Jerseys and Hockey Love

After all the disappointment the hockey season, along with a few other sports this year, have brought, it’s about time someone I wanted to win a championship came through for me.

The Cincinnati Cyclones beat the Las Vegas Wranglers 3-1 last night to win the ECHL Kelly Cup four games to two. The Cyclones are a great story, shutting down for a few years, then coming back after the AHL abandoned the city for good. The Cyclones were barely drawing over a thousand fans a game, but this year, they had the best record in the ECHL, and stormed through the league (55-12-1-4 for 115 points). Last night, they won in front of 12,722 fans, the largest crowd in ECHL playoff history.

Cincinnati has it’s own bit of minor league hockey history:

It is the first time in 35 years that a Cincinnati pro hockey team has competed in its league finals. The last team to compete for a championship was the 1973 Cincinnati Swords, which captured the AHL’s Calder Cup in five games over Nova Scotia. It was the first time since April 3, 1955—that a champion from the Queen City was crowned in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Mohawks won a seventh game against the Troy Bruins for the IHL’s Turner Cup championship.

And of course, Cincinnati was home to the WHA Cincinnati Stingers. You still see some of the old jerseys floating around
The Cyclones are the first minor league team I ever saw, and they helped get me hooked. I even own a jersey:

This would be Dean Stork’s jersey, who is the assistant coach of the team.

Congratulations, Cyclones.

Technorati Tags: Cyclones, ECHL, Minors, Playoffs

So, the Cup has been handed out, but there are still some championships being played out. The Cincinnati Cyclones are up 3 games to 2 against the Las Vegas Wranglers in the ECHL, and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are down 3 games to none to the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. After that, some stuff is going on.

The Youngstown Steelhounds found out they are not going to be part of the Central Hockey League, via a press release. As anything with hockey, it seems that money is the problem. The Steelhounds had already started selling season tickets for next year, so that puts them in a bad situation. The fans aren’t happy.

The Iowa Stars are no longer the Iowa Stars, after they have dropped their affiliation with Dallas, and have picked up the Anaheim Ducks as the new parent team. A new name, logo, and team colors should be coming soon.

The Austin Ice Bats (Central Hockey League) isn’t playing nest season, due to a lack of rink. Why should you care? Do you enjoy books? The book Zamboni Rodeo was about the Ice Bats, and while not a storied franchise, they have earned their spot. They may be better off, though. I skated with the team after a game, and it was the absolute worst ice I have ever been on.

The IHL (the make believe version of the International Hockey League) has announced their schedule for next season, which means they are still sticking with six teams. Unless the Steelhounds are able to get in there, this should be an embarrassment. While they may not tickle the radar of fans of the NHL, teams like the Fort Wayne Komets, Kalamazoo Wings, and the Flint Generals are as important, not only to the cities where they reside, but also in the grand scheme of hockey. These are teams that have a history, have persevered, and have fans just a as passionate as any team in the NHL.

Nothing new about Colorado Eagles player Les Borsheim, but the doctors are saying his surgery went well. After that, time will tell.

Expect more updates from the wacky world of minor league hockey, the best value on ice, through the offseason.

Technorati Tags: AHL, CHL, Eagles, ECHL, IHL

From the Coloradoan:

Colorado Eagles veteran Les Borsheim remains in critical condition today at a Greeley hospital following emergency surgery Sunday night, but coach Chris Stewart and two teammates said the surgery went better than expected.

Borsheim, 29, suffered a broken neck in a motorcycle crash Sunday afternoon about 3 miles east of Greeley. He was riding with two friends at the time, teammate and neighbor Ed McGrane said.

We’ve seen players come back from “broken necks” before, but there isn’t much indication as to how bad this is. Obviously, he’s lucky to be alive.

“This morning he looked good, he responded well,” Stewart said. “They felt he had done extremely well through the surgery and through the night.
“Make no mistake, this is a very serious injury. The spinal cord, there’s some trauma there. But they’ve relieved all the pressure, and now as we hope and pray, it’s going to be day-by-day to see how he recovers.”

Dr. John Viola, a surgeon with the Front Range Center for Brain and Spine Surgery in Fort Collins, performed the surgery. Gene Haffner, North Colorado Medical Center’s public relations director, couldn’t provide details of the surgery, but Stewart, who was with Borsheim in the emergency room before he went into surgery, said it lasted “probably an hour-and-a-half to an hour-and-45 minutes.”

As for what he was ticketed for:

Borsheim has been cited for driving under the influence of alcohol, careless driving and violating restrictions on a drivers license, the state patrol said. He was not wearing a helmet, which is not required by Colorado law, and did have proper eye protection, which is required.

Of course, the allegation of driving under the influence has yet to be proven.

I just shake my head.

Technorati Tags: CHL, Eagles, Hockey, Minors

From the Coloradoan:

Les Borsheim, 29, a franchise player and fan favorite with the Colorado Eagles hockey team is in critical condition at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley tonight following a possible drunk driving accident 3 miles east of Greeley.

Eagles Coach Chris Stewart said Borsheim suffered a neck injury was was having surgery following the accident that occurred at 1:22 p.m. on Weld County Road 60 1/2 and Weld County Road 55.

Yes, this isn’t a 21 year old NHL player, but you have to think that he heard about Luc Bourdon. You have to wonder what was going through his mind.

Borsheim was cited for driving while under the influence of alcohol and careless driving. He was not wearing a helmet but was wearing eye protection.

Colorado does not have a helmet law, but does have eye protection regulations. Mind you, they do have laws against drinking and driving

Borsheim joined the Eagles for the 2005 season after playing for the Quad City Mallards in the United Hockey League in 2004.

