Erik Stolhanske

Erik Stolhanske's speech delivered at Colgate University chosen as a 'Vital Speech of the Day' - McMurray

WASHINGTON—Actor and comedian Erik Stolhanske has enlisted with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Celebrity Volunteer Program to bring cheer to sick and wounded veterans at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military hospitals around the nation.

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet many of our nation’s heroes who’ve returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. One of those veterans, who was severely burned and lost his arms in Iraq, became a close friend of the family,” said Stolhanske. “Our relationship with him and so many others inspired me to become involved in the DAV. I look forward to speaking with more veterans at VA Medical Centers and in military hospitals.”

Born without a fibula, he applauds the uplifting spirit of veterans who have lost limbs or suffered other serious injuries as a result of their war-time service. “They have given me the courage to go before the public without concern of my disability,” he said. As an amputee, Erik has been featured in training videos for the P90X Plyometrics workout system.

“Erik’s message of overcoming adversity, his personal stories and great sense of humor will help the DAV educate veterans about our services and spread our message of hope to a new generation of veterans,” said National Headquarters Executive Director Marc Burgess. “His films resonate with a generation of veterans who are returning from the current wars in need of our help. His message is inspiring to all veterans. We are delighted that he selected our Celebrity Volunteer Program as the instrument to show thanks to America’s wounded and disabled veterans.”

Under the program, Stolhanske will visit some of the VA’s 153 medical centers in addition to military hospitals caring for the recovering veterans wounded and injured in the current wars. From March 28 until 30, he will attend the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass (near Aspen), Colorado.

“The DAV has more than 14,000 volunteers serving veterans throughout the nation,” said Ron Minter, DAV’s Director of Voluntary Services. “Each year, they contribute more than 2.1 million hours of volunteer service. The Celebrity Volunteer Program is designed to bring noted personalities to the hospitals to give the men and women being treated a few hours of smiles and entertainment that they rarely receive today.”

Stolhanske, a founding member of the Broken Lizard comedy group, is noted for his role as Robert “Rabbit” Roto in the cult movie classic Super Troopers. - Disabled American Veterns

Freedom Alliance is set to host another “Salute to Our Heroes” retreat May 23-26. This is the second consecutive year that the retreat will be held at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. Approximately 15-20 of our nation’s injured service members will enjoy a few days of adventurous outdoor sports and other therapeutic and relaxing activities.
The Smith Mountain Lake retreat includes a range of outdoor activities such as archery, fishing and shooting. “These retreats allow us to honor and serve America’s injured service members,” said Calvin Coolidge,
Executive Director of Freedom Alliance. “We provide these service members with outdoor ventures they will treasure for a long time.” The retreat helps injured service members build friendships and memorable experiences with others who have been through similar service connected serious injuries.

Erik Stolhanske, a noted writer, producer, actor and member of the comedy group “Broken Lizard,” will provide motivational encouragement during the four-day retreat. Stolhanske, who appeared in “Super Troopers,” “Club Dread” and “Puddle Cruiser,” will entertain the injured service members with his motivational rendition of “Irrational Determination and Foolish Perseverance."

Local organizations joined Freedom Alliance to help make this retreat a wonderful getaway for our injured service members. The fishing supplies and equipment is provided by the Smith Mountain Lake Stripers Club, the shooting equipment by the Smith Mountain Lake Pistol Shooting Association and archery by Kip West Outdoors and a local archery club.

“It is an honor to provide our services to the men and women who have selflessly served our nation,” said Peter Fisette, President of Smith Mountain Lake Pistol Shooting Association. “We will ensure these four days of fun and excitement won’t be soon forgotten.” - PRWeb

The five members of the Broken Lizard comedy group (Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske) have spent years perfecting their comedic and movie-making talents. The quintet has written, produced and starred in several of today’s most popular comedies, including “Super Troopers,” “Beerfest” and “Club Dread.”

But movies are not the only passion for one of the five members. Stolhanske has been juggling life as a Hollywood A-lister and a diehard hockey fan.

A graduate of the Breck School in Minneapolis and then Colgate University, Stolhanske has always been close to the hockey action, whether he’s been on the ice or watching from the sidelines.

Taking a break from filming the newest Broken Lizard project, “The Slammin’ Salmon,” Stolhanske spoke with USA Hockey Magazine before boarding a plane to Keystone, Colo., for St. Louis Blues forward Dan Hinote’s wedding.
When did you start playing hockey?
I grew up in Minneapolis where we used to skate every night. Every park would get flooded in the winter, so we had a ton of outdoor rinks. I started skating when I was probably 3 or 4 years old and always just played growing up in the wintertime.

When is the last time you played?
I used to play pick up games in college [at Colgate University]. We had noon games where the professors would throw on pads. My English professor was in the goal when I stole a puck and was on a breakaway. I was so excited to score that I blew out my knee and haven’t skated since. I’ve gotten a lot stronger so I need to get back out and skate again.

So you do plan on playing again?
I would love to actually. Danny Hinote invited me to the St. Louis Blues Hockey Fest. I ended up being an assistant coach with Bobby Hull but was kind of jealous because a lot of the guys got out there and skated. I think maybe next year I’ll try to get out there and play.

Is there any trash talking between you and the NHL guys?
Danny said he’s going to put me in my place with a “Welcome to my world” as he checks me over the boards. I certainly would be skating with my head up, that’s for sure.

