Two days, two posts.

I'm not going to start posting every day, don't get used to this. I found a couple more things on the web yesterday that I thought you might get a kick out of.

The Bears and a Bears favorite gets some love on the NHL.com.

The Boston Bruins have the best ads, hands down.

My proof:



My favorite:



On the somber side:

DisGraceland would like to extend our condolences to the Burke family on the death of their son, Brendan. For those of you who don't know, Brendan made a bit of news this season when he announced that he was gay. This made quite a bit of news in Canada, bringing the homophobia that is prevalent in locker rooms to light. Brendan was a brave young man to expose himself this way when he didn't have to, but no one could accuse Brian Burke's son of not having truculence. Go with God, Brendan.

We'd also like to note the passing of Hershey Bears blog. Chris Rahn's A Bear's Minute has been taken down.  Good luck with your next project, Chris.

Two months off? Who do you think you are, John Walton?

That's not a slam on JW, just a comment in the spirit of the trolls on PennLive.  I've been crazy busy with work, volunteering, family, church, and going to hockey games.   Those are just a few of the reasons why I've been neglecting the blog.  It's not just the time that I spend writing; I haven't had the time to do the research required to present my thoughts accurately.   Each info post usually takes about four hours of research/writing time.

I actually started several posts, but by the time I could get back to them the reason/situation that I was writing about became stale.  I know, I know, "Suck it up cupcake."  I'll do better I promise.

Another reason I haven't posted is there was very little going on.  My inspiration comes from adversity.  Bad PP/PK, Caps calling up too many of our players, little known players getting bagged on, etc...  None of that was happening. The Bears were on a historic win streak, winning big, not a lot of roster movement.  In other words, nothing intrigued me enough to spend the time researching and writing.

With the snow emergency today, the work day at the AFCA warehouse was cancelled, and the Bears game was postponed, so I have a few hours to sit down and write.

This will be a mish-mash of a lot of my thoughts during the past two months.

Holy bejowlies, are the Bears good this year or what?!?!  They've got 21-point lead in the East Division, 12-point lead in the Conference, and  five-point lead in the league!  Inconceivable!  But I could get used to it!

They are crazy good, and they're not the only team in the organization that's having a good year.

The StingRays are leading the E by five points, and our parent club is tops in the NHL riding a historic win streak.

Three years ago, the Caps and the Rays were both bubble playoff teams.  So what changed?

Our boy, Bruce Boudreau!  Since he got the Caps job, he's turned around the entire organization.

His system of interchangeable players, up-tempo, in your face, straight to the net game-planning, and solid development of prospects up and down the line have propelled the organization to the tops in all of hockey for this year.  Go take that E class for a spin, Coach, and get yourself a garden salad!



I love that little toe lift at the end -- classic Bruce!

Here's a great video from a Caps/Thrashers game that I was telling people about.



This is the video they were making fun of.



How'd you like to go up against these Bears?



"You're a tripod #2. A TRIPOD!"

There's been a little DisGraceland controversy brewing on Penn Live lately. We were all talking about this last year; we knew that we would be big when the Penn Live trolls turned on us.

I refuse to respond to trolls on that site, for a lot of reasons, but I will address some of the criticism here.

We don't think that we're bigger than the game or players.  People don't pay money to come see us.  When we're on the JumboTron, it's because we're doing something that comes natural to hockey fans.  Celebrating a goal, chirping an oppenent, dancing during a good song, etc...  We don't try and attract the attention of the camera guys, we're just having a good time.

If you sit near us and hear profanity, it's from the players not us.  A couple of us have young, impressionable children, and we're very aware of how little ears pick up on stuff like that.  We can't stop the players from throwing the f-bomb, but we don't do it.  We chirp players, we get under their skin, but cursing at them means that we've lost our little game.  If we can't think of something clever to say, we'll be quiet.  Trust me on that, it's happened a few times already this year.

The King has never and will never throw anything on the opposing bench.  Has stuff been thrown in the air and ended up on the bench?  Yes.   Did he throw it?   No.  Did he think it was funny?  He thought it was hilarious.  How many times has it happened?  More than once.  After the season, we'll put up the photographic evidence.

We are allowed to wear the masks because they are half-faced allowing us to be recognizable and because they have large eyes which allow full vision.  The mask ban that was over-publicized for the Moose series was done to keep people from wearing alien Halloween masks.  Typical Herco over-reaction if you ask me, but they're a corporation and have lawyers that run things like that.  I understand their concerns, but I believe that those concerns were blown out of proportion.  Just my personal opinion on that one.

