Before I get into this blog as a whole, there are some notes to make and credit to be handed out for this blog to become a reality:
Huge shoutout to BKarchitect for his creation of the Project NHL 36 as well as Nashmc for his creation of the 40 team NHL database. The effort and dedication of those two made this a massive reality. Also credit to the TBL roster creators for their tireless efforts to make the game as current as possible every single year. To the individuals for their concept designs that were used in Nashmc's original database, huge thank you for the artwork and color schemes that you guys produced: (Tyle Rodgers, Christian Legault, Sparky Chewbarky, Chris Reimer, Andy Hall, Kenion Harvey, Dakota Perock, Matthew Ware, Justin Cox, Troy Birmingham, Isaac Palestino, Christopher Smith, Aguirre 28, Patrick Finney, Matthew Doyle, Sportsworth, Chris Knudson, SK, Dylan Nowak, and Paul Jacob Scowden).
The rest of the logos for the bottom leagues and junior leagues were also touched up and/or edited.
As for the game itself, I took Nashmc's idea and took it a little bit further, to a point. I kept the 40 team NHL/AHL/ECHL concept that Nashmc worked on and also added Tier 4 which is a combination of the playable SPHL, FHL (Now, Federal Prospects Hockey League), and the LNAH, along with an unplayable World Hockey Association. A fifth tier was also added, and that is a 40 team IHL. All 200 of these teams will be affiliated, much like the system that professional baseball uses here in the United States. Also, the USHL and NAHL in American Junior Hockey will be level one of the Junior pyramid, with a newly created Continental Elite Junior Hockey League (Junior B) and the American Junior C Hockey League making up tiers 2 and 3.
In another pair of twists, every player and staff member in the game is considered a free agent as I mass edited the entire database to remove all players and staff from their current teams (with one exception which I will get to momentarily). The NHL salary cap has also been adjusted to $100 million, with the floor at $65 million. With these two items put in place it will be interesting to see if the AI will put together high-priced teams in this game.
Also, I created over 3,000 new players from over 60 countries for this database, as well as a brand-new bantam major (u14) elite division comprising of 40 teams, added 20 u14 AAA teams, and 10 u14 AA and u14 A teams. These new teams are the only ones that have players assigned to them already. This part of the process took me the better part of a year to get accomplished.
Now to the affiliations first in the professional ranks:
1. Anaheim Ducks - San Diego Gulls - Bakersfield Condors - California Seals - Elmira Jackals II
2. Arizona Coyotes - Tucson Roadrunners - Fresno Falcons - Arizona Sundogs (WHA) - Oklahoma City Blazers
3. Atlanta Thrashers - South Carolina Stingrays - Greenville Swamp Rabbits - Atlanta Knights (WHA) - Alpena 6IceDiggers
4. Buffalo Sabers - Rochester Americans - Syracuse Crunch - Watertown Wolves (FHL) - Border City Bandits
5. Boston Bruins - Providence Bruins - Maine Mariners - Danbury Titans (FHL) - Cape Cod Islanders
6. Calgary Flames - Abbotsford Heat - Billings Blaze - Trois-Rivieres Blizzard (LNAH) - Indiana Blizzard
7. Carolina Hurricanes - Charlotte Checkers - Virginia Cyclones - Carolina Thunderbirds (SPHL) - Columbia Inferno
8. Chicago Blackhawks - Chicago Wolves - Omaha Lynx - Chicago Hounds (WHA) - Chicago Blaze
9. Cincinnati Stingers - Fort Wayne Komets - Indy Fuel - Indianapolis Racers (WHA) - Cincinnati Mighty Ducks
10. Colorado Avalanche - Colorado Eagles - Albuquerque Vipers - Colorado Rockies (WHA) - Victoria Salmon Kings
11. Columbus Blue Jackets - Cleveland Monsters - Toledo Walleye - Port Huron Prowlers (FHL) - Cleveland Barons
12. Dallas Stars - Texas Stars - Allen Americans - New Orleans Brass (WHA) - Louisiana IceGators
13. Detroit Red Wings - Grand Rapid Griffins - Kalamazoo Wings - Muskegon Fury (WHA) - Motor City Mechanics
14. Edmonton Oilers - Red Deer Caribous - Rapid City Rush - Sorel-Tracy Eperviers (LNAH) - Amarillo Gorillas
15. Florida Panthers - Orlando Solar Bears - Florida Everblades - Macon Mayhem (SPHL) - Miami Manatees
16. Houston Aeros - San Antonio Rampage - Fort Worth Frostbite - New Orleans Steamers (SPHL) - Indianapolis Ice
17. Kansas City Scouts - Wichita Thunder - Tulsa Oilers - Evansville Thunderbolts (SPHL) - South Bend Irish
18. Los Angeles Kings - Ontario Reign - Sacramento Monarchs - Louisville Captains (SPHL) - Savannah Ghost Pirates
19. Milwaukee Admirals - Wisconsin Harvesters - Rockford Icehogs - Chicago Express (WHA) - Richmond Riverdogs
20. Minnesota Wild - Iowa Wild - Quad City Mallards - Minnesota North Stars (WHA) - Michigan K-Wings
21. Montreal Canadiens - Laval Rocket - St. John’s IceCaps - Montreal Maroons (WHA) - Roanoke Valley Vipers
22. Nashville Predators - Birmingham Bulls - Mississippi RiverKings - Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL) - Dayton Gems
23. New Jersey Devils - Binghamton Devils - Albany Devils - Adirondack Frostbite (WHA) - Bloomington PrairieThunder
24. New York Islanders - Bridgeport Soundtigers - Worcester Railers - Mohawk Valley Prowlers (WHA) - Long Island Ducks
25. New York Rangers - Hartford Wolf Pack - Elmira Jackals - Hartford Whalers (WHA) - Connecticut Whale
26. Ottawa Senators - Belleville Senators - Sudbury Gladiators - Thetford Assurancia (LNAH) - Flint Generals
27. Philadelphia Flyers - Leigh Valley Phantoms - Reading Royals - Danbury Trashers (WHA) - Philadelphia Phantoms
28. Pittsburgh Penguins - Wilke Barre/Scranton Penguins - Wheeling Nailers - Greenville Grrrowl (WHA) - Pittsburgh Hornets
29. Portland Beavers - Oregon Pioneers - Idaho Steelheads - Danville Dashers (FHL) - Austin Ice Bats
30. Quebec Nordiques - Halifax Raiders - Sudbury Snowy Owls - Jonquiere Marquis (LNAH) - San Francisco Bulls
31. San Jose Sharks - San Jose Barracudas - Stockton Thunder - St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints (FHL) - Long Beach Ice Dogs
32. Saskatoon Whitetails - Regina Stags - Fargo Freeze - Saint-Georges COOL FM 103.5 FM (LNAH) - Kentucky Thoroughblades
33. Seattle Sasquatch - Tacoma Sabercats - Spokane Cougars - Fayetteville Marksmen (SPHL) - Quad City Mallards
34. St. Louis Blues - Springfield Thunderbirds - Little Rock Badgers - Peoria Rivermen (SPHL) - Missouri River Otters
35. Tampa Bay Lightning - Jacksonville Icemen - Pensacola Ice Flyers - Jackson Dolphins (SPHL) - Florida Seals
36. Toronto Maple Leafs - Toronto Marlies - Brampton Beast - Cornwall Nationals (FHL) - Toledo Goaldiggers
37. Vancouver Canucks - Victoria Comets - Alaska Aces - Riviere-du-Loup 3L (LNAH) - Anchorage Aces
38. Vegas Golden Knights - Reno Peregrines - Utah Grizzlies - Huntsville Havoc (SPHL) - Las Vegas Thunder
39. Washington Capitals - Hershey Bears - Baltimore Bandits - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (SPHL) - Madison Kodiaks
40. Winnipeg Jets - Manitoba Moose - Thunder Bay Prospectors - Laval Predateurs (LNAH) - Johnstown Chiefs
American Junior Hockey Circuit:
Aberdeen Wings (NAHL) - Adirondack Red WIngs - Danville Wings
Amarillo Bulls (NAHL) - Texas Wildcatters - Amarillo Gorillas
Austin Bruins (NAHL) - Austin Ice Bats - San Francisco Bulls
Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL) - Bay State Breakers - Elmira Mammoth
Brookings Blizzard (NAHL) - Boston Harbor Wolves - Exeter Seawolves
Cedar Rapids Roughriders (USHL) - Butte Rough Riders - Denver Cutthroats
Central Illinois Flying Aces (USHL) - Chicago Freeze - Vermillion County Bobcats
Chicago Steel (USHL) - Chicago Hitmen - Chi-Town Shooters
Corpus Christi IceRays (NAHL) - Philadelphia Rebels - Mississippi Sea Wolves
Coulee Region Chill (NAHL) - Motor City Chiefs - Asheville Aces
Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) - North Iowa Huskies - Iowa Chops
Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) - Michigan Warriors - Dubuque Thunderbirds
Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL) - Lowell Devils - Brewster Bulldogs
Fargo Force (USHL) - Fresno Monsters - Hudson Valley Eagles
Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) - Greensboro Monarchs - B.C. Icemen
Janesville Jets (NAHL) - Indiana Ice - Richmond Renegades
Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL) - Huntsville Tornado - Columbus Cottonmouths
Kenai River Brown Bears (NAHL) - Louisville Icehawks - Alaska Gold Kings
Lincoln Stars (USHL) - Lakeland Prowlers - Birmingham South Stars
Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL) - Lewiston MAINEiacs - Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
Madison Capitols (USHL) - Macon Whoopee - Macon Trax
Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) - Marquette Rangers - Grand Rapids Junior Owls
Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) - Mass Maple Leafs - Pee Dee Pride
Minot Minotauros (NAHL) - Metro Fighting Moose - Lapeer Loggers
Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) - Cleveland Junior Lumberjacks - Baltimore Skipjacks
New Jersey Junior Titans (NAHL) - New Jersey Jr. Titans - Jersey Rockhoppers
Northeast Generals (NAHL) - New England Junior Coyotes - Jamestown Ironmen
Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL) - Gulf Coast Swords - Fort Worth Brahmas
Omaha Lancers (USHL) - Augusta Lynx - Augusta Riverhawks
Philadelphia Rebels (NAHL) - Pittsburgh Junior Penguins - Erie Panthers
Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL) - Atlanta Flames - Orlando Seals
Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) - Kansas City Blades - Florida Jr. Blades
Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) - New Mexico Scorpions - Detroit Compuware Ambassadors
Springfield Junior Blues (NAHL) - Ohio Junior Blue Jackets - Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones
Topeka RoadRunners (NAHL) - Louisville Panthers - Phoenix Roadrunners
Tri-City Storm (USHL) - Tacoma Rockets - Buffalo Lightning
USA Under-18 (USHL) - Kalamazoo Jr. Wings - Detroit Jr. Red Wings
Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) - Boston Harbor Wolves - Port Huron Icehawks
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (USHL) - Hampton Roads Whalers - Connecticut Junior Whalers
Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) - Dayton Bombers - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
Now, for the meat and potatoes of this blog. The blog will begin on April 2, 2017 and actual game play will pick up on July 9, 2017. Every playable league in the game will be used as I want to be able to control the teams that my specific characters will be involved with. Speaking of characters, I will have two main characters in this blog. The first is Paul Sporn, a former Division 1 college hockey player, whose pro career had some up and downs along the way. The blog will mainly be told from Paul's point of view. The other character is Doug Forest, Paul's stepson, who is trying to embark on his own hockey career after convincing his mother Denise and Paul to play AAA hockey. Neither character is based on anyone in real life (In the real world, I never played college hockey and I don't have any kids).
This blog will have some twists and turns along the way but hopefully this game will see our main player get to the pros or other leagues around the world. Suggestions and comments are always welcome, just please, keep it positive and lighthearted. Enjoy the read!
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
April 2, 2017 – 11:45am, Upper Peninsula of Michigan: We were about an hour into our drive home from the USA hockey national championships when a voice spoke up from the far back seat of the vehicle and said the sentence I had been dreading to here for the last two years.
“Paul, I think I’m ready for a new challenge. I’d like to see if I’m AAA caliber.”
I looked at the young man’s mother who was sitting in the passenger seat as we stared down nothing but open highway and the look on his mother’s face was a combination of stress and anxiety. The two of us had actually had this conversation over dinner many times over the course of the year but we have never actually thought that her son would come up with the words to tell us that he was ready to take the next step in his hockey career.
“Your mother and I will discuss this further when we get home,” I replied.
My name is Paul Sporn, and my hockey career took on a mind of its own, and somehow ended up with me on this car ride home from Nationals. I had played hockey growing up in Syracuse and had a couple good seasons playing in their AAA program. It eventually caught the eye of a couple prep schools in New England as well as Albany Academy, in New York. I would eventually select Cushing Academy as my destination and couldn’t wait to don the colors of the Penguins. I was a three-sport athlete at Cushing. As a soccer player, we lost in the NEPSAC Championship game to St. Sebastian’s in a penalty shootout (I stopped two shots, their keeper was phenomenal, stopping 4 of 5) and as a lacrosse player, the best I could do was score 10 goals as a 4-year varsity midfielder, but hockey is where I shined. I had 3 straight 20 goal campaigns and a 60-point season as a senior as we fell to Canterbury in triple overtime in the NEPSAC semifinals. I had four schools that wanted me to play for them at the next level: Boston University, Boston College, Merrimack, and Michigan, and ultimately decided to sign with the Wolverines. I had an okay freshman season, netting 6 points, and saw time on the penalty kill, but at the Great Lakes Invitational, I blocked a shot from a Michigan Tech defenseman, and shattered my wrist, effectively ending my season. We would go on to the Frozen Four, losing to North Dakota. I came back for my sophomore season and saw very little action, dressing in 18 games with a goal and an assist, but at least I was able to keep my grades up and made the dean’s list for the second straight season. I had made my decision to put my name in the transfer portal and hoped for the best. I had lost all hope in a Division 1 offer, and was ready to play club at Syracuse, when two offers came in. The first was to play club at Saint Louis University. I visited the campus when I was a high school kid and loved the city, but more importantly, the hockey community and school. I made a verbal commitment to play for the Billikens and was ready to head to the Gateway City, but a letter in the mail the next week changed my mind.
There was a massive anchor on the upper left side of the envelope, and I knew it was from the school I had wanted to go to since I was a kid. Lake Superior State had heard about me in the portal and invited me to come to campus and meet the coaching staff. I fell in love with the place all over again and it didn’t take much convincing for me to sign there. What made it that much sweeter was our first non-conference series of the season would be at Yost, against Michigan.
Coach started me in game one, and I got an emotional standing ovation, a massive rarity at Yost. We didn’t play very well, and I took two stupid penalties as we lost 3-0. Game two would be a different story. I started once again, with another ovation, but it paled in comparison to the ovation that I received when I walked in on a 2 on 1 and rifled a wrist shot over the goalie’s glove side to give us a 2-0 lead that we would never relinquish. I added an assist and an empty netter and was named the game’s second star. After the game, there was plenty of emotion and hugs all around from people I knew, including from my ex-girlfriend Jessica, who wasn’t happy with my decision to leave Michigan, but oh well.
I would have a good season at Lake State, scoring 10 goals with 12 assists, as we lost to Bowling Green in the CCHA semifinals, and then my senior year, after a season in which I scored 30 points and was named to the CCHA 2nd Team, but saw us fall to Bemidji State in the semifinals. It was time to debate either staying at Lake State for a 5th year or move on someplace new.
There were more teams that asked about my services this time around in the transfer portal and I elected to take my final year at Michigan State. I would have a decent year for the Spartans, registering another 30-point campaign and I was killing it in the classroom, with a 4.0 and getting my master’s in education, not only making 2nd Team All-Big Ten, but making the All-Academic Team. But I also met Denise.
Denise was a single mom, who was in the nursing program at MSU. We met through mutual friends and hit it off immediately. Her little boy Douglas and I got along from the start and his eyes would light up every time I surprised them with tickets. I even brought them on the ice for my senior night, which they loved. After we both graduated, we made the decision that we would move wherever I played (or taught had my hockey career not panned out). I would play in 6 cities over the next 8 seasons (Fort Wayne for two, Knoxville, Greenville, Savannah, Grand Rapids, and Toledo for two) before getting into teaching, and settle down. Denise and I tied the knot in Savannah, and welcomed twins (a boy Quinn, and a girl Gabrielle) during the middle of my second year in Toledo. Dougie would play everywhere and finally ended up playing his youth hockey in Sylvania (a suburb of Toledo), with me coaching. We made it to the National Championships in Marquette, Michigan in his first year of bantams, and now we were driving back home, when those words came up again from the far back seat………
“Paul, I think I’m ready for a new challenge. I’d like to see if I’m AAA caliber.”
Denise and I looked at each other and re-focused back on the road. I had talked to Denise about going back to Lake State and showing them the campus, but I think this trip now needed to have more items on the itinerary than just a campus tour. We needed advice, and quickly.
April 7, 2017 12:45 pm, Sault Ste. Marie, MI: The two-hour trip between Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie seemed to take forever but we finally pulled into the parking lot of Taffy Abel Arena, and we got out to stretch our legs. The three of us walked in, and I asked the front desk if Coach Johnson was still in the building and was told that he was in his office that still overlooked the 4,000-seat arena. We told Dougie to go look around the arena and campus, and Denise and I walked to Coach’s office, where he welcomed us in and after exchanging pleasantries, I informed Coach of the nature of our visit and that we needed advice on what to do with Douglas.
“My advice to you, is that if his heart is set on it, and you’re both in a good state financially, then allow the young man to try out for a AAA team. The worst that can happen, is that he doesn’t make a team, and you’re out the money, but he gains experience AND he finds out not only where he stacks up against other kids his age, BUT he finds out what he needs to work on.”
After another 20 more minutes of conversing and reminiscing, we thanked Coach Johnson for his time and started to walk out of the arena. We looked for Dougie and the twins and found them looking at some of the team photos that lined the upper concourse of the arena, and I knew that they had found one of my teams. Dougie looked as happy as I had ever seen him and he looked at both of us, and simply said, “I want to play college hockey when I’m old enough.”
We walked around campus for another hour and then it was time to leave, but not before we grabbed lunch and took in a view that overlooked Lake Superior and we could see Canada from where we were. It is a breathtaking view and one of the great parts of being in college.
We began the drive back to Sylvania and while the kids slept in the back of the van, Denise and I started talking about the pros and cons of playing AAA hockey. It was about halfway through the trip from Sault Ste. Marie to Sylvania that we got a phone call from Coach Johnson, but we were so immersed in our conversation that we did not even hear the phone ring. Coach left a voice mail message on our phone, requesting that we call back, as he had information regarding Dougie. I knew that he was at least a year away from getting any serious recruiting offers, so that obviously was not going to be the issue, so when we stopped in Brighton to fill up and Denise and Dougie went in to grab snacks, I listened to the voice mail:
“Paul and Denise, it is Coach Johnson. It was great to visit with both of you earlier today and I wanted to be in contact with you both about Dougie. I am not sure if you have heard but the Tier 1 Elite League is having their annual combine, at the end of June, in Detroit and surrounding suburbs, and I think that would be a perfect place for him to display his skills. All the organizations in T1 will be sending representatives to the area and who knows, he will impress enough to sign on with one or more teams. If you are interested, let me know and I will give you more details.” Denise and Dougie got back in the car, and it was silence until we got to the Michigan/Ohio state line, and it was at that point, that I broke the quiet,
“Do you REALLY want to play AAA hockey Dougie?” I asked as Denise gave me a look of, ‘you’re a dead man if you make this decision without me,”
“Yes Paul, I REALLY want to play AAA hockey,” was the response from the back of the van.
“If you make a team and have to move, would you be willing to be away from us for a period of time?” Denise asked, as it was now MY turn to give a look of, ‘what the!?’
“I’d love to play anywhere and see other parts of the country, plus, you guys could move and see me!”
I thought I was going to have a coronary. Do we move, together, for hockey purposes!? I put the end to this conversation, and we decided to table this until we got home. We passed the Huntington Center, the home of the Toledo Walleye, and a little voice in the back of the van spoke up, in an awful Canadian accent, “Oh yeah bud, Paul and my mom are going to let me try out for the Tier 1 league!!! You and your bruh should try out too!”
I looked at Denise and said, “What have we done?” “We’re getting our little boy to the pros!” she said, “And it starts in June!”
April 2, 2017 7:30pm Sylvania, Ohio:
I could not help but think about what Denise had said earlier, “Our little boy,” and “To the pros.” As I sat in our kitchen in Sylvania, I was debating two things, “what was I going to make them for dinner,” and “how are we going to afford Dougie playing AAA hockey?”
Dougie’s dad was never in the picture and if it was not for Denise’s mom, I’m not sure what the two of them would’ve done. When I came into the picture, the first person that I talked to was her mom and I flat out told her that I wasn’t trying to become a parent and that I would have to earn Dougie’s trust and become a role model for as long as we were together. Her mom’s only request was that I be there for them through the good and the bad and everything else would fall into place.
So, as we sat down to our dinner of Caribbean Jerk shrimp and pasta, all of those thoughts were swirling in my head, enough to the point where I went to grab an ice-cold Molson out of the fridge. Denise could sense that I had a lot on my mind, and she quickly realized that the two of us needed to have a conversation about this rather quickly. I told Dougie to go into the family room of our modest house and watch the college lacrosse matchup between Syracuse and North Carolina. Denise and I sat down at the kitchen table so that he could not hear us.
“You barely touched your food, and this is by far your favorite dish you make,” she started out the conversation.
“I’m just trying to figure out how we would be able to make this work,” I responded.
“We will be fine; I’ll just have to take on more hours.”
“It is not just that, what if he makes a team out west like Colorado or Vegas, or in Florida. Are we just going to uproot everything and leave? What about our friends and family? What about your mom? I am thinking about everyone else and not just Dougie. I know he’s good enough to make it, it all boils down to the where.”
“Let’s sign him up for the combine and let him try out. If he does not make it, he can play AA hockey here in Sylvania, but if he makes it, we’ll adjust based on where he goes, and you know my mom will go anywhere. She is always complaining about it here!”
I looked at this wonderful woman who has been my voice of reason since our days at Michigan State, smiled, and called for Dougie. As he walked in, he had a look of dread, but asked if everything was okay. I just smiled and said, “the only thing that wouldn’t be okay would be if you weren’t ready for the combine in June.” He screamed, swore in excitement, and headed to his room while Denise and I just shook our heads and laughed. We had no idea how much our lives were going to change after that conversation.
“Paul, I think I’m ready for a new challenge. I’d like to see if I’m AAA caliber.”
I looked at the young man’s mother who was sitting in the passenger seat as we stared down nothing but open highway and the look on his mother’s face was a combination of stress and anxiety. The two of us had actually had this conversation over dinner many times over the course of the year but we have never actually thought that her son would come up with the words to tell us that he was ready to take the next step in his hockey career.
“Your mother and I will discuss this further when we get home,” I replied.
My name is Paul Sporn, and my hockey career took on a mind of its own, and somehow ended up with me on this car ride home from Nationals. I had played hockey growing up in Syracuse and had a couple good seasons playing in their AAA program. It eventually caught the eye of a couple prep schools in New England as well as Albany Academy, in New York. I would eventually select Cushing Academy as my destination and couldn’t wait to don the colors of the Penguins. I was a three-sport athlete at Cushing. As a soccer player, we lost in the NEPSAC Championship game to St. Sebastian’s in a penalty shootout (I stopped two shots, their keeper was phenomenal, stopping 4 of 5) and as a lacrosse player, the best I could do was score 10 goals as a 4-year varsity midfielder, but hockey is where I shined. I had 3 straight 20 goal campaigns and a 60-point season as a senior as we fell to Canterbury in triple overtime in the NEPSAC semifinals. I had four schools that wanted me to play for them at the next level: Boston University, Boston College, Merrimack, and Michigan, and ultimately decided to sign with the Wolverines. I had an okay freshman season, netting 6 points, and saw time on the penalty kill, but at the Great Lakes Invitational, I blocked a shot from a Michigan Tech defenseman, and shattered my wrist, effectively ending my season. We would go on to the Frozen Four, losing to North Dakota. I came back for my sophomore season and saw very little action, dressing in 18 games with a goal and an assist, but at least I was able to keep my grades up and made the dean’s list for the second straight season. I had made my decision to put my name in the transfer portal and hoped for the best. I had lost all hope in a Division 1 offer, and was ready to play club at Syracuse, when two offers came in. The first was to play club at Saint Louis University. I visited the campus when I was a high school kid and loved the city, but more importantly, the hockey community and school. I made a verbal commitment to play for the Billikens and was ready to head to the Gateway City, but a letter in the mail the next week changed my mind.
There was a massive anchor on the upper left side of the envelope, and I knew it was from the school I had wanted to go to since I was a kid. Lake Superior State had heard about me in the portal and invited me to come to campus and meet the coaching staff. I fell in love with the place all over again and it didn’t take much convincing for me to sign there. What made it that much sweeter was our first non-conference series of the season would be at Yost, against Michigan.
Coach started me in game one, and I got an emotional standing ovation, a massive rarity at Yost. We didn’t play very well, and I took two stupid penalties as we lost 3-0. Game two would be a different story. I started once again, with another ovation, but it paled in comparison to the ovation that I received when I walked in on a 2 on 1 and rifled a wrist shot over the goalie’s glove side to give us a 2-0 lead that we would never relinquish. I added an assist and an empty netter and was named the game’s second star. After the game, there was plenty of emotion and hugs all around from people I knew, including from my ex-girlfriend Jessica, who wasn’t happy with my decision to leave Michigan, but oh well.
I would have a good season at Lake State, scoring 10 goals with 12 assists, as we lost to Bowling Green in the CCHA semifinals, and then my senior year, after a season in which I scored 30 points and was named to the CCHA 2nd Team, but saw us fall to Bemidji State in the semifinals. It was time to debate either staying at Lake State for a 5th year or move on someplace new.
There were more teams that asked about my services this time around in the transfer portal and I elected to take my final year at Michigan State. I would have a decent year for the Spartans, registering another 30-point campaign and I was killing it in the classroom, with a 4.0 and getting my master’s in education, not only making 2nd Team All-Big Ten, but making the All-Academic Team. But I also met Denise.
Denise was a single mom, who was in the nursing program at MSU. We met through mutual friends and hit it off immediately. Her little boy Douglas and I got along from the start and his eyes would light up every time I surprised them with tickets. I even brought them on the ice for my senior night, which they loved. After we both graduated, we made the decision that we would move wherever I played (or taught had my hockey career not panned out). I would play in 6 cities over the next 8 seasons (Fort Wayne for two, Knoxville, Greenville, Savannah, Grand Rapids, and Toledo for two) before getting into teaching, and settle down. Denise and I tied the knot in Savannah, and welcomed twins (a boy Quinn, and a girl Gabrielle) during the middle of my second year in Toledo. Dougie would play everywhere and finally ended up playing his youth hockey in Sylvania (a suburb of Toledo), with me coaching. We made it to the National Championships in Marquette, Michigan in his first year of bantams, and now we were driving back home, when those words came up again from the far back seat………
“Paul, I think I’m ready for a new challenge. I’d like to see if I’m AAA caliber.”
Denise and I looked at each other and re-focused back on the road. I had talked to Denise about going back to Lake State and showing them the campus, but I think this trip now needed to have more items on the itinerary than just a campus tour. We needed advice, and quickly.
April 7, 2017 12:45 pm, Sault Ste. Marie, MI: The two-hour trip between Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie seemed to take forever but we finally pulled into the parking lot of Taffy Abel Arena, and we got out to stretch our legs. The three of us walked in, and I asked the front desk if Coach Johnson was still in the building and was told that he was in his office that still overlooked the 4,000-seat arena. We told Dougie to go look around the arena and campus, and Denise and I walked to Coach’s office, where he welcomed us in and after exchanging pleasantries, I informed Coach of the nature of our visit and that we needed advice on what to do with Douglas.
“My advice to you, is that if his heart is set on it, and you’re both in a good state financially, then allow the young man to try out for a AAA team. The worst that can happen, is that he doesn’t make a team, and you’re out the money, but he gains experience AND he finds out not only where he stacks up against other kids his age, BUT he finds out what he needs to work on.”
After another 20 more minutes of conversing and reminiscing, we thanked Coach Johnson for his time and started to walk out of the arena. We looked for Dougie and the twins and found them looking at some of the team photos that lined the upper concourse of the arena, and I knew that they had found one of my teams. Dougie looked as happy as I had ever seen him and he looked at both of us, and simply said, “I want to play college hockey when I’m old enough.”
We walked around campus for another hour and then it was time to leave, but not before we grabbed lunch and took in a view that overlooked Lake Superior and we could see Canada from where we were. It is a breathtaking view and one of the great parts of being in college.
We began the drive back to Sylvania and while the kids slept in the back of the van, Denise and I started talking about the pros and cons of playing AAA hockey. It was about halfway through the trip from Sault Ste. Marie to Sylvania that we got a phone call from Coach Johnson, but we were so immersed in our conversation that we did not even hear the phone ring. Coach left a voice mail message on our phone, requesting that we call back, as he had information regarding Dougie. I knew that he was at least a year away from getting any serious recruiting offers, so that obviously was not going to be the issue, so when we stopped in Brighton to fill up and Denise and Dougie went in to grab snacks, I listened to the voice mail:
“Paul and Denise, it is Coach Johnson. It was great to visit with both of you earlier today and I wanted to be in contact with you both about Dougie. I am not sure if you have heard but the Tier 1 Elite League is having their annual combine, at the end of June, in Detroit and surrounding suburbs, and I think that would be a perfect place for him to display his skills. All the organizations in T1 will be sending representatives to the area and who knows, he will impress enough to sign on with one or more teams. If you are interested, let me know and I will give you more details.” Denise and Dougie got back in the car, and it was silence until we got to the Michigan/Ohio state line, and it was at that point, that I broke the quiet,
“Do you REALLY want to play AAA hockey Dougie?” I asked as Denise gave me a look of, ‘you’re a dead man if you make this decision without me,”
“Yes Paul, I REALLY want to play AAA hockey,” was the response from the back of the van.
“If you make a team and have to move, would you be willing to be away from us for a period of time?” Denise asked, as it was now MY turn to give a look of, ‘what the!?’
“I’d love to play anywhere and see other parts of the country, plus, you guys could move and see me!”
I thought I was going to have a coronary. Do we move, together, for hockey purposes!? I put the end to this conversation, and we decided to table this until we got home. We passed the Huntington Center, the home of the Toledo Walleye, and a little voice in the back of the van spoke up, in an awful Canadian accent, “Oh yeah bud, Paul and my mom are going to let me try out for the Tier 1 league!!! You and your bruh should try out too!”
I looked at Denise and said, “What have we done?” “We’re getting our little boy to the pros!” she said, “And it starts in June!”
April 2, 2017 7:30pm Sylvania, Ohio:
I could not help but think about what Denise had said earlier, “Our little boy,” and “To the pros.” As I sat in our kitchen in Sylvania, I was debating two things, “what was I going to make them for dinner,” and “how are we going to afford Dougie playing AAA hockey?”
Dougie’s dad was never in the picture and if it was not for Denise’s mom, I’m not sure what the two of them would’ve done. When I came into the picture, the first person that I talked to was her mom and I flat out told her that I wasn’t trying to become a parent and that I would have to earn Dougie’s trust and become a role model for as long as we were together. Her mom’s only request was that I be there for them through the good and the bad and everything else would fall into place.
So, as we sat down to our dinner of Caribbean Jerk shrimp and pasta, all of those thoughts were swirling in my head, enough to the point where I went to grab an ice-cold Molson out of the fridge. Denise could sense that I had a lot on my mind, and she quickly realized that the two of us needed to have a conversation about this rather quickly. I told Dougie to go into the family room of our modest house and watch the college lacrosse matchup between Syracuse and North Carolina. Denise and I sat down at the kitchen table so that he could not hear us.
“You barely touched your food, and this is by far your favorite dish you make,” she started out the conversation.
“I’m just trying to figure out how we would be able to make this work,” I responded.
“We will be fine; I’ll just have to take on more hours.”
“It is not just that, what if he makes a team out west like Colorado or Vegas, or in Florida. Are we just going to uproot everything and leave? What about our friends and family? What about your mom? I am thinking about everyone else and not just Dougie. I know he’s good enough to make it, it all boils down to the where.”
“Let’s sign him up for the combine and let him try out. If he does not make it, he can play AA hockey here in Sylvania, but if he makes it, we’ll adjust based on where he goes, and you know my mom will go anywhere. She is always complaining about it here!”
I looked at this wonderful woman who has been my voice of reason since our days at Michigan State, smiled, and called for Dougie. As he walked in, he had a look of dread, but asked if everything was okay. I just smiled and said, “the only thing that wouldn’t be okay would be if you weren’t ready for the combine in June.” He screamed, swore in excitement, and headed to his room while Denise and I just shook our heads and laughed. We had no idea how much our lives were going to change after that conversation.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
May-June 2017 Sylvania, Ohio
Dougie decided that he wasn’t going to sit around all spring and summer, so he called up some of his buddies and asked if they wanted to do some workouts after the school days were over and the parents made arrangements that we would oversee the workouts, whether they were outside or in a gym. A couple of his friends had also received phone calls from the combine personnel, and they were also going to attend. Joey Mourning was a quick little forward and our leading scorer for Sylvania. He scored a massive goal in the quarterfinals against the Santa Clara Blackhawks at Nationals that got us rolling. His only problem is that he chirps way too much, and I wasn’t sure if that was going to hinder him at the upcoming combine. Also in attendance was Joey’s twin brother Michael. Michael was our goalie this season and was phenomenal at Nationals, with three shutouts, including a 3-0 win over Santa Clara. He had forty-nine saves in the semifinals, but we just could not put one home against the Steel City Stars in the 1-0 loss that sent us home. He is a small goalie who is very agile and had thirty-two wins this season. He is a quiet kid, who doesn't talk to his defensemen a whole lot, 58and tends to get beat up high, which I know the combine scouts are looking at. Another one of Dougie’s friends, Adam Madison, was there. Adam got controversially cut at the tryouts at the beginning of the season and he ended up scoring thirty goals with the Jr. Walleye in Toledo. He rocked Dougie in the State Quarterfinals with a good clean hit, only for Dougie to start jawing with him, and Adam responded by punching him in the head and getting tossed. We would score three powerplay goals on the major and won 7-2. Two other classmates would join this core group in their workouts. Peter Mulligan played his AA hockey in Ann Arbor and just moved to the area after the season was over. He had 15 goals and 20 assists for the Wolverines before he broke his ankle while he was chasing a loose puck and crashed into the end boards. Scott Green moved to the area from Chicago suburbs and led his team to a league championship and finished 2nd in the state tournament, on a questionable overtime goal against the team they beat in the league title game. Scott had 20 goals, but also recorded 150 penalty minutes during the season.
The six of them worked out from mid-April to mid-June working with a plan that had worked for me. They concentrated on leg strength and speed, cardio, and arm strength, with mandatory rest days worked in. We also brought in a nutritionist that would talk to the boys every week and made sure that they got the right food in their systems.
Dougie decided that he wasn’t going to sit around all spring and summer, so he called up some of his buddies and asked if they wanted to do some workouts after the school days were over and the parents made arrangements that we would oversee the workouts, whether they were outside or in a gym. A couple of his friends had also received phone calls from the combine personnel, and they were also going to attend. Joey Mourning was a quick little forward and our leading scorer for Sylvania. He scored a massive goal in the quarterfinals against the Santa Clara Blackhawks at Nationals that got us rolling. His only problem is that he chirps way too much, and I wasn’t sure if that was going to hinder him at the upcoming combine. Also in attendance was Joey’s twin brother Michael. Michael was our goalie this season and was phenomenal at Nationals, with three shutouts, including a 3-0 win over Santa Clara. He had forty-nine saves in the semifinals, but we just could not put one home against the Steel City Stars in the 1-0 loss that sent us home. He is a small goalie who is very agile and had thirty-two wins this season. He is a quiet kid, who doesn't talk to his defensemen a whole lot, 58and tends to get beat up high, which I know the combine scouts are looking at. Another one of Dougie’s friends, Adam Madison, was there. Adam got controversially cut at the tryouts at the beginning of the season and he ended up scoring thirty goals with the Jr. Walleye in Toledo. He rocked Dougie in the State Quarterfinals with a good clean hit, only for Dougie to start jawing with him, and Adam responded by punching him in the head and getting tossed. We would score three powerplay goals on the major and won 7-2. Two other classmates would join this core group in their workouts. Peter Mulligan played his AA hockey in Ann Arbor and just moved to the area after the season was over. He had 15 goals and 20 assists for the Wolverines before he broke his ankle while he was chasing a loose puck and crashed into the end boards. Scott Green moved to the area from Chicago suburbs and led his team to a league championship and finished 2nd in the state tournament, on a questionable overtime goal against the team they beat in the league title game. Scott had 20 goals, but also recorded 150 penalty minutes during the season.
The six of them worked out from mid-April to mid-June working with a plan that had worked for me. They concentrated on leg strength and speed, cardio, and arm strength, with mandatory rest days worked in. We also brought in a nutritionist that would talk to the boys every week and made sure that they got the right food in their systems.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
June 5, 2017, Sylvania, Ohio
The boys were getting everything that they needed to make sure that they were ready for this combine and then we received a letter from T1. We made arrangements with the other families to meet for dinner that night at our house and I made sure to have the letter with me. I hadn’t opened it yet as I wanted to share it with the rest of the families, because I was sure it was just an information letter. I remembered receiving one when I competed at the Hockey Night in Boston showcase when I was Dougie’s age, and it just had the same vibe to it. After a wonderful dinner of steak and pasta, the boys went down to our newly finished basement and fired up the new PlayStation that we had just bought Dougie for his birthday and while the six of them were doing that, all of us parents sat in our living room and I opened the letter. The letter gave all the details that we were going to need for the combine. The boys were to arrive on Friday, June 23rd between 12-3pm in Detroit to check in for the event. They would receive their practice rink assignment for the next day, jerseys, socks, and schedule. They would also be told when their team meeting would be and meet their coaches. There would be 80 teams’ worth of players competing in this combine, with each team having 2 goalies, 6 defensemen, and 12 forwards. The teams were guaranteed 7 games in the preliminary phases. The teams would then be bracketed in a single elimination tournament, with top 32 teams in Gold, the next 32 in Silver, and the last 16 in Bronze. It was possible that each player could play 13 games over the 2 week combine so there were plenty of chances for these boys to showcase their skills. All the parents needed to do was to have a check for $500 for the combine, which I thought was extremely reasonable, and make sure that the boys had adequate housing for the entire event. The teams would then be selected after the final games in each bracket were played and the parents would be notified either by phone call or text messaging. The second page of the letter had the list of teams that would be drafting their teams for the combine:
TIER 1 ELITE HOCKEY LEAGUE (BANTAM MAJOR)
ATLANTIC- Boston Advantage, Boston Jr Eagles, Boston Jr Terriers, Islanders HC, Maine Jr Black Bears, New Jersey Jr Devils, Philly Little Flyers, Pittsburgh Pens Elite
EAST CENTRAL- Belle Tire, Cleveland Jr Barons, Compuware, Indy Jr. Fuel, Little Caesars, Ohio Jr Blue Jackets, Sault Ste. Marie Lakers, Victory Honda
WEST CENTRAL- Chicago Fury, Chicago Mission, Chicago Young Americans, Dallas Stars Elite, Omaha Energy, Russell Stover Stars, Shattuck, St. Louis AAA Blues
SE- Atlanta Fire, Carolina Jr Canes, Florida Jr Blades, Huntsville Jr Chargers, Nashville Jr Preds, S.Florida Golden Wolves, Tampa Jr Lightning, Washington Little Caps
PACIFIC- Alaska Jr Aces, Anaheim Jr Ducks, Arizona Bobcats, Colorado T-Birds, LA Jr. Kings, Phoenix Jr Coyotes, San Jose Jr Sharks, Vegas Jr Golden Knights
We looked at the list of the teams and all of our eyes drifted towards the teams in the Pacific, especially Alaska. We all knew that if our boys wanted the chance to better themselves and move forward with their hockey career, that this was the way to go. The conversations ranged from “what if all of the boys made the same T1 team,” to “maybe they all make a team in the same region and we all just meet up for a massive tailgate,” to “what happens if one of us doesn’t make a team?” It was a wonderful opportunity to talk everything out and break the tension before the biggest 2-week period of these kids’ lives. Before we knew it, it was 11pm and everyone eventually made their way out the door and as we said goodbye, it dawned on me that it could be the last time that all of us would be together for a get-together such as this.
I would eventually go back to the kitchen table, clean up the dishes, and sat back down, with the team list in my hand and on a separate sheet of paper, wrote all 40 teams down and added two additional columns, one for cost, and another for logistics (easy transportation, family in the area, etc.). When all was said and done, there were three groups. One list of 10 teams that ticked all of the boxes for workable costs and logistics, a second list of 10 that clicked either column, and then a group of 20 that checked neither column. It was those 20 organizations that I would have a problem with, if Dougie made it. I quickly folded up the paper and put it in my back pocket, knowing that over the next few weeks I would have to talk to Denise about it.
June 22nd, 2017 – Detroit, Michigan
We arrived at the hotel in Detroit, which would be our home for the next two weeks and while Dougie down at the pool and the twins were taking their nap, I was thumbing through the program that we picked up in the hotel lobby. It was a very thorough program, with photos of all of the kids and a little bio as well. All six of our boys would be on different teams this weekend, and Dougie would be playing for Minnesota Maroon. His roster had kids from all over the world on it and I wondered if Dougie would be able to make friends like I did when I went to Boston:
G – Phoenix Franke (Richfield, MN, Richfield Spartans JV), Michael Di Chiara (Dayton, OH, Dayton Bluehawks AA)
D- Ossi Otranen (Orimmatila, FIN, Lahti U14), Gord Kraft (Kent CT, Avon Old Farms JV), Igor Volchkov (Kalinkovichi, BLR, Gomel U14), Preston Wittal (Edmonton, AB, CAN, Edmonton Athletic Club), Ben Sieloff (Saginaw, MI, Saginaw Badgers AA), Karl McKelvie (Mountlake Terrace, WA, Seattle Admirals AA)
F- Dougie Forest (Sylvania, OH, Sylvania North Stars AA), Cale Beaudry-Mahi (Calgary, AB, CAN, Calgary Canucks), Erich Deprez (Dayton, OH, Dayton Bluehawks), Lorne Amonte (Agawam, MA, West Springfield Terriers Varsity), Adam Erat (Ratiskovice, CZE, Kometa Brno U14), Matteo Bundy (Surrey, BC, CAN, Surrey Thunder), Dave Bernard (Bakersfield, CA, Bakersfield Jr. Condors), Pavel Azhgirel (Zhdanovichi, BLR, Minsk U14), Hugh McKellar (Mountlake Terrace, WA, Seattle Admirals AA), German Isnalgov (Kazan, RUS, Kazan U14), Timo Brandt (Bremen, GER, Fischtown Pinguins U14), Henrik Kjos (Karmoy, NOR, Stavanger Oilers U14)
We didn’t know anything about the European or Canadian kids on the team, but we knew a little bit about a few of the American kids. Di Chiara was the goalie that we beat in the State Championship 5-1, and on three of the goals, he was hung out to dry. Deprez had their only goal in the game, but he didn’t have a lot of help either. I recognized the Sieloff kid from when we played the Badgers in a holiday tournament in Chicago. The team was awful, but he hit everything in sight. This had the makings of a solid team, and I was just hoping that Dougie would fit in.
June 23rd 9:00am Detroit, Michigan
We arrived at Little Caesars Arena for Dougie’s practice and while he went to his locker room to get ready, it allowed Denise and I the opportunity to walk around the concourse. She had never been to Little Caesars, although one of our first dates was to Joe Louis Arena to watch the Red Wings play the Coyotes, and she marveled at the brightness and openness of the building compared to the dark, compact walkways that JLA had. We would eventually find a pair of seats, high enough so that we could still pick out Dougie and watched as he would snap a couple pucks home in a 2 on 1 drill. His team had some good size, but compared to the team on the other half of the ice, they were tiny. “Rochester Red,” had at least a half dozen guys that were already pushing 6 feet tall as second year u14s that could all rifle the puck. Dougie played defense against a couple of them in a 3 on 2 drill, and crunched one of them with a great open ice hit. One of his coaches came up to him, tapped him on the shin pads and skated away. You could tell that he was happy with that hit. After the two hour practice was over, his coaching staff invited all of the families down for their meeting. The goals for the team were simple: 1) Finish in the top 3 in the Lidstrom Division, 2) Play at least 10 games here in the combine, and 3) Get everyone signed to a T1 team. Once the meeting was adjourned, we decided to just get lunch on our own, as the team would have a team meal at 8pm back at the hotel. Things were going great, and Dougie was settling in. Tomorrow at noon at the Troy Sport Center was going to be his first test to see where he fit in, in the whole AAA spectrum and it was a great chance to prove himself.
June 24th, 2pm Troy, Michigan
Denise and I were standing in the lobby of the arena when Dougie came out of the locker room and looked incredibly pleased with his effort. His team won 6-2 and his goal was a thing of beauty. He received a pass on the near side half wall, and walked in, ripping a nice shot over the glove hand of the goalie, right underneath the crossbar. He truly played a 200-foot game, was a +2, and I noticed some of the scouts had taken frivolous notes, but I also knew not to look too much into something like that. We were on our way to the car to head back to the hotel and make plans for lunch and dinner with the Mourning’s when my phone rang. It was my mother calling from Syracuse. I handed Denise the keys so they could load up Doug’s gear and so that I could take the call.
“Hi mom, what’s going on?” I started the conversation.
“Hi Paul, how’s little Dougie’s tryout, how’s Denise?” I could tell that something was up with her voice as mom didn’t sound as upbeat as she usually is.
“Dougie is doing great here at tryouts and Denise is as nervous as any parent would be in this situation. More importantly mom, are you okay? You don’t sound very good.”
“It’s your grandfather. He had a stroke and there’s talk that he may not make it through the week. Paul, I need you to come back to Syracuse immediately and say your goodbyes.”
“Mom, let me talk to Denise and I’ll make arrangements.”
My grandfather was a military man and served our country In the United States Navy. After he retired, he stayed in the Syracuse area and made a fortune in the world of real estate. Dougie got to meet him when Denise and I were graduating from Michigan State, and there’s a photo at our house of Doug with my grandfather’s Navy hat on. It’s beyond priceless and it’s one that we promised we would hold onto forever. As I got into the car, Denise looked at me and gave me her look that sensed something was wrong. I drove in silence back to our hotel, and when we arrived, Doug hopped out and grabbed his gear to air out. Thankfully, the hotel opened up all of its conference rooms to let the respective teams air their equipment out and while Doug was doing that, it left Denise and I in the car. That’s when I lost it. I told her what happened back in Syracuse with my grandfather, and her response was, “first tell Doug, and then go to Syracuse!” This woman, after all we had been through, showed her selflessness, and allowed me to put my family first. I would eventually talk to Doug, who was on the verge of tears when I told him, and he understood. I went back into the car and booked my tickets for the flight from Detroit to Syracuse. Little did I know that this wouldn’t be the last time I would make this flight, but it would be the last time that I would make this flight alone.
