2026 DANBURY ALUMNI NIGHT - CELEBRITY PLAYER - DAVE MACISAAC
2026 DANBURY RING OF HONOR
DANBURY - The Danbury Hat Tricks are excited to announce AS PART OF ALUMNI NIGHT - FORMER dANBURY trASHER, dANBURY mAD hATTER & DANBURY hAT tRICK - dAVE mACISAAC HAS SIGNED A CELEBRITY CONTACT
By Patrick Grudberg
DANBURY - The Danbury Hat Tricks are excited to announce that Dave MacIsaac, former Danbury Trashers player and coach of the Mad Hatters and Hat Tricks, will be suiting up as a celebrity player this Saturday, April 4th vs the Port Huron Prowlers.
MacIsaac has one of the longest, most impressive careers in Danbury hockey history, spread out across multiple chapters of pro hockey in the Hat City. The Massachusetts native came to the Trashers in their inaugural 2004-05 season. Dave remembers, “I started the first year with the Trashers, I came up for home games mostly. I played about 8 or 10 games…the second year I came up full-time and was a captain of the Trashers. The Galantes treated me like family - I loved it.”
After transitioning into coaching, the opportunity came about to coach back in Danbury with the Mad Hatters of the Eastern Professional Hockey League. He led the team in the league’s only season of existence, finishing 30-18-2 and narrowly missing the playoffs.
Dave went on to coach in the SPHL for a number of years before heading abroad to coach in Iceland. Eventually by 2021, Mac found his way back to Danbury for a third time.
Dave’s playing career spanned 3-years at the University of Maine where he won a National Championship with Hockey Hall of Famer, Paul Kariya, plus 14-seasons on the professional level racking up over 1,500 Penalty Minutes. Mac was a Calder Cup Champion with the Philadelphia Phantoms in 1998 and was named Captain of his team in 7-seasons.
“An opportunity came to coach in Danbury [with the Hat Tricks], and it was a no brainer. I knew Herm from my time with the Mad Hatters, I knew John Krupinsky, and I was very familiar with a lot of people in Danbury, and always the Galantes treated me like family…the Hat Tricks job opened, I interviewed and got it.”
MacIsaac led the Hat Tricks in their first full season as a franchise in 2021-2022 (the 2019-2020 season had abruptly ended due to the pandemic). The team finished 3rd in the FPHL, winning a first-round series vs Binghamton 2-1 before bowing out in the semifinals to the Columbus River Dragons.
Across his three stops in Danbury, Dave MacIsaac appeared in 193 games as both a player and coach with the Trashers, Mad Hatters, and Hat Tricks. He ranks near the top of Danbury hockey records in combined games played and coached.
Speaking about the chance to skate as a celebrity player, Mac said, “It’s gonna be fun, always fun to get back out there with the team and compete, those fans go crazy so I like the atmosphere there, hopefully we can get ‘em riled up, maybe get a fight in and get a win.”
Along with suiting up for the Hat Tricks, MacIsaac will get a chance to reunite with teammates and fellow Danbury hockey legends for the Alumni Night festivities. “This is the fifth different season I’ve been there, so it’s like a second home to me. I’m very familiar with Danbury, and it’s gonna be nice to come back. It’s always nice to see everybody I haven’t seen in awhile, and it should be fun.”
We hope to see you all in attendance Saturday night for Dave MacIsaac’s return to the ice as a celebrity player!
the Danbury Hat Tricks continue their sixth season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League Single-game tickets and partial season ticket packages are on sale and can be purchased in person at the Hat Tricks office located inside the Danbury Ice Arena at 1 Independence Way in Danbury, by calling (973-713-7547) or emailing (herm@danburyhattricks.com) the office, or online through Tixr. For the latest Hat Tricks news, visit www.danburyhattricks.com, follow the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/danburyhattricks), Instagram (@danburyhattricks), X (@DanburyHatTrick), TikTok (@danburyhattricks), and YouTube (@DanburyHatTricks), and subscribe to the Hat Tricks' newsletter.
The Danbury Hat Tricks are a professional hockey team based in Danbury, CT, and compete in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). Since their founding in 2019, the 2023 Commissioner's Cup Champions have brought thrilling, fast-paced, and hard-hitting hockey to the Danbury Ice Arena, earning a reputation for their competitive spirit, electric atmosphere, and strong community ties. The team is dedicated to providing an unforgettable game-day experience for fans of all ages while proudly representing the city of Danbury.