Oh, almost forgot.  Scooter120, we know who you are and where you sit.  We appreciate the fact that not everyone likes our constant chirping, but we aren't the only ones who chirp.  In fact, chirping has been going on there longer than I can remember.  I know that so you should know it too, and yet you chose to sit in that section.  Maybe you should move your seats next year to 116.  I understand it's alcohol-free so you wouldn't have to put up with the riff-raff.  Or you could pony up and get a box.  I sat in a box once and hated it, because I felt removed from the crowd.  Since that seems to be what you want, it might be a good option.  You know who we are, we know who you are.  If you have a problem with us, come and talk to us.  We're pretty easy to spot in a crowd.  We're actually really nice guys, as long as you don't play for/coach the other team.  Join as the AFCA warehouse to see our charitable side; everyone is welcome.  If you have a reasonable concern, we'll address it, honest.

DisGraceland's charity, American Foundation for Children with AIDS (AFCA) needs your help.  They are searching for a volunteer with mad Excel "skillz".   If you can help out, please email climb@helpchildrenwithaids.org.

Two points for discussion:
What parts of DG do you like, which don't you like, why?
Who is a better goalie, Neuvy or Holtby, why?

Feel free to leave comments on the facebook page or in the comments below.

GVet

Jay Beagle is important.

"Why do they play Beagle?  He sucks.  When was the the last time he scored?"

I thought that it was just typical fan grousing when I heard it the first time.  Then came Fans #2 and #3 and now #4. One is blip; two is a coincidence; three is a pattern.  Four means it's time to nip this in the bud.

Jay Beagle is an undrafted center that got to the AHL level by doing what it took to succeed on any team he played with.

He wasn't drafted by a Canadian Major Junior team, so he played in the Alberta Junior League.  That made him eligible for NCAA play.  He played college hockey at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.  A good school but not really a hockey powerhouse in the Western College Hockey Association.

He dropped out after his sophomore year and signed an ECHL one-way contract to play for the Idaho Steelheads.  He was seen during their Kelly Cup run and invited to the Caps development camp.  The Caps liked what they saw and signed him to a two-way AHL-ECHL contract.

By March of 2008, they had seen enough to sign him to his first NHL contract.

What's not to like?

"He doesn't score much."

He's not a scorer, wasn't one in Juniors, wasn't one in college, probably not going to be one here.  His job is to make the opposition crazy by controlling the puck in the offensive zone.  If he loses the puck, he drives them crazy trying to get it back.  He's defensively responsible, and he's good on the draw.

"He's always playing stuck up against the boards."

That's his job.  He's the first one in on the forecheck, interfering with the opposition's break out attempt.  He got the puck away from them, and now they want it back, so they drive him into the boards.  He'll hold onto the puck until he gets some help in the zone, and then he starts the cycle.  He's aggressive, he's tenacious, and he gives 100% every night.

"He sucks."

I can't argue with that.  Not because I agree with you, but because it's your opinion.  Opinions are like armpits - everybody has a couple, and most of them stink.  I can say that I disagree and, seemingly, so do his coaches, who probably know a little more about hockey than you do.

Again I ask, what's not to like?

A friend of mine, Katie Zellers, has been writing about Bears players on a Capitals website, Rock the Red.  If you haven't seen this yet, you should take a look.

Comments welcome.
Grizzled Vet

SQUIRREL part deux.

Who knew that "SQUIRREL" was such an insult.

P Bruins squirrel of the game Brad Marchand knew it.

From the King's opening salvo of, "Marchand you're a squirrel.  A SQUIRREL."  It was on.

During the pre-game warmup, he started chirping back.  "I'm not a squirrel, YOU ARE!"  Which caused the rejoinder "I'm rubber, you're glue."
Hey, if a player kicks it grade school style, we're ready, brother.

At one point it looked like he was going to climb over the glass.  He had to be restrained by teammates going down the tunnel.

He was talking to the Kings all game.  He spit at the boys during the second period, hitting the gentleman in front of them, Mike Hollweck.  After the game he was still screaming at us.  I've never seen a player get that bothered by a chirp.

I'd say that "Squirrel" is a winner!

Most athletes have a pretty thick skin.  It's a necessary part of playing any sport.  Your opponents chirp you, their fans chirp, during practice your teammates chirp you.  Show that you can't take the guff and you've made your life hell.  I can almost guarantee that Mr. Marchand is going to be hearing squirrel in the locker room & practice for the rest of the year.

Man, I love our job.

Grizzled Vet

SQUIRREL!!!

Last night was DisGraceland Night at the Giant Center.  Not officially, of course, but it sure seemed planned.

Ranger Scratch dropped the ceremonial puck dressed as Elvis.  I've been told that Scratch is a lynx, but honestly he could be any furry mammal.  Seeing him dressed in a black jumpsuit with a huge pompadour was amazing.

