Former IceGator personality passes away August 7, 2004

Michael Krieg
The Lafayette Daily Advertiser

Melissa Yestrumsky, a former Cajundome employee and Louisiana IceGator on air personality passed away late Thursday night after a long battle with cancer.

Yestrumsky began doing the intermission reports for the IceGators during the 1999-2000 season from the KPEL AM 1420 studios. Yestrumsky gave Acadiana fans the lowdown on other ECHL games around the league during intermissions of Louisiana games.

She was a pioneer for hockey in the south according to former Louisiana general manager Jady Regard.

"I remember her being a great hockey fan," Regard said. "She was one of the first women that really knew the nuances of the game in Acadiana. She really knew what she was talking about when she spoke about hockey. That's what attracted us to her.

"She was very, very intelligent and she gave a woman's perspective on the radio. We were trying to gain popularity and she gave a woman's perspective which helped us attract female fans. We also thought it was cool for the guys to get a female's perspective. It's a terrible loss."

Former Louisiana play-by-play radio broadcaster Andy Davis worked with Yestrumsky on a regular basis during his first stint with the IceGators.

"She was just the nicest person and real knowledgeable about the game," he said. "She absolutely loved the game. She loved doing the intermission reports.

"It was right around the time females were on Monday Night Football. It wasn't really a novelty, but it was something different. We had never done it before I got here. It was about a week before the season before she found out about it and she was there for the first game. She did a great job without much preparation."

A rosary will be recited Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home in New Braunfels, Texas. There will be a graveside service at 8:30 a.m. Monday at Comal Cemetary.