On Friday, October 23rd, Monsters Director of Hockey and Community Relations Jock Callander had his no. 15 retired by the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League during Jock Callander Retirement Night. Callander played parts of eight seasons for the Lumberjacks, registering 698 points (262G, 436A) in 482 games.

“It’s definitely an honor to be put up there with those other players who are up there already,” said Callander. “There is a great hockey history in Muskegon. There were very good players and very good teams.”

Callander lead the ‘Jacks to the Turner Cup in 1986 and 1989 and played in four IHL All-Star games. Callander’s 1,402 points are tops in IHL history and his 848 assists are second all-time while his 554 goals rank third. Callander played in 109 games in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning, registering 51 points (22G, 29A) and 116 penalty minutes to go with a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 1992.

A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, Callander played professionally for 18 years and coached for two years in the IHL and AHL. Of those 18 years, Callander spent 15 with the Muskegon/Cleveland Lumberjacks. In 1998-99, Callander served as a player/assistant for the Lumberjacks, then moved back to being a player full-time in 1999-00 before becoming a full-time assistant coach for the Lumberjacks in 2000-01. In 2001-02, Callander was the assistant coach for the AHL’s Houston Aeros.

In his position with the Monsters as Director of Hockey and Community Relations, which he has held for three years, Callander serves as the primary liaison with the Colorado Avalanche while representing the Monsters throughout the community.

Callander resides in Avon Lake, Ohio, and is the father of three – sons Chase and Pierson and daughter Mackenzi.