tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025319740785330182024-02-07T13:58:21.637-05:00Indianapolis hockeyA blog covering hockey in Indianapolis, past and present.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger708125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-28143085698015189172014-07-17T11:52:00.003-04:002014-07-17T11:52:45.456-04:00We are moving!The Indy Hockey blog is now the Indy Puck Report. Check us out at: <a href="http://indypuck.com/">IndyPuck.com</a><br />
<br />
Older posts will remain here. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-41688827413418322212014-07-17T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-17T03:00:01.895-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 17<b>Happy birthday to ...</b><br />
<b>Hank Therrien: </b>Chiefs forward from 1959-62. He split the 1959-60 season between the Chiefs and Milwaukee, and the 1960-61 season between Milwaukee, Toledo and the Chiefs -- tallying 28 goals that season. He had 16 goals in 1961-62, the Chiefs' final season. He went from the Chiefs to play in the semi-pro USHL and tallied 33 goals in Green Bay the following year. He played for the United States at the 1966 World Championships. He retired after the 1967 season and coached small college hockey in Wisconsin. A native of Chapleau, Ont., he was born in 1934. He passed away in 2010 at age 76. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-16137146030715564272014-07-16T22:58:00.003-04:002014-07-16T23:35:14.046-04:00Fuel roster starts with energy, characterWhen Scott Hillman became the Indy Fuel's head coach, he said he wanted a hard-working team that would be fun to watch.<br />
<br />
So far, the five players signed to the team seem to fill exactly what he's looking for.<br />
<br />
The
Fuel have five players signed as part of a roster that will eventually
number at least 20 by the start of camp in October (with 6-8 of those being from
the Chicago Blackhawks' roster), and there's no secret they're following
that personality.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Hillman has
experience building a winner -- he took the Missouri Mavericks from
being an expansion team to being among the top teams in the Central
Hockey League in his five-year stint there. And, with experience comes
knowing the ingredients to finding a winner.<br />
<br />
A quick look at the roster sees a group of high-character players who
can fill different roles -- a must for a hockey team, especially one in a
league where teams are limited to 16 skaters per game, allowing for
three forward lines. <br />
<br />
So far, the Fuel have two
rookies -- forwards Pete Massar and Rhett Bly -- and have added three
players with professional hockey experience in the last few days. They
inked center Kenton Miller and defenseman Anders Franzon, and then
signed the first of their four allocated veterans on 6-6, 250-pound
forward Garrett Klotz.<br />
<br />
This team is full of guys who are
Academic All-Conference selections in college, "Unsung Hero Award"
winners and players who are popular in their respective locker rooms.
That kind of character is critical in providing a foundation for a
well-rounded hockey team. <br />
<br />
The most recent
signings produce three different needs in building a well-rounded team.
The scorer is Miller. He tallied 30 goals in both the WHL -- the
second-best junior league in the world -- and as a professional rookie
in the CHL in 2012-13. He played for Coach Hillman that year in Missouri
on loan from the AHL's Chicago Wolves. He skated last season for the
Fort Wayne Komets, but 30-goal scorers at any level are difficult to
find.<br />
<br />
He was described as a favorite in the dressing room by the Komets players he played with last season. <br />
<br />
"We
are looking for players who have not yet reached the pinnacle of their
careers. Kenton has a tremendous skill set and ability to score goals if
put in
the right situations," coach Hillman said earlier this week. "We believe
he will experience great success with
the brand of hockey we will be playing in Indy. If he can approach the
goal scoring I have seen from him in the past he will not only be a huge
asset to our young team but also a fan favorite!"<br />
<br />
But,
for scorers to be able to do their work, they have to have space to
operate. That's where Klotz comes in. e's huge (6-6, 250), a former NHL
draft pick (Philadelphia, 3rd round
2007) and has significant experience at the AHL level. He has shown the
ability to put up double-digit points as well as be someone tough to
play against who can clear space, and if needed, provide a little bit of
protection. His 257 penalty minutes last year led the CHL.<br />
<br />
He also has a key intangible -- championship experience, having won the CHL title last season with the Allen Americans. <br />
<br />
<div>
"Garrett Klotz is simply not fun to play against," Hillman said. "We are going to
be a very hard working team. We want to lean on teams and be able to
wear them down with constant aggressive forecheck and energy. Garrett
is a physical player that can really get in on the forecheck and goes to
the net hard. His championship experience makes him an even bigger
asset."<br />
<br />
The first defenseman signing, Franzon, is a
sizable (6-3,
196) defenseman who is a puck-mover but also strong in his own zone,
who put up 31 points in the CHL last season as a rookie and was on the
Hockey East All-Academic Team at the University of Vermont. He doesn't
take a lot of penalties (just 21 minutes in 66 games last season).
Franzon is a solid start to the blueline corps for the Fuel -- a
disciplined two-way defenseman who can consistently tally points, use his size to fetch the puck and make that first pass out of the zone. <br />
<br />
Add
that to the guys already signed. Massar describes himself as a skill
player, but was deployed on the University of Vermont's checking line, a
line that was described as a relentless forechecking unit that checked
by keeping the puck in the offensive zone and keeping pressure on the
opposing net, and can play all special teams. Bly is described as a
strong skater who won Merrimack College's "Unsung Hero" award for his
"perseverance, enthusiasm, dedication and hard work throughout the
season." </div>
<br />
<div>
One can see the Fuel's
blueprint. High-character, high-energy players coupled with a relentless
forecheck. As more signings come in, expect them to fill that mold,
too.<br />
<br />
That's the makings of a hard-working team -- the type of team Indy fans have come to enjoy in all sports. And it's one we're looking forward to seeing take the Coliseum ice this fall. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-16075773450935517952014-07-16T21:39:00.001-04:002014-07-16T21:39:46.667-04:00Indy hockey link roundup July 16A few links of interest to local hockey fans.<br />
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b> </b><br />
<b>Indy Fuel/ECHL</b>
<br />
<ul>
<li>The Fuel announced their first two preseason games, <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/07/fuel-to-play-two-preseason-games-in.html">Oct. 7-8 in Anchorage against the defending Kelly Cup champion Alaska Aces</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-blackhawks-system-update.html">ICYMI, an IndyPuck update on the Blackhawks' pro players in the system</a>. We'll follow up with other players later on.</li>
<li>The Fuel's NHL affiliate, the Chicago Blackhawks, are holding their prospect camp this week, with several players who will wear Fuel sweaters in the near or distant future on the ice. <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/ct-prospects-blackhawks-spt-0713-20140713,0,2977531.story">Preview (Tribune)</a> | <a href="http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=726219">Trevor van Riemsdyk Q&A</a> | <a href="http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=726213">Matt Carey Q&A</a> | <a href="http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=726373">First scrimmage recap</a> | <a href="http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/blogpost.htm?id=30605">Beau Sterrett blog</a> | <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/sports/28668888-419/stephen-johns-brings-experience-to-blackhawks-prospect-camp.html">Stephen Johns feature</a> | <a href="http://www.csnchicago.com/blackhawks/ryan-hartman-ready-take-advantage-prospect-camp">Ryan Hartman feature</a> | <a href="http://blackhawkup.com/2014/07/14/blackhawks-prospect-camp-experience/">FanSided post</a> | <a href="http://video.blackhawks.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=107&id=628402&lang=en">Video highlights (scroll to bottom for options) </a></li>
</ul>
<b>Indiana Ice/USHL</b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.milehighhockey.com/2014/7/16/5910497/stollery-elliott-and-carey-sign-one-year-deals">Former Ice player Paul Carey signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche</a>. It's a two-way deal with an NHL salary of $715,000. Carey played 12 regular season games and three playoff games with the Central Division champion Avalanche at the end of last season after spending much of the year with AHL Lake Erie. Carey scored 34 goals with the Ice in 2007-08.</li>
<li>The link is in Finnish, but <a href="http://yle.fi/urheilu/kalpa_hankki_tsekkilaisen_khl-finalistin/7356352">goaltender Samu Perhonen, who started 2013-14 with the Ice, signed with KalPassa of the Finnish SM-Liga</a>, his home country's top league.</li>
<li>It's development camp time. <a href="http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2014/07/devils_rookie_defenseman_damon_severson_believes_his_time_for_the_nhl_is_now.html">Josh Jacobs, 2012-14 Ice player and Devils' second-round pick, is mentioned deep in this story</a>. <a href="http://frozenfutures.com/2014/07/14/justin-bailey-year/">Justin Bailey, who briefly played for the Ice, gets some press in Buffalo</a>.</li>
</ul>
<b>Other Indy hockey related news</b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=726333">Former Checker Gord Dineen was named the head coach of the AHL's Toronto Marlies</a>, the Maple Leafs' top affiliate, a day after his brother <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/chi-kevin-dineen-named-blackhawks-assistant-coach-20140714,0,2413545.story">Kevin was named a Blackhawks assistant coach</a>. Kevin didn't play in Indy, but their brother Shawn was also a Checker.</li>
<li>The announcement had been made earlier, but former <a href="http://poststar.com/sports/huska-introduced-as-adirondack-flames-head-coach/article_51f8d57a-0bbf-11e4-b41c-0019bb2963f4.html">IHL Ice captain Ryan Huska was introduced as the Adirondack Flames head coach this week</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=726182">The Arizona Coyotes signed associate coach (and former IHL Ice player) Jim Playfair to a multiyear contract extension</a>.</li>
</ul>
<b>Elsewhere in hockey</b>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Pretty cool story here: <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/24619012/jaden-schwartz-changes-jersey-number-to-honor-late-sister-mandi">the St. Louis Blues' Jaden Schwartz is changing his number from 9 to 17 to honor his late sister</a>, who wore No. 17 at Yale.</li>
<li>Rich Peverley, the Dallas Stars veteran who collapsed on the bench during a game last year, <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=726048&cmpid=nhl-twt">is slowly working back to a return to hockey</a>.</li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-20575516362716867072014-07-16T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-16T03:00:04.742-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 16<b>Happy birthday to ...</b><br />
<b>Bob Whitlock: </b>Racers left wing from 1974-76. In 103 games with the team, he had 38 goals and 41 assists, as well as 72 PIM. He was claimed by the team in the 1974 Expansion Draft and had a 31-goal season in 1974-75, and played half the following year with the Racers and the other half with their NAHL affiliate in Mohawk Valley. He finished out his eight-year pro career in the NAHL in 1977, and played senior hockey thereafter. He played one NHL game with the North Stars in 1969-70, and 244 NHL games from 1972-76, playing for the Chicago Cougars and Los Angeles Sharks in addition to the Racers. He had 81 goals and 98 assists in his major pro career. He is a member of the Prince Edward Island Hall of Fame. A native of Charlottetown, PEI, he is 65. <b> </b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-90411993590900991932014-07-15T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-15T03:00:02.827-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 15 Four birthdays today: former Racer Ralph Hopiavuori and former USHL Ice Glen Ylitalo, Anthony Bitetto and Tim Smith.<br />
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b> </b><br />
<b>Happy birthday to ... </b><br />
<b>Ralph Hopiavuori: </b>Defenseman who played 28 games for the Racers in their inaugural 1974-75 season. He had two goals and eight assists for the team. The Maple Leafs' third-round pick in 1971, he opted for the WHA upon its founding in 1972 and played 70 games in the league -- 42 for the Cleveland Crusaders from 1972-74 and the 28 for the Racers. He also played in the AHL and NAHL through 1976, and then played several years of senior hockey. A native of Kirkland Lake, Ont., he is 63. <br />
<b>Glen Ylitalo: </b>Forward who played two games for the Ice in 2004-05. He played much of that season in the NAHL, as well as part of the next season. He briefly played for Div. III Hamline University in 2006-07. A native of Maple Plain, Minn., he is 29.<br />
<b>Anthony Bitetto: </b>Indiana Ice defenseman from 2008-10. In 82 games, he had 12 goals and 32 assists. He had seven points in 22 playoff games, including three assists in the 2009 Clark Cup championship run. He went from the Ice to Northeastern University, where he had 35 points in 72 games over two seasons. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 draft by the Predators, he signed in 2012 and has played the last two seasons in the AHL and ECHL -- primarily with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals. This past season, he tallied 11 goals and 25 assists in 73 games with the Admirals. A native of Island Park, NY, he is 24.<br />
<b>Tim Smith: </b>Ice defenseman in the 2010-11 season. He played in 60 games, with five goals and 14 assists. He also played five playoff games for the Ice. He joined the team after playing a collegiate season at Providence, and went from the Ice to play three more seasons at Minnesota-Duluth. He just finished his college career at UMD with eight assists in 76 games. A native of Superior, Wis., he is 24. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-54164382680602232882014-07-14T17:25:00.001-04:002014-07-14T17:28:27.880-04:00Fuel to play two preseason games in AlaskaThe Indy Fuel will play two preseason games in Alaska against the defending ECHL Kelly Cup champion Alaska Aces.<br />
<br />
The games will be played at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage on Oct. 7-8 -- a two-game tuneup for the Fuel's Oct. 17 season opener against the Fort Wayne Komets.<br />
<br />
This will mark the only meeting between the teams this year. The Fuel and Aces are not scheduled to play during the regular season, although they could meet in the Western Conference Final during the playoffs. The Aces won their third Kelly Cup title since 2006 last spring, beating the Cincinnati Cyclones -- whom they faced in the preseason doubleheader in Anchorage last year. <br />
<br />
“We’re excited for the opportunity to take on the Aces in the
preseason,” Fuel coach Scott Hillman said in a team release. “It will be a great test to play the defending
champions and the trip will provide our team a good chance to bond
before the season gets underway.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.indyfuelhockey.com/fuel-announce-pair-preseason-games-alaska">Fuel release </a><br />
<a href="http://www.alaskaaces.com/news/aces/201407/preseason-series-vs-indy-fuel-announced">Aces release</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-55053281710735281702014-07-14T04:00:00.000-04:002014-07-14T10:53:45.258-04:00Indy's title teams: The 1942 Capitals<i>This is the 8th in a nine-part series looking at Indianapolis' championship-winning hockey teams. Previously: the <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/05/indys-title-teams-2009-ice.html">2009 Indiana Ice (USHL)</a>, the <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/05/indys-title-teams-2000-ice.html">2000 Indianapolis Ice (CHL)</a>, <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/06/indys-title-teams-1990-ice_9.html">1990 Indianapolis Ice (IHL)</a>, <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/06/indys-title-teams-1983-checkers.html">1983</a> & <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/06/indys-title-teams-1982-checkers.html">1982 Indianapolis Checkers (CHL)</a>, the <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/06/indys-title-teams-1958-chiefs.html">1958 Indianapolis Chiefs (IHL)</a> and the <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/07/indys-title-teams-1950-capitals.html">1950 Indianapolis Capitals (AHL)</a>. Next week: the 2014 Indiana Ice. </i><br />
<i> </i> <br />
Much was changing around the world as the 1941-42 hockey season
approached. Pearl Harbor was a few days away, and many players would be
called to military duty, causing great turnover in rosters and shortages
of professional hockey players in North America - and claiming some
lives.
<br />
And for the Indianapolis Capitals, there was a bit of an overhaul,
too, as the team tried to rebound from a disastrous 1940-41 season in
which the team went 17-28-11 and finished last in the AHL West.<br />
<br />
The most obvious new face when the Caps convened in Detroit for
training camp was that of goaltender Joe Turner, a teenager out of
Windsor, Ont. with a stellar amateur record. He replaced Jimmy Franks,
who had been the Caps' netminder for most of their first two seasons.
<br />
Franks was available, but Turner quickly proved his services wouldn't be needed.<br />
<br />
Another Cap defensive mainstay - Archie Wilder - was called into
the army before the season. More would follow as the United States
entered the war in December.<br />
<br />
Those that stuck around would put something special together.
With Turner leading the way, the Capitals rolled to the AHL West title,
survived a hair-raising first-round series with Springfield - which the
Caps won in OT of the deciding game - and then brought home the Calder
Cup, giving Indianapolis its first-ever postseason hockey championship.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The future AHL champion Capitals began their season, fittingly,
in the nation's capital, on Oct. 30. As important decisions were being
made a few blocks away, the young rookie Turner turned some heads on the
ice, turning away every Washington Lion shot in a 1-0 win. Adam Brown -
whose son Andy would later play for the Indianapolis Racers - notched
the only goal at 9:14 of the second period. Turner and Brown were big
again two nights later, as Brown tallied two goals and an assist in a
5-1 victory.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8qVNBw8rSa7UCFlqMiag4_rhcByTwI3yj0s794tbEnjtQljzE-a9We6IrqDMy2DBkKuVFmDsGCPN7-YhuwW0E9I-KaoJnQX2AfGy8ZXWHXVF6ZwPvMG3TTVPQoO44tQ5PoykKIcIomQ/s200/turner+edit+words+out.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8qVNBw8rSa7UCFlqMiag4_rhcByTwI3yj0s794tbEnjtQljzE-a9We6IrqDMy2DBkKuVFmDsGCPN7-YhuwW0E9I-KaoJnQX2AfGy8ZXWHXVF6ZwPvMG3TTVPQoO44tQ5PoykKIcIomQ/s200/turner+edit+words+out.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Joe Turner. </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A Scotsman, Brown was one of the Caps' key players, who would
soon go to Detroit to stay, along with talented right wing Joe Carveth.
Connie Brown - no relation - and Les Douglas would team to lead the
Caps, under coach Herb Lewis. Brusiers Buck Jones and Dick Behling
joined Hal Jackson in forming a nucleus on the blueline. Second-year
Capital Judd McAtee teamed up with brother Norm to put up plenty of
points. The lineup was built on speed, speed and more speed, fitting
Lewis' personality. The coach was regarded as the NHL's fastest skater
throughout the 1930s.<br />
<br />
Turner would continue to shine as the Caps jumped out to an
11-3-2 start. Only once in that stretch did he allow more than three
goals. He also had a shutout on Nov. 12 at Hershey (3-0) and three
one-goal games in the stretch.<br />
<br />
On Nov. 22, one of the season's uglier incidents took place, as a
big brawl broke out on the ice, and spilled into the stands when some
Pittsburgh fans tried to get at Caps' defenseman Buck Jones. The police
were called in to intervene and restore order. The Capitals rallied to
win 4-2 in overtime, getting the game-winner from Gerry Brown and adding
a later insurance goal in the non-sudden death 10-minute extra session.<br />
<br />
And on the one night where Turner had a bad period, the Caps
rallied in front of him. On Dec. 4, the Providence Reds lit the Caps up
for four first-period goals, taking a 4-0 lead into the intermission in
front of 3,500 dejected fans at the Coliseum.<br />
<br />
The Caps got one goal back in the second, and got a break when
bruising Reds defenseman Eddie Bush was sent off for a double-minor
midway through the period. Doug McCaig went end-to-end and scored on
Mike Karakas to cut the deficit to 4-2 at 9:22. Later, Gerry Brown took a
quick feed from Joe Carveth - who had recently been sent down by the
parent Red Wings -- and one-timed it into the net at 11:39, and all of a
sudden, it was 4-3. The already-delirious crowd was sent into a frenzy
just 17 seconds later, when Brown got the puck off the draw and fed
Carveth at the blueline for a long shot that got past Karakas and tied
the game at 4-4.<br />
<br />
Connie Brown provided the highlight-reel icing on the cake with
4:10 to go, batting the puck out of mid-air and under Karakas' shoulder
to provide the difference in a 5-4 win.<br />
<br />
The win, which gave the Caps an 11-3-2 mark, should've provided a
springboard to the team's first long Eastern roadtrip. Instead, Turner
sprained his thigh midway through the first game. Trainer Les Tooke took
over for that, and gave up the game-winner to Johnny O'Flaherty as
Springfield won 4-3. Floyd Perras came in for three games - giving up
three goals in each, but losing all three - while Turner mended
himself, and Turner dropped the final game, a 3-2 decision to Cleveland.<br />
<br />
Back in Indianapolis and with a healthy goalie - as well as
defenseman Sandy Ross, who was called up from Omaha -- the Caps
entertained the Pittsburgh Hornets in front of 4,059 at the Coliseum.
Pittsburgh scored in the second, but Carveth scored in the third to send
the game into OT. There, Carveth teamed up with linemate McCaig to feed
Jack Keating in front, who banged the game-winner home with 2:31 to go
in the extra session, providing a 2-1 victory. Four nights later, Connie
Brown had a hat trick in an 8-3 win over the New Haven Ramblers.<br />
<br />
On New Year's Eve, with the Caps in a funk where they were
playing .500 hockey and bouncing back and forth between second and
third, Carveth and Adam Brown - both of whom had been playing well - got
called up by the Wings. Bill Jennings came back down. Meanwhile, Ross
broke his thumb and was out and the Caps started the new year 1-3-1,
standing 17-13-1 after a 3-0 loss at New Haven on Jan. 15.<br />
<br />
But there would be no fade like the year before.<br />
<br />
On Jan. 17, the Caps traveled to Hershey and played the red-hot
Bears in front of a sold-out house. Hershey had a 12-game unbeaten
streak going - that is, until Red Keating scored late in the second
period to give Indy a 3-1 lead. Turner allowed a third-period goal, but
Indy answered to end Hershey's streak 4-2.<br />
<br />
After that, the Caps began rolling - going an incredible 17-2-3
over the last 22 games, starting with a nine-game unbeaten streak.<br />
<br />
Yes, Turner had a lot to do with it - he began a streak of 10
games of allowing three goals or less - but a rejuvenated offense had
more. After the win at Hershey, the Caps returned home to beat
Washington 3-2, and then started ripping off goals - getting two from
Les Douglas in a 6-3 win over Buffalo which featured a huge third-period
brawl - and a hat trick from Judd McAtee in another 6-3 win four nights
later, this time over Springfield. After a 2-2 tie against Cleveland on
Feb. 1, the Caps ripped off 5-2 wins over Eastern foes on back-to-back
nights, scoring four times in the last 4:49 on Feb. 7 at Philadelphia -
twice each by McAtee and Connie Brown - and then rallying again in the
third period back home against New Haven the next night. Joe Fisher had
two goals and Gerry Brown a goal and two assists against the Ramblers.
Ken Kilrea - just back from Detroit - provided a goal and two assists in
a 6-3 win at Pittsburgh and a 6-4 decision over Hershey on back-to-back
nights. The latter took place in front of a packed Coliseum house and
gave Indy a 25-15-5 record.<br />
<br />
Ken Kilrea, Hec's younger brother, provided much spark after
being sent down. He was fourth on the Caps with 44 points (on 15 goals
and 29 assists) in just 27 games.<br />
<br />
After their goal-scoring binge, the Caps went on another Eastern
swing and went 2-2-1 over the next five games, scoring seven goals
apiece in the two wins - a 7-4 decision at Providence - which featured
four Connie Brown goals -- and a 7-5 win at Springfield in which Les
Douglas had a hat trick. After returning home from the Eastern swing,
the Caps seized first place with a 7-3 win over Philadelphia on March 1
went on to win their last eight and roll to first place in the tight AHL
West. But they didn't clinch the Ted Oke Trophy and the division title
until beating Cleveland 4-2 in the second-to-last game.
<br />
<h4>
Bring on the Indians</h4>
The Caps went into the playoffs against Eddie Shore's tough
Springfield bunch, the AHL East champion. The league's playoff format -
which would last for nearly every year the Caps were in the AHL --
called for the two division champs to face off in one series, with the
winner playing for the Calder Cup. The second-and-third place teams from
each division would play down to determine the other finalists.<br />
<br />
The Indians won the playoff opener at the Coliseum by a 4-2
count, using two second-period goals to build a 3-1 edge and hold off
the Caps over the final period. Jack Keating scored his second goal
midway through the period for Indy, but Springfield goaltender Earl
Robertson held off a late surge for the tying goal. Bill Summerhill had a
hat trick for the Indians, capping it with an empty-netter with one
second left.<br />
<br />
Facing a near must-win in Game 2 at the Coliseum - or go to
Springfield down 2-0 in a best-of-5 -- the Caps came out flying,
lighting Robertson and the Indians up early and often. Things got
started when Shore - one of the most rugged players hockey has ever seen
- got whistled for interference midway through the first. Keating
slipped the puck across the crease to Les Douglas for the first goal.
Bill Jennings and Joe Fisher would beat Robertson before the first
intermission, and Douglas made it 4-0 4:51 into the second, taking a
behind-the-net feed from Keating, deking Robertson and burying the shot.
Springfield showed some life two minutes later, when Johnny O'Flaherty
scored, but Jennings quashed the Indians' momentum just 23 seconds later
with his second goal.<br />
<br />
Douglas finished the hat trick and added
two assists in the third period. Keating scored twice and assisted on
another - rolling his total to five points on the night - and Judd
McAtee netted the exclamation point in the final minute.<br />
<br />
It was by far the Caps' best playoff performance ever, impressing
not just coach Herb Lewis, but league president Maurice Podoloff. But
the Indians still had seized home-ice advantage, which they planned to
use in Springfield. In Game 3, the Caps took a 3-2 lead into the second
intermission, thanks to two goals from Fisher - both assisted by Ken
Kilrea -- and another by Douglas. But early in the second period, with
the Caps up 2-1, Robertson's head hit the ice hard and he left the game.
Mike Karakas, the Providence Reds' goaltender, was called out of the
stands to back him up. He gave up Fisher's second goal, but would get
some support.<br />
<br />
Early in the third period, Fred Thurrier tapped in a close-in
shot that surprised Turner and tied the game. The Indians then clinched
it with a three-goal blitz. Bob Dill took a feed from Norm Larson and
scored at 10:38, Larson then clinched the game with another goal 52
seconds later, and Dill added the exclamation point at 13:25, and the
Indians were just one game away from the Calder Cup Finals.<br />
<br />
On March 24, over 6,000 raucous jammed into the Springfield Arena
to celebrate the Indians' passage into the championship series.
Meanwhile, Lewis was given two good-luck charms by Caps fans who had
made the trip - one giving him a hand-knitted pair of socks to wear, the
other a "lucky" pair of ladies' gloves. He also purchased a new topcoat
that day to wear on the bench.<br />
<br />
He needed anything to get an edge. Turner was stellar, and so was
Karakas, as a classic back-and-forth playoff game developed. Eight
minutes into the first period, Douglas beat Karakas, but nailed the left
post. A minute later, Douglas flew in from the left side, took a feed
out of the corner from Dick Behling in stride, and fired past Karakas to
put Indy up 1-0. Fisher and Connie Brown had chances to increase the
advantage, but Karakas turned them aside. At the 16:00 mark, Shore took
advantage of an Indianapolis turnover, leading to the tying goal by
O'Flaherty.<br />
<br />
The Caps went up 2-1 on a shorthanded goal at 10:23 of the second
period, as Douglas won a scrum in the corner and fed Keating flying
down the middle for a shot that went under Karakas' arm. Keating had
another chance, but hit the crossbar. And once again, the Indians dodged
the bullet and O'Flaherty tied the game shortly after the 16:00 mark.<br />
<br />
Early, it appeared the Indians were living on borrowed time, as
the Caps had sent several golden opportunities off the goalpost. It
looked as if Springfield would take advantage, getting the go-ahead goal
3:42 into the third period after a questionable no-call. Winger Pete
Kelly took a feed down the left side that Lewis vehemently contended was
off-side. With no whistle, Kelly kept skating and fired from the
face-off circle. Turner made the first stop, but the puck came back to
Kelly. Turner stopped the rebound, but Thurrier scooped it up and
punched it to O'Flaherty, who redirected the puck into the net for the
hat trick, a 3-2 lead and a life-support machine for the Capitals.<br />
<br />
Indy survived, and the Caps' blazing speed began to take over.
Doug McCaig went coast-to-coast and tied the game at 10:16. Moments
later, Brown had a good chance at the game-tying goal, bouncing a shot
of Karakas' shoulder that dribbled a few inches left of the net -
another shot going agonizingly close.<br />
<br />
Fifteen minutes in, the Indians got a golden opportunity when Hec
Kilrea was sent to the penalty box for charging. Springfield leashed an
offensive, but Turner turned every attempt aside - along with Behling
and Jackson on defense. Douglas and Keating killed the first part of the
penalty, and then were relieved by Ken Kilrea and Brown. They were
successful, but the Springfield assault continued after Kilrea got out
of the box. It got too heavy. Jennings was able to get control of the
puck in a scramble, get the puck out of the zone and quickly feed Judd
McAtee for a breakaway. He shot, but it, fittingly, hit one post - then
the other. Gus Giesebrecht pounced on the rebound and jammed it into the
net before Karakas could react. The Caps killed off the remaining 2:02
to cement their comeback and send the series back to the Circle City.<br />
<br />
On March 26, over 8,000 fans filed into the Coliseum for the
deciding game, which seemed much like the previous encounter, just with a
different third period. The Indians took a 1-0 lead into the first
intermission, getting a goal from Jimmy Peters and stellar goaltending
from Karakas, who turned aside 17 shots. Brown finally solved Karakas
midway through the second, hammering in a Ken Kilrea rebound. Kilrea put
Indy up 2-1 with 2:04 left in the period, shooting after a face-off
scramble.
<br />
In the third period, Turner made one of his spectacular saves,
diving to stop a shot by Thurrier. However, his biggest nemesis in the
series - O'Flaherty - was waiting. He flicked the rebound into the net
before Turner could get back to his feet, and it was 2-2.<br />
<br />
As in a typical playoff game, referee Ag Smith swallowed his
whistle, tipping the scales in favor of the more physical Indians as the
game wore on - especially as the Capitals grew tired. Neither team
scored in the third period, and the Indians began to take the offensive
as overtime began. In AHL play, that started with a 10-minute regulation
overtime, in which Turner was tested several times. He saw seven shots
and turned away all seven - several in spectacular fashion. Karakas only
saw two shots in the first OT, stopped them both, and the teams headed
for sudden death.<br />
<br />
The Indians continued their pace, using a deliberate, physical
style to gain control and hammer away at Turner, who stopped shot after
shot early in the session.<br />
<br />
Nine minutes in, Springfield's Bob Dill tried to carry the puck
out of the zone - a necessity in the pre two-line pass days (which
wouldn't be instituted until 1943), in which a team couldn't pass the
puck across its own blueline. Judd McAtee slipped between Dill and
defense partner Hazen McAndrews and swiped the puck from Dill's stick.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cnPim-uUUg4/TXFRRYYRjrI/AAAAAAAALlk/tgb2ogXwC84/s1600/mcatee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cnPim-uUUg4/TXFRRYYRjrI/AAAAAAAALlk/tgb2ogXwC84/s1600/mcatee.jpg" height="200" width="120" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Judd McAtee</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
McAndrews wheeled around and bumped McAtee, but the Capital was
able to take two strides toward the goal. As they neared the crease,
McAndrews grabbed McAtee around the waist from behind. Judd stumbled,
sprawling head-first toward the ice as Karakas began to sprawl after the
puck.<br />
<br />
While falling, McAtee lightly nudged at the puck with his stick.
It went past the sprawling Karakas and slid across the line. After 79:52
of hockey, the crowd went into delirium. The Caps celebrated their
biggest win in history - claimed on one of the softest shots.
<br />
<h4>
Bring on the Bears</h4>
The Capitals might have beaten the league's second-best team, but
matched up very tightly with the Hershey Bears. Both teams liked to use
their speed and outskate the other team. Both had big snipers - Les
Douglas, Jack Keating, Connie Brown and Ken Kilrea with the Caps; Bob
Gracie, Wally Hergeshimer and Wally Kilrea for the Bears. Both had
outstanding goaltenders in Joe Turner and Nick Damore, and both were
well-coached, with Herb Lewis piloting the Caps and Cooney Weiland the
Bears.<br />
<br />
Few series could be closer than the one the Caps just played with
Springfield - which wasn't clinched until OT of the final game, and had
four of the five contests decided in the third period. But this one
would be just as close.<br />
<br />
It lived up to every expectation. The first four games were
decided by one goal - with one going to OT. Third-period comeback would
be the norm. And it would come down to the fifth an deciding game.<br />
<br />
The series began in the Coliseum on March 29, a Sunday night -
which was Indy's hockey night the Capitals' entire 13-year tenure.
Officials braced themselves for an overflow crowd of 10,000. They didn't
get that number, but the 8,500 bodies that crammed into the Coliseum
still constituted an overflow crowd.<br />
<br />
The series started with a bang, as the two fast-skating teams
showed plenty of adrenaline in the first period of Game 1 - which Lewis
called the fastest 20 minutes of hockey ever played in the Coliseum to
that date. The Indianapolis Star reported "there wasn't much of a lull
at any time, and the action at the finish fairly sizzled." The red-hot
line of Connie Brown, Joe Fisher and Ken Kilrea tallied first, as Fisher
fought out of trouble along the boards and fed Kilrea for a shot.
Damore stopped him, but couldn't get Brown's rebound at 5:07. The lead
would quickly disappear, as Roger Jenkins scored twice and Wally Kilrea
made it 3-1 in short order.<br />
<br />
The Caps would rally - defenseman Hal Jackson made it 3-2 shortly
before the first period horn, and Doug McCaig tied the game 1:21 into
the second with a spectacular goal - in which he flew down the left side
and eluded a defenseman to get the scoring chance. From there, he
received a stiff check, yet slipped the puck - and himself - past Damore
for the tying goal. Less than two minutes later, Brown scored on a
rebound to give the Caps the lead. Jackson added the eventual
game-winner at 11:35, flying in from his defense position to net a
rebound from Roy Sawyer. The Bears scored early in the third to make it
5-4, but the Caps controlled most of the play and made life easy for
Turner by outshooting the Bears 11-6 in the final period to preserve the
5-4 victory.<br />
<br />
After the Caps' comeback win in Game 1, the teams convened two
nights later in front of 7,500 fans for another close see-saw encounter.<br />
<br />
But this time, the Capitals couldn't hold on, as Hershey rallied
back from not one, but two separate two-goal deficits in the third, and
got a little luck to tie the game.<br />
<br />
Indy took a 2-1 lead into the final 20 minutes on goals by Brown
and McCaig early in each frame. They were sandwiched around a Hershey
tally in the first period, as Damore once again saw quite a bit more
action than Turner.<br />
<br />
Things looked bleak for the Bears when Bill Jennings scored at
7:52 to make it 3-1. Hergeshimer answered at 10:10 to draw Hershey
close, but Douglas scored juts 25 seconds later to pop the Bears'
balloon.<br />
<br />
Or so it seemed. Wally Kilrea scored to make it 4-3 with 8:02 to
play. Still, Hershey needed to get the equalizer. The puck was faced off
toward the Bears' Gracie. Jackson came in, crowded the Hershey forward
out of the play, but the loose puck popped into the air, where Wally
Wilson swung at the disc in mid-air, getting enough to bat it into the
net with 2:54 to play in regulation.<br />
<br />
The game went to the 10-minute OT, where Sawyer got an early
breakaway, but was stoned by Damore. Soon thereafter, the Bears got
another fortunate bounce. Gord Pettinger was tied up along the boards in
the Capital zone, but freed himself to center the puck. Jack Keating,
skating full-speed, broke the play up, but his deflection went right to
Hergeshimer, whose shot glanced off Turner's glove and into the net 2:58
into the extra session. Hershey held on for the next seven minutes and
was headed home with an improbable overtime victory.<br />
<br />
It was turning into the series of comebacks. But as the series
headed to the Hershey Arena for Game 3, the Caps felt it was their turn
to stun an overflow crowd. The two teams fought through a close-checking
game in the first two periods - the Caps sent just 10 shots at Damore,
while Turner saw 15 in the opening 40 minutes, but Wally Kilrea gave the
hosts a 1-0 lead midway through the middle frame.<br />
<br />
The Caps, who were a bit weary after their train arrived three
hours late and looked sluggish early, summoned some momentum and got a
good bounce. This time, Fisher took a shot that bounced off Bobby Kirk's
skate and right to Connie Brown for the tying goal 63 seconds into the
third period. Turner then saw plenty of action - making 14 final-period
saves -- but he stopped every effort, including a breakaway from Wally
Kilrea and dodged a bullet as Gracie put an open-net rebound chance a
few inches wide.<br />
<br />
Hershey appeared to have the upper hand when Jackson was sent off
for cross-checking, and Weiland sent five forwards onto the ice. But
Keating was able to intercept an errant pass into the zone and feed
Douglas for a counter-rush. He carried into the zone up the left side,
stopped along the boards and fed Keating at point-blank range for the
tying goal. With Turner playing stellar, the Caps killed off the final
six minutes, had a 2-1 win and were one game away from the Calder Cup.<br />
<br />
They say the hardest game to win is the last one. Especially in
the other team's building, with a full house on hand and in a close
series. It proved true for the Caps, as Hershey made a statement in the
first 96 seconds, when Jenkins put the Bears on the board on a
counter-rush. Sawyer answered with 3:20 left in the period to knot it at
1-1. There was plenty of end-to-end action, as the intensity and speed
matched that seen in Game 1. The Caps fell behind when Hergeshimer
scored midway through the second, but the red-hot line of Keating,
Douglas and Sawyer answered just 39 seconds later. Keating got the goal
into an empty net on a rebound, sending the game into the third period
tied 2-2 - meaning Game 4 would be the third straight in which the
game-winner was scored in the third period or OT.<br />
<br />
Hergeshimer got it, though, spoiling the celebration plans one
night early. Pettinger got the puck behind the net, spotted Hergeshimer
barreling full-speed down the slot. A weak pass turned into a powerful
shot off Hergeshimer's stick that Turner couldn't handle. Indy couldn't
answer - the Caps only fired three shots Damore's way the entire third
period, and the teams were headed back to Indiana to play one game for
the Calder Cup.
<br />
<h4>
The Cup runneth over</h4>
If everything held true to form, this game would've been just like
most of the Indianapolis-Hershey regular-season contests. Or even the
series, which had featured four one-goal-games and three
come-from-behind wins. After all, this was a match for the championship
between two teams who couldn't be more evenly-matched.<br />
<br />
It was never close.<br />
<br />
Maurice Podoloff could've handed the Calder Cup to the Capitals
in the second intermission, as the Indy sextet dominated the night and
Turner put on a dazzling performance in an 8-3 victory, as a then-record
Coliseum crowd of 8,867 roared throughout the night.<br />
<br />
Everything was pretty much decided in less than one minute,
started by who else but Keating, Douglas and Sawyer. Damore stopped the
initial shot as the trio rushed into the zone. The rebound carried out
to the face-off dot, where Keating circled, fired and scored at 8:33.
Twenty-seven seconds later, Sawyer stripped a Bear in the attacking zone
and fed defenseman Sandy Ross to make it 2-0. Fisher, Ken Kilrea and
Brown - the No. 2 line in the playoffs - came on and kept things up, as
Fisher scored out of a scramble in front of the net at 9:24.<br />
<br />
Three goals, 51 seconds. Hershey would never recover. Indy kept
the pressure on, firing 18 shots at Damore in the first period.
Hershey's only whimper would come with one minute left in the first,
when Wilson scored on a long shot. But the Caps would quash the rally
early in the second. Judd McAtee made it 4-1 at 1:58. Dougas took a feed
from Keating at 3:51 and made it 5-1. Jennings added a goal later in
the period and it was pretty much over but the celebrating - which the
Coliseum crowd was already doing.<br />
<br />
Turner was magnificent in the game, making 36 saves. Two of the
three goals against him were scored in the late stages - as the Caps
were playing wide-open to build some individual stats.
<br />
Douglas and Keating each had a goal and an assist in the final
period to give each a four-point night, with two goals and two assists.
Sawyer had three helpers on the evening. The trio broke the old Calder
Cup playoff record for points in a playoff. Keating (9G, 8A) and Douglas
(8G, 9A) each set the new record with 17 points. Sawyer set the assists
mark with 14 helpers in the playoffs. Add those to one goal, and the
entire line broke the record of 12 points set by the Pittsburgh Hornets'
Billy Taylor in 1940.<br />
<br />
But the most impressive to all was Turner, who appeared to have a
long, stellar professional career ahead. After the game, Weiland
congratulated Lewis and said, ''Your boy Turner is good,'' expressing
the sentiments of many. Al Bloemker wrote, ''Turner's work surpassed
that of every other goalie during the regular season and he turned in
one of his finest performances to hold the Bears in check while his
mates rolled up a commanding lead. He stopped one shot with his face and
finished the contest with a bloody patch on his chin after making a
total of 36 saves against Hershey's relentless attack.''<br />
<br />
As the fans stood and cheered after the final horn, Lewis grabbed
the PA microphone and thanked them for their support, while expressing
pleasure for bringing the Capitals their first AHL title - the first in a
line of championships Indianapolis teams would win.<br />
<br />
The Capitals divvied up a $7,500 prize fund and were presented
the Calder Cup the next night during a reception at the Columbia Club.
Owner Arthur Wirtz showed up, as did Podoloff, Gov. Henry Schricker, Lt.
Gov. Charles Dawson and four members of the Bears who had missed their
train, yet were given hearty ovations by the local crowd. Lewis said he
was glad the Bears' players on hand were able to look at the Cup - which
rested on the speaker's table - from a distance. The Caps were also
presented the Ted Oke Trophy, symbolic of the West Division
championship, that evening.<br />
<br />
Lewis had trouble completing his remarks about each member of the
team, as the fans loudly applauded each one. He never was able to say
much about Hec Kilrea, the captain, as the ovation began as soon as
Herbie said he was introducing someone with 17 years of experience.
Turner also received a big ovation.<br />
<br />
World War II was already in full swing, and was evident as the
Capitals scattered, several joined the American and Canadian armies.
Lewis headed straight for Mattoon, Ill., where he worked the summer in a
munitions plant. Douglas and Turner, among others, joined the Army.
Turner, the rookie star of the Caps' record-setting season with a bright
future as a goaltender, was one of them. He would never return, as he
was killed in action in Holland.<br />
<br />
When the International Hockey League was founded a few years
later for Detroit-Windsor-area hockey players coming back from the war,
the league brass found a fitting name for its championship trophy,
honoring a hockey player and a veteran just like many of the league's
first players when it handed out the Joseph Turner Memorial Cup that
spring. The Turner Cup became one of minor pro hockey's most prized and
recognized trophies over the next five decades, as the IHL's best longed
to hoist it each spring. The Turner Cup was retired in 2001 with the
league's demise and absorption into the AHL - where Turner had starred
60 years earlier - and now resides in the Hockey Hall of Fame, where
Joseph Turner will be forever remembered.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-55618439014119033502014-07-14T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-14T03:00:01.115-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 14Three birthdays today: former Capitol Dennis Kassian & late former Capitals Bill Hudson and Don Morrison. Also, the Checkers roll out an ill-fated attempt to get into the NHL. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>July 14 in Indianapolis hockey history</b><br />
<b>1986: </b>The Checkers announce an “On the Road to the NHL”
campaign, as they push for an NHL expansion franchise. They push for an average of 6,000 fans
per game that season and bring former Racer Wayne Gretzky back to Indianapolis as part of an
exhibition game between the Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues. Unfortunately, the team would not only not reach those goals, but would suspend operations following the season. <br />
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Happy birthday to ... </b><br />
<b>Bill Hudson: </b>Member of the Capitals for part of the 1943-44 season. He came to the Caps after serving in the war and playing pre-war in the Can-Am Hockey League that was a direct forerunner of the AHL. He retired after the 1944-45 season. A native of Calgary, he was born in 1911. He passed away in 1988.<br />
<b>Don Morrison: </b>Capitals center for three seasons from 1947-50. He played 132 games for the Caps, with 53 goals and 83 assists. He also tallied 48 penalty minutes in that time. He had seven points in the Caps' eight-game run to the Calder Cup title in 1950. Playing alongside his brother Rod, he became a mainstay with the team. He began playing pro hockey in 1945-46 and had back-to-back 32-goal seasons in the "AA" USHL before going to the Caps the following year. He also played 40 games with the Red Wings in 1947-48, with 25 points. He got a callup to the Wings again in 1948-49, and was traded to the Blackhawks during the summer of 1950. He played 51 games for Chicago the following year, and in total, had 18 goals and 28 assists in 112 NHL games. He retired in 1952 and returned to Omaha his his brother Rod, where they ran a construction company and were later involved in operating the IHL/CHL Omaha Knights. They have been inducted into the city's hockey Hall of Fame. A native of Saskatoon, Sask., he was born in 1924. He passed away in 2001.<br />
<b>Dennis Kassian: </b>Left wing for the short-lived Capitols in 1963. He had one goal in eight games while the team was in Indianapolis, and had 12 goals in 45 games with the totals from the balance of the season played in Cincinnati. He played several minor-league seasons from 1961-72 before getting a call with the WHA's Edmonton Oilers in their inaugural season of 1972-73, where he had 13 points in 50 games. He retired after playing the 1974 season with the Winston-Salem Polar Twins. He is the uncle of NHL player Matt Kassian. A native of Vegreville, Alberta, he is 63. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-69431185418445161412014-07-13T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-13T03:00:01.951-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 13<b>One birthday today ... </b><br />
<b>Kevin Conway: </b>Right wing who played 29 games for the Checkers in 1986-87. He had 11 goals and eight assists. Conway played a bit in North America after finishing his junior career in 1984 -- playing for Toledo and Salt Lake in the IHL -- but in the interim, went to Britain and put up a 129-goal, 227-point season in 1985-86 (in 35 games!). He came back to Indianapolis the following year, and then headed back to Britain and put up video game-like numbers -- 148 goals in 1987-88, 107 two years later, 100 two years after that, followed with 87 and 64 goals. Conway also played for the British national team. Conway played in the UK through 2008, and is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. His son, Scott Conway, was the Clark Cup champion Indiana Ice's leading scorer in 2013-14. A native of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, he is 51.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-39446395199064662572014-07-12T04:00:00.000-04:002014-07-12T08:58:44.036-04:00The Blackhawks' system, an updateThe Chicago Blackhawks are set at the NHL level -- as of now, 23 players are on NHL contracts, the max. They'll have to make a couple of moves, as they're currently a couple million dollars over the NHL's hard salary cap, but it's worth taking another look at what's in the Blackhawks' system signed for this year. <br />
<br />
The Blackhawks currently have 46 players signed for next season -- 23 on NHL contracts, 23 currently "non-roster players" or on minor-league deals (the maximum number allowed under contract to an NHL team is 50, but most teams start the season a few players under that amount to be able to sign players who age out of junior/graduate from college/college free agents at the end of the season). The Indy Fuel can expect to get about 6-to-8 players out of that group of 23. <a href="http://www.capgeek.com/blackhawks/depth-chart/">The CapGeek depth chart</a>. <br />
<br />
Take note, this is fluid. Trades often involve prospects going both directions, and the Blackhawks will likely sign players who have aged out of junior or college hockey at the end of the season, some of which we'll be likely to see in Indy.<br />
<br />
Several of these players will be headed to the <a href="http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=98985">Blackhawks prospect camp</a> this week. This post is focusing on the signed players. A post next week will update the unsigned prospects in the system whose rights the Blackhawks control -- the players still in junior, college or European hockey. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Forwards</b><br />
There are 12 forwards contracted to the Blackhawks that are currently in the system. Most will be in Rockford, but there's a good chance we'll see one or two of these players in Indianapolis this season. <br />
<b>Wings </b><br />
<b>Phillip Danault: </b>2011 first-round pick who played his first full season in Rockford (6-20-26 in 72 games). <br />
<b>Ryan Hartman: </b>2013 first-round pick who played nine games with Rockford (3-4-7) after scoring 25 goals in 52 games in the OHL last season. <br />
<b>Pierre-Cedric Labrie: </b>Came to the Hawks' system after several years in the Tampa Bay Lightning system, predominately in the AHL. He has played 46 NHL games with Tampa. <br />
<b>Brandon Mashinter: </b>Pro hockey veteran who has played 23 NHL games for the Sharks and Rangers. Came to the Blackhawks last season and put up 14 goals in 47 games with Rockford. <br />
<b>Garret Ross: </b>2012 fifth-round pick who played his first full season in Rockford last year (15-19-34 in 74 games). <br />
<br />
<b>Centers </b><br />
<b>Cody Bass: </b>Another veteran who was signed in the offseason. He was the Senators' fourth-round pick in 2005 and has played eight years in Ottawa and Columbus' systems, including 49 NHL games. <b> </b><br />
<b>Alex Broadhurst: </b>2011 seventh-round pick, had 45 points in 75 games as a rookie with Rockford last season. <b> </b><br />
<b>Matt Carey: </b>Rookie left wing who was a college free agent signing out of St. Lawrence. He played two games with the Blackhawks and had a goal. <b> </b><br />
<b>Drew LeBlanc: </b>Another college free agent signing who played his first full pro season last year in Rockford. Had 22 points in 76 games. <b> </b> <br />
<b>Mark McNeill: </b>2011 first-round pick who had 18 goals and 19 assists in 76 games for the Rockford last season.<br />
<b>Joakim Nordstrom: </b>Proved he was NHL-ready in a 16-game stint in Chicago last season. Played the majority of his first full North American pro season in Rockford, where he had 33 points in 58 games. <br />
<b>Dennis Rasmussen: </b>Rookie coming over from Sweden. He had 40 points in 52 games last season in the Swedish league. Stands 6-3, 201. <br />
<br />
<b>Defensemen</b><br />
Chicago has seven defensemen signed at the NHL level, and eight more at the minor-league level. Defensemen also take longer to develop, and tend to get more time in the minors. That likely means the Fuel will be getting at least a couple of these guys. Pay special attention to the rookies and players with little AHL experience. <br />
<b>Mathieu Brisebois: </b>Came to the Blackhawks midseason last year after signing as a free agent. Had 10 points in 41 AHL games split between two teams. <b> </b><br />
<b>Adam Clendening: </b>The 2011 second-round pick, played two years at Boston University and just finished his second full AHL season in Rockford. Had 59 points in 74 games last year. Probably close to being NHL-ready. <b> </b><br />
<b>Kyle Cumiskey: </b>A veteran of 132 NHL games who has also played several yeras in the AHL. He played the last two years in Sweden and is returning. <b> </b><br />
<b>Klas Dahlbeck: </b>2011 third-round pick who has played two full seasons in Rockford. Had 35 points in 75 games last year, including 10 goals. <b> </b><br />
<b>Dillon Fournier: </b>Second-round pick in 2012 who signed this offseason. He had 32 points in 36 games with Rouyn-Noranda of the QMJHL a year ago. <br />
<b>Stephen Johns: </b>Played eight games with Rockford last season, signing after his college career at Notre Dame ended. A 2010 second-round pick, he had five points in Rockford and 20 in 40 games at UND.<br />
<b>Viktor Svedberg: </b>After two full years in the Swedish Elite League, he came to North America and had nine points in 35 games with Rockford. He's big -- 6-9, 234. <br />
<b>Trevor Van Riemsdyk: </b>College free agent signing who just finished his career at New Hampshire. Had 23 points in 26 games a year ago. <br />
<br />
<b>Goaltenders</b><br />
The Blackhawks have five players signed in the organization. We know Corey Crawford and Antti Raanta are pretty well set in Chicago. That leaves three goalies for the IceHogs and Fuel. Expect to see one of these three in Indy.<br />
<b>Mac Carruth: </b>Played the majority of last season -- his rookie year -- in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye (who were the Blackhawks' ECHL affiliate) and Florida Everblades. He also played seven AHL games with Rockford. He had a 3.38 GAA and a .880 save percentage last season in 32 ECHL games, and a 3.36 GAA and the same save percentage in the AHL. He was the Hawks' seventh-round pick in 2010.<br />
<b>Scott Darling: </b>A familiar face to local hockey fans, Darling backstopped the Indiana Ice to a division title in 2007-08. He is a veteran of four minor pro seasons in the SPHL, ECHL, CHL and AHL. He played 26 games in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals (2.00 GAA, .933 save percentage) and six with the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones (2.61 GAA, .916 save percentage) last year. <br />
<b>Kent Simpson: </b>Was an ECHL starter two years ago, and played 31 games for Rockford last season. He had a 3.64 GAA and a .891 save percentage. He also played one period in the NHL with the Blackhawks. <b> </b> <br />
<br />
<b> </b> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-91420898663228063742014-07-12T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-12T03:00:00.300-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 12On July 12, we celebrate two birthdays:<br />
<b>Happy birthday to: </b><br />
<b>Pete Leswick: </b>Right wing for the Capitals from 1944-46, with a pair of 29-goal seasons. He played 114 games for the Caps, with 58 goals and 91 assists. He was a Second-Team All-Star in 1945, and a First-Teamer in 1946 with the Caps. He also had three points in eight playoff games those two seasons. He came to the Caps after playing six years before the war in various minor leagues -- and one game for the NHL's New York Rangers. After he returned from the service, he played two games for the Boston Bruins, and went from Indy to a high-scoring career with the AHL Cleveland Barons, where he posted four straight 30-goal seasons. He was a six-time AHL All-Star. He retired after the 1952-53 season. His brother Tony would later make a mark in Indianapolis, coaching the short-lived Capitols team in 1963. A native of Saskatoon, Sask., Pete was born in 1917. He passed away in 2005 at age 88.<br />
<b>Chris Snell: </b>Ice defenseman in 1996-97. He had a strong season from the blueline, with 22 goals and 45 assists in 73 games. He also had 130 PIM in helping lead the Ice to a division championship. He was named an IHL Second Team All-Star for his efforts that season. The Sabres' seventh-round pick in 1991, Snell played six pro seasons in North America, mostly in the AHL/IHL. He played 34 NHL games for the Maple Leafs and Kings, tallying nine points -- both of his goals were scored shorthanded. He played his last six seasons in Germany, retiring in 2003. A native of Regina, Sask., he is 43.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-47760054110178020402014-07-11T05:00:00.000-04:002014-07-11T05:00:02.037-04:00Commentary: Impact of new rules? Like a lot of sports followers worldwide, I've been enjoying soccer's World Cup over the last month. The artistry, the high drama, the back-and-forth play, it's all been great. But there's one thing that's notable about soccer -- it <i>never </i>changes. Tactics might change, and a few tweaks might be thrown in here or there (like the yellow/red card system instead of verbal warnings), but change comes slowly.<br />
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And when it does come, it's resisted -- like, for example, the clock. It never stops and to make up for stoppages, a seemingly-arbitrary amount of "additional time" is thrown onto the end of each half. It's a system that worked well 100 years ago when stadium clock technology was primitive at best. While it seems archaic today, attempts to change it have been met not just with resistance, but a sense that a visible clock that counts down to zero and can stop for special events so everybody knows how much time is left strikes at the very fabric of the game. Major League Soccer used the "countdown clock" at its inception (the NCAA has used it for years), but got rid of it after massive complaints by fans. The sundial technology "is soccer" and cannot be changed. Ever. <br />
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It's a nuance that I've come to appreciate in soccer.<br />
<br />
But it's been interesting to contrast that with hockey. It's a game that has constantly evolved. I happened to stumble upon a game program from 1941 the other day, and the description of the offside rule was rather interesting, since teams could not pass the puck forward across their own bluelines. A couple years later, the center red line was introduced to allow forward passing across the defensive blueline -- as long as it didn't cross two lines. That single rule change was credited with speeding up the game and creating modern hockey. By the mid-2000s, the red line that once sped up the game was now seen as slowing it down, and as a result, it had to be taken out, and now a team can pass the puck all the way from behind its net to its offensive blueline without a whistle. <br />
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That's a fundamental rule that strikes at the way the game is played. But none of us can imagine hockey where teams have to carry the puck out of their own zones by rule.<br />
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But that's hockey -- it's a game that has evolved with the times. It's gone from seven players to six early in the 20th century, allowed forward passing across the blueline, and then the blue and red lines, helmets went from a sign of weakness to being mandatory in a decade, sticks became curved, regular-season overtime existed, then went away, then came back, then was tweaked, no-touch icing popped into the international game, the shootout was introduced to eliminate ties, the trapezoid to leash the goaltender behind the net ... <br />
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Needless to say, it's a game where the rules continually change, but the essence of the sport really doesn't change much. And some -- like the trapezoid rule -- have been created to adapt to changes in the sport to keep its essence there, that defensemen go to the corners for pucks, not goalies, allowing the forecheckers to actually be able to create offense. <br />
<br />
That's why the recent rules changes in professional hockey have been so eye-popping -- because they're not major tweaks, but they're some of the more interesting changes we've seen since the shootout gradually came into vogue in the minor pro ranks in the mid-1980s (and into the NHL in 2005). <br />
<br />
Some have been great -- not allowing players to change after icing creates a true penalty for icing the puck, and can turn a game or even a playoff series. Some haven't been -- for example, the minor penalty for shooting a puck out of play from the defensive zone is a punishment that far outweighs the crime (the USHL rule that treats it like icing -- where the offending team cannot change players -- is a far better solution and one I wish the NHL and other pro leagues would adopt). A few of the not-so-great ideas -- some of us remember the IHL's very brief experiment with playing a game in four quarters at an Ice exhibition game a decade and a half ago -- have gone by the wayside. <br />
<br />
Anyway, a couple of years ago, while sitting in my rinkside perch at an Ice game, I noticed the linesemen were blowing icing calls dead not when the puck was touched (as in the traditional pro game) or when it crossed the goal line (as in the international & college game), but when the first defensive player passed the faceoff dots. Icing was waived if an offensive player beat him there. I thought "this is great. It lessens the chance of an injury, but it still allows an offensive player who hustles a chance to negate an icing." This year, after a bit of an adjustment period, "hybrid icing" became a reality in the NHL, and as a result, Don Cherry -- who spent years begging for no-touch icing -- had to find some new material for Coach's Corner. <br />
<br />
That brings us to what the AHL announced Thursday -- three pretty significant rules changes. Why is this important? The AHL is often used as an incubator for other leagues -- successful changes in the AHL tend to get spread throughout hockey. Unsuccessful ones -- like the 2-foot bluelines -- go away quietly. The USHL has been the same as an incubator.<br />
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Two were fairly minor and procedural -- one calls for an automatic game misconduct after two fighting majors, simply codifying the evolution of hockey that is seeing fighting become less and less a part of the game. Another implements the international rule on helmets -- if one comes off, a player has to either put it back on or leave the ice immediately. Just like playing with a broken stick, participating in the play without a helmet becomes an automatic minor penalty. I wouldn't be shocked to see those two rules swiftly adopted in other leagues.<br />
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The one really interesting one is the changes to overtime. Next year, AHL overtimes will be seven minutes long -- as opposed to five. The rink will be dry-scraped before OT, leading to a brief intermission, and the teams will switch ends (thereby ensuring the "long change" with teams' defensive zones farthest from the bench, a change that was implemented in the USHL last year and was adopted throughout the pro ranks this year, and is intended to increase scoring). The OT will start the way overtimes across hockey have been played for a number of years -- 4-on-4. But at the first whistle inside 4:00 on the clock, it will go to a 3-on-3 period.<br />
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It's all designed to avoid the shootout, which was seen as the height of excitement in the 1980s, but after their adoption by the NHL in 2005, the one-on-one competitions quickly became less unique. They also annoyed hockey fans who didn't want to see 65 minutes of hockey and key standings points decided by a skills competition. A handful of people have proposed the 3-on-3, but like watching hybrid icing up close and personal, we've seen the 3-on-3. And it works.<br />
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Last year, the USHL experimented with 3-on-3 overtime during the preseason -- every preseason game ended with the extra session, whether tied or not. Nine preseason games were played in Indy. Only one made it through the five-minute period still tied. With only six skaters on the ice, there was plenty of room and the action was end-to-end. After one of the games, I talked to the referee, who told me that two referees would be almost critical for a 3-on-3 OT because of the energy that had to be exerted skating end-to-end to keep up with the play.<br />
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Yes, it will annoy hockey purists (and I consider myself one) who demand the game be played 5-on-5 period (unless, of course, there are penalties. 3v3 does happen in regulation games, although very rarely). But, across all levels of the sport -- save maybe U.S. college hockey -- we've come to the conclusion that hockey fans shouldn't leave a game and not see a winner. But at the same time, we'd like to see a winner (and the resultant standings point) decided by guys playing <i>hockey </i>-- with face-offs and offensive and defensive players out there, not just a skills competition. Anything that lessens the impact of the shootout is a good one, and the 3v3 compromise does that.<br />
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My suggestion would be to go one further and make overtimes 10 minutes again -- and make the switch to 3v3 after the five-minute mark. For many years, overtimes were 10 minutes long throughout hockey -- NHL teams played a 10-minute, non-sudden death OT prior to WWII, but dropped it due to wartime travel restrictions and didn't revive any overtime for 40 years. Minor pro leagues continued to play 10-minute OT until the early 1980s, and the WHA used a 10-minute OT during its seven-year run. The NHL brought back regular season OT, but only a five-minute period, in 1982, and five minutes became the standard OT length when everyone else began to follow the NHL's lead (just like shootouts throughout most of minor pro and junior hockey went from five rounds to three after the NHL introduced the three-round shootout in 2005 -- the ECHL being a significant exception. It still uses a five-round shootout). So, there's precedent for a 10-minute overtime, and it's a much easier round number to work with than seven minutes. And, the extra three minutes increases that much more the likelihood of seeing an overtime goal. <br />
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If we resisted minor tweaks to improve the game as much as our friends in other sports do, we'd have a shoot-it-in, shoot-it-out game played with 6 skaters and a goalie, players in largely fixed positions, no forward passing allowed anywhere on the ice, no icing, and a much less exciting game. That hockey continues to evolve -- making the game more exciting while still maintaining the essence of the sport -- is a good thing. Like hybrid icing a few years back, these new rules changes in the AHL are ones we'll likely see throughout hockey very soon. And that's another positive evolution for the sport. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-45992286036957356152014-07-11T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-11T03:00:01.292-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 11Six birthdays today: former Capital Bill Folk (87), Racer Rick Fraser (60), IHL Ice Travis Thiessen (42) & Dave Chyzowski (43) and CHL Ice Duncan Paterson (40), as well as the late former Capital Eddie Bush. <br />
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<b>Happy birthday to ...</b><br />
<b>Eddie Bush: </b>Capitals defenseman in the team's first two seasons, from 1939-41. He had nine goals and 13 assists in 60 games with the Caps, as well as 82 penalty minutes. He was traded for Hal Jackson on Dec. 15, 1940 -- Jackson would later start the Indianapolis Youth Hockey Association. Bush played 26 NHL games, all with the Red Wings, in 1938-39 and in 1941-42. After spending the war years in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he returned to play four years in the AHL, USHL and in senior hockey. He was also a longtime coach, including serving a partial season as head coach of the NHL's Kansas City Scouts in 1975-76. A native of Collingwood, Ont., he was born in 1918. He passed away in 1984 at age 65. <b> </b><br />
<b>Bill Folk: </b>Capitals defenseman for two seasons from 1950-52. In 114 games with the Caps, he had eight goals and 40 assists, as well as 114 penalty minutes. He played professionally from 1948-62, primarily at the AHL/WHL level. He played 12 NHL games, all with the Red Wings, from 1951-53. A native of Regina, Sask., he is 87.<br />
<b>Rick Fraser: </b>Defenseman who played four scoreless games for the Racers in 1974-75. They were his only NHL/WHA games. He was drafted by the Racers in the 17th round of the 1974 WHA Draft, and by the Blackhawks in the 10th round of the NHL Draft that year. He spent nearly all of his five-year career in the minor-league NAHL and IHL. He is the brother of former NHL referee Kerry Fraser. A native of Sarnia, Ont., he is 60. <br />
<b>Travis Thiessen: </b>The Penguins' third-round pick in 1992, he played 53 games for the Ice between 1994-97. He totaled two goals, seven assists and 52 penalty minutes in those games. He played 11 professional seasons in the IHL, AHL, Colonial/United, ECHL, WCHL and in Europe, before retiring in 2003. A native of North Battleford, Sask., he is 42. <br />
<b>Dave Chyzowski: </b>Winger who played for the Ice in the 1996-97 season. In 76 games, he had 34 goals and 40 assists, as well as 261 penalty minutes. Picked second overall by the Islanders in 1989, Chyzowski split his first four NHL seasons between the Islanders and various minor-league teams before scoring 78 goals in the AHL and IHL from 1995-97. That earned him a brief callup to Chicago in 1996-97, but that would be his last NHL action. In 126 NHL games, he had 15 goals and 16 assists. He played in the IHL through 2000 -- scoring 37 goals with Kansas City in 1999-2000 -- and then seven more seasons in Europe. He is currently the marketing coordinator for the Kamloops Blazers, the junior team he starred for prior to turning pro in 1989. A native of Edmonton, he is 43. <br />
<b>Duncan Paterson: </b>Defenseman who played 14 games for the Ice in 2000-01. He had one goal and one assist, as well as 30 PIM. He also played three playoff games. They were the only North American professional games for Paterson. A native of Winnipeg, he is 40. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-64961684327707664232014-07-11T00:05:00.001-04:002014-07-11T00:05:35.862-04:00Midweek link roundup A lot has happened in hockey the last few days. A ton of links below the jump:<br />
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<b>Indy Fuel/ECHL</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Fuel have signed three players this week: <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/07/fuel-add-kenton-miller-garrett-klotz.html">Center Kenton Miller, winger Garrett Klotz</a> and <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/07/fuel-continue-to-add-to-roster.html">defenseman Anders Franzon</a>. <b> </b> </li>
<li>ECHL news: <a href="http://www.echl.com/thunder-renew-affiliation-with-new-york-islanders-p192763">The Stockton Thunder renewed their affiliation with the Islanders</a>. </li>
<li>The Chicago Blackhawks' development camp opens this week. It's very
heavy on college players -- as was this year's draft -- but it's a <a href="http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=98985">good peek into the rookies and unsigned draftees in the system</a>.
The underlined players have been drafted/signed by Chicago, the ones
with asterisks are free agent invitees. There's a good chance we'll see a
few of these players in an Indy Fuel sweater in the coming years. </li>
</ul>
<b>Indiana Ice/USHL</b> <br />
<ul>
<li>Former Indiana Ice player Rinat Valiev, the Maple Leafs' third-round pick, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/news/leafs-sign-trevor-smith-3rd-221204059--nhl.html">signed an entry-level deal on Thursday</a>. Valiev is a 1995 birth-year major junior player, so unless he sticks in Toronto, he will have one more year in Kootenay. </li>
<li>Another former Ice player, Anthony Bitetto, <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/predatorsinsider/2014/07/08/anthony-bitetto-predators/12375045/">has re-signed with the Nashville Predators</a>. Bitetto played for their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, last season. </li>
<li>Brent Gwidt, who captained the Ice's Clark Cup championship team in 2008-09, <a href="http://www.echl.com/gwidt-re-signs-with-grizzlies-for-second-season-p192778">has re-signed with the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies</a>. </li>
<li>College Hockey Inc. has a <a href="http://collegehockeyinc.com/pages/ncaa-players-2014-nhl-development-camps">list of the college players invited to NHL development camps</a>. The familiar names: Sam Kurker & Dwyer Tschantz (St. Louis), Robbie Baillargeon (Ottawa), Christian Hilbrich (Anaheim & Buffalo), Sean Kuraly (San Jose), David Johnstone (Detroit), Kevin Goumas (Philadelphia), Nick Mattson (Chicago), Ryan Obuchowski (Chicago & Detroit), Brian Pinho (Washington), Jon Gillies (Calgary), Patrick Newell (Los Angeles), Woody Hudson (NY Islanders), Aidan Muir (Edmonton). Hudson, Obuchowski, Newell, Hilbrich & Johnstone are free agent invites. Goumas is under contract with the Flyers. There are a few others who are currently in or came through Canadian Major Junior and therefore not on the list -- Ryan Mantha (NY Rangers), Blake Siebenaler (Columbus), Rinat Valiev (Toronto) and Adam Erne (Tampa Bay) among them. </li>
<li>The Calgary Flames <a href="http://flames.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=725718">had a piece (with video) on former Ice goaltender Jon Gillies</a>, one of their draft picks. </li>
<li>Former Ice coach Jeff Blashill had a chat with a Detroit radio station after the Wings' development camp. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/georgeums/jeff-blashill-speaks-with-detroit-sports-1051-fms-matt-dery-tuesday-july-9-2014">Listen to it here</a>. </li>
</ul>
<b>Hoosier hockey</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Should've had this in the last link roundup, but better late than never. The <a href="http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/hockey/2014/07/06/indys-john-michael-liles-looking-forward-th-nhl-season/12269391/">Indianapolis Star had a nice piece on Zionsville native John-Michael Liles</a>, who is currently playing defense for the Carolina Hurricanes. <b> </b> </li>
<li>The IU club team has a <a href="http://www.iuhockey.pointstreaksites.com/view/indianahockey/news-1540/news_160709#.U77YEabYgK8.twitter">new coach in former player Greg Benz</a>. The Hoosiers have been a usually-strong program at the ACHA club level. </li>
</ul>
<b>Elsewhere in hockey</b> <br />
<ul>
<li>The big news in hockey was the Blackhawks' extensions to Jonathan Toews
and Patrick Kane, at an average of $10.5 million per year through 2023. <a href="http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/blogpost?blogname=chicagoblackhawks&id=4684160&city=chicago&src=desktop&wjb">Here's the breakdown</a>, and <a href="http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=725821">Bob Verdi's Blackhawks.com column on their re-signings</a>. THN's Rory Boylen <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/jonathan-toews-and-patrick-kane-sign-eight-year-extensions-with-10-5-million-cap-hits-which-is-completely-reasonable/">says they got paid a fair market price</a>. We weighed in, too, <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/07/commentary-blackhawks-move-stresses.html">looking at what it means for the developmental system</a>. </li>
<li>The St. Louis Blues -- another team with a significant Central Indiana fanbase -- <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/vladimir-sobotka-leaves-blues-for-khl--maligned-steve-ott-back-as-plan-b-162438546.html">were also active, re-signing Steve Ott for two years, but losing versatile center Vladimir Sobotka to the KHL</a>. </li>
<li>The AHL has made some <a href="http://theahl.com/ahl-board-approves-rules-changes-p192792">pretty radical rule changes</a>, and given the AHL's role as an incubator, one might expect to see these spread to other levels of hockey soon. The most notable -- and interesting -- is the change to OT. Teams will switch ends to ensure the long change during OT, and the rink will be dry-scraped. OT will extend to 7:00, with the first 3:00 4-on-4. At the first whistle with 4:00 or less showing on the clock, teams will drop a player and play 3-on-3. The USHL experimented with 3-on-3 overtime during the preseason last year, and 8 of the 9 games played in Indy saw a result in the period. Two other changes -- automatic game misconduct for a second fighting major in a game, and the international rule on losing a helmet (automatic minor penalty if your helmet falls off and you continue in the play). </li>
<li><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2014/07/07/almaty-beijing-oslo-make-list-for-2022-olympics/12280985/">Looking ahead to the 2022 Winter Olympics</a>, the three finalists are Almaty, Kazakhstan; Oslo, Norway; and Beijing, China. Whether NHL players play or if it's like the late-1980s/early-1990s tournaments stocked with minor-league and European pro players (resembling the annual World Championships in the spring) but there will be a hockey tournament and we'll be watching. Peyongchang, South Korea will host the 2018 tourney.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.winnipegsun.com/2014/07/08/former-nhler-marc-savard-finds-sweet-golf-swing-after-going-lefty">A nice piece on former Boston Bruin Marc Savard</a>, who hasn't been able to play since the 2010-11 season after suffering from concussions. He's found a niche with golf and is playing in a Canadian professional tournament this weekend. </li>
<li>THN has a pretty cool feature with <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/5-cool-ticket-stubs-from-important-games-in-hockey-history/">ticket stubs from some of the biggest events in hockey over the years</a>. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140710/SPORTS/140719961/1020/SPORTS">Condolences to the Peoria Rivermen, their fans and the family and friends of Bruce Saurs</a>. The longtime Rivermen owner passed away Thursday at age 88. Saurs owned the Rivermen through four different leagues, won championships in the IHL and ECHL, and stepped up to save hockey in Peoria this spring when the AHL Rivermen team was moved. He was a key figure in the International Hockey League when the Indianapolis Ice played in the circuit in the 1990s and often went toe-to-toe with Saurs' Rivermen. </li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-28362940915963599412014-07-10T15:25:00.001-04:002014-07-10T15:25:39.765-04:00Defenseman Anders Franzon joins Fuel<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOScz9VrN2ckbUUWqf19TpbyDRI4EEidduro9UadFK9CsUZAZeiOaojehC2nnCMD36bpF0AsonpeLYphhng5JbqkIOi9Er0BTTyAUCjxuQybrJ3m-_TgArP7y8AlneTyGXQ8DbYEkKihQ/s1600/071014Franzon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOScz9VrN2ckbUUWqf19TpbyDRI4EEidduro9UadFK9CsUZAZeiOaojehC2nnCMD36bpF0AsonpeLYphhng5JbqkIOi9Er0BTTyAUCjxuQybrJ3m-_TgArP7y8AlneTyGXQ8DbYEkKihQ/s1600/071014Franzon.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Anders Franzon (Photo provided by Indy Fuel)</b></td></tr>
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The Indy Fuel continued to add to their roster Thursday, announcing the signing of defenseman Anders Franzon.<br />
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Franzon is the fifth player, and the first defenseman signed by the Fuel. He is a big puck-moving defenseman who stands 6-3 and a shade under 200 pounds. He played his rookie season for Fuel coach Scott Hillman last year, with 10 goals and 21 assists in 66 games for the CHL's Missouri Mavericks. He was the team's second-highest scoring defenseman.<br />
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"Andres is a steady defenseman that has a great ability to move the puck," Fuel coach Scott Hillman said in a release on Thursday. "He's coming off a strong rookie season, and given his steady, reliable play, we believe he has a bright future in professional hockey."<br />
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Franzon is a 25-year-old right-shot blueliner who hails from Plattsburgh, New York. <br />
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Franzon also played four years collegiately at Vermont -- where he was a teammate of the Fuel's first signing, Pete Massar. He had four goals and 20 assists in 124 games and played a top-four defense role for the Catamounts. He was also a member of the Hockey East All-Academic team as a senior in 2013.<br />
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He's the third player who played for Coach Hillman with the Missouri Mavericks, joining Massar and center Kenton Miller.<br />
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"It was a great experience playing for Coach Hillman last season," Franzon said. "He's a determined, passionate coach that puts everything on the line to win every night." <br />
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<a href="http://www.indyfuelhockey.com/franzon-joins-fuel-2014-15-campaign">Fuel release </a><br />
<a href="http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=122143">Franzon's HockeyDB page</a><br />
<a href="http://uvmathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=1675">Franzon's University of Vermont profile</a><br />
<a href="http://lstribune.net/lees-summit-sports/mavericks/meet-a-maverick-anders-franzon.htm">A "Getting to Know You" from the Lee's Summit Tribune</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-9711038510548492042014-07-10T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-10T03:00:00.155-04:00Today in Indianapolis hockey history: July 10Five birthdays today: former Chief Monty Reynolds, IHL Ice Alain Nasreddine and USHL Ice Jay Cascalenda, Kyle Lundey and John Mitchell.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Happy birthday to ...</b><br />
<b>Monty Reynolds: </b>Goaltender who played one game for the Chiefs in 1960-61, allowing three goals. Reynolds had been an IHL veteran from 1945-52, and then played senior hockey before having cups of coffee with the Chiefs and several other IHL teams through 1964. A native of Windsor, Ont., he was born in 1927, and passed away in 2007 at age 80.<br />
<b>Alain Nasreddine: </b>Defenseman who played two seasons for the Ice from 1996-98. In 124 games, he had a goal and 14 assists. A rugged player, he also compiled 506 penalty minutes. The Florida Panthers' sixth-round pick in 1993, Nasreddine played 74 NHL games for the Blackhawks, Canadiens, Islanders and Penguins intermittently between 1998-2008, with a goal and four assists. He spent the majority of his career in the AHL before retiring in 2010 after two seasons in Germany. Upon retirement, he has spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. A native of Montreal, he is 39.<br />
<b>Jay Cascalenda: </b>Ice defenseman in 2004-05. He played all 60 games that season, with one goal and 18 assists. He went from the Ice to play four years at Minnesota-Duluth, and also played two ECHL seasons before retiring in 2011. A native of West St. Paul, Minn., he is 29.<br />
<b>Kyle Lundey: </b>Winger who played 26 games for the Ice in 2005-06. He had two goals and two assists. He played the following year in the NAHL. A native of Madison, Wis., he is 26.<br />
<b>John Mitchell: </b>Forward who played 14 games for the Ice in 2005-06, tallying one goal and one assist. He went from the Ice to a four-year college career at Wisconsin, where he played in 139 games and had 32 goals and 29 assists. Upon graduating, he turned pro, and has played the last four seasons in the AHL with Syracuse, Norfolk, Hershey and Portland, as well as three games with ECHL Elmira. A native of Neenah, Wis., he is 28. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-14382507017171613392014-07-09T21:07:00.003-04:002014-07-09T22:35:58.250-04:00Commentary: Blackhawks' move stresses developmental systemThe Chicago Blackhawks handed out a lot of money Wednesday afternoon -- $168 million, to be exact. That's just $7 million less than the United Center cost to build in 1994.<br />
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What it means is the two franchise's centerpieces -- Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane -- will be wearing Blackhawk sweaters through 2023. The two signed eight-year, $84 million extensions. Those will carry a $10.5 million annual cap hit -- an increase of $4.2 million each from the pair's current contracts.<br />
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They will automatically become the highest-paid players in hockey, eclipsing Alex Ovechkin ($9.538 million cap hit) and Evgeni Malkin ($9.5 million).<br />
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Without a doubt, the pair has earned it. They've been the face of the franchise's turnaround into being a perennial Stanley Cup contender -- and two-time Cup champion. They've done things no pair of Blackhawks has ever done, including Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita. Each has won a Conn Smythe trophy. Toews is the best two-way center in the game, Kane is an elite sniper, and they're both now locked up for their primes. When the deals expire in 2023, Toews will have just turned 35 and Kane will be about to hit that age. <br />
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What it means for the Blackhawks is that the core of two Stanley Cup champions will be together, keeping the Hawks as contenders for the foreseeable future. Not only are those two signed long-term, but so are Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Niklas Hjarmalsson and goaltender Corey Crawford. All are signed through 2019, when Hjarmalsson's contract expires. Crawford becomes a free agent the next year, Hossa in 2021 and Keith, Kane and Toews in 2023.<br />
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Keith is one of the best defensemen in the game, and Hjarmalsson is a very reliable top-pairing blueliner. Crawford is a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender. Hossa is an elite forward, although at age 35, his cap hit of $7.9 million could be an issue as he gets closer to 40.<br />
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The signings signal that the Blackhawks are committed to drafting and developing a talented core, building around it and locking it up -- which is essential to any team in the salary cap era. The Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins have won three Stanley Cups and made four Cup Final appearances since 2011 with the same approach.<br />
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What they also means is that there will be an extra emphasis on the team's developmental system. Those six players command a shade under $42 million toward the salary cap through 2019. The cap currently is $69 million. While it will likely go up, somewhere between half to two-thirds of the Hawks' cap space will be committed to six players for a span of several years. Because of that, the Blackhawks will not be able to be active in the free agent market and their depth players will likely come from within the system. It means a reliance on players on entry-level contracts to fill out key depth roles. When the Toews and Kane extensions kick in next year, the Blackhawks will have $3.2 million in cap space and currently have 15 players signed -- leaving an average of between the NHL's minimum salary of $525,000 and $648,000 for the remaining 5-8 roster spots (<a href="http://www.capgeek.com/blackhawks/">click here for the CapGeek rundown</a>). <br />
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This is great news for us in Indianapolis. <br />
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With the Blackhawks committed to their core, it means an increasingly important role for the developmental system -- the AHL Rockford IceHogs and ECHL Indy Fuel. They will have to provide NHL-ready players able to step in and fill shoes in Chicago, and do so quickly, as the Blackhawks will have roster openings ready for call-ups to fill. <br />
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The Blackhawks have made it clear they plan to be committed to the Fuel, and will likely send somewhere between six and eight players to Indianapolis to play.<br />
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In other words, the Toews and Kane signings, put together with the Blackhawks' development strategy, increases the likelihood of us seeing a number of players right before our eyes in the Coliseum (and, with the great sightlines at the renovated Coliseum, they will be <i>right </i>before our eyes), and then seeing them fill key roles at the United Center in the near future. <br />
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By having an active AHL and ECHL affiliate -- and having them both very close to each other -- it allows the Blackhawks to develop players quickly, and do so for several different roles. Not only will they be able to spread ice time around amongst their prospects, they'll be able to get more players ice time on the power play and the penalty kill and play several different roles. That can speed up and accelerate development throughout the system and get players ready for the NHL. <br />
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One of the real advantages of the ECHL is the smaller roster size -- teams dress 16 skaters, two fewer than an NHL team. As a result, teams have three forward lines, and everyone has to play virtually every role -- checking and scoring, and most of the team is involved on the power play and penalty kill units. <br />
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In any salary-capped league, drafting and development are key. In hockey, it takes 20 players to be a successful team -- Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith and Hjarmalsson, the five players the Hawks have locked in -- comprise 1/4 of the forwards and 1/3 of the defensemen. I was driving back from a game in St. Louis this year, and Blues coach Ken Hitchcock was talking about his team's depth -- and essentially said the top two lines in a playoff series will cancel each other out. It's whose third line, whose fourth line is better that ends up deciding the series. Hitchcock was right -- and in the postseason, the Blackhawks' depth was a slight bit better than his team's. <br />
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When a team has a core of players that takes up a lot of cap room -- as the Blackhawks of the next few years do, or, in another sport, the Peyton Manning-era Colts -- those young, depth players have to be key contributors to allow the stars to make an impact. <br />
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The Blackhawks have opened the checkbook and signaled they intend to be a contender for the better part of the next decade. The Indy Fuel and Rockford IceHogs are going to have a major part in making that happen. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-33363571976931059892014-07-09T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-09T03:00:01.295-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 9Five birthdays today: IHL Ice Steve Dubinsky and Marc Magliardti and USHL Ice Kyle Page, Christian Hilbrich and Matt Krug.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Happy birthday to ... </b><br />
<b>Steve Dubinsky: </b>Ice center for four seasons, from 1993-97. He played 209 games for the Ice, with 71 goals and 84 assists. The Blackhawks' 11th-round pick in 1990, Dubinsky joined the team as a rookie out of Clarkson University in 1993, and had a 40-point season. He split each of his four Ice seasons with the Blackhawks, including spending the majority of the 1995-96 season in Chicago. His best year with the Ice came in 1996-97, where he scored 32 goals and 40 assists to help lead the team to a division title. After scoring a hat trick in Game 1 of the playoffs, he was called up to Chicago, and the Ice promptly lost the next three games and the series to Cleveland. He played full-time in the NHL the next year with the Blackhawks, and played 375 NHL games with Chicago, Calgary, Nashville and St. Louis, scoring 25 goals and assisting on 45. He retired in 2003 and currently coaches hockey in the Chicago area. A native of Montreal, he is 44. <br />
<b>Marc Magliarditi: </b>Goaltender who played three games for the Ice as a pro rookie in 1997-98, goign 1-2-0 with a 3.35 GAA. He also played for Fort Wayne and Detroit in the IHL and Flint in the UHL that year, and settled into a 10-year pro career that saw him become a mainstay in the ECHL. He played his last four seasons in Las Vegas before retiring in 2007. He is a member of the ECHL Hall of Fame. He currently operates a restauarant in Las Vegas. A native of Niagara Falls, NY, he is 38.<br />
<b>Kyle Page: </b>Defenseman for the Ice in the 2005-06 season. He had two goals and three assists over 58 games. He went from the Ice to a four-year career at Bowling Green, and has since played three full seasons in the ECHL with Toledo and Kalamazoo. He last played in 2013. A native of Wixom, Mich., he is 27.<br />
<b>Christian Hilbrich: </b>Ice forward from 2010-12. He played 108 games for the Ice, with 23 goals and 25 assists. He also had four points in eight playoff games. Hilbrich went from the Ice to Cornell University, where he recently completed his sophomore season. In 48 games, he has 11 goals and nine assists with the Big Red. A native of Clarendon Hills, Ill., he is 22. <br />
<b>Matt Krug: </b>Ice defenseman from 2011-13. He played 108 games for the Ice, with five goals and 17 assists. He went from the Ice to Union College, where he suited up in 18 games this past season, his freshman year. He was part of the Dutchmen's NCAA championship squad in 2014. A native of Buffalo, NY, he is 22. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-52578537850287118232014-07-08T10:28:00.000-04:002014-07-08T11:33:36.608-04:00Fuel add Kenton Miller, Garrett KlotzThe Indy Fuel have added two players to their roster, including their first veteran -- high-scoring center Kenton Miller and big, tough left wing Garrett Klotz. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://prohockeynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/DSC_0705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://prohockeynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/DSC_0705.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kenton Miller (left) in 2012-13. (Pro Hockey News)</b></td></tr>
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<b>Center Kenton Miller</b> is a high-scoring center in his third pro season. He played for Fuel coach Scott Hillman in 2012-13 with the CHL's Missouri Mavericks and tallied 30 goals and 17 assists as a rookie. He also played six games for the AHL's Chicago Wolves that season.<br />
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Last season, he split the year between the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies and Fort Wayne Komets. He had six goals and 20 points in 61 games. Miller is a 23-year-old player from Redvers, Saskatchewan. He stands 6-0, 196.<br />
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In his total minor pro career, he has 36 goals and 35 assists in 120 games. <br />
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Miller was also a big scorer in junior hockey, with a 35-goal season with the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors and Calgary Hitmen in 2011-12. In his WHL career, Miller had 60 goals and 57 assists over four seasons. <br />
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He has been described as a hard-worker who is popular with his teammates.<br />
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"Kenton played for me in his rookie season on assignment from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and went on to set our franchise record for goals scored in a single season with 30," Fuel coach Scott Hillman said in a team release. "He was also an outstanding performer in the playoffs. Kenton is an explosive skater and has an incredible shot. He continues to mature as a player as he learns to be an impact player in professional hockey. Kenton is an outstanding individual and is the type of player that is always trying to better himself. We are excited to add him to our roster." <br />
<a href="http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140101/SPORTS/131239895"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140101/SPORTS/131239895">Fort Wayne News-Sentinel article focusing on Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=112098">Miller's HockeyDB page</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://prohockeynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/20131124_17132601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://prohockeynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/20131124_17132601.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fuel left wing Garrett Klotz (Pro Hockey News)</b></td></tr>
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<b>Left wing Garrett Klotz</b> is a winger who brings a measure of toughness to the Fuel. At 6-6, 250 pounds, he brings size. When he was drafted by the Flyers in the third round of the 2007 NHL Draft, Klotz was referred to as a "typical Flyers pick" -- a big, strong, physical player who combines skill and toughness. Klotz played his first four professional seasons in the Flyers' organization. <br />
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Klotz is a 25-year-old from Regina, Saskatchewan who will fill one of the Fuel's four allotted veteran spots, having played in 299 professional games. He skated last season for the Central Hockey League champion Allen Americans, where he had six goals and eight assists in 55 games. He also had 257 penalty minutes, his career high. In his 299 total professional games, he has 22 goals and 34 assists, as well as 677 penalty minutes.<br />
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Klotz has also played for the AHL's Philadelphia/Adirondack Phantoms and Norfolk Admirals, the ECHL's Greenville Road Warriors and Fort Wayne Komets, and the CHL's Bloomington Prairie Thunder and Allen Americans. He has played 157 AHL games, scoring four goals and adding seven assists, as well as 193 penalty minutes. In the ECHL, he has three goals and four assists in 38 games, as well as 98 penalty minutes. In the CHL, he has played 104 games, with 14 goals and 23 assists and 386 penalty minutes.<br />
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“Garrett plays with intensity and won’t back down from a challenge,” Hillman said in a team release. “He’s a savvy player whose experience will help the team, and he’s not afraid to mix it up on the ice. I know he’ll be a favorite of the fans and in the locker room.” <br />
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<a href="http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=89944">Klotz's HockeyDB page </a><br />
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The two join the Fuel's first two signings: rookie forwards Pete Massar and Rhett Bly.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indyfuelhockey.com/indy-fuel-signs-two-players-to-roster">Indy Fuel release </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-53363206759620264842014-07-08T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-08T03:00:03.074-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 8Five birthdays today: former Chief Len Ronson (78), IHL Ice Karl Dykhuis (42) & Glen Featherstone (46) and USHL Ice Adam Cardwell (27) and Mike Cichy (20). <br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Len Ronson: </b>Left wing who played a partial season for the Chiefs in 1956-57 -- splitting the year between Indianapolis and Huntington. He went on to play three high-scoring seasons for the Fort Wayne Komets from 1957-60 -- including a 62-goal season in 1959-60 -- and play professionally through 1973. He played 18 NHL games -- 13 with the Rangers in 1960-61 and five for the Oakland Seals in 1968-69. A native of Brantford, Ont., he is 78. <br />
<b>Karl Dykhuis: </b>The Blackhawks' first-round pick in 1990, he came to the Ice as a professional rookie in 1992-93 and played three seasons in Indy. In 184 games with the Ice, he had 14 goals and 64 assists. He had brief stints with the Blackhawks -- first in 1991-92 after finishing his junior career, and again the following year, but was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1995. There, he became an NHL mainstay. He played 644 NHL games with the Blackhawks, Flyers, Lightning and Canadiens through 2003-04, with 42 goals and 91 assists. He retired after the 2005-06 season, playing his final two years in Europe. A native of Sept-Isle, Quebec, he is 42. <br />
<b>Glen Featherstone: </b>Defenseman who came to the Ice in 1997-98, playing 73 games for the team. He had 10 goals and 28 assists to go along with 187 penalty minutes. At 6-4, 215, he was an imposing presence on the blueline. The Blues' fourth-round pick in 1986, he came to the Ice after a nine-year NHL career that saw him play for the Blues, Bruins, Rangers, Whalers and Flames. After his stint with the Ice -- in which his 10 goals were a career high -- he played three more years with the IHL's Chicago Wolves. He had 19 goals and 80 points in 384 NHL games, to go along with 939 penalty minutes. A native of Toronto, he is 46. <br />
<b>Adam Cardwell: </b>Center who played 27 games for the Ice in 2004-05, with a goal and four assists. He went on to play three seasons in the NAHL -- tallying 91 points in 2007-08 -- two years at Div. I Alaska-Fairbanks and two years at Div. III Wisconsin-River Falls, before graduating in 2013. A native of Long Beach, Calif., he is 27. <br />
<b>Mike Cichy: </b>Center who came to the Ice as part of a midseason trade in 2008-09, and then took the team by storm. In 30 regular season games, he had 24 goals and 23 assists, helping vault the Ice into a playoff spot. In the playoffs, he dominated, tallying six goals and 19 assists -- 25 points in just 13 games -- helping lead the team to a Clark Cup championship. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Montreal Canadiens shortly thereafter, and recently completed a four-year college career where he played two years at North Dakota and two at Western Michigan. He tallied 37 points in 119 professional games. A native of New Hartford, Conn., he is 24. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-73185380043510799212014-07-08T00:54:00.002-04:002014-07-08T00:54:37.028-04:00Link roundup: Jim Waite back with Hawks & moreA few links from around the hockey world of interest to local hockey fans: <br />
<ul>
<li>Recently posted by WIBC: <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ray-steele-wibc/scott-hillman-podcast">an interview with Fuel head coach Scott Hillman</a> done by Ray Steele. </li>
<li>The Chicago Blackhawks <a href="http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=725593">have a familiar face coming in as their goaltending coach -- Jim Waite</a>, who played goal for the IHL Ice throughout the 1990s. </li>
<li>Former Indiana Ice assistant coach <a href="http://mihockeynow.com/2014/07/adam-krug-named-new-coach-of-adrians-ncaa-program/">Adam Krug has been named the head coach at Adrian College</a>, his alma mater. Adrian plays in the NCAA's Div. III. Krug had previously been slated to be an assistant coach for the Green Bay Gamblers. </li>
<li>Adam's younger brother, former Ice defenseman <a href="http://bruins.nhl.com/club/blogpost.htm?id=30446">Torey Krug, talked about Independence Day with BostonBruins.com last week</a>. </li>
<li>A few Independence Day links: THN <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/whats-the-best-american-team-of-all-time-its-no-miracle/">says the best American team might be one that surprises you</a> and <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/top-10-moments-in-american-hockey-history/">lists the top 10 moments in American hockey history</a> (#1 is an obvious one, and there's a glaring omission that's as big as a Squaw Valley). </li>
<li><a href="http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=725529">Thoughts & prayers go out to the Ottawa Senators and GM Bryan Murray in his battle with cancer</a>. </li>
<li>The Detroit Red Wings featured former Ice coach and current Grand Rapids Griffins coach Jeff Blashill speaking to the team's prospects at development camp. Blashill won the Clark Cup with the Ice in 2009 and the AHL's Calder Cup in Grand Rapids in 2013. </li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rs7DPyOQM_w" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-37294786094070703392014-07-07T04:00:00.000-04:002014-07-07T04:00:00.241-04:00Indy's title teams: The 1950 Capitals<i>This is the 7th in a nine-part series looking at Indianapolis' championship-winning hockey teams. Previously: the <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/05/indys-title-teams-2009-ice.html">2009 Indiana Ice (USHL)</a>, the <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/05/indys-title-teams-2000-ice.html">2000 Indianapolis Ice (CHL)</a>, <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/06/indys-title-teams-1990-ice_9.html">1990 Indianapolis Ice (IHL)</a>, <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/06/indys-title-teams-1983-checkers.html">1983</a> & <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/06/indys-title-teams-1982-checkers.html">1982 Indianapolis Checkers (CHL)</a> and the <a href="http://indyhockey.blogspot.com/2014/06/indys-title-teams-1958-chiefs.html">1958 Indianapolis Chiefs (IHL)</a>. Next week: the 1942 Indianapolis Capitals. </i><br />
<i> </i><br />
The 1948-49 season was one of change for the Indianapolis Capitals - and
change for the better. With a new coach in Ott Heller and a host of new
faces, the Caps were in the playoffs for the first time in three years,
posted a 39-win season and re-established themselves as one of the
AHL's elite teams.
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1949-50 was a year to prove it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3vfy0QimKmiAwI90z0Jk8xwf01YRBQj1Och1EBxJhYfZbfrEbSyOLZ9NySltV9ZtrBGwZasNtV9ZSSci3ekpJ2INT8gkreRiAMcL-ylUY1iv44HrU2cRZmw3dcZIz4FGGRuS6S2Wb44/s1600/caps4950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3vfy0QimKmiAwI90z0Jk8xwf01YRBQj1Och1EBxJhYfZbfrEbSyOLZ9NySltV9ZtrBGwZasNtV9ZSSci3ekpJ2INT8gkreRiAMcL-ylUY1iv44HrU2cRZmw3dcZIz4FGGRuS6S2Wb44/s1600/caps4950.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Calder Cup champion 1950 Indianapolis Capitals. </td></tr>
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<br />
Most of the pieces were in place from the previous year. Terry
Sawchuk, the AHL's Rookie of the Year in 1948-49, was rested, healthy
and back for another tour in Indianapolis - thanks to future Hall of
Famer Harry Lumley's presence in the Detroit Red Wing net. <br />
<br />
Gerry Reid was back. Fred Glover and Enio Sclisizzi would soon
return from Detroit and reform the line that started the previous year
on fire together. The Morrison brothers, who combined for 100 points as
linemates, were back. Popular Nellie Podolsky, Englishman Al Dewsbury,
big scorer Gordon Haidy, winger Pat Lundy, defenseman Benny Woit - all
were back and ready to make a run at the Calder Cup. Newcomers were
defenders Clare Raglan and future longtime NHLer Max Quackenbush, center
Jim Uniac and wings Lyall Wiseman, Sam Mulholland and Doug McKay.<br />
<br />
These Caps had something to prove. And the lineup to prove it with.
