Thoughts from Last Night and Daoust Audio

Gosh, last night was just a miserable affair. Not only did we have to suffer through the rousing success of Andre "The Giant Dbag" Deveaux, but also the utter failure of the team I lauded just a few days earlier for playing exactly the opposite of how they played last night.

It was to be expected, though. Well, maybe not expected, but it didn't come as a total shock. The level of intensity required for this team to put up decisive wins is pretty high, especially against a team fighting for their playoff lives. You can want it really badly but still not find the will to suffer for it when push comes to shove.

And to tell you the truth, I don't think home ice matters all that much. I don't have numbers to back it up, but it seems to me that the big key has just been to get in the door. And what you do from there is what really matters... not so much where you do it. But like Yeo said last night, it's more about the mentality going into the playoffs. How hard is it going to be to flip that switch back into playoff mode if they're phoning it in the rest of this weekend?
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Anyway, one bright spot was talking to JM Daoust after the game. He was a scratch but was nice enough to take a couple of minutes to talk to us about his Man of the Year selection by the Aeros. Honestly, he could read the newspaper to me in that French-Canadian accent and I'd be smiling and cooing, plus he's just a funny guy.

It's kind of hard to hear, but the gist of the convo is he's talking about some of the things he and the guys do to help out around the community. First thing he talks about is going to the outdoor rink at Discovery Green and skating with the kids. He said the rink is small and the kids don't know how to skate, so they just go from board to board and BOOM into the boards. And their parents can't skate either so they can't help.

Then he was trying to say something but could only think of it in French. He managed to get out what he wanted to say in English and Andrew asked for it in French anyway (which I was grateful for because I just wanted him to keep talking). No dice but he was still hopelessly charming.

Here's a link to the audio in case this embedding thing on Blogger doesn't work.

Max Noreau Named first-team AHL All Star

There have been several times this year when the three of us in the press box would have a 5-minute discussion on what is wrong with Max Noreau this year. I kid you not, we all have thought that at least one time this season.

Silly us, right?

But the offensive defenseman continues to impress, put up the points and make a very good case as to why he will sign with the parent club of the Manitoba Moose, Chicago Wolves or Hartford Wolf Pack sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Today, the AHL released their 2010-11 AHL All-Star teams, and yep, Noreau is on that list.
He is on their first-team in fact, and if they announce this tonight at the Aeros game, there better be a big cheer. Noreau is one of the best Aeros I have ever had the pleasure to cover,all in terms of his game, skill-set for his position at this level, and the gentleman-ly way he interacts with the coaches, fans and least importantly, the media.

Congrats Max! Below is a copy of the AHL press release from moments ago.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2011

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2010-11 AHL ALL-STAR TEAMS ANNOUNCED

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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today the 2010-11 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 30 member cities.

2010-11 AHL First All-Star Team
G - Brad Thiessen, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (42gp, 32-7-1, 1.88gaa, .924sv%, 7so)
D - Marc-Andre Gragnani, Portland Pirates (63gp, 12+48=60pts., +22, 25 PP pts.)
D - Maxim Noreau, Houston Aeros (75gp, 10+43=53pts., 32 PP pts.)
LW - Alexandre Giroux, Oklahoma City Barons (66gp, 30+41=71pts., 14 PPG, 7 GWG)
C - Corey Locke, Binghamton Senators (66gp, 21+64=85pts., +15, 4 GWG)
RW - Mark Mancari, Portland Pirates (56gp, 32+32=64pts., +19, 4 GWG)

2010-11 AHL Second All-Star Team
G - Curtis Sanford, Hamilton Bulldogs (40gp, 22-13-2, 1.93gaa, .930sv%, 5so)
D - Andre Benoit, Binghamton Senators (70gp, 10+43=53pts., 24 PP pts.)
D - Viatcheslav Voynov, Manchester Monarchs (71gp, 13+33=46pts., +19, 6 PPG)
LW - Nigel Dawes, Hamilton Bulldogs (60gp, 38+24=62pts., +11, 9 PPG)
C - Keith Aucoin, Hershey Bears (49gp, 17+50=67pts., +12, 6 GWG)
RW - Darren Haydar, Chicago Wolves (71gp, 25+43=68pts., +9, 4 GWG)

Each All-Star Team member will receive a custom designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2010-11 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams.

2010-11 AHL First All-Star Team
Brad Thiessen, Goaltender (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins):
Second-year pro Brad Thiessen began his season with eight consecutive victories and has never looked back en route to amassing an AHL-high 32 wins (32-7-1) and a top-ranked 1.88 goals-against average through 42 appearances for the league-leading Penguins. A native of Aldergrove, B.C., the 25-year-old Thiessen is tied for the AHL lead with seven shutouts, ranks seventh in save percentage (.924), and has not lost back-to-back appearances all season long. He could become the first AHL goaltender to record more than 30 wins and fewer than 10 losses since Hartford’s Jason LaBarbera in 2003-04 (34-9-9).

Marc-Andre Gragnani, Defenseman (Portland Pirates):
Coming off the least productive season of his career in 2009-10, fourth-year pro Marc-Andre Gragnani has bounced back in a big way to lead all AHL defensemen in assists (48) and points (60) while producing a plus-22 rating in 63 games for Portland. A native of Montreal, Gragnani is averaging better than a point per game since the calendar turned to 2011, including a 20-point showing (3-17-20) during the month of March. The 24-year-old has also appeared in four NHL games with Buffalo this season and earned his first NHL point with an assist on the game-winning goal in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over the N.Y. Rangers.

Maxim Noreau, Defenseman (Houston Aeros):
Montreal native Maxim Noreau has followed up a strong 2009-10 campaign with an even better showing in 2010-11, establishing career highs in assists (43) and points (53), both of which are tied for second among AHL rearguards. Noreau leads all defensemen in power-play assists (26) and points (32) along with total shots on goal (215), and he has recorded multiple points on 15 occasions this season. A Second Team AHL All-Star a year ago, Noreau has increased his point production in each of his four seasons with the Aeros.

Alexandre Giroux, Left Wing (Oklahoma City Barons):
After back-to-back goal-scoring titles and Calder Cups in Hershey, Alexandre Giroux joined the Edmonton organization last summer and nabbed his seventh consecutive 30-goal season, tying a record held by AHL Hall of Famer Dick Gamble. The Quebec City native also ranks second in the AHL with 71 points in 66 games for Oklahoma City, and is tied for the league lead with seven game-winning goals. Currently 10th in AHL history in goals (338), Giroux, who also has a goal and an assist in eight games with the Oilers this season, has earned his third straight First All-Star Team nod, a feat accomplished by only two other forwards in AHL history (LW Pete Leswick 1948-50, C Art Stratton 1963-65).

Corey Locke, Center (Binghamton Senators):
Leading a different team in scoring for the fourth consecutive season (Hamilton, Houston, Hartford, Binghamton), Corey Locke has sat atop the AHL scoring race virtually wire-to-wire and has matched a career high with 85 points in 66 games for the Senators, including a personal-best 64 assists. A Toronto native, Locke shows 21 goals – his fifth straight 20-goal season – and a league-high 30 of his 64 helpers have come on Binghamton’s top-ranked power play (22.1 percent). The 26-year-old Locke, a 2007 Calder Cup champion with Hamilton and a Second Team All-Star in 2009-10 , has authored scoring streaks of seven, nine and 12 games this season and earned his first career NHL point with an assist in five games for Ottawa.

Mark Mancari, Right Wing (Portland Pirates):
Earning his first career postseason All-Star berth, sixth-year pro Mark Mancari has racked up a career-high 32 goals in 56 games for Portland this season, tying for third in the AHL in that category and placing eighth with 64 points. A native of London, Ont., Mancari piled up 10 points in the season’s first four games and has recorded three points on seven different occasions, including three hat tricks – two of them on back-to-back nights (Jan. 22 and 23). Mancari, 25, has also appeared in a career-best 15 NHL games with Buffalo, with a goal and five assists.


2010-11 AHL Second All-Star Team
Curtis Sanford, Goaltender (Hamilton Bulldogs):
Curtis Sanford’s season both began and ended with injury, but in between, the backstop from Owen Sound, Ont., turned in one of his more impressive performances to date. Sanford made his season debut on Nov. 2 and won eight of his first nine decisions, surrendering more than two goals only once. Overall, Sanford ranks second among AHL goaltenders in both goals-against average (1.93) and save percentage (.930) while putting up a 22-13-2 mark in 40 appearances for the Bulldogs. Sanford earned three shutouts in a four-start span in January and matched a career-high with five whitewashes on the year.

Andre Benoit, Defenseman (Binghamton Senators):
A native of St. Albert, Ont., and a 2007 Calder Cup champion with Hamilton, Andre Benoit is tied for second among AHL defensemen with career-best totals in both assists (43) and points (53) through 70 games for Binghamton. The 27-year-old Benoit, who also needs one more goal to establish a career high in that category, boasts 12 multiple-point efforts on the year and made his NHL debut for Ottawa on Feb. 18, appearing in four games for the parent Senators this season.

Viatcheslav Voynov, Defenseman (Manchester Monarchs):
Drafted in the second round (32nd overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in 2008, 21-year-old defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov has blossomed as a third-year pro in Manchester, posting his best offensive numbers yet with 13 goals and 33 assists for 46 points in 71 games. The native of Chelyabinsk, Russia, leads Manchester with a plus-19 rating, and he made his second straight AHL All-Star Classic appearance after recording a point in 10 of 12 games during the month of December.

Nigel Dawes, Left Wing (Hamilton Bulldogs):
After spending the past three seasons in the NHL, Nigel Dawes returned to the AHL in 2010-11 and has torn up the circuit for a league-high 38 goals (38-24-62) in 60 games split between Hamilton and Chicago. Dawes, who eclipsed the 35 goals he scored as a rookie in 2005-06, registered a four-goal game for Chicago on Jan. 5, and since his February trade to the Montreal organization, the 26-year-old has piled up 11-7-18 in 13 games for the Bulldogs and added two more hat tricks. The Winnipeg, Man., native has also played 13 NHL games for Atlanta and Montreal in 2010-11.

Keith Aucoin, Center (Hershey Bears):
Well on his way to becoming one of the greatest AHL playmakers of all time, Keith Aucoin has battled multiple injuries this season but is nonetheless on track for his sixth career top-10 finish in the AHL scoring race with 67 points (17-50-67) in just 49 games. Aucoin burst out of the gate with a 10-game scoring streak, and the native of Waltham, Mass., shows 22 multiple-point efforts all told. In the AHL’s 75-year history, Aucoin currently ranks 10th in assists (491) and 21st in points (702) through 626 career regular-season games. This is the fifth postseason All-Star nod for Aucoin (Second Team 2006, ’07; First Team ’09, ’10), tied with AHL Hall of Famer Les Cunningham for the most career selections for a center.

Darren Haydar, Right Wing (Chicago Wolves):
A former AHL rookie of the year (2003), MVP (’07), scoring champion (’07) and Calder Cup winner (’04, ’08), Darren Haydar adds to his list of accolades with his third career postseason All-Star berth (First Team 2007, Second Team ’09). A native of Milton, Ont., Haydar is tied for third in the AHL scoring race with 68 points (25-43-68) in 71 games for Chicago in his second stint with the Wolves. Haydar, who tallied a hat trick on Nov. 5 at Lake Erie and produced four points (2-2-4) on Nov. 27 vs. Grand Rapids, has 668 career regular-season points and is the AHL’s career postseason leader in goals (59), assists (76-tied), and points (135).

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Contact:
Jason Chaimovitch, Vice President of Communications
AJ Atchue, Coordinator of Communications
(413) 781-2030

The First Annual T3I Awards

We've decided to do some postseason items on the team. And I volunteered to do the Aeros awards for the season just played. So after consulting with the rest of the T3I crew, here are the winners for the T3I Houston Aeros Awards.

TEAM MVP: Max Noreau. There's a reason that Noreau made the second team All-AHL Team. He's that good. He tied for second on the team in points (18 goals-34 assists=52 points). He was named to the AHL All Star team. He was the team's most consistent offensive threat, even from the blue line. And he anchored a defense that was often full of holes due to injuries in Houston and Minnesota.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Chad Rau. Cody Almond was the big name coming into the season, and he showed flashes of brilliance, between injuries, call ups to Minnesota, and inconsistent play. But Rau played in all but one game, was one of the team's leading scorers (19 goals-19 assists=38 points), and never appeared to be out of his element. He didn't make stupid mistakes.

