Rain City Repeats as Stanley Cup Champions
Jason Henley becomes First GM to Win THREE Titles
April 16th, 2024
Jason Henley cemented himself as the greatest GM of all time, winning his third AFHL Stanley Cup Trophy on Sunday night as the Rain City Bitch Pigeons defeated the Laval Nomads by a final score of 6-4.
“It wasn’t the way we drew it up, certainly not having McDavid all series long didn’t help,” Henley told TheAFHL.com after the game. “It was great, a lot of mental toughness, our team’s had it all year and we never doubted each other. That was a great hockey team we beat. I’m just so happy for our team and the fans of Rain City.”
In his third Stanley Cup Finals appearance, Henley entered last week tied with Lucas Main for having the most (two) Cup victories in the AFHL. With the victory over Laval, Henley now stands alone as the only GM in AFHL history to win three.
“This is clearly a special franchise and a unique collection of talent,” the AFHL Commissioner Furino said. “This is probably a team that deserves to be called a dynasty.”
Henley believes they have a “unique chemistry” within their locker room and he thinks it’s a competitive advantage.
With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way, the Bitch Pigeons can dominate with talent. But it’s mental toughness that has carried them to two titles over the past 12 months.
“Everybody outside our room kept saying things like ‘repeating is hard to do,’ and ‘the Bitch Pigeons aren’t a top team in this league anymore’” said Henley. “But no one inside our room said we couldn’t do it.”
The AFHL Commissioner said he thinks the Bitch Pigeons were able to repeat because they were “a determined, gutsy, talented group of guys.”
“They went through a lot of adversity – they had a lot of key injuries throughout the year, and they were even without McDavid in the Finals,” Furino said.
Now that Henley has three Stanley Cup championships, Furino believes Henley deserves great recognition.
“Henley should be in the conversation when we talk about the greatest of all-time,” Furino said. “He’s a guy who just knows how to win.”
Henley was asked what drives him, and he said, “This (winning) feeling right now. You can’t match that.”
The Bitch Pigeons didn’t like talking about the quest to repeat, but it was always in the back of their minds. They were aware that the 2017-2018 San Diego Gulls were the only franchise to successfully defend their title.
“I remember watching those Gulls teams; it was something special,” said Pigeons forward Mitch Marner. “I knew that if there was a team that could do it – it would be us. We had a ton of confidence, all the confidence in the world – it was something that no one on the team gave up.”
Henley talked about it in his own way.
“Coach drove the point of ‘cementing your own legacy,’” defenseman Adam Larsson said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge to do it. There’s a reason only one team had done it in 14 years.”
Now the question is whether this team can win again. McDavid, Draisaitl, Marner, Dahlin and Kochetkov, who are all most likely going to be elite players for this team for many more years to come, are the foundation blocks. Could the Bitch Pigeons win again?
“Let us have two or three days off,” Henley said, “and then I will let you know.”
AFHL Stanley Cup Media Day
Emotions, experience, legacies, and more
April 8th, 2024
The big day is here.
In less than 12 hours, the Rain City Bitch Pigeons and Laval Nomads will kick off the Stanley Cup Finals with Game 1 in Laval.
This year’s Finals will make history regardless of the outcome. The Rain City Bitch Pigeons could become the first team in the AFHL’s 14 year existence to win three Stanley Cups. The Laval Nomads , meanwhile, are looking to hoist the first Cup in their franchise history.
As per tradition, players, coaches, and GMs from both teams spoke to the media the day before Game 1. Storylines from the previous rounds came up, as did rivalries between players and comparisons between stars.
Here’s a roundup of the best quotes from media day.
Connor McDavid, F, Rain City:
On comparisons being made between him and team Owner/GM Jason Henley…
“We’ve won two Cups together but he [Henley] has obviously done so much for this league and the city and he has had such an impact. I just have to focus on playing hockey. I’m one guy. I just have to worry about myself. But he has to worry about 50 players. I mean every year he has to choose 50 players for this organization and he has to monitor them on a daily basis and make so many decisions on the fly. Add, subtract, promote, demote, trade, drop, start, don’t start. It’s very different and challenging.I’ll take the greatness comparison as a compliment. But at the end of the day, I just look at this as a fantastic opportunity to make history and it’s not easy to get here so I think of it more that way than trying to compare us.”
Quinn Hughes, D, Laval
On the Nomads lack of experience in the Stanley Cup Final…
“It’s been a great journey. First in the Shawinigan series, we came in as a big underdog and we all know what we did in that round and since then we’ve just been building and building and we’re not done.”
Mitch Marner, F, Rain City
On how fast time has gone since last year’s final…
“It’s been quiet the roller coaster. I haven’t really had much time to sit down and reflect. Basically the past year and a half has been kind of a blur. But honestly I’m just so fortunate to be back with this team and back in the finals again and I’m looking forward to it.”
