BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Lance Galbraith, a two-time Kelly Cup champion with the Idaho Steelheads who was widely known for his crowd-pleasing antics during his playing days, died April 15 in a single-vehicle car crash in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.
According to the Ottawa Sun, the crash occurred when his pickup truck hit a culvert close to where he lived. Galbraith died on the scene. He was 42.
“Lance was the heart and soul of our championship teams and a larger-than-life personality and character that touched so many lives within our Steelheads family,” Steelheads president Eric Trapp said in a statement released on the team’s Twitter account. “He was a fan favorite for many years, even after his playing time ended with the Steelheads.”
He played for Idaho in parts of four seasons between 2004-08, putting on a Steelheads uniform for 295 games, scoring 83 goals and recording 127 assists. The forward was a member of Idaho’s Kelly Cup championship teams in 2004 and ‘07.
“We are all in shock with the devastating news of the sudden passing of our great friend and teammate, Lance Galbraith,” John Olver, who coached the Steelheads during the 2004 championship season, said through the team. “The ‘Rooster’ was one of our fiercest competitors to ever don a Steelheads uniform. He had a one-of-a-kind personality and every time he walked into the locker room, the fun meter got turned way up.”
Galbraith was not only a player who could score but was also known as a physical player. He was not afraid to stand up for his teammates and as a result accumulated 2,104 penalty minutes during his eight-year ECHL career, which ranks sixth all-time in league history.
“Lance was the best teammate you could ask for and the guy that you love to have on your team and hated to play against,” former Steelheads captain Marty Flichel said in a statement.
But perhaps Galbraith’s popularity among the fans was as much about his antics off the ice as what he did on it. During the Steelheads’ Kelly Cup playoff run in 2004, Galbraith and linemate Zenon Konopka, who played junior hockey with Galbraith with the Ottawa 67’s, would famously troll opposing teams with costumes.
During a playoff series against the Gwinnett Gladiators, the pair dressed as Roman emperors for media interviews. When the Steelheads traveled to Florida to take on the Florida Everblades in the Kelly Cup finals, they dressed in safari outfits, dragging an inflatable alligator pool toy behind them.
“If they had Instagram or Facebook back then, Lance Galbraith and Zenon Konopka would be called heroes,” teammate Darrell Hay told the Idaho Press in 2020. “They were 2004’s Biznasty and whoever else. The stuff was comical, but it wasn’t tasteless stuff. They were doing it to spark our group.”
In addition to his time in Idaho, Galbraith played in the ECHL with the Augusta Lynx, Dayton Bombers, Alaska Aces and Utah Grizzlies. He also played 19 games in the American Hockey League with five different teams. He retired after spending the 2010-11 season with the Wichita Thunder, who were members of the Central Hockey League at the time. Over the course of his professional career, he had 450 points.
During Idaho’s 2007 playoffs, Galbraith led the team in goals (11), assists (16) and penalty minutes (64).
“Lance was an all-in player,” Derek Laxdal, who coached the Steelheads during the 2007 championship season and is now an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars, said in a statement. “He loved the game and he loved playing the game. Most of all, he loved being around his teammates. I really enjoyed coaching Lance and he was a huge part of our championship team. I still kept in contact with Lance over the years. To hear of his passing away is just tragic.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
Watch more Sports:
See all of our sports coverage in our YouTube playlist:
