'So many memories': Ex-NHL goalie Ben Bishop inducted into Peoria Rivermen hall of fame

PEORIA — Ben Bishop III stood 6-foot-7 between the pipes for the Peoria Rivermen over parts of five seasons.

Now the former NHL All-Star goaltender will forever stand tall in the 42-year franchise's history, too, with his induction into the Rivermen Hall of Fame completed Saturday in front of a high-energy 4,664 at Carver Arena.

With Bishop in that crowd, they watched the Rivermen sweep a weekend series from SPHL first-place Birmingham, 5-1, pulling second-place Peoria to within two points of the league lead. The Rivermen got the job done with a hat trick from center JM Piotrowski, including a spectacular penalty shot in the second period.

Bishop led off the night with a ceremonial pre-game puck drop where he was joined by Peoria starting goaltender Nick Latinovich and Birmingham counterpart Hayden Stewart, the league's top two goaltenders.

Then, during the first intermission, Bishop stood on the ice with his wife, Andrea, sons Ben IV (age 6), James (4), and Mason (10 months) and his mother, Cindy, father, Ben Jr., at his side. The crowd, which included a lot of St. Louis Blues fans who made the drive to Peoria from St. Louis, delivered a standing ovation.

"It's hard to believe that 16 years ago almost to the day I played my first pro home game here — and got in a fight down in that corner," Bishop said, laughing, as he pointed at the other end of the ice. "But it's a great honor to be inducted into the Peoria Rivermen Hall of Fame. Peoria has such a rich history.

"So many memories on the ice. And more importantly, off the ice … a great community … it was a pleasure to play parts of five seasons in front of you guys. And it's great to see hockey is still thriving in Peoria."

The gracious Bishop and his family stayed the entire game, and the former Rivermen player was in the Peoria locker room after the 5-1 win, where he introduced himself and shook the players' hands, congratulating them on their victory in a classy show of support and respect.

BACKGROUND: How the Peoria Rivermen Hall of Fame will welcome a beloved goaltender from their AHL era

How tall was Ben Bishop?

Bishop, 37, played five seasons for the Rivermen in the American Hockey League as a touted prospect for the NHL parent club St. Louis Blues. The 6-7 goaltender — the tallest in the 42-year history of the Rivermen and matching the tallest ever to play in the NHL — appeared in 159 Rivermen games for Peoria, including one playoff outing. He compiled an 81-65-8 record (0-1 in the playoffs) with a career 2.59 goals-against and .910 saves rate and nine shutouts for the Rivermen.

His best season for the Rivermen was his last, in 2011-12, when he won 24 games, with six shutouts a 2.26 goals-against and .928 saves rate.

During his time with Peoria, Bishop was called up to play 13 games for the Blues. St. Louis, which picked him in the third round of the 2005 NHL Enty Draft, traded him to Ottawa in July of 2012.

Bishop played for former Rivermen captain Tony Curtale on NAHL championship team Texas Tornado in 2004-05.

Curtale was part of a tribute video for Bishop during the induction. It included former Rivermen teammates Derek Nesbitt, Adam Cracknell, Rivermen coach Jean-Guy Trudel, and Bishop's net partner in Peoria, Jake Allen, still in the NHL.

The boisterous crowd gave Bishop a standing ovation and later did the wave as the Rivermen routed first-place Birmingham.

"It's just great being here," said Bishop, now in player development with NHL Dallas. "This is where it all started for me. To have success here … and so many memories. I remember the banners, I loved looking at those, all the history up there.

"I remember being just out of school (Maine) and getting here and seeing an older guy like Jean-Guy Trudel in the room, and learning from those guys.

"Being part of this franchise is just so special."

Bishop finished his Rivermen career with 81 wins — the third most in franchise history, behind Darrell May and Eric Levine.

IN PEORIA: This Bishop a powerful piece for Rivermen

How many games did Ben Bishop win?

Bishop went on to play in 413 regular-season NHL games during a 14-year career with the Blues, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, Dallas. He won 222 NHL games and had a career goals-against of 2.27 with a .927 saves rate. He added another 29 wins in the playoffs.

