Hockey in September and Scotland-Pipe in the Haggis!

For those of us desperately needing a hockey fix by September, grab your passports and cross the pond for Scotland's Gardiner Cup. In those long months since the end of the 08' season the Gardiner Cup offers an early and distinctive treat. The Edinburgh Capitals and the Belfast Giants will meet the Hamilton Bulldogs and Toronto Marlies in a tournament in Edinburgh on September 24th, 26th and 27th. Hockey in beautiful Edinburgh, kilts, haggis, bagpipes and single malt whiskey, what is not to love about that package?

The tournament is named for Charles “Chuck” Gardiner the first Scot named to the NHL Hall of Fame. It is expected that the series will be available by net feed and by audio link. It will be the first time an American Hockey League team has met head to head with a British Elite team. It looks to be an interesting match-up.

Although on opposite sides of the ocean, there is more contact between these leagues than one might think. Several familiar names have been part of the Belfast Giants roster over the years, starting with this year's addition of Sean McMorrow, Ed Courtenay, and former NHLer Theo Fleury. Next month a member of the current Giants roster, blueliner Davey Philips, will be attending the Chicago Blackhawks prospect camp.

Tickets for the Gardiner Cup games are available through the Edinburgh Capital's box office, http://www.edinburgh-capitals.com. The Belfast Giants website at www.kingdomofthegiants.com has a helpful line on out-of-town games and lodgings for those thinking of making the trip. From all the publicity it looks like not only will there be hockey in September but quite a party being planned. What could be better!

For the full story linkage below:
http://www.belfastgiants.com/archives/giants-to-take-on-hamilton-bulldogs-in-gardiner-cup

Oh Canada! Hamilton Wins 3:2 in Shoot Out!

Chicago Wolves played markedly improved hockey against the Hamilton Bulldogs and were rewarded for their efforts by taking it to a shoot out and pocketing a point for the weekend. Giving the Wolves 74 points or tying them for 4th place with Rockford and 2 points out of second. Rockford has three more games to play on the schedule than the Wolves against the Aeros, Peoria, Iowa and San Antonio all teams which are contenders or would love to play spoiler. The Wolves have a comparably easier schedule playing Milwaukee 3 times Peoria,QC and closing against Rockford. Using the schedule as a crystal ball the Wolves are looking to the rest of the division to bloody themselves in a chicken fight over 2-4th . Meanwhile Milwaukee sits pretty and secure only to think about who they will meet in the first round. The Wolves meanwhile need to stick to the basics, stay out of the penalty box, 60 minutes of hockey, play hard or it will be tee times for Chicago on April 12th.

It's always a good time when the Bulldogs come to town. Several years ago their booster club followed the team on a weekend swing and a bus load of fans filled a section of the Allstate. Including several great road ambassadors like the "Cookie Lady" who baked hundreds of graham cracker dog biscuit cookies for the Chicago fans. I got to meet her in Chicago and in Hamilton of the Calder Cup Semi Finals two years ago. The Hamilton boosters are a great group of hockey first fans, they were missed last night and not just for the great cookies. Maybe next year when the economy is a bit better and we all are traveling more.

Hamilton drew first blood with a goal by Mike Glumac at 4:30 in the first. Chicago answered with a PP goal by Chad Denny at 18:25 a boomer that put the crowd on it's feet,he was assisted by Jamie Rivers and Spencer Machacek. Brett Skinner put Chicago ahead at 2:35 in the third, assists by Clay Wilson and Joe Motzko and at 3:44 Hamilton's Yannick Webber would tie the game and overtime became a reality. Hamilton's nettie Marc Denis did a great job between the pipes turning away 38 SOG. During the SO he did some amazing work, none more than his reading of Clay Wilson stopping that goal attempt cold. So many SO are simple skill competitions last night's was cut above thanks to Denis and Wilson they were both totally focused in that moment.

Here are some images of the game.





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The New York Swing...

Veterans Day weekend and the Chicago Wolves take their annual swing through Upstate New York and to Hamilton for an intense weekend of hockey, hockey, hockey. At this point in the season Chicago's finest are undefeated in regulation time. Syarause, Hamilton and the always pesky Amerks were spoiling for the chance to change that record. Fortunately for the Wolves and the eight hardy faithful fans that made the trip the home teams went home to their beds bitterly disapointed and the Wolves impressive record is still intact.

Here are some images from the road:











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How the Wolves 06' music died...

The night before Freddy Brathwaite was the wall one of those magic nights when he had the "Goalie Glow" nothing absolutely nothing could get by him. The Wolves won in a shutout. It was a simply glorious game, in a great setting among generous and intelligent hockey fans. Powderhornhockey


Saturday night the Wolves had lost their magic and the season ended for them.
At the end of the long hand shake and well wishes between the teams the entire crowd rose to give Brathwaite a standing ovation as he left the ice. Canadian crowds, how they love a worthy opponent.

Still in short pants and one beauty of a goalie, Hamilton's Carey Price.