I landed in Syracuse and rushed to the hospital. Once I got there, I ran into his hospital room to find my mom there talking to the nurse. I was too late; he had passed away while I was in the air, and I just lost it right then and there. Here was a man who played three sports in high school, would give you the shirt off his back, and served our country proudly, and I never got the chance to say goodbye to him. It wasn’t fair. My mom consoled me and said that there was nothing that I could’ve done. She said that she would handle all of the arrangements and that I needed to get back to Denise and the kids back in Michigan. It was all a blur. Six hours ago, Doug was getting ready to hop on the ice for a combine game and now I was in Syracuse, watching my mom struggle to cope with the passing of this wonderful human being and here was this woman telling me to go back. I immediately called Denise to tell her the sad news and told her I was coming back for the combine, and I would fill her in on the details later. She understood and said that all of them would be waiting when I returned. I hopped onto the plane for my 90 minute flight and had about a hundred thoughts going through my head like, how would Doug manage to make it through the tryouts, how was Denise handling all of this, what was my mom going to do, where can I buy beverages to shake the cobwebs out, etc. Before I knew it, I landed in Detroit and took a cab for the 45-minute drive back to the hotel. When I arrived at the hotel, there were Denise, our kids, the Mourning’s, and the Mulligan’s, all there to welcome me with dinner. We had always said that we would be there for each other, to lean on for support. This was definitely one of those times that I needed this group.
June 25 9:30am Fraser, Michigan
After what had been an exhausting day for me the day before, Dougie took to the ice and just didn’t look like himself. He scored on a rebound to give his team a 5-3 lead, but he didn’t show his usual emotion. It was understandable that his mind was somewhere else and after a -2 performance in the 7-5 loss, we set out to meet the Mourning’s for lunch. The parents had decided that the dinners would be decided by the player of the session as voted on by the kids themselves, but lunches were basically on our own. Dougie had a second game in Fraser at 2pm so a good lunch and a nap was in order. I pulled Dougie aside and just told him to relax and play, knowing that his grandfather had the best seat in the house to watch him play. It seemed to cheer him up a little bit, and he took that advice into game two. His team took a 1-0 lead, and then he was involved in a 2 on 1, and instead of shooting the puck, found the trailer, who scored to make it 2-0. He would add another assist on the goal that made it 4-1, when he found himself on the half wall again, only this time he found his right defenseman for a beautiful one timer. He would then get the assist on the game winner, on a drop pass on a 3 on 2 and then he went straight to the net to screen the goalie. The offense wouldn’t let up as Maroon moved to 2-1 with an 11-4 victory, and more importantly, for Dougie, it was Chipotle night, as he was named player of the day.
June 26th, 8:15am Royal Oak, Michigan
While Dougie was getting ready for day 3 of the combine, Denise and I went to the upper concourse to watch some of the other games, but more importantly get some information on some of the teams that we were looking at. Over the course of the week, I discussed the list of teams with her, and we had whittled that list of 40 down to 16. It was at this time that we would then divide that list in half, with Denise looking for information of 8 teams, while I took the other 8. We talked with the owners of the 16 programs that we were looking at, thanked all of them, and eventually made our way back into the main arena for the game, when the phone rang again. Mom had set up all of the funeral arrangements for my grandfather to be on the Friday of the combine and I knew that Dougie had a morning game. I was about ready to tell her that I would be there by myself when Denise took the phone out of my hands. The two of them talked on the phone while Denise was fidgeting with her phone and wouldn’t allow me to see what she was doing. It was when I heard the words, “we’ll see you Friday,” that my ears shot up. “What do you mean, ‘we’ll see you Friday?’” “Your grandfather was a role model in your life, as well as my son’s. We’re going to his funeral, for your mom, and for you. End of story.” Who was I to argue with? As for the game, Dougie’s group scored the first 6 goals, cruising to a 8-2 win, and Dougie was a +5 in game 1 of the day and in game 2 in Troy, they led throughout, winning 9-2 and Dougie was a +4 with zero points, moving his team to 4-1. His team would have the next day off and then came back on Thursday the 28th for a 5pm game in Fraser. Maroon was down 6-3 at one point, only to battle back to tie the game at 7. Unfortunately, two defensive zone miscues were turned into goals and they fell 9-7, and dropped to 4-2. Dougie had a nice assist off a faceoff win, where he quickly got it back to the right defenseman, who snapped it into the net, but that was his lone bright spot on a night where he was -4.
June 30 – 1:30pm Brighton, MI and Syracuse, New York
As soon as Dougie’s round robin game on Friday had concluded (a wild 13-10 win in which Dougie had 2 goals and 2 helpers and was +5), we hopped in a cab and took off for the airport. It was a trying day for all of us. Mom wanted me to speak at the funeral, which I did, and it gave me a sense of pride, but also relief as well, knowing that my grandfather would be watching from above. The service was beautiful, and he was given the 21-gun salute as well. My mom and Denise also had a heartfelt moment when the American flag was presented to my mom. We eventually moved everything to a small Italian restaurant in Syracuse, where tears were shed, wine was drunk, and food, lots of food, was consumed. How my mom got all of this together was one of life’s great mysteries. The next day, we would meet right down the street from the restaurant, to have my grandfather’s will read, and little did we know how much our lives were about to change.
July 1st – Syracuse, New York 10am
“What I’m about to tell you is going to give you a massive shock to the system,” the attorney started. We all knew that my grandfather made some serious bank, but we didn’t realize how much.
“Your grandfather made over $3 billion in the real estate market, as his company stretched from Washington D.C. to Maine, and as far west as Milwaukee. He also has houses in three different states, four houses total. So the breakdown is, Angelica (my mother) gets $1.5 billion, the houses in Syracuse and Myrtle Beach. Paul, you get the remaining $1.5 billion and the houses in Tampa and Chicago. You will also receive an opportunity to own an NHL franchise, per the agreement I made with the commissioner, as well as an added bonus, that only he knows of and will communicate with you when the time is right.”
I thought that I was going to keel over and pass out, but Denise kept me sitting upright as the whole thing was ready. All of the cars as well as the company would be transferred to my mom’s name, which was okay with me. The thought of owning an NHL franchise was extremely intriguing to me, but what was this bonus perk that my grandfather made mention of? Time would tell what this perk would be, but first, we had to get Dougie back to Detroit the remainer of the combine and to get back to the twins, who we left with the Mourning’s (what’s one set of twins to look after, when you can have a second set). After all of this news, we needed to sit down and get our lives in order but first, we made sure that our flight for the next day was accommodating to Dougie’s schedule.
The boys were getting everything that they needed to make sure that they were ready for this combine and then we received a letter from T1. We made arrangements with the other families to meet for dinner that night at our house and I made sure to have the letter with me. I hadn’t opened it yet as I wanted to share it with the rest of the families, because I was sure it was just an information letter. I remembered receiving one when I competed at the Hockey Night in Boston showcase when I was Dougie’s age, and it just had the same vibe to it. After a wonderful dinner of steak and pasta, the boys went down to our newly finished basement and fired up the new PlayStation that we had just bought Dougie for his birthday and while the six of them were doing that, all of us parents sat in our living room and I opened the letter. The letter gave all the details that we were going to need for the combine. The boys were to arrive on Friday, June 23rd between 12-3pm in Detroit to check in for the event. They would receive their practice rink assignment for the next day, jerseys, socks, and schedule. They would also be told when their team meeting would be and meet their coaches. There would be 80 teams’ worth of players competing in this combine, with each team having 2 goalies, 6 defensemen, and 12 forwards. The teams were guaranteed 7 games in the preliminary phases. The teams would then be bracketed in a single elimination tournament, with top 32 teams in Gold, the next 32 in Silver, and the last 16 in Bronze. It was possible that each player could play 13 games over the 2 week combine so there were plenty of chances for these boys to showcase their skills. All the parents needed to do was to have a check for $500 for the combine, which I thought was extremely reasonable, and make sure that the boys had adequate housing for the entire event. The teams would then be selected after the final games in each bracket were played and the parents would be notified either by phone call or text messaging. The second page of the letter had the list of teams that would be drafting their teams for the combine:
TIER 1 ELITE HOCKEY LEAGUE (BANTAM MAJOR)
ATLANTIC- Boston Advantage, Boston Jr Eagles, Boston Jr Terriers, Islanders HC, Maine Jr Black Bears, New Jersey Jr Devils, Philly Little Flyers, Pittsburgh Pens Elite
EAST CENTRAL- Belle Tire, Cleveland Jr Barons, Compuware, Indy Jr. Fuel, Little Caesars, Ohio Jr Blue Jackets, Sault Ste. Marie Lakers, Victory Honda
WEST CENTRAL- Chicago Fury, Chicago Mission, Chicago Young Americans, Dallas Stars Elite, Omaha Energy, Russell Stover Stars, Shattuck, St. Louis AAA Blues
SE- Atlanta Fire, Carolina Jr Canes, Florida Jr Blades, Huntsville Jr Chargers, Nashville Jr Preds, S.Florida Golden Wolves, Tampa Jr Lightning, Washington Little Caps
PACIFIC- Alaska Jr Aces, Anaheim Jr Ducks, Arizona Bobcats, Colorado T-Birds, LA Jr. Kings, Phoenix Jr Coyotes, San Jose Jr Sharks, Vegas Jr Golden Knights
We looked at the list of the teams and all of our eyes drifted towards the teams in the Pacific, especially Alaska. We all knew that if our boys wanted the chance to better themselves and move forward with their hockey career, that this was the way to go. The conversations ranged from “what if all of the boys made the same T1 team,” to “maybe they all make a team in the same region and we all just meet up for a massive tailgate,” to “what happens if one of us doesn’t make a team?” It was a wonderful opportunity to talk everything out and break the tension before the biggest 2-week period of these kids’ lives. Before we knew it, it was 11pm and everyone eventually made their way out the door and as we said goodbye, it dawned on me that it could be the last time that all of us would be together for a get-together such as this.
I would eventually go back to the kitchen table, clean up the dishes, and sat back down, with the team list in my hand and on a separate sheet of paper, wrote all 40 teams down and added two additional columns, one for cost, and another for logistics (easy transportation, family in the area, etc.). When all was said and done, there were three groups. One list of 10 teams that ticked all of the boxes for workable costs and logistics, a second list of 10 that clicked either column, and then a group of 20 that checked neither column. It was those 20 organizations that I would have a problem with, if Dougie made it. I quickly folded up the paper and put it in my back pocket, knowing that over the next few weeks I would have to talk to Denise about it.
June 22nd, 2017 – Detroit, Michigan
We arrived at the hotel in Detroit, which would be our home for the next two weeks and while Dougie down at the pool and the twins were taking their nap, I was thumbing through the program that we picked up in the hotel lobby. It was a very thorough program, with photos of all of the kids and a little bio as well. All six of our boys would be on different teams this weekend, and Dougie would be playing for Minnesota Maroon. His roster had kids from all over the world on it and I wondered if Dougie would be able to make friends like I did when I went to Boston:
G – Phoenix Franke (Richfield, MN, Richfield Spartans JV), Michael Di Chiara (Dayton, OH, Dayton Bluehawks AA)
D- Ossi Otranen (Orimmatila, FIN, Lahti U14), Gord Kraft (Kent CT, Avon Old Farms JV), Igor Volchkov (Kalinkovichi, BLR, Gomel U14), Preston Wittal (Edmonton, AB, CAN, Edmonton Athletic Club), Ben Sieloff (Saginaw, MI, Saginaw Badgers AA), Karl McKelvie (Mountlake Terrace, WA, Seattle Admirals AA)
F- Dougie Forest (Sylvania, OH, Sylvania North Stars AA), Cale Beaudry-Mahi (Calgary, AB, CAN, Calgary Canucks), Erich Deprez (Dayton, OH, Dayton Bluehawks), Lorne Amonte (Agawam, MA, West Springfield Terriers Varsity), Adam Erat (Ratiskovice, CZE, Kometa Brno U14), Matteo Bundy (Surrey, BC, CAN, Surrey Thunder), Dave Bernard (Bakersfield, CA, Bakersfield Jr. Condors), Pavel Azhgirel (Zhdanovichi, BLR, Minsk U14), Hugh McKellar (Mountlake Terrace, WA, Seattle Admirals AA), German Isnalgov (Kazan, RUS, Kazan U14), Timo Brandt (Bremen, GER, Fischtown Pinguins U14), Henrik Kjos (Karmoy, NOR, Stavanger Oilers U14)
We didn’t know anything about the European or Canadian kids on the team, but we knew a little bit about a few of the American kids. Di Chiara was the goalie that we beat in the State Championship 5-1, and on three of the goals, he was hung out to dry. Deprez had their only goal in the game, but he didn’t have a lot of help either. I recognized the Sieloff kid from when we played the Badgers in a holiday tournament in Chicago. The team was awful, but he hit everything in sight. This had the makings of a solid team, and I was just hoping that Dougie would fit in.
June 23rd 9:00am Detroit, Michigan
We arrived at Little Caesars Arena for Dougie’s practice and while he went to his locker room to get ready, it allowed Denise and I the opportunity to walk around the concourse. She had never been to Little Caesars, although one of our first dates was to Joe Louis Arena to watch the Red Wings play the Coyotes, and she marveled at the brightness and openness of the building compared to the dark, compact walkways that JLA had. We would eventually find a pair of seats, high enough so that we could still pick out Dougie and watched as he would snap a couple pucks home in a 2 on 1 drill. His team had some good size, but compared to the team on the other half of the ice, they were tiny. “Rochester Red,” had at least a half dozen guys that were already pushing 6 feet tall as second year u14s that could all rifle the puck. Dougie played defense against a couple of them in a 3 on 2 drill, and crunched one of them with a great open ice hit. One of his coaches came up to him, tapped him on the shin pads and skated away. You could tell that he was happy with that hit. After the two hour practice was over, his coaching staff invited all of the families down for their meeting. The goals for the team were simple: 1) Finish in the top 3 in the Lidstrom Division, 2) Play at least 10 games here in the combine, and 3) Get everyone signed to a T1 team. Once the meeting was adjourned, we decided to just get lunch on our own, as the team would have a team meal at 8pm back at the hotel. Things were going great, and Dougie was settling in. Tomorrow at noon at the Troy Sport Center was going to be his first test to see where he fit in, in the whole AAA spectrum and it was a great chance to prove himself.
June 24th, 2pm Troy, Michigan
Denise and I were standing in the lobby of the arena when Dougie came out of the locker room and looked incredibly pleased with his effort. His team won 6-2 and his goal was a thing of beauty. He received a pass on the near side half wall, and walked in, ripping a nice shot over the glove hand of the goalie, right underneath the crossbar. He truly played a 200-foot game, was a +2, and I noticed some of the scouts had taken frivolous notes, but I also knew not to look too much into something like that. We were on our way to the car to head back to the hotel and make plans for lunch and dinner with the Mourning’s when my phone rang. It was my mother calling from Syracuse. I handed Denise the keys so they could load up Doug’s gear and so that I could take the call.
“Hi mom, what’s going on?” I started the conversation.
“Hi Paul, how’s little Dougie’s tryout, how’s Denise?” I could tell that something was up with her voice as mom didn’t sound as upbeat as she usually is.
“Dougie is doing great here at tryouts and Denise is as nervous as any parent would be in this situation. More importantly mom, are you okay? You don’t sound very good.”
“It’s your grandfather. He had a stroke and there’s talk that he may not make it through the week. Paul, I need you to come back to Syracuse immediately and say your goodbyes.”
“Mom, let me talk to Denise and I’ll make arrangements.”
My grandfather was a military man and served our country In the United States Navy. After he retired, he stayed in the Syracuse area and made a fortune in the world of real estate. Dougie got to meet him when Denise and I were graduating from Michigan State, and there’s a photo at our house of Doug with my grandfather’s Navy hat on. It’s beyond priceless and it’s one that we promised we would hold onto forever. As I got into the car, Denise looked at me and gave me her look that sensed something was wrong. I drove in silence back to our hotel, and when we arrived, Doug hopped out and grabbed his gear to air out. Thankfully, the hotel opened up all of its conference rooms to let the respective teams air their equipment out and while Doug was doing that, it left Denise and I in the car. That’s when I lost it. I told her what happened back in Syracuse with my grandfather, and her response was, “first tell Doug, and then go to Syracuse!” This woman, after all we had been through, showed her selflessness, and allowed me to put my family first. I would eventually talk to Doug, who was on the verge of tears when I told him, and he understood. I went back into the car and booked my tickets for the flight from Detroit to Syracuse. Little did I know that this wouldn’t be the last time I would make this flight, but it would be the last time that I would make this flight alone.
I landed in Syracuse and rushed to the hospital. Once I got there, I ran into his hospital room to find my mom there talking to the nurse. I was too late; he had passed away while I was in the air, and I just lost it right then and there. Here was a man who played three sports in high school, would give you the shirt off his back, and served our country proudly, and I never got the chance to say goodbye to him. It wasn’t fair. My mom consoled me and said that there was nothing that I could’ve done. She said that she would handle all of the arrangements and that I needed to get back to Denise and the kids back in Michigan. It was all a blur. Six hours ago, Doug was getting ready to hop on the ice for a combine game and now I was in Syracuse, watching my mom struggle to cope with the passing of this wonderful human being and here was this woman telling me to go back. I immediately called Denise to tell her the sad news and told her I was coming back for the combine, and I would fill her in on the details later. She understood and said that all of them would be waiting when I returned. I hopped onto the plane for my 90 minute flight and had about a hundred thoughts going through my head like, how would Doug manage to make it through the tryouts, how was Denise handling all of this, what was my mom going to do, where can I buy beverages to shake the cobwebs out, etc. Before I knew it, I landed in Detroit and took a cab for the 45-minute drive back to the hotel. When I arrived at the hotel, there were Denise, our kids, the Mourning’s, and the Mulligan’s, all there to welcome me with dinner. We had always said that we would be there for each other, to lean on for support. This was definitely one of those times that I needed this group.
June 25 9:30am Fraser, Michigan
After what had been an exhausting day for me the day before, Dougie took to the ice and just didn’t look like himself. He scored on a rebound to give his team a 5-3 lead, but he didn’t show his usual emotion. It was understandable that his mind was somewhere else and after a -2 performance in the 7-5 loss, we set out to meet the Mourning’s for lunch. The parents had decided that the dinners would be decided by the player of the session as voted on by the kids themselves, but lunches were basically on our own. Dougie had a second game in Fraser at 2pm so a good lunch and a nap was in order. I pulled Dougie aside and just told him to relax and play, knowing that his grandfather had the best seat in the house to watch him play. It seemed to cheer him up a little bit, and he took that advice into game two. His team took a 1-0 lead, and then he was involved in a 2 on 1, and instead of shooting the puck, found the trailer, who scored to make it 2-0. He would add another assist on the goal that made it 4-1, when he found himself on the half wall again, only this time he found his right defenseman for a beautiful one timer. He would then get the assist on the game winner, on a drop pass on a 3 on 2 and then he went straight to the net to screen the goalie. The offense wouldn’t let up as Maroon moved to 2-1 with an 11-4 victory, and more importantly, for Dougie, it was Chipotle night, as he was named player of the day.
June 26th, 8:15am Royal Oak, Michigan
While Dougie was getting ready for day 3 of the combine, Denise and I went to the upper concourse to watch some of the other games, but more importantly get some information on some of the teams that we were looking at. Over the course of the week, I discussed the list of teams with her, and we had whittled that list of 40 down to 16. It was at this time that we would then divide that list in half, with Denise looking for information of 8 teams, while I took the other 8. We talked with the owners of the 16 programs that we were looking at, thanked all of them, and eventually made our way back into the main arena for the game, when the phone rang again. Mom had set up all of the funeral arrangements for my grandfather to be on the Friday of the combine and I knew that Dougie had a morning game. I was about ready to tell her that I would be there by myself when Denise took the phone out of my hands. The two of them talked on the phone while Denise was fidgeting with her phone and wouldn’t allow me to see what she was doing. It was when I heard the words, “we’ll see you Friday,” that my ears shot up. “What do you mean, ‘we’ll see you Friday?’” “Your grandfather was a role model in your life, as well as my son’s. We’re going to his funeral, for your mom, and for you. End of story.” Who was I to argue with? As for the game, Dougie’s group scored the first 6 goals, cruising to a 8-2 win, and Dougie was a +5 in game 1 of the day and in game 2 in Troy, they led throughout, winning 9-2 and Dougie was a +4 with zero points, moving his team to 4-1. His team would have the next day off and then came back on Thursday the 28th for a 5pm game in Fraser. Maroon was down 6-3 at one point, only to battle back to tie the game at 7. Unfortunately, two defensive zone miscues were turned into goals and they fell 9-7, and dropped to 4-2. Dougie had a nice assist off a faceoff win, where he quickly got it back to the right defenseman, who snapped it into the net, but that was his lone bright spot on a night where he was -4.
June 30 – 1:30pm Brighton, MI and Syracuse, New York
As soon as Dougie’s round robin game on Friday had concluded (a wild 13-10 win in which Dougie had 2 goals and 2 helpers and was +5), we hopped in a cab and took off for the airport. It was a trying day for all of us. Mom wanted me to speak at the funeral, which I did, and it gave me a sense of pride, but also relief as well, knowing that my grandfather would be watching from above. The service was beautiful, and he was given the 21-gun salute as well. My mom and Denise also had a heartfelt moment when the American flag was presented to my mom. We eventually moved everything to a small Italian restaurant in Syracuse, where tears were shed, wine was drunk, and food, lots of food, was consumed. How my mom got all of this together was one of life’s great mysteries. The next day, we would meet right down the street from the restaurant, to have my grandfather’s will read, and little did we know how much our lives were about to change.
July 1st – Syracuse, New York 10am
“What I’m about to tell you is going to give you a massive shock to the system,” the attorney started. We all knew that my grandfather made some serious bank, but we didn’t realize how much.
“Your grandfather made over $3 billion in the real estate market, as his company stretched from Washington D.C. to Maine, and as far west as Milwaukee. He also has houses in three different states, four houses total. So the breakdown is, Angelica (my mother) gets $1.5 billion, the houses in Syracuse and Myrtle Beach. Paul, you get the remaining $1.5 billion and the houses in Tampa and Chicago. You will also receive an opportunity to own an NHL franchise, per the agreement I made with the commissioner, as well as an added bonus, that only he knows of and will communicate with you when the time is right.”
I thought that I was going to keel over and pass out, but Denise kept me sitting upright as the whole thing was ready. All of the cars as well as the company would be transferred to my mom’s name, which was okay with me. The thought of owning an NHL franchise was extremely intriguing to me, but what was this bonus perk that my grandfather made mention of? Time would tell what this perk would be, but first, we had to get Dougie back to Detroit the remainer of the combine and to get back to the twins, who we left with the Mourning’s (what’s one set of twins to look after, when you can have a second set). After all of this news, we needed to sit down and get our lives in order but first, we made sure that our flight for the next day was accommodating to Dougie’s schedule.
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Laker2415
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A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
July 2
We took the red-eye flight back from New York and made it in time so that we could all get a few hours of a nap before our group went to brunch at 10am. We ordered all of our food and as the dad’s all conversed at one end of the table, we let the adults know what had happened out in Syracuse and that our first order of business was to take care of at least the meals for the rest of the week, which included a celebration dinner which would take place back in Ohio, wherever the boys wanted to go.
Dougie’s team was able to cruise to a 12-5 win in their game, but not before a mix-up with the schedule sent the wrong team to our sheet of ice. Dougie’s opponents had only red jerseys and had to somehow get a set of white jerseys prior to the game. He ended up with a three-point night and a +3 rating, with a beautiful one-touch pass to his right defenseman off a faceoff win in the offensive zone. He would later add a second assist, as he skated behind his net, with his head up all the way, and fired a 100-foot saucer pass to his centerman, who snuck in behind the defense and put it past the goalie. He would then add a powerplay goal, by one timing a cross-ice pass home. His buddies all voted him the player of the day, and he chose Applebee’s, as he was craving comfort food.
July 3 – Royal Oak, Michigan
The team found out their playoff fate the night before and they were awarded the #7 overall seed, placing them in the 32 team Gold bracket. Dougie was pumped all morning long, and he knew that his teammates were focused on the task at hand, knowing that one loss and their combine was done. They jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the contest, and Dougie was a major part of the attack, picking up a rebound in a goal mouth scramble, and instead of firing it right back into the scrum, he passed it to one of the defensemen who had jumped in on the play, and he buried it before the goalie could locate the puck. Dougie would later make it 3-0, as he went straight to the net, losing his defenseman in the process, and a cross-crease pass later, Dougie had a wide-open tap-in goal. They would add a 5th goal late in the contest and moved on to the round of 16 the next day, with a 5-3 win over Carolina Red.
July 4 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
After watching both of the Mourning boys get knocked out of the combine the night before, Dougie was fully determined to make sure that his team continued on and wanted to do it at the place where my college career had started, Yost Ice Arena, in Ann Arbor. The round of 16 game would feature two teams that had won their divisions in round robin play, but this game had very little drama as Minnesota Maroon jumped out to a 4-0 lead and cruised to a 7-2 win over Columbus Teal. Dougie was a +3 on the day but gave an amazing pass that went through the legs of a pair of Columbus players and one-timed home by one of his linemates. It was the kind of play that I wish I could have made in college and one that I am pretty sure the scouts took notice of.
We would meet up with the rest of the families for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and after a semi decent lunch, we bid farewell to the Mourning family as they headed back to Sylvania. After the remainder of the families made it back to the hotel and rested, we invited the Green’s to come with us to the Troy Sports Center, as Scott did not have to play until the 6th, but Dougie had yet another game to play, this time in the quarterfinals. Minnesota Maroon led throughout, and the game was put on ice by Dougie, who, after his centerman lost an offensive zone draw, went right to the defenseman, blocked his shot and took off down the ice, slipping the biscuit between the goalie’s pads to make it 3-0, and they would move on to the semifinals with a 5-1 win.
July 6th – Ann Arbor, Michigan
What started as a group of six, was now down to just two as both Peter’s team and Scott’s teams were both eliminated, and we just watched Adam Madison’s team advance to the Silver Bracket championship. Dougie’s team would advance to the Gold Bracket Championship, knocking out Islanders Orange 3-0. Dougie was +2 with no points, but he helped kill off 7 penalties, including a pair of 5-on-3’s in the third period.
July 7th – Detroit, Michigan
After watching Adam Madison’s team win their bracket, Dougie’s Minnesota Maroon team tried to do the same, but fell to a very good Vegas Gold team 6-5 in the Championship Game. In what was a back-and-forth contest at LCA, Maroon had the lead three different times, including a 4-3 lead in which Dougie and his fellow winger converted a 2-on-1 with Dougie giving a nice pass and his winger went bar down. His team had plenty of chances, they just did not finish, and Vegas Gold was able to bury a couple late goals. While we waited for Dougie to exit the locker room, we received a text message from the Commissioner of the League that the owners of the organizations were beginning to get together and that players would be notified on July 9th as to what team they would be on, with the season beginning on October 1. Denise and I also received a text message from the commissioner of the NHL, inviting us to an informal meeting the following day on the floor of Little Caesars Arena to discuss plans for the upcoming hockey season.
July 8th – Detroit, Michigan – 8am
We sent Dougie and the twins home with Madison’s and then had the Mourning’s pick up the three kids at our house, while Denise and I stayed in Detroit for this meeting. As we walked into the meeting the following day, I noticed that there were a number of people already sitting with the Commish:
Tim Ireland: majority owner of the Milwaukee Admirals and co-owner of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Carl Vistula: majority owner of the Anaheim Ducks and co-owner of Chicago.
Kevin Inwood, co-owner of the Boston Bruins and majority owner of the Edmonton Oilers
Michael Highland, co-owner of the Bruins and majority owner of the Winnipeg Jets.
Curt Jefferson, majority owner of the Houston Aeros and co-owner of the Detroit Red Wings
Lee Crestwood, majority owner of the Vancouver Canucks
Kent Creek, majority owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Seattle Sasquatch
We were a little late, but we took our seats at the massive table. The commissioner said that we were waiting on one last person to show up and as soon as I got ready to speak, I heard a familiar voice call out, “we can start Mr. Commish, I’m here.” I remembered that voice from my time at Michigan, and sure enough, my ex-girlfriend, Jessica Peterson, the co-owner of the Detroit Red Wings and majority owner of the Florida Panthers just HAD to make her presence known, much to the anger of Denise. The commissioner welcomed all of us and got right down to business. He brought up two points in his speaking: 1) to promote competitive balance in our league, all players would become free agents, effective immediately, 2) Paul Sporn would be granted ownership of any franchise in the NHL, not represented at the meeting. as well as an expansion one, if he so chooses, but the decision needs to be made on which franchise, before the end of the day. Denise and I looked at each other with shock as this is definitely NOT what we were expecting. After much debate, both points passed unanimously, and the meeting was finished after the voting. As we were about to leave, the Commish came up to Denise and I and gave us his condolences, which were much appreciated, but he also said, “Paul, I know that you were probably told that there was a bonus perk in your grandfather’s will. Well, the perk is that we purchased the full ownership of the name of the Vincenzi Hockey League, and wanted to transfer that to you, if you want it. You get full rights to run the league and bring the teams in.” I told him that the two of us now have a lot of stuff on the table, Dougie now playing AAA in a new city, ownership of 1-2 NHL teams, and now a full league. We were DEFINITELY going to have to sit down and talk about everything and get back to him.
July 8th – Somewhere between Detroit, Michigan and Sylvania, Ohio
On the drive back to Sylvania, we had to stop to gas up, get snacks, the usual. It allowed us to chat a little bit about what had gone on over the last couple weeks. We talked about how proud we are that Dougie was on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a pro hockey player and how we could do great things with the NHL. We then got down to business about which two franchises we wanted to own. The expansion one was the easiest. Denise wanted an American City in the Western Conference and that ultimately led to us dropping teams, leaving just Portland and Kansas City. We also cross-referenced those with the teams in Tier 1 Elite, and the only team that matched was the Kansas City Scouts. So with the expansion team out of the way, we turned to the regular NHL teams and we were thinking along the same lines, but with an American Eastern team. We would eventually whittle our list down to Washington, Carolina, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, and the New York Islanders. We had always said that we wanted to live somewhere warm when we retired, and with the chance that Dougie could make the team down there we selected Tampa Bay and just hoped that Dougie would make the team.
July 9 – Sylvania, Ohio 10am
We all rented a team room in the Huntington Center, told the boys to invite whoever they wanted, and had food catered in for the big day for all of them. Denise and I had already had our big moment of the day as both of our teams had been approved by the league and while we allowed the new GM in Kansas City to make all the roster moves there, we decided that we would be the GM of Tampa Bay and started out by offering Erik Karlsson, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, and Duncan Keith player contracts and Jon Cooper a Head Coach Contract.
But now it was the big day for the kids, and it did not take long for the phones to ring. Adam Madison was the first gone after a 6 goal, 11 assist combine as he went to the San Jose Jr. Sharks. Then my phone rang about a half hour later and I handed it to Dougie, and before we knew it, the kid that had 7 goals and 11 assists at the combine looked at Denise and I and said, “Looks like you guys won’t have to go far to watch the team you own!” He grabbed his new Lightning hat and put it on announcing that he was the newest little Bolt. As Dougie was announcing his decision, Peter Mulligan had his phone ring and was heading to Boston to play for the Advantage, after a 4 goal, 3 assist campaign. Then came the call for the Mourning’s. Joey had 5 goals and 9 assists and Michael went 5-2 at the combine giving up 23 goals on 177 shots at the combine, but it apparently was their academics that peaked someone’s interest as they were both given full academic rides to Shattuck St. Mary’s in Minnesota. So that left Scott Green without a home and it wasn’t until about 1:30 that they got the call that after a 5 goal and 5 assist combine, he was also heading west, to the Arizona Bobcats.
July 10th to 31st
Over the next three weeks, we were receiving team applications from cities across the country for the renamed IHL, as the deadline for the applications was August 1, with a league announcement coming August 8, so that cities and teams could be ready for their October 21st start date. We also had to pack up our house to move out, as Dougie was going to be starting up his freshman year of high school on August 28, with official practicing beginning a week later. We had seen photos of how big our house was going to be and where it was located, which was mere minutes from both the rink and the high school. The plan was for Amy (Denise’s mom), Denise, Doug, and the twins to fly to the new house and begin to get things set up, I would load up some of the bigger stuff for the movers to take, and finally I would take the smaller stuff in the SUV and drive myself to the new house.
We would finally sign our first players on July 14th as goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brayden Point signed. The next day we made six signings: Forwards Auston Matthews, Alex Killorn, and Yanni Gourde; and defensemen Matt Grzelcyk, Erik Karlsson, and Victor Hedman. We also brought on Marc Crawford to be an assistant coach. The signings kept coming quickly in Tampa Bay as Craig Ramsey became an assistant coach, and forwards Carter Camper, Colton Gillies, and Jonathan Toews all signed and we found out that we have sold 15,595 season tickets on July 16.
We signed four more players on July 17th, goalie Jason Bacashihua, and forwards Adam Gaudette, Sam Lafferty, and Nathan MacKinnon. We also signed Julien BriseBois to be the Assistant GM, and scouts Don Maloney and Andre Savard. The next day we signed defensemen Ben Harper and Matt Benning along with goalie Thatcher Demko. We finally sign Mikhail Sergachev on July 19th, and the next day sign goalies Alex Nedeljkovic and Cale Morris and defensemen Ryan Sproul and Tucker Poolman. The 21st saw us sign defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and scouts Bill Barber, Ken Morrow, Greg Malone, and Mark Howe. Mathieu Joseph became the newest Tampa forward on the 22nd, while scouts Neil Smith, Larry Pleau, and Lorne Henning also signed. The Lightning would go three days without signing a player, although 11 additional season tickets were sold, bringing the total to 15,606.
On July 25th, Adam Clendening and Patrik Nemeth became Bolts players, followed by defenseman Johnny Oduya and forward Tomas Fleischman. The 27th saw the Bolts sign Physio Rich Campbell, forward Luke Glendening, but probably most importantly, Jon Cooper signed his Head Coaching contract. The signings just continued coming in fast and furious to end the month (28th) goalie Ryan Zapolski, and assistant coaches Mitch Korn and John MacLean (29th) defenseman Jason Demers (30th) forward Mikkel Bodker and defenseman Radko Gudas, and (31st) forwards Matt Puempel and Ben Maxwell. We sold 10 more season ticket packages, getting us to 15,616, but a lot of those season ticket holders and members of the press were starting to get a little antsy about why we had made all of these signings but why two of the city's most beloved players not only hadn't signed with Tampa Bay, but hadn't signed anywhere. Hopefully as the calendar turned to August, we would have some answers for our fanbase.
We took the red-eye flight back from New York and made it in time so that we could all get a few hours of a nap before our group went to brunch at 10am. We ordered all of our food and as the dad’s all conversed at one end of the table, we let the adults know what had happened out in Syracuse and that our first order of business was to take care of at least the meals for the rest of the week, which included a celebration dinner which would take place back in Ohio, wherever the boys wanted to go.
Dougie’s team was able to cruise to a 12-5 win in their game, but not before a mix-up with the schedule sent the wrong team to our sheet of ice. Dougie’s opponents had only red jerseys and had to somehow get a set of white jerseys prior to the game. He ended up with a three-point night and a +3 rating, with a beautiful one-touch pass to his right defenseman off a faceoff win in the offensive zone. He would later add a second assist, as he skated behind his net, with his head up all the way, and fired a 100-foot saucer pass to his centerman, who snuck in behind the defense and put it past the goalie. He would then add a powerplay goal, by one timing a cross-ice pass home. His buddies all voted him the player of the day, and he chose Applebee’s, as he was craving comfort food.
July 3 – Royal Oak, Michigan
The team found out their playoff fate the night before and they were awarded the #7 overall seed, placing them in the 32 team Gold bracket. Dougie was pumped all morning long, and he knew that his teammates were focused on the task at hand, knowing that one loss and their combine was done. They jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the contest, and Dougie was a major part of the attack, picking up a rebound in a goal mouth scramble, and instead of firing it right back into the scrum, he passed it to one of the defensemen who had jumped in on the play, and he buried it before the goalie could locate the puck. Dougie would later make it 3-0, as he went straight to the net, losing his defenseman in the process, and a cross-crease pass later, Dougie had a wide-open tap-in goal. They would add a 5th goal late in the contest and moved on to the round of 16 the next day, with a 5-3 win over Carolina Red.
July 4 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
After watching both of the Mourning boys get knocked out of the combine the night before, Dougie was fully determined to make sure that his team continued on and wanted to do it at the place where my college career had started, Yost Ice Arena, in Ann Arbor. The round of 16 game would feature two teams that had won their divisions in round robin play, but this game had very little drama as Minnesota Maroon jumped out to a 4-0 lead and cruised to a 7-2 win over Columbus Teal. Dougie was a +3 on the day but gave an amazing pass that went through the legs of a pair of Columbus players and one-timed home by one of his linemates. It was the kind of play that I wish I could have made in college and one that I am pretty sure the scouts took notice of.
We would meet up with the rest of the families for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and after a semi decent lunch, we bid farewell to the Mourning family as they headed back to Sylvania. After the remainder of the families made it back to the hotel and rested, we invited the Green’s to come with us to the Troy Sports Center, as Scott did not have to play until the 6th, but Dougie had yet another game to play, this time in the quarterfinals. Minnesota Maroon led throughout, and the game was put on ice by Dougie, who, after his centerman lost an offensive zone draw, went right to the defenseman, blocked his shot and took off down the ice, slipping the biscuit between the goalie’s pads to make it 3-0, and they would move on to the semifinals with a 5-1 win.
July 6th – Ann Arbor, Michigan
What started as a group of six, was now down to just two as both Peter’s team and Scott’s teams were both eliminated, and we just watched Adam Madison’s team advance to the Silver Bracket championship. Dougie’s team would advance to the Gold Bracket Championship, knocking out Islanders Orange 3-0. Dougie was +2 with no points, but he helped kill off 7 penalties, including a pair of 5-on-3’s in the third period.
July 7th – Detroit, Michigan
After watching Adam Madison’s team win their bracket, Dougie’s Minnesota Maroon team tried to do the same, but fell to a very good Vegas Gold team 6-5 in the Championship Game. In what was a back-and-forth contest at LCA, Maroon had the lead three different times, including a 4-3 lead in which Dougie and his fellow winger converted a 2-on-1 with Dougie giving a nice pass and his winger went bar down. His team had plenty of chances, they just did not finish, and Vegas Gold was able to bury a couple late goals. While we waited for Dougie to exit the locker room, we received a text message from the Commissioner of the League that the owners of the organizations were beginning to get together and that players would be notified on July 9th as to what team they would be on, with the season beginning on October 1. Denise and I also received a text message from the commissioner of the NHL, inviting us to an informal meeting the following day on the floor of Little Caesars Arena to discuss plans for the upcoming hockey season.
July 8th – Detroit, Michigan – 8am
We sent Dougie and the twins home with Madison’s and then had the Mourning’s pick up the three kids at our house, while Denise and I stayed in Detroit for this meeting. As we walked into the meeting the following day, I noticed that there were a number of people already sitting with the Commish:
Tim Ireland: majority owner of the Milwaukee Admirals and co-owner of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Carl Vistula: majority owner of the Anaheim Ducks and co-owner of Chicago.
Kevin Inwood, co-owner of the Boston Bruins and majority owner of the Edmonton Oilers
Michael Highland, co-owner of the Bruins and majority owner of the Winnipeg Jets.
Curt Jefferson, majority owner of the Houston Aeros and co-owner of the Detroit Red Wings
Lee Crestwood, majority owner of the Vancouver Canucks
Kent Creek, majority owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Seattle Sasquatch
We were a little late, but we took our seats at the massive table. The commissioner said that we were waiting on one last person to show up and as soon as I got ready to speak, I heard a familiar voice call out, “we can start Mr. Commish, I’m here.” I remembered that voice from my time at Michigan, and sure enough, my ex-girlfriend, Jessica Peterson, the co-owner of the Detroit Red Wings and majority owner of the Florida Panthers just HAD to make her presence known, much to the anger of Denise. The commissioner welcomed all of us and got right down to business. He brought up two points in his speaking: 1) to promote competitive balance in our league, all players would become free agents, effective immediately, 2) Paul Sporn would be granted ownership of any franchise in the NHL, not represented at the meeting. as well as an expansion one, if he so chooses, but the decision needs to be made on which franchise, before the end of the day. Denise and I looked at each other with shock as this is definitely NOT what we were expecting. After much debate, both points passed unanimously, and the meeting was finished after the voting. As we were about to leave, the Commish came up to Denise and I and gave us his condolences, which were much appreciated, but he also said, “Paul, I know that you were probably told that there was a bonus perk in your grandfather’s will. Well, the perk is that we purchased the full ownership of the name of the Vincenzi Hockey League, and wanted to transfer that to you, if you want it. You get full rights to run the league and bring the teams in.” I told him that the two of us now have a lot of stuff on the table, Dougie now playing AAA in a new city, ownership of 1-2 NHL teams, and now a full league. We were DEFINITELY going to have to sit down and talk about everything and get back to him.
July 8th – Somewhere between Detroit, Michigan and Sylvania, Ohio
On the drive back to Sylvania, we had to stop to gas up, get snacks, the usual. It allowed us to chat a little bit about what had gone on over the last couple weeks. We talked about how proud we are that Dougie was on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a pro hockey player and how we could do great things with the NHL. We then got down to business about which two franchises we wanted to own. The expansion one was the easiest. Denise wanted an American City in the Western Conference and that ultimately led to us dropping teams, leaving just Portland and Kansas City. We also cross-referenced those with the teams in Tier 1 Elite, and the only team that matched was the Kansas City Scouts. So with the expansion team out of the way, we turned to the regular NHL teams and we were thinking along the same lines, but with an American Eastern team. We would eventually whittle our list down to Washington, Carolina, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, and the New York Islanders. We had always said that we wanted to live somewhere warm when we retired, and with the chance that Dougie could make the team down there we selected Tampa Bay and just hoped that Dougie would make the team.
July 9 – Sylvania, Ohio 10am
We all rented a team room in the Huntington Center, told the boys to invite whoever they wanted, and had food catered in for the big day for all of them. Denise and I had already had our big moment of the day as both of our teams had been approved by the league and while we allowed the new GM in Kansas City to make all the roster moves there, we decided that we would be the GM of Tampa Bay and started out by offering Erik Karlsson, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, and Duncan Keith player contracts and Jon Cooper a Head Coach Contract.
But now it was the big day for the kids, and it did not take long for the phones to ring. Adam Madison was the first gone after a 6 goal, 11 assist combine as he went to the San Jose Jr. Sharks. Then my phone rang about a half hour later and I handed it to Dougie, and before we knew it, the kid that had 7 goals and 11 assists at the combine looked at Denise and I and said, “Looks like you guys won’t have to go far to watch the team you own!” He grabbed his new Lightning hat and put it on announcing that he was the newest little Bolt. As Dougie was announcing his decision, Peter Mulligan had his phone ring and was heading to Boston to play for the Advantage, after a 4 goal, 3 assist campaign. Then came the call for the Mourning’s. Joey had 5 goals and 9 assists and Michael went 5-2 at the combine giving up 23 goals on 177 shots at the combine, but it apparently was their academics that peaked someone’s interest as they were both given full academic rides to Shattuck St. Mary’s in Minnesota. So that left Scott Green without a home and it wasn’t until about 1:30 that they got the call that after a 5 goal and 5 assist combine, he was also heading west, to the Arizona Bobcats.
July 10th to 31st
Over the next three weeks, we were receiving team applications from cities across the country for the renamed IHL, as the deadline for the applications was August 1, with a league announcement coming August 8, so that cities and teams could be ready for their October 21st start date. We also had to pack up our house to move out, as Dougie was going to be starting up his freshman year of high school on August 28, with official practicing beginning a week later. We had seen photos of how big our house was going to be and where it was located, which was mere minutes from both the rink and the high school. The plan was for Amy (Denise’s mom), Denise, Doug, and the twins to fly to the new house and begin to get things set up, I would load up some of the bigger stuff for the movers to take, and finally I would take the smaller stuff in the SUV and drive myself to the new house.
We would finally sign our first players on July 14th as goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brayden Point signed. The next day we made six signings: Forwards Auston Matthews, Alex Killorn, and Yanni Gourde; and defensemen Matt Grzelcyk, Erik Karlsson, and Victor Hedman. We also brought on Marc Crawford to be an assistant coach. The signings kept coming quickly in Tampa Bay as Craig Ramsey became an assistant coach, and forwards Carter Camper, Colton Gillies, and Jonathan Toews all signed and we found out that we have sold 15,595 season tickets on July 16.
We signed four more players on July 17th, goalie Jason Bacashihua, and forwards Adam Gaudette, Sam Lafferty, and Nathan MacKinnon. We also signed Julien BriseBois to be the Assistant GM, and scouts Don Maloney and Andre Savard. The next day we signed defensemen Ben Harper and Matt Benning along with goalie Thatcher Demko. We finally sign Mikhail Sergachev on July 19th, and the next day sign goalies Alex Nedeljkovic and Cale Morris and defensemen Ryan Sproul and Tucker Poolman. The 21st saw us sign defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and scouts Bill Barber, Ken Morrow, Greg Malone, and Mark Howe. Mathieu Joseph became the newest Tampa forward on the 22nd, while scouts Neil Smith, Larry Pleau, and Lorne Henning also signed. The Lightning would go three days without signing a player, although 11 additional season tickets were sold, bringing the total to 15,606.
On July 25th, Adam Clendening and Patrik Nemeth became Bolts players, followed by defenseman Johnny Oduya and forward Tomas Fleischman. The 27th saw the Bolts sign Physio Rich Campbell, forward Luke Glendening, but probably most importantly, Jon Cooper signed his Head Coaching contract. The signings just continued coming in fast and furious to end the month (28th) goalie Ryan Zapolski, and assistant coaches Mitch Korn and John MacLean (29th) defenseman Jason Demers (30th) forward Mikkel Bodker and defenseman Radko Gudas, and (31st) forwards Matt Puempel and Ben Maxwell. We sold 10 more season ticket packages, getting us to 15,616, but a lot of those season ticket holders and members of the press were starting to get a little antsy about why we had made all of these signings but why two of the city's most beloved players not only hadn't signed with Tampa Bay, but hadn't signed anywhere. Hopefully as the calendar turned to August, we would have some answers for our fanbase.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
August 1 - Benoit Pouliot signed with the Lightning.
August 2 - Tom Barrasso signed with the Bolts as an assistant coach and Carl Hagelin signed with the Bolts as well, but nothing could compare to the jolt that the franchise received when both Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov walked into Amalie Arena and signed their contracts with the franchise.
the
August 3 - The Bolts picked up another scout when Barry Trapp signed, and Nick Shore signed his player contract.
August 4 - Michael Frolik signed with Tampa for just a single season.
August 8 - I flew out to New York to the NHL Office to announce that we are officially the owners of the Kansas City Scouts and the owners/GM's of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but just as important I named the organizations that would be joining the new International Hockey League and took questions about some of the teams. There were some groans when Alpena, Michigan was announced, and when I was asked about it being too small of a city, I responded with Michigan being a very passionate state for hockey and the off-ice package that the representatives put together was phenomenal for the players. There were a lot of happy people when Bloomington, Illinois was announced, but when it was announced that Chicago would get a team, a quick why was brought up. My response was simple, we want to make sure that all of the fans in the Windy City had access to some form of professional hockey within a 30-minute drive and putting the team where we did accomplish that goal. A massive cheer would arise when the Connecticut Whale was introduced as they would play back in Hartford, the same could be said for Dayton, Ohio and Flint, Michigan, two passionate minor league cities. The last complaint was when the Florida Seals were announced, in that there are too many teams down there, but when the Miami Manatees were also announced and that they would headline opening night for the Sunshine State Showdown Trophy, the noise seemed to die down. A lot of fan noise was made for Johnstown, New York, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and VIctoria, British Columbia, all who had lost their minor league teams. San Francisco, California got a positive response, as did Savannah, Georgia, who showed off their slick black and neon green jerseys and would announce their nickname as the Ghost Pirates. The final team to get announced would be the South Bend, Indiana Irish, who would work together with the local university on ticket packages and game promotions, and already sold 3,500 season tickets. Meanwhile, while I was busy in New York, Denise was back in Tampa and welcomes Teuvo Teravainen to Bolts nation as he signed a one-year deal.
August 13 - After a five-day stretch where no one signed with Tampa, we signed four scouts, Ernie Gare, John Stanton, Mike Yandle, and Al Hill and the following day, the Lightning signed Dennis Patterson as a scout.
August 18 - Another four days would pass and then we would sign two physios, Joe Huff and Bryan Rogers to contracts.
August 20 - Good news and Bad News, Good News is that we have sold 15,648 season ticket packages. The bad news is just two and a half weeks after signing him, Nick Shore was lost in the waiver wire to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
August 21 - Our third and final physio, Dave Boyer signs his deal.
August 25 - Dougie got invited to hang out at the first high school football game of the season with some of his new friends from the high school and Denise and I decided to make it a family gathering. We arrived just as the players were on the field warming up and while Amy and Denise took the twins to go sit in the stands, I decided to stand along the fence. It didn't take long before someone noticed me, and they came over to start chatting. It was Mike Williams, the President of the Jr. Lightning board and in our discussions, I found out that his daughter played on the U19 girls team and was a junior at Dougie's school, but also, his son was an 8th grader on the Bantam Minor team. We were talking back and forth about different ideas within the league when his question finally came out, "Paul, the board would like to offer you the Bantam Major coaching position, would you be willing to take it?" Denise and I had talked about this before and at great length, but I did not want to make that decision without her present. I excused myself for a brief moment and sought out Denise in the stands. Once I found her, the two of us went back over to where Mike was standing and after the introductions were made, Mike presented his question again. It was at this time I was anticipating and answer of "Not A Chance!" But rather this answer came, "You are a grown man, you can make your own decisions. I will support you, especially since we have to be at the games anyway." I looked at Mike and said, "There is your answer."
August 31 - At the organization/board meeting all of the coaches were introduced to their teams and, I for one, was not ready for that kind of introduction. The teams would eventually all break away and have individual team meeting and at ours I preached hard work and discipline. Academics and family over athletics and let's have fun and be competitive at the same time. We also went over costs, practice times, pre-practice and pre-game expectations and other essentials to make everything run smoothly during the course of the season. We told the kids that we would be playing 50 games over the course of the season, with the possibility of more IF we finished in the top 16 of the Tier 1 Elite League and we went over as much of the schedule as we could:
TAMPA BAY JR. LIGHTNING SCHEDULE AS OF 8/31/17 Games in ALL CAPS are HOME (* Tier 1 Elite League Contests):
10/4 at Detroit Little Caesars*
10/8 FLORIDA ALLIANCE
10/12 BOSTON JR. TERRIERS*
10/16 FLORIDA ALLIANCE
10/19 HUNTSVILLR JR. CHARGERS*
10/23 vs. Calumet (MI) Ice Kings (MI SHOWCASE IN DETROIT)
10/27 vs. USA (MI) Eagles (MI SHOWCASE IN DETROIT)
10/30 FLORIDA KINGS
11/3 JACKSONVILLE JR. ICEMEN
11/6 at Belle Tire*
11/10 at St. Louis AAA Blues*
11/14 FOX MOTORS (MI)
11/17 ANAHEIM JR. DUCKS*
11/21 PLYMOUTH (MI) FLYERS
11/24 at Shattuck St. Mary's Sabres*
11/28 TAMPA BAY CRUNCH
12/2 vs. MONTGOMERY (MD) BLUE DEVILS (FLORIDA SHOWCASE)
12/5 CLEARWATER (FL) ICE STORM
12/9 vs L.A. Junior Kings* (at University of North Dakota Showcase)
12/12 at Carolina Junior Hurricanes*
12/16 vs. Minnesota Lakers (at Shattuck St. Mary's Showcase)
12/20 at Carolina Junior Hurricanes*
12/23 at Pittsburgh Penguins Elite*
12/27 FORT FRANCES CANADIANS
12/30 CONNECTICUT JUNIOR RANGERS
JANUARY AND BEYOND
1/19-21 at Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Showcase
1/26/28 at Indy Junior Fuel Showcase
2/10-12 at Soo Junior Lakers Showcase
3/23-25 at Vegas Junior Golden Knights Showcase
OTHER GAMES AND TIER 1 PLAYOFFS TBA
This would be a fun but challenging schedule, especially playing on the road, and I knew that Dougie had the game on November 24th circled on his calendar. But the showcases allowed them to see former combine teammates and in Dougie's case, all of his buddies from Sylvania. It was my job to keep everyone on task and focus on the job at hand, knowing that only 16 made the playoffs, and only the top team from the division was actually guaranteed a spot.
August 2 - Tom Barrasso signed with the Bolts as an assistant coach and Carl Hagelin signed with the Bolts as well, but nothing could compare to the jolt that the franchise received when both Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov walked into Amalie Arena and signed their contracts with the franchise.
the
August 3 - The Bolts picked up another scout when Barry Trapp signed, and Nick Shore signed his player contract.
August 4 - Michael Frolik signed with Tampa for just a single season.
August 8 - I flew out to New York to the NHL Office to announce that we are officially the owners of the Kansas City Scouts and the owners/GM's of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but just as important I named the organizations that would be joining the new International Hockey League and took questions about some of the teams. There were some groans when Alpena, Michigan was announced, and when I was asked about it being too small of a city, I responded with Michigan being a very passionate state for hockey and the off-ice package that the representatives put together was phenomenal for the players. There were a lot of happy people when Bloomington, Illinois was announced, but when it was announced that Chicago would get a team, a quick why was brought up. My response was simple, we want to make sure that all of the fans in the Windy City had access to some form of professional hockey within a 30-minute drive and putting the team where we did accomplish that goal. A massive cheer would arise when the Connecticut Whale was introduced as they would play back in Hartford, the same could be said for Dayton, Ohio and Flint, Michigan, two passionate minor league cities. The last complaint was when the Florida Seals were announced, in that there are too many teams down there, but when the Miami Manatees were also announced and that they would headline opening night for the Sunshine State Showdown Trophy, the noise seemed to die down. A lot of fan noise was made for Johnstown, New York, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and VIctoria, British Columbia, all who had lost their minor league teams. San Francisco, California got a positive response, as did Savannah, Georgia, who showed off their slick black and neon green jerseys and would announce their nickname as the Ghost Pirates. The final team to get announced would be the South Bend, Indiana Irish, who would work together with the local university on ticket packages and game promotions, and already sold 3,500 season tickets. Meanwhile, while I was busy in New York, Denise was back in Tampa and welcomes Teuvo Teravainen to Bolts nation as he signed a one-year deal.
August 13 - After a five-day stretch where no one signed with Tampa, we signed four scouts, Ernie Gare, John Stanton, Mike Yandle, and Al Hill and the following day, the Lightning signed Dennis Patterson as a scout.
August 18 - Another four days would pass and then we would sign two physios, Joe Huff and Bryan Rogers to contracts.
August 20 - Good news and Bad News, Good News is that we have sold 15,648 season ticket packages. The bad news is just two and a half weeks after signing him, Nick Shore was lost in the waiver wire to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
August 21 - Our third and final physio, Dave Boyer signs his deal.
August 25 - Dougie got invited to hang out at the first high school football game of the season with some of his new friends from the high school and Denise and I decided to make it a family gathering. We arrived just as the players were on the field warming up and while Amy and Denise took the twins to go sit in the stands, I decided to stand along the fence. It didn't take long before someone noticed me, and they came over to start chatting. It was Mike Williams, the President of the Jr. Lightning board and in our discussions, I found out that his daughter played on the U19 girls team and was a junior at Dougie's school, but also, his son was an 8th grader on the Bantam Minor team. We were talking back and forth about different ideas within the league when his question finally came out, "Paul, the board would like to offer you the Bantam Major coaching position, would you be willing to take it?" Denise and I had talked about this before and at great length, but I did not want to make that decision without her present. I excused myself for a brief moment and sought out Denise in the stands. Once I found her, the two of us went back over to where Mike was standing and after the introductions were made, Mike presented his question again. It was at this time I was anticipating and answer of "Not A Chance!" But rather this answer came, "You are a grown man, you can make your own decisions. I will support you, especially since we have to be at the games anyway." I looked at Mike and said, "There is your answer."
August 31 - At the organization/board meeting all of the coaches were introduced to their teams and, I for one, was not ready for that kind of introduction. The teams would eventually all break away and have individual team meeting and at ours I preached hard work and discipline. Academics and family over athletics and let's have fun and be competitive at the same time. We also went over costs, practice times, pre-practice and pre-game expectations and other essentials to make everything run smoothly during the course of the season. We told the kids that we would be playing 50 games over the course of the season, with the possibility of more IF we finished in the top 16 of the Tier 1 Elite League and we went over as much of the schedule as we could:
TAMPA BAY JR. LIGHTNING SCHEDULE AS OF 8/31/17 Games in ALL CAPS are HOME (* Tier 1 Elite League Contests):
10/4 at Detroit Little Caesars*
10/8 FLORIDA ALLIANCE
10/12 BOSTON JR. TERRIERS*
10/16 FLORIDA ALLIANCE
10/19 HUNTSVILLR JR. CHARGERS*
10/23 vs. Calumet (MI) Ice Kings (MI SHOWCASE IN DETROIT)
10/27 vs. USA (MI) Eagles (MI SHOWCASE IN DETROIT)
10/30 FLORIDA KINGS
11/3 JACKSONVILLE JR. ICEMEN
11/6 at Belle Tire*
11/10 at St. Louis AAA Blues*
11/14 FOX MOTORS (MI)
11/17 ANAHEIM JR. DUCKS*
11/21 PLYMOUTH (MI) FLYERS
11/24 at Shattuck St. Mary's Sabres*
11/28 TAMPA BAY CRUNCH
12/2 vs. MONTGOMERY (MD) BLUE DEVILS (FLORIDA SHOWCASE)
12/5 CLEARWATER (FL) ICE STORM
12/9 vs L.A. Junior Kings* (at University of North Dakota Showcase)
12/12 at Carolina Junior Hurricanes*
12/16 vs. Minnesota Lakers (at Shattuck St. Mary's Showcase)
12/20 at Carolina Junior Hurricanes*
12/23 at Pittsburgh Penguins Elite*
12/27 FORT FRANCES CANADIANS
12/30 CONNECTICUT JUNIOR RANGERS
JANUARY AND BEYOND
1/19-21 at Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Showcase
1/26/28 at Indy Junior Fuel Showcase
2/10-12 at Soo Junior Lakers Showcase
3/23-25 at Vegas Junior Golden Knights Showcase
OTHER GAMES AND TIER 1 PLAYOFFS TBA
This would be a fun but challenging schedule, especially playing on the road, and I knew that Dougie had the game on November 24th circled on his calendar. But the showcases allowed them to see former combine teammates and in Dougie's case, all of his buddies from Sylvania. It was my job to keep everyone on task and focus on the job at hand, knowing that only 16 made the playoffs, and only the top team from the division was actually guaranteed a spot.
-
Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
September 3 - We had sold 15,670 tickets.
September 7 - Dougie decided to try out for the high school golf team, as he had picked up the game last year and wanted to see if he could play a spring sport. He ended up making the junior varsity team, and they would play one tournament in December, one in January, and then the season would start in March. He was also named to the freshman homecoming court for the homecoming football game on September 29. Unbeknownst to both Denise and I, some of his hockey teammates that attended the same school, decided to help him find a homecoming date, and we were invited to the girls soccer game that night after his golf tryouts. He even made a sign and really went all out to impress his would be date, and not only did her team win, but she also said yes to Dougie, in front of all their friends. Now, if only he put that same effort into his practices on the ice!
September 12 - Training Camp starts with all of the usual rigorous testing, and Dougie and a couple of his buddies came to the testing. They were in awe of how hard these guys were working, but also how easy they made it look. I think it would have an impact on all of these Jr. Lightning players and show them exactly how much harder they needed to work to achieve their ultimate goal.
September 13 - Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman were very impressive in their preseason testing, according to the coaches, while Ryan Lohin and Otto Somppi were not. The first two preseason scrimmages were today, and Team Red defeated Team Blue 5-1 in game 1 with Nikita Kucherov getting a hat trick, Neil Zink getting two goals, Adam Clendening with three helpers, and Alex Killorn with a pair of assists. Brayden Point had Blue's only goal. In game 2, Team Green defeated Team White 4-1. Tomas Fleischmann and Jonathan Toews had three points each and Joel Vermin had a goal and an assist for Green, Alexander Volkov scored White's only goal. The Jr. Bolts also had a scrimmage after the Lightning, and after that was completed, I gathered the team at center ice and announced that there would be no practice on September 26th, but rather, the entire team (families included) and their homecoming dates (families included) would be invited to Amalie Arena for the Lightning preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
September 15 - Day two of the scrimmages goes pretty much as planned, with Team Red defeating Team Green 7-1. Kucherov had a five-point game, with another hat trick, Benoit Pouliot scored a pair with an assist, Hedman had a goal and three assists, and Teuvo Teravainen had the other goal. Fleischmann had the green tally. Team Blue skated past Team White 5-2. Point had two goals and an assist, Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist, and Ben Maxwell and Michael Frolik each scored a goal. Nolan Foote and Nathan MacKinnon had goals for Red.
September 17 - The third day of the scrimmages provided more goals as Blue beat White 5-2 in game 1 and Red beat Green 6-2 in game 2. In game 1, Carl Hagelin scored a pair of goals for Blue, Tucker Poolman added a goal and 2 assists, and Matt Puempel and Steven Stamkos also scored. Lohin scored for White and Adam Gaudette added a goal and a helper. In game 2, Kucherov upped his camp point total to 12 with a two-goal, two-assist performance. Teravainen added a pair of goals and an assist, Matt Grzelcyk also scored and added an assist, and Chris Paquette had a goal. Green was led by Mikhail Sergechev and Fleischmann had the goals for Green. Our first preseason game would be tomorrow at home, and it was a tough decision as to who we would play.
September 18 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 4 NJD 4 (TBL wins the shootout 2-0). We decided to play our young kids in this one and it nearly costs us. We were down 4-1 after two periods, but the coaching staff made some great adjustments and we scored three in the third period, and eventually won in the skills competition. Pouliot, Sommpi, and Camper each had a goal, and Joseph had a goal and an assist. Demko was solid in goal with 36 saves in his bid to become Vasy's backup. Since we played the young kids in game one, we'll play the veterans in game 2 of the preseason.
September 19 - The final day of scrimmages didn't disappoint with goals as Blue defeated White 8-3 in game 1 with Point getting a hat trick and an assist, Hagelin with a goal and two assists, Maxwell, Bodker, and Walcott each had a goal and a helper, and Karlsson had a goal for Blue, while MacKinnon had a pair of goals and Gaudette had a single goal for White. In the nightcap, Red defeated Green 7-2. Kucherov ended his camp with a camp high 17 points, with a four goal, one assist outburst. Teravainen had a goal and two assists, Pouliot had a goal and a helper, and Laffetry had a goal. McPherson and Vermin had goals for Green.
September 20 - Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, TBL 7 TOR 3. We fired a ridiculous 81 shots on goal, but only scored seven as Henrik Lundquist played out of his mind, making 74 saves. Matthews had two goals and an assist, Point had a goal and three assists, and Karlsson, Fleischmann, Stamkos, and Puempel each had a goal and an assist. Vasilevskiy made 11 saves in goal.
September 23 – Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, STL 3 TBL 2. It was an absolutely brutal display as the Bolts blew a pair of leads and the Blues came back to win thanks to a pair of powerplay goals. Gaudette and Gourde had the goals for the Bolts and Bacashihua made 19 saves, but the big story was the 48 save performance by Antti Raanta in the Blues net.
September 26 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 4 CHI 1. With everyone enjoying their time in the suite at Amalie Arena, we witness the Bolts fall behind Chicago just two minutes into the game, only for Tampa Bay to dominate the remaining 58 minutes of play. MacKinnon had a pair of goals, while Hagelin and Stamkos had a goal and an assist. Zapolski had 18 saves in the win. More importantly, we got to meet Dougie’s homecoming date, a very nice young lady named Heather, who was not only on the soccer team, but was on the golf team as well.
September 29- The kids had made the dinner reservations at a nice Italian restaurant, not too far from the arena and one of the other dads had rented a limo for the kids, and it seemed like it would be a great group of kids that were going to the game and then homecoming. We were able to get some pictures of Dougie and Heather and then told them all to have lots of fun at the dance. Denise and I went back to the house with the twins and had planned on dinner and a movie, but we all crashed out at 8:30 and never heard Dougie come home. Ah, the joys of parenting! The Bolts were in Edmonton for their last preseason game and easy knocked off the Oilers 6-0. Pietrangelo had a pair of goals and an assist. Toews had a goal and an assist, and Demers, Teravainen, and Point also scored. Vasy had 11 saves in the win. I had made the decision earlier in the day that I was going to be joining the team for their season opening matchup in just a couple days in Buffalo.
September 7 - Dougie decided to try out for the high school golf team, as he had picked up the game last year and wanted to see if he could play a spring sport. He ended up making the junior varsity team, and they would play one tournament in December, one in January, and then the season would start in March. He was also named to the freshman homecoming court for the homecoming football game on September 29. Unbeknownst to both Denise and I, some of his hockey teammates that attended the same school, decided to help him find a homecoming date, and we were invited to the girls soccer game that night after his golf tryouts. He even made a sign and really went all out to impress his would be date, and not only did her team win, but she also said yes to Dougie, in front of all their friends. Now, if only he put that same effort into his practices on the ice!
September 12 - Training Camp starts with all of the usual rigorous testing, and Dougie and a couple of his buddies came to the testing. They were in awe of how hard these guys were working, but also how easy they made it look. I think it would have an impact on all of these Jr. Lightning players and show them exactly how much harder they needed to work to achieve their ultimate goal.
September 13 - Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman were very impressive in their preseason testing, according to the coaches, while Ryan Lohin and Otto Somppi were not. The first two preseason scrimmages were today, and Team Red defeated Team Blue 5-1 in game 1 with Nikita Kucherov getting a hat trick, Neil Zink getting two goals, Adam Clendening with three helpers, and Alex Killorn with a pair of assists. Brayden Point had Blue's only goal. In game 2, Team Green defeated Team White 4-1. Tomas Fleischmann and Jonathan Toews had three points each and Joel Vermin had a goal and an assist for Green, Alexander Volkov scored White's only goal. The Jr. Bolts also had a scrimmage after the Lightning, and after that was completed, I gathered the team at center ice and announced that there would be no practice on September 26th, but rather, the entire team (families included) and their homecoming dates (families included) would be invited to Amalie Arena for the Lightning preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
September 15 - Day two of the scrimmages goes pretty much as planned, with Team Red defeating Team Green 7-1. Kucherov had a five-point game, with another hat trick, Benoit Pouliot scored a pair with an assist, Hedman had a goal and three assists, and Teuvo Teravainen had the other goal. Fleischmann had the green tally. Team Blue skated past Team White 5-2. Point had two goals and an assist, Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist, and Ben Maxwell and Michael Frolik each scored a goal. Nolan Foote and Nathan MacKinnon had goals for Red.
September 17 - The third day of the scrimmages provided more goals as Blue beat White 5-2 in game 1 and Red beat Green 6-2 in game 2. In game 1, Carl Hagelin scored a pair of goals for Blue, Tucker Poolman added a goal and 2 assists, and Matt Puempel and Steven Stamkos also scored. Lohin scored for White and Adam Gaudette added a goal and a helper. In game 2, Kucherov upped his camp point total to 12 with a two-goal, two-assist performance. Teravainen added a pair of goals and an assist, Matt Grzelcyk also scored and added an assist, and Chris Paquette had a goal. Green was led by Mikhail Sergechev and Fleischmann had the goals for Green. Our first preseason game would be tomorrow at home, and it was a tough decision as to who we would play.
September 18 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 4 NJD 4 (TBL wins the shootout 2-0). We decided to play our young kids in this one and it nearly costs us. We were down 4-1 after two periods, but the coaching staff made some great adjustments and we scored three in the third period, and eventually won in the skills competition. Pouliot, Sommpi, and Camper each had a goal, and Joseph had a goal and an assist. Demko was solid in goal with 36 saves in his bid to become Vasy's backup. Since we played the young kids in game one, we'll play the veterans in game 2 of the preseason.
September 19 - The final day of scrimmages didn't disappoint with goals as Blue defeated White 8-3 in game 1 with Point getting a hat trick and an assist, Hagelin with a goal and two assists, Maxwell, Bodker, and Walcott each had a goal and a helper, and Karlsson had a goal for Blue, while MacKinnon had a pair of goals and Gaudette had a single goal for White. In the nightcap, Red defeated Green 7-2. Kucherov ended his camp with a camp high 17 points, with a four goal, one assist outburst. Teravainen had a goal and two assists, Pouliot had a goal and a helper, and Laffetry had a goal. McPherson and Vermin had goals for Green.
September 20 - Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, TBL 7 TOR 3. We fired a ridiculous 81 shots on goal, but only scored seven as Henrik Lundquist played out of his mind, making 74 saves. Matthews had two goals and an assist, Point had a goal and three assists, and Karlsson, Fleischmann, Stamkos, and Puempel each had a goal and an assist. Vasilevskiy made 11 saves in goal.
September 23 – Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, STL 3 TBL 2. It was an absolutely brutal display as the Bolts blew a pair of leads and the Blues came back to win thanks to a pair of powerplay goals. Gaudette and Gourde had the goals for the Bolts and Bacashihua made 19 saves, but the big story was the 48 save performance by Antti Raanta in the Blues net.
September 26 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 4 CHI 1. With everyone enjoying their time in the suite at Amalie Arena, we witness the Bolts fall behind Chicago just two minutes into the game, only for Tampa Bay to dominate the remaining 58 minutes of play. MacKinnon had a pair of goals, while Hagelin and Stamkos had a goal and an assist. Zapolski had 18 saves in the win. More importantly, we got to meet Dougie’s homecoming date, a very nice young lady named Heather, who was not only on the soccer team, but was on the golf team as well.
September 29- The kids had made the dinner reservations at a nice Italian restaurant, not too far from the arena and one of the other dads had rented a limo for the kids, and it seemed like it would be a great group of kids that were going to the game and then homecoming. We were able to get some pictures of Dougie and Heather and then told them all to have lots of fun at the dance. Denise and I went back to the house with the twins and had planned on dinner and a movie, but we all crashed out at 8:30 and never heard Dougie come home. Ah, the joys of parenting! The Bolts were in Edmonton for their last preseason game and easy knocked off the Oilers 6-0. Pietrangelo had a pair of goals and an assist. Toews had a goal and an assist, and Demers, Teravainen, and Point also scored. Vasy had 11 saves in the win. I had made the decision earlier in the day that I was going to be joining the team for their season opening matchup in just a couple days in Buffalo.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
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A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
October 1 – Buffalo, New York, TBL 10 BUF 1. I was invited to the Tampa Bay dressing room before the game to give some words of encouragement and basically told the team that our front office staff truly believed that we were the best team in the NHL and the team to beat for the Stanley Cup and after heading up to the suite where the rest of my staff was, it was clearly obvious that we put together a phenomenal team. Nathan MacKinnon scored a pair of goals and added three assists, both Carl Hagelin and Nikita Kucherov had 2 goals and an assist, Mikael Bodker, Steven Stamkos, Auston Matthews, and Teuvo Teravainen all added goals. Alex Killorn added three assists, Adam Clendening, Alex Pietrangelo, and Jonathan Toews had two each, and Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, and Michal Frolik each had one. Andrey Vasilevskiy had an easy night in goal with 16 saves.
October 3 – Seattle, Washington TBL 5 SEA 2, not as convincing as opening night was but a win, nonetheless. Bodker had the first hat trick of the season, while Fleischmann and MacKinnon also scored. Matthews had three helpers, while Hedman, Clendening, Demers, Stamkos, and Point all had an assist. Vasy was big making 27 saves, 10 of them when the score was only 2-1. I was also in attendance, but unlike the rest of the team, I got off of the teams' flight from Seattle to Carolina when it stopped off in Detroit for refueling, because I had another season opener to attend to.
October 4 – Detroit, Michigan, U14 TBL 4 LC 3. The first game of the season for Dougie’s team and we didn’t disappoint. Dougie started on the checking line and the first penalty kill unit and he was excellent in both. He only got a 5 rating in the game, but that didn’t tell the whole story. While he didn’t get a point, he still played 19 minutes and 28 seconds, with 1:34 on the power play and a team high 3:23 on the penalty kill. We took way too many penalties for my liking, but we killed off six of the seven penalties. We were able to bury a couple goals with the man advantage and our goalie was very good. We have four days off until we’re back on home ice, but for now, we’ll take the two points in the league and head home.
October 5 – Raleigh, North Carolina. TBL 13 CRL 1. We ended up booking a suite for the team at PNC Arena and the Bolts scored early and often, jumping out to a 6-0 lead after 1 and never looking back. Stamkos and Kucherov both had hat tricks and three helpers, Karlsson added two goals and five assists, MacKinnon scored two goals, Hedman and Killorn had a goal and two assists, Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist, and Fleischmann had five assists. Vasy made 17 saves in net. After the game, everyone flew back on the teams’ jumbo jet to get ready for our home openers.
October 7 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL 11 CRL 1. The Jr. Bolts would have a practice at Amalie 3 hours before the game and everyone was given the option of coming to the game. Most of the kids took us up on our offer and Dougie asked if Heather and her family could come to the game. They were all treated to an outstanding game as it was only 3-1 after 1, but a 5-goal second period put the game away quickly. Matthews had two goals and two assists, Point chipped in two goals, Karlsson had a goal and three assists, Killorn and Kucherov both had a goal and an assist, Stamkos, Toews, and MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Fleischmann added a goal, Pietrangelo registered three assists, Bodker two, and Hedman and Clendening had one each. Vasy made 19 saves, and after the game Kucherov was named NHL Offensive Player of the Week with 4 games played, 6 goals, and 6 assists.
October 8 – Amalie Arena U14 TBL 6 Florida Alliance 1. Dougie had asked Denise to wash both jerseys after we had gotten home and I didn’t think it was odd that she did that, however, what I did think was odd that when he carried his jerseys into Amalie Arena, he only had his white one. Denise had asked Heather and her parents to the game and Dougie wanted Heather to wear his blue jersey. Well, it must have worked as we scored three goals in the first period of our early Sunday morning matchup and coasted to the win. Dougie had a chance to make it 3-0 on a 2-on-1 break and his shot from the left dot was kicked away with an impressive right toe save by the Alliance goalie. Dougie would later be on the ice for a goal against, as he was caught out of position, and his defenseman that he was supposed to be covering was able to rip a one-timer home. In any event he played just shy of 16 minutes, was -1 with a shot on goal, 30 seconds on the powerplay and 3:35 on the penalty kill for a 6 rating. We would have 2 days of practice before our next test.
October 9 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan TBL 4 SAS 1. We received two bits of bad news, as both Toews and Pouliot were put on the IR with undisclosed injuries, forcing us to recall Gourde and Puempel from Jacksonville. The two players made it to Saskatoon on time and were immediately inserted into the lineup. Stamkos would have two goals, and an assist, Gourde and MacKinnon added goals, Kucherov had two assists, and Hedman, Clendening, Killorn, Fleischmann, and Puempel had assists. Vasy made 22 saves in the win.
October 11 – Houston, Texas TBL 6 HOU 1. I really wanted to make it out to Houston for our trip but we had a bad practice the night before, so we had mandatory off-ice conditioning today. I was able to catch the game on the radio and found out that Point and Teravainen had a goal and an assist, Karlsson, Joseph, Kucherov, and MacKinnon all added goals. Fleischmann and Stamkos had two assists, Hedman, Puempel, Frolik, and Demers each had one. Vasy made 23 saves, and the board called me to tell me that they were very pleased with the result.
October 12 – Amalie Arena U14 TBL 3 Boston Jr. Terriers 3. A very sloppy game in which we had to come back three times to get a tie, we really tried to give the game away. Case in point was Dougie making a cross-ice pass right through the middle of the ice in our defensive zone and all their guy did was rip a slapper bar down. That didn’t sit well with me and Dougie sat for 10 minutes of game time. Even with that giveaway, he was only -1 in 12:30 of game time, 1:56 of that on the penalty kill and a 7 rating.
October 13 – Las Vegas, Nevada TBL 3 VGK 1, a pretty ugly game in a game that wasn’t decided until late in the third on Gourde’s empty netter. Bodker and Puempel had a goal and an assist, Oduya, Joseph, and MacKinnon had an assist. Vasy made 22 saves in the win and Teravainen played in his 200th NHL game.
October 15 – Columbus, Ohio TBL 10 CBJ 1 This ended up leaving a black eye on our organization, but before the end game fireworks took place, Kucherov scored four goals and added an assist, Fleischmann had a pair of goals and three assists, Stamkos had a goal and two assists, Matthews added a goal and an assist, and Frolik and Gourde also scored. Karlsson added five assists, Hedman had two helpers, Sergachev, Pietrangelo, Bodker, and Hagelin all chipped in one assist. Vasy had 21 saves. However, near the end the game, Vasy got run over and everyone on the ice (Sergachev, Matthews, Pietrangelo, Stamkos and Vasy) ended up pairing off in separate fights. Somehow, Vasy ended up getting a match penalty (the Blue Jackets goalie also got one), but it would result in a one game suspension for Vasy. Stamkos recorded his 600th NHL point in the game and afterwards, goaltender Cale Morris was recalled from Jacksonville, while Mathieu Joseph was sent down.
October 16 – Amalie Arena, U14 TBL 4 Florida Alliance 2. Another home game, another win for the little bolts as we got contributions from everyone. Dougie was a man on a mission as he had three big hits, including one that ended up knocking a player off of the puck and our top scorer ended up picking up the puck and burying it for the game-winner. He also had a shot on goal that nearly went in, had it not been for the quick thinking of an Alliance defenseman to clear it off the goal line. He did turn the puck over four times, which he wasn’t happy about, but he did block five shots in his 14:54 of ice time. He recorded a 6 rating, and was on the ice for 3:50 of penalty kill time and 42 seconds of powerplay time.
October 17 – Amalie Arena, TBL 5 MIL 2. The Jr. Bolts had a 4pm practice, which gave me enough time to get off the ice and get ready for our first matchup with the expansion Admirals. It also gave me a chance to look at Vasy’s backup Ryan Zapolski, who would be making his NHL debut. “Zappy,” wouldn’t disappoint as made 22 saves to pick up the win. Stamkos would supply the offense with a hat trick, Killorn added a goal, and an assist and Fleischmann scored as well. Hedman, Karlsson, and Kucherov all had two assists.
October 19 – Amalie Arena, U14 Jr. Bolts 4 Huntsville Jr. Chargers 2. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, as we had to come back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, but a strong third period allowed us to come back and win. Dougie was on the ice for the first goal of the contest, a miscommunication on a pass that led to an odd man rush the other way, but he played better the rest of the way. He played 15:47, with a shot on goal, a huge crunching hit that led to a retaliation penalty and blocked a shot in the waning moments of the contest. He played 3:04 on the powerplay, 2:36 of penalty kill time and was a rating. As for the NHL Bolts, Jonathan Toews was activated off of the IR and Cale Morris was sent back to Jacksonville.
October 20 – Amalie Arena, TBL 15-3. In a rare sight in an NHL game, all 18 skaters registered a point in the rout. Toews and Hagelin had 6 points (3 and 3, and 2 and 4) respectively, Kucherov and MacKinnon both went for 2 and 2, Hedman and Demers each had three helpers, Stamkos (2G), Matthews and Teravainen (1 and 1), and Bodker and Fleischmann (2A) all had two points, and Frolik and Point (G), along with Sergachev, Clendening, Karlsson, Pietrangelo, and Killorn (A) all had 1 point. Vasy 17 saves in the game after his suspension. Hagelin earned his 200th career point, Fleischmann his 200th career assist.
October 21 – Kucherov named NHL Offensive Player of the Week and Player of the Week, while Karlsson was named NHL Defensive Player of the Week.
October 22 – Amalie Arena, TBL 6 SEA 1. Another win against a Western Conference opponent as the Bolts led from the opening puck drop. Bodker had two goals and an assist, while Stamkos, Pietrangelo, Toews, and Fleischmann also scored. Hedman had two assists, and Sergachev, Karlsson, Matthews, Frolik, Kucherov, MacKinnon, Point, and Teravainen each had one. Vasy had 20 saves, and Bodker’s second goal was his 100th NHL goal. After the game, the entire family rushed to the Tampa/St. Pete Airport and headed to Detroit, for the Michigan Hockey Showcase.
October 23 – Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan u14 TBL 7 Calumet Ice Kings 1, Dougie had been texting his buddies all week and now they were all going to be in the same part of the country. We adjusted our own schedule and made sure that we could watch everyone play over the course of the week and we started at noon at Little Caesars Arena to watch Scott Green get a goal and an assist to help his Arizona Bobcats defeat the Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings. We then headed to Big Boy Arena in Fraser to watch the Mournings, as Joey scored twice and added an assist, and Michael had 21 saves as the Shattuck St. Mary’s Sabres defeated the Farmington Hills Fire 5-1. Finally, it was time for Dougie’s game at 8pm and he finally played a complete game. He scored on the opening shift finishing off a 2-on-1 beating the Kings goalie upstairs to make it 1-0. We would score four unanswered goals before the Kings got on the board, but Dougie would rip a slapper home from just inside the left circle to make it 5-1 and we would coast to victory. Dougie played 16:31, was a plus 1 with three shots on goal. He played 4:10 on the powerplay, 2:46 on the penalty kill with a hit and a shot block. He was credited with the game winning goal and a rating of 9 and the first thing he did in the car ride back to the hotel was call Heather, and what made Denise, and I laugh was hearing her say, “my little Bolt got a brace…I mean a pair of goals!”
October 24 – Amalie Arena, TBL 4 VAN 1. Bodker with a goal and a helper, Hedman, Hagelin, and Matthews also scored. Point had two helpers, Karlsson, Stamkos, and MacKinnon added one and Vasy made 23 saves.
October 27 – Big Boy Arena, Fraser, MI u14 TBL 5 USA Eagles 1. We scored the first five goals of the game and had a running clock situation in the third period, until the Eagles got one late. Dougie was out there for the second goal, with a perfect screen in front of the goalie. He played 14 and a half minutes, with the +1 rating, just a couple seconds on the powerplay and 2:54 on the penalty kill. He also had a giveaway, which thankfully did not end up in the back of the net and had an end game rating of 5. We were able to watch Peter Mulligan’s game against the Anaheim Jr. Ducks that ended 3-3 and we also watched Adam Madison, and the San Jose Jr. Sharks defeat the Troy (Michigan) Sting 4-2, although neither player scored a goal. We were able to get to our flight in plenty of time and this time I had the twins sitting with me, while Dougie and Denise had the first-class tickets. The twins and I watched our big Bolts defeat the Quebec Nordiques 5-1. Stamkos had two goals and two assists, Kucherov had two goals and Hagelin had 1. Hedman, Demers, Clendening, Killorn, and Teravainen had one each and Vasy made 25 saves. Pouliot was recalled from the IR and Puempel was sent to Jacksonville.
October 28 Puempel was claimed off of waivers by the Minnesota Wild.
October 29 - Anaheim, California TBL 4 ANA 1. Steven Stamkos played in his 600th NHL game, but that was one of very few bright spots in the win. We looked very sluggish in the first and it was scoreless going into the second, but we scored three in the middle frame and coasted. Stamkos had a goal and two assists, Killorn and Kucherov had one and one, and Karlsson added a goal. Matthews and MacKinnon had an assist and Vasy made 18 saves.
October 30 – Amalie Arena, U14 TBL 7 Florida Kings 1. Dougie did a little bit of everything in this contest, as he began to embrace his role as a second/third line winger and grinder. He played a little over 16 minutes and was a plus 1 after another bone crunching hit, this time in the high slot, resulted in a turnover that his center picked up and made a nice pass to our left winger on the back door, who slammed it home. He would add another hit, a shot block, and a shot on goal. He played 4:36 on the penalty kill, 1:18 on the powerplay, for a rating of 6. After the game was over, the assistant coaches sprinted to the locker room and the team quickly skated off of the ice after the handshake line and the officials and the Kings coaching staff wanted to have a word about some of the penalties. When the meeting was over, I went towards our room and when I walked in, all of the parents, coaches, and players decided to sing happy birthday, which I thought was a wonderful gesture. After which, a number of the parents rented out an area at the local Dave and Busters and we celebrated an amazing day.
October 31 – Steven Stamkos was named the NHL Offensive Player of the Month scoring 17 goals with 15 assists for 32 points in 14 games. Victor Hedman was named the NHL Defensive Player of the Month with 2 goals and 17 assists for 19 points in 14 games.
October 3 – Seattle, Washington TBL 5 SEA 2, not as convincing as opening night was but a win, nonetheless. Bodker had the first hat trick of the season, while Fleischmann and MacKinnon also scored. Matthews had three helpers, while Hedman, Clendening, Demers, Stamkos, and Point all had an assist. Vasy was big making 27 saves, 10 of them when the score was only 2-1. I was also in attendance, but unlike the rest of the team, I got off of the teams' flight from Seattle to Carolina when it stopped off in Detroit for refueling, because I had another season opener to attend to.
October 4 – Detroit, Michigan, U14 TBL 4 LC 3. The first game of the season for Dougie’s team and we didn’t disappoint. Dougie started on the checking line and the first penalty kill unit and he was excellent in both. He only got a 5 rating in the game, but that didn’t tell the whole story. While he didn’t get a point, he still played 19 minutes and 28 seconds, with 1:34 on the power play and a team high 3:23 on the penalty kill. We took way too many penalties for my liking, but we killed off six of the seven penalties. We were able to bury a couple goals with the man advantage and our goalie was very good. We have four days off until we’re back on home ice, but for now, we’ll take the two points in the league and head home.
October 5 – Raleigh, North Carolina. TBL 13 CRL 1. We ended up booking a suite for the team at PNC Arena and the Bolts scored early and often, jumping out to a 6-0 lead after 1 and never looking back. Stamkos and Kucherov both had hat tricks and three helpers, Karlsson added two goals and five assists, MacKinnon scored two goals, Hedman and Killorn had a goal and two assists, Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist, and Fleischmann had five assists. Vasy made 17 saves in net. After the game, everyone flew back on the teams’ jumbo jet to get ready for our home openers.
October 7 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL 11 CRL 1. The Jr. Bolts would have a practice at Amalie 3 hours before the game and everyone was given the option of coming to the game. Most of the kids took us up on our offer and Dougie asked if Heather and her family could come to the game. They were all treated to an outstanding game as it was only 3-1 after 1, but a 5-goal second period put the game away quickly. Matthews had two goals and two assists, Point chipped in two goals, Karlsson had a goal and three assists, Killorn and Kucherov both had a goal and an assist, Stamkos, Toews, and MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Fleischmann added a goal, Pietrangelo registered three assists, Bodker two, and Hedman and Clendening had one each. Vasy made 19 saves, and after the game Kucherov was named NHL Offensive Player of the Week with 4 games played, 6 goals, and 6 assists.
October 8 – Amalie Arena U14 TBL 6 Florida Alliance 1. Dougie had asked Denise to wash both jerseys after we had gotten home and I didn’t think it was odd that she did that, however, what I did think was odd that when he carried his jerseys into Amalie Arena, he only had his white one. Denise had asked Heather and her parents to the game and Dougie wanted Heather to wear his blue jersey. Well, it must have worked as we scored three goals in the first period of our early Sunday morning matchup and coasted to the win. Dougie had a chance to make it 3-0 on a 2-on-1 break and his shot from the left dot was kicked away with an impressive right toe save by the Alliance goalie. Dougie would later be on the ice for a goal against, as he was caught out of position, and his defenseman that he was supposed to be covering was able to rip a one-timer home. In any event he played just shy of 16 minutes, was -1 with a shot on goal, 30 seconds on the powerplay and 3:35 on the penalty kill for a 6 rating. We would have 2 days of practice before our next test.
October 9 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan TBL 4 SAS 1. We received two bits of bad news, as both Toews and Pouliot were put on the IR with undisclosed injuries, forcing us to recall Gourde and Puempel from Jacksonville. The two players made it to Saskatoon on time and were immediately inserted into the lineup. Stamkos would have two goals, and an assist, Gourde and MacKinnon added goals, Kucherov had two assists, and Hedman, Clendening, Killorn, Fleischmann, and Puempel had assists. Vasy made 22 saves in the win.
October 11 – Houston, Texas TBL 6 HOU 1. I really wanted to make it out to Houston for our trip but we had a bad practice the night before, so we had mandatory off-ice conditioning today. I was able to catch the game on the radio and found out that Point and Teravainen had a goal and an assist, Karlsson, Joseph, Kucherov, and MacKinnon all added goals. Fleischmann and Stamkos had two assists, Hedman, Puempel, Frolik, and Demers each had one. Vasy made 23 saves, and the board called me to tell me that they were very pleased with the result.
October 12 – Amalie Arena U14 TBL 3 Boston Jr. Terriers 3. A very sloppy game in which we had to come back three times to get a tie, we really tried to give the game away. Case in point was Dougie making a cross-ice pass right through the middle of the ice in our defensive zone and all their guy did was rip a slapper bar down. That didn’t sit well with me and Dougie sat for 10 minutes of game time. Even with that giveaway, he was only -1 in 12:30 of game time, 1:56 of that on the penalty kill and a 7 rating.
October 13 – Las Vegas, Nevada TBL 3 VGK 1, a pretty ugly game in a game that wasn’t decided until late in the third on Gourde’s empty netter. Bodker and Puempel had a goal and an assist, Oduya, Joseph, and MacKinnon had an assist. Vasy made 22 saves in the win and Teravainen played in his 200th NHL game.
October 15 – Columbus, Ohio TBL 10 CBJ 1 This ended up leaving a black eye on our organization, but before the end game fireworks took place, Kucherov scored four goals and added an assist, Fleischmann had a pair of goals and three assists, Stamkos had a goal and two assists, Matthews added a goal and an assist, and Frolik and Gourde also scored. Karlsson added five assists, Hedman had two helpers, Sergachev, Pietrangelo, Bodker, and Hagelin all chipped in one assist. Vasy had 21 saves. However, near the end the game, Vasy got run over and everyone on the ice (Sergachev, Matthews, Pietrangelo, Stamkos and Vasy) ended up pairing off in separate fights. Somehow, Vasy ended up getting a match penalty (the Blue Jackets goalie also got one), but it would result in a one game suspension for Vasy. Stamkos recorded his 600th NHL point in the game and afterwards, goaltender Cale Morris was recalled from Jacksonville, while Mathieu Joseph was sent down.
October 16 – Amalie Arena, U14 TBL 4 Florida Alliance 2. Another home game, another win for the little bolts as we got contributions from everyone. Dougie was a man on a mission as he had three big hits, including one that ended up knocking a player off of the puck and our top scorer ended up picking up the puck and burying it for the game-winner. He also had a shot on goal that nearly went in, had it not been for the quick thinking of an Alliance defenseman to clear it off the goal line. He did turn the puck over four times, which he wasn’t happy about, but he did block five shots in his 14:54 of ice time. He recorded a 6 rating, and was on the ice for 3:50 of penalty kill time and 42 seconds of powerplay time.
October 17 – Amalie Arena, TBL 5 MIL 2. The Jr. Bolts had a 4pm practice, which gave me enough time to get off the ice and get ready for our first matchup with the expansion Admirals. It also gave me a chance to look at Vasy’s backup Ryan Zapolski, who would be making his NHL debut. “Zappy,” wouldn’t disappoint as made 22 saves to pick up the win. Stamkos would supply the offense with a hat trick, Killorn added a goal, and an assist and Fleischmann scored as well. Hedman, Karlsson, and Kucherov all had two assists.
October 19 – Amalie Arena, U14 Jr. Bolts 4 Huntsville Jr. Chargers 2. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, as we had to come back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, but a strong third period allowed us to come back and win. Dougie was on the ice for the first goal of the contest, a miscommunication on a pass that led to an odd man rush the other way, but he played better the rest of the way. He played 15:47, with a shot on goal, a huge crunching hit that led to a retaliation penalty and blocked a shot in the waning moments of the contest. He played 3:04 on the powerplay, 2:36 of penalty kill time and was a rating. As for the NHL Bolts, Jonathan Toews was activated off of the IR and Cale Morris was sent back to Jacksonville.
October 20 – Amalie Arena, TBL 15-3. In a rare sight in an NHL game, all 18 skaters registered a point in the rout. Toews and Hagelin had 6 points (3 and 3, and 2 and 4) respectively, Kucherov and MacKinnon both went for 2 and 2, Hedman and Demers each had three helpers, Stamkos (2G), Matthews and Teravainen (1 and 1), and Bodker and Fleischmann (2A) all had two points, and Frolik and Point (G), along with Sergachev, Clendening, Karlsson, Pietrangelo, and Killorn (A) all had 1 point. Vasy 17 saves in the game after his suspension. Hagelin earned his 200th career point, Fleischmann his 200th career assist.
October 21 – Kucherov named NHL Offensive Player of the Week and Player of the Week, while Karlsson was named NHL Defensive Player of the Week.
October 22 – Amalie Arena, TBL 6 SEA 1. Another win against a Western Conference opponent as the Bolts led from the opening puck drop. Bodker had two goals and an assist, while Stamkos, Pietrangelo, Toews, and Fleischmann also scored. Hedman had two assists, and Sergachev, Karlsson, Matthews, Frolik, Kucherov, MacKinnon, Point, and Teravainen each had one. Vasy had 20 saves, and Bodker’s second goal was his 100th NHL goal. After the game, the entire family rushed to the Tampa/St. Pete Airport and headed to Detroit, for the Michigan Hockey Showcase.
October 23 – Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan u14 TBL 7 Calumet Ice Kings 1, Dougie had been texting his buddies all week and now they were all going to be in the same part of the country. We adjusted our own schedule and made sure that we could watch everyone play over the course of the week and we started at noon at Little Caesars Arena to watch Scott Green get a goal and an assist to help his Arizona Bobcats defeat the Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings. We then headed to Big Boy Arena in Fraser to watch the Mournings, as Joey scored twice and added an assist, and Michael had 21 saves as the Shattuck St. Mary’s Sabres defeated the Farmington Hills Fire 5-1. Finally, it was time for Dougie’s game at 8pm and he finally played a complete game. He scored on the opening shift finishing off a 2-on-1 beating the Kings goalie upstairs to make it 1-0. We would score four unanswered goals before the Kings got on the board, but Dougie would rip a slapper home from just inside the left circle to make it 5-1 and we would coast to victory. Dougie played 16:31, was a plus 1 with three shots on goal. He played 4:10 on the powerplay, 2:46 on the penalty kill with a hit and a shot block. He was credited with the game winning goal and a rating of 9 and the first thing he did in the car ride back to the hotel was call Heather, and what made Denise, and I laugh was hearing her say, “my little Bolt got a brace…I mean a pair of goals!”
October 24 – Amalie Arena, TBL 4 VAN 1. Bodker with a goal and a helper, Hedman, Hagelin, and Matthews also scored. Point had two helpers, Karlsson, Stamkos, and MacKinnon added one and Vasy made 23 saves.
October 27 – Big Boy Arena, Fraser, MI u14 TBL 5 USA Eagles 1. We scored the first five goals of the game and had a running clock situation in the third period, until the Eagles got one late. Dougie was out there for the second goal, with a perfect screen in front of the goalie. He played 14 and a half minutes, with the +1 rating, just a couple seconds on the powerplay and 2:54 on the penalty kill. He also had a giveaway, which thankfully did not end up in the back of the net and had an end game rating of 5. We were able to watch Peter Mulligan’s game against the Anaheim Jr. Ducks that ended 3-3 and we also watched Adam Madison, and the San Jose Jr. Sharks defeat the Troy (Michigan) Sting 4-2, although neither player scored a goal. We were able to get to our flight in plenty of time and this time I had the twins sitting with me, while Dougie and Denise had the first-class tickets. The twins and I watched our big Bolts defeat the Quebec Nordiques 5-1. Stamkos had two goals and two assists, Kucherov had two goals and Hagelin had 1. Hedman, Demers, Clendening, Killorn, and Teravainen had one each and Vasy made 25 saves. Pouliot was recalled from the IR and Puempel was sent to Jacksonville.
October 28 Puempel was claimed off of waivers by the Minnesota Wild.
October 29 - Anaheim, California TBL 4 ANA 1. Steven Stamkos played in his 600th NHL game, but that was one of very few bright spots in the win. We looked very sluggish in the first and it was scoreless going into the second, but we scored three in the middle frame and coasted. Stamkos had a goal and two assists, Killorn and Kucherov had one and one, and Karlsson added a goal. Matthews and MacKinnon had an assist and Vasy made 18 saves.
October 30 – Amalie Arena, U14 TBL 7 Florida Kings 1. Dougie did a little bit of everything in this contest, as he began to embrace his role as a second/third line winger and grinder. He played a little over 16 minutes and was a plus 1 after another bone crunching hit, this time in the high slot, resulted in a turnover that his center picked up and made a nice pass to our left winger on the back door, who slammed it home. He would add another hit, a shot block, and a shot on goal. He played 4:36 on the penalty kill, 1:18 on the powerplay, for a rating of 6. After the game was over, the assistant coaches sprinted to the locker room and the team quickly skated off of the ice after the handshake line and the officials and the Kings coaching staff wanted to have a word about some of the penalties. When the meeting was over, I went towards our room and when I walked in, all of the parents, coaches, and players decided to sing happy birthday, which I thought was a wonderful gesture. After which, a number of the parents rented out an area at the local Dave and Busters and we celebrated an amazing day.
October 31 – Steven Stamkos was named the NHL Offensive Player of the Month scoring 17 goals with 15 assists for 32 points in 14 games. Victor Hedman was named the NHL Defensive Player of the Month with 2 goals and 17 assists for 19 points in 14 games.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
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A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
November 1 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania TBL 4 PIT 1, another sloppy game, but somehow, we managed to get a win. Kucherov played in his 300th NHL game, Matthews scored twice, Bodker had a goal and an assist, Stamkos added one as well, Karlsson and Oduya had a pair of assists, and Pouliot and MacKinnon had an assist. Vasy made 25 saves, as we stole that win.
November 3 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 6 Jacksonville Jr. Icemen 2: We jumped out to a 4-0 lead after a period and pretty much coasted. Dougie continued his hitting spree with a couple of crunching hits, the second one knocked a puck carrier off the puck, and our defenseman picked it up at our blue line, leading to a 3 on 1, and we finished it. He only saw a few seconds of penalty kill time and was a plus 1, with a 7 rating in 7:20 of ice time. We got to roll all four lines, which we will need come playoff time.
November 4 – Tampa, Florida, TBL 2 COL 0. Vasy put on a show and was the games’ first star with a 21 save shutout. Kucherov had a goal and an assist, Karlsson added the empty netter, while Killorn had two helpers, and Stamkos had one.
November 6 – Big Boy Arena, Fraser, MI, Belle Tire 4 TBL U14 2: This was a penalty filled game as both teams were called for 10 penalties. I had to call a timeout late in the second after we committed our 9th penalty and read the riot act to the kids. I ended the speech by saying that the next penalty would sit the rest of the game and minutes into the third, our leading scorer took an unnecessary slashing penalty, so he sat the remainder of the game, and it cost us. The locker room was dead silent when I walked in and I spoke my peace and left, only to be confronted by the parents of our leading scorer and when I explained my reasoning, they agreed with me and would talk to their son on the way to the hotel. Dougie played a little over 19 minutes, but almost 5 and a half were on the penalty kill and a little over a minute of powerplay time. He had a shot block that led to a goal for us and a giveaway that led to a goal for them. I bought the entire team pizza, and we watched the pro Bolts defeat the Atlanta Thrashers 9-0. Point had 2 goals, Bodker a goal and three assists, Gourde had one and one. Other goals were scored by Killorn, Hagelin, Toews, Teravainen, and Kucherov. Hedman had six assists, MacKinnon had three, Karlsson had two, and Pouliot and Frolik had one. Vasy had 23 saves for his 2nd shutout.
November 7 – While the u14s were on the ice in Detroit for practice, I got a call from Coach Cooper saying that Clendening had suffered a groin strain at practice and would be out for ten days, meaning Ryan Sproul would get called up.
November 8 – After the team got off the ice in Bloomington, Illinois, we began the journey to St. Louis for a game against the AAA Blues, but we ended up catching the Bolts game on the radio and listened to a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Toews scored twice, Karlsson had a goal and an assist, Killorn, Bodker, and Kucherov had a goal, Pietrangelo had two assists, Hedman, Oduya, Sproul, Demers, Hagelin, Stamkos, and Matthews had one. Vasy made 22 saves in net.
November 10 – Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, TBL U14 4 St. Louis AAA Blues 2, A much better effort as we led from start to finish. Dougie got leveled with a clean hit right in front of our bench in the second period and our team doctor issued his diagnosis of bruised ribs, which ruled him out for the rest of the game. In the four minutes and 25 seconds that he played, he earned a 7 rating, but he was not happy that he could not finish the game.
November 11 – Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada TBL 4 CGY 0, Vasy was the story, picking up his 3rd shutout in four games. He only made 17 saves, but his first two were a breakaway in the opening minute and a 3 on 1 three minutes in. The offense eventually woke up as Bodker had a goal and an assist, MacKinnon and Fleischmann added goals. Stamkos had two helpers, Karlsson, Pietrangelo, Killorn, Matthews, and Gourde had one each.
November 13 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL 10 NYI 0, we had a slight incident before this game as Dougie and Heather wanted to go down to the ice and take the twins with them. Well, Quinn got near the glass and when he started slapping the glass, Kucherov tapped the glass back, startling Quinn to the point where he fell on the steel steps and started crying. Heather and Dougie brought the twins back up to the suite and Heather explained everything and took responsibility, to which Denise and I forgave her immediately and just chalked it up to it being an accident. We would then be treated to a terrific performance as Point, Gourde, and Sproul each scored twice, Killorn and Kucherov each had a goal and two helpers, Stamkos had a goal and a helper, and Hagelin had a goal. Hedman had three assists, Oduya, Karlsson, and Matthews (in his 100th NHL game) had a pair of assists, Pietrangelo, Bodker, Toews, and Fleischmann each had an assist and Vasy had his 4th shutout in 5 games making just 11 saves. As we headed past the players entrance on the way out, we heard a familiar voice call out to get my attention, and it was Nikita Kucherov, who came up to us and apologized for scaring Quinn during warmups. We had a good laugh over the whole thing and he had autographed pucks for the four kids and posed for pictures with the entire group, just a class act.
November 14- Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 5 Fox Motors (Michigan) 2. Dougie had his ribs taped up for this one and we monitored his ice time. He played almost 8 and a half minutes and was a plus one. He should have had an assist, but a shot from the point was deflected in at the last second. It was a good team game that we never trailed.
November 15 – Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. TBL 5 EDM 1, I decided to fly out for this game, as we didn’t have practice that day and it was another solid effort from our group. Matthews had two goals, MacKinnon had a goal and a helper, Hagelin and Kucherov had the other goals. Oduya, Killorn (his second being career point number 200), and Stamkos had two assists, Bodker and Point had an assist and Vasy made 15 saves. Fleischmann played in his 600th NHL game.
November 17 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 3 Anaheim Jr. Ducks 3, Dougie again had his ribs taped up, and he had a shot on goal, but he also had a hit that led to the goal that made it 3-3 as the defenseman was coming up the middle of the ice, Dougie caught him, and the second forechecking forward whipped the puck past a stunned Ducks goalie. That was a huge powerplay goal and he didn’t look in pain after that hit or the 6:11 of ice time. In the nightcap, the Bolts took care of the St. Louis Blues 6-2 as both Bodker and Matthews had a goal and an assist. Karlsson, Killorn, Toews, and Fleischmann added a goal. Hedman and Point had two assists, and Sergachev and Teravainen each had one. Vasy had 16 saves.
November 19 – Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, TBL 4 OTW 1, Clendening was recalled off the IR, meaning that Demers had to be placed on waivers and immediately sent to Jacksonville. As for tonight’s game, Stamkos had two goals, Kucherov had a goal and two assists, and Hedman had a goal as we beat the Senators. Bodker had a pair of assists, Karlsson, Killorn, Toews, and MacKinnon had one each. Vasy made 17 saves in net.
November 20 – American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, TBL 3 DAL 0, Demers claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Wild before the game, Karlsson gets a goal and an assist, Stamkos and Teravainen also scored, Hedman and Fleischmann had an assist. Vasy recorded his 5th shutout of the season with 20 saves.
November 21 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 4 Plymouth (Michigan) Flyers 2. An ugly game in the sense that there were penalties galore as the officials lost control of the game late. Dougie was able to blast home a loose puck on a powerplay and that made it 4-2. He also blocked a shot and had a couple hits, but late in the game, our goalie got sprayed and Dougie took exception to that, pulling the kid aside and squaring off with him. The play would result in coincidental double minors for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. Dougie would be shown the gate for his penalties and before Denise could get to him, Heather was there to calm him down but also make sure that he was in the locker room without issue. After the game, I gave him a stick tap in the locker room for sticking up for his teammates. In the lobby, Denise, the twins, and Heather’s family were all waiting and before any of the women could talk to Dougie, Heather’s father looked at Dougie, shook his hand and said, “Young man, back in my day, we would have had a bench clearing brawl and someone would’ve been missing teeth, but we all would’ve done what you did.” I think that made Dougie a happy human.
November 23 – Faribault, Minnesota, we gathered the team a conference room in our hotel in Minnesota and had a traditional American Thanksgiving meal for all of the players and the families that could make it. After our dinner, we turned on the television and found the Lightning vs. Flyers game and watched it as a team. This was a game that Tampa Bay dominated the entire time. It was 4-0 after a period and the Bolts put it in cruise control after that to win 9-1. Stamkos had a hat trick, Kucherov had a goal, and two assists, Bodker, Fleischmann, and Gourde had a goal and an assist, and Sproul and Pouliot had a goal each. Hedman had three helpers, Karlsson a pair, and Clendening, Killorn, Hagelin, and Frolik each had one. Vasy only made 10 saves in net.
November 24 – Sumner Arena, Faribault, Minnesota, TBL U14 3, Shattuck St. Mary’s Sabres 3, this was a day that we all had circled on our calendars. We arrived at the arena about 90 minutes before puck drop and while Dougie went to go drop his stuff off in his locker room, Denise and I were warmly welcomed by Kevin and Rachel Mourning. Kevin was a football player at Bowling Green State University and Rachel was a cheerleader at the University of Toledo and they met after Kevin nearly ran her over during a football game. Kevin ended up owning his own landscaping company in Toledo and Rachel became a second-grade teacher and we ended up getting to know each other through watching the kids playing hockey. The Mournings, Denise, and the twins, walked around Sumner Arena, while I headed off to the locker rooms and just looked out at this beautiful arena that started the careers of hockey people like David Carle, Sidney Crosby, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, the Parise family, and Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Toews of the Lightning. I ended up losing track of time and before I knew it, it was time to talk to the kids about this game, how incredibly up tempo it was, and how important special teams and goaltending would be. All three kids played terrific as we came from 2-1 down to take a 3-2 lead into the third period, only for Joey Mourning to tie the score at 3, midway through the period and that’s how the game ended. There were a ton of penalties in this game and Dougie was on the ice for over four and a half minutes of penalty kill time and almost three and a half on powerplay, because our top units needed a rest. He thought that he had a goal early in the game, but Michael Mourning made a glove save that had Dougie looking at the sky and then he tapped Michael on the pads. We got a powerplay with the score knotted at two, and Dougie slid a beautiful cross ice pass to his right winger who blasted a one-timer past Michael, but the aforementioned game-tying goal was a pass thrown up the middle of the ice by one of our defensemen and Joey went bar down and did the “put the sword away,” celebration. Dougie and Joey would get coincidental minor penalties near the end of the game, and they were jawing at each other in the box. Dougie played over 19 minutes, with three hits and had an 8 rating, Joey had a goal and a helper, and Michael made 33 saves. The three of them got together after the game for a photo, which I thought was a really great thing to do and after all the kids came out of the locker room, the two families met up in the lobby and made plans to go grab dinner. It was just a wonderful time getting back together with our friends that lived across the country, and we made plans to meet up again the following weekend, when Shattuck was down in Florida for the Bolts AAA Classic.
November 25 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 4 WPG 1, we played a very flat first period and it was scoreless after one and we were only up 2-1 after two, before we dominated the third period. Matthews had two goals and an assist, Bodker had a goal and a helper, Pouliot had a goal, Sergachev, Pietrangelo, Killorn, Toews, and Fleischmann each had an assist and Vasy made 18 saves.
November 26 – Karlsson was named the NHL Defensive Player of the Week with a goal and four assists.
November 27 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 3 SJS 1, another sloppy game in which we allow our opponents to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission and we somehow came back and won. Pouliot, Toews, and Kucherov had the goals, Karlsson had two assists, and Hedman, Sergachev, and Point had one. Vasy had 18 saves in net.
November 28 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 7 Tampa Bay Crunch 1. This was over before it even started as we were up 4-0 at the end of a period and cruised. Dougie scored what he thought was the fourth goal, but the officials failed to give him credit for it, he was however a +2 and had a great shot on goal that the goalie had to make a great stick save on. He had a couple hits and a giveaway, as his line was responsible for four of the goals. He played 9:57, 5:05 on the powerplay and 3:20 on the penalty kill.
November 29 – Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, TBL 5 NYR 2. This time, the Bolts got off to a fast start, leading 3-0 after a period and played a great team game. Stamkos had a goal and two assists, Kucherov had two goals, and Killorn and Frolik had a goal. Hedman, Sergachev, Karlsson, Pietrangelo, Gourde, and Matthews all had assists. Vasy made 23 saves.
November 30 – Karlsson was named the NHL’s Defensive Player of the Month, playing in 14 games with four goals and 15 assists.
November 3 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 6 Jacksonville Jr. Icemen 2: We jumped out to a 4-0 lead after a period and pretty much coasted. Dougie continued his hitting spree with a couple of crunching hits, the second one knocked a puck carrier off the puck, and our defenseman picked it up at our blue line, leading to a 3 on 1, and we finished it. He only saw a few seconds of penalty kill time and was a plus 1, with a 7 rating in 7:20 of ice time. We got to roll all four lines, which we will need come playoff time.
November 4 – Tampa, Florida, TBL 2 COL 0. Vasy put on a show and was the games’ first star with a 21 save shutout. Kucherov had a goal and an assist, Karlsson added the empty netter, while Killorn had two helpers, and Stamkos had one.
November 6 – Big Boy Arena, Fraser, MI, Belle Tire 4 TBL U14 2: This was a penalty filled game as both teams were called for 10 penalties. I had to call a timeout late in the second after we committed our 9th penalty and read the riot act to the kids. I ended the speech by saying that the next penalty would sit the rest of the game and minutes into the third, our leading scorer took an unnecessary slashing penalty, so he sat the remainder of the game, and it cost us. The locker room was dead silent when I walked in and I spoke my peace and left, only to be confronted by the parents of our leading scorer and when I explained my reasoning, they agreed with me and would talk to their son on the way to the hotel. Dougie played a little over 19 minutes, but almost 5 and a half were on the penalty kill and a little over a minute of powerplay time. He had a shot block that led to a goal for us and a giveaway that led to a goal for them. I bought the entire team pizza, and we watched the pro Bolts defeat the Atlanta Thrashers 9-0. Point had 2 goals, Bodker a goal and three assists, Gourde had one and one. Other goals were scored by Killorn, Hagelin, Toews, Teravainen, and Kucherov. Hedman had six assists, MacKinnon had three, Karlsson had two, and Pouliot and Frolik had one. Vasy had 23 saves for his 2nd shutout.
November 7 – While the u14s were on the ice in Detroit for practice, I got a call from Coach Cooper saying that Clendening had suffered a groin strain at practice and would be out for ten days, meaning Ryan Sproul would get called up.
November 8 – After the team got off the ice in Bloomington, Illinois, we began the journey to St. Louis for a game against the AAA Blues, but we ended up catching the Bolts game on the radio and listened to a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Toews scored twice, Karlsson had a goal and an assist, Killorn, Bodker, and Kucherov had a goal, Pietrangelo had two assists, Hedman, Oduya, Sproul, Demers, Hagelin, Stamkos, and Matthews had one. Vasy made 22 saves in net.
November 10 – Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, TBL U14 4 St. Louis AAA Blues 2, A much better effort as we led from start to finish. Dougie got leveled with a clean hit right in front of our bench in the second period and our team doctor issued his diagnosis of bruised ribs, which ruled him out for the rest of the game. In the four minutes and 25 seconds that he played, he earned a 7 rating, but he was not happy that he could not finish the game.
November 11 – Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada TBL 4 CGY 0, Vasy was the story, picking up his 3rd shutout in four games. He only made 17 saves, but his first two were a breakaway in the opening minute and a 3 on 1 three minutes in. The offense eventually woke up as Bodker had a goal and an assist, MacKinnon and Fleischmann added goals. Stamkos had two helpers, Karlsson, Pietrangelo, Killorn, Matthews, and Gourde had one each.
November 13 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL 10 NYI 0, we had a slight incident before this game as Dougie and Heather wanted to go down to the ice and take the twins with them. Well, Quinn got near the glass and when he started slapping the glass, Kucherov tapped the glass back, startling Quinn to the point where he fell on the steel steps and started crying. Heather and Dougie brought the twins back up to the suite and Heather explained everything and took responsibility, to which Denise and I forgave her immediately and just chalked it up to it being an accident. We would then be treated to a terrific performance as Point, Gourde, and Sproul each scored twice, Killorn and Kucherov each had a goal and two helpers, Stamkos had a goal and a helper, and Hagelin had a goal. Hedman had three assists, Oduya, Karlsson, and Matthews (in his 100th NHL game) had a pair of assists, Pietrangelo, Bodker, Toews, and Fleischmann each had an assist and Vasy had his 4th shutout in 5 games making just 11 saves. As we headed past the players entrance on the way out, we heard a familiar voice call out to get my attention, and it was Nikita Kucherov, who came up to us and apologized for scaring Quinn during warmups. We had a good laugh over the whole thing and he had autographed pucks for the four kids and posed for pictures with the entire group, just a class act.
November 14- Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 5 Fox Motors (Michigan) 2. Dougie had his ribs taped up for this one and we monitored his ice time. He played almost 8 and a half minutes and was a plus one. He should have had an assist, but a shot from the point was deflected in at the last second. It was a good team game that we never trailed.
November 15 – Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. TBL 5 EDM 1, I decided to fly out for this game, as we didn’t have practice that day and it was another solid effort from our group. Matthews had two goals, MacKinnon had a goal and a helper, Hagelin and Kucherov had the other goals. Oduya, Killorn (his second being career point number 200), and Stamkos had two assists, Bodker and Point had an assist and Vasy made 15 saves. Fleischmann played in his 600th NHL game.
November 17 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 3 Anaheim Jr. Ducks 3, Dougie again had his ribs taped up, and he had a shot on goal, but he also had a hit that led to the goal that made it 3-3 as the defenseman was coming up the middle of the ice, Dougie caught him, and the second forechecking forward whipped the puck past a stunned Ducks goalie. That was a huge powerplay goal and he didn’t look in pain after that hit or the 6:11 of ice time. In the nightcap, the Bolts took care of the St. Louis Blues 6-2 as both Bodker and Matthews had a goal and an assist. Karlsson, Killorn, Toews, and Fleischmann added a goal. Hedman and Point had two assists, and Sergachev and Teravainen each had one. Vasy had 16 saves.
November 19 – Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, TBL 4 OTW 1, Clendening was recalled off the IR, meaning that Demers had to be placed on waivers and immediately sent to Jacksonville. As for tonight’s game, Stamkos had two goals, Kucherov had a goal and two assists, and Hedman had a goal as we beat the Senators. Bodker had a pair of assists, Karlsson, Killorn, Toews, and MacKinnon had one each. Vasy made 17 saves in net.
November 20 – American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, TBL 3 DAL 0, Demers claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Wild before the game, Karlsson gets a goal and an assist, Stamkos and Teravainen also scored, Hedman and Fleischmann had an assist. Vasy recorded his 5th shutout of the season with 20 saves.
November 21 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 4 Plymouth (Michigan) Flyers 2. An ugly game in the sense that there were penalties galore as the officials lost control of the game late. Dougie was able to blast home a loose puck on a powerplay and that made it 4-2. He also blocked a shot and had a couple hits, but late in the game, our goalie got sprayed and Dougie took exception to that, pulling the kid aside and squaring off with him. The play would result in coincidental double minors for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. Dougie would be shown the gate for his penalties and before Denise could get to him, Heather was there to calm him down but also make sure that he was in the locker room without issue. After the game, I gave him a stick tap in the locker room for sticking up for his teammates. In the lobby, Denise, the twins, and Heather’s family were all waiting and before any of the women could talk to Dougie, Heather’s father looked at Dougie, shook his hand and said, “Young man, back in my day, we would have had a bench clearing brawl and someone would’ve been missing teeth, but we all would’ve done what you did.” I think that made Dougie a happy human.
November 23 – Faribault, Minnesota, we gathered the team a conference room in our hotel in Minnesota and had a traditional American Thanksgiving meal for all of the players and the families that could make it. After our dinner, we turned on the television and found the Lightning vs. Flyers game and watched it as a team. This was a game that Tampa Bay dominated the entire time. It was 4-0 after a period and the Bolts put it in cruise control after that to win 9-1. Stamkos had a hat trick, Kucherov had a goal, and two assists, Bodker, Fleischmann, and Gourde had a goal and an assist, and Sproul and Pouliot had a goal each. Hedman had three helpers, Karlsson a pair, and Clendening, Killorn, Hagelin, and Frolik each had one. Vasy only made 10 saves in net.
November 24 – Sumner Arena, Faribault, Minnesota, TBL U14 3, Shattuck St. Mary’s Sabres 3, this was a day that we all had circled on our calendars. We arrived at the arena about 90 minutes before puck drop and while Dougie went to go drop his stuff off in his locker room, Denise and I were warmly welcomed by Kevin and Rachel Mourning. Kevin was a football player at Bowling Green State University and Rachel was a cheerleader at the University of Toledo and they met after Kevin nearly ran her over during a football game. Kevin ended up owning his own landscaping company in Toledo and Rachel became a second-grade teacher and we ended up getting to know each other through watching the kids playing hockey. The Mournings, Denise, and the twins, walked around Sumner Arena, while I headed off to the locker rooms and just looked out at this beautiful arena that started the careers of hockey people like David Carle, Sidney Crosby, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, the Parise family, and Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Toews of the Lightning. I ended up losing track of time and before I knew it, it was time to talk to the kids about this game, how incredibly up tempo it was, and how important special teams and goaltending would be. All three kids played terrific as we came from 2-1 down to take a 3-2 lead into the third period, only for Joey Mourning to tie the score at 3, midway through the period and that’s how the game ended. There were a ton of penalties in this game and Dougie was on the ice for over four and a half minutes of penalty kill time and almost three and a half on powerplay, because our top units needed a rest. He thought that he had a goal early in the game, but Michael Mourning made a glove save that had Dougie looking at the sky and then he tapped Michael on the pads. We got a powerplay with the score knotted at two, and Dougie slid a beautiful cross ice pass to his right winger who blasted a one-timer past Michael, but the aforementioned game-tying goal was a pass thrown up the middle of the ice by one of our defensemen and Joey went bar down and did the “put the sword away,” celebration. Dougie and Joey would get coincidental minor penalties near the end of the game, and they were jawing at each other in the box. Dougie played over 19 minutes, with three hits and had an 8 rating, Joey had a goal and a helper, and Michael made 33 saves. The three of them got together after the game for a photo, which I thought was a really great thing to do and after all the kids came out of the locker room, the two families met up in the lobby and made plans to go grab dinner. It was just a wonderful time getting back together with our friends that lived across the country, and we made plans to meet up again the following weekend, when Shattuck was down in Florida for the Bolts AAA Classic.
November 25 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 4 WPG 1, we played a very flat first period and it was scoreless after one and we were only up 2-1 after two, before we dominated the third period. Matthews had two goals and an assist, Bodker had a goal and a helper, Pouliot had a goal, Sergachev, Pietrangelo, Killorn, Toews, and Fleischmann each had an assist and Vasy made 18 saves.
November 26 – Karlsson was named the NHL Defensive Player of the Week with a goal and four assists.
November 27 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 3 SJS 1, another sloppy game in which we allow our opponents to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission and we somehow came back and won. Pouliot, Toews, and Kucherov had the goals, Karlsson had two assists, and Hedman, Sergachev, and Point had one. Vasy had 18 saves in net.
November 28 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 7 Tampa Bay Crunch 1. This was over before it even started as we were up 4-0 at the end of a period and cruised. Dougie scored what he thought was the fourth goal, but the officials failed to give him credit for it, he was however a +2 and had a great shot on goal that the goalie had to make a great stick save on. He had a couple hits and a giveaway, as his line was responsible for four of the goals. He played 9:57, 5:05 on the powerplay and 3:20 on the penalty kill.
November 29 – Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, TBL 5 NYR 2. This time, the Bolts got off to a fast start, leading 3-0 after a period and played a great team game. Stamkos had a goal and two assists, Kucherov had two goals, and Killorn and Frolik had a goal. Hedman, Sergachev, Karlsson, Pietrangelo, Gourde, and Matthews all had assists. Vasy made 23 saves.
November 30 – Karlsson was named the NHL’s Defensive Player of the Month, playing in 14 games with four goals and 15 assists.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
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A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
December 1- Various Rinks, Tampa, Florida, the Bolts AAA showcase started off with a bang as the Mourning’s and the rest of the Shattuck St. Mary's Sabres took on the Florida alliance and found themselves quickly in a three nothing hole after the first 20 minutes. But a good regroup allowed them to score 4 unanswered goals and walk out of Amalie Arena with a 4-3 win. Joey scored the game tying goal and Michael rebounded from an awful first period to make 27 saves in goal. We ended up making our way to Wesley Chapel and we were able to watch Peter Mulligan score two goals as the Boston advantage defeated the Carolina alliance 5 to 1, at the same facility. Adam Madison had a goal, but his San Jose Jr. Sharks lost 5-2 to the Florida Jr. Everblades and on the third sheet, Scott Green had four assists as the Arizona Bobcats defeated NEST Hockey Academy 6-3. After the games were over, we all decided to meet up at a local restaurant in the greater Tampa area and per usual invited everyone out to the Lightning game that night. Dougie obviously invited Heather to the game and we found out that a bunch of Heather's friends had also gotten tickets to the game and her friends and all of Dougie’s buddies got together just milling around the concourse. But as for the game, there was some good news and bad news. The good news was the Lightning defeated the Los Angeles Kings 6 to 1 thanks to two goals from Hedman and Bodker. MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Toews had a goal, Clendenning had two assists, Oduya, Karlsson, Pietrangelo, Stamkos, Matthews, and Frolik all had one assist. Vasilevsky had 16 saves in goal. But the bad news was Sergachev ended up on the long-term injured reserve with a separated shoulder.
December 2 – Amalie Arena, TBL u14 5 Montgomery (Maryland) Blue Devils 1, Dougie was really quiet before the game on the car ride over to the Arena, but once he got there, he had his energy back as he had all of his buddies in the stands, along with Heather and her friends, so he had a loud section of fans and he didn’t disappoint as he had his best game as a AAA player, scoring two goals and adding two assists in the 5-1 win. In the second period, with the score knotted at one, he walked in on a 2-on-1 and with the defenseman going down to block the pass, he simply sauced it over the sprawled defenseman and his centerman blasted the one-timer under the crossbar. Then on the powerplay, he stationed himself right in front of the net, and used a beautiful redirection from a slapshot from the point to make it 3-1. He’d add another assist on a powerplay goal, by going behind the net, and hitting the left wing that was going right to the net, with a quick pass and the shot was snapped past the stunned goalie. Dougie would then ice the game with an empty netter after blocking a shot and then skating the length of the ice. He didn’t get the first star, but he was extremely happy with his play, and all of his crew let him know it. We got pictures galore, and we eventually said bye to everyone at the airport.
December 3- Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri, TBL 8 KCS 3 – We led throughout the contest and were led by Kucherov and his two goals and two assists. Stamkos had two goals and an assist, Karlsson had a goal and three assists, Killorn had a goal and an assist, and Pouliot and Fleischmann had a goal. Hedman had two assists, Oduya, Sproul, who we re-acquired from Minnesota via Waivers, Hagelin, Toews, Matthews, Teravainen, and Bodker all had an assist. Vasy made 19 saves in net.
December 4 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. A scout from the University Notre Dame came in and looked over the team at practice today and he gave me a detailed scouting report on every player. His report on Dougie: a small 14-year-old winger/center, who plays a very offensive minded, but aggressive and physical game. He finishes his checks with authority. He has good physical strength, an amazing hockey sense and reads the game magnificently. He can intimidate opponents with his play, is willing to do whatever it takes, works hard off the puck, has good puck handling skills and has a hard and accurate slapshot. However, he will often opt to shoot the puck rather than pass and needs to work on his consistency, speed, defense, decision-making, movement off the puck, passing, and wrist shot. He is good for around 30 goals and 15 assists along with 60 penalty minutes per season. He is a two-way forward with first line potential and an all-around winger. He is like Vladimir Tarasenko with a smaller frame and slower. Now, if only that report could’ve told us what his options were for next season.
December 5 Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBLu14 4 Clearwater Ice Storm 2, it was a doubleheader for the Tampa teams as the little Bolts took care of business first. Dougie continued his form, with two more assists (a cross-crease pass that was tapped home on the power play, and a beautiful drop pass that was converted on an odd man rush). He managed a couple shots on goal, and a giveaway in 16:57 of ice time, as well as 2:52 on the powerplay and 3:42 on the penalty kill. The NHL Bolts skated past the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 in the nightcap. Teräväinen had a goal and an assist, Hedman, Killorn, and Matthews also scored. Frolik had two assists, while Oduya, Clendening, Toews, Stamkos had one. Vasy made 22 saves in net.
December 6 – Westchase Golf Club, Tampa, Florida, we arrived at the beautiful course by the Tampa airport and found out that this would be a very different type of tournament. It was a 9-hole scramble, made up of teams of two, with each of the six schools, having three co-ed teams in the tournament. It was no surprise that Dougie and Heather were paired together, but it was a great surprise how good of golfers these two were. They started off on the 4th hole, with Dougie blasting a 250-yard drive and Heather hitting a 7 iron to within 12 feet of the hole. Dougie missed his birdie putt, but Heather sank hers and the team was 1 under. After getting pars on the next two holes, Heather teed up at the 126-yard par 3 7th and hit the flagstick on the fly, allowing Dougie to tap in for a birdie. The next hole, Dougie smoked another 250+ yard drive and then Heather got aggressive with a fairway wood and put her shot to within 20 feet of the hole for an eagle opportunity, which Dougie was able to sink. After another pair of pars on the 9th and 1st hole, the team looked at another par 5, this time at 503 yards. Dougie was able to drive one about 260, and then Heather put her fairway wood shot about 20 yards short of the green. A chip and a putt later, the team was 5 under through 8, with a chance to win, but disaster struck on the par 3 3rd as both of them hooked their tee shots and while they were able to chip one onto the green, Dougie hit his putt short and Heather lipped her putt out and the team settled for a four under par 32, losing by a stroke to a team from Bloomingdale High School. Both families were extremely proud of their kids, and even though they finished second, I’m pretty sure the kids were happy with their performance as well.
December 7 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL TBL 10 TOR 0, Frolik had 2 goals and an assist, MacKinnon and Karlsson had a pair, Pietrangelo and Matthews each had a goal and an assist, Hedman and Sproul added a tally. Hagelin and Stamkos had three helpers, Clendening two, Bødker, Pouliot, Kucherov one each, and Zapolski had 15 saves to get the shutout.
December 9 – Ralph Englestad Arena, Grand Forks, North Dakota TBL u14 3 Los Angeles Jr. Kings 3, a busy day for us started early in the morning. Dougie was able to get an assist in a back-and-forth game in which we were down 1-0, up 2-1, and then down 3-2. We headed back to the hotel in Grand Forks to watch the Bolts play an afternoon game at Amalie Arena in which they beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 Killorn had a hat trick, Kucherov a goal and two assists, and Stamkos scored. Toews had two assists and Hedman, Sproul, and Clendening each had one, Vasy 29 saves and after game we found out Toews was injured, put on 7-day IR and Ben Maxwell recalled. In the nightcap, we went to the North Dakota v Colorado College game, a game in which North Dakota won 4-2.
Dec 11 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 5 POR 2, kind of a slow and sloppy game, but we were able to get the win thanks to Matthews with two goals, Kucherov with a goal and two assists, and Stamkos and Bødker each with a goal and an assist. Hedman, Karlsson, Pouliot, Killorn, MacKinnon each tacked on an assist, and Vasy 18 made saves. Stamkos named NHL and Offensive Player of the Week.
Dec 12 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 4 Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 3. Special teams were massive for us in this contest. All four goals that we scored were on the special teams with Dougie getting a power-play goal and a shorthanded assist. After Carolina was able to make it 2-1, we were gifted a powerplay and on our regroup, one of our defensemen dropped the puck for Dougie, who used his speed to go around the left defensemen and tuck the puck around the goaltender to tie the game. We would commit a late penalty with the score knotted at three, but on the ensuing penalty kill, Dougie went out to block a shot from a Hurricanes defenseman and the puck went into the neutral zone after Dougie blocked it. Our other forward out hustled their defenseman for it and walked in alone, beating the Canes goalie with a wrist shot over the blocker. It wasn’t our best effort, but we’ll take the win.
December 13 Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida – TBL 9 DET 2 - Our string of home games continued as we raced out to a 5-0 lead after a period and cruised to victory. Pouliot and Matthews each had two goals and an assist, Gourde had two goals, MacKinnon had a goal and three assists, Hedman a goal and two assists, and Bødker a goal and an assist. Karlsson and MacKinnon had three assists, while Sproul, Pietrangelo, and Clendening had one each, Vasy had 18 saves.
December 15 – TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, TBL 10 BOS 1, Another game in which we jumped on an opponent early and often. It was 4-1 after one and we only allowed 8 shots on goal the remaining 40 minutes. Stamkos had four goals and an assist, Kucherov had three goals and four assists, Karlsson and Pouliot had a goal and an assist, and Clendening had a goal. Hedman had three assists, Sproul and Killorn two each, and Oduya, Fleischmann, Matthews, Teräväinen, MacKinnon, and Bødker had one, Zapolski made 20 saves
December 16 – Sumner Arena, Faribault, Minnesota, Minnesota Lakers 4 TBL U14 2. We came out extremely flat, even though the game was a 1pm start our time. The Lakers played a great team game and had us on our heels from the opening puck drop. Dougie tried to get his team fired up after we had fallen behind two to nothing, and he had five hits in the contest and three shots on goal. However, three of those hits were late and the officials called him for roughing twice and interference once. After his third penalty, which the Lakers scored on to make it 3-0, I had to sit him for the duration of the game, which he understood. The team scored a couple late ones, but they were merely consolation goals at that point.
December 17 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 3 ARI 1. Like the kid Bolts in Minnesota the day before, the Bolts had a hard time recovering from their Boston trip and it showed, as they were down 1-0 after 1 and tied going into the third. Toews was recalled from the IR before the game, Killorn, Stamkos, Fleischmann all scored, Kucherov had two assists, and Pietrangelo and Toews had an assist. Vasy made 20 saves.
December 19 – U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, TBL 7 CIN 3, We took control of this game in the third period, after it was 3-3 after two. Matthews had two goals and an assist, Frolik had a goal and an assist, Killorn, Pouliot, Kucherov, MacKinnon also scored. Hagelin had two helpers, Hedman, Karlsson, Clendening, Sproul, Toews, Stamkos, Fleischmann all had 1, Vasy made 31 saves, a majority of them while the game was very close.
December 20 – PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 4 TBL U14 2. As great as we looked on the 12th, we looked just as bad. We were outshot 37-15 (Dougie had two shots) and by the time we got on the board, it was 4-0. Dougie played a little over 12 minutes and also had a couple hits. We simply went through the motions and the kids knew that there was going to be a conditioning and competition practice tomorrow at Amalie.
December 21 – BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida, TBL 4 FLA 2, this game was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests as we outshot the Panthers 3-1 in the game. Toews and Kucherov each had a goal and an assist, Teräväinen and Stamkos both had a goal, and Hedman, Pietrangelo, Clendening, Killorn, and MacKinnon all had an assist. Vasy made 18 saves in the win.
December 22 – PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Pens Elite 4, TBL U14 2. Yet another game of going through the motions, only this time, we were up 2-0 after 1 and just gave the game away. Dougie (after getting an assist on an earlier powerplay goal) had a brutal giveaway in our own zone that led to a goal, in what was supposed to be a simple flip out of the zone, Dougie misfired and one of the Pens players picked it up and tucked it home. Dougie was also on the ice for the game-winner. He played 7 minutes as he was benched for the last 17 minutes of the third period, and the postgame locker room talk was less than cheerful.
December 23 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL 6 FLA 2. We were up 5-1 after 2 and basically parked the car in a quick third period. Killorn had two goals, Karlsson and Teräväinen had a goal and an assist, and Hagelin and Matthews also scored, while Hedman, Toews, Stamkos, Kucherov, and MacKinnon all had two assists. Vasy had 23 saves in goal for yet another win.
December 27 – Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C., TBL 7 WSH 0. This one was over early as we scored on our first three shots and cruised. Killorn and Toews had a goal and two assists, Clendening and Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Karlsson, Frolik, and Matthews also scored. Kucherov had two assists, and Hedman, Sproul, MacKinnon, and Teräväinen all had an assist. Vasy 19 saves in an easy shutout. The u14s watched the game (a noon time start) from the team room in Amalie Arena, and after the game the team dispersed to get food and rest ahead of their game with the Fort Frances Canadiens. We would be the last game of the day as the u10s, and u12s played earlier, and there would also be a skate with the teams and Santa after the game. In the locker room prior to us taking the ice, I made the massive mistake of saying that if we won, I would dress as Santa. Massive mistake was an understatement. The little Bolts scored four times in the first and skated to an 8-1 triumph. Dougie had a shorthanded goal (getting a rebound out of a scrum and snapping it into the open net), and two assists (a goal that was finished on a rebound and a long outlet pass from one of our guys coming out of the penalty box). It wasn’t his best game of the season, but it was up there. The entire organization and even some of the NHL players (they flew straight home after their game in the nation’s capital), were on the ice after the game and Dougie and Heather took Gabby and Quinn onto the ice and skated with them, although Quinn tried to rip my Santa beard off of my face, which was beyond hilarious. He’s going to be my little troublemaker when he grows up.
December 30 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida U14TBL 6 Connecticut Jr. Rangers 2. This game was close after two, but then we scored five goals in the third period to win. Dougie had four shots on goal and was a +1 in the win, but more so, he had five hits and really played a complete game. After the game we put the Lightning game against Nashville on the Jumbotron at Amalie Arena and had a watch/Christmas party. The team watched the Bolts beat Nashville 4-2 as Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Hedman, Sproul, and Matthews also scored. Pietrangelo, Bødker, and MacKinnon recorded two assists, and Teräväinen also had one, Vasy had 18 saves in net
Dec 31 - Eric Karlsson named NHL defensive player of the month. We are now at the midway point on the Tier 1 Elite League season, and we are 17-4-4 on the year, trailing the Huntsville Jr. Chargers (18-3-5) by three points and leading the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (17-5-3) by one point, in the Southeast Division. The Jr. Lightning are currently 10th overall in the standings and would go on the road to face the Omaha Energy, if the playoffs started right now. As for Dougie, he has played in all 25 games, with seven goals (4 powerplay, 1 shorthanded) and ten assists (4 powerplay and 1 shorthanded) for 17 points (8 on the powerplay and 2 shorthanded). He is a plus-11, with a 6.64 player rating, 26 shots on goal, 26 penalty minutes, and 29 hits. He has eight giveaways, zero takeaways, 11 shot blocks and was the first star once. He averages 13:23 of ice time a game, with 2:10 of penalty kill time and 1:25 of powerplay time.
December 2 – Amalie Arena, TBL u14 5 Montgomery (Maryland) Blue Devils 1, Dougie was really quiet before the game on the car ride over to the Arena, but once he got there, he had his energy back as he had all of his buddies in the stands, along with Heather and her friends, so he had a loud section of fans and he didn’t disappoint as he had his best game as a AAA player, scoring two goals and adding two assists in the 5-1 win. In the second period, with the score knotted at one, he walked in on a 2-on-1 and with the defenseman going down to block the pass, he simply sauced it over the sprawled defenseman and his centerman blasted the one-timer under the crossbar. Then on the powerplay, he stationed himself right in front of the net, and used a beautiful redirection from a slapshot from the point to make it 3-1. He’d add another assist on a powerplay goal, by going behind the net, and hitting the left wing that was going right to the net, with a quick pass and the shot was snapped past the stunned goalie. Dougie would then ice the game with an empty netter after blocking a shot and then skating the length of the ice. He didn’t get the first star, but he was extremely happy with his play, and all of his crew let him know it. We got pictures galore, and we eventually said bye to everyone at the airport.
December 3- Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri, TBL 8 KCS 3 – We led throughout the contest and were led by Kucherov and his two goals and two assists. Stamkos had two goals and an assist, Karlsson had a goal and three assists, Killorn had a goal and an assist, and Pouliot and Fleischmann had a goal. Hedman had two assists, Oduya, Sproul, who we re-acquired from Minnesota via Waivers, Hagelin, Toews, Matthews, Teravainen, and Bodker all had an assist. Vasy made 19 saves in net.
December 4 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. A scout from the University Notre Dame came in and looked over the team at practice today and he gave me a detailed scouting report on every player. His report on Dougie: a small 14-year-old winger/center, who plays a very offensive minded, but aggressive and physical game. He finishes his checks with authority. He has good physical strength, an amazing hockey sense and reads the game magnificently. He can intimidate opponents with his play, is willing to do whatever it takes, works hard off the puck, has good puck handling skills and has a hard and accurate slapshot. However, he will often opt to shoot the puck rather than pass and needs to work on his consistency, speed, defense, decision-making, movement off the puck, passing, and wrist shot. He is good for around 30 goals and 15 assists along with 60 penalty minutes per season. He is a two-way forward with first line potential and an all-around winger. He is like Vladimir Tarasenko with a smaller frame and slower. Now, if only that report could’ve told us what his options were for next season.
December 5 Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBLu14 4 Clearwater Ice Storm 2, it was a doubleheader for the Tampa teams as the little Bolts took care of business first. Dougie continued his form, with two more assists (a cross-crease pass that was tapped home on the power play, and a beautiful drop pass that was converted on an odd man rush). He managed a couple shots on goal, and a giveaway in 16:57 of ice time, as well as 2:52 on the powerplay and 3:42 on the penalty kill. The NHL Bolts skated past the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 in the nightcap. Teräväinen had a goal and an assist, Hedman, Killorn, and Matthews also scored. Frolik had two assists, while Oduya, Clendening, Toews, Stamkos had one. Vasy made 22 saves in net.
December 6 – Westchase Golf Club, Tampa, Florida, we arrived at the beautiful course by the Tampa airport and found out that this would be a very different type of tournament. It was a 9-hole scramble, made up of teams of two, with each of the six schools, having three co-ed teams in the tournament. It was no surprise that Dougie and Heather were paired together, but it was a great surprise how good of golfers these two were. They started off on the 4th hole, with Dougie blasting a 250-yard drive and Heather hitting a 7 iron to within 12 feet of the hole. Dougie missed his birdie putt, but Heather sank hers and the team was 1 under. After getting pars on the next two holes, Heather teed up at the 126-yard par 3 7th and hit the flagstick on the fly, allowing Dougie to tap in for a birdie. The next hole, Dougie smoked another 250+ yard drive and then Heather got aggressive with a fairway wood and put her shot to within 20 feet of the hole for an eagle opportunity, which Dougie was able to sink. After another pair of pars on the 9th and 1st hole, the team looked at another par 5, this time at 503 yards. Dougie was able to drive one about 260, and then Heather put her fairway wood shot about 20 yards short of the green. A chip and a putt later, the team was 5 under through 8, with a chance to win, but disaster struck on the par 3 3rd as both of them hooked their tee shots and while they were able to chip one onto the green, Dougie hit his putt short and Heather lipped her putt out and the team settled for a four under par 32, losing by a stroke to a team from Bloomingdale High School. Both families were extremely proud of their kids, and even though they finished second, I’m pretty sure the kids were happy with their performance as well.
December 7 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL TBL 10 TOR 0, Frolik had 2 goals and an assist, MacKinnon and Karlsson had a pair, Pietrangelo and Matthews each had a goal and an assist, Hedman and Sproul added a tally. Hagelin and Stamkos had three helpers, Clendening two, Bødker, Pouliot, Kucherov one each, and Zapolski had 15 saves to get the shutout.
December 9 – Ralph Englestad Arena, Grand Forks, North Dakota TBL u14 3 Los Angeles Jr. Kings 3, a busy day for us started early in the morning. Dougie was able to get an assist in a back-and-forth game in which we were down 1-0, up 2-1, and then down 3-2. We headed back to the hotel in Grand Forks to watch the Bolts play an afternoon game at Amalie Arena in which they beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 Killorn had a hat trick, Kucherov a goal and two assists, and Stamkos scored. Toews had two assists and Hedman, Sproul, and Clendening each had one, Vasy 29 saves and after game we found out Toews was injured, put on 7-day IR and Ben Maxwell recalled. In the nightcap, we went to the North Dakota v Colorado College game, a game in which North Dakota won 4-2.
Dec 11 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 5 POR 2, kind of a slow and sloppy game, but we were able to get the win thanks to Matthews with two goals, Kucherov with a goal and two assists, and Stamkos and Bødker each with a goal and an assist. Hedman, Karlsson, Pouliot, Killorn, MacKinnon each tacked on an assist, and Vasy 18 made saves. Stamkos named NHL and Offensive Player of the Week.
Dec 12 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 4 Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 3. Special teams were massive for us in this contest. All four goals that we scored were on the special teams with Dougie getting a power-play goal and a shorthanded assist. After Carolina was able to make it 2-1, we were gifted a powerplay and on our regroup, one of our defensemen dropped the puck for Dougie, who used his speed to go around the left defensemen and tuck the puck around the goaltender to tie the game. We would commit a late penalty with the score knotted at three, but on the ensuing penalty kill, Dougie went out to block a shot from a Hurricanes defenseman and the puck went into the neutral zone after Dougie blocked it. Our other forward out hustled their defenseman for it and walked in alone, beating the Canes goalie with a wrist shot over the blocker. It wasn’t our best effort, but we’ll take the win.
December 13 Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida – TBL 9 DET 2 - Our string of home games continued as we raced out to a 5-0 lead after a period and cruised to victory. Pouliot and Matthews each had two goals and an assist, Gourde had two goals, MacKinnon had a goal and three assists, Hedman a goal and two assists, and Bødker a goal and an assist. Karlsson and MacKinnon had three assists, while Sproul, Pietrangelo, and Clendening had one each, Vasy had 18 saves.
December 15 – TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, TBL 10 BOS 1, Another game in which we jumped on an opponent early and often. It was 4-1 after one and we only allowed 8 shots on goal the remaining 40 minutes. Stamkos had four goals and an assist, Kucherov had three goals and four assists, Karlsson and Pouliot had a goal and an assist, and Clendening had a goal. Hedman had three assists, Sproul and Killorn two each, and Oduya, Fleischmann, Matthews, Teräväinen, MacKinnon, and Bødker had one, Zapolski made 20 saves
December 16 – Sumner Arena, Faribault, Minnesota, Minnesota Lakers 4 TBL U14 2. We came out extremely flat, even though the game was a 1pm start our time. The Lakers played a great team game and had us on our heels from the opening puck drop. Dougie tried to get his team fired up after we had fallen behind two to nothing, and he had five hits in the contest and three shots on goal. However, three of those hits were late and the officials called him for roughing twice and interference once. After his third penalty, which the Lakers scored on to make it 3-0, I had to sit him for the duration of the game, which he understood. The team scored a couple late ones, but they were merely consolation goals at that point.
December 17 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 3 ARI 1. Like the kid Bolts in Minnesota the day before, the Bolts had a hard time recovering from their Boston trip and it showed, as they were down 1-0 after 1 and tied going into the third. Toews was recalled from the IR before the game, Killorn, Stamkos, Fleischmann all scored, Kucherov had two assists, and Pietrangelo and Toews had an assist. Vasy made 20 saves.
December 19 – U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, TBL 7 CIN 3, We took control of this game in the third period, after it was 3-3 after two. Matthews had two goals and an assist, Frolik had a goal and an assist, Killorn, Pouliot, Kucherov, MacKinnon also scored. Hagelin had two helpers, Hedman, Karlsson, Clendening, Sproul, Toews, Stamkos, Fleischmann all had 1, Vasy made 31 saves, a majority of them while the game was very close.
December 20 – PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 4 TBL U14 2. As great as we looked on the 12th, we looked just as bad. We were outshot 37-15 (Dougie had two shots) and by the time we got on the board, it was 4-0. Dougie played a little over 12 minutes and also had a couple hits. We simply went through the motions and the kids knew that there was going to be a conditioning and competition practice tomorrow at Amalie.
December 21 – BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida, TBL 4 FLA 2, this game was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests as we outshot the Panthers 3-1 in the game. Toews and Kucherov each had a goal and an assist, Teräväinen and Stamkos both had a goal, and Hedman, Pietrangelo, Clendening, Killorn, and MacKinnon all had an assist. Vasy made 18 saves in the win.
December 22 – PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Pens Elite 4, TBL U14 2. Yet another game of going through the motions, only this time, we were up 2-0 after 1 and just gave the game away. Dougie (after getting an assist on an earlier powerplay goal) had a brutal giveaway in our own zone that led to a goal, in what was supposed to be a simple flip out of the zone, Dougie misfired and one of the Pens players picked it up and tucked it home. Dougie was also on the ice for the game-winner. He played 7 minutes as he was benched for the last 17 minutes of the third period, and the postgame locker room talk was less than cheerful.
December 23 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL 6 FLA 2. We were up 5-1 after 2 and basically parked the car in a quick third period. Killorn had two goals, Karlsson and Teräväinen had a goal and an assist, and Hagelin and Matthews also scored, while Hedman, Toews, Stamkos, Kucherov, and MacKinnon all had two assists. Vasy had 23 saves in goal for yet another win.
December 27 – Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C., TBL 7 WSH 0. This one was over early as we scored on our first three shots and cruised. Killorn and Toews had a goal and two assists, Clendening and Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Karlsson, Frolik, and Matthews also scored. Kucherov had two assists, and Hedman, Sproul, MacKinnon, and Teräväinen all had an assist. Vasy 19 saves in an easy shutout. The u14s watched the game (a noon time start) from the team room in Amalie Arena, and after the game the team dispersed to get food and rest ahead of their game with the Fort Frances Canadiens. We would be the last game of the day as the u10s, and u12s played earlier, and there would also be a skate with the teams and Santa after the game. In the locker room prior to us taking the ice, I made the massive mistake of saying that if we won, I would dress as Santa. Massive mistake was an understatement. The little Bolts scored four times in the first and skated to an 8-1 triumph. Dougie had a shorthanded goal (getting a rebound out of a scrum and snapping it into the open net), and two assists (a goal that was finished on a rebound and a long outlet pass from one of our guys coming out of the penalty box). It wasn’t his best game of the season, but it was up there. The entire organization and even some of the NHL players (they flew straight home after their game in the nation’s capital), were on the ice after the game and Dougie and Heather took Gabby and Quinn onto the ice and skated with them, although Quinn tried to rip my Santa beard off of my face, which was beyond hilarious. He’s going to be my little troublemaker when he grows up.
December 30 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida U14TBL 6 Connecticut Jr. Rangers 2. This game was close after two, but then we scored five goals in the third period to win. Dougie had four shots on goal and was a +1 in the win, but more so, he had five hits and really played a complete game. After the game we put the Lightning game against Nashville on the Jumbotron at Amalie Arena and had a watch/Christmas party. The team watched the Bolts beat Nashville 4-2 as Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Hedman, Sproul, and Matthews also scored. Pietrangelo, Bødker, and MacKinnon recorded two assists, and Teräväinen also had one, Vasy had 18 saves in net
Dec 31 - Eric Karlsson named NHL defensive player of the month. We are now at the midway point on the Tier 1 Elite League season, and we are 17-4-4 on the year, trailing the Huntsville Jr. Chargers (18-3-5) by three points and leading the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (17-5-3) by one point, in the Southeast Division. The Jr. Lightning are currently 10th overall in the standings and would go on the road to face the Omaha Energy, if the playoffs started right now. As for Dougie, he has played in all 25 games, with seven goals (4 powerplay, 1 shorthanded) and ten assists (4 powerplay and 1 shorthanded) for 17 points (8 on the powerplay and 2 shorthanded). He is a plus-11, with a 6.64 player rating, 26 shots on goal, 26 penalty minutes, and 29 hits. He has eight giveaways, zero takeaways, 11 shot blocks and was the first star once. He averages 13:23 of ice time a game, with 2:10 of penalty kill time and 1:25 of powerplay time.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
January 1 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 8 NSH 0, before the game, we sign Darien Craighead and assigned him to Jacksonville. MacKinnon scored four goals, Stamkos two, Bødker gets a goal and two assists, and Point scored. Hedman, Sproul, Karlsson, and Kucherov each had two assists, and Clendening, Killorn, and Hagelin had one. Zapolski made 17 saves for his 2nd shutout.
January 3 - PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, TBL U14 4, Pittsburgh Pens Elite 3, just a very slow game and you could tell it was a post-holiday game. Dougie barely played over 6 minutes, but he did have two shots on goal and a giveaway. We scored a fortunate goal late, thanks to a Pens miscue in their own zone.
January 4 - Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, TBL 5 MTL 2. Toews had a goal and a helper, and Bødker, Stamkos, Teräväinen, and MacKinnon also scored. Sproul, Karlsson, Killorn, Hagelin, Fleischmann, Kucherov, and Point all had assists, and Zapolski made 29 saves. Karlsson played in his 600th career NHL game and MacKinnon’s goal was his 100th career NHL goal.
January 6 - Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club, Temple Terrace, Florida. The kids had their second golf tournament of the year and this time it was a boys only tournament, while Heather and her girls team played in a tournament in Lakeland. This event would be 36 holes, 18 of them played from 7am to 11am and the second 18 played from 2pm to 6pm. Dougie played his first five holes at 2-under par and looked in good shape until he carded a double bogey on a par-5 and then had another bogey on a par-4. He continued to play at 1-over until disaster struck on his 16th hole. He misjudged the distance and put his second shot on a par-4 into the water and then blasted his drop 80 feet from the hole, he would two-putt to get to 3-over for the round. He would bogey the 18th and he would be at 4-over 76 after one round. He called Heather after his round was over and found out that she shot her personal best 79. Dougie's second round was pretty boring until that 16th hole, but this time he got the distance correct and placed his second shot to within 15 feet of the hole and a birdie putt later he was 1-under for the round. His 18th was a masterful 6-iron out of the tee box, that hit the flag stick and wound up 6 feet from the hole, which he converted and finished with a 2-under 70. He finished fourth in the individual standings, but the team finished ninth out of 18. Heather shot a 74 on her second round and finished tied for 5th in the girls event and her team finished 3rd out of 18. We eventually left the golf courses and went to the Buffalo Wild Wings in Tampa to watch the Bolts defeat the New Jersey Devils 6-2. Kucherov buried four goals, Bødker and MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Stamkos and Hedman had two assists, and Karlsson, Killorn, Frolik, Matthews, Point, and Teräväinen each had one. Vasilevskiy had 21 saves in net.
January 7 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 4 Chicago Mission 3. This was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team could have a two-goal lead, but we eventually buried a loose puck in front of the net and got a huge win. Dougie got a little bit of extra ice time, racking up over eight and a half minutes. He played sparingly on special teams and had both a hit and a shot on goal. He also had a seven rating. He's starting to understand his role whether it's as a fourth liner or a first liner, so that's extremely encouraging.
January 8 - MacKinnon named offensive player of the week with seven goals and an assist in three games.
January 9 - UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, TBL 3 MIL 1. A sloppy game that wasn't officially decided until we scored an empty-netter to seal it. Fleischmann, Kucherov, and Matthews all scored, and Oduya, Killorn, Point, and Teräväinen (A). Vasy 26 saves
January 10 - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Little Flyers 4 TBL U14 2. This just wasn't our day as we got down 3-0 (one goal was a powerplay goal with Dougie in the box for a good tripping penalty) and we clawed back to make it 3-2 but the Flyers tacked on an empty net goal for the final result. Dougie was +1, with a hit and two penalty minutes in just under 8 minutes of game action.
January 11 - Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, TBL 5 LAK 2. Our road trip comes to an end as we storm out to a 4-0 lead after 2 and grind out a win. Matthews scored twice, and Stamkos, Frolik, and Kucherov each scored once. Bødker had three assists, Killorn and Hedman had 2, and MacKinnon and Point had one. Vasy made 22 saves in the win.
January 12 - North Andover, Massachusetts, Lawlor Arena. Dougie and I flew up to Boston a couple days early to catch the Merrimack College vs Vermont game that night, a game won by Merrimack 5-2. I told Dougie about playing there when I was his age in the prestigious Hockey Night in Boston Tournament and how big of an honor it was to represent the State of New York. We toured campus and he seemed to like the New England winter. It will take some kind of convincing with his mother to get him into a college up in this part of the country.
January 13 - North Andover, Massachusetts, Lawlor Arena, Dougie and I were joined by Denise and the twins and we watched the doubleheader at Merrimack College on Day 1 of the Massachusetts Meltdown Showcase. Game 1 showcased the Russell Stover Stars from Kansas City, Kansas, taking on the Middlesex Islanders. A good, physical game that the Stars were able to win 3-2. The Islanders showed that they were worthy of a chance to be in the Tier 1 league, but they are having a great season in the New England AAA league. Game 2 saw Scott Green's Arizona Bobcats take on the Mourning twins and the Shattuck St. Mary's Sabres. Michael didn't play in this game, but Joey did and scored a pair of goals. Scott ended up matching Joey's two, and the teams skated to a 3-3 deadlock. After the game, all three families made their way to a local restaurant, where we got to watch the Lightning defeat the Nashville Predators 6-0 at Amalie Arena. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Bødker chipped in a pair, and Hagelin and Fleischmann also scored, Hedman, Matthews, Gourde, and Stamkos had two assists, while MacKinnon, Point, and Teräväinen had one, Vasy made 21 saves in the shutout.
January 14 - North Andover, Massachusetts, Lawlor Arena. TBL U14 4 Chicago Mission 3. Different Venue, Same Result, as we never trailed in this one. Dougie once again took a penalty but this time it was after the official thought that Dougie purposely dislodged the net. We would look at the video after the game and it was a 50/50 call. He was even on the night, with a hit and was a 7 in the rating column, and 7 minutes played. It was a good team win, but even more important, it was two points in the standings.
January 15 - Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, TBL 6 VAN 1. We were up 4-0 after 1 but took EIGHT penalties in the last two periods and gave the Canucks plenty of chances to get back in the game. The penalty kill was outstanding, going 8-for-9 in the game. Bødker, Hedman, and Karlsson had a goal and an assist, Sproul, Stamkos, and Teräväinen had a goal. Point had three assists, Oduya, Hagelin, Frolik, and Matthews all had one. Vasy 23 saves in the win.
January 16 - Toews out for an undisclosed time due to dental injury.
January 17 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 6 Florida Jr. Panthers 2. Dougie got the team rolling by blocking a shot in the games' opening minute and then going in 2-on-1 with his center. He waited until the very last minute to slide the puck under the defenseman and his center was able to bury the soft pass home and we were off and running. We were up 3-0 after 1, and 5-1 after 2, and were in control for all 60 minutes. Dougie had the assist, was a +1, with a blocked shot and a penalty, in just over 5 minutes of action. As for the Big Bolts, they won 5-2 at Winnipeg. Bødker, MacKinnon, and Hagelin all had a goal and an assist, Matthews and Kucherov both scored. Sproul had two assists, and Hedman, Karlsson, Stamkos, and Teräväinen had one. Vasy made 18 saves for another win.
January 19 - Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, TBL 8 DET 0. We dominated this game from the opening puck drop. Matthews had a hat trick and an assist, Killorn and Point both had a goal and two assists, Karlsson had a goal and an assist, Toews (fresh off his dental injury) and Kucherov also scored. Hedman had three assists, MacKinnon and Clendening had two, and Stamkos had one. Zapolski had 20 saves for his 3rd Shutout. Hedman played in his 600th NHL game, Frolik in his 700th NHL game, and Killorn scored his 100th goal. This was a game that we listened to on the radio while we were on our way to Pittsburgh for the Pens Elite Showcase and we were able to watch Army West Point defeat Robert Morris in an Atlantic Hockey Conference game 5-1 at the RMU Sports Center.
January 21 - RMU Sports Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, TBL U14 5 Esmark Stars 1. This game was supposed to be a challenge for us against the #3 team in Pennsylvania and it turned out to be a snoozer. We were up 5-0 after two and had a running clock going until just under five minutes remaining but were never seriously challenged. Shots were 42-13 and it really should've been 8 or 9 to 1. Dougie played a little over 5 minutes and didn't factor into the scoring. The Bolts were at home at Amalie against the New Jersey Devils, winning 6-1. Point had two goals and an assist, Hagelin and Toews had a goal and an assist, and Matthews and Kucherov scored. Stamkos and MacKinnon had two assists and Sproul, Pietrangelo, and Killorn had an assist. Vasy had 21 saves in goal. We ended up staying in Pittsburgh that night and watched the Penguins knock off Montreal 5-4
January 23 - Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota, TBL 10 MIN 1. We flew from Pittsburgh to Saint Paul and we were able to make sure that Dougie got his homework in before we left for the rink. The Bolts had an easy time with the Wild as Hagelin had two goals and two assists, Toews scored twice, Hedman, Kucherov, MacKinnon all had a goal and two helpers, Killorn had a goal and an assist, and Stamkos and Gourde scored. Karlsson and Pietrangelo both had two assists, and Sproul, Oduya, Fleischmann, Matthews, Point, and Pouliot all had one. Zapolski made 21 saves in net.
January 25 - Honda Center, Anaheim, California. TBL U14 4 Anaheim Jr. Ducks 3. Unlike in our game in Tampa in November, we didn't have to come from behind to get a point, but rather we led throughout. Dougie was getting closer and closer to 100% and had a hit (that led to a retaliatory penalty that led to a powerplay goal), a giveaway, which resulted in a minor for hooking because he didn't want to move his feet, and a 6 rating. He played a little more than 8 minutes, but it was an effective 8 minutes.
January 27 - Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Indiana. We decided to fly into Chicago and then bus to South Bend for the Notre Dame Invitational. We played the next day, but the boys wanted to watch the Irish take on Wisconsin so we got the entire team tickets for the game and while they sat in one section of the arena, the parents sat in the adjacent section. We watched the Irish cruise to a 7-0 win over the Badgers but I had my cell phone on me and I was checking the score of the Bolts game on Long Island. I apparently checked it so much that Denise nearly ripped the phone out of my hand and then warned me, "We are here to watch a game, you check that phone one more time, and I will rip it out of your hand and throw it on the ice." I would have to wait until we were back at the hotel to find out that we had beaten the Islanders 9-0. Stamkos had a hat trick and one assist, Kucherov had two goals and an assist, and Oduya, Toews, Matthews, and Pouliot had a goal. Clendening had four assists, Karlsson and Bødker had two, and Hedman, Pietrangelo, Hagelin, Teräväinen, Gourde, MacKinnon, and Frolik had one, Vasy made just 11 saves for the shutout.
January 28 - Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Indiana. TBL U14 4 St. Louis AAA Blues 2. Walking around the concourse of the massive Compton, it was neat to see the history of a program that had been through the WCHA, then the CCHA, then club status, then independent, then back to the CCHA, to Hockey East, and finally into its first season in the Big Ten. Each of the members of the conference has a flag on the wall on the upper level of the arena, right next to the upper club level seating, and above the opposing goalie in the zamboni end, are the national flags of every player that had played at Notre Dame. It was just an amazing arena to look at, and a proper building for this program to start to compete with the blue bloods of college hockey. As far as the game went, just like the game in November that we played in St. Louis, we played a complete game and Dougie REALLY picked up his game, playing over 18 minutes, with 3 shots on goal, a hit, a couple shot blocks, but most importantly, he was able to finish off a breakaway that made it 3-0 and helped up get to a 24-5-4 record at the end of January. In NHL news, Karlsson was named Defensive Player of the Week, playing in two games and recording four assists.
January 29 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 6 DAL 0. We outshot the Stars 51-19 and blew the game open with 3 goals in the second period. Bødker had two goals and an assist, Stamkos had a goal and three assists, Kucherov and Killorn both had a goal and two assists, and Fleischmann had one. Hedman, Pietrangelo, and Gourde also added assists. Vasy had 19 saves for another shutout.
January 31 - Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado, TBL 5 COL 3. Unlike the game in Tampa, this game was not decided until an empty net goal and the Avalanche made us work for this win. Karlsson and Kucherov had a goal and an assist, Hagelin, Point, and MacKinnon all scored as well. Stamkos and Hedman had two assists, and Bødker, and Pouliot had one each. Vasy made 19 saves in the win. Karlsson recorded his 400th career assist. Killorn appeared in his 400th NHL game. Bødker will be out for 10 days with a groin strain and was put on IR. We called Camper up from Jacksonville. Hedman was named the NHL Defensive Player of the Month for January, playing in 14 games recording 2 goals 18 assists.
January 3 - PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, TBL U14 4, Pittsburgh Pens Elite 3, just a very slow game and you could tell it was a post-holiday game. Dougie barely played over 6 minutes, but he did have two shots on goal and a giveaway. We scored a fortunate goal late, thanks to a Pens miscue in their own zone.
January 4 - Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, TBL 5 MTL 2. Toews had a goal and a helper, and Bødker, Stamkos, Teräväinen, and MacKinnon also scored. Sproul, Karlsson, Killorn, Hagelin, Fleischmann, Kucherov, and Point all had assists, and Zapolski made 29 saves. Karlsson played in his 600th career NHL game and MacKinnon’s goal was his 100th career NHL goal.
January 6 - Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club, Temple Terrace, Florida. The kids had their second golf tournament of the year and this time it was a boys only tournament, while Heather and her girls team played in a tournament in Lakeland. This event would be 36 holes, 18 of them played from 7am to 11am and the second 18 played from 2pm to 6pm. Dougie played his first five holes at 2-under par and looked in good shape until he carded a double bogey on a par-5 and then had another bogey on a par-4. He continued to play at 1-over until disaster struck on his 16th hole. He misjudged the distance and put his second shot on a par-4 into the water and then blasted his drop 80 feet from the hole, he would two-putt to get to 3-over for the round. He would bogey the 18th and he would be at 4-over 76 after one round. He called Heather after his round was over and found out that she shot her personal best 79. Dougie's second round was pretty boring until that 16th hole, but this time he got the distance correct and placed his second shot to within 15 feet of the hole and a birdie putt later he was 1-under for the round. His 18th was a masterful 6-iron out of the tee box, that hit the flag stick and wound up 6 feet from the hole, which he converted and finished with a 2-under 70. He finished fourth in the individual standings, but the team finished ninth out of 18. Heather shot a 74 on her second round and finished tied for 5th in the girls event and her team finished 3rd out of 18. We eventually left the golf courses and went to the Buffalo Wild Wings in Tampa to watch the Bolts defeat the New Jersey Devils 6-2. Kucherov buried four goals, Bødker and MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Stamkos and Hedman had two assists, and Karlsson, Killorn, Frolik, Matthews, Point, and Teräväinen each had one. Vasilevskiy had 21 saves in net.
January 7 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 4 Chicago Mission 3. This was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team could have a two-goal lead, but we eventually buried a loose puck in front of the net and got a huge win. Dougie got a little bit of extra ice time, racking up over eight and a half minutes. He played sparingly on special teams and had both a hit and a shot on goal. He also had a seven rating. He's starting to understand his role whether it's as a fourth liner or a first liner, so that's extremely encouraging.
January 8 - MacKinnon named offensive player of the week with seven goals and an assist in three games.
January 9 - UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, TBL 3 MIL 1. A sloppy game that wasn't officially decided until we scored an empty-netter to seal it. Fleischmann, Kucherov, and Matthews all scored, and Oduya, Killorn, Point, and Teräväinen (A). Vasy 26 saves
January 10 - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Little Flyers 4 TBL U14 2. This just wasn't our day as we got down 3-0 (one goal was a powerplay goal with Dougie in the box for a good tripping penalty) and we clawed back to make it 3-2 but the Flyers tacked on an empty net goal for the final result. Dougie was +1, with a hit and two penalty minutes in just under 8 minutes of game action.
January 11 - Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, TBL 5 LAK 2. Our road trip comes to an end as we storm out to a 4-0 lead after 2 and grind out a win. Matthews scored twice, and Stamkos, Frolik, and Kucherov each scored once. Bødker had three assists, Killorn and Hedman had 2, and MacKinnon and Point had one. Vasy made 22 saves in the win.
January 12 - North Andover, Massachusetts, Lawlor Arena. Dougie and I flew up to Boston a couple days early to catch the Merrimack College vs Vermont game that night, a game won by Merrimack 5-2. I told Dougie about playing there when I was his age in the prestigious Hockey Night in Boston Tournament and how big of an honor it was to represent the State of New York. We toured campus and he seemed to like the New England winter. It will take some kind of convincing with his mother to get him into a college up in this part of the country.
January 13 - North Andover, Massachusetts, Lawlor Arena, Dougie and I were joined by Denise and the twins and we watched the doubleheader at Merrimack College on Day 1 of the Massachusetts Meltdown Showcase. Game 1 showcased the Russell Stover Stars from Kansas City, Kansas, taking on the Middlesex Islanders. A good, physical game that the Stars were able to win 3-2. The Islanders showed that they were worthy of a chance to be in the Tier 1 league, but they are having a great season in the New England AAA league. Game 2 saw Scott Green's Arizona Bobcats take on the Mourning twins and the Shattuck St. Mary's Sabres. Michael didn't play in this game, but Joey did and scored a pair of goals. Scott ended up matching Joey's two, and the teams skated to a 3-3 deadlock. After the game, all three families made their way to a local restaurant, where we got to watch the Lightning defeat the Nashville Predators 6-0 at Amalie Arena. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Bødker chipped in a pair, and Hagelin and Fleischmann also scored, Hedman, Matthews, Gourde, and Stamkos had two assists, while MacKinnon, Point, and Teräväinen had one, Vasy made 21 saves in the shutout.
January 14 - North Andover, Massachusetts, Lawlor Arena. TBL U14 4 Chicago Mission 3. Different Venue, Same Result, as we never trailed in this one. Dougie once again took a penalty but this time it was after the official thought that Dougie purposely dislodged the net. We would look at the video after the game and it was a 50/50 call. He was even on the night, with a hit and was a 7 in the rating column, and 7 minutes played. It was a good team win, but even more important, it was two points in the standings.
January 15 - Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, TBL 6 VAN 1. We were up 4-0 after 1 but took EIGHT penalties in the last two periods and gave the Canucks plenty of chances to get back in the game. The penalty kill was outstanding, going 8-for-9 in the game. Bødker, Hedman, and Karlsson had a goal and an assist, Sproul, Stamkos, and Teräväinen had a goal. Point had three assists, Oduya, Hagelin, Frolik, and Matthews all had one. Vasy 23 saves in the win.
January 16 - Toews out for an undisclosed time due to dental injury.
January 17 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 6 Florida Jr. Panthers 2. Dougie got the team rolling by blocking a shot in the games' opening minute and then going in 2-on-1 with his center. He waited until the very last minute to slide the puck under the defenseman and his center was able to bury the soft pass home and we were off and running. We were up 3-0 after 1, and 5-1 after 2, and were in control for all 60 minutes. Dougie had the assist, was a +1, with a blocked shot and a penalty, in just over 5 minutes of action. As for the Big Bolts, they won 5-2 at Winnipeg. Bødker, MacKinnon, and Hagelin all had a goal and an assist, Matthews and Kucherov both scored. Sproul had two assists, and Hedman, Karlsson, Stamkos, and Teräväinen had one. Vasy made 18 saves for another win.
January 19 - Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, TBL 8 DET 0. We dominated this game from the opening puck drop. Matthews had a hat trick and an assist, Killorn and Point both had a goal and two assists, Karlsson had a goal and an assist, Toews (fresh off his dental injury) and Kucherov also scored. Hedman had three assists, MacKinnon and Clendening had two, and Stamkos had one. Zapolski had 20 saves for his 3rd Shutout. Hedman played in his 600th NHL game, Frolik in his 700th NHL game, and Killorn scored his 100th goal. This was a game that we listened to on the radio while we were on our way to Pittsburgh for the Pens Elite Showcase and we were able to watch Army West Point defeat Robert Morris in an Atlantic Hockey Conference game 5-1 at the RMU Sports Center.
January 21 - RMU Sports Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, TBL U14 5 Esmark Stars 1. This game was supposed to be a challenge for us against the #3 team in Pennsylvania and it turned out to be a snoozer. We were up 5-0 after two and had a running clock going until just under five minutes remaining but were never seriously challenged. Shots were 42-13 and it really should've been 8 or 9 to 1. Dougie played a little over 5 minutes and didn't factor into the scoring. The Bolts were at home at Amalie against the New Jersey Devils, winning 6-1. Point had two goals and an assist, Hagelin and Toews had a goal and an assist, and Matthews and Kucherov scored. Stamkos and MacKinnon had two assists and Sproul, Pietrangelo, and Killorn had an assist. Vasy had 21 saves in goal. We ended up staying in Pittsburgh that night and watched the Penguins knock off Montreal 5-4
January 23 - Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota, TBL 10 MIN 1. We flew from Pittsburgh to Saint Paul and we were able to make sure that Dougie got his homework in before we left for the rink. The Bolts had an easy time with the Wild as Hagelin had two goals and two assists, Toews scored twice, Hedman, Kucherov, MacKinnon all had a goal and two helpers, Killorn had a goal and an assist, and Stamkos and Gourde scored. Karlsson and Pietrangelo both had two assists, and Sproul, Oduya, Fleischmann, Matthews, Point, and Pouliot all had one. Zapolski made 21 saves in net.
January 25 - Honda Center, Anaheim, California. TBL U14 4 Anaheim Jr. Ducks 3. Unlike in our game in Tampa in November, we didn't have to come from behind to get a point, but rather we led throughout. Dougie was getting closer and closer to 100% and had a hit (that led to a retaliatory penalty that led to a powerplay goal), a giveaway, which resulted in a minor for hooking because he didn't want to move his feet, and a 6 rating. He played a little more than 8 minutes, but it was an effective 8 minutes.
January 27 - Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Indiana. We decided to fly into Chicago and then bus to South Bend for the Notre Dame Invitational. We played the next day, but the boys wanted to watch the Irish take on Wisconsin so we got the entire team tickets for the game and while they sat in one section of the arena, the parents sat in the adjacent section. We watched the Irish cruise to a 7-0 win over the Badgers but I had my cell phone on me and I was checking the score of the Bolts game on Long Island. I apparently checked it so much that Denise nearly ripped the phone out of my hand and then warned me, "We are here to watch a game, you check that phone one more time, and I will rip it out of your hand and throw it on the ice." I would have to wait until we were back at the hotel to find out that we had beaten the Islanders 9-0. Stamkos had a hat trick and one assist, Kucherov had two goals and an assist, and Oduya, Toews, Matthews, and Pouliot had a goal. Clendening had four assists, Karlsson and Bødker had two, and Hedman, Pietrangelo, Hagelin, Teräväinen, Gourde, MacKinnon, and Frolik had one, Vasy made just 11 saves for the shutout.
January 28 - Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Indiana. TBL U14 4 St. Louis AAA Blues 2. Walking around the concourse of the massive Compton, it was neat to see the history of a program that had been through the WCHA, then the CCHA, then club status, then independent, then back to the CCHA, to Hockey East, and finally into its first season in the Big Ten. Each of the members of the conference has a flag on the wall on the upper level of the arena, right next to the upper club level seating, and above the opposing goalie in the zamboni end, are the national flags of every player that had played at Notre Dame. It was just an amazing arena to look at, and a proper building for this program to start to compete with the blue bloods of college hockey. As far as the game went, just like the game in November that we played in St. Louis, we played a complete game and Dougie REALLY picked up his game, playing over 18 minutes, with 3 shots on goal, a hit, a couple shot blocks, but most importantly, he was able to finish off a breakaway that made it 3-0 and helped up get to a 24-5-4 record at the end of January. In NHL news, Karlsson was named Defensive Player of the Week, playing in two games and recording four assists.
January 29 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 6 DAL 0. We outshot the Stars 51-19 and blew the game open with 3 goals in the second period. Bødker had two goals and an assist, Stamkos had a goal and three assists, Kucherov and Killorn both had a goal and two assists, and Fleischmann had one. Hedman, Pietrangelo, and Gourde also added assists. Vasy had 19 saves for another shutout.
January 31 - Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado, TBL 5 COL 3. Unlike the game in Tampa, this game was not decided until an empty net goal and the Avalanche made us work for this win. Karlsson and Kucherov had a goal and an assist, Hagelin, Point, and MacKinnon all scored as well. Stamkos and Hedman had two assists, and Bødker, and Pouliot had one each. Vasy made 19 saves in the win. Karlsson recorded his 400th career assist. Killorn appeared in his 400th NHL game. Bødker will be out for 10 days with a groin strain and was put on IR. We called Camper up from Jacksonville. Hedman was named the NHL Defensive Player of the Month for January, playing in 14 games recording 2 goals 18 assists.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
February 1 - Amalie Arena, Tampa Florida, TBL 14u 8 Florida Jr. Panthers 0. This was a game that we had to get in for the State Tournament rankings and it ended up being a game that we could not finish fast enough. All either team wanted to do was hit each other and it was an endless flow of penalties. We ended up taking 11, 1 short of me having to sit the next game. The game had zero flow and Dougie saw a ton of ice time because of it. He ended up with 2 hits, 2 blocked shots, a shot on goal, a pair of giveaways, and a penalty for a 7 rating. Not bad for a kid who was on the ice for over 15 minutes of special teams time and 18:41 total.
February 2 - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio, TBL 7 CBJ 0, This one was never in doubt as we led 3-0 after 1 and kept the foot on the gas. Pietrangelo had a goal and two assists, MacKinnon and Point each had a goal and an assist, Stamkos, Matthews, Gourde and Kucherov also scored. Sproul had two helpers, Hedman, Karlsson, Clendening, Killorn, Hagelin, and Teräväinen all had one. Vasy made 20 saves to pick up the shutout.
February 4 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 5 EDM 3, this was a horrendously sloppy game in which we were helped by 3 PPGs and wasn’t decided until Kucherov’s empty-netter. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, Pietrangelo also scored. Karlsson had two helpers, while Hedman, Killorn, Teräväinen, Fleischmann, Point, and Frolik each had one. Vasy had 19 stops in the win. The Bolts weren't the only ones to play sloppy as the u14s lost 4-2 to Philadelphia. This was another abysmal showing as we had 40 turnovers in the contest. We only took 6 penalties, but it just wasn't a great day for the team and especially for Dougie, who sat the last 10 minutes of the game. He blocked a shot, but was also a minus-2, had 5 of the 40 giveaways, and a penalty. He somehow got a 6 rating, but that might be because he was on the ice for over five minutes of powerplay time, seven minutes of penalty kill time, and 21 minutes total.
February 7 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 4 CIN 1. This was a very well-played game, and a possible Eastern Conference Final Preview. Teräväinen, Fleischmann, Matthews and Frolik all had a goal and an assist. Point had two assists, and Sproul and Gourde had one. Vasy had another 19 save performance in goal. Point recorded his 100th NHL point, Frolik's assist was the 200th of his NHL career, Bødker resumed light practice, and we qualified for the Playoffs. We also had our first players named to their respective Olympic Teams. Karlsson and Oduya were selected to Team Sweden for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Teräväinen named to Team Finland for the Winter Games and Vermin named to Team Switzerland.
February 8 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. I gave the entire team the day off, but I did have meetings with some of the players to inform them of their selections to represent their countries. Matthews was named to Team USA, Fleischmann and Frolik were both named to Team Czech Republic, Pietrangelo, MacKinnon, and Stamkos were all named to Team Canada, Vasilevskiy and Kucherov were both named to Team Russia. After the meetings, the u14s played a much better game against the Grosse Ile (Michigan) Islanders and won 4-1. Dougie came to the rink determined to play a better game than what he did in Philadelphia, and he did a tremendous job. On the opening shift he blocked a pair of shots, and bulldozed his was through a defenseman and it was just a sign of things to come. With the score 2-1, he skated the puck up the left-wing side, and then once he got into the offensive zone, slammed on the brakes, waited for his centerman to join the play, hit him with a pass in stride and his centerman neatly tucked it home to give us a two-goal lead. Dougie ended with three hits, five blocks, an assist, a +1, and a shot on goal in 24 minutes of action, and he also helped kill of seven penalties.
February 10 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 5 SAS 2. The homestand continued as we played our second consecutive expansion team. The Whitetails gave us everything that they had, but we were able to pull out the victory. MacKinnon had a pair of goals, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Hedman and Killorn also tallied. Kucherov recorded three assists, Hagelin and Toews with two, and Karlsson had one. Vasy made 18 saves and was nearly pulled after giving up a couple head scratchers.
February 12 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 1 FLA 0. Bødker began full practice, and Camper was placed on Waivers before the game. Stamkos had our goal, Kucherov and Pietrangelo had the assists. We went 0-8 on PP and Vasy was immensely better than a couple days prior, and we needed him to be, as he made 19 more saves, and more importantly, a win and a shutout. While that game was going on, the u14s were at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Brandon, Florida, taking on the Anaheim Jr. Ducks. Dougie would get the team motivated with a first period powerplay goal as he was left alone in the slot and buried a one-timer for a 1-0 lead. He would later make it 3-0 when he positioned himself down below the goal line and when he was coming around the net on his forehand, caught the goalie leaving his post too soon and snapped it home. That would be all the offense we needed as we would win 4-1. Dougie's final totals were two blocked shots, two powerplay goals, an 8 rating and the first goal. He also had a giveaway, a takeaway, and three shots on goal, in 29:40 of action, 13:14 of that on the penalty kill, and 5:17 on the powerplay. The good news for him is that he had a 50-person cheering section for him, as Heather brought a bunch of her friends and family to watch. The bad news for him, the team took 14 penalties, meaning I would have to sit the next game.
February 14 - Camper claimed by the New York Islanders. Karlsson was named team captain and had two assists as Sweden beat Norway 5-1 to kick off the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Oduya played but did not score. In game two, Teräväinen had a goal as Finland defeated Belarus 4-0.
February 15 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, San Jose Jr. Sharks 4 TBL U14 2. I handed our lineup card to my assistant coach and headed up to the owner's suite upstairs in the arena. I did my best to multi-task and watch the Olympics and my team at the same time, but the games in South Korea would have to take a backseat to the Adam Madison show. Adam scored two goals and added two assists, but he also ended up drawing two penalties on Dougie, a tripping penalty that prevented a goal, and then a costly double-minor for roughing, that resulted in the Sharks scoring two powerplay goals. Dougie ended up with 3 hits, three giveaways, and 6 minutes in penalties. He still somehow got 14 minutes of playing time, 8 of which were on the penalty kill, and a little over a minute of powerplay time. In between periods, I got caught up with what was going on overseas and saw that Vermin played for Switzerland but didn’t score in the 4-1 win over Latvia. Matthews played but was not involved in the scoring as the United States skated past Slovakia, 5-2. Stamkos had a goal, and Pietrangelo and MacKinnon played but had no points as Canada beat the Czech Republic 5-2 Fleischmann and Frolik were kept off the board for the Czechs. Kucherov was scoreless and Vasy was the backup as Russia shut out Germany 5-0.
February 16 - Matthews had a goal for the Americans but, Kucherov had a goal and an assist as the Russians beat the Americans 5-3. Slovakia defeated the Germans 2-1. Karlsson had a goal and an assist as the Swedes defeated Finland 3-2. Teräväinen of Finland and Oduya of Sweden played but didn’t score. Belarus defeated Norway 3-2 in OT.
February 17 - Fleischmann had a goal and Frolik had an assist, but Vermin’s assist on a late powerplay goal was the difference as Switzerland knocked off Czech Republic 4-3. Teräväinen had a goal as Finland beat Norway 6-3. MacKinnon and Stamkos both scored, but Pietrangelo didn’t as Canada routed Latvia 9-1. Oduya didn’t score but, Karlsson had a goal as Sweden beat Belarus 6-1 to clinch Group C and a bye into the Quarterfinals.
February 18 - Frolik had an assist as the Czech Republic struggled to beat Latvia 4-1. Fleischmann didn't score for the Czechs. Canada cruised to defeat Switzerland 5-0 and clinch Group A. Stamkos had a goal, MacKinnon had a goal and an assist and Pietrangelo didn’t figure into the scoring. Kucherov had a goal and Vasy didn’t play as the Russians defeated Slovakia 5-1, to clinch group B. The USA got a 3 goal third period and coasted to a 5-0 win over Germany, clinching the last Quarterfinal bye. Matthews didn’t score. That set up the quarterfinals: #5 Finland vs #12 Latvia with the winner taking on #4 USA. #6 Switzerland vs #11 Germany with the winner taking on #3 Sweden. #7 Czech Republic vs #10 Norway with the winner taking on #2 Russia and #8 Slovakia vs #9 Belarus with the winner taking on #1 Canada.
February 19 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. I requested that the team be at Amalie at 10AM for a team meeting/lunch and we talked about how important it was to play more as a team and stop taking penalties. We talked for about a half hour and then watched Olympic Highlights from the Preliminary Round and stressed how important every shift is, especially for the guys playing in this tournament, as one bad shift could send their team out of the tournament. It seemed to get through to them as 7 different players found the back of the net in a 9-0 win over the Palm Beach Breakers. Dougie was able to get three blocks and a shot on goal in his 10 minutes of ice time but wasn't able to get on the scoresheet. We only took five penalties, so there was an improvement.
February 20 - Finland defeated Latvia 5-1 in the Qualifying Round. Teräväinen played by did not factor in the scoring. Frolik had 2 assists, and Fleischmann had a goal as the Czech Republic defeated Norway 5-2. In the other two qualifying matches, Switzerland defeated Germany 2-1 as Vermin didn’t factor in the scoring and Slovakia defeated Belarus 5-3.
February 21 - Teräväinen played but didn’t score, but Matthews scored twice as the Americans throttled Finland 8-1. Kucherov had a goal as the Russians defeated Czech Republic 6-1 as neither Frolik nor Fleischmann had a point. None of the Lightning players had a point but Canada still skated by Slovakia 4-0, but in the biggest upset so far, Switzerland got two late empty net goals to send Sweden packing in a 5-2 win. Vernon had the first goal for Switzerland, who never trailed. That set up the USA v Switzerland and Russia v Canada in the semis.
February 22 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, North Jersey Avalanche 4 at TBL U14 3 - by far not our best game of the season as we had to come back three times to tie a team that we were far better than and we also outshot by 25. Their goalie was phenomenal making a number of highlight real saves. Meanwhile, we struggled in our own end and gave up a couple of goals that we really shouldn’t have. But every team has those games, and we continued to stay afloat in our hunt for a playoff spot. Dougie only played about ten minutes, but he was effective as he kept the other team off the scoreboard. The whole family headed to the airport after the game, as we surprised Dougie, with a trip to South Korea for the Olympic Finals.
February 23 - Matthews had the second goal in a 5 goal second period as the USA rebounded from trailing 1-0 after 1 to defeat Switzerland 5-1. Vermin didn’t score for Switzerland. The Russians got three in the first and held on for a 5-2 win over Canada. Kucherov had a goal and an assist for Russia and Stamkos had an assist for Canada.
February 24 - Gangneung Hockey Centre, Pyeongchang, South Korea. We arrived in South Korea at 4am and were able to sleep and then take in some of the sites, before getting dinner and then heading over to the arena for the bronze medal game. MacKinnon had an assist, and Team Canada was up 5-0 after a period as they cruised to a 6-1 win. Vermin had the only goal for the Swiss. After the game, Dougie got to take a photo with the bronze medalists and Vermin and also got to chat with them about their Olympic experiences.
February 25 - Gangneung Hockey Centre, Pyeongchang, South Korea. After getting some breakfast, we ventured out to get some Olympic souvenirs and eventually made our way to the arena for the gold medal matchup. Russia got two powerplay goals from Evgeni Malkin, but Team USA got two third period goals from Brendan Saad to beat Russia 4-2 for the Gold Medal. The whole family had an amazing time and after the game and the closing ceremonies, were able to fly home on the Team USA plane to begin the trip back to Tampa. Connor McDavid (Toronto- Canada) led all scorers with 5 goals and six assists, Joe Pavelski (Saskatoon) led the Americans with 3 goals and 6 assists, Artemi Panarin (San Jose) had two goals and six assists for Russia. Justin Faulk (Chicago- USA) led all defensemen with 2 goals and 4 assists, and for the goalies, Jonathan Quick (Atlanta- USA) had a 1.00 GAA and a .953 save pct. Carey Price (Pittsburgh- Canada) had two shutouts, Quick, Sergei Bobrovsky (Portland- Russia), and Antti Raanta (Arizona- Finland) all had 1.
February 27 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 5 WSH 2. Before the game, Karlsson was honored and named the Best Defenseman and on the Olympic Games All-Star Team. We fell behind 1-0 and tied 2-2 after two, it looked like we still had some rust from playing in the Olympics. Killorn and Kucherov had a goal and an assist, Stamkos, Gourde, and Teräväinen all had a goal. Bødker had two assists, and Hedman, Karlsson, Toews, MacKinnon had 1. Vasy 17 saves in goal. Pietrangelo played in his 600th NHL game.
February 2 - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio, TBL 7 CBJ 0, This one was never in doubt as we led 3-0 after 1 and kept the foot on the gas. Pietrangelo had a goal and two assists, MacKinnon and Point each had a goal and an assist, Stamkos, Matthews, Gourde and Kucherov also scored. Sproul had two helpers, Hedman, Karlsson, Clendening, Killorn, Hagelin, and Teräväinen all had one. Vasy made 20 saves to pick up the shutout.
February 4 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 5 EDM 3, this was a horrendously sloppy game in which we were helped by 3 PPGs and wasn’t decided until Kucherov’s empty-netter. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, Pietrangelo also scored. Karlsson had two helpers, while Hedman, Killorn, Teräväinen, Fleischmann, Point, and Frolik each had one. Vasy had 19 stops in the win. The Bolts weren't the only ones to play sloppy as the u14s lost 4-2 to Philadelphia. This was another abysmal showing as we had 40 turnovers in the contest. We only took 6 penalties, but it just wasn't a great day for the team and especially for Dougie, who sat the last 10 minutes of the game. He blocked a shot, but was also a minus-2, had 5 of the 40 giveaways, and a penalty. He somehow got a 6 rating, but that might be because he was on the ice for over five minutes of powerplay time, seven minutes of penalty kill time, and 21 minutes total.
February 7 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 4 CIN 1. This was a very well-played game, and a possible Eastern Conference Final Preview. Teräväinen, Fleischmann, Matthews and Frolik all had a goal and an assist. Point had two assists, and Sproul and Gourde had one. Vasy had another 19 save performance in goal. Point recorded his 100th NHL point, Frolik's assist was the 200th of his NHL career, Bødker resumed light practice, and we qualified for the Playoffs. We also had our first players named to their respective Olympic Teams. Karlsson and Oduya were selected to Team Sweden for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Teräväinen named to Team Finland for the Winter Games and Vermin named to Team Switzerland.
February 8 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. I gave the entire team the day off, but I did have meetings with some of the players to inform them of their selections to represent their countries. Matthews was named to Team USA, Fleischmann and Frolik were both named to Team Czech Republic, Pietrangelo, MacKinnon, and Stamkos were all named to Team Canada, Vasilevskiy and Kucherov were both named to Team Russia. After the meetings, the u14s played a much better game against the Grosse Ile (Michigan) Islanders and won 4-1. Dougie came to the rink determined to play a better game than what he did in Philadelphia, and he did a tremendous job. On the opening shift he blocked a pair of shots, and bulldozed his was through a defenseman and it was just a sign of things to come. With the score 2-1, he skated the puck up the left-wing side, and then once he got into the offensive zone, slammed on the brakes, waited for his centerman to join the play, hit him with a pass in stride and his centerman neatly tucked it home to give us a two-goal lead. Dougie ended with three hits, five blocks, an assist, a +1, and a shot on goal in 24 minutes of action, and he also helped kill of seven penalties.
February 10 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 5 SAS 2. The homestand continued as we played our second consecutive expansion team. The Whitetails gave us everything that they had, but we were able to pull out the victory. MacKinnon had a pair of goals, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Hedman and Killorn also tallied. Kucherov recorded three assists, Hagelin and Toews with two, and Karlsson had one. Vasy made 18 saves and was nearly pulled after giving up a couple head scratchers.