Greg Mace from ABC 27 filmed a teaser at our tailgate.  Then he filmed the boys entering the GC, the Royal Processional around the concourse, and interviews with the King and yours truly.

Then he miked up the King for the first two periods of the game.  I saw him walking around during the second intermission and he said  "Does he ever stop heckling?  I have 30 minutes of good footage already."

If that wasn't enough, the staff sought us out to be the sumo wrestlers for the first intermission.   Rink King and I went head to head for three rounds and ended up with a split decision.  We won four tickets to WWE Raw on Monday Nov 23 that we are auctioning off on our facebook group to raise money for the American Foundation for Children with AIDS.  To bid go here.

So what does the title of this post mean, you ask.  In honor of absolutely nothing we have decided to label the shortest player on the opposing team, "Squirrel" and yell it at him every time he touches the puck.  The King is informing the chosen player of this honor every time he goes to the bench, in addition to his other chirp duties.  The Bruins player to be squirreled is Brad Marchand #17.  Feel free to welcome him to the GC on Wednesday.

My highlights of the night, in no particular order.

Having Kip Brennan throw us his stick after we rode him like a rented mule all night.

Sumo wrestling with Rink King.  Funnest thing I've ever done at a hockey game.

Having Ed Coffey announce that we were auctioning off the tix to raise money for AFCA.

Having Greg Mace include AFCA in our interviews.

Having the entire Springfield bench shaking their heads at my attempt to draw up a play during a time out.  "Look coach this is what you need to do:  PUT THE PUCK IN THE NET!"

Having my huckleberry, Peckham, fall as he went over the boards.  "Watch out Peckham, that white stuff is slippery."

Grizzled Vet

DisGraceland on TV.

A local television station is doing a piece on DisGraceland this Saturday.  They will be filming while the boys are pumping up the fans, pregame, on the rail.

We'll be tailgating by the blue arrow on the map below.  Tailgate will be from 3:30 to 5:30 followed by the Royal Processional of the Kings into their castle.

Come on out and join us, usual tailgate rules apply.  Who knows you might make the news.

Remember to vote for DisGraceland's official charity here.
Grizzled Vet

Can a brother catch a break?

A Bears favorite does it again.  Quintin Laing stopped a Michal Rozsival slapshot in the Rangers/Caps game last night with his face.

The result is a broken jaw and he'll be out for several weeks.  You may remember that Lainger lacerated/ruptured his spleen playing for the Caps last year.  It was months before he was healthy enough to play again.  He plays the game with reckless abandon so accidents are bound to happen, but it's sad that such a nice guy has to deal with this again.

I was looking for video of the incident and then decided that I really didn't want to watch it.  Pucks to the melon are never fun.  

Coach Boudreau had some nice things to say about him:

From NHL.com staff writer Dan Rosen

"I mean, what a courageous guy," Boudreau said. "You could see it from the bench that he was turning and Rozsival shot it and we were hoping it just sort of skimmed off of him but when he got up his jaw was pretty swollen."

Peerless has some facts about broken jaws.

Justin Bourne quit professional hockey and became a blogger after breaking his jaw.  (btw: I highly recommend his blog.)

As part of DisGraceland's charitible giving this year, we're going to take up a collection to get Quintin one of these.

Seriously though remember to vote for AFCA on facebook here.

Grizzled Vet

Nylander saga coming to a close.

To some of us in Bear country, the name Michael Nylander doesn't mean too much.  He's a center for the Caps who hasn't played much.  That's about it.

For others, the mere mention of his name sends them in to uncontrollable fits of rage.

Here is a little background on the story in case you don't know it.  Nylander was signed as an UFA (unrestricted free agent) by the Caps in 2007 for a little less than $20mil for four years.  His salary cap hit is $4.875M/year.  He has a "no movement" clause in his contract which means that he cannot be waived, sent to a lower league, or traded without his approval.

Nylander was signed to be Ovechkin's center.  He's a typical, old school, Swedish centerman; pass first, shoot next, go in the corners never.  He likes to play a controlled game on the ice.  This doesn't fit into Coach Boudreau's system at all.  This resulted in Nylander being put on the shelf for most of last year and all of the current season.

He took a conditioning assignment to Grand Rapids in order to show him off to overseas scouts.  Since he hasn't played in the NHL this season, he is allowed to be loaned to a team overseas.  The Caps will still be responsible for his contract, although the team he is loaned to can pay some/all of it.  The upside for the Capitals is his salary cap hit will come off of the books for the remainder of this season.  That will work out somewhere in the $3.5 million range.

In order to be loaned overseas, Nylander had to be put on and clear waivers.  He cleared last week.  Now they just have to find a team to take him.  Dinamo Minsk seemed to be the frontrunner.  They waived Josef Boumedienne in order to make room for him.  KHL rules only allow five non-Russian players per team.  So far, though, there hasn't been any movement.

What does this mean for the Bears?  Well, the only reason that Karl Alzner is playing for us this season is because the Capitals couldn't fit his salary under the cap.  With Nylander off of the books, Alzner is gone, like right freaking now.  They probably won't even let him go home to pack up.

It also gives them the flexibility to keep prospects up without playing them.  Personally, I don't think that they would do this.  The Caps are very good about making sure that their prospects get playing time in order to develop, but the possibility exists.

The new cap room also raises the chance that the Caps could look to strengthen weaknesses by trading.  If this happens, names like Carlson, Neuvirth, Perreault, Holtby, Osala, and Gordon would be the chips on the table.

So far, GM George McPhee has resisted the siren's call of "must win now" and kept his prospects in the pipeline.  Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom are going to be RFAs at the end of the season, and keeping them both will be difficult.  GMGM may decide that this year is going to be the best shot of winning a cup and raid the cupboard to get that extra piece to push them over the top.

Bottom Line?  If/When Nylander leaves the Caps, nothing good will happen for the Bears.

Time to give back.

Some of you might have noticed DisGraceland hanging around Dru Stokrp's raffle table on Saturday.  They were raffling off the Xbox 360.

Dru is a friend of ours and is having kidney transplant surgery today, Tuesday, November 17th.  We ask for your prayers for his recovery.

Dru is a member of Lebanon Area Evangelical Free Church and serves as a senior high youth leader.  When his church found out about Dru's need several people volunteered to donate a kidney to him.  Another youth leader, Brad Kresge, was determined to be a compatible match, and he is undergoing surgery today as well.

Dru started having problems with his kidneys in high school, about 10 years ago, but it wasn't until two years ago that they diagnosed him with Alport syndrome.  This was controlled by medication until last April.  The meds stopped working, and he had to have a permacath implanted and needed to have four-hour-long dialysis treatments three times per week, until the surgery.

A kidney transplant costs around $250,000.  Then he will need follow-up care and anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life.  If you are able to help out, you can do so at the National Foundation for Transplants.

Regular readers know that DisGraceland's main charity is the American Foundation for Children with AIDS.  The King, Beanie Boy, and I all volunteer at their warehouse sorting medical supplies.  AFCA does this the first Saturday of every month from 10-2.   A while back, I asked for donations to help us win Parade magazine's America Giving Challenge.   I was disappointed that no one donated.  Very disappointed.  I'm restraining myself from going into one of my patented rants over the issue.

Here's your chance to redeem yourself.  No money required.  If you're on facebook click this link.  Don't ask questions, click it!

That should take you to Chase Community Giving page on fb. Now click the vote for this charity button.  Painless right??  Where are you going?  We're not done with you yet.

Click this link.  Copy this:  "American Foundation for Children with AIDS".  Paste it in the "enter your charity of choice" block.  Click the radio button next to the block you entered it in.  Enter your email address.  Enter your zip code.  Uncheck the box to receive info from Good Earth (unless you want info from Good Earth).  Click Cast your Vote.

There, that wasn't so hard, was it?  Now go and feel better about yourself for the rest of the day.

BTW, AFCA is at Step Into Africa, an exhibit about the AIDS crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, currently showing at West Shore Evangelical Church in Mechanicsburg.  Stop by and check it out if you're in the neighborhood.  It's FREE, just like the clicks you just did!!!

Grizzled Vet

Bears Roller Coaster

Welcome to the new ride at Hershey Park, the Hershey Bears Fan Coaster.   The ride is one of the new electromagnetic coasters which shoot you out of the gate going from 0-60mph in two seconds.

The launch for the Bears this season had us riding high.  Three wins out of the gate, including an 8-1 smackdown of Binghamton, had me dreaming of a 140-point season.

Then we hit the top of of the loop and back down we came.  Losing 4 out of 5 with the one win in overtime against Bingo, had me searching for what was going wrong.

The boys were outshooting their opponents for the most part, which is a good sign.  Our penalty kill ranks in the top five in the AHL, so that's not the problem.  So what is?

A couple things pop out immediately.

Problem one: Power Play.  At one point during the downturn, they were ranked 23rd in the A on the PP.  Today, they are only in 17th with a PP% of .138.  That means that the Bears score on one of eight power play opportunities.  I don't know what kind of benchmark Coach French has set for his PP unit, but I'm betting it's going to be closer to .225 than .125.  The Hartford Wolfpack is leading the league with a .295 percentage, which is exceptional.  With the offensive talent on this team, we should be able to come close to that.

