The league begins its regular season tonight. In Philadelphia, this means that the Phantoms are the only game in town. (Home opener a week from tonight at the Wachovia Center, if anyone wants to go. ) But there are also some NHL players -- those players in the first 3 years of their contracts are eligible to play in the AHL, so many NHL teams assigned their young players to AHL rosters prior to the lockout. Among them: Philadelphia's Joni Pitkanen, Boston's Patrice Bergeron, Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury, and Ottawa's Jason Spezza. So the talent level is higher than the usual minor league level.

They also have some interesting rule changes...

For those of you fortunate enough to get the MSG Network or Fox Sports Net--New York, here is the upcoming broadcast schedule of the Hartford Wolfpack (i.e. "baby Rangers"):

MSG NETWORKS WOLF PACK SCHEDULE:
October 16 - 7:00 PM ET - Philadelphia at Hartford - MSG
October 23 - 7:00 PM ET - Hartford at Bridgeport -FSN NY
November 10 - 7:00 PM ET - Hershey at Hartford - MSG
November 20 - 7:00 PM ET - Hartford at Springfield - MSG
November 26 - 7:30 PM ET - Hartford at Bridgeport - FSN NY
December 11 - 7:00 PM ET - Manchester at Hartford - MSG
December 18 - 7:00 PM ET - Providence at Hartford - MSG

Too bad my 2-1 ticket deal w/ the Sound Tigers isn't good on Saturdays or after November. It would have been fun to go and hold up a "Bite Me Cattledog -- GO TIGERS!" sign.

The day before my birthday. You never know... Maybe we might take a ride from Clifton, NJ, to Bridgeport, CT?

The Wolfpack have gotten off to a nice start winning the first four games of the season. Jason LaBarbera has picked back up where he left off last season with a 1.00 GAA in his first three games. Since the Rangers big firesale last March, they have relied heavily on many players from Hartford. As long as these young players on the Wolfpack continue to play well, this could bode well for the Rangers once the lockout/strike/whateverthehellyouwanttocallit is over.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the AHL Philadelphia Phantoms, after an 0-2 start, have rebounded to win 7 consecutive games. Patrick Sharp, one of the young players reassigned by the Flyers prior to the lockout, leads the team in scoring.

They have a busy weekend: tonight at home against Wilkes-Barre (aren't they called Wilkes-Barre/Scranton any more? That sucks for Scranton, hometown of my ex...wait, on second thought screw Scranton), tomorrow night at Binghamton, Sunday night back home against Norfolk. (If anyone ever wants to go to a game I'd be interested in going.)

Comcast's CN8 channel has Providence at Hartford tomorrow night at 7 pm.

[ November 12, 2004, 12:37 PM: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

I'd be interested in going but the commute would be a bitch. But great minds do think alike--I'm attending an Ice Dogs game in Long Beach tomorrow night!!! The 4-2-0 Ice Dogs will face the Alaska Aces (and Scott Gomez) for the second night in a row. And--as a bonus--it's $1.50 beer and hot dog night; I'll have the suds and pass on the dog. Yeah!!!

~Adam

[ November 12, 2004, 06:07 PM: Message edited by: Adam ]

The Aces, led by Scott Gomez--whose NHL All-Star skills were in evidence all game--defeated the Long Beach Ice Dogs 3-0. The Ice Dogs never looked like they were in the game and were frequently caught flat-footed (flat-skated?) by the faster, trickier Aces. The crowd was very quiet and oddly small--heard it was the smallest crowd so far this season. One thing that interested me: very few families in attendance; at Kings' games one sees lots of youngsters with adults but last night's crowd could easily have gone to bar & not worry about getting carded. Hope to get back down to Long Beach for the next homestand.

~Adam

Is it possible that hockey hasn't caught on enough that people will readily go to see minor league games even if the major league games aren't available?

Philadelphia had a minor league hockey team called the Firebirds during a short period, somewhere around the late 70s. They weren't affiliated with the Flyers, weren't in a higher-profile minor league like the AHL, didn't get to play in the Spectrum (this was, of course, before the new arena was built), and therefore the franchise didn't last very long before it was moved to Syracuse.

You'e probably right, Joe, about AHL teams not being established enough to attract many NHL fans but I was still surprised by the small (and non-family) crowd at the Ice Dogs, especially since they've been around for a long time & have long done a pretty good job of promotion in the Long Beach area. For what it's worth, I spoke to my buddy in the Kings about it and was told that Ice Dog Saturday night games have traditionally not been family-oriented for reasons "no one understands." The best guess is that those games are usually followed by Sunday afternoon home games which are heavily promoted for families.

~Adam

Would it change your mind if I told you the Phantoms swept the entire weekend and they've now won a franchise-record 10 in a row? wink

It's a start. When they get a baker's dozen, I'll book the flight. By the way, if we attend the game together, does it count as one of your (many)OutSports arranged dates? wink

~Adam

It's not an arranged date if you arrange it yourself, is it? wink As for my Outsports arranged dates, the grand total continues to hold steady at zero, so I'm not sure the word "many" applies. eek!

It's just a shame that the NHL is committing suicide, because I really would've liked to make that trip to see the Flyers in L.A. and Anaheim. I still haven't canceled my vacation request at work, in case there's a miracle. Of course, when they started up in January 1995 after settling the labor dispute then, they reworked the schedule and completely discarded the East vs West games. I'm sure they'd do that again.

I'll make the arrangements for you, but only if I get to keep the frequent flyer miles....

You can keep the miles if you pay for the plane ticket.

By the way -- I saw in the paper that Phantoms' attendance is up about 30 percent from last year at this time. And fall was described as their "slow season" so the NHL lockout has clearly had an effect.

Well, the win streak is up to 11. wink

I'm on Travelocity...

~Adam

Sunday, 11/21, the Ice Dogs face the Steelheads from Idaho, and there'll be some kind of giveaway & "50 lucky fans" will win the chance to skate with the Ice Dogs following the game. Needless to say, I'm going.

~Adam

The "Steelheads" Adam? Love these names. I am guessing they are from Boise? I am quite surprised that the city of Boise is not in the Western Hockey League. Surely the city is large enough. My guess is the arena situation there is of the question????

The Steelheads are indeed based in Boise & are an affiliate of the Coyotes. Don't know why they're in the ECHL rather than the Western--but then, I'm baffled why the Long Beach and San Diego teams are in the East Coast Hockey League...

~Adam

Streak ends tonight!!! GO SOUND TIGERS!

Bring it on, beeyotch!!! Wait, you're in Indiana for the weekend. Meanwhile, this game is actually on Comcast Sportsnet.

[ November 22, 2004, 10:18 AM: Message edited by: Cattledog ]

Ha! NOT!!! Phantoms 3, Sound Kitties 1!!!!

Twelve wins in a row -- next game tomorrow night at Albany.

Interestingly, the Phantoms have scored first only 5 times this season. On the other hand they've outscored their opponents 36-16 over the final two periods and overtime.

Yep, the Phantoms' streak is at 12 now.

I saw #11. With my weird work hours, I went to the "school special" game against Binghamton last Wednesday. At 11 AM.

I think there were maybe two non-school-related adults there in the crowd. But there were LOTS of kids. Not a sellout, but not a bad turnout. And everyone got in for the kids' price of $8.

The Senators scored first. The Phantoms tied it up and won in the shootout.

I want to see the ECHL Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies too...they play in beautifully renovated Boardwalk Hall, and they're in the midst of a 7-game home stand. I'll probably go Wednesday night.

I've heard about the ECHL and the Boardwalk Bullies. Just the name alone indicates the style of play in that league, I think. wink

Meanwhile, in overtime: Phantoms 4, Albany River Rats 3. The winning streak is at 13, also known as...a baker's dozen! Oh, Adam....

[ November 20, 2004, 09:51 PM: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

Another 4-3 overtime win, this time at Providence. 14 in a row for the Phantoms!

Never mind.

[ November 22, 2004, 09:56 AM: Message edited by: Cattledog ]

I'm checking to see how much time off I have left this calendar year & will proceed from there; I'm a man of my word (if not much else...)

Sunday at the Ice Dogs was a lot of fun. Relatively large crowd--just under 10,000--lots of families, with the Steelheads from Idaho coming away with a 2-1 victory. The Dogs found themselves in a 2-goal hole heading to the third period, but played a strong game overall, and particularly in the final period. The Dogs outshot the Steelheads by a lot (it seemed they had about twice as many shots on net) but Idaho's goalie was extremely strong. Ice Dogs are now 8-4-0 and are in fourth place. As a giveaway (every game seems to be a giveaway...) we got caps commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Ice Dogs. During their next home stand, the Dogs will include a "bring a dog to see the Ice Dogs" promotion, so my boys may get to see a hockey game up close and in person.

~Adam

Adam, I would hardly expect you to keep a "commitment" to come see the Phantoms based on that comment about their win streak reaching a baker's dozen. However, if and when you do visit, I'm sure the full Philly contingent would be thrilled to meet you -- none moreso than myself.

When I visited Las Vegas in April 1999, I saw a minor league hockey game there and I seem to recall that the Ice Dogs were the opponent. The LV team folded or moved after that season (they lost their lease to play in the Thomas and Mack Center, home of the UNLV basketball team) and I saw their last or next-to-last home game at the time.

[ November 22, 2004, 11:08 AM: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

The AHL has announced that this rule has been extended and will be in effect for the full season and Calder Cup playoffs.

With wins on Wednesday night and last night, the Phantoms have now tied the AHL record with 16 consecutive wins.

What's interesting is that 25 years ago at this time their parent club, the Flyers, were in the middle of a 35-game unbeaten streak (25-0-10), in the days before overtime was added to regular-season games. On this date in 1979 the Flyers beat the Hartford Whalers to run the streak to 18, 15-0-3. By my count 6 of the Phantoms' 16 wins have gone to overtime so the streak would be 10-0-6 under the old rules.

The team they face tonight to try and break the AHL record is last night's victim, the Hershey Bears...and there's another streak to discuss. The Phantoms have 15 consecutive games against Hershey -- three this year and all 12 meetings in the 2003-04 season.

