to always be in the right place at the right time.”
Hayward accumulated 18 goals and 18 assists during the regular season.
The forward was a senior with then-captain Jim Fahey in 2001-02 when NU was 19-17-3 and in the Hockey East tournament.
As Haviland told Judy and his teammates, no one on the team would be forgetting the events of the 2004-05 season anytime soon.
“Coach always says that you don’t forget the guys you played with,” he said. “I won’t be forgetting these guys.”
