RAILERS

Railers: Center Chris Langkow embraces leadership role as team's elder 'skatesman'

Bill Ballou
Telegram & Gazette
Railers center Chris Langkow vies for the puck in front of Toledo Walleye defenseman AJ Jenks during a recent game at the DCU Center. [T&G Staff/Christine Hochkeppel]

WORCESTER — Hockey is a game of two-minute penalties and four-letter words, the worst of them, “sour.”

The last thing a team needs is a sour player, a jaded veteran who thinks his skills are best suited for Edmonton, Detroit or Boston and not Binghamton, Peoria or Worcester.

The IceCats and Sharks had their share of sour players and they generally led to sour seasons. 

So, when Jamie Russell put together his ECHL expansion Railers last summer he looked at leadership more than stats in assembling a roster and one of his crucial moves was signing 28-year-old veteran Chris Langkow.

“I knew he was a good leader, knew his background,” Russell said. “He’s a first-line player in this league, does all the right things on the ice and off the ice.

“He is really good with the younger players, so in building a roster we looked at his character, his talent, what he brings in terms of trying to establish a winning culture. He’s a huge part of that.”

This is Langkow’s eighth year as a pro and he has been around.

While he never played for a Worcester AHL team, he played games in Worcester while he was with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound center Langkow was a solid AHL player and has been a standout in the ECHL.

To date, he is the Railers’ top scorer with totals of 6-12-18 and has skated with the intensity of a rookie trying to make an impression.

“I just love playing the game,” he said. “Every year there’s the question of whether you’re gonna keep playing, and when I look at it, it’s a part of my life and I enjoy being able to play hockey. I’ve got the rest of my life to work.

“I’m able to come to the rink every day and do something I love and meet new people — and I love being around people — so it’s such a great experience to be able to do that. The hockey world is so small. Everybody knows everybody. It is such a cool way to live.”

Even though he is one of the Railers’ veteran players, Langkow leads Worcester’s forwards in ice time. He is in remarkable condition, with a resting heart rate just above anesthesia and a recovery time of seconds after a shift.

“There is no drop off in his game from the first period through the third period,” Russell said, “and he plays a ton of minutes in every situation.”

Langkow grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and returns there for his summers. His hockey resume is an eclectic one that includes stops in the Far North — Anchorage, Alaska — and Deep South — Charleston, South Carolina.

Which spot did he like best? 

“That’s such a tough question,” Langkow responded diplomatically. “I’m an outdoors guy, going up into the mountains, hiking, that sort of stuff and Alaska had all my interests. There were a lot of cool things I got to do up there that I really enjoyed, but South Carolina was such a new experience. You can go to the beach, and the food — there were a bunch of different restaurants to go try out. Charleston was an amazing place, probably my favorite city that I’ve played in.”

The Alaska Aces won the Kelly Cup in Langkow’s rookie year of 2010-11.

“We were there until June,” he recalled, “and it was a long year. It was funny — I remember after we won the cup we were all sitting on the deck at night having some celebratory drinks and it was 11 p.m., we were sitting on the balcony and the sun was shining. It was absolutely crazy. It was out of this world.”

Langkow’s first cousins of the same last name, Scott and Daymond, played in the NHL.

“We’re really close,” he said. “They’ve had such a big impact on my life. Growing up as a kid it was awesome to have somebody in the NHL and be that close to it. To grow up with a guy, be able to go to those games, be around the locker room — I was really fortunate with that.”

While retirement is inevitable for every player, it is not imminent in Langkow’s case.

“I don’t want to have any regrets,” he said. “If I don’t feel like I’m done, then I’m not ready to give up hockey. I just want to go until I’m satisfied how my career went and when I’m done playing, I’m done. That’s it.”

Langkow had just three points in the Railer’s first six games, but has had 14 in their last 11. Of his six goals, five have come on the road. He will have a chance to change that ratio a bit Saturday night when Worcester plays just its second home game in 27 days.

The Railers take on the Adirondack Thunder to commence a three-game homestand and Langkow will be, as usual, on the ice early and often.

—Contact Bill Ballou at william.ballou@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillBallouTG.