Moving Matches

The unfortunate fact that there will be no NHL dates filling the calendars at area arenas anytime soon shouldn't stand in the way of there being hockey played there. All three of the metro franchises have AHL affiliates nearby, affiliates that they own. So once the NHL season is officially scrubbed, why don't they relocate a few minor league games to the major league ice?

It is certainly not like the minor league teams are exactly packing them in in their minor league towns either. The average attendance over 38 home games last season for all three was under 5,000. It would be easy to make any Islander joke right here, but restraint is a virtue. Plus, their AHL side actually had the highest attendance of the three - the Sound Tigers filled 4,875 seats out of the 10,000 at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, good for 20th in the league. In Hartford the Whale's attendance ranked 23rd they had 4,573 out of the XL Center's 16,294 seats filled. The little Devils, well, they were dead last in the AHL. Albany's Times Union Center received an average of 3,435 (out of a possible 14,236).

For the Islanders and the Devils, there is very little standing in the way of hosting AHL games in their NHL arenas - both have done it before. The Rangers would have a more difficult time, with MSG being a union shop and thus a far more expensive endeavor. But let's face it, the Blueshirts can easily cover the tab and they should want to show off the latest stage of renovations.

Hell, all three should do it and make the games free for season ticket holders (of both the NHL and AHL clubs) and sell the rest of the tickets off for charity. They would still collect considerable concessions and would keep their product on the market - something valuable in today's current A.D.D. society with it's plethora of entertainment options.

So which games should go? Weekend games are the lifeblood of minor league life so let's look past those. Another criteria for the kid league is rivalry games, as bigger crowds congregate when there is a little hate involved. So what selections are left?

For Hartford (with affiliate franchise and key players in parentheses):

Wednesday, December 12th v. Worchester (Sharks - where Tim Kennedy ended up)

Wednesday, January 23rd v. Adirondack (Flyers - Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn)

Tuesday, February 5th v. Albany 

Wednesday, February 20th v. St. Johns (Jets - Alex Burmistrov and Carl Klingberg)

Tuesday, March 5th v. Portland (Coyotes - Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Andy Miele and Chad Dos Nueve, who is now wearing #30 actually)

Thursday, March 28th v. Worchester

For Bridgeport:

Wednesday, December 19th v. Albany - Forget the Coliseum, hell, the franchises owe the Barclays Center an exhibition game and the Brooklyn arena just happens to be empty that night ...

Tuesday, January 8th v. Hershey (Caps - our pal Braden Holtby in net)

Tuesday, February 12th v. Springfield (BJs - Tim Erixon and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault)

Tuesday, March 12th v. Springfield

And for Albany? Pretty much any game of theirs can go, last place in the league and all. They outright scheduled four of the Sunday games in Atlantic City, so that leaves 34 others that can be welcomed to the Rock and similarly ignored by New Jersey hockey fans.

If the owners do truly care about their public image, moving some matches would go a ways towards alleviating the hatred. And, certainly, free tickets for those matches would go even further ... but let's not get too crazy here - ownership's greed is why there are empty arenas in the first place. Let's drop the puck already!

When It Comes To Pucks, Size Doesn't Matter

I have always found it difficult to understand how small town folks can be happy with their small town hockey. Sounds snobbish, doesn't it? Covering hockey in Binghamton for years then indulging my fandom with UHL, EPHL, ECHL, AHL, ELITE, those games in Switzerland and Islander hockey, I saw and appreciated the passion folks have for lower level pucks. I didn't understand it, but I definitely appreciated it. As my friend Andrea often says, "same religion, different church."

Now, sitting on an Amtrak train on my way to the Olympics, I think I finally get it: sure the NHL is the NHL, but these hometown teams are theirs. Just as we feel a New York pride when we pull on the Blueshirt to root on the boys, they feel the same love for their team - simply because it is theirs. The team represents their town and they want it to do well. Yes, there is something bigger and better out there but that is out there; this team is here and its ours.

It is a strange feeling to be sure but one I am certainly confronted with as I head to watch the best of the best, while the Rangers are back in New York, about to face off against Tampa. Sure I will root for Team USA, but my emotions will rise and fall based upon the text messages I get over the next few hours. Because that quaint little team in my home town will be playing and that team is mine. Sure there is something bigger and better out there, but the Rangers are mine.

