Hockey 8/15/2026 9:00:00 AM Braden Golisek - Assistant Director of Sports Information

Hockey to Retire Three Jerseys on Opening Night

Don Waddell, Tom Laidlaw, and Steve Bozek will be the first hockey players to get their names in the rafters of the Berry Events Center

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- Northern Michigan University Athletic Director Rick Comley has announced that for the first time in program history, the NMU hockey team will be raising banners to commemorate Don Waddell, Tom Laidlaw, and Steve Bozek.

"I am beyond thrilled to announce our first jersey retirements," says Comley. Comley was the first head coach in program history, serving as bench boss from 1976 to 2002. "While the selection process was challenging because of how many great players we had in the early years, it also brought back great memories for me, and we ultimately decided on Waddell, Laidlaw, and Bozek. If you look at the history of Northern Michigan University hockey and look into the record books, it is clear why these three are deserving to be the first three we honor. While I hope to honor more in the coming years, the 50th Anniversary Season is the perfect time for this first batch, and it is going to be a very proud moment in October to hang their names in the rafters and begin the process of recognizing some of the great players that we have had at Northern Michigan."

The ceremony will take place on Friday, October 2, beginning with a celebration luncheon at the Holiday Inn in Marquette. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m., lunch, featuring an elevated buffet provided by Holiday Inn, will begin at 11:45 a.m., before finishing with the event program, which will run from 12:00 p.m. to 1 p.m. and feature a range of speakers. A post-reception social hour from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. will take place after the event, allowing fans to mingle with the honorees and members of the hockey team while enjoying a cash bar.

A ticket must be purchased to attend this event, which can be found at tickets.nmu.edu.

The Wildcats will then hold a special pre-game ceremony prior to the home-opening puck drop against Miami (OH) on Friday, October 2, 2026, where the team will unveil the three banners that will hang in the rafters of the Berry Events Center.

You can purchase single-game tickets at tickets.nmu.edu when those go on sale Thursday, September 3, 2026.

For more information, please contact Braden Golisek at brgolise@nmu.edu.

Don Waddell
Waddell (1976-1980) was a member of the first NCAA Division I Wildcat hockey team in 1976, where he immediately made an impact. In program history, Waddell holds three of the top four single-season points by a defenseman, two of the top three single-season goals and assists by a defenseman, is ninth in career points, fifth in career assists, and first in career points, goals, and assists by a defenseman. Waddell was named CCHA Player of the Year in 1978, served as a team captain in his junior season, and helped guide NMU to the NCAA National Championship game in 1980. A multiple-time All-CCHA First Team selection, Waddell was also named to the preliminary U.S. Olympic Roster for the "Miracle on Ice" team, though a broken leg during pre-tournament play sidelined him before the Olympics. Waddell was inducted into the Northern Michigan University Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Waddell was named to the US National Junior Team in 1977 and 1978, and was drafted 111th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. Waddell played for the American World Championship Team in 1983 and came back to take on a general manager role in 1999, 2002, 2004, and 2005. Waddell was also an assistant GM for the 2004 United States World Cup Team.

Waddell took on roles as player-coach and minor league GM from 1985 through 1997 before his first NHL front-office role, where he was hired as the Assistant General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings under Ken Holland in 1997-98, winning the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings.

The Atlanta Thrashers hired Waddell as its first-ever General Manager and Vice President of Hockey Operations in 1998, where he managed the franchise and filled in as interim head coach on two separate occasions from 1998-2010. After a period as a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins and executive roles with USA Hockey, Waddell joined the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014 as Team President. He assumed dual roles as President and General Manager in 2018, and then on May 29, 2024, Waddell was named President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Tom Laidlaw
Laidlaw (1976-1980) was a team captain all four years and a critical part of the defense core alongside Waddell during the Wildcats' inaugural hockey era. While Waddell provided the offensive spark, Laidlaw brought heavy physicality and a steady defensive presence, making him an instant fan favorite. Laidlaw holds the all-time NMU record for career penalty minutes with 410 and the single-season penalty minute record at 137.

Laidlaw played 124 games for the Green and Gold in four seasons, where he ranks ninth in points by defensemen, 11th in goals by blueliners, and ninth in assists in Wildcat hockey history. A multiple First-Team All-CCHA selection, his 38 points and 30 assists in the 1979-80 season are eighth and ninth best by an NMU defenseman all-time. Laidlaw led all NMU defensemen in points in 1978-79, and played a major role in guiding the 'Cats to the 1980 NCAA Tournament Championship game, where he was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Laidlaw was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Laidlaw enjoyed a 10-year NHL career from 1980-1990. Laidlaw was drafted by the New York Rangers in 1978 and stepped directly into the lineup for the 1980-81 season, instantly becoming a regular. He played seven seasons for the Rangers, including being named alternate captain and playing a crucial role in the 1985-86 Rangers team that made a run to the conference semifinals, where he played in 510 regular-season games, posting 20 goals, 99 assists, and 561 penalty minutes.

Laidlaw was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1987, where he spent his final four NHL seasons. Serving as a veteran blueliner during Wayne Gretzky's first season in LA, Laidlaw played 195 games for the Kings, recording five goals, 40 assists, and 156 penalty minutes.

Following retirement and a brief stint in the IHL, Laidlaw spent over two decades as a hockey agent, including founding and running Laidlaw Sports Management for 17 years. In 2019, he became the first NHL player to compete on CBS's reality competition show Survivor.

Steve Bozek
Bozek was an explosive offensive force for the Wildcats during the same golden era as Waddell and Laidlaw, as he became Northern Michigan's first-ever All-American in hockey before transitioning to a solid 11-year NHL career.

Bozek played three seasons for the Wildcats, forming part of the potent core that propelled NMU to the 1980 National Championship game. After 24 points as a freshman in 1978-79, Bozek exploded onto the scene with 89 points in 41 games as a sophomore, helping lead NMU to the NCAA Tournament Championship finals. A multiple-time All-CCHA First Team selection, Bozek then led the CCHA in scoring with 90 points in 44 games as a junior, where he was a First-Team All-American in 1981 and a finalist for the inaugural Hobey Baker Award the same year.

In Wildcat hockey history, Bozek holds two of the top three single-season point records, two single-season goal records in the top eight, two single-season assists records in the top six, is the seventh-highest career point getter, holds the fifth-most goals, and ninth most assists in NMU history. Bozek's 13 game-winning goals are a career record, his 47 assists and 89 points in his second season are the most by a sophomore, and his 90 points and 55 assists in his third season are the most by a Wildcat junior in history. Bozek was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

Bozek was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round of the 1980 draft and went straight to the NHL, where he played 11 seasons as a two-way forward and penalty killer. He spent his first two seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, where he set a Kings rookie record at the time by scoring 33 goals, before being traded to Calgary ahead of the 1983 season. Bozek played for the Flames until 1988 as a key defensive forward, playing a key role during the Flames' run to the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals against Montreal.

Bozek then played three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, twice winning the team's Fred J. Hume Award as the unsung hero in 1989-90 and 1990-91. Bozek then joined the expansion San Jose Sharks in their inaugural 1991-92 season before a brief stint in Europe and retiring. Following his retirement from professional hockey, Bozek earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Print Friendly Version