Hold the Phone, JoJo's Getting Excited...

About what? I know right...

Lets start with the small beans, the shit that actually does make my heart flutter a little bit. Or a lot bit.

Joe Loprieno. Those Merrimack girls are gonna miss you buddy...meanwhile I will be waiting with bated breath for you to hit the ice in Worcester. Something tells me this is going to be a dud of a roman candle for San Jose this year, which means they will be grasping at all of my precious Worcester straws...lets stock the shelves in preparation shall we? Besides this...please, PLEASE, if you take Staubitz away from me, at least leave me a Nick Petrecki, Dan DaSilva and Joe Loprieno in return? K thanks.

Love you long time Nick...and those are epically acceptable eyebrows.



Second order of mediocre and/or exciting business...being back home. Taking yet another bite of the Big Apple (and of course, in saying this I falsely confirm everyone's deluded idea that I live in NYC and not the "correct version": an outer lying suburb on Long Island)

While being back is great (I'm allowed to openly be an asshole and people don't commit suicide over it) it's going to be an adjustment from my regular routine...that routine being: get up, go to work, go to HP Pavilion, have the most amazing night of my life/throw a tantrum (depending...) 41 times over.

But the exciting part lies here...going to see the Isles play. I know, 98% of people think I'm crazy but...you know, I love the AHL...HENCE, lots of Isles love. And holy hell, if Marty Biron doesn't get my ass to the party, nobody will...I cannot fully or even minutely begin to describe how flippin excited I am to see him in that net in Nassau Coliseum. Watching him on one end of the ice, and (maybe?) Brian Boucher on the other...thems be the makings of an old fashioned JoJo head explosion...and then DP...oh God...

Its also going to be kind of weird/interesting/tripping me the puck out...living back East for hockey season now. I am now so close to so many teams I hate, I can barely stand it!! Oh the anticipation builds...

But quite honestly, the best part of this coming season is going to be the 2010 AHL ASG...I mean, last season's saw JoJo falling in love with the pure GENIUS of it all. And the greatest part about it is...the drunken debauchery. Hands down. Everyone unites on a common ground of liquor filled amazingness...coaches, players, fans, journalists, VIP's, and people who claim to be all the above such as myself. But see, host city Portland got it right this time 'round...they're OFFICIALLY hosting a pub crawl to conclude the weekend. So really, come on now...that is shameless promotion of drunken hockey debauchery if I've ever seen it. Whoever ISN'T looking forward to that weekend clearly needs a good spearing. Wait...that came out wrong.

Ok...Dany Heatley...the last item I should be excited about but can't seem to help but laugh at. I truly and honestly hope with all my soul that this is all just a rumor and it will blow over and Doug Wilson will come out and be like, "You guys are on Candid Camera! Oh, wow, that was good Greg...we really got em good...they actually believed we were going to completely run the Sharks off into OFFICIAL laughing stock land now...sorry everyone, false alarm."

Ok wait, let me explain...I'm not an idiot, I know the guy puts up big numbers when he wants to, and just may very well be the catalyst Big Joe needs to get his ass in gear (yeah btw, can someone tell him he's got a manual transmission? Apparently he's been thinking he was an automatic this entire time) and vice versa...what I AM saying is, yes... some of us believe we are better off staying the way we are than having to deal with that man. The San Jose Sharks don't roll like that. (Believe me, if Devin Setoguchi could, he would.) Besides, the state of California doesn't have enough Midol to keep Mr. Heatley happy.

Alas, I digress...in Wilson we trust, and if Dougie says there shall be Heat, then dammit, Heat there shall be.

Late night ramblings done. The End.

An Ode to the AHL

To preface this blog, I guess I should start with this – as many of you know, I will be heading off to Worcester Massachusetts to cover the AHL All-Star Classic in January. Thanks to an incredible friend of mine who for whatever reason has a lot of faith in me and has provided me with her utmost support, I will be going to the All-Star Game as a journalist (as well as a fan). It is an opportunity that I never ever thought I would be given the chance to have…I am so grateful.

You see, over the past three months I have been taking more and more interest in the AHL. Specifically the Sharks AHL Affiliate the Worcester Sharks…and in thinking back, I guess it all stemmed from September 23nd – the Teal and White Game.

Many NHL teams have a preseason scrimmage with their prospects as a means of entertainment and introducing the young talent to the fans…the Sharks do this by mixing both prospects and veterans and then dividing the group in two. (As opposed to Philadelphia where the Phantoms and Flyers just duke it out)

While many fans may not be familiar with their teams’ prospects, or pay them the attention they deserve, I personally started to take notice of the depth we had. We had seen the veterans before, we knew their style, their personalities, and what they bring to the game…I was curious to see what these other guys could do.

From the Teal and White Game through the preseason, I became familiar with the new names and their individual styles. I grew more and more impressed as I watched them become comfortable playing for the big club…so when the preseason ended and many of them were gradually sent back to Worcester, it’s fair to say I was sad to see them go.

…So I began to follow their successes in Worcester. Given the injury from which Torrey Mitchell is still recovering, the Sharks roster has had room for one more. Todd McLellan has taken the opportunity to plug Worcester players in on a trial basis and see how they perform and how they gel. From the very start of the season, we’ve seen at least one Worcester player on the bench during any given game. For me, it has only helped to strengthen my respect for Worcester as I have been hugely impressed with our AHL team.

Throughout the season, we have had the privilege of getting to know some of our rookies. Five of them have made appearances during the regular season so far and it has become evident that the depth in the Sharks roster is impressive enough to have any professional hockey team shaking in their skates. All five of these guys possess something special and something unique that they have brought to the Sharks’ bench.


Lukas Kaspar (43) – the first Worcester Shark to be recalled to San Jose for the regular season. He played his first game on October 9th in the Sharks home opener against Anaheim and while he didn’t register a point in the game he did catch a 2 minute high-sticking penalty. It wasn’t until two games later, in Los Angeles, that Lukas would make his presence known on the Sharks roster. With a picture perfect crossbar “ping”, he scored the game winning goal as well as the only goal that night.

Brad Staubitz (59) – recalled for the October 17th game at Anaheim, Brad showed both the Sharks and the Ducks what he is all about when he registered a five minute fighting major in his first NHL shift. McLellan knew his scrappiness is what they needed against the Ducks and Brad did not disappoint. He doesn’t hesitate to defend his teammates and has stood up to both Dion Phaneuf and Jordin Tootoo during his second stint with San Jose. Brad Staubitz has been a big part of establishing the Sharks as a physically dominant team this season.

Jamie McGinn (64) – was recalled for the October 28th game against Pittsburgh, but did not register any points. It wasn’t until the next game; October 30th at Detroit that Jamie found his groove. Scoring the second goal for San Jose, Jamie’s goal put the Sharks ahead 2-1. Jamie also tallied an assist on the game winning goal of the night. His speed and ability to find the net makes Jamie a great asset to the Sharks offensively. I don’t care who you are, it’s got to feel good to score your first NHL goal against the defending Cup Champions.

Riley Armstrong (40) – While he was only called up to the big club for two games so far, Riley’s November 29th season debut was a proud moment for him being as he was called upon to fill in for Jonathan Cheechoo. During his next game with the Sharks, December 2nd against Toronto, Riley registered a 2 minute hooking penalty…but that didn’t stop San Jose fans from embracing him. Above one of the sections in the upper bowl, a hand made sign devoted to Riley encouraged everyone to take notice of the fresh, eager talent on the ice. San Jose cannot wait to have him back again.

Tom Cavanaugh (47) – called up for the December 4th game against Columbus. He tallied his only NHL point of this season on Jeremy Roenick’s goal against the Edmonton Oilers on December 6th. The Sharks went on to lose in OT but Cavanaugh’s point production thus far does not do him justice…when you watch him play you see how devoted he is to getting a win. He does the dirty work. You see him fighting for the puck in the corners and behind the net. You see him out on the forecheck. He creates space for his teammates which is one of the reasons he is so valuable to San Jose.

Let’s not forget…
Thomas Greiss (1) – Greiss has not played in goal for us yet this season…because he hasn’t had to. While he was called up on November 8th (along with Brad Staubitz) because Nabokov was injured, his duty was to serve as back-up to the back-up. Brian Boucher stepped in as number one, and Greiss took the number two spot. It’s got to be a reassuring feeling for San Jose to know that they have so much depth in net.

One could definitely say that the guys mentioned above have had a lot to do with where the Sharks are sitting in the point standings. Not that they have scored crazy amounts of goals, or tallied numerous assists, but that their confidence and courage to do whatever their coach asks of them keeps their teammates’ spirits high. Confidence in their coach and confidence in one another is what creates chemistry…and chemistry creates wins.

Now, while it may not make the top of your list of things to do for the New Year, I would strongly urge you to get to know your Affiliate teams…

Many fans don’t take the time to realize what an impact our “farm” teams have on the big clubs, but when injury plagues a team, it’s up to the rookies and prospects to step up their game and keep our teams in it…but by far the most amazing thing about following the AHL has been watching these guys grow. Watching their skills and talents evolve, watching their hunger and intensity deepen.

To watch a young player on NHL ice for the first time is to see the love of the game in it’s purest form.

The way hockey was intended.