MINDEMOYA—Haweater Justin Taylor just recently broke a prestigious record in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), breaking the record for the most games played all-time in the minor professional hockey league.
“Justin just loves the game,” stated his father Jedd, who along with Christine are Justin’s proud parents, of Mindemoya. “He plays the old style North American type of hockey game.”
“He is dedicated and loves playing hockey,” said Jedd Taylor. “Justin will retire from the game of hockey at some point, but I’m sure he will in hockey after he stops playing the game. He loves it and it is what he does.”
Inside The Rink reported, “Adirondack Thunder forward Justin Taylor set the ECHL record for career games played on Saturday (December 13) when he took to the ice for his 885th league game against Wheeling. Taylor breaks the record of Michael Pelech, who played in 884 career ECHL games over 14 seasons from 2009-2024.
“Justin played against Mike Pelech in junior hockey,” said Jedd.
Justin has played 16 seasons in the ECHL with Trenton, Idaho, Tulsa, Kalamazoo, Fort Wayne and Adirondack. He ranks eighth all-time in ECHL history with 296 goals and 13th with 579 points.
“On behalf of the ECHL, I would like to congratulate Justin Taylor on breaking the ECHL record for career games played,” ECHL Commission Ryan Crelin said in a statement. “In our decorated 38-year history, this accomplishment speaks volumes to the hard work, dedication, professionalism and love of the game that Justin has portrayed for all of these years in our league.”
Justin has played in over 50 ECHL games in 11 of his 15-prior seasons in the league while scoring 20 or more goals in 10 seasons.
“Justin was born in February 1989 in Mindemoya,” said his father, who now lives in Mindemoya and works at Island Foodland, having previously owned Taylor’s One Stop in Evansville. “He was one of the last babies born in the Mindemoya hospital.”
“Justin played with the Gore Bay Tom Thumb team until he was five years old, and then played double AA hockey in Hamilton, followed by triple AAA hockey in London,” explained Jedd.
The Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) then drafted Justin. “He never signed with Kingston, instead playing tier two Junior A hockey with the Wellington Dukes,” said Jedd. The London Knights then traded for Justin’s rights in December 2006 and in January 2007, he signed with the Knights.
“The Washington Capitals (of the National Hockey League) drafted him in the sixth round of the draft that year. He played on a Knights team that had Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner. In his last year in London in 2010 he was named captain of the team. The Knights lost to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL playoff finals in 2007.
“Justin went on to play 13 years with Kalamazoo where he set most of his records, including most goals, games played and game winning goals for the team,” said Jedd. “He broke so many records the fans in Kalamazoo felt that his number 93 jersey number should be retired by the team. He has always worn the jersey number 93.”
Jedd Taylor explained that Justin originally played two seasons with Kalamazoo, then was traded to Trenton, Idaho for one season. The first three years his teams went to the Kelly Cup playoff finals.
“Then Kalamazoo wanted Justin back and he played there for 10 straight years,” said his father. “The Fort Wayne Comets wanted him last year, and then the Adirondack Thunder signed him this year.”
Jedd noted that the ECHL network news published two excellent stories on Justin’s record. In a story written by Joe Babik for ECHL on December 11 it was reported that when Justin started his pro career he, “hoped to have a long, successful playing career. Sixteen seasons later, the Adirondack Thunder forward is still going strong and enters this weekend two games shy of setting a new ECHJL record for career games played.”
“I definitely envisioned playing for a long time, maybe not still in the minors, but just staying in North America and playing that style, that’s the reason I kept going. Also, my wife (Kelsey) is from southwestern Michigan, and from playing in Kalamazoo all those years (13 seasons) she can be with her family and then I can be home all the time, so it just kind of made sense.”
“Last year, when I was Fort Wayne was when I realized I had a chance because it could have happened then if I would have played 60 something games,” he told the ECHL Network. “But my wife was like, ‘hey you’re getting closer, you’re not done and still want to play, so it doesn’t matter when it happens just keep going for it’.”
“When it happens, I think it will be a little emotional, but also exciting,” continued Justin. “I played against (former games played record holder) Michael Pelech for years, through youth hockey and juniors, and then when he decided to go overseas. I was kind of like, ‘all right you’re leaving the door open for me’.”
Justin Taylor told ECHL that his lengthy career has to do more with his mindset, rather than anything physical. “For me, its setting the standard and being where I want to be. When you’re younger, you can play a little freer, such as fight, and be a little more aggressive. And then as the career goes on, you taper back just a little bit and focus on the finer points of the game trying to be more hockey smart, and then just keep it all put together. So, for me, it’s putting that standard out there on a daily basis, going to the rink with a positive attitude and wanting to put the work in.”
“Obviously, I love the game of hockey itself, but I enjoy the lifestyle just as much, if not more,” he told the ECHL Network. “I like competitiveness, I like seeing new people, the banter in the dressing room, banter on the ice with the opposing team. It’s just something to look forward to on a day-to-day basis.”
While he has had a lot of memorable moments over his career, he told ECHL Network that three stand out for him. “My rookie year with Kalamazoo, we made it all the way to the Kelly Cup finals. We lost, and it’s an emotional time. You see older guys that end up retiring, and this was their last chance. I can probably name every teammate that I played with that year just because that group was so tight knit, and it kind of shows you what it takes just to get to that point and give yourself a chance.”
Another highlight was playing in the outdoor games his team got to play in Toledo, with his team winning both games and Justin having played his 700th game in one of them.
“The other one, when my oldest son Jonah was born, I was the hospital for 40 hours. I go to the arena and skated myself while the team was on the road, go back to the hospital, then return to the rink. We played Friday and Saturday. I had two great games and ended up getting Player of the Week (recognition) on no sleep and hospital food.”
He pointed out after his playing days are over, “I absolutely want to stay involved in the game after my playing days.”
“I love coaching,” Justin told ECHL. “I coach a split-season team before our season starts, and for the last three seasons I’ve been heavily involved with the youth association and co-op in Kalamazoo, just to keep learning how to work with young athletes and get the most out of them. So, I definitely want to stay involved in the game any way I can.”
“It was unreal, there were tears in my eyes when I read the two articles,’ said Jedd. “Justin and his wife Kelsey have given me two grandchildren, two boys, Jonah who is nine and plays hockey and Jedd who recently turned one. His (Justin’s) sister has given us four grandchildren. So, we have six grandkids, five being boys, and we have all of them here six weeks in the summer every year, which we love.”
