(Courtesy of the Corpus Christi Rayz) Corpus Christi, TX – The Corpus Christi Rayz announced the signing of their first player for the 2006-2007 season on Tuesday afternoon. All-Star forward Jason Baird has agreed to a one-year deal, Rayz General Manager Larry Linde announced. Baird, who has 82 points in just 64 games during his Corpus Christi career, becomes the first official member of the 2006-2007 Rayz. The former Rayz team MVP has 281 career points in 267 games. The upcoming season will be Baird’s third in South Texas, and the Rayz ninth in Corpus Christi.
Baird, 25, was the Rayz leader in goals, points and penalty minutes during the 2004-2005 season. In his first season in a Corpus Christi sweater, Baird was impressive tallying 30 goals and 74 points in 60 games. The 6’ 1”, 215lbs. power forward also added 222 penalty minutes, finishing the season as the only player in the CHL with at least 70 points and 200 penalty minutes. Baird’s 30 goals were a career high. The season marked the fourth time in as many years that Baird had increased his goal total from the year before.
The perennial All-Star was off to another stellar start last season, tallying eight points in the season’s opening three games. The strong performance was expected to be just a foreshadowing of what Baird and the Rayz would provide all season long. However, an ill-timed collision in just the fourth game of the season forced Baird out of the lineup for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. The loss of Baird proved to be a larger blow than expected and completely changed the complexion of the Rayz season.
Rayz Head Coach, Ken McRae has coached Baird in all but one of his professional seasons. This year will be the fifth that they spend together. McRae said that he is happy to welcome back his former leading scorer, and last year saw first hand what a difference he can make in the lineup.
“All you have to do is take a look at last season to see how valuable a guy like Jason can be to our hockey team,” said McRae. “We’re planning on starting fresh, with new faces and a new attitude on this roster, but having Jason back in Corpus Christi will make this team, and every player on the ice around him, better.”
Baird, who had been extremely durable, and had not missed a single game in three CHL seasons before last year’s injury, has been waiting to get back onto the ice since October. This signing brings him one step closer to returning to his days of old.
“It’s hard when you miss any games, so missing 60 games is very tough,” said Baird. “It’s been frustrating going through all the rehab and all the waiting, but my knee’s been feeling really good. Now, I’m ready to get to full strength and get ready for the season. I can’t wait to get back on the ice and prove myself again.”
Throughout his career, Baird has continued to garner impressive achievements that gained him the reputation as one of the premier players in minor pro hockey. Baird was the only man in the CHL to lead his team in both points and penalty minutes in 2003-04 as well as 2004-05. In 2005 he tied for the Southern Conference lead in points. He continued his resume building achievements by recording hat tricks in back-to-back CHL All-Star Games to earn MVP honors in both.
Baird’s return to the ice comes with an added bonus for the Rayz. Although he was classified as a veteran by CHL rules last season, Baird will enter this season without that tag. The CHL allows a maximum of four players on a roster classified as veterans. In the CHL Operations meetings held earlier this month, the designation of a veteran was changed from a player who has played in 260 or more career games to one who has played in 280 or more games. Having played in 267 career games, Baird has the unique distinction of going from a veteran last year to a non-veteran this season. The change will allow the Rayz to sign up to four players who classify as veterans in addition to Baird.
Baird said that his during the past season, he has received overwhelming support from the Rayz organization, their fans and the city of Corpus Christi, and that he’s looking forward to being in the Coastal Bend for another year. He said he also has a rekindled appreciation for the game he has played virtually his entire life.
“I just can’t wait to get on the ice,” said Baird. “I’m excited to see our fans, and be with the guys. That’s what you miss the most. I learned I loved this game again by being forced out for a year. You take for granted how much you love something until you can’t do it. Plus, the fans were great every night. They’d ask me how I’m feeling. They really cared about me. I want to come back and do what I can for them and bring a playoff team to this city. After that, hopefully we can bring a championship to Corpus Christi.”
