ERIC BECHTOL TO SERVE IN 1,500TH CAREER GAME TONIGHT

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, are excited to celebrate the milestone of Rush Head Equipment Manager, Eric Bechtol, tonight as the Rush take on the Idaho Steelheads. When Bechtol takes his place on the Rush bench for tonight’s West Division showdown, he will do so for the 1,500th time in his career as a professional hockey equipment manager.

Bechtol achieves his 1,500th game in what is now his 21st season of service as a professional hockey equipment manager. His career began on October 27, 1995, when he first became a member of the CHL’s Fort Worth Fire. Following that season, Bechtol advanced to the National Hockey League and assisted on the bench of the St. Louis Blues for nine seasons, which included his opportunity to manage the equipment of the 2001 NHL North American All-Star Team in Denver. 655 games later, he decided to return home to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he served as the Head Equipment Manager for the Kalamazoo Wings for 668 games, watching as the Wings played in the UHL, the IHL, and eventually the ECHL where the club now resides. Reprising his role as an All-Star Game “EQ”, he was awarded the opportunity to manage the ECHL All-Stars equipment in the 2011 ECHL All-Star Game as they took on the host Bakersfied Condors. He also followed his hometown team all the way to the Colonial Cup Championship that his club earned in the 2005-06 UHL season. Bechtol then chose to then take a challenge last season and jump across the pond to Germany and the DEL, managing the equipment of the Nuremberg Ice Tigers. After the conclusion of his season abroad, the seasoned veteran came back to the states to assume the same role with the Rush organization, becoming the third Equipment Manager in franchise history.

“It has been an honor and privilege to work with some outstanding professionals, players, and staffs over the course of 21 years in professional hockey,” Bechtol reflected on his major milestone. “Although it has only been a season, reaching this milestone with the Rush family has been a fantastic experience with a top-notch organization in the ECHL. Now that I’ll be halfway to 3,000 games, I would like to express my gratitude and love to my family, my wife Nikki, my sons Gavin and Caden, my daughter Hannah, and the rest of my immediate family who has put up with my absence due to my demanding work schedule in this career. I would not be where I am today without their patience, understanding, and love.”

Bechtol will be honored for his major accomplishment with a brief pregame ceremony on April 2nd, as the Rush conclude their season series with the Wichita Thunder that night.

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