Marquette, MI – August 17th, 2026 – Northern Michigan University hockey is set to make history during its 50th Anniversary Season. For the first time in program history, the Wildcats will raise banners honoring three of the most accomplished players in program history: Don Waddell, Tom Laidlaw, and Steve Bozek.
Northern Michigan Athletic Director, Rick Comley, who served as the program’s first head coach from 1976 to 2002, announced the inaugural jersey retirements, calling the honor a long-awaited moment for the program.
“I am beyond thrilled to announce our first jersey retirements,” Comley said.
Comley acknowledged that selecting the first players to receive the honor was a difficult process, given the number of outstanding players who helped establish Northern Michigan hockey during its early years. Ultimately, Waddell, Laidlaw, and Bozek were selected based on their accomplishments, impact on the program, and place in the Wildcats’ record books.
“If you look at the history of Northern Michigan University hockey, and look into the record books, it is clear why these three are deserving to be the first three we honor,” Comley said.
Comley hopes the three honorees will eventually be joined by more Wildcats legends, but he believes the program’s 50th Anniversary Season is the perfect time to begin recognizing the players who helped build Northern Michigan hockey into what it is today.
“While I hope to honor more in the coming years, the 50th Anniversary Season is the perfect time for this first batch,” Comley said. “It is going to be a very proud moment in October to hang their names in the rafters and begin the process of recognizing some of the great players that we have had at Northern Michigan.”
Jersey Retirement Celebration
The historic weekend will begin on Friday, October 2, 2026, with a special jersey retirement luncheon at the Holiday Inn in Marquette. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m., with lunch beginning at 11:45 a.m. The program will run from noon to 1 p.m. and feature a variety of speakers celebrating the careers and accomplishments of Waddell, Laidlaw, and Bozek.
A post-event social hour will follow from 1 to 2 p.m., giving fans an opportunity to meet and mingle with the three honorees and members of the current Wildcats hockey team. A cash bar will also be available. Tickets are required for the luncheon and celebration and can be purchased through tickets.nmu.edu.
Banners to Be Unveiled at Berry Events Center
The celebration will continue Friday evening at the Berry Events Center, where Northern Michigan will officially unveil the banners during a special pregame ceremony. The ceremony will take place before the Wildcats’ home-opening matchup against Miami (Ohio). The banners will then take their place in the rafters of the Berry Events Center, permanently honoring the first three players to have their jerseys retired in Northern Michigan hockey history. The historic night will mark the beginning of a new tradition for the Wildcats as the program celebrates five decades of hockey and begins recognizing the players who helped establish Northern Michigan as one of college hockey’s most respected programs.
Tom Laidlaw
Laidlaw played 124 games for the Green and Gold from 1976-80, serving as team captain all four seasons. He remains the program’s all-time leader in career penalty minutes with 410, while his 137 penalty minutes during the 1979-80 season remain the single-season program record. A multiple-time First-Team All-CCHA selection, Laidlaw recorded 38 points and 30 assists during the 1979-80 season, marks that rank eighth and ninth, respectively, among NMU defensemen for a single season.
Laidlaw was selected by the New York Rangers in the 1978 NHL Draft and stepped directly into the Rangers’ lineup for the 1980-81 season. He spent his first six NHL seasons in New York, recording 20 goals and 43 assists in 510 games. In 1987, Laidlaw was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he played the final four seasons of his NHL career. He appeared in 195 games for Los Angeles, totaling five goals, 40 assists and 156 penalty minutes. Following his playing career, Laidlaw founded and operated Laidlaw Sports Management for 17 years. In 2019, he became the first former NHL player to compete on CBS’s reality competition show Survivor, Laidlaw was eliminated on Day 14, finishing in 16th place.
Steve Bozek
Bozek played three seasons with Northern Michigan from 1978-81, establishing himself as one of the most prolific scorers in program history. A multiple-time First-Team All-CCHA selection, Bozek led the CCHA in scoring with 90 points in 44 games as a junior. That season, he was named a First-Team All- American and became a finalist for the inaugural Hobey Baker Award in 1981. His name remains scattered throughout the NMU record book. Bozek owns two of the top three single-season point totals, two of the top eight single-season goal totals and two of the top six single-season assist totals in program history. He also ranks seventh in career points, fifth in career goals and ninth in career assists. Bozek was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.
He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round of the 1980 NHL Draft and went directly to the NHL. Bozek played 11 NHL seasons, setting a Kings rookie record at the time with 33 goals before being traded to Calgary. He later spent three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, where he twice received the Fred J. Hume Award as the team’s unsung hero, in 1989-90 and 1990-91. Bozek then joined the expansion San Jose Sharks for their inaugural 1991-92 season. Over his NHL career, Bozek appeared in 641 games, recording 164 goals and 167 assists.
Don Waddell
Waddell was a cornerstone of the early Northern Michigan hockey program, playing for the Wildcats from 1976-80. His name is prominently featured throughout the NMU record book. Waddell owns three of the top four single-season point totals by a defenseman, along with two of the top three single-season goal and assist totals by a defenseman. He ranks ninth in career points and fifth in career assists overall, while holding the program record for career points, goals and assists by a defenseman. Waddell was named CCHA Player of the Year in 1978 and served as a team captain during his junior season. He also helped lead Northern Michigan to the 1980 NCAA National Championship game, a landmark moment in the young program’s history. A multiple-time First-Team All-CCHA selection, Waddell was inducted into the Northern Michigan University Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
He was selected 111th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. After his playing career, Waddell transitioned into hockey management, working as a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins before taking on executive roles with USA Hockey. In 2014, he joined the Carolina Hurricanes as team president and later assumed dual roles as president and general manager in 2018. On May 29, 2024, Waddell was named President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets, continuing his career as one of the most respected executives in the sport. Now, more than four decades after helping establish Northern Michigan hockey, Waddell will return to Marquette to have his name permanently raised to the rafters alongside Laidlaw and Bozek.
