Remember When: Brad Tapper
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The following article featuring former Rensselaer standout Brad Tapper appeared November 2 on the Chicago Wolves Web site.
In 15 years, the Chicago Wolves have experienced moments of
greatness and joy, and moments of sadness and loss. Brad Tapper, a
right wing from 2001-04, experienced firsthand how quickly the ups
and downs can come. For Tapper, the greatness came first.
“Winning the Calder Cup in 2002 is by far my favorite Wolves
memory,” he quickly stated. “It was just
unbelievable.”
Just four short months later, when Tapper should have been basking
in the success of the previous season, he was mourning the loss of
his teammate, roommate and close friend, Dan Snyder.
“Being without Dan Snyder was tough, it was hard to play
there when he passed away,” Tapper said after a moment of
reflection. “He made such a huge impact in Chicago and it was
tough to overcome playing without him. I lived with him during the
season. He was such a great player and I spent a lot of time going
to the rink and home with him, it was hard without him.”
For Tapper, celebrating the life of his former teammate was best
done by following in his footsteps - participating in community
events and raising money for Wolves charities.
“Shirts Off Their Backs” was one of my favorite
community events with the Wolves,” Tapper recalled. “We
raised a lot of money by signing and giving away our jerseys after
the last game of the season. I was chosen to be the MC for it and
it was just a great experience. It was great being there; it is
like you are a part of a big family. Everything was awesome, the
fans were great. The charity we did for the community was great
too,” he concluded.
Tapper spent three seasons with the Wolves that can be compared to
a roller-coaster ride. As a player he saw victory and defeat, and
as a member of the Wolves family he saw how quickly tragedy could
be turned into triumph.
