Stanley Cup Finals Coverage – Mustangs win the Stanley Cup

FINALS: Vancouver Heroes (2) vs. London Mustangs (5)

Mustangs win Stanley Cup, defeat Heroes 7-4

The Mustangs’ players mobbed Rick Nash after time expired on Sunday to begin their Stanley Cup celebration.

As the final seconds ticked away, the magnitude of the moment began to overwhelm Mustangs’ forward Rick Nash.

He bent over on the ice and tried to compose himself. Nothing could prepare him for a celebration like this.

“I couldn’t breathe, and it wasn’t because I was tired,” Nash said Sunday night after lifting the AFHL Stanley Cup. “It was just too much. I was trying to hold off the tears.”

Nash, who was drafted by London in the second round of the AFHL Inaugural Draft, let the tears flow as the clock finally hit zero, and his teammates mobbed him behind the net.

When Mustangs’ forward Zach Parise was presented with the Stanley Cup, he kissed it before exultantly lifting it over his head. He then passed it to Nash as he tried to hold his own emotions in check.

“I was traded for halfway through the year,” said Parise. “But that guy has been a true leader here since the first day of training camp.”

“To lift the Cup, what a feeling,” said Nash. “It’s really been a bumpy ride with a great deal of adversity, but we definitely came through at the right time.”

The fifth-seeded London Mustangs could not have written a much more dramatic story line as they beat the second-seeded Vancouver Heroes, to win the first ever AFHL Stanley Cup.

Blake Wilson is the first coach/GM to win the AFHL Stanley Cup.

“I couldn’t put into words what’s going on,” said Wilson after the game. “It’s amazing.”

Less than a half-hour later, Wilson led his family through the halls of the Mustangs’ home ice arena, interrupted briefly by a call from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“I guess that comes with the cup,” Wilson said. “He said he was very happy for me and if I’m ever in the Ottawa area to stop by.”

Blake Wilson began this epic journey last July when he was named coach/GM of the London Mustangs, and given the task of selecting 23 players at the AFHL’s Inaugural Draft. With his first three picks, he drafted Marc-Andre Fleury [later traded], Rick Nash, and Jonas Hiller.

The Mustangs started off the regular season very well. They were in first place for the first several weeks until they slipped a little bit in the league standings. The Mustangs continued their solid play right into the AFHL All-Star Game, where Wilson was named assistant coach of the Canadian Conference All-Star Team.

London forward Rick Nash celebrates his 2nd goal in the Finals against Vancouver.

Wilson made several big trades throughout the regular season. He did a good job putting together a solid group of three starting goaltenders. But then he made the biggest trade of all. Wilson traded for superstar forward Zach Parise and defenseman Michael Del Zotto, in exchange for forwards Matt Moulson, Mikael Backlund, and Nikita Filatov.

London qualified for the post-season with the fifth seed and faced off against the fourth-seeded Oshawa City Leafs in the first round. The Leafs had the better offense on paper, but the Mustangs wouldn’t let that deter them as their offense stepped up and contributed 36 points in the series. Their goaltending trio also made a statement in this matchup. Jonas Hiller, Jaroslav Halak, and Pekka Rinne posted 5 wins and a 1.48 GAA in helping the Mustangs advance to the second round.

The Buffalo Phantoms were their opponents in the second round. The Phantoms boasted the best record in the league and they were the last team that anyone would want to face in the playoffs. The Mustangs refused to let adversity get the best of them, and defeated the Phantoms 5-4 in an overtime thriller.

The London Mustangs were red-hot heading into the Stanley Cup Finals where they would meet the second-seeded Vancouver Heroes, a team with a lot of weapons.

London got it going early in the Finals against Vancouver, getting goals from Brandon Sutter and rookie defenseman Tyler Mylers, to put them up 2-0 in the first game.

In the second game, Rick Nash and Viktor Stalberg scored two goals each for the Mustangs. Patrice Bergeron also potted a goal that got the Mustangs really buzzing.

Bergeron skated to Rick Nash’s pass at the bottom of the left circle and, with Tomas Kaberle hanging off his left shoulder, slipped the puck through a narrow opening between Miller’s right pad and the goal post at the midway mark of the game.

Brandon Sutter scored two more goals in games 3 and 4, giving the Mustangs an 8-2 lead heading into the weekend where they would play patient but aggressive.

London Mustangs’ Coach/GM Blake Wilson will receive this award for winning the AFHL Stanley Cup. All 23 Mustangs’ players names will be engraved on the front.

Mustangs’ rookie Michael Grabner scored a hat trick on Friday night, while Jaroslav Halak posted the only shutout in the series. On Saturday, Zach Parise scored a goal and an assist. Rick Nash also got on the scoresheet with two helpers. Nash was clearly the best player for the Mustangs in this series, for both his leadership skills and his four points, including the game winning goal earlier in the week.

In Sunday’s finale, the London defense got the job done, and shut down Vancouver’s offense to seal the deal.

Heroes’ forward Henrik Sedin won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. Sedin never smiled as he accepted the MVP trophy to the boos of the London fans and the applause of the Mustangs’ players, immediately leaving the ice in tears.

“It’s tough to lose like that,” Sedin said after receiving his trophy. “It was really tough to see them [the Mustangs] cheer… This is not the one you want. You want the big silver one.”

Rick Nash said Sedin deserved the award and, “I got the one I wanted.”

“It was definitely a great run getting to the finals,” Heroes’ coach/GM Ben Rauscher said. “We didn’t finish the job and we’re a little disappointed about that… We will be back.”

Kyle Okposo thinks the Mustangs will be back, too, with most of their key players still on the team roster next year.

“It’s not over for us,” Okposo said. “We’re going to try to build on this. We have a dynasty team here.”

The Mustangs will celebrate with their fans Tuesday during a 15-block parade that will end downtown at the Hilton London Ontario hotel, which is right next to the London Internation Airport (YXU).

Rick Nash, now a conquering hero instead of a sentimental favorite, will be there with his family. Tyler Myers, who will probably win the AFHL Calder Trophy after a phenomenal rookie year, will celebrate also with his family and close friends.

Coach Wilson, who lived in London his entire life, except for a few months of work experience during school, will be there representing some thousands of fans who will not be able to make it due to work during the day.

More than 100,000 people are expected to join the parade, which will feature most, probably all, of the Mustangs’ players.

“I said from Christmas on that this is a magical team,” Wilson said. “We might have a better team one day, but this is a magical team. Our fans deserve everything that this team has accomplished this year.”

As for the Heroes, they returned to Vancouver thinking of what might have been after falling one victory short of the AFHL Stanley Cup.

The Heroes came into the weekend a confident bunch but left in tears of sorrow and frustration following a week of unnecessary penalties and insufficient offense. The Heroes were outscored in 7 of the 12 stat categories in the Stanley Cup loss.

“All that aside, I am very proud of this team,” Ben Rauscher said. “We added some key players and improved our roster over the year. The team had a tremendous year. And like I said before… We will be back.”

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Live Play-by-Play Coverage of the 2010 AFHL Awards Show

September 6th, 2010

Pre-show: Red Carpet Arrivals

The red carpet is a go, the fans turned out in full force and we’re now about 10 minutes from the start of the 2010 AFHL Awards ceremony at Hotel Le St. James in Montreal, Quebec.

Hello everyone. This is Harry Beaver speaking to you from the gondola in my dining room in front of my modest home entertainment center. I’ll be bringing you the action right here at theAFHL.com, award by award, via live blogging. There will be 14 handed out in all tonight.

That said, the red carpet arrivals are about to begin.

6:00 PM: A red carpet is seen leading into the front of the hotel. The carpet is roped off and there’s a crowd a few people deep on each side who are screaming for the first arrival.

6:01 PM: Toronto Red Devils GM Jordan Carbone has arrived.

6:02 PM: Carbone is wearing a black tuxedo with a red bowtie.

6:04 PM: Jeremy Piven aka Ari Gold from Entourage is already inside the hotel, preparing as the Host of the show. He had a few drinks earlier in the day, to calm his nerves.

6:05 PM: Piven wants the show to feel spontaneous, like a party.

6:06 PM: Lexington Leg Hounds GM Garry Megibben has arrived. Megibben cheeses it up with a pair of supermodels during a photo ops.

6:09 PM: Vancouver Heroes GM Ben Rauscher and Washington Power GM Ray Irwin have arrived together.

6:10 PM: Rauscher and Irwin greet St. John’s Red Wings GM Barry Hickey as he arrives.

6:12 PM: Carbone is talking to Garry Megibben about having both Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall on his team. It’s possible Hall and Seguin will play on the same line to start the season.

6:15 PM: Several players have arrived including Alex Ovechkin of the Leafs, Ryan Miller of the Heroes, and Evgeni Malkin of the Giants.

6:17 PM: Ryan Miller just proclaimed in an interview that he wants to purchase a home in Vancouver.

6:18 PM: Calgary Hitmen GM Grahame Booth has arrived. Booth greets his goaltender, Jonathan Quick. Booth acquired Quick in a trade earlier in the off-season.

6:22 PM: Goldsboro Rebels GM Rich Mauch has arrived.

6:23 PM: Mauch will be presenting one of the awards, but won’t specify which one.

6:25 PM: Boston Giants GM Mike Phelan has arrived.

6:26 PM: Ottawa Knights GM Ryan Armstrong has arrived.

6:28 PM: Buffalo Phantoms GM Daryn Beckman, a nominee for GM of the year, has arrived.

6:29 PM: Several London Mustangs players have arrived with the AFHL Stanley Cup.

6:33 PM: Hollywood Stars GM Mike Basset has arrived.

6:34 PM: Bassett tells a reporter that Martin Brodeur should win the Vezina trophy. GM Rauscher overhears and shouts “What world are you living in!?”. Rauscher believes Ryan Miller will win the Vezina.

6:37 PM: Deer Park Chiefs GM Mike Nellany has arrived. Nellany is a nominee for a surprise award tonight.

6:38 PM: Fort Drum Killers GM Steven Stryska has arrived. He’s wearing a classic tuxedo T-shirt that says “Hey I’m formal but I’m also here to party.”

6:40 PM: More players have arrived including Sidney Crosby of the Phantoms and Alex Ovechkin of the Leafs.

6:44 PM: Los Banos Wolves GM Andrew Fiorentino has arrived.

6:46 PM: Fiorentino says he’s “thrilled to be here” in an interview with a news reporter.

6:49 PM: Stanley Cup winning GM Blake Wilson of the London Mustangs has arrived. Wilson shakes hands with GM Irwin and several others.

6:50 PM: Oshawa City Leafs GM Earl McNeill has arrived.

6:51 PM: Rauscher greets McNeill and offers him a trade for one of his prospects. McNeill responds with “Give me Ryan Miller.”

6:53 PM: Victoria Vipers GM Chris Hartley-Romero has arrived. He greets Jack Campbell whom he drafted 3rd overall in the Entry Draft.

6:55 PM: Montreal Xtreme GM Keith Cancilla has arrived.

6:57 PM: North Bay Warriors GM Mike Brunetta has arrived. He greets his good friend Ryan Armstrong.

6:59 PM: Bartender shouts “Last call for borbet at the bar!”

7:00 PM: Manhattan Supermen GM / AFHL Commissioner Anthony Furino has arrived.

7:01 PM: Furino is acknowledging his fans and fellow GMs. He wants them to know how much they mean to him. He knows they are the backbone of the league and without them, he wouldn’t be here.

7:03 PM: Furino is still shaking hands with several fans. The fans are appreciative. And now he is going to shake… woah… we’ve got… a fan is doing the Fake-Out Handshake… and, he’s done it again. Two Fake-Out Handshakes. Not really the time or the place to see something like this. Oh, now they’re going to hug… and apparently he is… no… he’s Faking-Out with the Hug. A clearly rattled Anthony Furino, but wisely, he is moving on from that moment.

7:07 PM: All GMs and players have arrived.

7:08 PM: A man in a crowd of fans has just jumped over the guardrail and onto the red carpet. The man is identified as Don Vincent, former GM of the Hamilton Outlaws. Vincent was fired and kicked out of the league at the beginning of the offseason.

7:10 PM: Several police officers rush Vincent as Commissioner Furino explains to him that he was not invited to the Awards Show.

7:11 PM: Vincent is handcuffed and dragged off of the red carpet and into a police car.

7:15 PM: We see a sneak peak into the staging and seating for the big night.

7:30 PM: Red Carpet draws to a close.

The Main Event – 2010 AFHL Awards Show

8:00 PM: The first ever AFHL Awards show has officially kicked off with a “rousing” performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

8:05 PM: Host Jeremy Piven is introduced.

8:07 PM: Commissioner Furino takes the stage alongside Piven to honor the London Mustangs as Blake Wilson, Zach Parise, and Rick Nash carried the Stanley Cup to the stage.

8:08 PM: A video tribute to the Mustangs is shown on the Big Screen. The tribute includes their remarkable playoff run, defeating the Leafs in the 1st round, Phantoms in the 2nd round, and Heroes in the Finals. The tribute closes out with a re-created scene from the movie Slapshot and one of Jeremy Piven’s famous funny lines from his show Entourage.

8:10 PM: Piven introduces hall of fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer, to present the first award of the night.

——

Norris Trophy
For the top defenseman

Nominees – Mike Green (Washington Power), Chris Pronger (Hollywood Stars), Duncan Keith (St. John’s Red Wings), Drew Doughty (Winnipeg Wheat Kings), Dan Boyle (Vancouver Heroes)

And the winner is… Duncan Keith (St. John’s Red Wings)
Duncan Keith scored 14 goals, 55 assists for a total of 69 points. He also boasted a +21 plus/minus rating, scored 16 points on the PP, and 5 points short-handed.

—–

8:20 PM: Piven introduces a surprise guest to present the next award. The audience begins to laugh as Flava Flavv appears on the stage.

—–

Trash-Talker Award
For the best trash-talker

Nominees – Daryn Beckman (Buffalo Phantoms), Jordan Carbone (Toronto Red Devils), Mike Nellany (Deer Park Chiefs), Ben Rauscher (Vancouver Heroes)

The co-winners are… Ben Rauscher (Vancouver Heroes) and Mike Nellany (Deer Park Chiefs)
Ironically, both of these GMs clashed several times throughout the year and currently have one of the biggest rivalries in AFHL History.

—–

8:20 PM: Piven introduces the seven new AFHL GMs to present the next award. Andrew Fiorentino (Los Banos Wolves), Chris Hartley-Romero (Victoria Vipers), Keith Cancilla (Montreal Xtreme), Rich Mauch (Goldsboro Rebels), Grahame Booth (Calgary Hitmen), Ryan Armstrong (Ottawa Knights), and Mike Brunetta (North Bay Warriors). All seven GMs walk out together and take turns speaking into the mic.

