Mike Nardella, an instrumental member of the Chicago Wolves' Hockey Operations department from Day 1 and a legend in Chicago sporting circles for parts of nine decades, passed away Friday morning at the age of 94. "Big Mike," as he was known to his friends, became a part of the Chicago hockey scene in the 1930s when he was caught trying to swipe sticks during a Black Hawks game at the Chicago Stadium.

The team's equipment manager made him pay for his misdeed by working for the team -- and that led to a lifetime working on behalf of hundreds of professional players. "I was around some of the finest coaches, general managers and ownerships," Nardella told DNAInfo.com in 2013. When Don Levin, Buddy Meyers and Grant Mulvey formed the franchise in 1994, original Wolves head coach Gene Ubriaco recommended that Nardella join the organization.