Brahmas announce the return of Craig Minard

Veteran defenseman re-signs for the 2009-10 campaign

When you look at the make up of the Texas Brahmas, if ever there was a foundation player, it's Craig Minard. There's no question as to why Minzy wears the "C" on his sweater. He's a true leader, not only by example, but by deeds.

"This is a huge signing for us this summer. Minzy was the backbone of this team for the past two seasons and a vital part of us winning a championship this past season," coach Dan Wildfong said.

This will be his third season with the Brahmas after an eight season professional career that included stops in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), British National League (BNL), Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL) and the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He also played five seasons with the University of New Brunswick in the Canadian Inter-university Athletic Union (CIAU).

Minard played for five seasons with Dan Wildfong and the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs.

During the 2007-08 season, Minard tallied 23 points (2 G, 21 A) and 47 penalty minutes in 42 regular season games. He played in all 14 playoff games, adding three assists and six penalty minutes to his numbers for the year.

Last season, Minard played in all 64 regular season games, registering 35 points (5 G, 30 A) and 68 penalty minutes. He had a team-leading +25 rating and notched 26 points (3 PPG, 23 PPA) on the power play. He appeared in all 16 post-season games, adding five assists and 12 penalty minutes on the journey to win the President's Cup.

When I spoke with Fonger recently, here's just a little of what he had to say about his captain:

"If you look at Minzy’s career, he’s a dedicated guy; he just wants to win so badly," said Wildfong. "He’s one of those guys that I’m talking about…he is Brahmas hockey. He’s the guy that, if you’re not going out to compete every night, he’s going to go “Why aren’t you?” That accountability that he holds…it holds me accountable, seeing Minzy work that hard. That guy’s 33 years old; still working hard in practice, staying after, busting his butt in the gym. You know, I have to go and get the best players. I have to put in my work here so his work can be successful as well."

Photo Credit: Robert Keith