As I've mentioned in the past, I love Olympic hockey and was lucky enough to be in Salt Lake for the entire '02 Games (and was even inside the E Center for the Gold Medal game). So it can't be the five circles rings that has brought me to this conclusion.

I think it was the WHL game I went to last night between the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Silvertips in Everett. Played in a wonderful 8,000 or so seat facility, the game was quite exciting with the Tips prevailing 5-1. There were just over six thousand fans in the building but if you closed your eyes, you would have thought there was over 10.

They were loud, proud and passionate. It was not unlike the Bern/Ranger game in Switzerland last year with flags and noisemakers but these folks knew their hockey. Where the Swiss just seemed to be happy to have something to do no matter the outcome, these people were diehards. And the trippy thing? From my understanding, Everett was never a hockey town until the Silvertips came to town seven years back. But over that span the townfolk learned the game and embraced it.

Looking around the pro shop for my traditional puck (every new city, gotta get a puck), I was startled to see a bunch of Phoenix Coyotes sweaters. 'What in the holy hell are those doing in here?!?' ran through my mind until I pulled one off the rack: it was Peter Mueller #88. Mueller, aside from being the target of dozens of trade rumours to New York, was one of the first, best graduates of the Everett program.

Sure Mueller was born in Minnesota, but he was a Everett product - he was one of their boys. And they will root him on and follow him in the show but, at the same time, there is a new bunch of kids wearing the green and white and they are the focus now.

We will root for the Ranger Olympians (and pray that they don't get hurt) while they play in the Olympics but if they win or they lose, we won't lose any sleep over it. And that's ok; the Rangers are our team, just as the Silvertips are Everett's.

Just for perspective purposes (timing and quality), this post was written earlier today while I was stuck on a train full of screaming, whining, crying children.

Hartford 3, Lowell 2

Last night the New Jersey Devils allowed their AHL affiliate from Lowell to play a regular season game at the Rock, facing off against the Ranger affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack. It was the third time this season that they did it, once in preseason and once earlier this month. I missed the one on January 6th (a Devil 3-2 win) but made it to the preseason match and last night's 3-2 win in overtime.

In Lou We Trust was there as well and posted a Devil-centric wrap. So here are some of my observations; sorry no photos as I have a contentious relationship with my camera at the moment:

*Minor league hockey is really fan friendly - it is cheap entertainment that is great for families. It is a shame that this game wasn't promoted more as it surely could have gotten more people. As is, there were a decent number of fans - probably a few thousand. The entire upper bowl of the Rock was cordoned off and most was blocked by black curtains but the lower bowl's luxury seats (between the bluelines) were all full - something that never happens during Devil games. It was general admission for $15 a ticket ($10 for kids) so everyone got to enjoy the high life for a bit. And perhaps the best thing is that the youngsters got to sit by the glass to see the speed and everything up close, which is only good for the future of the sport.

*Even with the game not getting much advance talk on the blogs or the papers, there was still a good showing of Ranger/Hartford fans. At one point I sat a few rows behind a guy wearing what looked like a game-worn Wolf Pack Blair Betts sweater. That's awesome.

*It was very quiet, which was creepy. When the Hartford power play did it's best impression of the Blueshirts special team, I pointed out that they indeed had the man advantage and it reverberated around the arena. Very strange, but funny. I had a bunch of high school kids chanting "sit down, shut up" clap-clap-clapclapclap which was utterly hilarious and something I plan on stealing for use in the Garden. Of course, these same high schoolers were unattended by parents and used vicious blue language that should have gotten them ejected as there were so many little kids around.

*As I mentioned, the Wolf Pack power play was pretty damn bad. They ended up going 1-7 with the lone tally coming from Brodie Dupont working the slot.

*Dupont was the best Hartford player on the ice. He went to the net, he carried the puck, he backchecked, killed penalties ... he was all over the place and his effort was exceptional.

