When you think of the glory years of professional hockey in Central New York, your thoughts quickly move to the fantastic appeal that the Syracuse Blazers had on our community. One of the main cogs in those glorious years was the captain of those memorable teams—Brian Elwell. A native of Verdun, Quebec, Number 8 quickly became the darling of the Syracuse fans as he was the centerpiece of Syracuse’s rise to capturing the Eastern Hockey League’s top prize—the Walker Cup in the 1972-73 season. During his Syracuse career he nearly scored a point a game on 95 goals and 130 assists in 233 games. After retiring due to a cranky knee, he became the successful owner-operator of the Back Door Tavern. His interest in Syracuse hockey remained a passion after pro hockey had a series of ups and down, leaving the town without a team. Brian became one of the driving forces in returning the American Hockey League to Syracuse in 1994 as an integral part of a local committee (Ice the Future) that brought Howard Dolgon’s ownership to our town. The Syracuse Crunch today continues to play in the War Memorial. Brian’s involvement  with sports has not been limited to hockey alone. For many years he has been a member of the Syracuse Sports Committee, involving himself in numerous other sports activities in Central New York, including the Janesville Balloon Festival, the National Sports Festival, the Empire State Games and the Sugar Ray Leonard boxing match. Brian retired from Onondaga County, where he oversaw facility operations at Alliance Bank Stadium. Brian and wife Diane were married in 2008. Brian has three children: Nicole, Audrey and Ashley.