Problem two: Goaltending.  Michal Neuvirth is a Hershey hero.  He stood on his head during the Cup run last season.  He looked great in training camp, pushing Semyon Varlamov for the number two spot in Washington.  Then he got hurt.  His injury was undisclosed, but rumors were it was a groin injury.  He came back to Hershey.  When his injury healed, he went out and lost three of four games, and didn't look good doing it either. Groins are the worst possible injury for butterfly style goalies.  Think about it.  Up/down, up/down, push to the side, up, rest.  That's a goalie's action for a game.  The up/downs take the most effort.  That's why you don't see goalies going down in the butterfly during warmups that often.

The ride bottomed out of the loop and back up we went.  Four wins on the bounce.  Jason Bacashihua decided that he was going to be the rock they needed in net and went out and stoned the opposition.  He was the #1 goalie in the AHL with a .948 save percentage after four games.

The saying goes, "What goes up, must come down."  Last night, we caught the express drop on Farenheit.  Losing 5-0 to Portland hurt.  Watching the game on atdhe.net, I didn't see too many let downs that would contribute to that score.  Again we were outshooting the Pirates, but nothing was going in.  JP Lamoureux was outstanding in net for the opponents.  He should have been arrested after the game for grand theft on one Osala shot.

To address some comments that I'm sure I'm going to get:  Portland's third goal was called correctly.  I'll admit that when it happened I thought that our boy Koharski had been eating too many donuts again.  But a thorough search through the rulebook found that as long as the net's pegs are still on their moorings, play isn't stopped.  If an offensive player tipped the goal over Cash, that would have been a minor penalty for goaltender interference.   But, since it was Ammo tipping it over, no call.  I hate being wrong on the rules of hockey.  I hate the fact that my least favorite ref made the right call.  However, I'm man enough to admit that in this one instance, Mr. Koharski knew the rules better than me.

DisGracefully Yours,
Grizzled Vet

Weekend scouting report.

DG's Michael Meier has provided us with another scouting report for this weekend's games.  Thanks, Mike.

Hartford Wolf Pack

On Friday October 30th the Hershey Bears will travel to the XL Center to take on the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack have played to a 4-5 record in the 9 games they have played so far this season, however they are still undefeated (3-0) at home on the season.

Last weekend the “Pack” went 2-1. Their weekend started off with a 3-2 loss in Adirondack against the Phantoms. P.A. Parenteau had a goal and an assist, Dane Byers scored the Wolf Pack’s second goal of the game, and Cory Locke assisted on both goals. Chad Johnson, Hartford’s rookie net minder stopped 24 of 27 shots.

The Wolf Pack then returned home on Saturday night to face the Lowell Devils and came out on top 5-2. Parenteau (1 g, 2a) and Locke (1 g, 1 a) were the #1 and #2 stars of the game. Also contributing goals were Dane Byers, Cory Potter, and Michael Sauer. Miika Wiikman was in net for the victory, stopping 34 of 36 shots. 3 of the Wolf Packs goals were scored on the power-play, which they were a perfect 3 for 3 on. Their 5th goal of the game came short-handed as Lowell had pulled their goalie on a power-play of their own.

Hartford then defeated Worcester Sharks by a score of 4-3. Evgeny Grachev and P.A. Parenteau had two goals each in the winning effort. Dane Byers and Cory Potter each had two assists. Miika Wiikman stopped 32 of 35 shots for his second win of the season.

Outlook: P.A. Parenteau, who leads the Wolf Pack with 8 goals and 6 assists, was recently recalled to the NHL by the New York Rangers to fill the spot left open by Marion Gaborik’s injury. If the Rangers only need his services for their game against the Islanders on Wednesday, Parenteau could return to Hartford in time for Friday’s game. If they keep him up with the NHL club for the Rangers trip to Minnesota, he will be left out of the Wolf Pack’s line-up. Corey Locke is Hartford’s other offensive threat with 6 goals and 4 assists. Hartford has not played a single overtime or shootout game this season.

Albany River Rats

On Saturday October 31st the Bears return home to face the Albany River Rats at the Giant Center. The River Rats have a 5-4 record and are tied with the Bears for 1st place in the East Division. On the road the Rats are 1-2. The River Rats have lost 3 of their last 4 games coming into this week.

Last Friday the River Rats lost to the Rochester Americans 2-1 in Albany. The Rats only goal came from Zach Boychuk. Justin Peters stopped 20 of  Rochester’s 22 shots in the loss.

On Saturday the River Rats stayed at home and eeked out a 3-2 win over the Adirondack Phantoms when Zach Boychuk scored with exactly 4:00 minutes to go in the game. Albany’s other goals came from Jacob Micflikier and Pat Dwyer. Peters stopped 31 of 33 shots to earn his 4th win on the season. Jerome Samson contributed 2 assists on the night.