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The season's opening brought a new nearby rival in the Cincinnati
Mohawks, an upstart club playing in the brand-new $2.5 million
Cincinnati Gardens. The Caps helped christen the place on Oct. 11, but
the 7,500 fans - 300 of which came down from Indy on a train -- looking
on might've thought the rink was tilted. The visitors peppered
Cincinnati's Gerry McNeil with 52 shots, while Sawchuk only saw 11.
Terry stopped all of his opportunities, while the Caps beat McNeil
thrice in a 3-0 victory. Don Morrison put Indy up for good with a
second-period goal, and Indy added two more in the third.<br />
<br />
Indy continued on the road with a 2-2 tie at Buffalo, in which
Joe Lund scored the game-tying goal unassisted with 6:52 to play, and a
3-1 win over the Springfield Indians, thanks to Wiseman's tally early in
the third that broke a 1-all deadlock. Both Reid and Don Morrison
started the season hot, with three points apiece in the first three
games.<br />
<br />
But back in the Coliseum, the Cincinnati Mohawks turned the
tables on the Caps, ruining Indy's season opener in front of a
surprisingly-small crowd of 5,844. The Mohawks scored three early goals
in the third and then survived a late torrent to win 6-5.<br />
<br />
The next game in the Coliseum was a night for the power play to
click. Indy scored four times with the man advantage to beat Pittsburgh
7-0. Don Morrison had two goals and two assists. Lundy also had a pair
of goals in the rout. On Oct. 27 against Buffalo, the PP worked again
when Wiseman score don the man advantage early in the third to propel
the hosts to a 2-1 win over Buffalo. Sawchuk stole the game, stopping 35
shots to get the win despite his team being outshot 36-19.<br />
<br />
Sawchuk found himself locked in another shutout battle with Emile
"The Cat" Francis of New Haven a week later. New Haven scored a goal
with 45 seconds left in the first and Francis made it stand in a 1-0
Rambler victory. That touched off a five-game skid that dropped the Caps
to 6-8-1. They'd eventually fall to 7-11-3 by the end of November -
with many of the losses coming on the annual early-season Eastern swing
-- before righting themselves at the end of the trip against, who else
but New Haven. Tied 1-1 late in the third, Glover swooped into the
Rambler zone and dropped the puck to Reid, who fired and scored the
go-ahead goal in a 2-1 win. Three nights later, the Caps were more
convincing in a 6-2 win at Cincinnati.<br />
<br />
After a 3-2 loss Dec. 4 at
Buffalo, the Capitals went to Hershey to close the long Eastern swing.
Rod Morrison and Scilisizzi scored two goals apiece to give the Caps a
4-1 victory.<br />
<br />
They wouldn't lose again for a month, often winning - or getting
ties - in dramatic fashion. They returned back home to beat New Haven
3-1, behind 27 Sawchuk saves and two Dewsbury goals. Two early
third-period goals salvaged a 4-4 tie with Hershey, then the sticks came
out against McNeil and the Mohawks in a 9-1 rout, in which Gordon Haidy
had a hat trick and Don Morrison had four points - a goal and three
assists.<br />
<br />
The streak continued three nights later against Cleveland, where
Haidy provided the late-game heroics, beating Johnny Bower on a rebound
with 2:32 to play for a 3-2 win. It was followed with a 5-3 victory over
Springfield on Christmas night, an 8-4 rout of Pittsburgh on Boxing
Day, thanks to a goal and two assists from Glover and 46 Sawchuk saves.<br />
<br />
The streak continued with a 5-4 win over Pittsburgh in which the
Caps rallied from a 4-1 first-period deficit. But the victory was
overshadowed by a quarrel between the Caps and Hornets. Pittsburgh tried
to defend the goal the Capitals usually defended in the first period.
After that matter was settled, the Hornets then amassed themselves at
the Caps' usual bench, raising the ire of both Heller and general
manager Dick Miller. So beginning the third period, the Capital bench
moved from the south to the north side of the Coliseum, adjacent to the
penalty box. Referee Red Reynolds vetoed the idea, ordered the Caps to
the south side, which was again loudly protested during a 20-minute
delay.<br />
<br />
The quarreling spilled onto the rink, where Podolsky and Pete
Langelle squared off, and later Dewsbury and Phil Samis began swinging
sticks at one another. It also spilled into the stands, where Miller and
Pittsburgh GM Johnny Mitchell began arguing, as Mitchell wanted to go
to the penalty box to check on the timekeeper. Miller found it an
affront to his off-ice officials, said his timekeepers were competent in
reading a stopwatch, and refused to let Mitchell pass onto the parquet
section of the ice, which led to another fistfight. When order was
finally restored, the Capitals trailed 3-2 in the closing minutes. But
Don Morrison stopped a Hornet rush, poked the puck away and swung the
puck to Rod Morrison, who beat Gil Mayer with a short shot with 5:03 to
play. Less than a minute later, Quackenbush fired a long shot toward the
Pittsburgh goal, but it glanced off Podolsky's skate and into the net
to seal a 5-4 win.<br />
<br />
The bench brouhaha was taken care of the next time Pittsburgh
visited, as a new visitor's bench was installed on the north side of the
rink adjacent to the penalty box. The Caps would remain on the south
side, where both team benches had previously been (and have been during
the Checkers and Ice's tenures). The Caps decided to remain on the south
side for several reasons, according to Miller. One was to make the
bench closer to the dressing room, which was (and remains) in the
building's southwest corner. It would also facilitate shooting at the
west goal twice, where many ticketholders had bought seats (later teams shot at the east goal twice). By moving the visitor's bench
to the opposite side of the rink, it gave the Capitals choice of goal,
because a newly-implemented AHL rule stated the home team chose its goal
to defend unless the benches were on the same side of the rink, whereby
a team would defend closest to its bench. Therefore, if Pittsburgh
decided to "steal" the Capital bench again, the Caps would still be able
to choose their goal.<br />
<br />
Anyway, bench brouhahas aside, the Capitals remained unbeaten
into the new year, with Sciilsizzi saving a 2-2 New Year's Eve tie in
St. Louis, scoring with 1:10 to go. The Caps made it easier on New
Year's Day, beating the Flyers 3-0 in a defensive struggle that saw St.
Louis fire just 15 times at Sawchuk and Indy 17 times at Red Almas.
Glover had two goals, with McKay and Uniac assisting on both. Follow
with a pair of 3-3 ties against Cincinnati - again, getting a goal in
the final two minutes from Rod Morrison to salvage the second one. But
in that Jan. 5 game, Detroit goaltender Harry Lumley was injured during a
benefit game, in which he was scrambling toward the net to prevent a
goal after wandering away with a forward's stick. Sawchuk got the NHL
call, leaving the Capitals with Jim Shirley in goal.<br />
<br />
Shirley allowed five goals to St. Louis in his first game on Jan.
7, but the Capitals once again pulled it out late. Trailing 5-4,
Quackenbush tied the game from his defense spot at 14:06 of the third.
Seventy seconds later, Podolsky scored the game-winner. But the goals
piled up in Shirley's tenure. Pittsburgh broke the streak a night later
at the Coliseum by a 5-2 score. In a game against Providence, the
Capitals outshot the Reds 48-22 and scored seven goals, but came away
with a 7-5 victory. On Jan. 14, Cleveland handed Shirley and the Caps
their most humbling defeat, scoring 10 times on 44 shots to blank Indy
10-0. He did come back to make 19 saves in a 2-2 tie with St. Louis the
next night - Podolsky scored both goals. The same night, Sawchuk
blanked the New York Rangers to post his first NHL shutout.<br />
<br />
However, Shirley allowed four goals in a 4-2 loss to Buffalo four
nights later, dropping his record to 2-3-1. The Caps decided to send
Shirley back to Detroit and dress trainer Lefty Wilson for a Jan. 22
game with Springfield. It wouldn't have mattered who the Caps put in, as
Indy scored 10 times in a 10-3 rout of the Indians. Lundy had four
goals and an assist, McKay three tallies and an assist, while
Quackenbush had four helpers in the rout. Wilson did make 42 saves,
however, to stop the Indians' advances.<br />
<br />
Wilson's tenure in net didn't last long - just one game, in fact.
Lumley healed quickly, allowing the Wings to send Sawchuk back down in
time for the return game against Springfield Jan. 26, three weeks to the
day after his call-up. The Caps were 20-15-8 and two points ahead of
St. Louis for second place - once again, in the midst of a heated
playoff race, with Pittsburgh also in the mix and just two of the three
teams headed to postseason play.<br />
<br />
He immediately shone, making 45 saves against the Indians.
However, the Caps found themselves in a nip-and-tuck battle. Glover
finally put the game away in the third period to give the Capitals a 4-3
victory in Sawchuk's return. Lundy shone in that contest, figuring in
every Indy goal - scoring once and assisting on three others.<br />
<br />
However, two nights later, the Pittsburgh Hornets thoroughly
outplayed the Capitals in the Steel City, outshooting Indy 58-20 and
outscoring the visitors 8-0. During the whitewash, a fan waved a white
handkerchief at the temperamental Sawchuk, who started slashing at the
fencing above the boards with his stick, then skated 25 feet to the fan
and hurled himself onto the fencing. He had to be restrained by his
teammates.<br />
<br />
After rebounding with a pair of victories, a 1-3-2 stretch put
the Capitals in fourth place. But a weeknight home-and-home with the
lowly Cincinnati Mohawks was just what the doctor ordered for the Caps.
McKay took a feed from Lund and scored with 4:59 to go to give the Caps a
4-3 victory in the Queen City, and then Indy got a big night in a 7-5
victory over the Mohawks in the Coliseum. The game was tied 4-4 headed
into the third before the Caps exploded, with Clare "Rags" Raglan
providing the game-winner.<br />
<br />
The victory put the Caps two points ahead of the fourth-place
Flyers and one back of the Hornets, with a home-and-home forthcoming
against St. Louis. The set started Feb. 18 in St. Louis, and the Caps
were dominant in a 6-2 victtory. Don Morrison and Lyall Wiseman each had
two goals and two assists, while Rod Morrison assisted on four goals.
Lundy scored the other two Capital tallies, sending 10,630 Flyer fans
home unhappy. A throng of 7,206 greeted the teams back in Indy, where
Glover and Rod Morrison scored third-period goals to key a 3-1 victory.
The double-dip gave the Caps a six-point lead over the fourth-place
Flyers and a more comfortable spot in the playoff race.<br />
<br />
The Flyers would fade from contention as the Capitals and
continued to win - solidifying their spot in the postseason. Now, it was
just time to duke it out. The first good chance came on Feb. 25 in the
Duquesne Gardens. The Hornets outplayed the Capitals - outshooting them
40-26 - and had a 2-1 lead late in the third period. Then, Rod Morrison
took a feed from his brother Don - who had netted the Caps' other tally
-- and scored to deliver a 2-2 tie, keeping the Caps and Hornets tied
for second. The Caps lost Lyall Wiseman after he went careening into the
boards head-first. Sawchuk, meanwhile, got a misconduct penalty for
bumping an official while protesting a slashing call - half of the 20
PIMs he would receive that season.<br />
<br />
The Hornets temporarily moved ahead of the Capitals after an Indy
split with Cleveland - winning 8-5 in the Coliseum and losing 4-2 in
Cleveland, but moved back into second on March 2 by beating Providence
5-2. Lundy had a hand in all five goals, scoring two and assisting on
three others. Scilisizzi also scored twice.<br />
<br />
More importantly, the Caps were a point ahead of the Hornets
heading into another critical weekend home-and-home. Just like they'd
done against St. Louis two weeks before, the Capitals posted a sweep
that essentially ended the playoff chase. Pittsburgh held a significant
edge in shots, but Sawchuk outplayed Al Rollins in two close games. On
Saturday night, the Hornets buzzed into the third period, but Gerry Reid
capped a hat trick with a goal at 12:52, giving Indy a 4-1 lead they'd
barely hold onto in a 4-3 victory. On Sunday, the Caps trailed 2-1 early
in the third, but Dewsbury tied the game 6:50 in and Rod Morrison beat
Rollins with 56 seconds left to give Indianapolis a 3-2 victory,
delighting the home crowd of 6,844. More importantly, the Caps had a
32-21-11 record - 73 points, a five-point edge on Pittsburgh and seven
games to play.<br />
<br />
With their goaltender nursing a leg injury, the Capitals only
went 3-4 in those games, winning 5-2 against East leader Buffalo on
March 9 before losing four of five. The one win, however, was a 7-2
shellacking of Cleveland, which was on pace to become the first AHL team
to ever tally 100 points in a season. But the Hornets couldn't catch up
- eventually being overtaken by St. Louis and falling out of the
playoff race entirely -- and the Caps were firmly entrenched in second
place.<br />
<br />
With the final game meaning nothing, the Caps skated loose and
shellacked New Haven and Emile "The Cat" Francis 13-1 to clinch a
35-24-11 record. Lundy had another five-pointer - a goal and four
assists, while Dewbury had a goal and three assists, Scilisizzi a hat
trick to go along with an assist while playing with Lundy and Haidy, and
Podolsky three assists playing with the Morrisons.<br />
<br />
But Glover, Lundy and Reid were the top line heading into the
playoffs. Lundy finished the year with 30 goals, 47 assists and a
team-high 77 points. Reid had 28-31-59 in 62 games, while Glover had
22-29-51 in 55 games. The Morrisons had nearly-identical numbers - Don
21 goals and 59 points in 57 games, Rod 27 goals and 58 points in 69.
Haidy also had a 20-goal season, to go along with 10 assists in just 47
games.<br />
<br />
For the first time, the Caps would open the playoffs against a
divisional opponent, as the AHL governors chose to modify the six-team
playoff format. Previously, the first, second and third-place teams in
each division would meet each other in the first round, with the
first-place teams going to the Calder Cup Finals and the
second-and-third place teams playing down to the Finals. After the
change, the first-place teams would continue to meet one another, but
the second-and-third place playoffs were modified. Now, the West and
East's two remaining teams would play a series within the division,
rather than a corresponding team from the other division. By virtue of
finishing second, the Caps would face third-place St. Louis in the
opening round.<br />
<br />
The Flyers went 34-28-8 over the regular season, with their
76-point total five back of the Capitals. They featured plenty of former
Capitals, including Cliff Simpson -- whose 83 points were fifth in the
AHL - Adam Brown and goaltender Red Almas.<br />
<br />
"The organ in this cavernous arena didn't peal out with the St.
Louis blues last night, but it might well have, for our Caps could do no
wrong as they soundly trounced the Flyers in the first playoff game
7-1," proclaimed the Indianapolis Star's Bob Stranahan, as the Caps
thoroughly dominated Game 1 in the Arena.<br />
<br />
Sawchuk showed no signs of the leg injury that had cropped up a
week before, as he stopped 34 shots and was only beaten by Brown. He had
plenty of help, as the Caps spotted themselves a 3-0 lead in the first
period with "some of the finest offensive play they have shown this
season, at the same time, combined with an airtight defense," according
to Stranahan. Glover had a three-point night, scoring the first goal
3:16 into the contest and assisting on two others. McKay, Don Morrison,
Rod Morrison, Benny Woit, Lund and Raglan also beat Almas as the Caps
rolled. Everything was rolling the Caps' way - with Indy leading 3-0
after one, Don Morrison took a shot 23 seconds into the second that
clanked off the post, but was accidentally knocked into the net by Flyer
Ernie Trigg. Rod Morrison got credit for the goal.<br />
<br />
The next night, the Caps put the Flyers out of their misery.