February 12 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 1 FLA 0. Bødker began full practice, and Camper was placed on Waivers before the game. Stamkos had our goal, Kucherov and Pietrangelo had the assists. We went 0-8 on PP and Vasy was immensely better than a couple days prior, and we needed him to be, as he made 19 more saves, and more importantly, a win and a shutout. While that game was going on, the u14s were at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Brandon, Florida, taking on the Anaheim Jr. Ducks. Dougie would get the team motivated with a first period powerplay goal as he was left alone in the slot and buried a one-timer for a 1-0 lead. He would later make it 3-0 when he positioned himself down below the goal line and when he was coming around the net on his forehand, caught the goalie leaving his post too soon and snapped it home. That would be all the offense we needed as we would win 4-1. Dougie's final totals were two blocked shots, two powerplay goals, an 8 rating and the first goal. He also had a giveaway, a takeaway, and three shots on goal, in 29:40 of action, 13:14 of that on the penalty kill, and 5:17 on the powerplay. The good news for him is that he had a 50-person cheering section for him, as Heather brought a bunch of her friends and family to watch. The bad news for him, the team took 14 penalties, meaning I would have to sit the next game.
February 14 - Camper claimed by the New York Islanders. Karlsson was named team captain and had two assists as Sweden beat Norway 5-1 to kick off the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Oduya played but did not score. In game two, Teräväinen had a goal as Finland defeated Belarus 4-0.
February 15 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, San Jose Jr. Sharks 4 TBL U14 2. I handed our lineup card to my assistant coach and headed up to the owner's suite upstairs in the arena. I did my best to multi-task and watch the Olympics and my team at the same time, but the games in South Korea would have to take a backseat to the Adam Madison show. Adam scored two goals and added two assists, but he also ended up drawing two penalties on Dougie, a tripping penalty that prevented a goal, and then a costly double-minor for roughing, that resulted in the Sharks scoring two powerplay goals. Dougie ended up with 3 hits, three giveaways, and 6 minutes in penalties. He still somehow got 14 minutes of playing time, 8 of which were on the penalty kill, and a little over a minute of powerplay time. In between periods, I got caught up with what was going on overseas and saw that Vermin played for Switzerland but didn’t score in the 4-1 win over Latvia. Matthews played but was not involved in the scoring as the United States skated past Slovakia, 5-2. Stamkos had a goal, and Pietrangelo and MacKinnon played but had no points as Canada beat the Czech Republic 5-2 Fleischmann and Frolik were kept off the board for the Czechs. Kucherov was scoreless and Vasy was the backup as Russia shut out Germany 5-0.
February 16 - Matthews had a goal for the Americans but, Kucherov had a goal and an assist as the Russians beat the Americans 5-3. Slovakia defeated the Germans 2-1. Karlsson had a goal and an assist as the Swedes defeated Finland 3-2. Teräväinen of Finland and Oduya of Sweden played but didn’t score. Belarus defeated Norway 3-2 in OT.
February 17 - Fleischmann had a goal and Frolik had an assist, but Vermin’s assist on a late powerplay goal was the difference as Switzerland knocked off Czech Republic 4-3. Teräväinen had a goal as Finland beat Norway 6-3. MacKinnon and Stamkos both scored, but Pietrangelo didn’t as Canada routed Latvia 9-1. Oduya didn’t score but, Karlsson had a goal as Sweden beat Belarus 6-1 to clinch Group C and a bye into the Quarterfinals.
February 18 - Frolik had an assist as the Czech Republic struggled to beat Latvia 4-1. Fleischmann didn't score for the Czechs. Canada cruised to defeat Switzerland 5-0 and clinch Group A. Stamkos had a goal, MacKinnon had a goal and an assist and Pietrangelo didn’t figure into the scoring. Kucherov had a goal and Vasy didn’t play as the Russians defeated Slovakia 5-1, to clinch group B. The USA got a 3 goal third period and coasted to a 5-0 win over Germany, clinching the last Quarterfinal bye. Matthews didn’t score. That set up the quarterfinals: #5 Finland vs #12 Latvia with the winner taking on #4 USA. #6 Switzerland vs #11 Germany with the winner taking on #3 Sweden. #7 Czech Republic vs #10 Norway with the winner taking on #2 Russia and #8 Slovakia vs #9 Belarus with the winner taking on #1 Canada.
February 19 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. I requested that the team be at Amalie at 10AM for a team meeting/lunch and we talked about how important it was to play more as a team and stop taking penalties. We talked for about a half hour and then watched Olympic Highlights from the Preliminary Round and stressed how important every shift is, especially for the guys playing in this tournament, as one bad shift could send their team out of the tournament. It seemed to get through to them as 7 different players found the back of the net in a 9-0 win over the Palm Beach Breakers. Dougie was able to get three blocks and a shot on goal in his 10 minutes of ice time but wasn't able to get on the scoresheet. We only took five penalties, so there was an improvement.
February 20 - Finland defeated Latvia 5-1 in the Qualifying Round. Teräväinen played by did not factor in the scoring. Frolik had 2 assists, and Fleischmann had a goal as the Czech Republic defeated Norway 5-2. In the other two qualifying matches, Switzerland defeated Germany 2-1 as Vermin didn’t factor in the scoring and Slovakia defeated Belarus 5-3.
February 21 - Teräväinen played but didn’t score, but Matthews scored twice as the Americans throttled Finland 8-1. Kucherov had a goal as the Russians defeated Czech Republic 6-1 as neither Frolik nor Fleischmann had a point. None of the Lightning players had a point but Canada still skated by Slovakia 4-0, but in the biggest upset so far, Switzerland got two late empty net goals to send Sweden packing in a 5-2 win. Vernon had the first goal for Switzerland, who never trailed. That set up the USA v Switzerland and Russia v Canada in the semis.
February 22 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, North Jersey Avalanche 4 at TBL U14 3 - by far not our best game of the season as we had to come back three times to tie a team that we were far better than and we also outshot by 25. Their goalie was phenomenal making a number of highlight real saves. Meanwhile, we struggled in our own end and gave up a couple of goals that we really shouldn’t have. But every team has those games, and we continued to stay afloat in our hunt for a playoff spot. Dougie only played about ten minutes, but he was effective as he kept the other team off the scoreboard. The whole family headed to the airport after the game, as we surprised Dougie, with a trip to South Korea for the Olympic Finals.
February 23 - Matthews had the second goal in a 5 goal second period as the USA rebounded from trailing 1-0 after 1 to defeat Switzerland 5-1. Vermin didn’t score for Switzerland. The Russians got three in the first and held on for a 5-2 win over Canada. Kucherov had a goal and an assist for Russia and Stamkos had an assist for Canada.
February 24 - Gangneung Hockey Centre, Pyeongchang, South Korea. We arrived in South Korea at 4am and were able to sleep and then take in some of the sites, before getting dinner and then heading over to the arena for the bronze medal game. MacKinnon had an assist, and Team Canada was up 5-0 after a period as they cruised to a 6-1 win. Vermin had the only goal for the Swiss. After the game, Dougie got to take a photo with the bronze medalists and Vermin and also got to chat with them about their Olympic experiences.
February 25 - Gangneung Hockey Centre, Pyeongchang, South Korea. After getting some breakfast, we ventured out to get some Olympic souvenirs and eventually made our way to the arena for the gold medal matchup. Russia got two powerplay goals from Evgeni Malkin, but Team USA got two third period goals from Brendan Saad to beat Russia 4-2 for the Gold Medal. The whole family had an amazing time and after the game and the closing ceremonies, were able to fly home on the Team USA plane to begin the trip back to Tampa. Connor McDavid (Toronto- Canada) led all scorers with 5 goals and six assists, Joe Pavelski (Saskatoon) led the Americans with 3 goals and 6 assists, Artemi Panarin (San Jose) had two goals and six assists for Russia. Justin Faulk (Chicago- USA) led all defensemen with 2 goals and 4 assists, and for the goalies, Jonathan Quick (Atlanta- USA) had a 1.00 GAA and a .953 save pct. Carey Price (Pittsburgh- Canada) had two shutouts, Quick, Sergei Bobrovsky (Portland- Russia), and Antti Raanta (Arizona- Finland) all had 1.
February 27 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 5 WSH 2. Before the game, Karlsson was honored and named the Best Defenseman and on the Olympic Games All-Star Team. We fell behind 1-0 and tied 2-2 after two, it looked like we still had some rust from playing in the Olympics. Killorn and Kucherov had a goal and an assist, Stamkos, Gourde, and Teräväinen all had a goal. Bødker had two assists, and Hedman, Karlsson, Toews, MacKinnon had 1. Vasy 17 saves in goal. Pietrangelo played in his 600th NHL game.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
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- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
March 1 - SAP Center, San Jose, California, TBL U14 4 San Jose Jr. Sharks 2. This was a rough day for me as I had to keep one eye on Dougie making sure he didn't do anything stupid knowing that Adam Madison was going to try to get under his skin, but knowing that this was an afternoon game, I also had to have my phone with me as the Bolts took on Ottawa back home. My fears were somewhat put to rest pre-game when I saw the two young men talking with each other before the game, or so I thought. Dougie was able to play his normal game, with over 18 minutes of ice time and 7 on special teams. He managed a shot block, a giveaway, which luckily didn't amount to much, a couple shots on goal, but also a huge assist, when he spotted his fellow winger going to the net and Dougie threw a cross-ice saucer pass that his winger just redirected into the net. Later in the game, Dougie crashed the net a little too hard and Adam took exception to that and threw him to the ice, sending both of them to the box. They continued to jaw at each other in the boxes, through the handshake lines, and even after the game. We were able to get back to the hotel to watch the end of the Bolts game as they crushed Ottawa 7-1. Bødker, Pouliot, and Stamkos had 2 Goals, and Hagelin had a goal and an assist. MacKinnon had four helpers, Pietrangelo and Frolik had two each, and Oduya, Sproul, Karlsson, Teräväinen, and Point each had one. Vasy had 20 saves and lost the shutout with 35 seconds remaining in the game. The board was absolutely delighted with our play, but they turned around and put Gillies on Waivers after the game.
March 2 - To the surprise of no one, Gillies claimed off of waivers by the Detroit Red Wings.
March 3 - It looked like an infirmary after practice as Pouliot suffered a lower leg contusion and Hagelin twisted his knee in practice. We called up Barré-Boulet and Vermin to replace them and Grzelcyk as well, with the hope that they would make it to Tampa by tomorrow night. Dougie's team played the Hartford Jr. Wolfpack and fell 5-4 in a game that we should've won. Dougie was a -2 and had four giveaways in just over 10 minutes of ice time. The locker room was absolutely silent after the game and all I told the team was that they better show up ready to play tomorrow, otherwise they could kiss the season and the playoffs goodbye.
March 4 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. TBL 4 HOU 2. Another doubleheader at Amalie, this time the NHL Bolts played first against a scrappy expansion Aeros team. We never trailed, but we certainly had to earn this win. Bødker, Toews, Stamkos, and Kucherov all scored, while Hedman, Karlsson, Teräväinen, Matthews, MacKinnon, and Point, each had an assist, and Vasy made 26 saves in net. In the nightcap, we hosted the Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Power and won big 5-1. Dougie had a great assist, as he caught a Power defenseman pinching in, and simply chipped it by him, only for his linemates to walk in on a 2-on-1 and score. He also got a cheap plus after serving his double minor for high sticking, he jumped out of the box and two seconds later, the puck was in the net. He played just under 12 minutes and also had a couple shots on goal. Just business as usual for him and our squads, but it was a much better effort than what we had shown 24 hours prior.
March 6 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL 5 CGY 1. We scored three goals in the first and cruised the rest of the way. Bødker had a pair of goals, Stamkos and MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Toews had a goal. Hedman had two assists, Pietrangelo, Clendening, Killorn, Teräväinen, and Point all had one, while Vasy 20 saves in net. Pouliot resumes skating, but he is still 4 days from coming back though.
March 8 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL U14 6 Florida Jr. Panthers 1. Another game for state seeding purposes, as we were up 6-0 after two to get the clock running and the third period seemed to zip by. Dougie got an assist on a powerplay goal, in which our centerman was wide open in the slot and Dougie, who was along the half wall, simply slid the puck to him for a one-timer. It was that kind of game in which I could roll all four lines, and we were really in no danger of losing as we were the better team.
March 9 - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. TBL 4 PHI 3 SOW (2-1 TBL in SO) This game was BEYOND ugly as we trailed 2-0 after one, led 3-2 after 2 and nearly let it get away. MacKinnon had a pair of goals, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, Karlsson (who collected career point number 400) had two helpers, Hedman, Teräväinen, and Kucherov had an assist, and Vasy made 36 saves. Kucherov and Karlsson scored in the shootout.
March 11 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 6 KCS 1. It was a much better performance than what happened in the City of Brotherly Love as we lead 2 to 0 after a period and cruised the rest of the way. Hedman and Sproul had a goal and an assist, Karlsson, Kucherov, MacKinnon, and Vermin with all had goals. Toews had two assists, while Teräväinen, Bødker, Gourde, Stamkos all had one, Vasy had 22 saves in net. The u14s failed to get anything going as they were defeated 4-2 by the Chicago Mission in the California Classic at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The Mission really took it to us the entire game and they deserved to win. Dougie had a couple shots on goal and a hit.
March 13 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, NYR 5 TBL 4, before the game, Pouliot recalled, Barré-Boulet reassigned to JAX. We were cruising after the first period up 2-0, but the wheels fell off after we gave up five in the second and mounted a comeback that fell short. Stamkos and MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Teräväinen and Toews also scored, while Karlsson had two assists, and Oduya, Clendening, and Killorn had one, while Zapolski had 24 saves in a losing effort.
March 15 - BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida, TBL 9 FLA 1. Much better effort as we were up 4-0 after 1. Frolik had two goals and an assist, MacKinnon and Bødker each scored twice, Hedman had a goal and two assists, Toews a goal and an assist, and Vermin had a goal. Stamkos had three assists, Teräväinen and Gourde two each, Sproul, Karlsson, Pouliot, and Point chipped in one, and Vasy made 23 saves. Hedman’s first assist was #300 of his NHL career, Toews scored his 300th career NHL goal, Bødker’s first point was #300 of his NHL career. Back at home, the boys went through the motions, losing 4-2 to the Atlanta Phoenix. Dougie hit everything in sight, but one hit led to a powerplay goal against, and another caused him to take himself out of position while the Phoenix scored. Needless to say, it was a very quiet ride home.
March 16 - We FINALLY get Sergachev back from his separated shoulder and we also get Hagelin back, sending Grzelcyk and Vermin back down to Jacksonville.
March 17 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 7 MTL 1. After both Dougie and Heather played in their first high school golf tournaments of the season (Dougie shot a 79, finishing 8th, while the team finished 4th, and Heather shot a 74 finishing 2nd, but her team won the girls event), we took the families to the game as the anticipated battle between the top two teams in the east turned out to be a dud, as we scored four times in the first and three times in the second and kind of coasted through the third period but when you’re up by six, you can do that a little bit. Bødker had a hat trick, Stamkos had a goal and two assists, Karlsson added a goal and an assist, Toews and Kucherov also scored. Hedman and Teräväinen had three assists, and Sergachev, Sproul, Hagelin, Matthews, and MacKinnon all had one. Vasy made 23 saves.
March 18 - Victor Hedman named the NHL best defensive player of the week with one goal and seven assists in three games
March 19 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 10 ANA 1. Four special teams goals helped big time and helped us cruise to victory. MacKinnon had a five-point night with two goals and three assists, Hagelin and Bødker each had two goals and an assist, Stamkos had a goal and four assists, Karlsson added a goal, and an assist, Matthews and Fleischmann also scored. Pietrangelo and Sproul had two assists, and Hedman, Killorn, Toews, Frolik, and Teräväinen all had one assist, Vasy made 23 saves. The u14s tied Belle Tire 3-3 up in Detroit, Michigan, in a game that was back and forth all game long but allowed us to clinch a playoff spot. After the game was over, we decided to head to the Compton Family Ice Arena at Notre Dame to watch the Fighting Irish play Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game, a game that was won by Notre Dame 8-5 to book their place in the Frozen Four.
March 21 - Moda Center, Portland, Oregon, TBL 5 POR 0. This game lacked any intensity and excitement as we dominated the whole game. Teräväinen had two goals, Stamkos and Matthews had a goal and an assist, Kucherov had a goal. Oduya and Bødker had two assists each, while Pouliot, Toews, Point, and Clendening added one. Vasy made 20 saves in his 100th NHL game and Bødker played NHL game #600.
March 22 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBLU14 4 New Jersey Junior Titans 2, this was a game in which we never trailed, but the Titans made us earn this victory. Dougie took a tripping penalty to erase a scoring opportunity. He also had three shots on goal in over 14 minutes of play.
March 23 - Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, TBL 9 TOR 2. We raced out to a five-goal lead midway through and cruised to another victory. Toews had two goals and two assists, Kucherov had two goals, and an assist, Point and Frolik had a goal and an assist each, and Pietrangelo, Bødker, and Stamkos each had a goal. Clendening had four assists, Karlsson had three, Teräväinen and MacKinnon with two each, and Hedman and Killorn had one. Zappy had 19 saves in goal.
March 25 - Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, TBL 5 STL 0 it wasn’t pretty, but we got the win. Hagelin had a goal and an assist, and Stamkos, Killorn, Fleischmann, and Point all scored. Bødker had two assists, and Hedman, Sproul, Teräväinen, Kucherov, MacKinnon, and Frolik all had an assist. Vasy made 16 saves in the shutout. Vasy named NHL Defensive Player of the Week with 3 wins and 2 shutouts.
March 26 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 4 Boston Junior Terriers 2. I was very skeptical about this game for fear that there would be a letdown from the game in Detroit that helped us clinch a playoff spot. Well, after a first period in which we outshot the Terriers 19-2 and were up 3-0, my fears were quickly eliminated. Dougie played a full 200-foot game, blocking three shots, but also taking three shots. He even got a minor penalty for roughing after an opponent sprayed our goalie. When I asked him what had gotten into him, he just responded, "I felt the need to unleash my presence with authority!" Whatever you say kid.
March 27 - Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona, TBL 7 ARI 2. This was a game of two halves. We outscored the Coyotes 5-0 in the first, but it was 2-2 in the second. Stamkos and Gourde had two goals each, MacKinnon and Sergachev both had a goal and an assist, and Teräväinen had a goal. Sproul, Hagelin, Toews, and Frolik all had two assists, and Karlsson, Pouliot and Point all had one. Vasy made 34 saves in net and Toews' 1st assist was career point number 700.
March 29 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 6 VGK 0. This was a doubleheader as the NHL team took to the ice first, but a slow start nearly cost them as it was scoreless after 1, but they picked it up in the last 2 periods. Stamkos and Toews each had two goals and an assist, Sergachev had a goal and three assists, Bødker had a goal and two assists, Clendening had two assists, and Pietrangelo, Hedman, and Teräväinen had one. Vasy made 19 saves. Some of the players stuck around to watch the u14s defeat the Mercer (New Jersey) Chiefs 6-3. Dougie was able to bury his 11th goal of the season, this one on the powerplay to make it 5-2. There was a scrum in front of the net, and Dougie was able to find the loose puck and flip in underneath the crossbar. He also added his 50th hit of the season as we were able to clinch a home series next month against the Cleveland Junior Barons, after going 34-11-5 on the season, for 73 points, scoring 215 goals and allowing only 117.
March 31 - Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, TBL 7 ATL 1. Once again, we came out flat for the first 20 minutes and found ourselves down by a goal and then took control the last 40 minutes. MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Kucherov and Karlsson both had a goal and an assist, Point, Killorn, Stamkos all scored a goal. Hagelin had three assists, Hedman had two, and Bødker, Matthews, and Sergachev each had one, Vasy made 32 saves. McKinnon’s first goal gave him 300 career points in the National Hockey League. Sergachev named NHL Rookie of the Month with 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 games and Vasy named NHL best defensive player of the month playing in 14 games with three shutouts and 13 wins.
March 2 - To the surprise of no one, Gillies claimed off of waivers by the Detroit Red Wings.
March 3 - It looked like an infirmary after practice as Pouliot suffered a lower leg contusion and Hagelin twisted his knee in practice. We called up Barré-Boulet and Vermin to replace them and Grzelcyk as well, with the hope that they would make it to Tampa by tomorrow night. Dougie's team played the Hartford Jr. Wolfpack and fell 5-4 in a game that we should've won. Dougie was a -2 and had four giveaways in just over 10 minutes of ice time. The locker room was absolutely silent after the game and all I told the team was that they better show up ready to play tomorrow, otherwise they could kiss the season and the playoffs goodbye.
March 4 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. TBL 4 HOU 2. Another doubleheader at Amalie, this time the NHL Bolts played first against a scrappy expansion Aeros team. We never trailed, but we certainly had to earn this win. Bødker, Toews, Stamkos, and Kucherov all scored, while Hedman, Karlsson, Teräväinen, Matthews, MacKinnon, and Point, each had an assist, and Vasy made 26 saves in net. In the nightcap, we hosted the Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Power and won big 5-1. Dougie had a great assist, as he caught a Power defenseman pinching in, and simply chipped it by him, only for his linemates to walk in on a 2-on-1 and score. He also got a cheap plus after serving his double minor for high sticking, he jumped out of the box and two seconds later, the puck was in the net. He played just under 12 minutes and also had a couple shots on goal. Just business as usual for him and our squads, but it was a much better effort than what we had shown 24 hours prior.
March 6 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL 5 CGY 1. We scored three goals in the first and cruised the rest of the way. Bødker had a pair of goals, Stamkos and MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Toews had a goal. Hedman had two assists, Pietrangelo, Clendening, Killorn, Teräväinen, and Point all had one, while Vasy 20 saves in net. Pouliot resumes skating, but he is still 4 days from coming back though.
March 8 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBL U14 6 Florida Jr. Panthers 1. Another game for state seeding purposes, as we were up 6-0 after two to get the clock running and the third period seemed to zip by. Dougie got an assist on a powerplay goal, in which our centerman was wide open in the slot and Dougie, who was along the half wall, simply slid the puck to him for a one-timer. It was that kind of game in which I could roll all four lines, and we were really in no danger of losing as we were the better team.
March 9 - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. TBL 4 PHI 3 SOW (2-1 TBL in SO) This game was BEYOND ugly as we trailed 2-0 after one, led 3-2 after 2 and nearly let it get away. MacKinnon had a pair of goals, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, Karlsson (who collected career point number 400) had two helpers, Hedman, Teräväinen, and Kucherov had an assist, and Vasy made 36 saves. Kucherov and Karlsson scored in the shootout.
March 11 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 6 KCS 1. It was a much better performance than what happened in the City of Brotherly Love as we lead 2 to 0 after a period and cruised the rest of the way. Hedman and Sproul had a goal and an assist, Karlsson, Kucherov, MacKinnon, and Vermin with all had goals. Toews had two assists, while Teräväinen, Bødker, Gourde, Stamkos all had one, Vasy had 22 saves in net. The u14s failed to get anything going as they were defeated 4-2 by the Chicago Mission in the California Classic at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The Mission really took it to us the entire game and they deserved to win. Dougie had a couple shots on goal and a hit.
March 13 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, NYR 5 TBL 4, before the game, Pouliot recalled, Barré-Boulet reassigned to JAX. We were cruising after the first period up 2-0, but the wheels fell off after we gave up five in the second and mounted a comeback that fell short. Stamkos and MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Teräväinen and Toews also scored, while Karlsson had two assists, and Oduya, Clendening, and Killorn had one, while Zapolski had 24 saves in a losing effort.
March 15 - BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida, TBL 9 FLA 1. Much better effort as we were up 4-0 after 1. Frolik had two goals and an assist, MacKinnon and Bødker each scored twice, Hedman had a goal and two assists, Toews a goal and an assist, and Vermin had a goal. Stamkos had three assists, Teräväinen and Gourde two each, Sproul, Karlsson, Pouliot, and Point chipped in one, and Vasy made 23 saves. Hedman’s first assist was #300 of his NHL career, Toews scored his 300th career NHL goal, Bødker’s first point was #300 of his NHL career. Back at home, the boys went through the motions, losing 4-2 to the Atlanta Phoenix. Dougie hit everything in sight, but one hit led to a powerplay goal against, and another caused him to take himself out of position while the Phoenix scored. Needless to say, it was a very quiet ride home.
March 16 - We FINALLY get Sergachev back from his separated shoulder and we also get Hagelin back, sending Grzelcyk and Vermin back down to Jacksonville.
March 17 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 7 MTL 1. After both Dougie and Heather played in their first high school golf tournaments of the season (Dougie shot a 79, finishing 8th, while the team finished 4th, and Heather shot a 74 finishing 2nd, but her team won the girls event), we took the families to the game as the anticipated battle between the top two teams in the east turned out to be a dud, as we scored four times in the first and three times in the second and kind of coasted through the third period but when you’re up by six, you can do that a little bit. Bødker had a hat trick, Stamkos had a goal and two assists, Karlsson added a goal and an assist, Toews and Kucherov also scored. Hedman and Teräväinen had three assists, and Sergachev, Sproul, Hagelin, Matthews, and MacKinnon all had one. Vasy made 23 saves.
March 18 - Victor Hedman named the NHL best defensive player of the week with one goal and seven assists in three games
March 19 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 10 ANA 1. Four special teams goals helped big time and helped us cruise to victory. MacKinnon had a five-point night with two goals and three assists, Hagelin and Bødker each had two goals and an assist, Stamkos had a goal and four assists, Karlsson added a goal, and an assist, Matthews and Fleischmann also scored. Pietrangelo and Sproul had two assists, and Hedman, Killorn, Toews, Frolik, and Teräväinen all had one assist, Vasy made 23 saves. The u14s tied Belle Tire 3-3 up in Detroit, Michigan, in a game that was back and forth all game long but allowed us to clinch a playoff spot. After the game was over, we decided to head to the Compton Family Ice Arena at Notre Dame to watch the Fighting Irish play Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game, a game that was won by Notre Dame 8-5 to book their place in the Frozen Four.
March 21 - Moda Center, Portland, Oregon, TBL 5 POR 0. This game lacked any intensity and excitement as we dominated the whole game. Teräväinen had two goals, Stamkos and Matthews had a goal and an assist, Kucherov had a goal. Oduya and Bødker had two assists each, while Pouliot, Toews, Point, and Clendening added one. Vasy made 20 saves in his 100th NHL game and Bødker played NHL game #600.
March 22 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TBLU14 4 New Jersey Junior Titans 2, this was a game in which we never trailed, but the Titans made us earn this victory. Dougie took a tripping penalty to erase a scoring opportunity. He also had three shots on goal in over 14 minutes of play.
March 23 - Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, TBL 9 TOR 2. We raced out to a five-goal lead midway through and cruised to another victory. Toews had two goals and two assists, Kucherov had two goals, and an assist, Point and Frolik had a goal and an assist each, and Pietrangelo, Bødker, and Stamkos each had a goal. Clendening had four assists, Karlsson had three, Teräväinen and MacKinnon with two each, and Hedman and Killorn had one. Zappy had 19 saves in goal.
March 25 - Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, TBL 5 STL 0 it wasn’t pretty, but we got the win. Hagelin had a goal and an assist, and Stamkos, Killorn, Fleischmann, and Point all scored. Bødker had two assists, and Hedman, Sproul, Teräväinen, Kucherov, MacKinnon, and Frolik all had an assist. Vasy made 16 saves in the shutout. Vasy named NHL Defensive Player of the Week with 3 wins and 2 shutouts.
March 26 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL U14 4 Boston Junior Terriers 2. I was very skeptical about this game for fear that there would be a letdown from the game in Detroit that helped us clinch a playoff spot. Well, after a first period in which we outshot the Terriers 19-2 and were up 3-0, my fears were quickly eliminated. Dougie played a full 200-foot game, blocking three shots, but also taking three shots. He even got a minor penalty for roughing after an opponent sprayed our goalie. When I asked him what had gotten into him, he just responded, "I felt the need to unleash my presence with authority!" Whatever you say kid.
March 27 - Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona, TBL 7 ARI 2. This was a game of two halves. We outscored the Coyotes 5-0 in the first, but it was 2-2 in the second. Stamkos and Gourde had two goals each, MacKinnon and Sergachev both had a goal and an assist, and Teräväinen had a goal. Sproul, Hagelin, Toews, and Frolik all had two assists, and Karlsson, Pouliot and Point all had one. Vasy made 34 saves in net and Toews' 1st assist was career point number 700.
March 29 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 6 VGK 0. This was a doubleheader as the NHL team took to the ice first, but a slow start nearly cost them as it was scoreless after 1, but they picked it up in the last 2 periods. Stamkos and Toews each had two goals and an assist, Sergachev had a goal and three assists, Bødker had a goal and two assists, Clendening had two assists, and Pietrangelo, Hedman, and Teräväinen had one. Vasy made 19 saves. Some of the players stuck around to watch the u14s defeat the Mercer (New Jersey) Chiefs 6-3. Dougie was able to bury his 11th goal of the season, this one on the powerplay to make it 5-2. There was a scrum in front of the net, and Dougie was able to find the loose puck and flip in underneath the crossbar. He also added his 50th hit of the season as we were able to clinch a home series next month against the Cleveland Junior Barons, after going 34-11-5 on the season, for 73 points, scoring 215 goals and allowing only 117.
March 31 - Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, TBL 7 ATL 1. Once again, we came out flat for the first 20 minutes and found ourselves down by a goal and then took control the last 40 minutes. MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Kucherov and Karlsson both had a goal and an assist, Point, Killorn, Stamkos all scored a goal. Hagelin had three assists, Hedman had two, and Bødker, Matthews, and Sergachev each had one, Vasy made 32 saves. McKinnon’s first goal gave him 300 career points in the National Hockey League. Sergachev named NHL Rookie of the Month with 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 games and Vasy named NHL best defensive player of the month playing in 14 games with three shutouts and 13 wins.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
March 30 - April 1 - Florida State U14 AAA Tournament. We were given the number 1 seed in the 8-team tournament as well as the hosting opportunities. We had five sheets to play on for the weekend and the event was a double elimination tournament. If we were to win, we would also be the hosting organization for the Southeastern District Tournament the following weekend.
March 30 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game #1 9am #1 Seed Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 12 #8 Seed Pensacola Jr. Flyers 9. This game was great for the people running the concession stands that sold heartburn medicine because this game was a poor display of defense. Dougie was able to score on a 2-on-1 that he blasted from the top of the left circle, but that was it on the points for him. We nearly blew leads of 2-0, 5-2, and 7-5, before we finally showed up in the third to put the game away.
March 30 - Advent Health Center, Wesley Chapel, Florida, Game #5 8pm #1 Seed Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 4 #5 Seed Jacksonville Jr. Icemen 1. Dougie played provider in this game as he bagged two assists in a game that we should've won by more. Unfortunately for us, the Jacksonville goalie made 54 saves in the contest. Our performance put us in the driver's seat as we were two wins away from becoming the Florida State Champions.
March 31 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, Game #9 10am #1 Seed Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 10 #3 Seed South Florida Golden Wolves 1. This game was never in doubt. We scored the first seven goals of the contest as I was allowed to roll all four lines. We had two kids with hat tricks and Dougie got an assist on the 8th goal that he could've shot but instead dished it off for a teammate to get his hat trick. The clock ran in the third period, and that gave us a chance to rest even more and allow us to be ready for the State Title game tomorrow.
April 1 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game #17 7pm #1 Seed Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 7 #3 Seed South Florida Golden Wolves 6. This was a polar opposite game as the day before. We were down 3-2 early in the 2nd, before we scored four straight and then tacked on an empty netter to take the State Championship. Dougie had a couple assists and nearly had a goal but hit a couple of posts. The clock ran out and we celebrated a massive State Championship, but we had to have a quick turnaround because on Thursday the 5th, we would begin District play.
April 2 - Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, TBL 6 ATL 2. It was 2-2 going into the 3rd period and then we played a great 3rd period. Kucherov and Bødker both had a pair of goals, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and MacKinnon had a goal. Karlsson, Pietrangelo, Oduya, Killorn, and Toews all had assists. Vasy made 19 saves in net. Toews played in his 400th NHL game. After the game, Teräväinen signed a 3yr/$8 million contract, Sproul signed 2-year deal, Point signed a 2yr/$9 million deal, MacKinnon's deal is 5yr/$38 million.
April 4 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 6 BOS 1. We were down 1-0 after 1 and then woke up in the second period. Kucherov and Bødker had a goal and a helper, and Teräväinen, Fleischmann, Killorn, and Oduya all scored a goal. Hedman had three assists, Pietrangelo had two assists, and Stamkos, MacKinnon, and Karlsson had an assist. Zappy made 19 saves in a game that Vasy needed a rest.
April 5 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, Game #2 8am Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning (Florida #1) 9 Atlanta Fire (Georgia) 1. We scored on our first three shots of the game and never looked back. Dougie's hard work paid off as he got an assist on our 5th goal. He ended up going into the offensive zone 1 on 4 and would hold the puck in the corner until help arrived. He kicked it loose down behind the net and another pass later it was in the back of the net. It was a much-needed win as the top 2 from each pool were guaranteed a semifinal spot.
April 6 - United Center, Chicago, Illinois, TBL 4 CHI 0. This was a nationally televised game between the conference leaders, and it turned out to be a dud, as we outshot the Hawks 50-23. Frolik, Stamkos, Matthews, and Karlsson all scored, and Fleischmann, Pouliot, Bødker, Hedman, Kucherov, and Sergachev all had an assist. Vasy had 23 saves in shutout. After the game Zapolski signs a 4yr/$7.5 million deal and Toews signs a 6-year deal with terms undisclosed. At the TGH Ice Plex back in Brandon, the Jr. Bolts got crushed 11-0 by the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. Nothing went right as we were outshot 37-11 and totally dominated and demoralized. I had nothing to say to the kids, as even I got outcoached badly in this one. We would need a miracle to advance to the semifinals.
April 7 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, Game #43 10am Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning (Florida #1) 9 Washington Little Caps (Virginia) 8. This was a game that we needed to win by 8 in order to advance to the semifinals, but unfortunately, we were down 4-1 after one but showed a lot of heart to come back and win. Dougie had two assists in the same shift that got us back to 4-3 early in the 2nd period and we eventually took a 7-5 lead into the 3rd, but again, it just wasn't to be for us, in regard to advancing, as both the Jr. Canes and the Little Caps had a higher goal differential. Our state advancing season would come to an end, but we still had the Tier 1 Elite League Playoffs to deal with. On the flip side for the NHL Bolts, Killorn signs for 6yrs/$27million, Pouliot signs undisclosed contract, and Sergachev 3yrs/$8million.
April 8 - Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Quebec, TBL 7 QUE 2 Just another game where we jumped out to a big early lead and then coasted the rest of the way. Bødker bagged a pair of goals, Hedman and Toews both had a goal, and a helper, Hagelin, Fleischmann, and Frolik also scored. Karlsson had three helpers, and Sergachev, Sproul, Matthews, Gourde, and Point all had one. Vasy made 19 saves. Sproul played in his 100th NHL game. Oduya signs a new contract offer with terms on disclosed. Karlsson named NHL best defensive player of the week getting a goal and five assists in four games.
April 10 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 3 PIT 1 This was just a game in which we were all going through the motions and the crowd let the team know it during the midway point of the contest. Hagelin had a goal and an assist, and Pietrangelo and MacKinnon also scored. Sergachev, Sproul, Point, Teräväinen, and Vasilevskiy all added assists. Vasilevskiy made 25 saves in goal. After the game I was appointed general manager of Team USA, and we found out that Fleischmann would be out for 10 days with a fractured jaw.
April 12 - Gourde is out for a few days with a bruised ankle. He is questionable for the first two games of the playoffs.
April 13 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game #1 2018 Tier 1 Elite League First Round, #7 Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 12 #10 Cleveland Barons 5. (Tampa leads series 1 game to 0). This game was over early as it was 6-0 after a period and we played running clock in the entire third period. Dougie scored the 5th goal on a busted Barons line change, and used his speed to fly by everyone, and just simply flipped the puck under the crossbar. It was a game in which everything went right, including our penalty kill, which was not only 5-for-5, but also scored two shorthanded goals.
April 14 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 1 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, TBL 7 NYR 0. (Tampa leads series 1-0). Finally, a game that we just dominated from the start. Bødker had two goals and an assist, Hedman had a goal and four assists, Karlsson scored a goal and added three helpers, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Frolik and Kucherov scored. Pietrangelo, Killorn, and MacKinnon all added assists. Vasy made 17 saves in net. Pouliot suffered an arm contusion and was out for a week, so we called up Adam Gaudette. During the game, we announced that we would be giving away 1 of 4 offers to those people that stayed for the second part of the doubleheader which was the Jr. Lightning taking on the Barons in game two of their series. Fans could choose from free parking for next season, a $250 food voucher, a $500 Lightning team store voucher, or 5 ticket vouchers to be used for any game next season, but they couldn't leave the building between games, and it could only be redeemed after the conclusion of our game vs the Barons. 10,000 people watched as our Jr. Lightning knocked off the Barons 12-8 to win the series 2 games to 0. Dougie got two more assists, as he put a shot off of the goalie's pad that was quickly pounced on for a goal and the noise was electric after that goal went in. He would get an assist on an empty net goal as our goalie settled a rebound for him and he found his linemate racing out off the bench with a nice stretch pass and two moves and a shot later, we were on our way to Chicago for the Tier 1 Elite League's Elite 8.
April 15 - Hedman named NHL Best Defensive Player of the Week, scoring one goal and getting four assists in two games.
April 16 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 2 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Gourde has begun full practice, following his bruised ankle. TBL 5 NYR 1 (Tampa leads series 2 games to 0). This game was tied at one for the longest time before we eventually got four goals in the second half of the game to win it. Teräväinen had a goal and an assist, Hedman, Oduya, Bødker, and Toews all scored. Matthews had two assists, Pietrangelo, Stamkos, Gourde, MacKinnon, and Point all had assists. Vasy made 22 saves.
April 18 - Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, TBL 6 NYR 1 (Tampa leads series 3-0). Seeing that Dougie was playing in Chicago two days after, we figured that we would get a jump and fly into New York for the game and then to Chicago in the morning. We put a stranglehold on the series after a dominating first period, scoring 4 goals in the opening frame. Killorn, Gourde, and Kucherov all had a goal and an assist, Clendening, Bødker and MacKinnon also scored. Pietrangelo and Frolik both had two assists, Karlsson, Toews, Stamkos, Matthews and Teräväinen all had one. Vasy had 20 saves in net.
April 20 - Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, TBL 7 NYR 2 (Tampa wins series 4-0) We got three goals in 4 minutes in the first period and broke open a 1-1 game to give us the momentum to sweep the Rangers. Stamkos had 2 goals and 3 assists, MacKinnon 2 goals and 2 assists, Karlsson had a goal and an assist, and Matthews and Point also scored. Hagelin had 2 assists, and Hedman, Sergachev, Sproul, Killorn, and Bødker each had 1. Vasy made 23 saves to send us to the Conference Semifinals. Meanwhile, in Chicago.......at Fifth Third Arena, 2018 Tier One Elite League Quarterfinals, #7 Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 9 #3 Omaha Energy 2. We would score on our first two shots of the contest, forcing Omaha to use their timeout earlier than they expected. It didn't help as we scored right out of the timeout and were cruising. Dougie once again had the chance to score a goal, but instead, dished it off to one of his teammates who was working on a hat trick, and he scored. Dougie's fourth assist of the playoffs as well as his work against Omaha's top two offensive lines garnered him Player of the Game honors from his teammates, and a meal at Portillo's afterwards.
April 21 - Glacier Ice Arena, Vernon Hills, Illinois, #7 Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 13 #5 Maine Jr. Black Bears 8. We headed to a northern suburb of Chicago for the semifinals, where a berth in the Championship game at the United Center awaited. This one went back and forth, for the first half of the game, until a major penalty did the Black Bears in. With the score 8-5, our goalie made a save and covered puck, only for a Black Bears player to maliciously run him over and knocked him out of the game. After the ensuing scrum, their player was kicked out of the game, we had two switch goalies, and everyone on the ice was assessed coincidental minor and misconduct penalties. We would score 4 times on the powerplay to put the game out of reach. Dougie would score on the ensuing penalty, then salute the Black Bears bench, and got a 10-minute misconduct. It didn't make for a wonderful trip for a team dinner at one of the fine Chicago pizza establishments, as both Denise and Heather (who was watching the game from back in Tampa), gave him an earful. I later told him; I would've done the same thing.
April 22 - United Center, Chicago, Illinois, 2018 Tier 1 Elite League Championship #7 Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 8 #11 Anaheim Jr. Ducks 4. My message to the team was simple. This was a team that had knocked off the top two seeds in the previous rounds to get to the Championship Game. We needed to jump on them early and not allow for them to have any confidence. It took two shifts for us to assert ourselves, as Dougie would find himself on a 3-on-1 going into the offensive zone, and once again, instead of shooting, dropped the puck back for the trailer, and it was blasted home for a 1-0 lead. We would take a 6-4 lead into the third period but played a majority of that third period in our end. Anaheim would call a timeout with just over two minutes left and a faceoff in our end. They pulled the goalie for a 6-on-5, and won the faceoff, but as we had done all year, we forced shots from the outside, blocked a couple, and then as a blocked shot went into the neutral zone, our fastest skater went after the puck, along with one of the Ducks defensemen, who lost his footing, and watched our skater slide the puck into the open net. I felt bad for the kid, and I would tell him that in the handshake line. Our kids started the celebration, and it got even louder after the ensuing faceoff as their defensemen tried to go for a d-to-d pass, only for Dougie to pick off the pass and walk in alone and go between the goalie's pads to finish off the Jr. Ducks and the scoring. The locker room celebration was loud and rambunctious as we had sparkling grape juice flying everywhere. Our local news stations made the trip up and wanted to interview me and the big thing that I said was that it was the kids did all the work, I was just there as a guide and mentor. They also asked about my plans for next season, to which I responded, it's a little too early for that. We would party in the locker room for a while and then partied a little more on the plane ride home, especially since the Bolts had sent their plane to Chicago to pick us up for the trip back to Florida.
April 29 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 1 Eastern Conference Semifinals TBL 5 ATL 1 (Tampa leads the series 1-0). We ripped home three powerplay goals in the second period and we cruised. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Karlsson had a goal and an assist, and Matthews and MacKinnon also scored. Pietrangelo had two assists, and Clendening, Killorn, Toews, Stamkos, and Point had an assist. Vasy made 23 saves. The team was honored at the media timeout during the midway point of the game, and they allowed me to say a few words on the microphone, and I said that the atmosphere here in our first-round game was part of the reason we got to where we did. I also did an interview with the Bolts TV and Radio Stations praising the kids. Just another great atmosphere in Tampa.
March 30 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game #1 9am #1 Seed Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 12 #8 Seed Pensacola Jr. Flyers 9. This game was great for the people running the concession stands that sold heartburn medicine because this game was a poor display of defense. Dougie was able to score on a 2-on-1 that he blasted from the top of the left circle, but that was it on the points for him. We nearly blew leads of 2-0, 5-2, and 7-5, before we finally showed up in the third to put the game away.
March 30 - Advent Health Center, Wesley Chapel, Florida, Game #5 8pm #1 Seed Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 4 #5 Seed Jacksonville Jr. Icemen 1. Dougie played provider in this game as he bagged two assists in a game that we should've won by more. Unfortunately for us, the Jacksonville goalie made 54 saves in the contest. Our performance put us in the driver's seat as we were two wins away from becoming the Florida State Champions.
March 31 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, Game #9 10am #1 Seed Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 10 #3 Seed South Florida Golden Wolves 1. This game was never in doubt. We scored the first seven goals of the contest as I was allowed to roll all four lines. We had two kids with hat tricks and Dougie got an assist on the 8th goal that he could've shot but instead dished it off for a teammate to get his hat trick. The clock ran in the third period, and that gave us a chance to rest even more and allow us to be ready for the State Title game tomorrow.
April 1 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game #17 7pm #1 Seed Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 7 #3 Seed South Florida Golden Wolves 6. This was a polar opposite game as the day before. We were down 3-2 early in the 2nd, before we scored four straight and then tacked on an empty netter to take the State Championship. Dougie had a couple assists and nearly had a goal but hit a couple of posts. The clock ran out and we celebrated a massive State Championship, but we had to have a quick turnaround because on Thursday the 5th, we would begin District play.
April 2 - Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, TBL 6 ATL 2. It was 2-2 going into the 3rd period and then we played a great 3rd period. Kucherov and Bødker both had a pair of goals, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and MacKinnon had a goal. Karlsson, Pietrangelo, Oduya, Killorn, and Toews all had assists. Vasy made 19 saves in net. Toews played in his 400th NHL game. After the game, Teräväinen signed a 3yr/$8 million contract, Sproul signed 2-year deal, Point signed a 2yr/$9 million deal, MacKinnon's deal is 5yr/$38 million.
April 4 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 6 BOS 1. We were down 1-0 after 1 and then woke up in the second period. Kucherov and Bødker had a goal and a helper, and Teräväinen, Fleischmann, Killorn, and Oduya all scored a goal. Hedman had three assists, Pietrangelo had two assists, and Stamkos, MacKinnon, and Karlsson had an assist. Zappy made 19 saves in a game that Vasy needed a rest.
April 5 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, Game #2 8am Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning (Florida #1) 9 Atlanta Fire (Georgia) 1. We scored on our first three shots of the game and never looked back. Dougie's hard work paid off as he got an assist on our 5th goal. He ended up going into the offensive zone 1 on 4 and would hold the puck in the corner until help arrived. He kicked it loose down behind the net and another pass later it was in the back of the net. It was a much-needed win as the top 2 from each pool were guaranteed a semifinal spot.
April 6 - United Center, Chicago, Illinois, TBL 4 CHI 0. This was a nationally televised game between the conference leaders, and it turned out to be a dud, as we outshot the Hawks 50-23. Frolik, Stamkos, Matthews, and Karlsson all scored, and Fleischmann, Pouliot, Bødker, Hedman, Kucherov, and Sergachev all had an assist. Vasy had 23 saves in shutout. After the game Zapolski signs a 4yr/$7.5 million deal and Toews signs a 6-year deal with terms undisclosed. At the TGH Ice Plex back in Brandon, the Jr. Bolts got crushed 11-0 by the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. Nothing went right as we were outshot 37-11 and totally dominated and demoralized. I had nothing to say to the kids, as even I got outcoached badly in this one. We would need a miracle to advance to the semifinals.
April 7 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, Game #43 10am Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning (Florida #1) 9 Washington Little Caps (Virginia) 8. This was a game that we needed to win by 8 in order to advance to the semifinals, but unfortunately, we were down 4-1 after one but showed a lot of heart to come back and win. Dougie had two assists in the same shift that got us back to 4-3 early in the 2nd period and we eventually took a 7-5 lead into the 3rd, but again, it just wasn't to be for us, in regard to advancing, as both the Jr. Canes and the Little Caps had a higher goal differential. Our state advancing season would come to an end, but we still had the Tier 1 Elite League Playoffs to deal with. On the flip side for the NHL Bolts, Killorn signs for 6yrs/$27million, Pouliot signs undisclosed contract, and Sergachev 3yrs/$8million.
April 8 - Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Quebec, TBL 7 QUE 2 Just another game where we jumped out to a big early lead and then coasted the rest of the way. Bødker bagged a pair of goals, Hedman and Toews both had a goal, and a helper, Hagelin, Fleischmann, and Frolik also scored. Karlsson had three helpers, and Sergachev, Sproul, Matthews, Gourde, and Point all had one. Vasy made 19 saves. Sproul played in his 100th NHL game. Oduya signs a new contract offer with terms on disclosed. Karlsson named NHL best defensive player of the week getting a goal and five assists in four games.