—–

Calder Trophy
For best rookie

Nominees – Matt Duchene (Detroit Gladiators), Tuuka Rask (Toronto Red Devils), Jimmy Howard (Chicago Wolves), Tyler Myers (London Mustangs), John Tavares (Winnipeg Wheat Kings)

And the winner is… Tuuka Rask (Toronto Red Devils)
Tuuka Rask posted 22 wins, 5 shutouts, 1.97 GAA, and a .931 SV% in his first full season of pro hockey. Rask calls this “such a great honor,” thanking his coach/GM Jordan Carbone, and his friends and family.

—–

8:30 PM: Hall of famer Steve Yzerman appears on the stage to present the Lady Byng Award.

—–

Lady Byng Award
For best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct

Nominees – Charles Leung (Edmonton Hellstars), Garry Megibben (Lexington Leg Hounds), Blake Wilson (London Mustangs), Earl McNeill (Oshawa City Leafs), Glenn Sunderland (Seattle Bruins)

And the winner is… Glenn Sunderland (Seattle Bruins)
Sunderland was not invited to the Awards Show because he chose to follow in the footsteps of his knucklehead friend, Don Vincent of the Outlaws. Flava Flavv accepts the award on his behalf.

—-

8:43 PM: After Jeremy Piven rips on Alexander Ovechkin’s broken english, hall of fame goaltender Patrick Roy appears on the stage to present the next award.

—-

Vezina Trophy
For best goaltender

Nominees – Martin Brodeur (Hollywood Stars), Ryan Miller (Vancouver Heroes), Evgeni Nabokov (Oshawa City Leafs), Tuuka Rask (Toronto Red Devils)

And the winner is… Ryan Miller (Vancouver Heroes)
Miller posted 41 wins, 5 shutouts, 2.22 GAA, and a .927 SV% in the regular season. He also helped bring the Vancouver Heroes to the AFHL Stanley Cup Finals. Miller thanks the AFHL, saying he is “humbled” and dedicates the award to his teammates, close friends, and family.

—–

9:00 PM: Will Farrell appears on stage wearing full hockey equipment (including the skates) and he presents the next award.

Hart Trophy (Regular Season MVP)
For the player judged most valuable to his team in the regular season

Nominees – Alexander Ovechkin (Oshawa City Leafs), Sidney Crosby (Buffalo Phantoms), Ryan Miller (Vancouver Heroes), Martin Brodeur (Hollywood Stars)

And the winner is… Ryan Miller (Vancouver Heroes)
This is Miller’s second award of the night. His stats during the regular season were the best among all goalies (41 Ws, 5 SOs, 2.22 GAA, .927 SV%). He helped the Heroes win the Canadian Conference at the top of the standings at season’s end. Miller dedicates the award to “everybody who works on a dream everyday.” He also thanks all of his teammates, GM/coach Ben Rauscher, everyone who believed in him, and his parents.

—-

9:15 PM: Hall of fame coach Scotty Bowman is introduced to present the biggest award of the night, Best GM.

—-

Jack Adams Award
For Coach/GM of the Year

Nominees – Blake Wilson (London Mustangs), Daryn Beckman (Buffalo Phantoms), Don Vincent (Hamilton Outlaws), Glenn Sunderland (Seattle Bruins), Ben Rauscher (Vancouver Heroes)

And the winner is… we have a tie here…
The co-winners are… Blake Wilson (London Mustangs) and Ben Rauscher (Vancouver Heroes)
Both Rauscher and Wilson best exemplified the qualities of a successful fantasy hockey GM/coach. Besides winning, these GMs have been recognized and praised for their active participation, (ex: posting messages on board), winning, and having fun. Both GMs are excellent examples of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the AFHL. Both GMs also faced off against each other in the Finals.

After getting a standing ovation, Wilson and Rauscher take turns to thank everyone for their votes, as well as their family and friends for the support throughout the year.

—-

9:25 PM: AFHL Commissioner Anthony Furino appears on the stage to close the show.

“Folks, tonight I stand before you to tell you that the state of the AFHL is very strong. Yes, the A in AFHL stands for Amazing, for good reason. And during the next year it will strive to be even more amazing. Required of all GMs is PARTICIPATION and DEDICATION. With participation and dedication, we can pull together to make this THE BEST fantasy sports keeper league ever. God bless and I thank you.”

9:28 PM: Jeremy Piven thanks everyone for coming out tonight. He says “it was a great show” and “Furino has certainly set a strong tone for the upcoming year in the AFHL.”

9:29 PM: Audience applauds as music plays and screen fades to black.

**ALL Awards will be added to Team pages within the next week or two.

OTHER NOTABLE TROPHIES:

Trader Award
For the GM who made the most trades

Winner… Glenn Sunderland (Seattle Bruins)

Maurice Richard Trophy
For the top goal scorer in the regular season

Co-winners… Sidney Crosby (Buffalo Phantoms) and Steven Stamkos (Manhattan Supermen)
Crosby and Stamkos tied with 51 goals

President’s Trophy
For the teams with the best record at the end of the regular season

Winner… Buffalo Phantoms
The Phantoms record at the end of the regular season was 158-64-30

Art Ross Trophy
For the player who leads the League in scoring points at the end of the regular season

Winner… Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Heroes)
Sedin scored 29 goals and 83 assists for 112 points

All-Star Game Winning Coaches/GMs
For the winning GMs of the AFHL All-Star Game

Winners… Daryn Beckman (Buffalo Phantoms) and Mike Bassett (Hollywood Stars)
Beckman and Bassett teamed up to select the best players in the American Conference and went on to lead the American Conference to a dramatic 7-5 victory over the Canadian Conference.

Conn Smythe Trophy
For the MVP of the Playoffs

Winner… Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Heroes)

Stanley Cup Trophy
For the winner of the AFHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

Winner… London Mustangs
The Mustangs defeated the Heroes by a final score of 7-4 to win the first ever AFHL Stanley Cup.

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New rivalry formed between Heroes and Phantoms

Rauscher and Beckman exchange words
New rivalry is formed between Vancouver and Buffalo

September 16th, 2010

The GMs of the Vancouver Heroes and Buffalo Phantoms are already jawing back and forth.

In analyzing the Buffalo Phantoms team roster, Ben Rauscher (Vancouver Heroes GM) remarked, “When Anderson (Phantoms goalie) falls back down to earth like space junk does every day, this team will crash and burn.”

This didn’t sit well with Daryn Beckman (Buffalo Phantoms GM). The 2010 Presidents’ Trophy winner responded with an attack on Vancouver’s team roster.

“That’s all fine and dandy, but offense is more valuable than goaltending in this league,” Beckman said. “Who’s your number two right winger? Oh yeah, the new Jonathan Cheechoo aka Brad Boyes who apparently forgot how to score last year. I will take my right wingers (Hossa and Eriksson) over him any day. And hopefully Simon Gagne can get a new groin this year to be good enough to call a number two left winger, but odds are he will probably end up pulling his [expletive] like every year.”

Beckman went on to call Rauscher’s team the Vancouver ‘Zeroes’ and then asked him how his ass smelled from being under him in the standings all season last year.

Always one to have the last word, Rauscher responded by calling Beckman an idiot and showing a video of the AFHL Commissioner interviewing GM Beckman on a variety of topics. Both the Commissioner and Beckman in the were fake actors in the video, but it got a lot of laughs from the viewers, mostly because the role of Beckman was played by a woman.

