Frank Simonetti

Frank Simonetti played collegiate hockey at Norwich University, a ECAC II squad. So it should come as no surprises that Simonetti was overlooked in the NHL Entry Draft.

However what does come as a bit of a surprise is that a player from that low level managed to play 4 years of professional hockey, including 115 NHL Games with the hometown Boston Bruins..

Frank was signed as a Free Agent by the Bruins on October 4, 1984. He was a skilled player - good skating and puck movement. He however was fragile blueliner who suffered a number of injuries that limited his effectiveness. His ailments included mononucleosis and a severely damaged shoulder. The injuries finally forced Simonetti to retire in 1988.

Simonetti scored 5 goals and 8 assists in those 115 games. While injuries made his pro career disappointing, it was a bit of a small miracle that he even made it to the bigs in the first place. Frank Simonetti is probably the only player from Norwich University to play 4 seasons in the NHL.

Simonetti has been very active in the Pan-Mass Bicycle Challenge, which has raised over $300 million to fight cancer.