Last May during the Calder cup semifinals we were fortunate to see a goalie fresh up from the Ontario Hockey League, Cary Price. Hamilton started the 19 year old Price in game one against the heavily favored Chicago Wolves and he was quickly shelled out of the net. In the end Hamilton won the game but the sight of this gifted young goalie facing his first defeat in the AHL was devastating.
It would prove to be one of his last. Hamilton,starting Price in every following game would loose just one more to the Wolves in the semifinals and then go on to beat the Hershey Bears for the AHL's Calder Cup. Hamilton has emerged from the 06' season with two things, a lovely set of championship rings for their team and a young golaie in Carey Price who's "future is so bright he has to wear shades"


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Friends and places along the hockey road...

Hockey is an amazing sport,if you are lucky it grabs you when you are young like frozen toes and doesn't let go. Some discover it later in life, when they are probably old enough to know better and fall in love with the sport anyway. I was lucky, growing up on a pond I have a basic understanding of hockey, it's culture and players. However, I am far behind in game smarts. In the last few years several kind friends have tutored me in the finer points of the game as it exists today and not as I idealize it with childhood memories. Good teachers like Wolf, an AHL off-ice official and a good friend,who has taught me the importance of concentration at a game and owing a current rule book. Jessica with whom I can discuss the finner points of mechanism of injury as it relates to players,their recovery and performance. Last but not least Timmy and Princess who although they have great hockey minds their true calling is heckling. It is through their efforts that countless fans have been taught to see just what the ref is missing, understand how control of the play is lost and when the proper time it is to start the classic "ref you suck" chant. A rant that is far over used in most areas.

Then there are the amazing people you meet on road trips, the characters and friends you touch along the way are often the second compelling reason to make the journey. What is Grand Rapids with out meeting up with Badger and a drink at the VanDell bar? Hamilton and Manitoba, two cities that can boast of the most welcoming fans I have ever met. It is impossible not to have a good time in either of those towns. The local fans greet you with open arms, feed you, invite you to great parties and treat you like one of their own. Even in the hottest of playoff series, you can't beat Canadian hospitality.


Rockford,next year they will be an opponent but until now the Metro has been a second home, with Stinky, Elvis and others to liven up an already exciting game.




Lastly Toledo, the jewel in the crown of road trips. Last year the Storm closed their doors on a stadium that was not so lovingly described by one of their past players parents as a "hole". True, the halls in places were three shoulders wide, the ice had puddles and the air,well, could only be described as rank. But, the old girl had character,the kind that can't be bought. You know it when you see it, seats worn by the millionth bottom sitting in them, floors with grooves from fans rushing to seats. A great cup of coffee served with a smile during the third period to keep you awake for the long drive home. Although we never saw any I suspect the rats were only kept in check by the legion of feral cats that lived along Mawnee River just a few feet from the arena. Such a stadium could only attract great traditional hockey fans that are something out of "Slap Shot". The glass only came up to most adults chests, it was possible for a fans to reach down and make contact with players during play. During most games it was not unusual to see a fan was ejected for grabbing an opposing player. Something this photographer observed during the Gwinnett/Storm game we attended, it was treated as a common case of over exuberance on local a fans part. Security handled it quickly and everyone in the stands shrugged their shoulders.Powderhornhockey


Last April while driving home from Hamilton we read that the old girl was closing her doors and the Toledo Storm were taking a years hiatus from the ECHL. In the 08" season the new team with a shiny new stadium will take the ice. It will be new but I doubt that the stadium will get a mention in anybodies blog as a character it's self they have met on road trips.Bless the old girl, they probably miss you already.

Following the team on the road is one of the best parts any sport. It has been a long off season for Wolves fans and we eagerly await the Red Wings Rookie Tournament and Training Camp in September. The Rookie list looks good with a reappearance of last years Chad Denny and a hot Swede of our own to check out. In short..Drop that puck!

Look at that face..

At most games we shoot an average of 500 shots sometimes far more. As I edit them there is a litany of "butt shot,butt shot, butt shot" coming from the study. Probably one out of ten shots is kept. The remaining file is often then divided into informal categories of individual player(Mom shots), "sweet", contact,action and face.

Faces can make or break a photo, it can be a face in the crowd or a player that is the spice to an action shot that lends it emotion. You never know until the image is flashed upon the large computer screen and then sometimes if you are very lucky, humanity in all of it's glory is looking back at you. This post shares some of my favorite faces of the AHL and UHL 06' season.

This image truly tells a story. The happy man holding the Colonial Cup is Craig Drektrah a recent part owner of the Rockford IceHogs and present owner of the Chicago Hounds both of the UHL.(For a full discussion of the Chicago Hounds please check out this linkage http://ciachort.blogspot.com/ ) Drektrah and family were on the ice celebrating along with his old team and business partner Dr. Kris Tumilowicz (in black). The fascinating part of this photo is the bald man, Richard L. Brosal who resigned as CEO of the UHL shortly before the playoffs. He is totally isolated from the cyclone of emotion around him, he could have been Photoshoped in, trust me he isn't. In the weeks since this photo has been taken,the Hounds have lost their lease and have folded, no announcement has been made as to the future of the franchise. The UHL now a wopping six teams has announced a reorganization and name change the new "IHL". The more things change the more they stay the same.





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