AHL

Re: AHL Hockey

When Western Michigan wasn't home, it was off to Wings Stadium for cheap beer and cheap IHL hockey...
Paul Tantardini of the Muskegon Mohawks was still my favorite all-time goon....

Into the second page of a minor league hockey thread, we've mentioned Bridgeport and all I want to know is:
What in the world has come over the Charlestown Chiefs?

 

Re: AHL Hockey

Great thing about Hershey is that as of a couple years ago, they still played an exhibition or two each year in the old arena. Never been in the Giant Center, but that thing's supposed to be amazing.

 

Re: AHL Hockey

UHL hockey on the other hand... yeesh.

 

Re: AHL Hockey

Another great former AHL site: Adirondack. Great arena, 4500 or so seats in the Glens Falls Civic Centre and they had some great teams. The hotel where visiting teams stayed (The Queensbury?) was a grand old place, about a block from the rink and you could walk the block and pick up all the newspapers you wanted, get a feature from the pregame skate, have lunch on the way back, go to the game that night and you never knew who was going to be in the press box: was there one night and there were about five NHL gms in town.
And if Frank Mathers wasn't the nicest guy in the AHL at that time, it was probably Bill Dineen.

 

Re: AHL Hockey

AHL and Triple-A baseball are the best, most professional minor league sports. Although, the AHL did have the unfortunate run-in with people like the Afrs, who pretty much ruined any hopes Louisville has for hockey. Louisville's new arena could make us viable again, but I think the AHL will be very, very leery at first.

I'd also argue that top-tier Division I college hockey is pretty damn entertaining to watch.

 

Re: AHL Hockey

Actually, that was the ECHL team that ultimately became the Jacksonville Lizard Kings (new owner was a Doors nut) when the Panthers came to town.

 

Re: AHL Hockey

I know. I saw plenty of IceHawks and RiverFrogs games back in the day. Always enjoyed Broadbent; games there always felt like old-time hockey, like Eddie Shore.

Never did see the Panthers much, but then ... neither did anyone else in the 'Ville.

 

Re: AHL Hockey

I've had the opportunity to speak with a number of former Chiefs/Johnstown Jets. Great guys.

The actor who played Chiefs alternate captain Jim Ahern grew up in New Haven, where there was an Eastern Hockey League team called the Blades. "Slap Shot," of course, was based on the EHL and its successor league, the NAHL. He says the movie didn't go far enough in depicting the violence.

 

Re: AHL Hockey

Game I saw had good hard skating and normal hard checking.No violence. Seemed very consistant with how the NHL plays now.

 

Re: AHL Hockey

I much enjoy the AHL/IHL level of hockey.

As soon as you go a step below (ECHL/CHL/UHL), it's a HUGE dropoff. Basically, you go from could-be NHL 3rd-liners to sloppy, slow ankle-skaters who play hockey as something to do in-between the fights.

(when our CHL team in Indy was replaced by a USHL junior team, I was probably the happiest guy in town -- even though the USHL is nowhere near major junior).

 

Re: AHL Hockey

Seriously, that dude seems to ruin leagues and franchises at will.

 

Re: AHL Hockey

Hey JR, if you like major junior better, good on you mate, but I think your "bigger stars in juniors" argument is shaky.
It's like saying you'd rather watch SWAC football than Big Ten football because Jerry Rice played for Mississippi Valley State.