USHL names winner of inaugural Gaudreau Award honoring late brothers
Wyttenbach, 18, led the Sioux Falls Stampede with 23 goals in 43 games this season. According to the USHL announcement, the forward also led the Stampede in community service hours.
Wyttenbach served as a mentor to local youth hockey players while also filling food bags for Feeding South Dakota, serving dinners at the St. Francis House and ringing bells for The Salvation Army.
The top junior ice hockey league established The Gaudreau Award to pay tribute to former players Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. After starring in the USHL, the brothers went on to play at Boston College. Johnny then spent 11 years in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets. Matthew played professionally for teams in the American Hockey League and ECHL.
The brothers died last summer after they were struck by a car while riding bicycles in New Jersey. The USHL created The Gaudreau Award "to honor their legacy and to serve as a shining example of excellence, character, and heart both on and off the ice," according to Glenn Hefferan, president and commissioner of the USHL.
"Johnny and Matthew left an immeasurable impact on the communities where they lived and played. ... They were not only exceptional players and teammates but, most importantly, extraordinary people. Their love for the game was only surpassed by their love for their families."
According to the league, criteria for winning the award combines both on-ice excellence as well as "joy, enthusiasm, care and responsibility."
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
06-08-2025
- BBC News
'Wouldn't want to be anywhere else'
This week, we are asking you to share your stories and photos for why you fell in love with is a selection of your submissions: Les: I was born in Fulham in 1950. My grandparents, my mum and dad supported Fulham. I was taken at age three to watch the reserves and at six to see the first team v Leeds and John Charles. There has been no other team since. The best player was undoubtedly Johnny Haynes but my favourite was Graham Leggat. So many good memories of matches and players but the FA Cup final in 1975 and the Europa League run including beating Juventus stand out. Send us your pictures and stories here
The Independent
04-08-2025
- The Independent
Johnny Fisher names Tony Sims as new coach after parting ways with Mark Tibbs
Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Johnny Fisher has announced his new trainer as Tony Sims, who will coach the British heavyweight in the wake of Fisher's split from Mark Tibbs. In July, Fisher said he had parted ways with Tibbs, who had coached the 26-year-old throughout his entire professional career, including in May's loss to Dave Allen. That defeat – Fisher's first as a pro – was a heavy loss, with the 'Romford Bull' dropped twice in round five before his corner threw in the towel. It followed Fisher's controversial decision win over Allen in December, another fight in which Fisher was knocked down. 'I've always had a respect for Tony and all the boys that train here,' Fisher said on Instagram on Sunday (3 August), in a video filmed at the Matchroom Gym in Essex. 'I mean, Craig [Richards] is behind me, you've got Jimmy [Sains] and George [Liddard] and Conor Benn. Some great names before; John Ryder's still here. 'To be among them names and involved in that, I know I'm gonna be pushed. Through my discussions with Tony, when we go into camp, I'm gonna be in a hellhole.' open image in gallery Johnny Fisher (right) with his now-former coach Mark Tibbs ( Getty Images ) Sims added, 'If someone's got that motivation to want to do well, then it gives the coach motivation to train them,' while he playfully suggested Fisher is 'far more intelligent than anyone else' at the gym. Fisher responded: 'I don't know about that!' Fisher in fact has a history degree from the University of Exeter, where he played rugby before getting into boxing. Fisher will now aim to bounce back from his defeat by Allen, who was signed by Fisher's promoter Eddie Hearn in the aftermath of the heavyweights' rematch in May. Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime. Buy Now ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime. Buy Now ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. open image in gallery Tony Sims (right) trains Conor Benn among others ( Action Images via Reuters ) Upon parting ways with Tibbs, Fisher wrote on Instagram: 'It is with a heavy heart that after almost five years of being on this professional journey together, me and Mark have decided to part ways. 'Boxing is the toughest sport in the world, and to continue I feel I need a fresh start to get the best out of myself. Me and Mark have made some special memories and reached some milestones in my career that many thought we never would achieve. 'More importantly than all of this though is the friendship we have gained, and to know that I have Mark and Jimmy in my life and to be able to call them both friends is an honour. Thank you for everything.' Prior to losing to Allen at London's Copper Box arena, Fisher went 13-0 with 11 knockout wins. In the same venue, in July 2024, he stopped Alen Babic in 36 seconds.