In their third game of the weekend on Sunday, the River Rats visited Bridgeport only to take a 4-1 beating from the Sound Tigers. Nick Dodge scored the Rats only goal of the game in the 2nd period. Mike Murphy was the losing goaltender, stopping 28 of 32 Bridgeport shots.

Outlook: though the River Rats have the same record as the Bears, Albany is 1-2 on the road so far this year. Their only road win came in overtime against the Adirondack Phantoms, 2-1. Jerome Samson leads the team in scoring with 4 goals and 7 assists. Pat Dwyer is a close second with 4 goals and 4 assists through 9 games.

What is sport?

This is not a game post today.  This is a fan post.   If you're interested in reading about Friday nights game, check out Tim Leone's column.

I've had this conversation a lot in the past few years.  What is a "sport?"  This usually comes up when someone is talking about NASCAR.   I didn't believe that racing should be considered a sport, it's a competitive activity.  To me, a sport is a competition between two teams, that uses an object to score points, and there must be a chance of physical injury caused by the other team.  It also cannot be a competition of a normal activity.  This is how I eliminated racing; it's just competitive driving.  That also eliminates most of the Olympic games.

I don't expect people to agree with this.  I ask the question, or pick the fight, to stimulate discussion and make people to think about what we call sports.

Why is defining sports important?  Because of ESPN.  ESPN has become the arbiter of what is a sport.  In my discussions, I've had people tell me that something is a sport because it's shown on ESPN.  My rebuttal?  They show Scrabble championships and Spelling Bees on ESPN, too.  Are they sports?  People believe that the NHL will never gain a mainstream audience because ESPN doesn't cover it.  That's the true meaning of power.  ESPN now can define sports just by what it chooses to air, and people accept it.

I'm talking about this today for a couple of reasons.  One is the cover of ESPN the magazine this week.  Phil Ivey, the poker player, is on the cover.  I like poker.  I was born in Las Vegas.  My grandfather taught me how to play when I was six, and every time we went to his house, out came the bag of chips.   I still play occasionally.  Seriously, I like poker.  Now, I don't know what poker is.  It's either a game of chance or a game of skill, depending on who you talk to.  I do know, however, that although it's shown all the time on ESPN and other sports networks, it is NOT a FREAKING SPORT!  If I wanted to read about gambling or the life of a gambler, I'd buy a gambling magazine.  Not ESPN, a *sports* magazine!

The second reason I'm writing about this is because I have refined my personal definition of what a sport is after last night's game.  A sport has to have individuals or teams that can cause fans to become emotionally invested in their successes or failures.  Poker, then, cannot be a sport.  Nobody cares whether Phil Helmuth win the World Series of Poker, except Phil Helmuth.  By my new definition, NASCAR has to be a sport, and so are most of the Olympics.  Not table tennis though.  Nothing will ever convince me that ping pong is a sport. I don't care how many Chinese commit suicide after they lose the gold medal.

How does this relate to the Bears?  Why am I writing this on the DG blog?  Because I learned something last night.

Losing is a part of sports.  Two teams start the game knowing that only one can win.  Fans, especially fans of championship teams, forget this.  Part of my pain this morning was from the fact that the boys lost to our cross-state rival.  The hated Pens!  If they lost to Amerks or Sens, it would be disappointing, but there would be no pain.  Last night when the Pens scored the empty netter to seal the deal, I felt my heart being ripped out of my chest cavity.  I loved making fun of how empty the stands were in WBS, talking smack on AHL Live about the Pens' serious lack of Calder, then they get the W.  Arrrrrgh!

It's official.  I'm emotionally invested in the team.  This doesn't happen often.  I've had only two teams in my life.  The first is the Minnesota Vikings.  I've suffered through Hershel Walker, Duante Culpepper (post ACL), and the Purple Turf Eaters.  This season may be the reward for my pain, but I know better than to get my hopes up.  They are the Vikings, remember?  The second was(is?) the North Stars.  I say is because I still hate the Dallas Stars with a passion greater than a thousand suns.  They ripped my team from the State of Hockey and moved them to Cowboy country?   Must restrain my "Fist of Death!"  They were moved the first year that Bettman was the commissioner, and I still hate him for it.

Now the Bears have joined this group.

Before you get on me, I've always liked the Bears, been a fan, but, as we all know there is a big difference between liking something and being emotionally invested in something.  If you don't believe me, ask that "good friend" who you always wanted to go out with, but s/he never seemed interested in you in "that way."

Emotional investment from fans is what all sports teams try to attain. The Redskins have it.  The Maple Leafs have it.  Most college sports teams have it.  Some high school teams have it.  Entire regions living and dying by the box scores.  The Bears are now reaching that status.  The rise of membership in DisGraceland and the level of vitriol on Penn Live proves it.

It's a new era in Bears hockey, and we're all a part of it.  Enjoy the emotional roller coaster!

