Anthony Battaglia

Anthony Battaglia (born August 15, 1979) is an American professional ice hockey player, who retired in February 2014. Early life Battaglia was born in Chicago. His grandfather, Sam Battaglia, was a mobster and member of the Chicago Outfit. After one season of junior hockey playing for the Soo Indians, he played college ice hockey for the Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey team. He spent four years at WMU and played in 139 games and scored 47 points in the process. Career After college, Battaglia signed the Florida Everblades in the ECHL for the 2002–03 season. He played almost 50 games for the Everblades but managed just 13 points. He also played at the higher AHL level for the Lowell Lock Monsters on nine occasions but failed to score a single point. For the 2003–04 season, Battaglia would sign for another ECHL organization, the Mississippi Sea Wolves. Battaglia settled well, and in his first season made 67 regular season appearances, scoring 37 points. He was also featured in the post-season and was one of the Sea Wolves' most reliable players, with 6 points in five games. He remained in Mississippi for the 2004–05 season. In 75 games, Battaglia scored 60 points. Battaglia also played with his brother Bates Battaglia, who signed with the Sea Wolves during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. The Sea Wolves suspended operations in the middle of the off-season because of Hurricane Katrina.