After a pre-season rookie game on Wednesday, reporters asked the outspoken GM what he thought about Beckman’s initial comments.

“Who gives a [expletive] about Beckman and the Phantoms?” Rauscher retorted before signing autographs.

While the Heroes and Phantoms can’t battle until Week 19 of the regular season, the war of words has already begun.

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Chiefs-Killers ready to add another chapter to rivalry

February 28th, 2011

Almost everyone has read it, witnessed it, and knows about it: the vicious, heated rivalry between the Deer Park Chiefs and the Fort Drum Killers. The players hate each other, and so do the GMs.

Another chapter of this storied rivalry will be written this week — the teams’ first meeting since their simmering fued reached full boil back in mid-December when Deer Park GM Mike Nellany started a war of words with Fort Drum GM Steven Stryska during Fort Drum’s Week 10 matchup vs. the Boston Giants.

Click here to see a summary of their last showdown

“Some people think he’s funny, but I think he talks too much,” GM Stryska said at the Killers’ practice earlier this morning. “If he wants to try and trash talk me again, then he can go ahead, do it again – this week my goal is to guide my team to a win over his team. A win is more important than just talk in this league. But if he wants to trash talk again, then I’ll trash talk right back.”

“Like it or lump it, that’s what happens when you try to trash talk to the best,” GM Nellany said when asked about his rivalry with Stryska. “Some people like it, some people don’t. Personally, I like it and that’s why I embarassed him and I came out on top.”

The stage is set for their matchup this week and with playoff implications the stakes couldn’t be much higher. Currently, Fort Drum is in 6th place with 255 points, and Deer Park is in 8th place with 250 points.

“We’re behind them in the standings by only 5 points,” said Chiefs forward Dustin Brown. “With a big win this week, we could easily take 6th place from them.”

Killers’ goalie Miikka Kiprusoff says there’s not much pressure.

“We’re not going to put pressure on ourselves to win just because we don’t like them,” Kiprusoff said. “We are better than them, that’s why we have been ahead of them in the standings all year. If we just play our game and stay healthy throughout the week, this matchup will be a piece of cake.”

Tickets for the matchup have been sold out since early January and currently the cheapest ticket being sold by scalpers in the parking lot is $150.

Ilya Kovalchuk, Ryan Kesler, Chris Stewart, Henrik Lundqvist, Miikka Kiprusoff. The superstars are healthy ready to shine this week, and fans can expect to see plenty of passion on both sides. The AFHL commissioner has assigned the best referrees and linesmen to call this game that is sure to include lots of fights and physical play.

“Fighting is healthy for this league and I’m okay with it,” the AFHL Commissioner said. “We just don’t want it to get out of control.”

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Chiefs vs. Killers matchup gets ugly

March 7th, 2011

It didn’t take long for the matchup between the Fort Drum Killers and Deer Park Chiefs to turn ugly.

When the dust settled it was the Killers taking a 5-4 win in a fight-filled, trash-talking affair in their final matchup of the regular season.

It was the stuff the 15,592 in attendance had in mind when the two rivals met for the first time since their last showdown a couple of months ago.

But it was the extent of the carnage and trash talk — particularly in the middle of the matchup — that brought home the fact that the rivalry between these two teams will continue to be a bitter one.

Chiefs Coach/GM Mike Nellany — who was fined $10,000 by the AFHL for using profanity and vulgarity in his trash talk this week — said that the game just got away from both him and the team.

The Killers came out banging on the first shift with two big hits by Chris Stewart on Chiefs winger Alex Tanguay. Two minutes later, Coach Nellany sent out tough guys Scott Hartnell and Dustin Brown after Fort Drum’s Dan Hamhuis flattened Chiefs forward Ryan Kesler with a hit that was high around Kesler’s head.

Hartnell went after Fort Drum’s Ilya Kovalchuk, mauling him around the head, and Brown jumped Chris Stewart. While that was happening, Killers goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff skated down to the Deer Park blue line and fought with Chiefs goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

After knocking down Lundqvist, Kiprusoff had to take on Hartnell as two other fights broke out at center ice.

While the players were dancing, the coaches got into a swearing match and according to Killers Coach/GM Steven Stryska, it was Nellany who went too far.

“Nellany just started trash talking and screaming at me while I was talking to my players on the bench,” Stryska said after the matchup. “First he said that my team sucked d*ck, and then he called me a turkey for a third time this year. I told him the last time we met, I didn’t go to war for this country to be called a turkey.”

Stryska responded to the initial trash talk by calling Nellany his b*tch. Moments later, Nellany shouted that he wanted to put his d*ck in Stryska’s ass.

“I’m not surprised he was fined for saying that,” Stryska said afterwards. “It’s a pretty good illusion that he was painting. Vulgarity and profanity shouldn’t be tolerated in this league and I think he got what he deserved.”

Here is a video of Nellany and Stryska’s verbal joust:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACK_fFVfbfk

“You get caught in the moment,” Nellany said after media asked him about his verbal spat with Stryska. “Things happen. You just want to be part of it. You just want to be able to trash talk and send a message.”

“At the end of the day we came out on top,” said Stryska. “I don’t know what’s left for them to say because they’re the losers plain and simple. They lost, we won. We proved that we are still the better team.”

If the Chiefs solidify the 8th seed in the standings at the end of this week, these two foes could meet again in the playoffs.

THE AFHL PLAYOFF RACE:

Corey Crawford conjured up an incredible performance this past week by keeping the surging Oshawa City Leafs on course for the AFHL playoffs.

The 26-year-old registered 4 wins and stopped 96 shots in this past week to power the Leafs to a 8-1 win over the Vancouver Heroes.

The win vaulted Oshawa City into ninth place and they are now only one spot away from making the playoffs going into the final week.

“We’re playing great right now and we’re only one point out of 8th place,” Crawford told reporters. “We have a good chance and we have to keep it going.”

Currently, the Chiefs have the 8th and final playoff seed with 261 total points. The Leafs are trailing by only one, with 260 total points.

There are three other teams that are still in the race: Manhattan with 257 points, Los Banos with 252 points, and Lexington with 248 points.

The regular season finales for each of these teams is as follows:

Deer Park (8th place) vs. Boston (13th place)

Oshawa City (9th place) vs. North Bay (1st place)

Manhattan (10th place) vs. Lexington (12th place)

Los Banos (11th place) vs. Fort Drum (8th place)

MORE RIVALRIES?

Another AFHL rivalry is currently in the making with Los Banos Wolves GM Andrew Fiorentino mixing it up with Washington Power GM Ray Irwin late Sunday night into Monday.

“After I signed prospect Tyler Johnson on Saturday, he said Johnson was an amateur and said I shouldn’t drink and make transactions,” said GM Irwin on Monday morning.

“I don’t care about Johnson, I knew about him and dismissed his 100 points already but I just thought the signing was not good,” Fiorentino said at the Wolves practice earlier today. “Later on, he started calling out GMs telling them to release players because of the IR Rules. I told him to [expletive] himself.”

“I think he got a little pissed after I said he was a pretty big dooshbag and a terrible follower of the AFHL’s Rules,” said Irwin.

The AFHL Commissioner got involved and said all of this escalated because the rules regarding players on the IR are not clear enough and the issue will be addressed in the offseason.

The Wolves and Power played against each other in Week 9 of the regular season with the Power beating the Wolves 6-2.

“I’m still in the process of building this team into a contender,” Fiorentino said. “This team was a mess when I took over last summer, but if we make good enough moves in this coming offseason, then I can assure you that the tables will be turned in our next matchup.”

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Finals Preview; GMs of Washington and Vancouver talk on AFHL Hour

March 28th, 2011

Well, there you have it. The two best teams in the AFHL are set to do battle in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.

So which team to choose?

The Power, of course, are the favorites; they have been a powerhouse from day one this season. In September, the Heroes were picked by some to return to the Finals, but a moribund regular season saw them struggle at times despite a talent-laden lineup. They found a way to make it into the playoffs with the fifth seed.

So, technically, the Heroes are the underdogs, but potent ones. Their goaltending has rised to the occasion again this Spring and they head into the Finals with confidence after knocking out the first place Warriors.

While Washington deserves the favorite label, this series could surprise people.

SEASON SERIES:

Week 11 – Washington won 7-3.

LEADING SCORERS:

Washington – Teemu Selanne (70 pts.)

Vancouver – Daniel Sedin (96 pts.)

WHY THEY’RE HERE:

Washington – Depth remains the Power’s calling card. Even though Dany Heatley produced just a single assist in the last round vs. London, the rest of the offense barely skipped a beat. It also helps to have experience and the Power have plenty of that to go around, too.
Vancouver – Aside from the goaltending of Ryan Miller and Ilya Bryzgalov that has been close to perfect in this year’s playoffs, the skill and vision of the Sedin Twins are key factors in elevating the play of every player on the team.

OFFENSE/DEFENSE:

At first blush, one is tempted to suggest no team in the AFHL has as potent a 1-2 punch as Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin of the Heroes, but going into the Finals, Power forwards Patrick Marleau and Simon Gagne have been every bit as lethal. Teemu Selanne has proven himself to be a valuable trade deadline addition and if Dany Heatley wakes up soon, the Power will be all too powerful on offense. As for defense, the Power’s top four of Boyle, Letang, Seidenberg, and Suter have more pure talent than Vancouver’s top four. Edge: Washington

GOALTENDING:

Washington’s Roberto Luongo is playing the best hockey of his career, and Tim Thomas is still surpassing expectations. Vancouver counters with Ryan Miller and Ilya Bryzgalov. Given the fact Miller and Bryzgalov played in the Finals last year for Vancouver, they have lots of experience, so there are no surprises for them. Luongo and Thomas are new to all of this, but they have been nothing short of sensational through the first two rounds. Washington’s third goalie, Dwayne Roloson, is a wild card and if he gives up some soft goals then he could be the rotten apple to spoil the bunch. Edge: Vancouver

X-FACTORS:

This has the potential to be one of the best Stanley Cup Finals in AFHL history. The Power are a veteran team with depth that has an extremely low panic threshold. The Heroes’ combination of the Daniel and Henrik Sedin is the league’s best. After eliminating first place North Bay last round, the Heroes are oozing confidence and good karma. The players believe in themselves, but if I was the Heroes, I’d be concerned that Washington’s Dany Heatley only has a couple of goals to this point in the playoffs. He could be on the verge of exploding.

DARREN PANG’S PREDICTION:

Washington wins 6-5.

Heroes GM, Power GM, and players talk Finals on AFHL Hour

March 28th, 2011


While players from the Washington Power and Vancouver Heroes met Monday morning with members of the media in Vancouver, the respective GMs of the teams and some players that will meet in the Stanley Cup Finals made guest appearances on the AFHL Hour with Commissioner Anthony Furino. The episode will be aired late Monday afternoon on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Kyle Kebert, who took control of the Heroes franchise from Ben Rauscher at the beginning of the season and has overseen a quick and remarkable turnaround, and Ray Irwin, a fixture at the top of the Power organization since its inception in the AFHL’s inaugural year, were both given opportunities by Furino to address their fan bases with Game 1 starting on Monday night.

“I promise you an entertaining week of good hockey,” Irwin said. “The guys are all focused and we’re going to give it our best try to win the Cup. We’re excited and can’t wait for Game 1.”

“Our guys are going to give everything they’ve got in order to win this Cup,” Kebert said. “We think we have what it takes to do it. That’s our feeling. We never thought it would be this difficult to get back but we’re proud to have gotten back so fast.”

Furino opened his conversation with Kebert by relating a story from this past Sunday, when he was in attendance for the finale of Vancouver’s 5-4 come-from-behind win over North Bay in the second round of the playoffs.

Walking around the concourse of the arena, he came across a fan wearing a Heroes jersey with the number 1 and “Rocky” on the nameplate. It summed up the level to which the fans have embraced not only the players but the entire organization, a dramatic shift from when Kebert took control of the franchise earlier in the season after former GM Ben Rauscher abandoned the team.

“We’ve been very, very fortunate… everyone says they have the world’s greatest fans, but the fans in Vancouver have embraced this team,” Kebert said.

While their return trip to the Finals guarantees they won’t be lacking for fans anytime soon, Kebert pointed to a number of factors that helped the Heroes turn around their season after Rauscher abandoned them.

“Embrace your fans and really work with them,” Kebert said in describing the Heroes’ basic philosophy. “Our players have been great. They’re in the community. They’re around and they’ll never stop and not sign an autograph. They are part of this vibrant city and it’s terrific.”

Power GM Ray Irwin said he hopes to bring the Stanley Cup to Washington after Furino pressed him about the significance of the Finals.

“Making it to the Finals is an incredible feeling,” Irwin said. “It’s such a difficult thing to do, and what you have to go through to make it to the Finals in this league is mind-boggling. And I think this is the greatest, greatest hockey league in the world, as you well know, and I think the playoffs in the AFHL are so much fun and they’re good every step of the way. And if we can get through three rounds to win a Cup, it will be quite an accomplishment.”


If challenged, Power forward Mike Richards is not
afraid to drop the gloves.

The Heroes are back in the Finals for a second straight year after losing to London last Spring, and they’ve done it in remarkable fashion. Their second-round win against the Warriors will be known as one of the most historic comebacks in the history of the AFHL.

“When we were losing in the last game I thought, well we made a good run, we made the good effort, but fate was against us and we weren’t going to return to the Finals,” Kebert said. “I resigned myself to that fact. And here we are on Sunday, trailing in the last game of the series, and lo and behold we come back to win the series 5-4, which to me even makes it more remarkable.”

Irwin said his heart is full of mostly pride at what his team has been able to achieve on its postseason journey.

“This is the most amazing playoffs I think I’ve ever seen,” Irwin said. “I could go on and on and on about all of the obstacles, all of the things that happened over the course of the year that have never happened before. It’s pretty mind-blowing, and I told one of the reporters last night after the game when we beat London and won the series, that this is the most exciting playoffs ever for me and I really hope we win the Cup.”

Also on the AFHL Hour, Furino talked with Mike Richards of the Power and Zach Bogosian of the Heroes.

“We’ve got to be ready for a rough and tough series with the Heroes,” said Richards. “The Heroes have a nasty team and they play on the edge. They play in your face. From their first-line guys to their fourth-line guys, every guy wants to get nasty so it’s going to be fun for me and fun for people watching. There is going to be a lot of skill, but there is also going to be some big hits, some pushing and shoving, some nastiness. Let’s go, let’s do it.”

Richards’ comments aren’t surprising. The Heroes are a feisty bunch as evidenced by their previous encounters with the Deer Park Chiefs during the ‘Rauscher Era’.

“It won’t take long, not with these guys,” Richards said when asked about how long it would take for some good old-fashioned hatred to develop. “I’m sure we’re going to see some fireworks early on.”

The Power played a physical series against London, but it never even came close to touching the proverbial line of nastiness. There was very little pushing and shoving after the whistles, zero borderline checks and not too much running into the goalies, but Washington is planning on the matchup with the Heroes to be the exact opposite of civility.

“It’s part of hockey,” said Richards. “Both teams can play physical, and we’re playing for the Stanley Cup so we’re going to do what we can to win.”

To a point, Heroes’ defenseman Zach Bogosian emphasized.

“It’s going to be chippy, but it’s not going to be anything dirty,” said Bogosian. “You can’t take a bad penalty in the Stanley Cup Finals. I think there is going to be a lot of hard, honest play.”

That doesn’t mean the hate won’t start early.

“No, that won’t be surprising at all,” Bogosian said.

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Stanley Cup Finals Coverage – Washington Power win Stanley Cup

Washington Power win the 2011 AFHL Stanley Cup!

 Washington Power (2) vs. (5) Vancouver Heroes 

April 3rd, 2011

Teemu Selanne zig-zagged through the crowd, long after the trophy presentation, his eyes turning every which way. Still on skates and in full gear — minus his gloves, helmet and stick — Selanne was trying his best to see through all the screens like Roberto Luongo did all week.

“There it is,” he said, pointing diagonally to his right as he looked behind him.

Yes, there it was, the Washington Power’s Stanley Cup, won with a 9-1 victory over the Vancouver Heroes on Sunday night.

Selanne fixated on the glistening silver as he weaved through a crowd of media and family members who were walking over the the ice. Mike Richards, who was having his own private moment with his family and the Cup, handed it to Selanne.

He lifted it over his head, pasted a big smile on his face and told his family to follow him while the Cup — all 35 pounds and 36 inches of it — was being held so high that everybody, including the few thousand Heroes fans left in the building, could see it.

Thanks to Selanne’s six point performance this week, Roberto Luongo’s resiliency, and an overall group effort to outplay the surging Heroes, all of the Power players got to lift the Stanley Cup over their heads and celebrate with their families.

This is the Washington Power’s first AFHL Stanley Cup in franchise history. The team has planned a championship celebration Wednesday in Washington, though it wasn’t immediately clear whether it would include a parade or rally.

It was a first for Teemu Selanne and quite possibly the last as he is expected to retire in the offseason.

“I looked up at the clock and there were six seconds left and I couldn’t believe it was actually going to happen,” said a tearful 40-year-old Selanne, who joined the Power at the trade deadline and picked up his first AFHL Cup. “We’ll have a great core for the next couple of years and I can see great things for this team in the future, but right now, I’m going to enjoy this.”

Teemu Selanne scored six pts. in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Roberto Luongo, who finished the playoffs with four wins, a 1.75 GAA, and 130 saves, was awarded with the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Playoffs.

“It’s an honor but winning the AFHL Stanley Cup means much more to me,” said Luongo. “We’ve come a long way with a good core group but credit should go to our Coach/GM Ray Irwin. He did a fantastic job of acquiring some great players. It was a matter of putting it all together and that’s what he did, and that’s what makes this so special.”

Luongo handed the Cup to Irwin, who is a leading candidate for this year’s Jack Adams Trophy. Irwin’s military press with the Cup was two years in the making — it started with a blueprint at the AFHL inaugural draft when he drafted a team comprised of mostly rookies and prospects. No one thought for a second that he would win a Cup in just two years. Around that time, two GMs went on record in actually calling him an idiot.

Irwin said when he had the trophy over his head, he thought about his family and how hard his road to this moment has been.

“I’ve been in this game for a very long time and I’m really happy and proud right now,” Irwin said. “I’m so glad… I won it… I won the Stanley Cup! What a feeling… wow… this is unbelievable.”

For every championship team that sprays champagne, chews victory cigars, and rants and screams all night, there’s a corresponding losing club forced to deal with the crushing disappointment of it all.

At the other side of the hockey rink, the Vancouver Heroes came to grips with reality. All of their players looked stunned as they sat at the bench for several minutes after the final buzzer on Sunday night to watch the Power go wild and 21,940 fans pop their cork. Eventually some of the Heroes headed up the runway to the locker room, where Coach/GM Kyle Kebert thanked them for a job well-done and told them how proud he was of their effort and poise under pressure.

“Obviously, you want to win the Stanley Cup when you get to this particular juncture, but for us to get here for a second year straight is just unthinkable,” Kebert said. “I know from my perspective, we have what it takes to get to the Finals again. That was part of my message to the players. We’re going to keep growing. We’re going to learn from this loss.”

With that, the Heroes showered, dressed, paid their locker room dues, and boarded a bus to a charter flight that carried them home to some warm memories and a bright future. They failed in the pursuit of their ultimate goal, yet were secure in the knowledge that they can return to the Finals… again

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Firestorm ready to begin quest for repeat as champs

Marquee matchups and quick hits around the league

January 19th, 2013

After a Stanley Cup championship run that stunned everybody but the players in the Hamilton Firestorm locker room, they’re ready to attempt the improbable again.

 

The Firestorm will launch the lockout shortened AFHL season today by handing out their rings and raising their first championship banner at their home ice arena prior to their matchup with the Ottawa Knights. Then they will embark on a new journey to become the first team to capture back-to-back titles in AFHL history, and they hope to do it with a roster that is almost fully intact from last year.

Some of the many star players remaining with the club include Marc-Andre Fleury, Claude Giroux, Patrick Sharp, Brad Richards, Teemu Selanne, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. The belief within the Firestorm organization is that what this group of players did last spring was the start of something special.

Just ask general manager Gates Imbeau.

“There’s no doubt in my mind about these players after what they did in the playoffs,” Imbeau told a media scrum after a team practice yesterday. “It made me have a newfound appreciation for all of these guys. There’s no doubt they’re going to build on it. So much of this season is mental, and they’ve got the mental toughness to do it.”

While their core roster hasn’t changed, their reputation will never be the same – but the Firestorm are confident they can handle the scrutiny in an abbreviated season after many ups and downs last year.

 

Claude Giroux will once again be the backbone of the Firestorm multifaceted attack.

“We know we have the experience and the leadership to handle the short amount of time,” said Claude Giroux. “We know we’re going to be targeted by every team that comes in here and in every building we go to on the road, but we’re ready for that.”

Team captain Shea Weber believes having the same coaching staff and the same philosophies will be an advantage for them.

“Winning starts with leadership,” said Weber. “We’re very fortunate to have Gates Imbeau at the helm. He’s a smart man who knows how to win. He has all of us very excited to start this next chapter.”

Here is the timetable for the festivities surrounding Hamilton’s opener today at their home ice arena and their Stanley Cup banner raising ceremony:

11:00 AM: Pregame Fan Fest outside of the arena, featuring street hockey, face painting, a tattoo artist, merchandise sales, and giveaways from their mascot and Ice Girls.

12:15 PM: The Stanley Cup will be on display at center ice at a neighborhood rink in a small town near-by. Ice to open for skating at 11 AM.

12:30 PM: Firestorm coach Gates Imbeau and star forward Claude Giroux will sign autographs at the Toyota display outside of the home ice arena.

1:00 PM (approximately): Stanley Cup to be marched from neighborhood rink into home ice arena.