Bishop made the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, signed a six-year, $29.5 million contract with Dallas in 2017 and appeared in two Stanley Cup Finals. He was a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist.

His home debut with the Rivermen — in his second pro game — saw him charge down the ice to join a brawl and fight former Rivermen goaltender Jason Bacashihua, who was playing for Lake Erie in that March 2008 game.

He earned a big win with Rivermen fans before the game Saturday, sitting in the Carver Arena outer concourse to sign autographs and take pictures with anyone who asked -- and a lot did. He signed pucks, jerseys, body parts and even a Star Wars character in more than an hour leading up to puck drop.

Two Peoria Rivermen suspended by SPHL

The Rivermen lost winger Mitch McPherson and winger Tristan Trudel when the SPHL suspended them four games and three games, respectively, after incidents at the final horn in Friday's win over Birmingham.

Birmingham's Scott Donahue was suspended two games.

The teams clashed after the final horn and McPherson hammered Donahue in a fight. The teams remained on the ice, and Birmingham head coach Craig Simchuk came onto the ice to get his team under control and moved to the locker room.

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Donahue was suspended for fighting other than during a period, and for obscene language, the latter reportedly something he said to McPherson.

Trudel and McPherson, according to the league, left the Rivermen bench during the altercations. It appears both teams cleared the benches as part of the post-game process, the Rivermen to celebrate their victory.

An incredible penalty shot, hat trick and 5-1 win

The Rivermen have endured a season of injuries -- 14 players have gone on IR -- and an unprecedented number of league suspensions. Sprinkle in a couple of call-ups, trades and two guys quitting to go play in a lower-level league, and you get a team that has played a grand total of zero games this season with everyone on its roster available.

And it hasn't mattered. The Rivermen beat Roanoke on the road in early February. Then they swept a three-games, three-nights series against Fayetteville when the Marksmen came to Carver Arena in second place Feb. 16-18.

Now first-place Birmingham came in for two crucial games, with the Rivermen again missing key players serving suspensions or heading to IR.

And they swept the Bulls, too. It's just uber-impressive. They got five goals on Birmingham goaltender Hayden Stewart on Saturday, who had given up more than three goals in a game only twice in 32 outings this season.

Peoria veteran center JM Piotrowski got it done with a hat trick. He opened that journey with a power play goal that tied the game, 1-1, just 38 seconds into the second period.

Then he ignited the crowd with a shorthanded goal and a penalty shot 50 seconds apart midway through the second period to put Birmingham down, 4-1.

The shorthanded goal -- his league-beat fourth -- was an overpowering fastball off a vicious slapshot from between the faceoff circles.

Then 50 seconds later he headed in on another shorthanded breakaway and was hauled down from behind. A penalty shot was awarded after the linesmen corrected referee Michael Perry, who had initially called a two-minute penalty.

Piotrowski cruised in from center ice, drifted right, cut back left and then, twisted like a pretzel, thrust his stick between his legs and somehow lifted the puck over Stewart.

"JM practices that shot every day in practice," Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel said. "It's a crazy trick shot, and he score on it most of the time. And I tell him all the time, 'Your hands aren't that good.' "

It capped a second period in which the Rivermen had at least four breakaway/walk-in chances. Not long afterward, the crowd was doing the wave and the team was sending Piotrowski's goal in to Sportscenter.

What a fun night.

River Readings

The Rivermen mathematically locked Evansville behind them, as they did Macon and Knoxville earlier this week. Peoria has clinched a playoff spot, and next in line is Pensacola, against whom Peoria's magic number is 4. ... The Rivermen are a league-best 19-1-3 on home ice. ... Birmingham defenseman Joe Colatarci jumped on Rivermen winger Mike Gelatt's head early in the third period and was ejected with a match penalty for attempt to injure. ... Birmingham's 15 shots on goal Saturday marked its lowest single-game output of the season. ... Rivermen wore Mandalorian-themed jerseys and Star Wars characters were on hand, mingling with fans. The team auctioned the jerseys after the game. ... Peoria hosts Pensacola in a two-game set next weekend.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Rivermen hockey team inducts NHL goaltender Ben Bishop into hall of fame