Stewart said Borsheim was pursuing plans to play in Europe next season because of the veterans’ clause in the CHL.

More details when they become available.

Technorati Tags: Borsheim, Eagles, Hockey, Minors

The Colorado Eagles are going back to the CHL finals, with tonight’s win over the Texas Brahmas (a brahma is a cow like bull, or something - I used to know). For those not in the know, the Eagles won the Championship last season, and have won it all twice in their five year lifespan. They are awaiting their opponent, either Laredo, with whom they have a history, or Arizona, with whom they do not. It’s also the third time the Eagles have been in the Finals in their five year history.

Go Eagles!!!!!

Technorati Tags: CHL, Eagles, Minors

I had thought that live hockey games would be over for the season after my trip to Tulsa, OK. After all, I am currently in Atlanta, and moving on to Tampa, FL in two weeks, not exactly places that are steeping in post season action. But a check of the schedule, and a local visitors guide showed that the Gwinnett Gladiators had a hope, a dream, and a home game about 30 miles away. With Monday being my day off, how could I say no?

Welcome to Gwinnett Arena, which is nice building, but a little sterile. It looks like a lot of modern arenas, but only at a smaller size. The parking is ample, with only one exit to the parking lot. And this…

is the longest damn wait for a stoplight, with the shortest payoff in green light time. Seriously, eight cars got in on one green light, and we waited forever for the next cycle. This picture was taken while I was making the turn. I put my life in danger for you.

The ECHL is in playoff mode right now (see their bracket here), and the Gladiators are already facing elimination. The South Carolina Stingrays were up two games to none in a best of five (only in the minors) series, and this was the first game in Gwinnett. The mood was somber when we entered the building, and I would say it was the quietest I had ever heard a crowd outside a hockey arena. There was no buzz, there was no chatter, there were no cowbells. There was nothing. It felt like a death march.

A few pictures of the lobby:

Nice place. This place has bigger hallways than the Hartford Civic Center, and they used to have an NHL team. Oh the conveniences of modern arenas. Such as the food. Our bounty of plenty for the night:

The one on the right should explain itself (if not, that’s a chili cheese dog), but the one on the left may need a little… understanding. That is what is called a Georgia Dog, which is a hot dog with cole slaw on it. The one on the right was the one I ordered, and I made the wrong choice. On to the game!!!!

The place was a little under populated, but is actually a healthy crowd for a minor league team, especially one that is located in a suburb.

And they have luxury boxes. How much do you suppose it costs for a luxury box at a Gladiators game? Can’t be that much.

Scrum!!!!!

The first period was slow, sluggish, and disorganized. While some may make snarky comments that the minors are usually that way, I love minor league games, and for the home team to come out so sluggish didn’t bode well. I figured the crowd was going to be headed home with the season over, but things started getting better late in the second.

Fist knocking = goals, and the Gladiators got one. The Stingrays came back back to tie the game up, which is how things were left at the second intermission. I had to do something, anything, to dig this team out of the basement. This called for desperate measures.

OK, so I have to work on my shot, but I will say that it worked. The Gladiators came back, and scored some great goals. The last goal of the game was one of the most perfect tip in goals I have ever seen. A simple shot from the high slot made the goalie jump to stop it, but a Gladiator stick had other plans, sending the puck careening down between the legs. I would call it a five hole, but can you have a five hole when you are jumping in the air? Perhaps….

The Stingrays poured on the pressure, and kept the excitement of the game alive, even though the conclusion was inevitable. Can you ask for more from a 4-1 game?

One of the things they do for the playoffs is hang the opposing team in effigy (and yes, that is how they put it). This is a crappy picture of it, but it was what I could do. They drop one from the rafters after each win.

Remember, the playoffs are happening all over North America right now. Find a team near you, and see some hockey. The minor leagues need your money more than the NHL does, and they need less of it. My tickets cost $18 apiece. I could have been in the first few rows had I wanted. Go see some hockey.

Technorati Tags: ECHL, Minors, Playoffs

Toledo, OH has been quiet on the hockey front this season, while the Toledo Storm shut down operations for the season while they await the construction of a new arena. Along with that, the Storm are undergoing an identety change. Here’s a little primer from Wikipedia:

Their franchise was bought by the Toledo Mud Hens AAA Baseball team who will operate the team, under a new name, in a new arena expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2009 season. The team is currently in suspended operations while a new arena is built for them in downtown Toledo, and was expected to return to ECHL during the 2009-2010 season. On February 20th, 2008, it was revealed that the team’s new name would be the “Toledo Walleye”[1].

So, the Mud Hens thought that Walleye was decent enough name? Did they not see the outcry and finger pointing when the Lake Erie Monsters were reported to even consider the name Walleye?

But what gets me is that the team isn’t even starting to play until the fall of 2009, a year and a half away, but they want you to buy their gear. From their homepage at www.toledowalleye.com:

Be the first to get the new gear? What is this, Pokemon? They are a year and a half away from taking to the ice, and the “fans” should get their merch now? Aside from the colors mimicking the Denver Nuggets, a toothless yellow fish with a hockey stick is the sure source of pride for a minor league hockey team. The money for new jerseys should be pouring in.

Right now, there are 12 shirts, 5 hats, a puck, a mini-stick, and a sweatshirt listed for sale online. I can’t stress this point enough: they haven’t even played yet.

I’m going to get a puck. Nothing screams collectors item like abject failure.

Technorati Tags: ECHL, Minors