April 10 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, TBL 3 PIT 1 This was just a game in which we were all going through the motions and the crowd let the team know it during the midway point of the contest. Hagelin had a goal and an assist, and Pietrangelo and MacKinnon also scored. Sergachev, Sproul, Point, Teräväinen, and Vasilevskiy all added assists. Vasilevskiy made 25 saves in goal. After the game I was appointed general manager of Team USA, and we found out that Fleischmann would be out for 10 days with a fractured jaw.
April 12 - Gourde is out for a few days with a bruised ankle. He is questionable for the first two games of the playoffs.
April 13 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game #1 2018 Tier 1 Elite League First Round, #7 Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 12 #10 Cleveland Barons 5. (Tampa leads series 1 game to 0). This game was over early as it was 6-0 after a period and we played running clock in the entire third period. Dougie scored the 5th goal on a busted Barons line change, and used his speed to fly by everyone, and just simply flipped the puck under the crossbar. It was a game in which everything went right, including our penalty kill, which was not only 5-for-5, but also scored two shorthanded goals.
April 14 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 1 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, TBL 7 NYR 0. (Tampa leads series 1-0). Finally, a game that we just dominated from the start. Bødker had two goals and an assist, Hedman had a goal and four assists, Karlsson scored a goal and added three helpers, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Frolik and Kucherov scored. Pietrangelo, Killorn, and MacKinnon all added assists. Vasy made 17 saves in net. Pouliot suffered an arm contusion and was out for a week, so we called up Adam Gaudette. During the game, we announced that we would be giving away 1 of 4 offers to those people that stayed for the second part of the doubleheader which was the Jr. Lightning taking on the Barons in game two of their series. Fans could choose from free parking for next season, a $250 food voucher, a $500 Lightning team store voucher, or 5 ticket vouchers to be used for any game next season, but they couldn't leave the building between games, and it could only be redeemed after the conclusion of our game vs the Barons. 10,000 people watched as our Jr. Lightning knocked off the Barons 12-8 to win the series 2 games to 0. Dougie got two more assists, as he put a shot off of the goalie's pad that was quickly pounced on for a goal and the noise was electric after that goal went in. He would get an assist on an empty net goal as our goalie settled a rebound for him and he found his linemate racing out off the bench with a nice stretch pass and two moves and a shot later, we were on our way to Chicago for the Tier 1 Elite League's Elite 8.
April 15 - Hedman named NHL Best Defensive Player of the Week, scoring one goal and getting four assists in two games.
April 16 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 2 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Gourde has begun full practice, following his bruised ankle. TBL 5 NYR 1 (Tampa leads series 2 games to 0). This game was tied at one for the longest time before we eventually got four goals in the second half of the game to win it. Teräväinen had a goal and an assist, Hedman, Oduya, Bødker, and Toews all scored. Matthews had two assists, Pietrangelo, Stamkos, Gourde, MacKinnon, and Point all had assists. Vasy made 22 saves.
April 18 - Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, TBL 6 NYR 1 (Tampa leads series 3-0). Seeing that Dougie was playing in Chicago two days after, we figured that we would get a jump and fly into New York for the game and then to Chicago in the morning. We put a stranglehold on the series after a dominating first period, scoring 4 goals in the opening frame. Killorn, Gourde, and Kucherov all had a goal and an assist, Clendening, Bødker and MacKinnon also scored. Pietrangelo and Frolik both had two assists, Karlsson, Toews, Stamkos, Matthews and Teräväinen all had one. Vasy had 20 saves in net.
April 20 - Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, TBL 7 NYR 2 (Tampa wins series 4-0) We got three goals in 4 minutes in the first period and broke open a 1-1 game to give us the momentum to sweep the Rangers. Stamkos had 2 goals and 3 assists, MacKinnon 2 goals and 2 assists, Karlsson had a goal and an assist, and Matthews and Point also scored. Hagelin had 2 assists, and Hedman, Sergachev, Sproul, Killorn, and Bødker each had 1. Vasy made 23 saves to send us to the Conference Semifinals. Meanwhile, in Chicago.......at Fifth Third Arena, 2018 Tier One Elite League Quarterfinals, #7 Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 9 #3 Omaha Energy 2. We would score on our first two shots of the contest, forcing Omaha to use their timeout earlier than they expected. It didn't help as we scored right out of the timeout and were cruising. Dougie once again had the chance to score a goal, but instead, dished it off to one of his teammates who was working on a hat trick, and he scored. Dougie's fourth assist of the playoffs as well as his work against Omaha's top two offensive lines garnered him Player of the Game honors from his teammates, and a meal at Portillo's afterwards.
April 21 - Glacier Ice Arena, Vernon Hills, Illinois, #7 Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 13 #5 Maine Jr. Black Bears 8. We headed to a northern suburb of Chicago for the semifinals, where a berth in the Championship game at the United Center awaited. This one went back and forth, for the first half of the game, until a major penalty did the Black Bears in. With the score 8-5, our goalie made a save and covered puck, only for a Black Bears player to maliciously run him over and knocked him out of the game. After the ensuing scrum, their player was kicked out of the game, we had two switch goalies, and everyone on the ice was assessed coincidental minor and misconduct penalties. We would score 4 times on the powerplay to put the game out of reach. Dougie would score on the ensuing penalty, then salute the Black Bears bench, and got a 10-minute misconduct. It didn't make for a wonderful trip for a team dinner at one of the fine Chicago pizza establishments, as both Denise and Heather (who was watching the game from back in Tampa), gave him an earful. I later told him; I would've done the same thing.
April 22 - United Center, Chicago, Illinois, 2018 Tier 1 Elite League Championship #7 Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 8 #11 Anaheim Jr. Ducks 4. My message to the team was simple. This was a team that had knocked off the top two seeds in the previous rounds to get to the Championship Game. We needed to jump on them early and not allow for them to have any confidence. It took two shifts for us to assert ourselves, as Dougie would find himself on a 3-on-1 going into the offensive zone, and once again, instead of shooting, dropped the puck back for the trailer, and it was blasted home for a 1-0 lead. We would take a 6-4 lead into the third period but played a majority of that third period in our end. Anaheim would call a timeout with just over two minutes left and a faceoff in our end. They pulled the goalie for a 6-on-5, and won the faceoff, but as we had done all year, we forced shots from the outside, blocked a couple, and then as a blocked shot went into the neutral zone, our fastest skater went after the puck, along with one of the Ducks defensemen, who lost his footing, and watched our skater slide the puck into the open net. I felt bad for the kid, and I would tell him that in the handshake line. Our kids started the celebration, and it got even louder after the ensuing faceoff as their defensemen tried to go for a d-to-d pass, only for Dougie to pick off the pass and walk in alone and go between the goalie's pads to finish off the Jr. Ducks and the scoring. The locker room celebration was loud and rambunctious as we had sparkling grape juice flying everywhere. Our local news stations made the trip up and wanted to interview me and the big thing that I said was that it was the kids did all the work, I was just there as a guide and mentor. They also asked about my plans for next season, to which I responded, it's a little too early for that. We would party in the locker room for a while and then partied a little more on the plane ride home, especially since the Bolts had sent their plane to Chicago to pick us up for the trip back to Florida.
April 29 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 1 Eastern Conference Semifinals TBL 5 ATL 1 (Tampa leads the series 1-0). We ripped home three powerplay goals in the second period and we cruised. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Karlsson had a goal and an assist, and Matthews and MacKinnon also scored. Pietrangelo had two assists, and Clendening, Killorn, Toews, Stamkos, and Point had an assist. Vasy made 23 saves. The team was honored at the media timeout during the midway point of the game, and they allowed me to say a few words on the microphone, and I said that the atmosphere here in our first-round game was part of the reason we got to where we did. I also did an interview with the Bolts TV and Radio Stations praising the kids. Just another great atmosphere in Tampa.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
May 1 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 2 Eastern Conference Semifinals TBL 6 ATL 2 (Tampa leads series 2-0). Two more powerplay goals are the difference as our special teams play has really been the difference in this series. Matthews had a pair of goals, MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Hedman, Kucherov, and Stamkos also scored. Pietrangelo, Sproul, and Killorn all had two assists, and Karlsson and Clendening had 1. Vasy made 24 saves. In other news, after finishing 2-1 in the Slovak Cup (2nd Place), we started the World Championship with a 2-1 record (beat Germany and Latvia, lost to Canada by a goal).
May 3 - Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, Game 3 Eastern Conference Semifinals TBL 3 ATL 1 (Tampa leads series 3-0). A game we struggled in but never trailed which is always a good thing. Bødker, Kucherov, and MacKinnon all scored and Sergachev, Pietrangelo, Killorn, Matthews, and Teräväinen all has assists. Vasy had 12 saves in net.
Before the game, Oduya was sent to IR, and we recalled Callum Foote. Also, Team USA defeated Finland 4-0 in the World Championships in Denmark.
May 4 - Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning, Denmark, Team USA 4 Team Norway 1. We were actually behind in this game after a period but scored 4 in the second to cruise.
May 5 - Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, Game 4 Eastern Conference Semifinals TBL 3 ATL 2 (Tampa wins series 4-0). This was a back-and-forth affair, but a late goal by Stamkos was the difference and we were moving on to the Conference Finals. Frolik and Teräväinen had a goal and an assist each and Stamkos scored the game winner. Karlsson had two assists and Hedman and Sergachev each had one, while Vasy made 19 saves.
May 6 - After a season in Kazakhstan in which he averaged almost a point per game, Ross Colton signs a 3-year deal with the Bolts. After watching Dougie play a late tournament yesterday in which he shot a 73 and won the boys division and the team finished runner-up, it was an early day as we flew from Tampa to London and then on to Copenhagen, Denmark to watch some of the World Championships for a week. We got to Herning just as the teams were warming up and the family got to watch the USA defeat Team France 7-1.
May 7 - The Bolts sign Christopher Paquette of the Kitchener Rangers and Oduya gets back into full practice mode.
May 8 - Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning, Denmark, Team USA 5 Team Austria 1. Despite the noisy Austrian support, it was Team USA who jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back.
May 10 - Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark, Team Sweden 8 Team USA 1. We never got anything going in this one and just after we made it 3-1, we had a 3-on-1 that was broken up, sent the other way, and the Swedes capitalized, and we never recovered.
May 13 - Team USA flight, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. I had already sent Denise and the kids back to the states a couple days prior as the brass wanted to see me personally to discuss my future, but I already had made my mind up that I was going to resign. The Team USA higher ups understood my decision and while I thought that the team was going in the right direction, it needed different leadership than me.
May 13 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 1 Eastern Conference Finals, TBL 4 OTW 3 (Tampa leads series 1-0). The weeklong break nearly came back to bite us as we had a 3 to 1 lead midway through the game and blew it and looked sloppy and slow in the third period and in overtime only for us to get a big break on the winning goal. Vasy was outstanding in the 3rd period and overtime, stopping Filip Forsberg on a breakaway just seconds before we scored. Teräväinen had two goals (including the game-winner), Hagelin and Toews each had a goal. MacKinnon had two assists, and Hedman, Pietrangelo, Bødker, Matthews and Kucherov had one. Vasy made 29 saves.
May 15 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 2 Eastern Conference Finals, TBL 4 OTW 1 (Tampa leads series 2-0). This was a much better effort, and we got two powerplay goals to get us another step closer to the Cup. Bodker had a goal and an assist, Sergachev, Killorn, and Point also scored. Pietrangelo had a pair of helpers, while Clendening, Toews, Point, Kucherov, and MacKinnon also had one. Vasy was brilliant with 23 saves.
May 17 - Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata/Ottawa, Ontario, Game 3 Eastern Conference Finals, TBL 3 @ OTW 2 (Tampa leads series 3-0). We had to overcome a 2-1 deficit in the third to win the game. Point had a goal and an assist, and Hagelin and Kucherov both scored. Oduya assisted on all three goals, and Pouliot and Stamkos had an assist. Vasy made 38 saves.
May 19 - Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata/Ottawa, Ontario, Game 4 Eastern Conference Finals, TBL 6 @ OTW 1 (Tampa wins series 4-0). It was 1-1 after a period, but three goals in a minute early in the second gave us the game. Kucherov had two goals and two assists, and Killorn, Hagelin, MacKinnon and Frolik G. Toews and Stamkos both had two assists, and Oduya, Karlsson, Sproul, Point, and Teräväinen had one each. Vasy made 20 saves. The team gathered around the Prince of Wales Trophy, the third one that we've earned in our franchise's history, but no one wanted to pick it up. The ownership group and the coaching staff brought their families to Ottawa, so we all took photos with it. Dougie tried to pick up the trophy, but Denise quickly responded with, "you do realize that if you pick it up or touch it, you'll never win the Stanley Cup!" So, Dougie did the smart thing and simply backed away from the trophy, but that didn't stop me from taking it because, simply put, someone had to move it. In any event, we’re playing for the Cup!
May 20 - Nikita Kucherov was named NHL Player and NHL Offensive Player of the Week by scoring three goals and three assists in three games. Vasy was named NHL Defensive Player of the Week 3 wins in 3 games. I was also offered the GM position for the Czech Republic national team, which I eagerly accepted.
May 21 - After telling us that he wanted to try his hand at free agency, Karlsson turns around signs a massive 8 year/$107 million contract to stay in Tampa.
May 27 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 1 2018 Stanley Cup Finals TBL 5 WPG 3 (Tampa leads series 1-0). This game had all of the pomp and circumstances with pre-game festivities, lineups on TV, anthems, the whole nine yards. Dougie had asked if Heather and her family could come to the game and I had already beaten him to the punch as Denise and I had invited them, and we were treated to an outstanding first game. We raced out to a four-goal lead before giving up a couple midway through the third Period. Hagelin scored twice, MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, and Gourde and Matthews each scored. Sergachev had two assists, and Oduya, Bødker, and Frolik all had one. Vasy had 23 saves in goal. After the game, Dougie asked if Heather's family could come to Game 2. I told them that they could, but I also told them that there would be a surprise in store for him as well.
May 29 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 2 2018 Stanley Cup Finals TBL 3 WPG 2 OT (Tampa leads series 2-0). We all met for an early dinner at 3pm and I had to excuse myself early, as I told everyone that I had to go to a meeting at the arena before the game. I told everyone that I would meet them in the owner's suite before warmups. What I was actually doing was picking up my parents from the airport, as this was their 41st wedding anniversary and my gift to them was flying them in from Syracuse to come watch the game and stay with us for a couple weeks. The three of us walked into the suite and Dougie, who was too busy looking down at the ice, nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned around and saw my parents. After all of the introductions were out of the way, the four of them, Dougie, Heather, and my parents watched warmups together, and it was a very heartwarming moment. As for the game, we knew this series was going to be a grind and Winnipeg really made us earn this game as we got a goal late in the third period to send the game into overtime before Kucherov got his second of the night to send the crowd home happy. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, Bødker had 2 assists, and Sproul and Hagelin had one. Vasy 22 made saves. We somehow got my parents on the videoboard and lots of stick taps from the players. We even got a call from the team room between periods asking if we would all come down after the game was over, and when we got there, the team had flowers for my mom and jerseys for both of my parents. They even got to talk to some of the players (Dad talked to Kucherov and Mom talked to Hedman, Karlsson, and Point). I could never thank this team and this organization enough for what they did for them.
May 31 - Kucherov was named NHL Player of the Month with 7 goals and 5 assists in 10 games. Sergachev named NHL Rookie of the Month with a goal and 5 assists in 10 games.
May 3 - Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, Game 3 Eastern Conference Semifinals TBL 3 ATL 1 (Tampa leads series 3-0). A game we struggled in but never trailed which is always a good thing. Bødker, Kucherov, and MacKinnon all scored and Sergachev, Pietrangelo, Killorn, Matthews, and Teräväinen all has assists. Vasy had 12 saves in net.
Before the game, Oduya was sent to IR, and we recalled Callum Foote. Also, Team USA defeated Finland 4-0 in the World Championships in Denmark.
May 4 - Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning, Denmark, Team USA 4 Team Norway 1. We were actually behind in this game after a period but scored 4 in the second to cruise.
May 5 - Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, Game 4 Eastern Conference Semifinals TBL 3 ATL 2 (Tampa wins series 4-0). This was a back-and-forth affair, but a late goal by Stamkos was the difference and we were moving on to the Conference Finals. Frolik and Teräväinen had a goal and an assist each and Stamkos scored the game winner. Karlsson had two assists and Hedman and Sergachev each had one, while Vasy made 19 saves.
May 6 - After a season in Kazakhstan in which he averaged almost a point per game, Ross Colton signs a 3-year deal with the Bolts. After watching Dougie play a late tournament yesterday in which he shot a 73 and won the boys division and the team finished runner-up, it was an early day as we flew from Tampa to London and then on to Copenhagen, Denmark to watch some of the World Championships for a week. We got to Herning just as the teams were warming up and the family got to watch the USA defeat Team France 7-1.
May 7 - The Bolts sign Christopher Paquette of the Kitchener Rangers and Oduya gets back into full practice mode.
May 8 - Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning, Denmark, Team USA 5 Team Austria 1. Despite the noisy Austrian support, it was Team USA who jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back.
May 10 - Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark, Team Sweden 8 Team USA 1. We never got anything going in this one and just after we made it 3-1, we had a 3-on-1 that was broken up, sent the other way, and the Swedes capitalized, and we never recovered.
May 13 - Team USA flight, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. I had already sent Denise and the kids back to the states a couple days prior as the brass wanted to see me personally to discuss my future, but I already had made my mind up that I was going to resign. The Team USA higher ups understood my decision and while I thought that the team was going in the right direction, it needed different leadership than me.
May 13 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 1 Eastern Conference Finals, TBL 4 OTW 3 (Tampa leads series 1-0). The weeklong break nearly came back to bite us as we had a 3 to 1 lead midway through the game and blew it and looked sloppy and slow in the third period and in overtime only for us to get a big break on the winning goal. Vasy was outstanding in the 3rd period and overtime, stopping Filip Forsberg on a breakaway just seconds before we scored. Teräväinen had two goals (including the game-winner), Hagelin and Toews each had a goal. MacKinnon had two assists, and Hedman, Pietrangelo, Bødker, Matthews and Kucherov had one. Vasy made 29 saves.
May 15 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 2 Eastern Conference Finals, TBL 4 OTW 1 (Tampa leads series 2-0). This was a much better effort, and we got two powerplay goals to get us another step closer to the Cup. Bodker had a goal and an assist, Sergachev, Killorn, and Point also scored. Pietrangelo had a pair of helpers, while Clendening, Toews, Point, Kucherov, and MacKinnon also had one. Vasy was brilliant with 23 saves.
May 17 - Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata/Ottawa, Ontario, Game 3 Eastern Conference Finals, TBL 3 @ OTW 2 (Tampa leads series 3-0). We had to overcome a 2-1 deficit in the third to win the game. Point had a goal and an assist, and Hagelin and Kucherov both scored. Oduya assisted on all three goals, and Pouliot and Stamkos had an assist. Vasy made 38 saves.
May 19 - Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata/Ottawa, Ontario, Game 4 Eastern Conference Finals, TBL 6 @ OTW 1 (Tampa wins series 4-0). It was 1-1 after a period, but three goals in a minute early in the second gave us the game. Kucherov had two goals and two assists, and Killorn, Hagelin, MacKinnon and Frolik G. Toews and Stamkos both had two assists, and Oduya, Karlsson, Sproul, Point, and Teräväinen had one each. Vasy made 20 saves. The team gathered around the Prince of Wales Trophy, the third one that we've earned in our franchise's history, but no one wanted to pick it up. The ownership group and the coaching staff brought their families to Ottawa, so we all took photos with it. Dougie tried to pick up the trophy, but Denise quickly responded with, "you do realize that if you pick it up or touch it, you'll never win the Stanley Cup!" So, Dougie did the smart thing and simply backed away from the trophy, but that didn't stop me from taking it because, simply put, someone had to move it. In any event, we’re playing for the Cup!
May 20 - Nikita Kucherov was named NHL Player and NHL Offensive Player of the Week by scoring three goals and three assists in three games. Vasy was named NHL Defensive Player of the Week 3 wins in 3 games. I was also offered the GM position for the Czech Republic national team, which I eagerly accepted.
May 21 - After telling us that he wanted to try his hand at free agency, Karlsson turns around signs a massive 8 year/$107 million contract to stay in Tampa.
May 27 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 1 2018 Stanley Cup Finals TBL 5 WPG 3 (Tampa leads series 1-0). This game had all of the pomp and circumstances with pre-game festivities, lineups on TV, anthems, the whole nine yards. Dougie had asked if Heather and her family could come to the game and I had already beaten him to the punch as Denise and I had invited them, and we were treated to an outstanding first game. We raced out to a four-goal lead before giving up a couple midway through the third Period. Hagelin scored twice, MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, and Gourde and Matthews each scored. Sergachev had two assists, and Oduya, Bødker, and Frolik all had one. Vasy had 23 saves in goal. After the game, Dougie asked if Heather's family could come to Game 2. I told them that they could, but I also told them that there would be a surprise in store for him as well.
May 29 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, Game 2 2018 Stanley Cup Finals TBL 3 WPG 2 OT (Tampa leads series 2-0). We all met for an early dinner at 3pm and I had to excuse myself early, as I told everyone that I had to go to a meeting at the arena before the game. I told everyone that I would meet them in the owner's suite before warmups. What I was actually doing was picking up my parents from the airport, as this was their 41st wedding anniversary and my gift to them was flying them in from Syracuse to come watch the game and stay with us for a couple weeks. The three of us walked into the suite and Dougie, who was too busy looking down at the ice, nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned around and saw my parents. After all of the introductions were out of the way, the four of them, Dougie, Heather, and my parents watched warmups together, and it was a very heartwarming moment. As for the game, we knew this series was going to be a grind and Winnipeg really made us earn this game as we got a goal late in the third period to send the game into overtime before Kucherov got his second of the night to send the crowd home happy. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Stamkos had a goal and an assist, Bødker had 2 assists, and Sproul and Hagelin had one. Vasy 22 made saves. We somehow got my parents on the videoboard and lots of stick taps from the players. We even got a call from the team room between periods asking if we would all come down after the game was over, and when we got there, the team had flowers for my mom and jerseys for both of my parents. They even got to talk to some of the players (Dad talked to Kucherov and Mom talked to Hedman, Karlsson, and Point). I could never thank this team and this organization enough for what they did for them.
May 31 - Kucherov was named NHL Player of the Month with 7 goals and 5 assists in 10 games. Sergachev named NHL Rookie of the Month with a goal and 5 assists in 10 games.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
June 2 - Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Game 3 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, TBL 4 WPG 1 (Tampa leads series 3-0). This was another game in which our special teams came up huge, as we scored two more with the extra man. Toews had a pair of goals, and Stamkos and Point had a goal each. Hagelin and Kucherov both had two assists, and Sergachev, Karlsson, Pietrangelo, Killorn, and MacKinnon had one. Vasy 23 saves in net.
June 3 - Kucherov was named NHL Player and Offensive Player of the Week with 2 goals and 3 assists in 3 games and Vasilevskiy was named NHL Defensive Player of the Week with 3 wins in 3 Games.
June 5 - Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Game 4 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, TBL 2 WPG 0 (Tampa wins series 4-0). The entire family made it to Winnipeg, along with all of the families of the players and staff and they weren't disappointed. Two first period goals were the difference as we clamped down defensively afterwards and would celebrate on the ice with the cup. Sergachev and MacKinnon had our goals and Toews, Killorn, and Sproul had assists. Vasy made 19 saves in net. Unfortunately, there was no Conn Smythe Trophy winner named, which was too bad because there were a lot of worthy individuals. While the team was celebrating, I made a call to the mayor of Tampa and they decided that the parade would take place on June 10 at 12pm.
June 10 - Tampa, Florida, Vasilevskiy was named NHL Player and Defensive Player of the Week 1 game and a shutout and MacKinnon was named NHL Offensive Player of the Week 1 game and 1 goal. The mayor arranged for us to have our parade on the water and there were 5 boats, 6 members of the team and their family per boat as we navigated through the Bay with thousands of people in attendance. We eventually ended up in front of Amalie Arena, where myself, Cooper, Vasy, Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov, and Karlsson all spoke to the crowd and the main message was that we couldn't have done this without the fans and the plan for next season was to repeat.
June 12 - We elected to have year-end exit meetings throughout the week with small groups of the players and today we had meetings with Vasilevskiy (Very Happy), Hedman (Happier now that we re-signed Karlsson), Pouliot (Happy that we were able to triple his salary), MacKinnon (was brutally honest with us about thinking that we would trade him earlier in the season, but thankful that we didn’t), and Paquette (was a little upset that we hadn’t offered him a new contract, so we offered him one, at 2yr/$1.65 million). After the meetings I was allowed to vote on the Vezina Shortlist between Vasy, Cory Schneider of Montreal and Sergei Bobrovsky of Portland, and naturally, I picked Vasy.
June 13 - We had meetings with Bacashihua (he thanked us for his time, but wanted to test free agency), Sproul (was beyond willing to take a pay cut to stay on the team, even though it was only a couple thousand dollars), Guttman (we talked about not signing him yet, and continuing to dominate for the Cal Golden Bears at the college level, and we will probably sign him in 2020 or 2021), Akamov (asked about a new contract, and we responded with a 3year/$1.9 deal with a $45K signing bonus), and Killorn (Very happy to be a bolt)
June 14 - We had meetings with Toews, Teräväinen, (both love TB), Morris (we rewarded with a new contract offer), Clendening (offered him a 3year/$2.8million contract), and Colton (just waiting on him to sign his contract).
June 15 - Today we had meetings with Barre-Boulet (very happy with his two way), Volkov (happy with his two way), Harpur (offered a new contract), Badini (offered him a two-way contract), and Kucherov (wants to retire as a member of the Lightning, in 15 years)
June 16 - Another round of meetings with Zapolski (very happy with contract and loves it in Tampa), Pietrangelo (would like a new challenge either through free agency or a trade), Fleischmann (thought about re-signing, but would like to go elsewhere, and we will look into trading him), Point (said the same thing that Kucherov said, he wants to retire as a Bolt) and Beaudin (very happy with the contract, but would like to have an opportunity to crack the roster)
Today was the day that all the kids became free agents and they decided to move on from their original teams and sign new contracts. Adam Madison went from the San Jose Junior sharks to come back to Ohio to play for the Ohio blue jackets along with both of the Mournings, after their year at Shattuck Saint Mary’s. Scott Green is mulling his options as is Peter Mulligan. When it came to Dougie however, he elected to take a step down and go up to the upper peninsula to play for the Marquette Junior Wildcats, and thankfully, Denise‘s sister Krista, and her family will be billeting Dougie, while the rest of the family stays in Florida.
The San Jose Sharks won the draft lottery despite finishing 23rd in the NHL and missing the playoffs by only six points. The Boston Bruins will pick second and they will then be followed by the Calgary Flames. Somehow the Carolina hurricanes who had the worst record in the NHL will pick 27th.
June 17- More meetings took place with Grzelcyk (very happy with his contract, although we will try to extend it throughout the season), Lohin (we sent him a contract, and we are just waiting for him to sign it) Karlsson (he and his wife just bought a brand new house not too far from the arena and told us he could see himself retiring here,) Hagelin (said he would be up for a new challenge and would not mind being traded if possible, so the first place we looked was Edmonton )Matthews (did not have a very good look on his face when he walked in and said he would not mind a change of scenery, and we are going to look at trading him in a couple days to Milwaukee).
June 18 - We continued our meetings with Bødker (was very thankful, but he would like to test free agency), Demko (was a little miffed that we didn’t offer him a contract, but we decided to do that at the meeting), Oduya (would like to play out the one year remaining on his contract and then test free agency) Gaudette (have the same reaction that Demko did, so we offered him a contract as well) and Perbix (we told just keep doing what you’re doing at the college level and we will sign you eventually).
June 19 - Our penultimate round of meetings had Boucher (after the year he had in Jacksonville we elected to give him a three-year contract) Stamkos (he is not going anywhere ) Gourde (we offered him a brand new contract), Lipanov (he just signed a new contract in the VHL in Russia and we will monitor his progress and then come back a year from now), and Vermin (we are going to offer the leading scorer in the American hockey league from a year ago an additional three-year contract)
June 20 - Our last meeting group included Frolik (wanted to explore free agency )Joseph (we offered a three year deal to), Nedeljkovic (he is happy with his additional year on the contract and would like to try to make the roster next season), Sergachev (is beyond ecstatic to be in Tampa for the long haul as he just brought his entire family over from Russia), and Foote (is very happy with the deal that we signed over the next couple years and is hoping to be able to crack the roster at various points next season). Akamov rejected the contract and will most likely test the free agent waters.
We also made a trade:
TRADE: Auston Matthews and three picks to the Milwaukee Admirals for Anthony Cirelli.
June 22: SIGNING- Badini signed his two-year deal.
June 23: NHL DRAFT, American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas: Filip Zadina goes number one overall to the San Jose Sharks. Joe Velano goes second to the Boston Bruins. Rasmus Dahlin goes third to the Calgary Flames. We swapped draft picks in the first round with the Nashville predators as we will pick 10th in this year’s draft, and they get our first-round next year, but we also will pick 35th in the first round. All three of the guys at the top are very high on Brennan Anderson from the Kitchener Rangers after an 85-point season and we will take him with the 10th pick in the first round. We then moved to the 35th pick in the first round and while JBB is very high on a defenseman from North Bay in the Ontario Hockey League our head scout and John Cooper are more sold on Brandon Fischer a defenseman from Fairbanks in the North American Hockey League. Moving onto our pick in the second round we elect to go with forward Eric Middendorf of the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League who will be taking his talents to Michigan State. With our next pic, we’re taking Ryan Savage forward who will be a sophomore at McGill University in Montreal. We moved to the fourth round of the draft, and we will take Mark Del Gaizo a defenseman that put up 47 points for Odessa in the North American Hockey League and he will be playing at Connecticut next year in Hockey East. Going to the fifth round we then take Al Harris a defenseman from the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League who put up 46 points in 72 games. And with our final pick in the draft, we go to Russia to take Gleb Babintsev out of the Russian Minor Hockey League. 19 players in the top 200 in the final rankings were left undrafted with the highest player being blade Jenkins from the London Knights at number 105.
June 26 - T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada. The NHL had their seasonal awards, and the Lightning cleaned up as, Vasilevskiy won the Pearson (Kucherov and Stamkos 2nd and 3rd), Hedman won the Norris (Karlsson 2nd), Vasilevskiy won the Vezina and the Jennings. Vasilevskiy finished second in the Crozier. Toews won the Selke. Karlsson won the Lady Byng (Hedman finished 2nd). Hedman won the Clancy (Karlsson 2nd, Kucherov 3rd). Cooper won Adams. Pietrangelo won the Plus-Minus (Kucherov 2nd, MacKinnon 3rd). Hedman won the Hart (Kucherov 2nd). Kucherov second in Masterton. Vasilevskiy, Hedman, Karlsson, and Kucherov named NHL first team all-stars
June 30 - Kucherov named Lightning Player of the Year by the fans and We announced that we paid dividends totaling $13million to our shareholders.
Season 1 2017-18 (Winners, Favorite Teams, and/or Teams I Controlled):
Austria:
Austrian Erste Bank Eishockey Liga: Medvescak (first title) defeated Fehérvár AV19. Favorite Team in League (Medvescak)
Alps Hockey League: Lustenau (first title) defeated Feldkirch. Favorite Team in League (Cortina finished 8th in the Regular Season, lost in quarterfinals to Zell am Zee)
Tiroler Eliteliga: HC Kufstein (first title) defeated Zirl. Favorite Team in League (Pinguins finished 2nd in Regular Season, lost to Zirl in Semifinals)
EBEL Juniors: KMH Budapest U20 (first title) defeated Medvescak U20 Favorite Team in League (Medvescak U20 finished 8th in regular season)
Belarus:
Belarus League: Soligorsk (second title) finished first in regular season, defeated Neman Favorite Team (Soligorsk).
Vysshaya League: Gomel-2 (first title) defeated Khimek-SKA-2. Favorite Team in League Soligorsk-2 (finished 5th in league lost to Khimek-SKA-2 in semifinals).
Belarus Cup: Gomel (first title) defeated Crvena Zvezda. Favorite Team: (Soligorsk eliminated in the group stage).
Canada:
LNAH: Trois-Rivieres (second title) defeated Jonquiere Marquis. Favorite Team: Laval (finished 5th in league, lost to Rivière-du-Loup in first round)
WHL: Kelowna Rockets (5th title) defeated the Saskatoon Blades. Favorite Team: Everett Silvertips (2nd in West, lost to Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference Quarterfinal)
OHL: London Knights (5th Title) defeated the North Bay Battalion. Favorite Team: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals to London Knights)
QMJHL: Halifax Mooseheads (2nd Title) defeated Acadia-Bathurst Titan. Favorite Team: Rimouski Oceanic (12th overall, lost in 1st Round to Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
Memorial Cup: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (HOST) (2nd Title) defeated London Knights (OHL)
Czechia:
Czech Extraliga: Sparta Praha (4th Title) defeated Vitkovice. Favorite Team: Sparta Praha
WSM Liga: Karlovy Vary and Litometice (both promoted) Favorite Team: Kladno (finished 2nd lost to Slavic Praha in Quarterfinals)
Czech Second League: Havlickuv Brod (First Title), Favorite Team: Jablonec (6th in West lost in 1st Round to Tabor)
Czech Juniors: Plzen Jrs (first title) defeated Karlovy Vary Jrs. Favorite Team: Sparta Jrs (5th overall, lost to Karlovy Vary Jrs in Semifinals)
Denmark:
Metal Ligaen: Odense Bulldogs (first title) Herning Blue Fox Favorite Team: SønderjyskE (finished 6th lost to Esbjerg Energy in Quarterfinals)
Danish First Division: Jutland (First Title) defeated Vojens 2. Favorite Team: Copenhagen (4th, lost to Vojens 2 in the Semifinals)
Estonia:
Estonian League: HC Viking (First Title) defeated Tallinn. Favorite Team: Tallinn.
Finland:
Liiga: Kärpät (8th Title) defeated SaiPa. favorite team: Jukurit (4th. Lost to Ässät in quarterfinals)
Mestis: TUTO Hockey (3rd Title) defeated RoKi. Favorite Team TUTO Hockey.
Suomi-Sarja: Titaanit (2nd Title) defeated JHT. Favorite Team KOOVEE (1st, won Bronze Medal Game v Riemu)
Finnish A-Junior SM-Liiga: Tappara Jrs (1st Title) defeated HPK Jrs. Favorite Team: Jukurit Jrs (3rd, lost to HPK in semifinals)
France:
Magnus League: Mulhouse (2nd title) defeated Gap. Favorite Team: Bordeaux (6th, lost to Grenoble in Quarterfinals)
French National League: Caen (1st Title) defeated Marne. Favorite Team Nantes (7th, lost to Annecy in the Quarterfinals)
Germany:
DEL: Berlin (8th Title) defeated Köln. Favorite Team: München (4th, lost to Köln in Semifinals).
DEL2: Heilbronn (1st Title) defeated Ravensburg. Favorite Team: Ravensburg.
Great Britain:
Elite League: Belfast (2nd Title) defeated Nottingham. Favorite Team: Manchester (5th, lost to Nottingham in the semifinals)
NIHL South 1: Peterborough (2nd title) defeated Bracknell. Favorite Team: Basingstoke (5th, lost to Bracknell in the Quarterfinals)
NIHL North 1: Deeside (1st Title) defeated Nottingham. Favorite Team: Hull (7th, lost to Solihull in the Quarterfinals)
SNL: Aberdeen (2nd title) defeated Dundee. Favorite team: Aberdeen.
NIHL North 2: Sheffield 2 (first title) defeated Telford 2. Favorite Team: Hull 2 (6th, did not make the playoffs)
NIHL South 2: Guildford (first title) defeated Oxford. Favorite team: Basingstoke 2 (11th place, did not make the playoffs)
Challenge Cup: Nottingham Panthers (9th Title) defeated Belfast Giants. Favorite Team: Manchester (finished 10th, did not make playoffs)
National Cup: Streatham (first title) defeated London. Favorite team: Hull (finished 6th lost to Streatham in Quarterfinals)
Autumn Trophy: Sheffield (1st Title) defeated Telford. Favorite Team: Hull (lost to Sheffield in Semifinals)
Hungary:
Erste Liga: Dunaújváros (3rd title) defeated Újpest. Favorite Team: Ferencváros (3rd, lost to Dunaújváros in Semifinals).
Japan:
Asia League Ice Hockey: Tohoku (4th title) defeated Sakhalin. Favorite Team: Nippon (5th, lost to Sakhalin in Semifinals).
Kazakhstan:
Kazakhstan championship: Astana (1st) defeat Ertis. Favorite Team: Astana.
Latvia:
Latvijas Virsliga: Kurbads (1st Title) defeated Zemgale. Favorite Team: HS Riga (5th, lost to Kurbads in Semifinals)
Lithuania:
Lithuania hockey league: Gelezinis Vilkas (1st Title) defeated Rokiskio. Favorite Team: Hockey Punks (3rd, lost to Rokiskio in Semifinals)
Netherlands:
BeNeLiga: Nijmegen (1st Title) defeated Herentals. Favorite Team: Nijmegen.
Norway:
Norwegian GET Ligaen: Storhamar (7th Title) defeated Stavanger. Favorite Team: Stavanger.
First Division: Ringerike (1st Title). Favorite Team: Comet (5th Place)
Poland:
Elite League: Polonia (1st Title) defeated Tychy. Favorite Team: Cracovia (lost to Polonia in Semifinals).
Russia:
KHL: Barys (1st Title) defeated Slovan Bratislava. Favorite Team: Lokomotiv (lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals to Vityaz)
Vysshaya Liga: Metallurg Nk (1st Title) Favorite Team: Torpedo (4th, lost to Molot-Prokamie in the quarterfinals)
Pervaya Liga: HK Cheboksary (1st Title). Favorite Team: Kristall (4th).
NJHL: Tverichi (1st Title) defeated Progress. Favorite Team: Loko-Yunior (lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals to Tverichi)
Slovakia:
Slovakia Tipsort Liga: HC Kosice (9th Title) defeated HK Poprad. Favorite Team: Banská Bystrica (5th, lost to Nitra in quarterfinals)
1.Liga: Sp. N. Ves (4th Title) defeated Detva. Favorite Team: Trnava (7th, lost to Detva in Semifinals)
Second Division: HC Bratislava (1st Title) defeated Sabinov. Favorite Team: Piestany (6th, lost in 3rd Playoffs to Levice)
Slovenia:
Elite League: Bled (1st Title) defeated Zagreb. Favorite Team: Maribor (2nd, lost to Mefvescak 2 in Quarterfinals)
Sweden:
SHL: Skellefteå (4th Title) defeated Färjestad. Favorite Team: Frölunda (1st, lost to Färjestad in Semifinals).
J20 SuperElit: Skellefteå J20 (1st Title) defeated Frölunda J20. Favorite Team: Frölunda J20
Switzerland:
National League A: Bern (10th Title) defeated ZSC Lions. Favorite Team: Davos (3rd lost to ZSC Lions in Semifinals)
National League B: Rapperswil (1st Title) defeated Hockey Thurgau. Favorite Team: EVZ Academy (4th, lost to Langenthal in quarterfinals)
MySports League: Basel-Kleinhüningen (1st Title) defeated Chur. Favorite Team: Star-Forward (9th Place, Missed Playoffs)
Swiss Junior A: GCK Lions (8th Title) defeated EHC Kloten. Favorite Team: Davos Jr (10th, Relegation Playoffs, finished 2nd)
Ukraine:
Ukraine League: Donbass (5th Title) defeated Krivbass. Favorite Team: Donbass.
United States:
NAHL: Topeka RoadRunners (1st Title) defeated Johnstown Tomahawks. Favorite Team: Janesville Jets (10th, lost to Bismarck Bobcats in Quarterfinals)
USHL: Chicago Steel (2nd Title) defeated Fargo Force. Favorite Team: Green Bay Gamblers (lost to Dubuque Fighting Saints in Eastern Semifinals)
Hockey East: Merrimack Warriors (1st Title) defeated Massachusetts Minutemen. Favorite Team: Boston University Terriers (6th, Missed Playoffs)
ECAC: Harvard Crimson (1st Title) defeated Clarkson Golden Knights. Favorite Team: Dartmouth Big Green (12th Place, Missed Playoffs).
WCHA: Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks (1st Title) defeated Michigan Tech Huskies. Favorite Team: Lake Superior State Lakers (9th Place, Missed Playoffs)
Atlantic Hockey: Canisius Golden Griffins (2nd Title) defeated Army West Point Black Knights. Favorite Team: Niagara Purple Eagles (9th Place, Missed Playoffs)
Big Ten: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1st Title) defeated Michigan State Spartans. Favorite and Controlled Team: Notre Dame.
NCHC: St. Cloud State Huskies (2nd Title) defeated Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. Favorite Team: Miami-Ohio RedHawks (4th Place, lost to Minnesota-Duluth in Semifinals)
Frozen Four: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1st Title) defeated Canisius Golden Griffins.
FHL: Danbury Titans (1st Title) defeated St. Clair Shores Fighing Saints. Favorite Team: Port Huron Prowlers (3rd, lost to Danbury in Semifinals)
SPHL: Peoria Rivermen (1st Title) defeated New Orleans Steamers. Favorite Team: Roanoke Rail Yard Dogs (4th, lost to Huntsville Havoc in Quarterfinals). Team Controlled: Jackson Dolphins (lost to New Orleans in Semifinals)
ECHL: Albany Devils (1st Title) defeated Omaha Lynx. Favorite Team: Kalamazoo Wings (10th in Eastern Conference, Missed Playoffs). Team Controlled: Pensacola Ice Flyers (1st in Eastern Conference, lost to Albany in Conference Finals)
AHL: Jacksonville IceMen (1st Title) defeated San Jose Barracuda. Favorite Teams: Fort Wayne Komets (11th in Eastern Conference, Missed Playoffs) and Orlando Solar Bears (3rd in Eastern Conference, lost to Bridgeport Sound Tigers in Conference Quarterfinals). Team Controlled: Jacksonville IceMen.
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning (2nd Title) defeated Winnipeg Jets. Favorite and Controlled Team: Tampa Bay Lightning.
Games that went Triple Overtime or Longer (Home team in CAPS):
7) INNSBRUCK 2 Szekesfehervar 1 (3OT) 101:32 Played, Austrian League Semifinals 3/27/18
6) REGINA STAGS 5 Abbotsford Heat 4 (3OT) 102:50 Played, AHL Western Conference Quarterfinals 4/30/18
5) OMAHA LYNX 3 Bakersfield Condors 2 (3OT) 108:44 Played, ECHL Western Conference Final 5/16/18
4) WINNIPEG JETS 3 Chicago Blackhawks 2 (3OT) 109:11 Played, NHL Western Conference Semifinal 5/4/18
3) INDY FUEL 6 St. John's IceCaps 5 (3OT) 112:32 Played, ECHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 4/17/18
2) Washington Capitals 3 OTTAWA SENATORS 2 (3OT) 117:48 Played, NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 4/20/18
1) Graz 5 INNSBRUCK 4 (4OT) 127:00 Played, Austrian League Quarterfinals 3/17/18
June 3 - Kucherov was named NHL Player and Offensive Player of the Week with 2 goals and 3 assists in 3 games and Vasilevskiy was named NHL Defensive Player of the Week with 3 wins in 3 Games.
June 5 - Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Game 4 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, TBL 2 WPG 0 (Tampa wins series 4-0). The entire family made it to Winnipeg, along with all of the families of the players and staff and they weren't disappointed. Two first period goals were the difference as we clamped down defensively afterwards and would celebrate on the ice with the cup. Sergachev and MacKinnon had our goals and Toews, Killorn, and Sproul had assists. Vasy made 19 saves in net. Unfortunately, there was no Conn Smythe Trophy winner named, which was too bad because there were a lot of worthy individuals. While the team was celebrating, I made a call to the mayor of Tampa and they decided that the parade would take place on June 10 at 12pm.
June 10 - Tampa, Florida, Vasilevskiy was named NHL Player and Defensive Player of the Week 1 game and a shutout and MacKinnon was named NHL Offensive Player of the Week 1 game and 1 goal. The mayor arranged for us to have our parade on the water and there were 5 boats, 6 members of the team and their family per boat as we navigated through the Bay with thousands of people in attendance. We eventually ended up in front of Amalie Arena, where myself, Cooper, Vasy, Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov, and Karlsson all spoke to the crowd and the main message was that we couldn't have done this without the fans and the plan for next season was to repeat.
June 12 - We elected to have year-end exit meetings throughout the week with small groups of the players and today we had meetings with Vasilevskiy (Very Happy), Hedman (Happier now that we re-signed Karlsson), Pouliot (Happy that we were able to triple his salary), MacKinnon (was brutally honest with us about thinking that we would trade him earlier in the season, but thankful that we didn’t), and Paquette (was a little upset that we hadn’t offered him a new contract, so we offered him one, at 2yr/$1.65 million). After the meetings I was allowed to vote on the Vezina Shortlist between Vasy, Cory Schneider of Montreal and Sergei Bobrovsky of Portland, and naturally, I picked Vasy.
June 13 - We had meetings with Bacashihua (he thanked us for his time, but wanted to test free agency), Sproul (was beyond willing to take a pay cut to stay on the team, even though it was only a couple thousand dollars), Guttman (we talked about not signing him yet, and continuing to dominate for the Cal Golden Bears at the college level, and we will probably sign him in 2020 or 2021), Akamov (asked about a new contract, and we responded with a 3year/$1.9 deal with a $45K signing bonus), and Killorn (Very happy to be a bolt)
June 14 - We had meetings with Toews, Teräväinen, (both love TB), Morris (we rewarded with a new contract offer), Clendening (offered him a 3year/$2.8million contract), and Colton (just waiting on him to sign his contract).
June 15 - Today we had meetings with Barre-Boulet (very happy with his two way), Volkov (happy with his two way), Harpur (offered a new contract), Badini (offered him a two-way contract), and Kucherov (wants to retire as a member of the Lightning, in 15 years)
June 16 - Another round of meetings with Zapolski (very happy with contract and loves it in Tampa), Pietrangelo (would like a new challenge either through free agency or a trade), Fleischmann (thought about re-signing, but would like to go elsewhere, and we will look into trading him), Point (said the same thing that Kucherov said, he wants to retire as a Bolt) and Beaudin (very happy with the contract, but would like to have an opportunity to crack the roster)
Today was the day that all the kids became free agents and they decided to move on from their original teams and sign new contracts. Adam Madison went from the San Jose Junior sharks to come back to Ohio to play for the Ohio blue jackets along with both of the Mournings, after their year at Shattuck Saint Mary’s. Scott Green is mulling his options as is Peter Mulligan. When it came to Dougie however, he elected to take a step down and go up to the upper peninsula to play for the Marquette Junior Wildcats, and thankfully, Denise‘s sister Krista, and her family will be billeting Dougie, while the rest of the family stays in Florida.
The San Jose Sharks won the draft lottery despite finishing 23rd in the NHL and missing the playoffs by only six points. The Boston Bruins will pick second and they will then be followed by the Calgary Flames. Somehow the Carolina hurricanes who had the worst record in the NHL will pick 27th.
