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Read the storyBecome a “Dancer to Watch”Pete Rogers ’89 may never have scored a goal in the National Hockey League (NHL), but he managed to have a hand in countless goals in professional hockey. For over 35 years, Rogers has served as an equipment manager, assisting many of hockey’s brightest stars.
“For me to be able to stand on the bench every night and have the best seat in the house to see the top hockey players in the world, it still drives me all these years later,” Rogers said. “I’ve been doing this for 35 years. It’s amazing how the time has flown by.”
Rogers has spent a majority of his career with the Nashville Predators ensuring skates are sharpened, pads are functional, and sticks are abundantly ready for the players’ next goal. He spent years alongside superstars including Peter Forsberg, Paul Kariya, Ryan McDonagh, Pekka Rinne, and P.K. Subban.
“For me to be able to stand on the bench every night and have the best seat in the house to see the top hockey players in the world, it still drives me all these years later.”
Pete Rogers ’89
Rogers continues to adapt, implementing technology into the equipment. Jerseys are equipped with tracking devices that monitor player shifts on the ice. They also track players’ speed, shot speed, puck location, shift length, and more.
“The game changes every day. Being around for as long as I have, I’ve seen so much technology it’s nice to be on the right side,” Rogers said. “If you’re not on the right side of technology, you don’t last.”
Associate professor emeritus Ralph Sisson played an important role in pushing Rogers to follow his dream. Rogers remembers Sisson reiterating that, ‘jobs won’t come to you. If it is something you want to do, you have to get involved.’
Brockport roommates Chris Scarlata ’90 and Pete Rogers ’89 (pictured left to right) reunite at a Predators game.
Rogers ran with the advice, working with an East Coast Hockey League expansion team, the Hampton Road Admirals, within a year of graduating.
“There were a lot of growing pains from ordering uniforms, figuring out your newest players,” Rogers shared. “If I didn’t have that experience with the Admirals, I don’t think I would have been as prepared going into Nashville.”
“I was very fortunate, my GM that hired me, David Poile got me involved with USA hockey.”
Pete Rogers ’89
Rogers would eventually land a job with Nashville after working with the Rochester Americans (Amerks) when they won the Calder Cup in 1996, defeating the Portland Pirates’ head coach Barry Trotz. Trotz was later named Nashville’s head coach in 1998 after the NHL announced its expansion, and Rogers was brought on board shortly after.
Roger’s experience working with an expansion team led to the opportunity of a lifetime when he was recruited as part of the USA Olympics team in 2006.
“I was pretty star struck the first Olympics I went to because we had all these American stars, and I was only in the league for a few years at the time,” Rogers said. “I was very fortunate, my GM that hired me, David Poile got me involved with USA hockey. I ended up doing six or seven world championships, two Olympics, a world cup, and a Deutschland cup. I don’t think I could have done as well in those if I didn’t have the expansion experience. It’s 23 guys, four coaches, and every year it’s a new group.”
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