After experiencing the pain of the South Carolina Stingrays' Game 7 2015 Kelly Cup Finals loss, Chuck Liebenrood wants to erase that bitter feeling lingering in his mind.
Liebenrood, 32, hails from Summerville, South Carolina, approximately 20 miles from the North Charleston Coliseum, and played hockey at Summerville High School. Growing up, he frequently attended Stingray games with his family and was at the North Charleston Coliseum the night the Stingrays clinched their second Kelly Cup Championship in 2001.
Experiencing both highs and lows, Liebenrood is hungry to help the Stingrays compete for a fourth Kelly Cup title this season. However, he won't be suiting up for action on the ice.
He serves a crucial behind-the-scenes and often unseen role as the Stingrays' Head Equipment Manager.
Some of Liebenrood's duties as Head Equipment Manager start the night before a game day include sharpening skates, hanging laundry bags, and preparing backup gear sets.
On game days, his hours can sometimes range from 7 am to 1:30 that night. Some of his tasks during that time frame include communicating with trainers and coaches, brewing coffee, cleaning the bench areas, doing laundry, cleaning visors, and taking inventory of players’ gear.
Coming out of high school, Liebrenrood's goal was always to get involved with the equipment department in professional hockey. He credits his cousin for inspiring his enthusiasm for the department.
"I just want to be able to help the players when they're on the ice. It's a big part of the league," Liebenrood said. "Without the Equipment Manager, they can't really perform. I have a hand in it, in a way. I get to drive on that as just being able to help the guys perform and, you know, win games and stuff like that."
After graduating high school, Liebenrood got his start by messaging then-Stingrays Head Equipment Manager John Williams, eager to help and learn about the role.
Liebenrood jumped at the opportunity of an entry-level position and joined the Stingrays as an equipment assistant for the 2011-2012 season.
He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the Head Equipment Manager at age 22 before the 2014-2015 season.
Following that season (which ended one game short of a Kelly Cup title), Liebenrood stepped away from the team and took a year off. He said he took the year off to "focus on himself," "mature," and "figure things out."
With 2016-2017 on the horizon, Liebenrood reached out to his former peers in the equipment department and expressed interest in returning to his high school dream profession.
Despite previously holding the rank of Head Equipment Manager with the Stingrays, Liebenrood was willing and excited to become a part-time assistant under Cameron Parker, the Stingrays’ Head Equipment Manager at the time.
"I'm there," Liebenrood said before accepting the role. "But it's (Parker's) show. I'm here to help (Parker) in any way and anything I can do."
The game seven loss in 2015 also factored into his itch to return to the Stingrays.
"It stung, and it will never leave the back of my mind. Never." Liebenrood said. "That's the drive that is in me right now. I want the championship. I want the ring. I want it for the fans and everything like that. It's been a while since we won it, and I want to do what I can and make sure the guys can get it done this year."
Liebenrood served in this part-time role for the last seven seasons before becoming Stingrays' Head Equipment Manager again in August 2024.
Last week, Liebenrood traveled to Washington D.C. to work with the Washington Capitals, the Stingrays' NHL affiliate. He just finished working at the Capitals' 2024 Rookie Camp and is staying in D.C. for the Capitals' NHL Training Camp, which begins this Thursday.
Liebenrood works alongside other equipment staff members across the ECHL and AHL at these camps. The camps are a great way for him to network and meet other peers in his industry. He describes everyone involved as "super helpful and friendly."
"It's a learning curve even for me at 32 now. I'm still going to learn new things, like at Rookie Camp, I just learned a couple of new things with our number three guy here," Liebenrood said. "You can never be too old to learn new things. It's a learning game. It's learning for us, even the players, coaches, and trainers. So you have to always be willing to learn."
Liebenrood has expressed the importance of making personal connections. His ultimate goal is to work at the highest level in the NHL, and developing relationships within the equipment world could help him achieve that goal.
"Whoever you're with at the time, it’s important to make connections, whether with the guys in the NHL or AHL or even the ECHL, because everybody knows everybody," Liebenrood said. "So you've got to network, and you've got to be able to talk to people and just be yourself."
Liebenrood looks to continue to write his storied history in his second stint as the Stingrays' Head Equipment Manager.
"It's been awesome," Liebenrood said. "It feels like this is something I'm just meant to do."
The Stingrays 2024-25 season begins on Saturday, October 19, with the Home Opener against the Orlando Solar Bears at 6:05 p.m.
