Read a very well-done piece on Oakland’s own Roy Sommer on The Hockey News’ site today.
Sommer gets more than a passing mention in the hockey book for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is he was the first California native to reach the NHL, playing three games with the Edmonton Oilers in 1980.
Sommer has been in the San Jose Sharks organization since 1996 and is closing in on 500 victories as an AHL coach. When he says at the end of the THN column that he was only telling the short version of his hockey story, believe him. We spent an hour (if not more) on the phone during my research process, and the stories didn’t stop.
His commitment to the game is unquestioned, and several people have told me his summer camps in San Jose are highly enjoyable.
Roy Sommer truly is a California original, and hockey is much richer for having him in it.