The 16-game winning streak was important enough to make the top plays on ESPN's SportsCenter last night--right after images from some shopping mall. Hockey on SportsCenter---amazing.

~Adam

I guess we'll have to check out tonight's Sportscenter, as the Phantoms broke the AHL record with their 17th win in a row!

The streak is over! The Phantoms lost at Syracuse 2-1. They trailed 2-0 (thanks in part to not scoring on a five-minute power play) but got a goal with 39.2 seconds left and the goalie pulled, but were unable to tie. Oh well...at least they had a 9-point lead in the division going into today.

All this loss means is that the Phantoms can start another 17-game winning streak. Yeah, right...Of course the Long Beach Ice Dogs have now lost four games in a row, most recently to Trenton (a team that deserves to be in the East Coast Hockey League) 3-2 in OT.

~Adam

Ted P. told me yesterday that the "EC" in ECHL no longer stands for "East Coast." This is from the FAQ at the league's website:

They can play with the meaning of the initials all they want; as long as there's an "EC" in it, I'm calling it the East Coast Hockey League---and find it funny that west coast teams are in it! So there.

By the way, I'm still trying to work out a trip to the East Coast--Philly, specifically--by the end of the calendar year to get together with you and fulfill my pledge when the Phantoms won their 13th in a row, but it may not happen until 2005. Business is keeping traveling me on the West Coast for a bit, but nothing scheduled east of the Bitterroots or Wasatch.

~Adam

[ November 30, 2004, 08:30 AM: Message edited by: Adam ]

Tonight's the night when the Ice Dogs host a "bring your dogs to see our Dogs" game, against Fresno. I'll be taking my two guys to see their first hockey game in person. From what I understand, there will be free treats for all canines in attendance and special activities between periods (though I'll probably just take them for walks during intermission.) The AHL really goes out of its way to make games fan-friendly, sort of like minor-league baseball; when the NHL returns, they better try some innovative pr to win back fans.

~Adam

Sounds like fun Adam. Get yer dogs some dogs too. wink

And if they did what a number of teams do and have a $1 hot dog promotion, that could be "Bring your dogs to see our Dogs, and have some dollar dogs too." wink

Meanwhile, the Phantoms won in a shootout the other night but lost in OT tonight, so they've now lost 2 of 3. eek! Seems like many of their games end up tied after regulation. So if you make it here, Adam, odds are good that you'll get bonus hockey!

[ December 04, 2004, 08:18 PM: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

Though the game--Fresno shutout the Ice Dogs 5-0, and it wasn't even as close as that score indicates--was pretty bad, the night was a lot of fun. There were probably 150 dogs in attendance, each having been given biscuits and a couple of chew toys; anyone who brought a dog received a chit for free peanuts or popcorn. Prior to the official player introductions, they introduced players' dogs who were paraded across a carpet on the ice & we were advised to keep our pets close by at all times. I was impressed at how well behaved many of the pooches were, even with the usual hockey-related noise. Timmy, my puli, sat at my feet following the players' movements fairly closely while Rocco, the mutt, dozed on and off with his head on my left thigh. Following the game, the Ice Dogs ahd set up an area where "your pets can get together for some fun" but my boys are a bit antisocial and just led me back to our car. According to one of the employees, if it went well, the Ice Dogs will consider doing another "dog game."

~Adam

Sounds like fun. What was the human attendance?

Hockey is certainly going to the dogs this season, isn't it? And frankly I'm tired of Bettman and Goodenow barking at each other. But the game Adam attended sounds like a lot of fun. I googled 'Ice Dogs' and came up with at least three other hockey teams who share that name. In addition to Long Beach, there are Ice Dogs in Fairbanks, Alaska and Bozeman, Montana (both in the North American Hockey League) as well as in Mississauga (Ontario Junior Hockey League). The Phoenix Coyotes are the only NHL team with a canine name, but the AHL has the Chicago Wolves, Hamilton Bulldogs and the Hartford Wolf-Pack (supported, appropriately by a hockey fan named Cattle dog) and perhaps by the (former) Ms Philly as well.

Us cat lovers should lobby for a similar promotion, Puckman! The Medicine Hat Tigers (Western Hockey League) are the nearest team to me with a feline name but somehow I don't think my two kitties would be interested in seeing them unless the puck is coated with catnip.

GASP... CHOKE... ummmm no.... Marc, Cattledog and I must always root for different teams. Otherwise, worlds would collide.. fire and brimstone... Bush wins a 3rd term... you get the picture.

I agree with you Marc!

Looked to be about 9,000, but the Long Beach Press-Telegram--the sole local paper that covers the Ice Dogs--reports it was just 6,588.

~Adam

Still, that is nothing to sneeze at attendance wise.

Another Phantoms streak came to an end tonight: they were beaten by the Hershey Bears, ending their 16-game win streak against Hershey.

The game tonight was televised on Comcast Sportsnet here, and tomorrow night's game at Wilkes-Barre will also be televised. Imagine that -- hockey on television!