(INDEPENDENCE, MO) – The Rapid City Rush announced today that veteran forward Tab Lardner has come out of retirement to play for the Rush in their weekend series against the Kansas City Mavericks.
Lardner is a 10-year veteran of professional hockey, last playing in the CHL for the then-Missouri Mavericks and Fort Wayne Komets in the 2010-11 CHL season. The 5’11”, 185-pound winger is playing in his first regular season game since March 26, 2011, and, coincidentally, his first game since meeting the Rush in the 2011 CHL Playoffs on April 24, 2011.
“With injuries and suspensions, we’re shorthanded coming into this series against the Mavericks. Tab is one of my best friends from my playing days, stays in great shape, and I just got a brain wave that we should sign him for the series as a tenth forward for the weekend,” Rush Head Coach Daniel Tetrault said of Lardner’s signing. “Tab will bring a veteran mentality to my young locker room. No matter how long he’s here, or how many shifts he plays, he has so much he can teach this room. I played with Tab for two years in Austin with the Ice Bats and Port Huron with the Ice Hawks, and one year in Wichita with the Thunder, and he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. He’s really excited to play tonight, and I’m excited I have one of my old friends helping us out.”
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Lardner played 644 games in the IHL with Port Huron, and in the CHL with the Mavericks, Komets, Thunder, Arizona Sundogs, and Youngstown Steelhounds, compiling career totals of 244 goals, 262 assists, and 506 points. Prior to his decade-long career, he played four seasons at Michigan Tech in the NCAA, earning 55 points in 144 games.
The Rush begin 2019 on the road against the Kansas City Mavericks on January 4th and 5th. Puck drop for the Friday contest at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena is slated for 6:05 p.m. MST.
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