1:30 PM: Live pregame show broadcast.

2:00 PM: Firestorm request that fans with tickets be in their seats.

2:30 PM: On-ice ceremony to begin. The ceremony will be broadcast live, in its entirety, on NBC.

3:00 PM (approx.): Puck drop for the matchup with the Ottawa Knights, to be broadcast on NBC and aired on 1250 and the Firestorm radio network.

 

*

 

With the AFHL season set to begin, the questions and stories surrounding the abbreviated season are aplenty. Here are some of the things going on around the league.

The season debuts with the first of two heated rivalry matchups scheduled between the Toronto Red Devils and the Lakehead IceHoles.

“It’s going to be awesome,” said Lakehead forward Steven Stamkos. “The energy in the building is going to be through the roof. There’s not a better team we’d like to play in the first game.”

Toronto forward Bobby Ryan said it will feel “like the first game of the playoffs. There’s extra motivation because of the rivalry. It didn’t take me long to get a hatred for that team. I learned not to like them fast. And I think that goes for everybody who lives in Toronto and guys that put on a Red Devils jersey.”

The Montreal Xtreme and No. 1 overall draft pick Nail Yakupov will open against the 2012 President Trophy winning North Bay Warriors.

 

“It’s been a long time and we’re a day away,” Xtreme coach Keith Cancilla said. “We’ve got some new faces and more talent in our lineup. Our organization is excited to take the next step in our rebuilding plan.”

There are plenty of rookie-of-the-year candidates this season, including Alex Galchenyuk (Manhattan), Jakob Silfverberg (Pittsburgh), Dougie Hamilton (Oshawa City), Chris Kreider (Deer Park), Jonathan Huberdeau (Montreal) and Mikael Granlund (Twin City).

But expect Justin Schultz (San Diego) and Nail Yakupov (Montreal) to be in a season-long battle for the rookie scoring lead. By the way, Victoria rookie Damien Brunner is not eligible because at age 26 he’s too old.

The headaches are gone for Sid the Kid, whose post-concussion symptoms have nagged one of the game’s greatest stars for the last two years. Crosby, 25, is ready to help the Buffalo Phantoms return to the Stanley Cup Finals after falling short to Hamilton last Spring.

Like other teams in the league, the San Diego Gulls are also offering a few incentives to encourage fans to buy tickets and come out and cheer on the team. For the first two games of the season, food and merchandise at the game will be half-price and the 50/50 draw is guaranteed to be a whopping $100,000. On opening night, there will also be player introductions and a give-away of 75 autographed jerseys. The team will give more prizes away during the game and fans will be treated to an autographed game used stick giveaway at the end of the night.

San Diego GM Lucas Main says he’s still rebuilding the Gulls after taking over the struggling only six months ago and it continues to be a long process, but he’s enjoying the challenge.

“We had plenty of time to prepare for this rebuild and get ready for this season so we had a good plan and the players came in. My coaching staff and I have to give the players credit – they came into the shortened camp ready to play. They came in in great shape. We’ve had some great workouts. We look forward to the youth movement this year.”

In Victoria, there is concern for Vipers goaltender Carey Price, who didn’t practice after tweaking a groin injury in an intra-squad game on Thursday night. Coach Chris Hartley said his No. 1 goalie will play.

Mark Scheifele will be in the opening night lineup for the Fort Drum Killers. GM Stryska expects him to play second fiddle to Mikko Koivu for the entire season.

After finishing the past two regular seasons with the best overall record in the AFHL, the North Bay Warriors are chomping at the bit to win it all this year.

“This team has been built to win it all for the past two years,” said GM Brunetta. “We’ve been waiting too long to start this season. It was weird to have a shortened camp and power through everything at top speed. But we know what’s on the line. We know the energy in the arena is going to be crazy from the get go. Hockey’s back and we couldn’t be more ready to start winning.”

AFHL teams had only six days of camp with no pre-season games to prepare, so injuries are expected aplenty. There are lots of concerns over groin pulls and other injuries to players who didn’t keep in game shape by playing in Europe during the lockout.

There is also concern for how fans will react after a lockout that seemed to many like a needless squabble between millionaire players and billionaire owners. However, AFHL arenas are expected to be packed as usual for the openers.

As of late Friday night, tickets for the Firestorm sold-out opener were being offered for as high as $1,500 on StubHub for a seat in the lower section.

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Surprise starts stealing early attention

Lakehead beats Toronto in opening week grudge match;

Early season surprises and shockers around the league

January 28th, 2013

The IceHoles and Red Devils talked trash, laid the smack down, and played one wildly entertaining matchup to open the 2013 regular season.

After nine months, one lockout, and only days of training camp, fans packed Toronto’s home ice arena to celebrate the Red Devils’ return. But they’ll have to wait longer to enjoy a win.

The Lakehead Iceholes shut out the noise and the hype and shut down the Red Devils, enjoying a fast start to an abbreviated season.

Steven Stamkos registered 10 of the 76 points scored on offense for the IceHoles to lead his team past the Red Devils 6-3 in Week 1.

”Well, it’s been a long time since we played, but I think the energy is there,” Stamkos said. ”There are a lot of guys in here who are comfortable with each other and I think that will help in the early going.”

Red Devils fans were in playoff form, starting with the booming, derogatory chants at IceHoles coach Jason Briggs from the moment he stepped behind the bench.

”It’s a tough place to play, for sure,” Briggs said. ”We saw exactly what we expected out there, tough crowd, tough team, but it’s a good experience for us, and we’ll take the win.”

The AFHL’s biggest rivalry kicked off the 48-game season with fans filling the parking lots to tailgate hours before faceoff and almost everyone was in some sort of team gear – and that was before they all received a free T-shirt as they entered the arena.

More than 2,000 fans packed the Red Devils’ practice facility for the first day of camp and another 15,000 showed up for a free, open practice last Thursday. The Red Devils sold more than 17,000 season ticket packages this season and every seat was full for pregame introductions.

The Red Devils aired a video tribute to their fans. Players, local dignitaries, and even a Ben Franklin impersonator all welcomed back fans and thanked them for sticking with the Red Devils over the three-month lockout.

Red Devils GM Jordan Carbone told the fans on video, ”We’re going to win a Cup for you this year.”

One by one, the Red Devils skated out before a sold-out crowd that was delirious with nine months of pent up exuberance. Then the lights came on, the arena was electric and… Bam. Down 4-0 just in a flash.

”Considering some guys haven’t played since April, I think we got off to a pretty good start,” said Briggs.

Shortly after the IceHoles scored their fifth goal in the early going, the matchup became all about the brawls more suitable for a UFC card. Three players were tossed by the end of the first night in the matchup. There was a rare fight between superstars in the second night when Taylor Hall squared off against Steven Stamkos, although no one got the better end of that scrap.

”It was passionate hockey,” said Carbone. ”A couple of the best players in the world dropping the gloves going at it. Would I rather have Taylor [Hall] keep his gloves on? Sure. But when he’s fighting Steven Stamkos, that’s passionate hockey. That’s the rivalry.”

Shortly after Briggs called Carbone a “pansy” from behind the IceHoles bench, Taylor Hall ignited the scrum when he twice jabbed goalie Antti Niemi’s glove against the ice. Stamkos shoved Hall from behind. Hall retaliated by shoving Stamkos’ head against the glass.

While the 20,092 fans roared, Kris Letang and Michael Del Zotto exchanged shots, and James Neal and Bobby Ryan each were penalized for roughing.