The Guardian
01-08-2025
- The Guardian
‘Players think it is a quick fix': Livingston's Brian Rice on breaking free of gambling addiction
Conversation with Brian Rice flows easily. Brian Clough pounced to sign the red-haired midfielder after he failed to agree a contract with Hibernian in the summer of 1985. 'Eff me, it's Steve Davis,' roared Clough as Rice entered the manager's office for the first time. It took until September '85 for a tribunal to determine Nottingham Forest would have to pay Hibs close to £200,000 for Rice. He had been unable to play until that dispute was resolved. Clough bawled at Rice again as he walked on to the training pitch the following day. ''You'll need to go back to Scotland. I'd need to sell the stand to sign you son,'' Rice recalls. 'You should have seen the look on my face. Then he just started laughing. The following week I made my debut at Anfield. Every day was different. You didn't know if you were training, going to play cricket or for an ice cream.' Rice is still very welcome at Forest, where he is most fondly remembered for an audacious finish against Arsenal in a 1988 FA Cup quarter-final. He cites Johnny Metgod as the best player he lined up alongside. Rice also remembers how during a Clough rant at Metgod, the Dutch centre-back snapped back that Forest's manager had signed him. 'And I'll sell you,' Clough retorted. A fortnight later, Metgod was a Tottenham player. The trouble is, this endearing trip down memory lane is a precursor to Rice's broader tale. He will begin the new Scottish season back in the top flight as Livingston's head of football operations, a switch upstairs after time spent on the coaching staff. Rice will be a loss on the training pitch – he is widely regarded as a superb coach – and an inevitable success in his new post. The 61-year-old's knowledge of football in Scotland is encyclopedic. Rice did not begin gambling in the midst of Forest's laddish culture. 'Mine started when I was at school,' he says. 'Throwing pennies against a wall, playing cards. I barely had a drink before I went to Nottingham because I wanted to be a football player and the training was intense. Drink really didn't interest me, but I always gambled. 'My dad gambled every day but that was 5p or 10p and it was fun to him. It was fun to me to start with, then it escalated. It takes a grip of you. I knew I had a problem, a massive problem. But in those days, to ask for help was a sign of weakness. Now I know it is a massive sign of strength.' Fast forward to January 2020 and the Scottish Football Association announce Rice, then the manager of Hamilton, has been given a 10-game ban for betting on matches. 'October 15th,' he says. 'I was going to watch Scotland Under-21s against Germany at Firhill. The phone went at half past four in the afternoon. It was the club secretary saying: 'Brian, we have had the SFA on and they are going to investigate you regarding gambling in football.' I said: 'Thank God it is over.' 'I was so relieved it was finished. The next day I went in to see the club owner, told him everything and made sure we went to the SFA and did the same. I gave them everything.' A whispering campaign ensued, including one that suggested Rice bet on games involving his own clubs. That proved to never be the case throughout a decade's worth of wagers the SFA examined. Scottish football's relationship with gambling is complex. Betting firms as sponsors are everywhere. Any harm attached to Rice's episode was primarily to himself. 'It was self-inflicted,' he says. 'I knew I was doing wrong. I don't make excuses about it. 'I don't think in any other line of work you would be punished for having an addiction. You get help. But they did help me. Alongside the suspension, I had to go to meetings for a year. It was the best punishment they could ever have given me. I was going to three or four meetings a week and I still do that to this day. Those meetings have changed my life, educated me and let me know why I gambled. It has given me the foundations to have a better life. If I stop going there, my mindset could change again. I'm not ashamed, I am doing something about my problem.' 'I know of cases that have been swept under the carpet, that nobody knows about,' Rice adds. 'Players reported to be injured at their club and they aren't. I know that for a fact because I have spoken to the players. But I think it is better that way, better than the way it came out with me. People have families as well.' Rice has had low points. Plenty of them. 'I was on the top of the 32-storey building in Qatar and ready to step off it,' he says. 'That's where it took me.' His successful relationship with Falkirk counted for nothing when a fan used gambling as a means to abuse the then-manager at Alloa Athletic. ''I hope it never happens to your family,' I replied. It was horrible. They see it as banter and I have to take it. I didn't that day because it was Falkirk and, to be fair to the club, they were fantastic. The guy didn't have the guts to come forward.' The 24-hour, 365-days availability of betting is unlike when Rice played on either side of the border and he believes he sold himself short with trips to the horse racing, casino or bookie when he could have been training. He also urges young footballers to get in touch if they fear gambling issues are spiralling out of control. 'I know the signs to look for,' Rice says. 'In six years, I have helped more than a dozen players and am still doing so now. Players think it is a quick fix; stop gambling for a month and I'll be cured. It's not stopping gambling, which can be quite easy; it's changing your habits. I had to completely change the way I lived, even the way I drove home so I wasn't passing five betting shops. Fill your day better.' The day after our chat, I message Rice to express gratitude for his candour. 'It's my story and I've nothing left to hide from nowadays,' he replies. 'Thanks again.' Judgment should include the fact he is one of the game's good guys. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@ You can contact the mental health charity Mind by calling 0300 123 3393 or visiting
