What I'm Thankful For

Last year the Greenville Road Warriors were in the midst of a four-game road trip through Wheeling, West Virginia and Kalamazoo, Michigan over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a fantastic trip as the Road Warriors won all four games as part of a streak that helped propel them to the top of the South Division standings. The one downside, though, was that it was the first Thanksgiving that I had to spend away from my family. They did get to attend the game in Wheeling the day before Thanksgiving and we visited briefly after the game before boarding the bus to Kalamazoo. It was tough to say goodbye, but there was definitely some comfort knowing they were listening back in Pittsburgh the next time I was on the air.

This year, the ECHL schedule makers were a little more generous and with a week off between games, I loaded up my car (4-month old puppy included) and drove nearly 700 miles through fog and rain to spend Thanksgiving in Grafton, Illinois with my parents and brother and sister. It is only the second time all year that my whole family was able to get together, and will probably be the last time we're all together until the summer. Since I arrived here on Monday night I've been thinking a lot about Thanksgivings as a kid at my Grandma's house - tossing the football in the back yard with my cousins and brother, eating mashed potatoes off of the beaters of the mixer, and always taking a post-dinner nap on the couch while the adults cleaned the dishes. Traditions and memories like that, I think, are things that people are universally thankful for at this time of the year. I'm certainly one of them. With that in mind, I wanted to give you a list of what I'm thankful for hockey-wise. It'll be a little different than the standard "I'm thankful for friends, family, turkey, etc." lists that you see.

I'm Thankful For:

• Being blessed with the opportunity to work in pro hockey. I'll never take for granted that I get paid to watch and talk about hockey for a living.
• Working with a head coach like Dean Stork. A coach that is as honest and forthcoming with information as him is a breath of fresh air compared to most coaches who guard information as if they were standing in front of Buckingham Palace.
• The Road Warriors fans who spend their money to support the team. Without all of  you, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. Not sure if there are enough ways to say thank you for that.
• Nic Riopel being back in a Road Warriors uniform. I think he is good enough to be a regular in the AHL, but after failing to secure a roster spot there he is back in Greenville. With an 8-1-0 record so far it's without doubt that Riopel is the MVP of the Road Warriors and, in my opinion, the MVP of the ECHL at this point.
• Jyri Niemi's slap shot. Watching this kid shoot a puck is just fun. When he's out on the power play keep an eye on #2 and the bombs he can unleash with a one-timer. Heck, even show up early to catch warmups to watch Niemie turn it loose. You won't be disappointed.
• Jeff Prough and Justin Bowers on a line together. Bowers is one of the top playmakers in the ECHL and Prough is a perennial 30-goal scorer. With those two working on Greenville's top line and top power play unit I think you can expect a lot more fireworks out of that pair.
• The chance to watch Jason Wilson develop his game. Wilson has the potential, because of his size and skating ability, to be an elite power forward. To me, he is a throwback type of player who can contribute regularly on offense and also intimidate the opponent with physical play or by dropping the gloves. I think he'll become a fast fan favorite in Greenville.
• Tour bus-style buses. On long road trips it's so nice to have the buses with bunks for everyone to sleep in, electrical outlets for the iPads/iPhones/other gadgets, and a satellite TV. Twelve hour trips don't seem nearly as long on those buses.
• Hugely thankful for the bus drivers who do such a great job hauling long hours through the night to get us to our destinations safely. Those guys don't get nearly enough credit for the work they do.
• All of the off-ice officials who volunteer their time to work the thousands of ECHL games every season. They are the guys who work as goal judges, time keepers, penalty box attendants, and statisticians in the press box. Without them, the games simply don't get played.
• A captain and popular player like T.J. Reynolds who understands his role as a leader of the team from an off-ice capacity. He is always willing to help with community appearances and media appearances and players like him make my job infinitely easier.
• ECHL commissioner Brian McKenna. He has been at the helm for a few very turbulent years for the league. After losing two teams mid-season and having the league's last remaining original team be forced to relocate he has added four teams to the league in proven sports markets that should make the ECHL as strong as it has ever been.

I'm hopeful, and confident, that there will be much more for Road Warriors fans to be thankful for come springtime, but there's still much to be determined as we're only just closing in on the quarter pole of the season. Regardless of what takes place this season, though, don't forget to enjoy the journey and be thankful that we're able to come along for the ride.

I want to wish all of you a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving with your families. I can't wait to see you again at the BI-LO Center on December 8 when the Road Warriors return home to take on Gwinnett.

Binge and Purge

The inspiration for the title of this post is my favorite song by a band named Clutch. I'm not going to post a link to the song for certain reasons, but I encourage you to look it up. And if I ever come back to Earth in another life as a professional fighter you can bet that it will be my entrance song.

The reason the song is the inspiration for the title and theme of this post is that, like a person who binges themselves on food or drink, random thoughts have been piling up inside my head since my last entry. It seems like every time I've meant to sit down and write something for the blogosphere, someone or something pulls my attention away and I have to wait until another day. It's like sitting down to start watching a movie and having your mother call you on your phone and since you haven't talked to her in a month you have to answer and spend an hour talking to her.

But now that I've found some time so sit down and pound away at the keyboard it's time to purge everything that's been building up. Let's start with the Road Warriors' opening weekend.

• What a sight it was to see such a great turnout on opening night! Obviously the end result was not what anyone wanted or expected to see, but to me that part is irrelevant. There was so much going on in Greenville that night and yet the second-largest crowd in GRW history came out to celebrate the start of the season. It makes me believe that there is a very bright future for this team in this great city.
• As for the on ice product The Road Warriors should be 1-1-0 after the weekend. The 44 shots on goal on Saturday night against Reading were the second most the Road Warriors had ever taken in a regulation game. I'd venture a guess that of the 44 shots at least 15 were high-quality scoring opportunities. Most nights that is more than enough to win, but Joe Palmer stood on his head that night. Unfortunate, but it shouldn't discourage the players or the fans. On Friday against Wheeling maybe it was a case of nerves, maybe some overconfidence set in from scoring the first goal 47 seconds in; I'm not really sure one way or the other. But I think, like that wacky 8-6 game against Gwinnett last year, that you can write off a 6-1 defeat as an aberration for this team. It won't be the norm.

Thoughts on this weekend coming up:

• It's good to get in to divisional play now, and I think it's good to do it on the road. Gwinnett will be the team facing the pressure to go out and perform well in front of a big crowd on opening night. The Road Warriors get the pleasure of going out and playing the role of party crashers. I think the first 10 minutes of Friday's game will be critical. If the Road Warriors can stem the tide of the early energy and momentum, maybe even grab a lead, I think they should be in good shape.
• Coach Stork was quick to pull the trigger on getting fresh bodies into the lineup from Friday to Saturday last week. I'll be curious to see if there's any continuity in the lineup or the line combinations from last Saturday to this Friday. 
• I'm especially curious to see if Brendan Connolly is moved back to center from wing where he spent much of opening weekend. With his speed he is certainly a dangerous weapon on the wing that could stretch the defense on breakouts and plays through the neutral zone. But is he comfortable there? Last season he led the league in +/- at +28 and had 50 points in 45 games while playing primarily as a center.
• Can Jerry Kuhn rebound? I would expect him to start on Friday night and be given a chance to improve on his 30-for-36 effort on opening night against Wheeling. He showed at the end of last season and in the playoffs with Idaho that he can come up big in pressure situations. He'll need to find that resolve and mental toughness if he wants to make a bid to be the Road Warriors #1 goalie.
• Is it possible that Jeff Prough can stay hot early on? He has scored all three of Greenville's goals so far, and had the Road Warriors managed a win or two last weekend he would have been a candidate for Player of the Week. Obviously he'd trade in the individual success for a couple of wins for the team, but three goals in two games is still an impressive way to begin the season. Plus the Arena at Gwinnett Center is only 15 miles away from his birthplace of Snellville, Georgia so I'm sure the desire to perform well will be amplified a bit for Prough.

Thoughts on Dan Wheldon and his Indy Car crash:

• For those of you who don't know (i.e. looked at a TV, picked up a newspaper, or browsed the internet this week) two-time Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon was killed in a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend. I was deeply saddened by the news because of the tragedy and because Indy Cars were one of my first loves in sports. One of my earliest sports memories is watching the 1992 Indy 500 with my Pap and jumping up and down for joy when my favorite driver, Al Unser Jr. won in amazing fashion. I was able to attend my first, and only, Indy 500 with my aunt and uncle in May of 2000 and it is still the most memorable sporting event I've ever been to in person. I have a deep respect for the way those drivers risk their lives every time they step behind the wheel of a car and I pray that Wheldon's death will affect some safety improvements that will make deaths like his much less likely. 
• The tragedy of Wheldon's crash also struck me because it brought back to mind a night where I witnessed a professional athlete's career end. On Wednesday, November 11, 2009 the Johnstown Chiefs were hosting the Reading Royals. With just over four minutes left in the third period Johnstown's Mike Knight, a defenseman, was going back into his own end for a loose puck. He was pressured by Reading's Olivier  Labelle who gave Knight a slight shove just above the goal line. Knight lurched forward, fell, and hit the boards head first. He was the Chiefs' captain, their best defenseman, and he would never play again because of the injuries sustained from that hit. Knight was there all three years I worked in Johnstown and, to this day, remains one of the classiest and most professional men I have had the chance to work with. And when I think about what happened to Knight, and Wheldon, it certainly makes me appreciate how much these men risk to play a game that they love and give us an amazing form of entertainment.

Thoughts on family:

• On our first episode of "Between the Pipes" there was an interesting discussion that came up when I brought up the Canadian Thanksgiving Holiday to Dean Stork and T.J. Reynolds - my guests. It revolved around family and how difficult our chosen profession can make things around the holidays. For those involved in professional hockey - as coaches, players, or support staff - certain sacrifices have to be made to pursue the dream. It so happens that the biggest American holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, fall right in the heart of hockey season. Games are always scheduled around these holidays, too, because they almost always draw well. That means those of us who work in the sport have to forsake our family traditions for the game we love. Now our jobs aren't nearly as important as the doctors, nurses, EMTs, and police officers who also have to work on the holidays, but the time away from family can sting just as much. Now I was blessed to work in Johnstown, PA for my first three years which was relatively close to my extended family in Pittsburgh. So no matter how close our games were to Thanksgiving or Christmas (they were never actually on the holidays) I could make the 60 mile drive west, spend time with the family, then come back for work in plenty of time. Last year that all changed with coming to SC. Luckily we had a week off around Christmas so I could drive the 600 miles home, but Thanksgiving was no such luck as we were on a road trip. This year it looks like a trip home for Christmas is out with two home games right around the big day. It was a weird conversation with my mother this past Monday as we discussed spending the holiday apart for the first time. Maybe if I'm persuasive enough I'll convince them to come spend a Southern Christmas this year!

Thoughts on failed goals:

• Some of you reading this may know that I had planned to run in the Greenville Half Marathon on October 29. I had been training since April and had run more this summer than I ever have in my life. The highlight of the training was finishing the Paris Mountain Trail Run 11K in an hour and six minutes. I was on target with my training through September, but then training camp hit. Hours at the office got very long and I started missing training sessions. The missed workouts piled up quickly and before long I hadn't run in two weeks. So I tried to give it a go tonight and log seven miles which is my longest training run. I couldn't nearly finish and am certain that I cannot be ready for 13 miles in one week. It's quite frustrating that I won't be able to run a half by the end of the year like I wanted, but now I've got something to shoot for in 2012.

Well I certainly feel better to have gotten all that off of my chest. And I hope you enjoyed reading it! With a clear head I'm going to turn in for the night and get ready for an exciting weekend of hockey in Duluth, GA. I hope if you are not coming to the games that you'll tune in to catch my broadcasts on America One. You can listen to the free online radio stream by clicking the listen live link at www.greenvilleroadwarriors.com or you can visit www.americaone.com to find the internet TV broadcast of the game.

Until next time, take care!

10 Questions to Open the Season

Earlier this evening (Thursday, Oct. 6) I stepped onto the BI-LO Center ice for the first time since they put the new sheet down. The ice had only been in for two days, and it was the first time the BI-LO Center had seen ice since Chris Kushneriuk ended Greenville's season in overtime of Game 7 in the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs on April 27, 2011. It was around 6:30 and the setting sun was peeking through the open exit portals on the west side of the arena. The lighting at ice level was an eerie color yellow and there was a light fog hanging a few feet off of the ice. It was such an appropriate scene for the time of the year.

The fog made it impossible to see clearly to the other end of the rink, but you still had the familiarity of your surroundings. Compare that to the beginning of a hockey season where you know when the season ends, and you pretty much now what you'll get when you get to the end. But you can't see the end, not right now. There are too many things clouding your vision and the only way to clear away the fog and haze is to start moving forward. And just like someone about to journey through a fog is confronted with questions, so are we confronted with questions about the Greenville Road Warriors. Bit by bit they'll begin to be answered beginning with the open of exhibition play on Oct. 7 against South Carolina. As we get set to embark on the journey that is the 2011-12 season, these are the 10 questions that are preeminent in my mind.

10) Who's in Net?

• When Greenville broke camp last year, it was a comfort to have the veteran presence and championship experience of Dov Grumet-Morris in goal. Without him, it's likely the Road Warriors don't get off to such a hot start. This year that luxury, like Dov who went to play in Norway, is long gone. Two rookies and a journeyman third-year pro are competing for the two spots. Here's how they stack up.Jason Missiaen is a 6-8 tower who plays angles well and takes up a lot of net. He didn't have good numbers in juniors because he played on not so great teams, but he had enough skill for Montreal to draft him in the fourth round three years ago. The Canadiens never signed him, but the Rangers were there to scoop him up. Jerry Kuhn, another rookie, was never a full time starter at Western Michigan until weeks went by in his senior season in 2010-11. Once he took over, Kuhn led the Broncos on a 14-game unbeaten streak from mid-December to mid-February. He went on to play well for Idaho down the final stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs before the Steelheads bowed out to eventual champion Alaska. Finally there's Billy Sauer who has already played for six ECHL teams in his first two years as a pro. He was a star at Michigan (fifth all-time at the school with 71 wins) and was a seventh round draft pick of Colorado in 2006. He has never played more than 29 games in a season, but has shown he can steal a game. Anyone remember the Teddy Bear Toss game last December? If Sauer isn't in goal for Gwinnett Greenville probably wins that game 6-0. Coach Stork has said each will get equal playing time in two preseason games so it's totally up in the air who will take control of the crease.

9) Revenge on Their Minds?

• Of all the opening-night match-ups, the most intriguing one is right here in Greenville. Last spring the Road Warriors and Wheeling Nailers played a nasty, controversial, and drama-filled series that culminated in a seventh game at the BI-LO Center. Brendan Connolly improbably tied the game at three with 23 seconds left to play and sent the game to overtime. Ultimately, the Nailers forced a turnover that led to a 2-on-1 and the series-clinching goal. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Road Warriors who went 6-0-0 against Wheeling in the regular season. With nine players on the current roster who skated in that game, you have to believe they are eager to get another shot at Wheeling on opening night. But is there a danger in being too revved up for the first game of the season? It can sometimes be difficult to find that proper balance of playing with emotion/aggression and playing controlled. 

8) How has Stork Evolved?

• The ECHL isn't just about developing players for the next level of pro hockey. Their coaches are also trying to climb the ranks towards the NHL and many have succeeded including former Las Vegas coach Glen Gulutzan who was hired by the Dallas Stars this summer. As a rookie head coach, Dean Stork made a distinct first impression by leading his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference, getting named as an All-Star coach, and finishing runner-up for Coach of the Year honors. Stork is fiercely competitive, though, and losing in the second round of the playoffs did not sit well with him. He has shown that he can assemble a team and succeed at a high level during the regular season, but what can he do differently this time around to earn more success in the playoffs?

7) Out of the Infirmary?

• Returnee Connor Shields and newcomer Brett Robinson are each looking to return after injuries cut short very promising campaigns a season ago. Shields was in the midst of a lengthy call up to Milwaukee of the American Hockey League when he went down in late March. He was a strong point producer (47 in 55 games) with Greenville and would have been a strong addition to the playoff roster had he been available. Robinson was on pace for a 50 point season which would have nearly doubled his point production from his rookie season. But an injury derailed him in early December and he didn't play again for the Cyclones. They will each be counted on for production, and leadership, in the Greenville lineup so keeping them healthy will be important. You also have to wonder if there are any lingering issues from their injuries?

6) Can Hayes Avoid Sophomore Slump?