Hall insisted the Red Devils weren’t getting rattled.

”There’s more than one team getting in those things,” he said. ”You can make a story all you want about us getting frustrated. They’re doing the same things we are. It’s intense.”

The on-ice violence was just warming up.

In Wednesday’s game, IceHoles forward Michael Ryder rammed Ilya Kovalchuk into the boards, turned around and was crosschecked in the upper body by Red Devils forward Jason Chimera. Chimera jumped a defenseless Ryder and connected with a vicious right to earn the match penalty – a penalty imposed on a player who deliberately attempts to injure or who deliberately injures an opponent in any manner.

Games on Thursday and Friday were slightly less physical and more high scoring although it was becoming more apparent that Lakehead would skate away with the victory. Towards the end of Friday’s game, Hall yanked the back of Jarome Iginla’s jersey and the fireworks went off again. Hall, Iginla, Semin and Elias were socked with roughing penalties.

In the final game of the matchup on Sunday, Lakehead was guaranteed the victory and all they needed to do was kill the clock. The fights continued and so did the hard hits. Neal flattened Henrik Sedin in the waning minutes and sent the Red Devils star center to the locker room. Players from both teams – including Ryder and Hall – had to be separated during a melee along the boards. Neal appeared to target Hall’s head at the end of the game, though the Red Devils star ducked and landed softly on the ice.

 

 

“We saw Neal going after Henrik’s head and Taylor’s head,” Red Devils forward Peter Mueller said. “Obviously, he had a plan in mind.”

The slugfest on the ice overshadowed the points on the scoreboard. In the end, the IceHoles outscored the Red Devils to win the matchup by the final score of 6-3.

”We proved we are the better team,” Briggs told the media on Monday morning. “I’m looking forward to beating them again in Week 18.”

* * *

 

There was no shortage of surprises in the AFHL’s opening week of regular season action. Fans all around the globe were treated to upsets and coming out parties for several teams and rookies. Shortened training camps and a compressed schedule have led to many high-scoring matchups and a sense of urgency for the GMs of teams that have gotten off to a slow start. Here are some of the biggest surprises at the end of Week 1.

Buffalo Phantoms forward Patrick Mearleau being amongst the league’s top scorers is hardly a surprise. After all, he has scored 30 or more goals in 6 of his last 7 seasons. However, the pace he is scoring at this season is unheard of. Although he will likely come back down to earth, Marleau has already helped push the Phantoms near the top of the American Conference with his early start. If he simply continues at around a point per game pace the rest of the way, he will finish with over 50 points in 48 games.

After missing most of the last two seasons to knee injuries, the Victoria Vipers were not sure of whether or not Markov would be able to regain his old form. Now only three games into the season, and Markov is already looking like his old self. Markov leads all AFHL defensemen with four goals and one assist in only four games played. While he may not be getting any younger, there is definitely no doubting his importance to the Vipers.

Twin City Vikings rookie sensation Vladimir Tarasenko has started his AFHL career in fifth gear. The former first round pick came out blazing in his first game of the season with two highlight reel goals in the first night of action versus the Oshawa City Leafs. He currently leads all rookies with 4 goals through 4 games and is already a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy.

Steve Sullivan’s start to the season is definitely a big surprise. The 38 year old joined the Montreal Xtreme in the off season after putting up 48 points in 79 games last season. So far the 5’8 forward has been a perfect veteran leader for the Xtreme. Sullivan has 5 points in his last two games including a hat trick. If he can continue scoring for the Xtreme he will surely boost the chances of the Xtreme making the AFHL playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Cory Conacher has had an amazing start to his rookie season with 7 points in 4 games and he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. The Pittsburgh Heroes forward is logging top flight minutes playing along side Artem Anisimov and Jakob Silfverberg at both even strength and on the power play. He’s a good fit on the team’s top line, and as long as he continues to produce he should remain there all season long.

2007 third overall pick Kyle Turris has taken quite a while to develop at the pro level. However, after getting traded to Montreal from Washington, the 6’1 forward seems to have found a home centering the Xtreme’s second line. After putting up 29 points in only 49 games last season, Turris has started off the year on a hot streak. He’s tied with Steve Sullivan for the team lead with five points in his first four games.

Vikings fans have been wondering if Nazem Kadri will ever produce at the pro level. Well, that day may have finally come. While it’s still early to say for certain that Kadri will remain an everyday AFHLer, he certainly has helped his cause with an ultra hot start. The 22 year old has five points in his first four games this season, and has displayed the offensive skills that had him drafted in the first round of the 2009 Entry Draft.

Swiss defensemen Raphael Diaz has enjoyed a fine start to the 2013 season. With the Buffalo Phantoms star defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky sitting out due to illness in his immediate family, Diaz has been given an opportunity to step in to the Phantoms top powerplay unit alongside Sergei Gonchar. The 27 year old has not disappointed racking up a team high five assists in the first three games.

Seeing Patrick Kane on this list may come as a big surprise to everyone, however it’s important to keep in mind that the young star only finished with 66 points in 82 games last season. While that may sound like a good season for most players, it was considered a down year after Kane had 4 straight 70+ point seasons (including 88 in 2009-10). Kane has started off the season on an absolute tear, leading his North Bay Warriors to a 9-2-1 start. He is looking every bit like the Kane we remember with nine points through the first five games. If he keeps this pace up he will surely be amongst the league’s top scorers at the end of the season.

Over the past few seasons, Michael Grabner has become a frustrating player for both the Islanders and the Ottawa Knights. After getting traded by the Red Devils to the Knights in the 2011 offseason, the speedy winger had a breakout season scoring 34 goals and finishing with 52 points. He followed that up with a big step back in 2011-2012 after only accumulating 32 points in 78 games played. Now through the first week of the season Grabner seems to have regained his scoring touch with five points in the first four games. He’s the second best scorer for the Knights and although it’s very early, he’s on pace to have a great season.

San Diego Gulls defenseman Mike Kostka is currently the leader in ice time among all first year players. Kostka does not qualify as a rookie because he’s 27 years old, but that makes his story even more remarkable. After four seasons at the University of Massachusetts and four in the American Hockey League, Kostka not only made the opening-night roster for the San Diego Gulls, he’s now playing alongside Justin Schultz on the top pairing. He hasn’t disappointed either, collecting three assists and logging more than 24 minutes per contest in the team’s first matchup of the AFHL season.

Everyone assumed injuries were going to be a major theme in a shortened season. But whether it’s the compressed schedule (it actually just seems busier than a normal 82-game slate) or the lack of a training camp or the disparity between those who played during the lockout and those who didn’t, the injury bug has bitten and bitten hard. The Deer Park Chiefs are without goaltender Mike Smith and forward Scott Hartnell, and their depth down on the farm has been ravaged by injury. The Washington Wolfpack and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Hamilton Firestorm have been nicked up with injuries, and their organizational depth is now being tested. Steve Downie is gone for the season for Oshawa City. Red Devils star forward Joffrey Lupul suffered a broken forearm and will be gone for a couple of months. Still, don’t expect the bug to be stopping its bite anytime soon. With that in mind, look for the teams with the greatest organizational depth to rise above these injuries and stay in the hunt for playoff berths and/or top seeds.

If Week 1 was a preview of what’s to come this year, then this shortened season is going to be a great fight-to-the-finish year around the league. Enjoy it everybody. Hockey is actually back.

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