*Evgeni Grachev? Notsomuch. If this kid is the future of the franchise, then our franchise is f-ed. Grachev was abysmal and was kept off the ice in the overtime. He definitely has size, he definitely has hands but he just couldn't get his act together out there. I saw him cough up the puck several times in the first period and then didn't notice him at all.

*The game went to overtime because Hartford clung to their 2-1 lead late in the game and collapsed into their own zone. Lowell was able to move the puck around to get the equalizer in the last minute and had what would have been the game-winner go over the goal line inside the far post past the sprawled Matt Zaba just a second after the final buzzer. Talk about saved by the bell...

*Zaba plays an entirely different game from Chad Johnson. Where DosNueve is economical with his movements, Zaba is outright twitchy. Still, he made several big saves and couldn't be faulted for at least one, if not both of the goals against.

*His counterpart, Mike McKenna, is a long goaltender like Valley who uses his pads well. McKenna had a clear view of Dupont's overtime game-winner (with 20 seconds left in the extra frame) and it just eluded his glove. He got a taste of the NHL last season but will need to do better than he did on this night if he is to get back to the show.

*Jordan Owens, who fed Dupont for the game-winner, kept himself involved all game. I would like to think he will get a shot at the show as a Higgens/Sjostrom-esque grit and goals guy but I didn't see enough of his offense to make a fair judgement.

*Earlier in the season I asked why Corey Locke wasn't given a shot when the Rangers suffered through so many scoring woes but now I see why. The diminutive center is easily shut down by tight checking.

*I would like to say good things about Ilkka Heikkinen but I didn't really see him doing too much. Still, he has to be an upgrade from Rozy and should be more comfortable in a Blueshirt with fellow Finn Jokinen around so let's give him a shot...

*The Devils' Louis Robitaille is an obnoxious thug. He is just the kind of player you love to hate and I definitely hate him. The guy cheap shots, takes big liberties with his hits and tries to start fights from behind the officials. Basically he is Cam Janssen with less courage (if that's possible). It was great seeing Devin DiDiomete land a few punches despite being hugged to death when the two tussled in the first period.

*Few Devils stood out other than that clown. Tim Sestito scored on a sweet shot over Zaba and was a major part of the Lowell offense but even then, that isn't saying too much as they play typical Devil hockey.

And even with the Devils being tight and boring for much of the penalty-filled affair, it was still a enjoyable experience and one that will hopefully happen again. Perhaps the next time they will advertise it better so more people can get in on the inexpensive fun.

An Eye On The E

A quick note: I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures (sorry) but Aces Over Brooklyn covers the team quite well and there is a lot of info and shots there. It truly shames the buggy EPHL home site in terms of quality to be sure.

I had every intention of making this a regular feature here but two factors contributed to it's being mothballed - notorious hockey hoodlum Billy Tibbetts leaving the league and the sad fact that I never had time to make it to a game. Well, that changed last Friday as I made the trek from Manhattan to Brooklyn to 'go to the Aces.'

It is a longer ride than at least I anticipated, as you take the 2 train all the way to it's end in Flatbush (an hour ride from midtown) and from there hop on a bus for a 10, 15 minute ride to the rink. But once you hop off of the bus, you can see how the Aces got their name: they play at a small entertainment complex at a small airfield - Floyd Bennett Field to be precise.

Walk in the main entrance and you could be walking into any community rink with kids running about, flashing lights of video games and other amusements and two sheets of ice tucked away behind double glass doors. The Aces have their ticket and merch sales on a couple of folding tables in the lobby and the staff was quite courteous and seemed genuinely happy to be there - quite the change from many of the drones milling about the Garden (season ticket reps excluded). Tickets were cheap - 20 bucks or less - and they give you a 'seat assignment' for the metal bleachers and a wristband to get in the door. The wristband was the only thing really needed as there were maybe a couple of hundred people there when I went so there were plenty of places to sit.

To generalize, the folks who came out for the Friday night game were just happy to be out for the night, seeing something exciting like a hockey game - they were not hockey fans. Not knowing any of the players, not really caring, I was one of (if not the loudest fan when I decided to pipe up. I was also the only one clapping for good penalty kills, of which the Aces had several.

