Gade’s hockey roots are found in Virginia

What do all of these pro athletes have in common? David Wright of the New York Mets. B.J. Upton of the Tampa Bay Rays. Allen Iverson of the Detroit Pistons. Plaxico Burress of the New York Giants.

And Patrick "Beau" McLaughlin of the Richmond Renegades.

All of them hail from Virginia's Tidewater area, which has produced numerous professional standouts in baseball, basketball and football. But hockey? Very few pro hockey players have been raised in Virginia.

A native of Virginia Beach, McLaughlin began to learn the game at an early age in the Old Dominion before going north to concentrate on it. The left wing now is Richmond's leading goal scorer and point producer.

"I started when I was 7 years old," McLaughlin said. "Playing recreational, summer league, house-league hockey, where I skated probably 10 times a year. When I was 12 or 13, I played on travel teams, maybe 30 games a year. Then I left for prep school when I was 15."

McLaughlin, 27, also played baseball and was pretty good at it.

"I was actually way better in baseball than hockey," he said. "Hockey was just something different, and I wasn't forced to do it all the time. Sometimes I kick myself in the butt, thinking about what could have happened if I had stuck with baseball.

"I played on AAU state championship teams . . . it was pretty serious stuff growing up. Hockey was just something to do a handful of times in the winter."

When McLaughlin went to Lake Placid, N.Y., to attend Northwood School, he focused on hockey. It's been that way ever since.

"Those first few years I was up north really developed me as a player and started to get me where I was going," McLaughlin said. "More players that graduated from that school played in the NHL than any other high school in North America.

"We had a rink in our schoolyard, and I played every single day. At first, it was a super challenge for me, but by the time I left there, it had really helped me out."

McLaughlin played three years for the University of Connecticut, where he was the only Division I player in the country from Virginia. He's now one of a handful of pro hockey players from Virginia.

The 6-1 190-pounder joined the Renegades in a trade with Huntsville last summer and is enjoying his best season as a pro. In 37 games, McLaughln has 19 goals and 39 points.

"We traded [Martin] Kubaliak for him, so I think I made out on that trade," said Richmond coach Brian Goudie. "He could probably have a lot more goals than he has. He's had a lot of quality chances because he works hard. There's no mystery about what he does. Every shift he goes out there, he gets himself into position to get off a shot.

"At the start of the season, he was a little snakebit because things weren't going in. He just kept on shooting, shooting, shooting, and sooner or later, it's going in for you. You never hear a peep out of him, though. He's always positive and loves coming to the rink."

McLaughlin has a degree in resource economics (wildlife management and conservation) but wants to see what he can accomplish in hockey before he enters the business world.

"I'm thinking about going to Europe the next couple of years to play hockey and see how that goes," he said. "I just want to look at my opportunities and see what it brings me. You never know what the next day will bring you.

"I just have more confidence now. I expect to do well."

Contact John Packett at (804) 649-6313