Come on boys, put the cat in the hat!

Two losses does not a streak make. However, I'd feel a lot better if we were losing 4-3 instead of 2-1. With the offensive firepower we have on all of our lines, we have to put the cat in the hat a heck of a lot more often.

I understand that we ran into a couple good goalies. Guess what? The reason they are playing one step below the NHL means that they are really good. Every team has them. If a team's goalie sucks, he wouldn't be playing at this level. There are only 60 goalie spots in the NHL compared to 380 forward spots and 210 defensemen spots. Get used to playing against stingy goalies.

If the Fancy Dan cross ice pass to the D, gets blocked by sticks the first 15 times you try it, why do it for the 16th time? Wayne Gretzky once said, "One hundred percent of the pucks you don't shoot, don't score."

Put the puck on net boys. Come on.

Theo's hurt? Who gets called up?

With Jose Theodore not returning to the game against the Sharks for the second period, the wheel of goalies started turning. If Theo is out for a couple of games, who would the Caps turn to as a back up for Varlamov? Michal Neuvirth is the consensus #3 but, with him just recovering from injury, having him sit the bench isn't what he needs. Jason Bacashihua would be a serviceable seat warmer but isn't under contract with the Caps. Thoughts around the Capitals boards seem to run toward Braden Holtby.

How's that for a turn of events? Braden, we'd love to keep you with the Bears, but the Caps want you playing more. We're sending you to South Carolina. Braden? Turn around - you're going to be Varly's backup for the next couple of games. By the way, what size jersey do you wear?

That's life in hockey. Climb the mountain one injury at a time.

In other news, Anton Gustafsson has been "loaned" to Boras HC in the Swedish second division. This isn't going to be good for the former first rounder's development. He needs time in North America to get used to this style of play. The Caps need to see if he can last an entire season getting the snot knocked out of him in the minors. I don't understand this move unless they are just giving up on him.

Grizzly

New Bears contributor.

DisGraceland would like to welcome Michael Meier to the blog.

Michael is a columnist covering the Trenton Devils of the ECHL for the Examiner.  His work can be found here.  He also has started covering the AHL for Prohockeynews.com.  Furthermore, he is a much better writer than I am.

Mike is a die-hard hockey fan, who loves his Bears.  Here is his report on this weekend's upcoming upstate opponents.

HERSHEY BEARS SCOUTING REPORT OCT 16-17

Michael Meier -

This coming weekend the Hershey Bears will hit the road for a pair of games in the State of New York.

Adirondack Phantoms

On Friday night, October 16th at 7:30 PM they will be facing the Adirondack Phantoms up in Glens Falls, NY. This will be the first of eight meetings against their former neighbors to the east.

Last year the Phantoms played in Philadelphia but then their parent club, the Philadelphia Flyers decided to move the team out of the Spectrum and temporarily take them to Glens Falls, NY for a 2 to 3 year hold-over while a brand new arena is built for the team in Allentown, PA. Their record was 43 wins, 30 losses, 2 overtime losses, and 5 shootout losses for a total of 93 points. The Phantoms squeaked into the playoffs with a 5-2 win over the Bears in what was to be the last hockey game ever played at the Spectrum. Their season was then extended only by another two weeks until they were swept in four games by the Bears during the first round of the playoffs. During the regular season the Bears were 8-4 against the Phantoms.

Adirondack is off to a 1-2 start this season, sandwiching a 4-3 win over the Springfield Falcons last Friday between a 3-2 loss to the Worcester Sharks on opening night and a 6-1 pounding from the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday.

In terms of actual performance, the Phantom’s offense so far is lead by Andreas Nodl (2 g, 1 a), Jonathon Kalinski (1 g, 2 a), and Luke Kaspar (1 g, 2 a). Matt Clackson already has two fights under his belt this year; the first against David Liffiton of Syracuse, which he won by virtue of throwing more punches. Then he had a second period throw-down with Nasty Jon Mirasty, in which Clackson really took a beating.

Expected to contribute this year are:

Patrick Maroon who last season put up 23 goals and 31 assists in 2008-2009, which was his first pro season. He was the Flyers 6th round (161 overall) draft pick in 2007. Prior to last year he played for the Texarkana / St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL from 2005 to 2007 (104 games, 63 goals, 92 assists, 155 points, and 213 PIM), then he was with the London Knights for the 2007-2008 season putting up 35 goals and 55 assists to lead the team with 90 points.

Krys Kolanos joins the team having played 45 games last season with the Houston Aeros, racking up 31 goals and 20 assists. He was also recalled to the Minnesota Wild on five occasions last year playing in 21 games in which he scored 3 goals and assisted on 3. Prior to last season Kolanos put in 109 games in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes who took him with the 19th pick in the first round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft; and an unproductive 6 game stint with Edmonton. His overall NHL career totals are 20 goals, 21 assists, and 41 points.