They were facing the Jersey Rockhoppers, a team they clearly outclassed, and dominated much of the game until their starting goaltender got injured. The netminder, Eddie Neville, was ran into and fell awkwardly. He didn't get up. Emergency staff came out to attend to him and eventually players - including the opposition goaltender - helped carry Neville off the ice on a backboard to await an ambulance. When the game restarted Neville's backup didn't fare badly but the game was already well in hand so the forwards let up on the gas a little.

Don't get the low 'Single A' level fool you, these guys have skill. Former junior and NCAA grads, most every one showed some substance but they all had a major deficiency or two that kept them from advancing up the ranks. Several were quite skilled but way too small, the big guys had no skill, speedsters had no hands, many didn't have well developed hockey sense but each and every one worked their asses off. The effort was very impressive, as were some of the goals, the one fight and the play itself certainly had entertainment value.

That proved to be a very good thing as there wasn't much else - no mascot, a chuck-a-puck, the usual blaring arena music and hard-to-hear MC. Aces staff kept walking round handing out slips of paper to remind everyone of upcoming games, deals on tickets, an opportunity to dine with the players and something else I can't remember as after a while all of the flyers looked alike.

While the papers went in the circular file, I did buy a shirt, a puck and a player photo (Neville, since it appeared he was severely injured and I wanted to support the guy). There was a wide variety of shirt designs, which was nice but they had just one kind of hat and - as someone who wears hats daily and owns probably over a hundred ballcaps - the one that they offered was pitiful and ratty looking. The souvenir pucks were black practice pucks with a logo sticker slapped on. Both provided quite the contrast to the quality shirts, hoodies and jerseys that they were selling but I guess everyone has their own priorities.

And if you can make it out, I recommend that you do make it a priority - if not this season then next. The Aces clinched the regular season title in the four team league on the night that I went and from what I gleaned from a flyer, the playoffs are a three game championship series at the end of this month. There are talks of the league expanding for the fall and I, for one, would love to see it (especially if rumours of a Long Island team are true).

While the EPHL clearly lacks the grandeur of the NHL game, it localizes the sport and allows fans to get up close and personal. The players all realize this and sign autographs. After an Aces goal, the scorer went to the boards and high-fived a little kid through the glass. It is the small touches that make the game fun and the Aces were a good time. Highly recommended, even if they are featuring some old geezer this weekend ...

EPHL Update updated

In the time since I introduced you to the Brooklyn Aces and the Eastern Professional Hockey League, there have been some significant changes. First off, the 'Single A' league lost two teams - the New Hampshire Freeze and the Rome Copper City Chiefs - and added the Hudson Valley Bears, who will split their games between Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, NY. With one less team, the schedule was re-written and cut to 50 games per team, which should make for some good rivalry hockey.

The rosters are set for the moment and, looking through them, three names leap out - Billy Tibbetts, Peter Ferraro and Phil Esposito. As reader Ryan Bouwens pointed out to me, the Ferraro that is in the EPHL is not the one that was a former Ranger. In the initial copy of this post, I saw a Ferraro from New York and immediately thought he was the distasteful person I dealt with in Binghamton - after all, it wouldn't surprise me to see him sink so far. However, Ryan thankfully pointed out that it was not the same sob so I dutifully made the fix. And, just fyi, there is Hall of Famer Phil Esposito, and there is EPHLer Phil Esposito - clearly two different people.

But there is only one Tibbetts, and he is worth the price of admission. You get to see an undisciplined psycho on the ice who also happened to have no discipline off of it either apparently - and that isn't a link to the story about his jail stay. Tibbetts has been given chance after chance after chance in hockey due to his pure skill and size but he was just too loose a cannon. But as Sean Avery said, we need villains and, judging by the comments here, Tibbetts should fit the bill for Danbury. For a league looking to delight fans, his lack of sanity should be great.

The rest of the players in the league are what I expected - some guys with Single A experience from the UHL, CHL, MAHL and SPHL and other guys just outta college trying to put off the real world. You may scoff, but they will work hard and probably put on a good show for a cheap ticket. Not that I am trying to sell people on going - I won't do that until I actually see a game - but I am a big fan of minor league hockey and hope that this league has some lasting power. The Danbury team looks like it is the most organized and if you want to root for them, the guys at the Corner of Section 420 and Glendale have been keeping close tabs. I wanted to keep up with the Aces but they never sent me press releases or anything. Oh well, I will still try to check out at least one game this season.