June 17- More meetings took place with Grzelcyk (very happy with his contract, although we will try to extend it throughout the season), Lohin (we sent him a contract, and we are just waiting for him to sign it) Karlsson (he and his wife just bought a brand new house not too far from the arena and told us he could see himself retiring here,) Hagelin (said he would be up for a new challenge and would not mind being traded if possible, so the first place we looked was Edmonton )Matthews (did not have a very good look on his face when he walked in and said he would not mind a change of scenery, and we are going to look at trading him in a couple days to Milwaukee).
June 18 - We continued our meetings with Bødker (was very thankful, but he would like to test free agency), Demko (was a little miffed that we didn’t offer him a contract, but we decided to do that at the meeting), Oduya (would like to play out the one year remaining on his contract and then test free agency) Gaudette (have the same reaction that Demko did, so we offered him a contract as well) and Perbix (we told just keep doing what you’re doing at the college level and we will sign you eventually).
June 19 - Our penultimate round of meetings had Boucher (after the year he had in Jacksonville we elected to give him a three-year contract) Stamkos (he is not going anywhere ) Gourde (we offered him a brand new contract), Lipanov (he just signed a new contract in the VHL in Russia and we will monitor his progress and then come back a year from now), and Vermin (we are going to offer the leading scorer in the American hockey league from a year ago an additional three-year contract)
June 20 - Our last meeting group included Frolik (wanted to explore free agency )Joseph (we offered a three year deal to), Nedeljkovic (he is happy with his additional year on the contract and would like to try to make the roster next season), Sergachev (is beyond ecstatic to be in Tampa for the long haul as he just brought his entire family over from Russia), and Foote (is very happy with the deal that we signed over the next couple years and is hoping to be able to crack the roster at various points next season). Akamov rejected the contract and will most likely test the free agent waters.
We also made a trade:
TRADE: Auston Matthews and three picks to the Milwaukee Admirals for Anthony Cirelli.
June 22: SIGNING- Badini signed his two-year deal.
June 23: NHL DRAFT, American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas: Filip Zadina goes number one overall to the San Jose Sharks. Joe Velano goes second to the Boston Bruins. Rasmus Dahlin goes third to the Calgary Flames. We swapped draft picks in the first round with the Nashville predators as we will pick 10th in this year’s draft, and they get our first-round next year, but we also will pick 35th in the first round. All three of the guys at the top are very high on Brennan Anderson from the Kitchener Rangers after an 85-point season and we will take him with the 10th pick in the first round. We then moved to the 35th pick in the first round and while JBB is very high on a defenseman from North Bay in the Ontario Hockey League our head scout and John Cooper are more sold on Brandon Fischer a defenseman from Fairbanks in the North American Hockey League. Moving onto our pick in the second round we elect to go with forward Eric Middendorf of the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League who will be taking his talents to Michigan State. With our next pic, we’re taking Ryan Savage forward who will be a sophomore at McGill University in Montreal. We moved to the fourth round of the draft, and we will take Mark Del Gaizo a defenseman that put up 47 points for Odessa in the North American Hockey League and he will be playing at Connecticut next year in Hockey East. Going to the fifth round we then take Al Harris a defenseman from the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League who put up 46 points in 72 games. And with our final pick in the draft, we go to Russia to take Gleb Babintsev out of the Russian Minor Hockey League. 19 players in the top 200 in the final rankings were left undrafted with the highest player being blade Jenkins from the London Knights at number 105.
June 26 - T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada. The NHL had their seasonal awards, and the Lightning cleaned up as, Vasilevskiy won the Pearson (Kucherov and Stamkos 2nd and 3rd), Hedman won the Norris (Karlsson 2nd), Vasilevskiy won the Vezina and the Jennings. Vasilevskiy finished second in the Crozier. Toews won the Selke. Karlsson won the Lady Byng (Hedman finished 2nd). Hedman won the Clancy (Karlsson 2nd, Kucherov 3rd). Cooper won Adams. Pietrangelo won the Plus-Minus (Kucherov 2nd, MacKinnon 3rd). Hedman won the Hart (Kucherov 2nd). Kucherov second in Masterton. Vasilevskiy, Hedman, Karlsson, and Kucherov named NHL first team all-stars
June 30 - Kucherov named Lightning Player of the Year by the fans and We announced that we paid dividends totaling $13million to our shareholders.
Season 1 2017-18 (Winners, Favorite Teams, and/or Teams I Controlled):
Austria:
Austrian Erste Bank Eishockey Liga: Medvescak (first title) defeated Fehérvár AV19. Favorite Team in League (Medvescak)
Alps Hockey League: Lustenau (first title) defeated Feldkirch. Favorite Team in League (Cortina finished 8th in the Regular Season, lost in quarterfinals to Zell am Zee)
Tiroler Eliteliga: HC Kufstein (first title) defeated Zirl. Favorite Team in League (Pinguins finished 2nd in Regular Season, lost to Zirl in Semifinals)
EBEL Juniors: KMH Budapest U20 (first title) defeated Medvescak U20 Favorite Team in League (Medvescak U20 finished 8th in regular season)
Belarus:
Belarus League: Soligorsk (second title) finished first in regular season, defeated Neman Favorite Team (Soligorsk).
Vysshaya League: Gomel-2 (first title) defeated Khimek-SKA-2. Favorite Team in League Soligorsk-2 (finished 5th in league lost to Khimek-SKA-2 in semifinals).
Belarus Cup: Gomel (first title) defeated Crvena Zvezda. Favorite Team: (Soligorsk eliminated in the group stage).
Canada:
LNAH: Trois-Rivieres (second title) defeated Jonquiere Marquis. Favorite Team: Laval (finished 5th in league, lost to Rivière-du-Loup in first round)
WHL: Kelowna Rockets (5th title) defeated the Saskatoon Blades. Favorite Team: Everett Silvertips (2nd in West, lost to Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference Quarterfinal)
OHL: London Knights (5th Title) defeated the North Bay Battalion. Favorite Team: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals to London Knights)
QMJHL: Halifax Mooseheads (2nd Title) defeated Acadia-Bathurst Titan. Favorite Team: Rimouski Oceanic (12th overall, lost in 1st Round to Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
Memorial Cup: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (HOST) (2nd Title) defeated London Knights (OHL)
Czechia:
Czech Extraliga: Sparta Praha (4th Title) defeated Vitkovice. Favorite Team: Sparta Praha
WSM Liga: Karlovy Vary and Litometice (both promoted) Favorite Team: Kladno (finished 2nd lost to Slavic Praha in Quarterfinals)
Czech Second League: Havlickuv Brod (First Title), Favorite Team: Jablonec (6th in West lost in 1st Round to Tabor)
Czech Juniors: Plzen Jrs (first title) defeated Karlovy Vary Jrs. Favorite Team: Sparta Jrs (5th overall, lost to Karlovy Vary Jrs in Semifinals)
Denmark:
Metal Ligaen: Odense Bulldogs (first title) Herning Blue Fox Favorite Team: SønderjyskE (finished 6th lost to Esbjerg Energy in Quarterfinals)
Danish First Division: Jutland (First Title) defeated Vojens 2. Favorite Team: Copenhagen (4th, lost to Vojens 2 in the Semifinals)
Estonia:
Estonian League: HC Viking (First Title) defeated Tallinn. Favorite Team: Tallinn.
Finland:
Liiga: Kärpät (8th Title) defeated SaiPa. favorite team: Jukurit (4th. Lost to Ässät in quarterfinals)
Mestis: TUTO Hockey (3rd Title) defeated RoKi. Favorite Team TUTO Hockey.
Suomi-Sarja: Titaanit (2nd Title) defeated JHT. Favorite Team KOOVEE (1st, won Bronze Medal Game v Riemu)
Finnish A-Junior SM-Liiga: Tappara Jrs (1st Title) defeated HPK Jrs. Favorite Team: Jukurit Jrs (3rd, lost to HPK in semifinals)
France:
Magnus League: Mulhouse (2nd title) defeated Gap. Favorite Team: Bordeaux (6th, lost to Grenoble in Quarterfinals)
French National League: Caen (1st Title) defeated Marne. Favorite Team Nantes (7th, lost to Annecy in the Quarterfinals)
Germany:
DEL: Berlin (8th Title) defeated Köln. Favorite Team: München (4th, lost to Köln in Semifinals).
DEL2: Heilbronn (1st Title) defeated Ravensburg. Favorite Team: Ravensburg.
Great Britain:
Elite League: Belfast (2nd Title) defeated Nottingham. Favorite Team: Manchester (5th, lost to Nottingham in the semifinals)
NIHL South 1: Peterborough (2nd title) defeated Bracknell. Favorite Team: Basingstoke (5th, lost to Bracknell in the Quarterfinals)
NIHL North 1: Deeside (1st Title) defeated Nottingham. Favorite Team: Hull (7th, lost to Solihull in the Quarterfinals)
SNL: Aberdeen (2nd title) defeated Dundee. Favorite team: Aberdeen.
NIHL North 2: Sheffield 2 (first title) defeated Telford 2. Favorite Team: Hull 2 (6th, did not make the playoffs)
NIHL South 2: Guildford (first title) defeated Oxford. Favorite team: Basingstoke 2 (11th place, did not make the playoffs)
Challenge Cup: Nottingham Panthers (9th Title) defeated Belfast Giants. Favorite Team: Manchester (finished 10th, did not make playoffs)
National Cup: Streatham (first title) defeated London. Favorite team: Hull (finished 6th lost to Streatham in Quarterfinals)
Autumn Trophy: Sheffield (1st Title) defeated Telford. Favorite Team: Hull (lost to Sheffield in Semifinals)
Hungary:
Erste Liga: Dunaújváros (3rd title) defeated Újpest. Favorite Team: Ferencváros (3rd, lost to Dunaújváros in Semifinals).
Japan:
Asia League Ice Hockey: Tohoku (4th title) defeated Sakhalin. Favorite Team: Nippon (5th, lost to Sakhalin in Semifinals).
Kazakhstan:
Kazakhstan championship: Astana (1st) defeat Ertis. Favorite Team: Astana.
Latvia:
Latvijas Virsliga: Kurbads (1st Title) defeated Zemgale. Favorite Team: HS Riga (5th, lost to Kurbads in Semifinals)
Lithuania:
Lithuania hockey league: Gelezinis Vilkas (1st Title) defeated Rokiskio. Favorite Team: Hockey Punks (3rd, lost to Rokiskio in Semifinals)
Netherlands:
BeNeLiga: Nijmegen (1st Title) defeated Herentals. Favorite Team: Nijmegen.
Norway:
Norwegian GET Ligaen: Storhamar (7th Title) defeated Stavanger. Favorite Team: Stavanger.
First Division: Ringerike (1st Title). Favorite Team: Comet (5th Place)
Poland:
Elite League: Polonia (1st Title) defeated Tychy. Favorite Team: Cracovia (lost to Polonia in Semifinals).
Russia:
KHL: Barys (1st Title) defeated Slovan Bratislava. Favorite Team: Lokomotiv (lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals to Vityaz)
Vysshaya Liga: Metallurg Nk (1st Title) Favorite Team: Torpedo (4th, lost to Molot-Prokamie in the quarterfinals)
Pervaya Liga: HK Cheboksary (1st Title). Favorite Team: Kristall (4th).
NJHL: Tverichi (1st Title) defeated Progress. Favorite Team: Loko-Yunior (lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals to Tverichi)
Slovakia:
Slovakia Tipsort Liga: HC Kosice (9th Title) defeated HK Poprad. Favorite Team: Banská Bystrica (5th, lost to Nitra in quarterfinals)
1.Liga: Sp. N. Ves (4th Title) defeated Detva. Favorite Team: Trnava (7th, lost to Detva in Semifinals)
Second Division: HC Bratislava (1st Title) defeated Sabinov. Favorite Team: Piestany (6th, lost in 3rd Playoffs to Levice)
Slovenia:
Elite League: Bled (1st Title) defeated Zagreb. Favorite Team: Maribor (2nd, lost to Mefvescak 2 in Quarterfinals)
Sweden:
SHL: Skellefteå (4th Title) defeated Färjestad. Favorite Team: Frölunda (1st, lost to Färjestad in Semifinals).
J20 SuperElit: Skellefteå J20 (1st Title) defeated Frölunda J20. Favorite Team: Frölunda J20
Switzerland:
National League A: Bern (10th Title) defeated ZSC Lions. Favorite Team: Davos (3rd lost to ZSC Lions in Semifinals)
National League B: Rapperswil (1st Title) defeated Hockey Thurgau. Favorite Team: EVZ Academy (4th, lost to Langenthal in quarterfinals)
MySports League: Basel-Kleinhüningen (1st Title) defeated Chur. Favorite Team: Star-Forward (9th Place, Missed Playoffs)
Swiss Junior A: GCK Lions (8th Title) defeated EHC Kloten. Favorite Team: Davos Jr (10th, Relegation Playoffs, finished 2nd)
Ukraine:
Ukraine League: Donbass (5th Title) defeated Krivbass. Favorite Team: Donbass.
United States:
NAHL: Topeka RoadRunners (1st Title) defeated Johnstown Tomahawks. Favorite Team: Janesville Jets (10th, lost to Bismarck Bobcats in Quarterfinals)
USHL: Chicago Steel (2nd Title) defeated Fargo Force. Favorite Team: Green Bay Gamblers (lost to Dubuque Fighting Saints in Eastern Semifinals)
Hockey East: Merrimack Warriors (1st Title) defeated Massachusetts Minutemen. Favorite Team: Boston University Terriers (6th, Missed Playoffs)
ECAC: Harvard Crimson (1st Title) defeated Clarkson Golden Knights. Favorite Team: Dartmouth Big Green (12th Place, Missed Playoffs).
WCHA: Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks (1st Title) defeated Michigan Tech Huskies. Favorite Team: Lake Superior State Lakers (9th Place, Missed Playoffs)
Atlantic Hockey: Canisius Golden Griffins (2nd Title) defeated Army West Point Black Knights. Favorite Team: Niagara Purple Eagles (9th Place, Missed Playoffs)
Big Ten: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1st Title) defeated Michigan State Spartans. Favorite and Controlled Team: Notre Dame.
NCHC: St. Cloud State Huskies (2nd Title) defeated Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. Favorite Team: Miami-Ohio RedHawks (4th Place, lost to Minnesota-Duluth in Semifinals)
Frozen Four: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1st Title) defeated Canisius Golden Griffins.
FHL: Danbury Titans (1st Title) defeated St. Clair Shores Fighing Saints. Favorite Team: Port Huron Prowlers (3rd, lost to Danbury in Semifinals)
SPHL: Peoria Rivermen (1st Title) defeated New Orleans Steamers. Favorite Team: Roanoke Rail Yard Dogs (4th, lost to Huntsville Havoc in Quarterfinals). Team Controlled: Jackson Dolphins (lost to New Orleans in Semifinals)
ECHL: Albany Devils (1st Title) defeated Omaha Lynx. Favorite Team: Kalamazoo Wings (10th in Eastern Conference, Missed Playoffs). Team Controlled: Pensacola Ice Flyers (1st in Eastern Conference, lost to Albany in Conference Finals)
AHL: Jacksonville IceMen (1st Title) defeated San Jose Barracuda. Favorite Teams: Fort Wayne Komets (11th in Eastern Conference, Missed Playoffs) and Orlando Solar Bears (3rd in Eastern Conference, lost to Bridgeport Sound Tigers in Conference Quarterfinals). Team Controlled: Jacksonville IceMen.
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning (2nd Title) defeated Winnipeg Jets. Favorite and Controlled Team: Tampa Bay Lightning.
Games that went Triple Overtime or Longer (Home team in CAPS):
7) INNSBRUCK 2 Szekesfehervar 1 (3OT) 101:32 Played, Austrian League Semifinals 3/27/18
6) REGINA STAGS 5 Abbotsford Heat 4 (3OT) 102:50 Played, AHL Western Conference Quarterfinals 4/30/18
5) OMAHA LYNX 3 Bakersfield Condors 2 (3OT) 108:44 Played, ECHL Western Conference Final 5/16/18
4) WINNIPEG JETS 3 Chicago Blackhawks 2 (3OT) 109:11 Played, NHL Western Conference Semifinal 5/4/18
3) INDY FUEL 6 St. John's IceCaps 5 (3OT) 112:32 Played, ECHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 4/17/18
2) Washington Capitals 3 OTTAWA SENATORS 2 (3OT) 117:48 Played, NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 4/20/18
1) Graz 5 INNSBRUCK 4 (4OT) 127:00 Played, Austrian League Quarterfinals 3/17/18
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
It's a very quiet start to Season two:
July 1 - Boucher, Gourde, Harpur, Joseph, Pietrangelo, Fleischmann, Frolik, Bødker, Akamov, Hagelin, Demko, Gaudette, Morris, and Bacashihua all left for free agency. We received $10 million for NHL television rights, which means all 82 games will be shown on local television. We will get games on National TV, as all Wednesday night conference games will be shown Nationally and then select Saturday games will be shown nationally. The board wants us to win the Stanley Cup or at least be a serious contender and with the group that we have returning we should be able to make that a reality, but how will the losses of Matthews and Pietrangelo hurt us. Ryan Lohin, Ross Colton, and Chris Paquette all signed their free agent contracts. We offered contracts to Gillies, Kozun, Palat, Savard, Gourde, Morris, and Demko.
July 3 - Vermin offered contract.
July 5 - Gillies, Palat (in an attempt to ease the loss of Matthews), and Gourde accept contracts.
July 6 - Kozun accepts contract.
July 7 - Vermin accepts contract.
July 11 - Chris Kelleher accepts scout contract
July 12 - David Savard accepts contract in the hopes of lessening the loss of Pietrangelo.
July 13 - Ernie Vargas accepts scout contract
July 14 - Demko and Morris accept contracts, both will most likely start the season in Jacksonville.
July 15 - We started our season ticket drive and we sold 3,326 season tickets.
July 17 - Dennis Miller accepts scout contract
July 20 - Mark Mullen accepts scout contract
July 21 - Offered a contract to Sean Backman, to give us another two-way option.
July 23 - Derian Hatcher offered Assistant Coach contract, Doug Macleod accepts scout contract, and we have now sold 5,306 season tickets.
July 25 - Backman signs his player contract and Chris Shannon signs physio contract.
July 28 - Hatcher accepts the offer and he will work with our defense.
July 29 - Jarrett Whidden accepts scout contract.
July 1 - Boucher, Gourde, Harpur, Joseph, Pietrangelo, Fleischmann, Frolik, Bødker, Akamov, Hagelin, Demko, Gaudette, Morris, and Bacashihua all left for free agency. We received $10 million for NHL television rights, which means all 82 games will be shown on local television. We will get games on National TV, as all Wednesday night conference games will be shown Nationally and then select Saturday games will be shown nationally. The board wants us to win the Stanley Cup or at least be a serious contender and with the group that we have returning we should be able to make that a reality, but how will the losses of Matthews and Pietrangelo hurt us. Ryan Lohin, Ross Colton, and Chris Paquette all signed their free agent contracts. We offered contracts to Gillies, Kozun, Palat, Savard, Gourde, Morris, and Demko.
July 3 - Vermin offered contract.
July 5 - Gillies, Palat (in an attempt to ease the loss of Matthews), and Gourde accept contracts.
July 6 - Kozun accepts contract.
July 7 - Vermin accepts contract.
July 11 - Chris Kelleher accepts scout contract
July 12 - David Savard accepts contract in the hopes of lessening the loss of Pietrangelo.
July 13 - Ernie Vargas accepts scout contract
July 14 - Demko and Morris accept contracts, both will most likely start the season in Jacksonville.
July 15 - We started our season ticket drive and we sold 3,326 season tickets.
July 17 - Dennis Miller accepts scout contract
July 20 - Mark Mullen accepts scout contract
July 21 - Offered a contract to Sean Backman, to give us another two-way option.
July 23 - Derian Hatcher offered Assistant Coach contract, Doug Macleod accepts scout contract, and we have now sold 5,306 season tickets.
July 25 - Backman signs his player contract and Chris Shannon signs physio contract.
July 28 - Hatcher accepts the offer and he will work with our defense.
July 29 - Jarrett Whidden accepts scout contract.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
It was a VERY quiet August indeed as there was minimal news as we had signed almost all of the free agents that we wanted.
August 3 - We have sold 11,530 season ticket packages.
August 10 - Logan Thompson signed a free agent deal. He'll be at training camp next month, trying to fight for a spot in either the ECHL (Pensacola) or in the SPHL (Jackson).
August 12 - We have sold 12,562 season ticket packages.
August 15 - Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando - It was my day with the cup and Dougie wanted me to bring it to Disney. We took thousands of pictures with people from all over the world and shared the moment with staff members as well. One of my favorite photos that was taken, was one of Dougie and the twins with Goofy, a very appropriate combination. We thanked the staff and after the Electric Light Parade and fireworks, it was time to go home and rest up.
August 16 - Tampa, Florida - We had an open invitation party for anyone that wanted to come to the house and see the Cup, but we also had a street hockey tournament, in which the winners got to lift the Cup and have a team picture with it. Dougie's team didn't win the tournament, but he was allowed to play the role of commissioner and hand the cup off to the Champions. We took a great family photo, and we had Denise's mom and my parents join us. We got the photo enlarged and it's on the wall behind our TV. It's a constant reminder to me that it took the work of the entire family to make that dream a reality.
August 26 - We have sold 13,185 season tickets and we had to constantly remind Dougie, that he had to get all of his stuff packed and ready to go to Marquette, as his school year was to start the Tuesday after Labor Day.
August 3 - We have sold 11,530 season ticket packages.
August 10 - Logan Thompson signed a free agent deal. He'll be at training camp next month, trying to fight for a spot in either the ECHL (Pensacola) or in the SPHL (Jackson).
August 12 - We have sold 12,562 season ticket packages.
August 15 - Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando - It was my day with the cup and Dougie wanted me to bring it to Disney. We took thousands of pictures with people from all over the world and shared the moment with staff members as well. One of my favorite photos that was taken, was one of Dougie and the twins with Goofy, a very appropriate combination. We thanked the staff and after the Electric Light Parade and fireworks, it was time to go home and rest up.
August 16 - Tampa, Florida - We had an open invitation party for anyone that wanted to come to the house and see the Cup, but we also had a street hockey tournament, in which the winners got to lift the Cup and have a team picture with it. Dougie's team didn't win the tournament, but he was allowed to play the role of commissioner and hand the cup off to the Champions. We took a great family photo, and we had Denise's mom and my parents join us. We got the photo enlarged and it's on the wall behind our TV. It's a constant reminder to me that it took the work of the entire family to make that dream a reality.
August 26 - We have sold 13,185 season tickets and we had to constantly remind Dougie, that he had to get all of his stuff packed and ready to go to Marquette, as his school year was to start the Tuesday after Labor Day.
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Laker2415
- Fringe Player
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm
- Location: South Bend, Indiana
A Quest from Bantam Major to the Hockey Hall of Fame
August 30 - Brno, Czechia, Game 1 2018 Czechia Hockey Games, Finland 3 Czechia 2. I made it into the arena moments before puck drop only to watch us fall on an early third period goal, after we had 51 shots on the Finnish net. Jakob Vrana (Ingolstadt) had the two goals, while Jan Rutta (Salzburg), Michal Kempny (Slovan), Roman Cervenka (Lokomotiv), and Radek Faksa (Neftekhimik) had the assists. Petr Mrazek (Barys) made 26 saves.
September 1 - Brno, Czechia, Game 3 2018 Czechia Hockey Games, Russia 2 Czechia 2 (Russia wins shootout 1-0). We were able to come back with a big third period goal, unfortunately we fell in the shootout. Faksa (Neftekhimik) and Martin Ruzicka (Litvinov) had the goals, Vrana (Ingolstadt), Cervenka (Lokomotiv), Andrej Sustr (Trinec), and David Musil (Klagenfurt) had the assists, while Mrazek (Barys) made 26 saves.
September 2 - Brno, Czechia, Game 5, 2018 Czechia Hockey Games, Sweden 5 Czechia 3. We gave up 3 goals in a 9-minute span in the second period and Sweden held on for the win. Sweden outshot us 50-20 and Pavel Francouz (Plzen) was brilliant in net making 45 saves. Tomas Hertl (Avangard) and Filip Chytil (Jihlava) had a goal and an assist each, Cervenka (Lokomotiv) had a goal, Ondrej Kase (Lulea) had two assists, and Jiri Hunkes (Litvinov) and Tomas Nosek (Brno) had an assist. We finished 0-2-1, 4th in the standings, and vowed to be better. I had to book it out of the arena and get on a plane to go back to Detroit to meet the rest of the family as we were bringing Dougie to Marquette. But, before I boarded my plane in Prague, Denise called me to say that we had sold 13,221 season tickets for the upcoming season.
September 3/4 - Marquette, Michigan. We got our rental car in Detroit and drove up to Denise's sister's house in Marquette, with Dougie both excited and nervous for his next adventure. He had been away from home before, as he had done hockey camps at Miami-Ohio, Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Lake Superior, but this was going to be different, especially for Denise. I could sense that she was overcome with emotions as she was getting ready to leave Dougie in unfamiliar territory. She kept asking questions like, "are we doing the right thing?" and "is he going to fit in?" I held her hand and said, "he's got your outgoing personality, and he makes friends extremely easily so I know he will be just fine, and plus, we're always a phone call away." I think that eased her mind up a little bit as we pulled into the driveway and helped get Dougie settled for the start of his second year of high school. He would be taking Environmental Science and Earth Studies, Geography, Algebra 2, French 2, Historical Writings and Literature, Physical Education (with an emphasis on Sports, Nutrition, and Weight Training), and United States History, so he had a full load of work ahead of him. We decided to stay in Marquette and bring Dougie to his new school, Marquette High School. It was an emotional time for everyone as we said our goodbyes to Dougie. Denise was a wreck at first, but she eventually let Dougie go after saying how proud she was of him. I had a little heart-to-heart with him telling him to enjoy this opportunity that he has and that we would be coming up every so often, and if he needed anything, to text us and we would work everything out.
September 10 - Tampa, Florida. It had already been a week and Dougie was adjusting to life in the Upper Peninsula, while the house was extremely quiet in Tampa. We just found out that we had sold 13,256 season tickets and training camp was set to start in two days.
September 12 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, 71 players arrived at the Ice Plex for Training Camp on Day one, and both Zackary Hardy and Pier-Luc Masella from Jacksonville were sent back to the AHL franchise for not being in shape. As for the scrimmages, Team Red defeated Team Blue 5-2 in game 1. Toews had three goals and an assist, Mathieu Boucher (Berlin) had a goal and an assist, and Nick Crawford (JAX) had a goal. Clendening and Kucherov had two assists and Mathieu Joseph (Sudbury ECHL) had one. Nedeljkovic had 9 saves and Thompson had 6. For Blue, Teravainen had both goals, Zach Aston (JAX), Ty McGinn (JAX), and Stamkos had an assist. Morris made 10 saves and Griffen Outhouse (Pensacola) had 26 saves. In game two, Team White defeated Team Green 6-2. For White, Point had two goals and an assist, Steven Anthony (Pensacola) had two goals, Vermin had a goal and two assists, and Cirelli had a goal. Palat had three assists, and Oduya, Matt Petgrave (JAX), Sproul, Killorn, and Beaudin had an assist. Zapolski had 13 saves and Demko had 9. For Green, Carson Twarynski (Pensacola) had a goal, and an assist and Brennan Anderson (Kitchener OHL) had a goal. Vasilevskiy had 11 saves and Charles Williams (Pensacola) made 12 saves.
September 14 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, we shuffled up the rosters for day two of training camp and Team Green earned their first win of camp over Team Red 5-2. MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, Hedman, Savard, and Kassian all had a goal and an assist, Anthony scored his third of the camp, meaning we may sign him and send him to Jacksonville instead of back to Pensacola. Killorn, Palat, Toews, and Nicolas Deschamps (JAX) all had assists. Vasilevskiy had 11 saves and Williams had 4. Brennan Anderson (Kitchener) and Daniel Correale (JAX) had the goals for Red, while both Sergachev and Kucherov both had two assists. Nedeljkovic had 8 saves and Thompson had 11. Team White beat Team Blue 7-3 in game two. Vermin had two goals and two assists, Jake Trask (JAX) had two goals and a helper, Kozun had a goal and two helpers, and Beaudoin and Paquette had a goal for white. Petgrave had three assists (he's another one that may get a two-way), Sproul and Biro had two assists, and Oduya and McGinn had an assist. Zapolski had 13 saves and Demko had 8. Teravainen had two goals and Point had one for Blue. Brett Palin (JAX) and Boucher had two assists, Tim Clifton (Pensacola) and Pouliot had an assist. Morris had 10 saves and Outhouse had 6. Anthony and Boucher are making strides, but Gillies is disappointing.
September 16 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, in game one of the day, Team Blue defeated Team White 4-1. Teravainen had two goals, Point a goal and an assist, and Sean Backman had the other goal for Blue. Grzelcyk had two assists, Mitchell Stretch (Jackson), Karlsson, Palin, Pouliot, and Gillies had one. Morris made 8 saves and Outhouse had 11. For White, McGinn scored from Petgrave, while Zapolski made 11 saves and Demko had 16. In game two, Team Green defeated Team Red 5-3. Killorn had two goals, Toews had a goal and an assist, and Kassian and Volkov both scored. Hedman, Jesse Mills (Jackson), and Palat all had two helpers, Ben Harpur (Pelicans) and MacKinnon had one. Vasilevskiy made nine saves and Williams made five. Stamkos had a goal and an assist for Red, Correale and Twarynski scored the other Red goals. Crawford, Cirelli, Kucherov, Joseph, and RG Flath (Pensacola) had assists and Nedeljkovic made 12 saves, while Thompson made seven. The coaching staff is saying that Petgrave, Anthony, and McGinn are playing above their potential, while Gillies is not. We have sold 13,291 season tickets so far.
September 18 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. We are expected to make the final cuts today. White defeated Blue 5-2. Both Colton and Paquette had two goals and an assist for White. Kozun had a goal and three assists, Samuel Noreau (Pensacola) and Oduya both had two assists. Zapolski had 10 saves and Demko made five. Aston and Point scored for Blue, while Teravainen, Pouliot, and Palin had assists. Morris made 14 saves and Outhouse made 13. Green crushed Red 7-2 in game 2, Volkov had two goals, Toews had a goal and three assists, Harpur had a goal and two assists, MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Hedman and Kassian scored the other goals. Palat had two assists, Jesse Mills (Jackson), Savard, Anthony, and Deschamps had an assist. Vasilevskiy made six saves and Williams made eight. For Red, Anderson had a goal and an assist, Stamkos also scored, Gaudette and Kucherov had assists. Nedeljkovic made 13 saves and Thompson made six. Mills, Anderson, McGinn, Paquette, and Kassian all turning heads while Cirelli has been disappointing. After the camp finished the entire coaching staff and upper management got together can came up with the following:
GOALIES - 8 in camp, pretty straight forward, Vasilevskiy and Zapolski on the Lightning, Morris and Demko in Jacksonville, Nedeljkovic and Outhouse in Pensacola, and Thompson and Williams in Jackson.
DEFENSE - 18 IN camp, seven (Hedman, Oduya, Sergachev, Clendening, Karlsson, Savard, and Sproul) on Tampa, Grzelcyk, Foote, Mills, Petgrave, Palin and Aston all go to Jacksonville, Noreau, Crawford, and Reid to Pensacola, Jackson gets Stretch, and Harpur will stay over in Europe.
FORWARDS - 39 IN camp, 14 will play in Tampa Bay and they are Killorn, Palat, Pouliot, Gourde, MacKinnon, Point, Stamkos, Toews, Backman, Gillies, Kozun, Kucherov, Teravainen, and Vermin. Jacksonville gets 12 as Anderson, Anthony, Correale, McGinn, Champagne, Cirelli, Deschamps, Paquette, Colton, Beaudin, Kassian, and Volkov go there. Six will head to Pensacola (Joseph, Malone, Twarynski, Boissenault, Gaudette, and Lohin). Trask, Flath, and Biro head to Jackson, Gordon, Clifton, and Gignac heads to the IHL and will play in Florida, and Boucher stays in Europe.
September 20 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, exhibition #1, TBL 2 PHI 0. Just a normal exhibition game, nothing special. Kucherov gets a goal and an assist, Point adds a goal, Hedman, Killorn, and Savard add assists, and Vasilevskiy makes 22 saves.
September 21 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, exhibition #2 POR 3 TBL 2. We never led, came back from 2-0 down, only to give up the game-winner midway through the second period. Gourde and Killorn scored for us, Kozun, Backman, and Hedman had our assists. Vasilevskiy made 33 saves, and we had to put Vermin on waivers after the game, only for Philadelphia to pick him up.
September 23 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, exhibition #3 TBL 2 MTL 1. We get a late third period goal for the win. Teravainen and Kucherov scored, while Stamkos, Karlsson, Pouliot, and Point had assists. Zapolski made 22 saves.
September 25 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, exhibition #4 TBL 5 WSH 1. Nothing special, just complete dominance. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Stamkos and Killorn had a goal and an assist each, Gillies had a goal, Hedman had two assists, Karlsson, Sergachev, Savard, Oduya, and Toews had one. Vasilevskiy made 25 saves.
September 26 - SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, exhibition #5 TBL 6 SAS 1. Just like yesterday in Tampa, nothing special. Kucherov and MacKinnon had two goals each, Point and Kozun had a goal, Hedman, Karlsson, and Savard had two assists, Sergachev, Sproul, Killorn, Palat, and Gourde had an assist each. Vasilevskiy made 27 saves.
September 29 - United Center, Chicago, Illinois, exhibition #6 TBL 5 CHI 1. Good way to end the preseason, with a four goal third period. Kucherov and Stamkos had a goal and an assist each, Backman, Teravainen, and Kozun had a goal each, Hedman and Clendening had two assists, Sergachev, Sproul, and Pouliot had an assist and Vasilevskiy had 34 saves. After the game, we were predicted to win the Cup. Eastern playoff teams in order are (Tampa Bay, Ottawa, Montreal, Washington, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Detroit, and the Islanders) and in the West (Portland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Colorado, Kansas City, Arizona, Winnipeg, and Dallas). The media picks Jacksonville to win the AHL and Brampton to win the ECHL with Pensacola 4th.
September 30 - Dougie, who is doing great in all of his classes so far, and has been to every football game so far for Marquette High School, sent Denise and I his schedule for the first half of the season:
October 5th - NEEMING HAWKS
October 9th - at Calumet Ice Kings
October 13th - CALUMET ICE KINGS
October 16th - at Calumet Ice Kings
October 20th - BIG RAPIDS BULLDOGS
October 24th - at Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Lakers AA
October 28th - FAIRBANKS (ALASKA) ARCTIC LIONS
November 2nd - at Houghton Little Huskies
November 3rd - SAULT STE. MARIE JR. LAKERS AAA
November 6th - at Traverse City North Stars
November 10th - BOWLING GREEN (OHIO) ICE CATS
November 14th - at Cadillac Ironmen
November 17th - HUNTSVILLE (ALABAMA) JR. CHARGERS
November 21st - at Grand Rapids Griffins
November 25th - HOUGHTON LITTLE HUSKIES
November 28th - at South Bend (Indiana) Irish
It had the makings of a very competitive schedule to get them ready for the District and then the State tournaments later on in the season, with a chance to head to nationals in Indiana, if they were to advance. Our goal was to get to at least five games in each half of the season, it would just take some time to figure out which games.
September 1 - Brno, Czechia, Game 3 2018 Czechia Hockey Games, Russia 2 Czechia 2 (Russia wins shootout 1-0). We were able to come back with a big third period goal, unfortunately we fell in the shootout. Faksa (Neftekhimik) and Martin Ruzicka (Litvinov) had the goals, Vrana (Ingolstadt), Cervenka (Lokomotiv), Andrej Sustr (Trinec), and David Musil (Klagenfurt) had the assists, while Mrazek (Barys) made 26 saves.
September 2 - Brno, Czechia, Game 5, 2018 Czechia Hockey Games, Sweden 5 Czechia 3. We gave up 3 goals in a 9-minute span in the second period and Sweden held on for the win. Sweden outshot us 50-20 and Pavel Francouz (Plzen) was brilliant in net making 45 saves. Tomas Hertl (Avangard) and Filip Chytil (Jihlava) had a goal and an assist each, Cervenka (Lokomotiv) had a goal, Ondrej Kase (Lulea) had two assists, and Jiri Hunkes (Litvinov) and Tomas Nosek (Brno) had an assist. We finished 0-2-1, 4th in the standings, and vowed to be better. I had to book it out of the arena and get on a plane to go back to Detroit to meet the rest of the family as we were bringing Dougie to Marquette. But, before I boarded my plane in Prague, Denise called me to say that we had sold 13,221 season tickets for the upcoming season.
September 3/4 - Marquette, Michigan. We got our rental car in Detroit and drove up to Denise's sister's house in Marquette, with Dougie both excited and nervous for his next adventure. He had been away from home before, as he had done hockey camps at Miami-Ohio, Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Lake Superior, but this was going to be different, especially for Denise. I could sense that she was overcome with emotions as she was getting ready to leave Dougie in unfamiliar territory. She kept asking questions like, "are we doing the right thing?" and "is he going to fit in?" I held her hand and said, "he's got your outgoing personality, and he makes friends extremely easily so I know he will be just fine, and plus, we're always a phone call away." I think that eased her mind up a little bit as we pulled into the driveway and helped get Dougie settled for the start of his second year of high school. He would be taking Environmental Science and Earth Studies, Geography, Algebra 2, French 2, Historical Writings and Literature, Physical Education (with an emphasis on Sports, Nutrition, and Weight Training), and United States History, so he had a full load of work ahead of him. We decided to stay in Marquette and bring Dougie to his new school, Marquette High School. It was an emotional time for everyone as we said our goodbyes to Dougie. Denise was a wreck at first, but she eventually let Dougie go after saying how proud she was of him. I had a little heart-to-heart with him telling him to enjoy this opportunity that he has and that we would be coming up every so often, and if he needed anything, to text us and we would work everything out.
September 10 - Tampa, Florida. It had already been a week and Dougie was adjusting to life in the Upper Peninsula, while the house was extremely quiet in Tampa. We just found out that we had sold 13,256 season tickets and training camp was set to start in two days.
September 12 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, 71 players arrived at the Ice Plex for Training Camp on Day one, and both Zackary Hardy and Pier-Luc Masella from Jacksonville were sent back to the AHL franchise for not being in shape. As for the scrimmages, Team Red defeated Team Blue 5-2 in game 1. Toews had three goals and an assist, Mathieu Boucher (Berlin) had a goal and an assist, and Nick Crawford (JAX) had a goal. Clendening and Kucherov had two assists and Mathieu Joseph (Sudbury ECHL) had one. Nedeljkovic had 9 saves and Thompson had 6. For Blue, Teravainen had both goals, Zach Aston (JAX), Ty McGinn (JAX), and Stamkos had an assist. Morris made 10 saves and Griffen Outhouse (Pensacola) had 26 saves. In game two, Team White defeated Team Green 6-2. For White, Point had two goals and an assist, Steven Anthony (Pensacola) had two goals, Vermin had a goal and two assists, and Cirelli had a goal. Palat had three assists, and Oduya, Matt Petgrave (JAX), Sproul, Killorn, and Beaudin had an assist. Zapolski had 13 saves and Demko had 9. For Green, Carson Twarynski (Pensacola) had a goal, and an assist and Brennan Anderson (Kitchener OHL) had a goal. Vasilevskiy had 11 saves and Charles Williams (Pensacola) made 12 saves.
September 14 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, we shuffled up the rosters for day two of training camp and Team Green earned their first win of camp over Team Red 5-2. MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, Hedman, Savard, and Kassian all had a goal and an assist, Anthony scored his third of the camp, meaning we may sign him and send him to Jacksonville instead of back to Pensacola. Killorn, Palat, Toews, and Nicolas Deschamps (JAX) all had assists. Vasilevskiy had 11 saves and Williams had 4. Brennan Anderson (Kitchener) and Daniel Correale (JAX) had the goals for Red, while both Sergachev and Kucherov both had two assists. Nedeljkovic had 8 saves and Thompson had 11. Team White beat Team Blue 7-3 in game two. Vermin had two goals and two assists, Jake Trask (JAX) had two goals and a helper, Kozun had a goal and two helpers, and Beaudoin and Paquette had a goal for white. Petgrave had three assists (he's another one that may get a two-way), Sproul and Biro had two assists, and Oduya and McGinn had an assist. Zapolski had 13 saves and Demko had 8. Teravainen had two goals and Point had one for Blue. Brett Palin (JAX) and Boucher had two assists, Tim Clifton (Pensacola) and Pouliot had an assist. Morris had 10 saves and Outhouse had 6. Anthony and Boucher are making strides, but Gillies is disappointing.
September 16 - TGH Ice Plex, Brandon, Florida, in game one of the day, Team Blue defeated Team White 4-1. Teravainen had two goals, Point a goal and an assist, and Sean Backman had the other goal for Blue. Grzelcyk had two assists, Mitchell Stretch (Jackson), Karlsson, Palin, Pouliot, and Gillies had one. Morris made 8 saves and Outhouse had 11. For White, McGinn scored from Petgrave, while Zapolski made 11 saves and Demko had 16. In game two, Team Green defeated Team Red 5-3. Killorn had two goals, Toews had a goal and an assist, and Kassian and Volkov both scored. Hedman, Jesse Mills (Jackson), and Palat all had two helpers, Ben Harpur (Pelicans) and MacKinnon had one. Vasilevskiy made nine saves and Williams made five. Stamkos had a goal and an assist for Red, Correale and Twarynski scored the other Red goals. Crawford, Cirelli, Kucherov, Joseph, and RG Flath (Pensacola) had assists and Nedeljkovic made 12 saves, while Thompson made seven. The coaching staff is saying that Petgrave, Anthony, and McGinn are playing above their potential, while Gillies is not. We have sold 13,291 season tickets so far.
September 18 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. We are expected to make the final cuts today. White defeated Blue 5-2. Both Colton and Paquette had two goals and an assist for White. Kozun had a goal and three assists, Samuel Noreau (Pensacola) and Oduya both had two assists. Zapolski had 10 saves and Demko made five. Aston and Point scored for Blue, while Teravainen, Pouliot, and Palin had assists. Morris made 14 saves and Outhouse made 13. Green crushed Red 7-2 in game 2, Volkov had two goals, Toews had a goal and three assists, Harpur had a goal and two assists, MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Hedman and Kassian scored the other goals. Palat had two assists, Jesse Mills (Jackson), Savard, Anthony, and Deschamps had an assist. Vasilevskiy made six saves and Williams made eight. For Red, Anderson had a goal and an assist, Stamkos also scored, Gaudette and Kucherov had assists. Nedeljkovic made 13 saves and Thompson made six. Mills, Anderson, McGinn, Paquette, and Kassian all turning heads while Cirelli has been disappointing. After the camp finished the entire coaching staff and upper management got together can came up with the following:
GOALIES - 8 in camp, pretty straight forward, Vasilevskiy and Zapolski on the Lightning, Morris and Demko in Jacksonville, Nedeljkovic and Outhouse in Pensacola, and Thompson and Williams in Jackson.
DEFENSE - 18 IN camp, seven (Hedman, Oduya, Sergachev, Clendening, Karlsson, Savard, and Sproul) on Tampa, Grzelcyk, Foote, Mills, Petgrave, Palin and Aston all go to Jacksonville, Noreau, Crawford, and Reid to Pensacola, Jackson gets Stretch, and Harpur will stay over in Europe.
FORWARDS - 39 IN camp, 14 will play in Tampa Bay and they are Killorn, Palat, Pouliot, Gourde, MacKinnon, Point, Stamkos, Toews, Backman, Gillies, Kozun, Kucherov, Teravainen, and Vermin. Jacksonville gets 12 as Anderson, Anthony, Correale, McGinn, Champagne, Cirelli, Deschamps, Paquette, Colton, Beaudin, Kassian, and Volkov go there. Six will head to Pensacola (Joseph, Malone, Twarynski, Boissenault, Gaudette, and Lohin). Trask, Flath, and Biro head to Jackson, Gordon, Clifton, and Gignac heads to the IHL and will play in Florida, and Boucher stays in Europe.
September 20 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, exhibition #1, TBL 2 PHI 0. Just a normal exhibition game, nothing special. Kucherov gets a goal and an assist, Point adds a goal, Hedman, Killorn, and Savard add assists, and Vasilevskiy makes 22 saves.
September 21 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, exhibition #2 POR 3 TBL 2. We never led, came back from 2-0 down, only to give up the game-winner midway through the second period. Gourde and Killorn scored for us, Kozun, Backman, and Hedman had our assists. Vasilevskiy made 33 saves, and we had to put Vermin on waivers after the game, only for Philadelphia to pick him up.
September 23 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, exhibition #3 TBL 2 MTL 1. We get a late third period goal for the win. Teravainen and Kucherov scored, while Stamkos, Karlsson, Pouliot, and Point had assists. Zapolski made 22 saves.
September 25 - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, exhibition #4 TBL 5 WSH 1. Nothing special, just complete dominance. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Stamkos and Killorn had a goal and an assist each, Gillies had a goal, Hedman had two assists, Karlsson, Sergachev, Savard, Oduya, and Toews had one. Vasilevskiy made 25 saves.
September 26 - SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, exhibition #5 TBL 6 SAS 1. Just like yesterday in Tampa, nothing special. Kucherov and MacKinnon had two goals each, Point and Kozun had a goal, Hedman, Karlsson, and Savard had two assists, Sergachev, Sproul, Killorn, Palat, and Gourde had an assist each. Vasilevskiy made 27 saves.
September 29 - United Center, Chicago, Illinois, exhibition #6 TBL 5 CHI 1. Good way to end the preseason, with a four goal third period. Kucherov and Stamkos had a goal and an assist each, Backman, Teravainen, and Kozun had a goal each, Hedman and Clendening had two assists, Sergachev, Sproul, and Pouliot had an assist and Vasilevskiy had 34 saves. After the game, we were predicted to win the Cup. Eastern playoff teams in order are (Tampa Bay, Ottawa, Montreal, Washington, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Detroit, and the Islanders) and in the West (Portland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Colorado, Kansas City, Arizona, Winnipeg, and Dallas). The media picks Jacksonville to win the AHL and Brampton to win the ECHL with Pensacola 4th.
September 30 - Dougie, who is doing great in all of his classes so far, and has been to every football game so far for Marquette High School, sent Denise and I his schedule for the first half of the season:
October 5th - NEEMING HAWKS
October 9th - at Calumet Ice Kings
October 13th - CALUMET ICE KINGS
October 16th - at Calumet Ice Kings
October 20th - BIG RAPIDS BULLDOGS
October 24th - at Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Lakers AA
October 28th - FAIRBANKS (ALASKA) ARCTIC LIONS
November 2nd - at Houghton Little Huskies
November 3rd - SAULT STE. MARIE JR. LAKERS AAA
November 6th - at Traverse City North Stars
November 10th - BOWLING GREEN (OHIO) ICE CATS
November 14th - at Cadillac Ironmen
November 17th - HUNTSVILLE (ALABAMA) JR. CHARGERS
November 21st - at Grand Rapids Griffins
November 25th - HOUGHTON LITTLE HUSKIES
November 28th - at South Bend (Indiana) Irish
It had the makings of a very competitive schedule to get them ready for the District and then the State tournaments later on in the season, with a chance to head to nationals in Indiana, if they were to advance. Our goal was to get to at least five games in each half of the season, it would just take some time to figure out which games.