Sawchuk was again brilliant, though his efforts looked like they might
not be enough after St. Louis' Henry Backor scored late in the first. It
could've been worse. The Flyers threw five shots his way in the opening
shift, and Sawchuk made a couple of "miraculous" saves on Paul Gladu.
The score remained 1-0 heading into the the third, as the teams played
tight, defensive hockey. But just 33 seconds into the final period, Doug
McKay cracked Almas and tied the game at 1-1. The play began as Glover
took the puck behind the net, fed Reid for a one-timer that was stopped.
But the rebound came to McKay, who popped it into the net. The two
goaltenders fended off threats - Sawchuk stopped dangerous Flyer Billy
McComb on a breakaway, while Almas and the Flyers killed off two Capital
power plays.<br />
<br />
Finally, with less than three minutes to go, the
Morrison-to-Morrison connection worked again, as Rod took a tough feed
from his brother and beat Almas to make it 2-1. However, overtime loomed
moments later when Simpson deflected Eddie Nicholson's shot at the
Capital cage. The puck was briefly loose in the crease and the Flyers
argued it went into the net, but the referee and goal judge both ruled
it was a no goal.<br />
<br />
St. Louis tried to stay alive by removing Almas with 21 seconds
left, but Woit fired the puck into the yawning net to complete the sweep
and send the Caps to the next round against the Providence Reds, winners of the Eastern playdowns, The
defending Calder Cup champions had gone 34-33-3 in the regular season,
but had allowed the second-most goals in the AHL. Meanwhile, the
Capitals had a hot goaltender in Sawchuk, who had allowed one goal in
each of his last three starts dating back to the regular-season finale.<br />
<br />
Still, speculation was the physical Reds would have an advantage
over the speedy Caps in Game 1, because the contest would be played on
the small Providence rink. A standing-room only crowd hoped so, but
found itself quickly disappointed. Just like St. Louis in Game 1, the
Reds found themselves in a quick 3-0 hole and facing a foreboding
goaltender. The Reds did shut down the Caps' top line of
Podolsky-Morrison-Morrison, but the other combinations frustrated them.
Just 4:13 into the game, Lundy set up Haidy for a 15-foot shot that
eluded Harvey Bennett and gave the Caps a 1-0 lead. At 7:43, Reid scored
the game-winner off a deft pass from McKay. It was 3-0 after Scilisizzi
scored on assists from Haidy and Lundy. Providence got some hope when
Jack McGill scored on a backhander, but the Caps quashed the rally with
another trio in the third - coming from Reid, Haidy and Glover. McKay,
Glover, Haidy and Lundy all had three-point nights as the Caps rolled to
a 6-1 victory.<br />
<br />
Coming back home, the Caps received a scare. Their prized
goaltender - who had posted four one-goal games in the playoffs, was
hurt - his right arm (and stick hand), which already had a crooked elbow
from a childhood injury - was hurting. The arm was immobile. "I don't
know what happened," Sawchuk said. "It just went lame." The diagnosis
was bone chips around the elbow, which had pinched the nerves. Sawchuk
underwent dithermy treatments between games and wore a cast, which
didn't really hinder Sawchuk, as he had been used to playing with a
locked elbow. Lefty Wilson was ready if needed, but Sawchuk was fine.<br />
<br />
Sawchuk didn't seem to be ailing in Game 2, as he again shut down
the Reds for a 4-1 victory. "Home fans had to worry whether or not
Sawchuk, their injured goalie, would be able to stand up under the
punishment of a lame right arm, which had to endure through the bruising
60 minutes as the do-or-die Reds battled to stay alive in the
postseason set," Stranahan said in his story the next day. "But they
needn't have worried. Terry was just as superb as ever."<br />
<br />
It was a good thing, too, as the Reds weren't yielding much. The
high-flying Capital offense took advantage of the big Coliseum rink to
build an early two-goal lead. Don Morrison banged in a rebound 53
seconds in to give the Caps a 1-0 lead. At 4:32, Rod Morrison made it
2-0, after Don poke-checked Art Michaluk and fed Rod for a 10-foot shot
from the right side. However, the Reds' Johnny Chad made it 2-1 going
into the intermission with a late goal. The Caps had to kill off a
four-on-three late in the second period - McKay went off for
interference at 14:28, then at 16:02, Raglan and Providence's Billy
Arnold got roughing minors - but Sawchuk kicked out everything that came
near and preserved a 2-1 lead going into the third.<br />
<br />
The lead stayed at 2-1 despite some tense moments - Ray LaPlante
hit the goalpost. The Caps had a couple of chances - a mid-period power
play and a Haidy-Reid 2-on-1 that Bennett smothered. But Haidy and
Dewsbury scored two goals in the final 30 seconds to clinch the victory,
and the Caps were headed back to the Calder Cup Final.<br />
<br />
The Cleveland Barons awaited to provide the opposition. The
untouchable Cleveland Barons, with Johnny Bower in net and four of the
league's top 10 scorers - league leader Les Douglas (100 pts.), Pete
Leswick (86), Fred Thurier (82) and Bobby Carse (82). Douglas and
Leswick were former Capitals. Douglas, Leswick and Carse were all named
to the First All-Star team. Right wing Roy Kelly and defenseman Danny
Sprout were Second-Team All-Stars. Indy had two All-Stars - second-team
defenseman Al Dewsbury and first-team goaltender Terry Sawchuk.<br />
<br />
The All-Star goalie trumped the All-Star forwards in Game 1, as
the Caps skated away from Cleveland with a 4-1 decision. After a tight,
rough, scoreless opening period in which Sawchuk made 12 saves, Gerry
Reid got the Caps going just two and a half minutes into the second with
a shot from the right side that might have deflected off McKay's stick
and past Bower. Reid got credit for the goal, however. After Ed Reigle
drew a charging minor, the Caps made Cleveland pay with a power-play
goal, as Don Morrison fired a rink-wide pass to brother Rod, who was
charging in from the right side. Rod pushed the puck past Bower to make
it 2-0. Cleveland answered with a goal by Tod Sloan, but again, it would
take a lot to beat Sawchuk. The deficit looked really forbidding when
Lundy shot, Bower saved and Dewsbury buried the rebound with less than
two minutes to play, making it a 3-1 Indy lead.<br />
<br />
The Caps killed off a penalty to Lund which carried over into the
third, and Lundy beat Bower on a breakway midway through the period to
seal a 4-1 victory.<br />
<br />
Still, the Barons were confident - maybe even cocky. Carse said,
"It's hard to be worried when you get 44 shots at them and they only get
32 at you." Sprout, the Cleveland captain, called Game 1 "Just one of
those nights." He continued "We've poured plenty of pucks past Sawchuk
this season, even had 10 in one game. He's no better now than then, just
having a hot streak."<br />
<br />
That hot streak was a 1.00 GAA in five playoff games and a 5-0
record. And the person in question who gave up 10 to the Barons was
Shirley, not Sawchuk.<br />
<br />
The Barons did finally break Sawchuk - twice - in Game 2. But the
blue-shirted Caps were once again dominant in a 6-2 victory. "Smart
hockey brains said it was virtually impossible to move into Cleveland
and beat the Barons once - let alone twice," said Stranahan. "But the
Caps did it, and furthermore, they even made it look easy."<br />
<br />
After Sawchuk kicked out all 14 Cleveland shots in the first -
Bower faced only five -- the Barons got a 2-1 lead in the second when
Douglas and Johnny Holota scored within 2:11 of each other midway
through the period - answering a Capital tally at 6:03, which came when
Dewbury fired a perfect pass to Lundy in stride as he was cutting in on
the left side for a goal. Holota's goal was a power-play tally, but it
didn't stand up. At 12:31, Dewsbury - dubbed "The Big Guy" by media and
teammates - broke up a Baron rush and again fired the puck up to Lundy
in stride on the left side, who beat Bower to tie the game at 2-2.<br />
<br />
An Indianapolis Star photo retouched to show Sawchuk with four
arms and four legs must've been looking like reality to the humbled
Barons, as they had nothing to show for a 27-12 shot edge in the first
two periods. They'd soon have a loss, as the Capitals turned it into
high gear in the third. Just 59 seconds in, Lund buried a rebound to
make it 3-2. After Indianapolis killed off a tripping penalty to Haidy,
Don Morrison shot into an open net for a two-goal lead. Lundy and
Dewsbury connected for the third time ta 11:41, with Lundy getting the
hat trick, and Lundy then fed Haidy for a goal to make it 6-2 just over a
minute later.<br />
<br />
The frustrated Baron fans took their ire out on the rink after
Douglas was whistled for slashing late in the game, as they littered the
ice with paper, programs and debris. Who could blame them? Their
sure-fire champs were two games away from one of the biggest playoff
upsets in AHL history.<br />
<br />
The time before Game 3 revealed some verbal jostling between the
teams, as Capital GM Dick Miller questioned some Cleveland injuries -
including one to Fred Thurier. Bill Warwick, a replacement brought up
from the USHL, had two assists on Cleveland's three goals to that point.
Baron GM Jim Hendy fired back, noting the Capitals had knocked several
Barons out for the season, claiming Sclisizzi deliberately attacked
Baron Ed Reigle, which resulted in a broken nose for the Cleveland
player. "I welcome appointment of any physician by the league president
to examine (our players)," Hendy said in a telegram to AHL president
Maurice Podoloff. "Also suggest league president name a psychiatrist to
examine Miller."<br />
<br />
When it came time to play hockey again, the Calder Cup came
closer and closer to the Capitals. Nearly 7,000 showed up at the
Coliseum to witness the pivotal Game 3. The Barons chose to rough things
up. The Caps remained the aggressor, also dishing punishment and
outskating the bewildered visitors. The game was tighter than the
previous two, with the teams trading goals by Steve Wochy and Lundy in
each of the first two periods. Lundy's two tallies gave him six for the
series. Each had a power-play goal.<br />
<br />
Tied 2-2 going into the third, the teams played a scoreless first
10 minutes, with each killing off a penalty. Finally, at 10:02, the
Caps got a break. Nels Podolsky tried to pass the puck out of the corner
toward the crease. It bounced off Bower's skate and went into the net
for a critical third goal. Five minutes later, Scilisizzi fed Haidy with
a rink-wide pass, which led to a big insurance tally and a 4-2 lead.
With the local fans wildly celebrating, Carse made it tense in the final
minute with a shot that deflected off a stick and into the net. But the
Barons couldn't get close to the net despite pulling Bower, and the
Indianapolis Capitals were one game away from a total playoff sweep.<br />
<br />
On April 13, 7,727 fans jammed the Coliseum to smell victory. A
championship awaited. The Capitals were just 60 minutes away from going
8-0 in the playoffs - an AHL first - and winning the Calder Cup for the
first time in eight years. The Caps appeared to make it 1-0 when Don
Morrison scored on a rebound, but Dewsbury was in the crease,
disallowing the goal. The huge throng got something to cheer about late
in a fast-skating first-period, when Glover scored with 1:24 to go.<br />
<br />
Max Quackenbush hit speedy Pat Lundy for one of Lundy's patented
breakaways - and he beat Bower for his seventh goal of the playoffs
midway through the second. Cleveland finally beat Sawchuk when the Cap
goaltender lost a shot by Sloan in his pads and it dribbled into the
net, but the Caps went into the third period up 3-1 when Glover got free
up the left side, deked Bower to the ice and slipped the disc into the
empty net with 1:51 to go. "No single (skater) was more responsible for
the victory," Stranahan said of Glover.<br />
<br />
Sawchuk was superb in the third. He allowed a rebound goal to
make it 3-2, but stopped 15 shots in the period to preserve the victory.<br />
<br />
"Although it distinctly was a team triumph for Coach Ott Heller's
skaters, superlatives couldn't be overlooked in describing the
20-year-old Terry Sawchuk," said Stranahan. "The youthful netminder,
described as being the most valuable piece of property in the entire
Detroit Red Wing chain, allowed only 12 goals in the eight playoff
games. He limited St. Louis and Providence to a goal-a-game in the
preliminary set, then stopped the lordly Barons with the same singleton
in the first Finals meeting."
<br />
Podoloff simply said, "He was great ... really great."<br />
<br />
The Caps became the first AHL team to go unbeaten in the
playoffs. Sawchuk allowed 1.50 goals per game. And, to boot, the Detroit
Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup. McKay, Sawchuk and Raglan
went to Detroit to win a second Cup, but not after being feted by 400
fans at the Claypool Hotel in a postseason reception, where the Caps
received the Calder Cup. Mayor Al Feeney, Lt. Gov. John Watkins and the
State Fair Board president Kenneth Blackwell all feted the team for
their accomplishments.<br />
<br />
Indianapolis had toppled the mighty Barons. And in turn, became a champion.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-26650509561049747072014-07-07T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-07T03:00:02.517-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 7Three birthdays today: IHL Ice Tony Hrkac, Richard Keyes and late former Capital Gerry Brown. <b> </b><br />
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<b>Happy birthday to ... </b><br />
<b>Gerry Brown: </b>Left wing who played for the Capitals from 1941-43, and again in 1945-46 after World War II. In 127 games, he had 39 goals and 60 assists with the Caps. He had his best season in 1945-46, tallying 28 goals and 25 assists in 48 games. He was called up to the parent Red Wings for the 1942 playoffs and therefore did not play in the Caps' Calder Cup run, but did play three games for the team en route to the finals in 1943. He played professionally from 1941-52 -- with a sabbatical from 1943-45 -- nearly all in the AHL. He did play 23 games for the Red Wings in 1941-42 and 1945-46, with four goals and five assists. He was born in Edmonton in 1917, and passed away in 1998 at age 81. <br />
<b>Tony Hrkac: </b>The "Hrkac Circus" came to Indianapolis in 1992-93 and put up a memorable year. In 80 games, he had 45 goals, 87 assists and 132 points. It was the second-biggest year ever tallied by an Indianapolis hockey player -- outpaced only by Ron Handy's 135-point year with the Checkers in 1986-87. Hrkac was the IHL's leading scorer and was named the league's MVP that year. Hrkac was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the 1984 draft, and joined the team after an NCAA-record (which still stands) 46-goal, 116-point season (in 48 games) for the University of North Dakota in 1986-87. He played in the NHL -- with a couple of AHL stints -- with the Blues, Nordiques, Sharks and Blackhawks through 1992, played primarily in the IHL through 1997-98, and got a permanent callup to the NHL the following year, playing for the Stars, Oilers, Islanders, Ducks and Thrashers. When he was traded from the Blues to the Nordiques in 1989, the player going back to St. Louis in return was future Ice coach Jeff Brown. He retired from hockey in 2005 -- and then came back to play 29 games for AHL Houston from 2008-10. He won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999. Upon retirement from hockey, he coached two seasons for Div. III Concordia University in Wisconsin. A native of Thunder Bay, Ont., he is 48. <br />
<br />
<b>Richard Keyes: </b>Center who played four games for the Ice from 1997-99. He primarily played those seasons for ECHL Columbus, where he had 61 goals. After finishing his college career at Michigan State in 1997, he played nine pro seasons in the IHL, ECHL, UHL and in Germany. His best year was an 81-point season for ECHL Toledo in 2001-02. A native of Kalamazoo, Mich., he is 39. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102531974078533018.post-80439824596778969602014-07-06T03:00:00.000-04:002014-07-06T03:00:02.167-04:00This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 6<b>Happy birthday to ...</b><br />
<b>Anders Kallur: </b>Forward who played two games for the Checkers in 1979-80, compiling two assists. He came to North America after four years in the Swedish Elite League, and quickly went to the Islanders. He was part of four Stanley Cup champions and five Stanley Cup finalists during his six-year NHL career, playing 383 games and scoring 101 goals and 211 points. He also had 35 points in 78 playoff games. He and teammate Stefan Persson were the first European player to win a Stanley Cup. He is currently a scout with the Islanders. A native of Ludvika, Sweden, he is 62. <br />
<b>Kevin Herom: </b>Left wing who played seven games for the Ice in 1988-89. He played 76 pro games, the majority with the AHL Springfield Indians the prior year. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Islanders in 1985. A native of Regina, Sask., he is 47. <b> </b><br />
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