Victor Hedman, D, Laval
On playing against Rain City’s physical forecheck…
“It’s going to be a physical series. They come fast and hard and they finish their checks so we’re aware of that. It’s going to be about having good first touches, getting to the puck first, and making good reads. There won’t be a single play we can rely on every time either, we’re going to have to move our feet and make reads and be smart with where we go on the first touch.”
Sean Monahan, F, Rain City
On his name possibly being engraved on the Stanley Cup for the first time…
“It’s a lifetime achievement. You can ask anyone here, what’s your dream if you can have anything you want and winning the Stanley Cup is the answer. It’s what I’ve been working on my entire life.”
Alex Chau, GM, Laval
On how much better of a GM he feels today…
“Yeah for sure, I think experience is really important. I felt ready for this opportunity in October based on my preparation through the many years in this league. I felt ready heading into the playoffs because I’ve competed in the playoffs before. This isn’t my first time in this league getting ready for a playoff series. I think when you work your way through, you learn different lessons along the way. That first series against the Vikings, it’s not like it all went smooth and was smooth sailing. There were adverse times. We learned a lot about each other in that series. I thought our habits held up under pressure. So I’m really proud of these guys and I’m super happy and excited to be here.”
Jason Henley, GM, Rain City
On what motivates him to keep winning and his key to success…
“I think it’s a real love for what I’m doing. This isn’t a job. It’s really a true love and I fell in love with it a long time ago. It’s fun and I find it enjoyable. Key to success? There’s so many. I’d say an important one is probably reminding my guys about how things are not always going to go your way, so you have to decide how you’re going to react. There are a lot of things in this game that you can’t control. So it’s more important that you identify those things that will give you your best chance to win and focus on what you want. And right now, we’re focused on making history.”
2024 AFHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Excitement Builds Around the League
March 25th, 2024
The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tonight and all eight arenas will be packed with fans for the next four weeks. In addition to the excitement that these playoffs bring, TheAFHL.com takes a look at some unique happenings in each arena and city that will make these playoffs even more special.
Boston Giants
See that flag waving up in the stands at the Giants’ home ice arena? The person waving it is famous or notable in Boston or beyond. Before every game, the Giants bring in someone important, whether it’s Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots or Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox, to serve as the flag captain. Who will wave the banners this year? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
Manhattan Supermen
Tailgating remains a signature event for Supermen fans, but the warm weather and the Stanley Cup Playoffs take things to another level in Manhattan. Thousands of fans show up hours before a game to grill, set up street hockey nets and party. Even the Supermen players acknowledge that the tents, tunes and signs help dial up the excitement when they arrive at the arena.
Antigonish X-Men
Shortly after winning this year’s Presidents Trophy, it was announced that X-Men White-Out Street Parties are returning to the city of Antigonish. These special parties, free to the public, will be all around the exterior of the home ice arena and begin two hours before puck drop. It will feature food trucks, snacks and official X-Men merchandise. The events will also include giant TV screens on each side of the arena so fans can watch the games.
Laval Nomads
Nomads fans who have the official Laval Nomads app on their phones can participate in a multi-day scavenger hunt that includes different tasks and offers around the Laval region. This event will take place in the mornings of each Game Day and the winner of the scavenger hunt will receive a playoff prize pack including two lower-level tickets for a home playoff game, a Reverse Retro 2.0 jersey signed by the players, other autographed prizes and more items.
Buffalo Phantoms
Considering all the violence and vandalism from prior playoff appearances, police in Buffalo say they have the resources and planning in place to make sure celebrations are fun and legal as the Phantoms make their return to the playoffs. More than 160 stores, restaurants and other businesses on 17th Avenue have already been consulted by a police liaison officer in order to brief them on plans to keep the festivities from getting out of hand.
Shawinigan Vikings
Fans can join the Vikings Playoff Pep Rally each game day from 12pm-3pm on Main Street in Shawinigan. The event features Vikings activities, special, live performance by famous bands and singers such as Tate McRae, food and beverages, official Vikings Playoff yard signs and other playoff swag.
Westbury Royals
Officials say that the new tailgate area outside the Westbury home ice arena will be split up into separate viewing zones, with the zones closest to the arena being filled first. Royal Square will be closed to vehicle traffic for the duration of the post-season. Northern Boulevard will be closed between Royal Square and York Street when a Tailgate is being hosted. There will be a total of 23 food and beverage stations inside the tailgate area.
Rain City Bitch Pigeons
There is a new tailgate area outside the defending champions home ice arena as well. Named the “Tailgate Block Party”, community members and Pigeon fans are invited to participate in this unique block party prior to each playoff game. The block party is free to attend and will include music, activities, beer and wine. Lots of fans will also be grilling in their own tailgate spots after the team coordinated a lottery system to do so.