Plum native, former NHL player R.J. Umberger set to join Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame
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Five years have gone by since R.J. Umberger last laced up his skates in an NHL game.
“Time sure has flown by,” said the Plum native who played 11 years in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers. “Before I know it, it will be 10 and 15 years. It’s the same with time watching my kids grow up so fast and become more and more involved in their activities.
”I still miss every second of it, playing the game, the competition and being in the locker room. But it’s always great to be able to look back at all the great times I had in my playing career. It’s also a reminder to savor every moment.”
That playing career, which spanned more than two decades from western Pennsylvania rinks to his journey in amateur hockey and in college to international play and finally to the NHL, will be celebrated during his enshrinement into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 30 at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square.
“This is, obviously, a huge honor and such a touching thing to have happen,” said Umberger, who also is a member of the Plum Sports Hall of Fame, the PA Sports Hall of Fame’s East Boros Chapter (2018) as well as The Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame (2019).
“As a kid, you don’t dream of being a member of a hall of fame. You play because you love the game. To have such great experiences and to do some of the things I was able to do, it was so special and such a blessing.”
This year, two classes will be enshrined as the 2020 class was unable to be inducted because of the covid pandemic.
Umberger will share enshrinement in a class that includes western Pennsylvania flavor with the likes of Jim Render, the longtime Upper St. Clair football coach who owns the most victories in WPIAL history (406); former Penn State defensive coordinator and Steelers secondary coach Tom Bradley; and the late James “Lash” Nesser, who coached high school basketball in Uniontown and led teams to 680 wins from 1948 to 1976.
Marcus Colston, who graduated from Susquehanna Township High School near Harrisburg and Hofstra before making a name for himself as a wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2015, also will be inducted.
“Marques Colston, I had him on my fantasy football team a couple of times,” Umberger said with a chuckle. “I remember that he did really well for me. It will be pretty neat to catch up with him at the hall-of-fame ceremony.”
“This is a unique class overall, a lot of gifted people in a variety of sports. It will be interesting to learn more and more about everyone’s journey.”
Umberger’s first foray into hockey notoriety came during his sophomore year at Plum. He recorded 116 points in 26 games while leading the Mustangs to the WPIHL Class AAA championship.
In the title game against Pittsburgh Central Catholic, he scored the winning goal in the second overtime.
In three seasons at Ohio State, Umberger scored 68 goals and added 71 assists. He earned collegiate All-CCHA first-team honors in 2002-03, was a CCHA West second-team All-American and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, presented each year to the NCAA’s top men’s hockey player.
Umberger, a center, was a first-round (16th overall) selection of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2001 NHL Draft. At the time, he was the highest pick among native-born Pennsylvania NHL players.
He later was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.
After one full season with the Philadelphia Phantoms in the American Hockey League — helping the Phantoms win the 2004-05 AHL title — Umberger got his shot with the Flyers.
In his combined 11 seasons with the Flyers and Blue Jackets, he amassed 194 goals and 218 assists. He scored 20 or more goals five times with his season-best of 26 coming in his first year with Columbus in the 2008-09 season.
“The amount of athletes who make it to the professional level is so slim,” Umberger said. “I am so thankful to be able to have fulfilled my dream of playing professionally, and I also appreciated the journey along the way from high school to amateur to college to international hockey.”
These days, Umberger enjoys traveling with his family, coaching at the Tier II AA U16 and U18 levels, and watching his children, Matthew, 8; Delaney, 10; and Brienna, 12, enjoy sports and other activities in and around their home in Columbus.
“Both my girls are soccer players and dancers, and my son does play hockey, along with baseball, soccer and karate,” Umberger said. “They are always very busy, doing something and going somewhere.”
Matthew is cutting his teeth as he skates at the mini mite level.
“He’s still figuring it out,” Umberger said. “I remember what it was like at his age. He has fun, and that’s the most important thing. I have a lot of fun coaching him. Seeing the smiles on his face and the smiles on the other kids faces makes it all wonderful.”