How would you fit hockey into your Hollywood schedule?
Phil, who works in our office, and our buddy Matt, who was in Beerfest, they play in an intramural hockey league, so it would just be trying to fit in another night in the amateur league out here. Those guys love it and talk about what a great time they have. It is hard to find time sometimes, but you need that recreation. Hockey is so much fun.


Do any other members of Broken Lizard play?
Steve Lemme went to a boarding school in Colorado and he was a goalie. So he and I are the guys that kind of go to the charity events. We’re both pretty involved.

Any plans for a hockey movie?
We would love to make a hockey movie. I don’t know if we’ve made any direct hockey references in [the others] but we would certainly love to make another movie. It’s just so hard. Slap Shot was just a classic. It’s one of our favorite movies.

Would you give any cameos to the NHL guys?
Stephane Yelle [of the Calgary Flames] is lobbying for it. I would love to give cameos to some of our friends. When we shot “Beerfest” in January, we wanted a couple of the guys to come out. Hinote and Brad Larson from Atlanta were going to come but it’s kind of hard for those guys to get away during the season.

Any memorable hockey moments?
We did have great moment, probably one of our favorite hockey moments. At Shjon Podein’s charity event three years ago, it was Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and myself. Somebody said, “Peter Forsberg is requesting your presence on the dance floor” and we went out there and he had the DJ play “Super Troopers” from ABBA.
- USA Hockey Magaznie

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn.-- March is Disabilities Awareness Month--a time to take extra steps to raise awareness about the needs and rights of the people with disabilities, as well as to celebrate their contributions to our communities and society as a whole.

This morning, comedian and actor Erik Stolhanske dropped by the show to tell us more. You may know Erik as "Rabbit" from the big screen comedy "Super Troopers."

Erik was born without a fibula and has lived his entire life with a prosthetic leg. Despite his handicap, Erik became one of America's top comedians. Erik has been speaking to audiences around the country helping people realize they are capable of achieving their goals despite perceived limitations, or as Erik likes to say, their "Wooden Legs." - KARE 11

It begins in a pretty average middle-class suburb in Minnesota. But October 1, 1945, has some real significance for me. It was the day Rod Carew, the longtime Minnesota Twins’ Hall of Fame first baseman, was born — into abject poverty, literally on a train in Panama.
Growing up, all I wanted to be was Rod Carew.
At night, when I shut my eyes to fall asleep, I could see him stepping into the batter’s box, cracking a single down the third base line or spearing a line drive.
Like a lot of other 8-year-old boys, every waking moment was about baseball. Like any self-respecting kid would, I nagged the hell out of my mom until she signed me up for Little League. And like every other kid on my team, I ran onto the field and played my heart out. The thing was, as much as I tried to be like everyone else, I knew deep down that I was different.
You see, I was born without a fibula in my right leg. It was just one of those genetic mistakes.
Now, 30 years later, I can lift up the hem of my pants and show people my prosthetic leg, and when I see their jaws drop, I’m totally fine with it. But when I was 8, I wanted to die when I heard names like “Gimp,” “Woody,” and “Cripple” — and that’s just what my sister called me!
I could have become introverted and stayed home playing with Star Wars toys all day. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that. There are hours of fun to be had with Boba Fett and Princess Leia dolls.) But my parents always insisted that the best way to be like all the other kids was to go out and do all the things the other kids did.
Because I grew up in Minnesota, I also wanted to play hockey. And, no, skating with a wooden leg wasn’t exactly a cakewalk.
That’s right: back then, my leg was made of actual wood. Ol’ Peg Leg Stolhanske. When I would grow an inch taller, they would add an inch of wood to my ankle. I was just like a tree — you could measure my growth from the rings around my ankle. If I grew just a quarter of an inch, though, I’d get a waiter to shove a matchbook underneath it until I felt even.
Before I’d head down to the ice rink, my mom would always say, “So what if you get knocked down. Just get back up!” I got knocked down a lot but, thanks to my mom’s advice, I always got back up. Before long, it became a habit.
By the time I had taken to the field in Little League, I really felt like I could do anything the other kids could do, wooden leg and all.
I’d be lying if I said it was easy. I remember the pain of running on that old-fashioned leg was so intense that my eyes would sometimes fill with tears as I sprinted toward first base. Prosthetic technology has improved a lot, but back then, my skin would tear from pistoning as I ran, and when that happened, it would take days or even weeks to heal.
But I never saw Rod Carew miss a game because of an injury, so I’d put on some ointment, pop some Tylenol, and get back in the game.
Now, I know you’re all thinking, “That’s one badass dude.”
But, seriously, the point of telling that story isn’t so you’ll be impressed by how tough of an 8-year-old I was. The point is, I just never bought into the conventional wisdom that a kid with one leg shouldn’t be out there, taking hits and running the bases.
Delusional? Maybe. But it kept me going.
Being on that field was a struggle at times, but my mom constantly reminded me that I was just like everybody else. She said it enough times that, ultimately, I believed it.
And yet, all the self-confidence that my mom instilled in me at 8 years old disappeared in a flash one day in fifth grade. It was during recess, and we were out in the schoolyard playing ... that infamous game, kickball.
I had a huge crush on this cute freckly redhead — you know the type. She was out there watching the game, and, naturally, I wanted to impress her.
The pitcher rolls the ball.
I rev up my little fifth-grade butt and just cream t - Colgate Connect