Jason Ward was assigned by the Philadelphia Flyers to the Phantoms after attending their 2009 training camp. Ward missed most of the 2008-2009 season with a lower body injury that he suffered while playing with Norfolk. His NHL experience includes 336 games played with Montreal (1st round, #11 overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft), the New York Rangers, Los Angeles, and Tampa Bay. In the NHL, Ward was more of a role player, only putting up 36 goals and 45 assists during his time there. In the AHL he led the 2002-2003 Hamilton Bulldogs in scoring in addition to reaching the Calder Cup Finals that year, losing to the Houston Aeros. In 2001-2002 and 2004-2005 he was also a top-5 scorer for the Quebec Citadels and the Hamilton Bulldogs, respectively. Another tidbit about Jason is that he was the player traded to the L.A. Kings by the New York Rangers in exchange for Sean Avery back in early 2007.

Returning to the Phantoms for another season are Jared Ross and Jonathan Matsumoto. Last year Ross led the team in points with 29 goals, 40 assists, and 69 points. Matsumoto put up 29 goals, 34 assists, and 63 points for the Phantoms last year in his second full professional season.

Lukas Kaspar joins Adirondack after 3 seasons bouncing back and forth between the San Jose Sharks and their AHL affiliate in Worcester. With the AHL Sharks last year he had 17 goals, 27 assists, and 41 points.

In net for the Phantoms are Johan Backlund, a rookie goaltender from Sweden; and Nicola Riopel, the Flyers 5th round pick (#142 overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Riopel was the top goaltender in the QMJHL during the 2008-2009 season posting a record of 43-11-4, 5 shutouts, a GAA of 2.05, and a save percentage of 0.930.



Binghamton Senators

On Saturday October 17th the Bears will be visiting the Binghamton Senators for a 7:05 PM game. This is the second of eight meetings this year between the two Eastern Division rivals.

Last season the Senators missed the playoffs by one win, finishing with a record of 41 wins, 30 losses, 5 overtime losses, and 4 shootout losses for 91 points total. They were edged out of playoff contention by the Philadelphia Phantoms. Head-to-head the Bears were 4-4 against Binghamton last year.

The Senators are 2-2 after four games. They started the season with a 5-3 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack during their lone game on opening weekend. Then this past weekend they had a 6-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch, dropped their first game of the year against the Bears by a score of 8-1 on Saturday night, then they lost a 3-2 decision to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on this past Monday during a rare weekday afternoon game because of Columbus Day.

Early in the season Binghamton is being led in scoring by Martin St. Pierre with 3 goals, 4 assists, and 7 points. He is a new member of the club having played with the Providence Bruins last season where he had 15 goals, 51 assists, and 66 points; the Rockford Ice Hogs in ’07-’08 posting 21 goals, 67 assists, and 88 points; and with the Norfolk Admirals from ’05-’07 where he scored 50 goals, had 122 assists, and 172 points during his two-year stint.

Ryan Keller joins the Senators after playing two seasons in Finland with the Espoo Blues. Both years he led the team in scoring, 44 points in the ’07-‘08 and 55 points in ’08-’09 for 43 goals, 56 assists, and 99 points overall). During the ’07-’08 season one of his teammates was none other than the Bear’s very own Oskar Osala.

Top players returning from last year’s roster are Ilya Zubov, Denis Hamel, and Zack Smith. Zubov led the team in points last year with 52 (14 goals, 38 assists). Denis Hamel led the club in goals with 25, adding 25 assists and having 50 points overall. Zack Smith rounded out the top 5 in points with 24 goals and 24 assists for 48 points. All three look to be top contributors to the club’s offense again this season.

In the fisticuffs department the Sens are relying on the returning Jeremy Yablonsky and newcomer Tim Spencer to provide the grit for the team. Last year Yablonsky led the team with 215 penalty minutes, participating in 28 fights. Spencer played most of the ’08-’09 season with the Las Vegas Wranglers where he had 196 penalty minutes and 18 fights. This season Yablonski has had 2 fights and 26 penalty minutes while Spencer has 3 fights which account for all 15 of him penalty minutes so far.

Of Binghamton’s two goaltenders, Mike Brodeur has seen the most minutes, starting 3 of the teams 4 games and having to step in for Andy Chiodo for the second period of the October 10th game after Chiodo was ripped for 6 goals by Chocolate Town’s heroes. Brodeur’s record so far is 2-1 with a 2.97 GAA and a 0.889 save percentage. Chiodo is 0-1 with a 9.02 GAA and a 0.793 save percentage. And here is the rest of it.