In case you are interested, here is their schedule at home, Aviator Sports in Brooklyn:

November 2008
# 5: Saturday 8th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
# 6: Friday 14th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
# 7: Saturday 15th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
# 9: Friday 21st: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)

December 2008
#21: Friday 12th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#24: Thursday 18th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#26: Saturday 20th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#28: Tuesday 23rd: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#31: Saturday 27th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)

January 2009
#46: Thursday 15th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#47: Friday 16th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#49: Saturday 17th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#52: Friday 23rd: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#55: Sunday 25th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#57: Thursday 29th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)

February 2009
#63: Saturday 7th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#65: Sunday 8th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#74: Friday 20th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#78: Sunday 22nd: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#79: Thursday 26th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)

March 2009
#89: Friday 13th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#91: Saturday 14th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#94: Tuesday 17th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#96: Friday 20th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#98: Saturday 21st: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)

You can get some more info on the league's website but just a warning, it is incomplete and buggy. The season started tonight with Brooklyn beating on Jersey and Hudson Valley edging out Danbury.

Brooklyn In Da House

Minor league hockey is coming to Brooklyn this fall in the form of the Aces of the new Eastern Professional Hockey League. The league is expected to be on par with the SPHL and the MAHL, which would make it 'single A.' These aren't guys who are going to grace the Garden ice anytime soon; they are players who didn't want to give up the game after college or juniors despite not having enough to make the show. They get paid to play (lucky bastards) and work hard to put on a good show for the fans.

The EPHL and the Aces websites are buggy as all hell and they never replied when I sent requests for more info on the team or employment but I was able to dig out some details. The league will mainly stick to the NHL's rule book with some exceptions: primarily a lessened instigator penalty (yeah fighting), no trapezoid, tag-up offsides and auto icings.

The Aces will be led by former junior coach Chris Firriolo, who will hold pro tryouts September 5–7. They will play at Aviator Sports, which appears to be a pain to get to via public transportation so beware. There are just four other teams in the league: the Danbury Mad Hatters, the Jersey Rockhoppers (who are based out of West Orange), the New Hampshire Freeze and the Rome Copper City Chiefs.

The schedule was just released and the season will start November 1st. Brooklyn's home opener will be on the 8th against New Hampshire (they play their first two on the road). Most games are on the weekends, and only five of the 25 home games conflict with the Rangers. Here is the full regular season home sked:

November 2008
# 7: Saturday 8th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
# 9: Friday 14th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#10: Saturday 15th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm) - Rangers play Boston
#13: Friday 21st: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)

December 2008
#29: Friday 12th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#33: Thursday 18th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#36: Saturday 20th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#38: Tuesday 23rd: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm) - Rangers play Caps
#42: Saturday 27th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (2:00pm) - Rangers play Devils at night

January 2009
#59: Thursday 15th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#60: Friday 16th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#63: Saturday 17th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#66: Friday 23rd: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#69: Sunday 25th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#71: Thursday 29th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)

February 2009
#80: Saturday 7th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#82: Sunday 8th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#92: Friday 20th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#96: Sunday 22nd: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (2:00pm) - Rangers play Leafs at night
#97: Thursday 26th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)

March 2009
#112: Friday 13th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#115: Saturday 14th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#117: Tuesday 17th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#120: Friday 20th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#123: Saturday 22nd: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm) - Rangers play Senators

Being in a major market like Brooklyn, this team is sure to sell out most games as long as they do a little bit of marketing. They need to improve their website so fans can follow easier and it wouldn't take much to broadcast their games - at least on tape delay on MNN. If you clicked on the link to the coach, apparently he spoke at a press conference but it never saw the light of day to my knowledge. But before anything, the EPHL needs to make sure that the foundation that they are building is a solid one.

The MAHL seems to be getting their stuff together after having to abort last season. No one wants the kind of publicity that they got and the Aces would do well to hire upstanding citizens so they can survive here where others could not.