• In the present it is very hard to gauge the Matt Schekpe for Ryan Hayes trade the Road Warriors swung this summer. The best barometer I can find is comparing their rookie season stats and they're nearly identical. Hayes had 50 points (23G, 27A) and he was an even +/- on a poor Trenton Devils team. Schepke had 46 (26G, 20A) with Charlotte and was a +17 on a first place team. After injuries limited Schepke to 15 games in Greenville last season, Stork swung the trade that brought Hayes to town. Hayes is a little shorter and lighter than Schepke, but possesses the speed, shot, and playmaking ability to put up points in bunches. Can he avoid a letdown in his second season? The Road Warriors are banking on that.

5) Which Rookie(s) Will Shine? 

• In 2010-11, rookies were all over the Road Warriors' highlight reel. Shane Harper was scoring at nearly a point per game. Marc-Olivier Vallerand was an All Star and led the team, and all ECHL Rookies, in goals with 28. Blake Parlett was also an All Star and was leading all league defensemen in scoring when he was called up to Connecticut in February. Brandon Wong scored the first hat trick in Road Warriors history. Nic Riopel was a steady goaltender and won 24 games in the regular season. With position battles still going on in camp, it's hard to speculate which first year players will have prominent roles, let alone make a similar impact. I have a feeling, though, there will be a couple of first-year Road Warriors that make you sit up and take notice.

4) Will Anyone Willingly Fight T.J. Reynolds?

• Nate Kiser, formerly of the South Carolina Stingrays, seemed to be the only combatant who was a willing combatant to drop the gloves with the Road Warriors' captain. For my money they were the top two heavyweights in the league. But Kiser has now retired. Reynolds used Danick Paquette as his personal punching bag a time or two when Paquette was in Gwinnett last season. But by the end of the year he wanted no part in the pugilism with No. 44.  Now a prospect in the Washington Capitals' system, and a member of the Stingrays, will Paquette's courage return? My money is that a rookie looking to prove himself will take a chance and end up regretting the decision.

 3) How Clutch will these Road Warriors Be?

• One of the things that made the 2010-11 season so much fun was the flare for dramatics that the Road Warriors constantly showcased. They lost the first two overtime games they played in, but after that it was almost always a positive result in extra hockey. In games that went past regulation (overtime or shootout) last season the Road Warriors were 11-3. Highlighting those 11 wins were three games: the 1-0 OT win thanks to Mark Voakes' penalty shot on Teddy Bear Toss Night, Connor Shields' breakaway goal with 7 seconds left in OT to beat South Carolina, and the 12-round shootout win in Florida in which the Road Warriors twice had to score to survive. Who knows how or why that team was so good at coming through in the clutch, but here's to hoping the 2011-12 Road Warriors have that same ingredient.

2) Can Greenville Re-capture the South?

• There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding last season's Road Warriors. How would the team perform under a rookie head coach? Could a team, basically built from scratch, find the right chemistry and come together? The uncertainty quickly faded and was replaced by wonder of how far could this team go? Was it a championship-caliber team? The Road Warriors emerged atop a very difficult South Division and now carries the burden of the bull's-eye on its back. Instead of uncertainty, now, there are expectations of success. Can this squad handle the pressure of those expectations?

1) Who Will Lead the Offense?

• I believe that with returning First-Team All-ECHL defenseman Wes Cunningham, captain T.J. Reynolds, second-year pro Sam Klassen all back on defense it is a solid core to anchor the blue line. What seems, to me, to be the biggest question on this team is who is going to step up to fill the skates left behind by Jimmy Kilpatirck and Mark Voakes. Kilpatrick, the team's leading scorer, has gone to play in Europe, and Voakes, second on the club in points, has earned a spot on the AHL's Rochester Americans. Bowers, Connolly, Wong, Vallerand, and Shields are all back up front and will definitely put up big points. The overall balance and depth of last year's team was such a weapon, though, and others are going to have to step up. I'm excited to see Jeff Prough, a perennial threat to score 30 goals, get a chance to play on a team that has more offensive depth than he was used to playing with in Trenton. I also think we could be poised to see a breakout season for Chris Chappell. In his second full year as a pro, I believe he's learning to use his size to his advantage more often and he could develop into a very good power forward.