GOALIE OF THE YEAR: Anton Khudobin. It was a tough year for Aeros goalies. There was the inconsistent defense. The almost nightly inability of the offense to score goals. The need to be perfect every night. Khudobin kept the team in contention the first part of the year. His record might only have been 14-19-4, but he was bombarded by shots every night, from nearly every angle. He was able to get four shutouts, and despite it all, allowed only 91 goals in 40 games.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR: Max Noreau. Brandon Rogers spent way too much time having to play forward. Clayton Stoner went to Minnesota and never came back. That left Noreau as the veteran of the bunch, and he ended up virtually leading the team's offensive attack -- what little there was of it -- from the blue line.

FORWARD OF THE YEAR: Jon DiSalvatore. DiSalvatore was not only the team's captain, but he was one of the team's leading scorer, finishing with 52 points after getting 21 goals, 31 assists, and a team high 11 power play goals. DiSalvatore didn't have a lot to work with as Kevin Constantine constantly shifted lines because of injuries, call-ups, and ineffectiveness. Yet DiSalvatore was always a constant.

THE SURPRISE OF THE YEAR: Jean-Michel Daoust. Neither of us press types knew anything about Daoust when he made the team -- and I admit to enjoying listening to the Toyota PA types change the pronunciation of his name from game-to-game. But damn, this guy played some hockey. He was the team's leading scorer (21 goals-34 assists=55 points), and I don't think anyone played with more effort or determination. I can't help but think that if the whole team would have played with the want of Daoust, this team would have found a way to make the playoffs.

BIGGEST LOST (PLAYER WISE): Andy Hilbert. Hilbert missed most of the season due to concussion issues. And without him, the offense just couldn't click. DiSalvatore was left alone as the team's go-to offensive option. It's hard to play the what-if game, but one can't help but wonder if things would have been different if Hilbert had been available the entire season.

WORST LUCK: Wade Dubielewicz. I can't think of one guy who had worst luck this season than Dubie. Who can forget opening night, against Manitoba, when the puck bounced high off of the glass behind the net, hit Dubie in the back, then bounced into the net for a goal. Then there was the Rockford game on January 10 that the Aeros lost 2-1 after Rockford's Mike Brennan took a shot in OT that was going to be wide of the net, very wide of the net, only it hit the knob of Dubie's stick and went into the net to win the game for Rockford.

WORST LUCK NOT INVOLVING WADE DUBIELEWICZ (TIE): Peter Zingoni and Barry Brust. Zingoni came to the team after an injury-filled 2008-09 season. He came out hot, then got injured. Nobody worked harder to get back, then he got hurt again. And he came back, and got hurt again. Then there's the strange case of Barry Brust. Andrew and Heather know more details, but the brass in Minnesota didn't seem to like him. Then he got injured in camp. He got stuck in purgatory in Florida, and when he got his chance in Houston, he got injured -- first an ugly leg slash, then injuring his foot again.

WACKIEST MOMENTS (TIE): A puck hits Dubie on the back and bounces into the goal. A puck hits the knob of Dubie's stick and bounces into the goal -- a shot that would have gone way wide. But the true wackiest moment was any game in which Dubielewicz was sitting on the bench. If you didn't see Coach Dubie on the bench during a game, then you missed out. He banged the boards. He shouted out instructions at the goalies, and the players. He encouraged his teammates. I think he got a bigger workout on the bench than he did when playing.

(That said, and as an aside, Wade was a very good guy to deal with in the locker room for us. He never shied away from answering questions. He always spoke his mind. He never threw anybody under the bus.)

WACKIEST MOMENT NOT INVOLVING WADE DUBIELEWICZ: It was tough watching Barry Brust suffer that leg slash against Peoria. But without it, there would have never been that moment when Jeff Crawford came skating out to goal as the first intermission came to a close. We didn't know the condition of Brust at the moment, so the entire press row thought that Crawford was going to have to play the rest of the game. What made the moment was watching all of the scouts on press row, and there were still a lot of scouts following the team on February 3rd, and they were scrambling through every sheet of paper on the tables trying to get any scrap of info on Crawford.

MOST INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT: With the scouts scrambling to find out info on Crawford, the Peoria coach agreed to give the Aeros a few extra minutes, and as the clock ticked to zero, Barry Brust, who had suffered a deep slash of his thigh in the first period. He got about 30 stitches during the intermission, did a few butterflies to show he was capable of making the blocks and making the moves, then skated out to the ice and got the win, stopping 25 of the 26 shots he saw that night.

BEST ARENA ADDITION: Let's hear for the brass up in Minnesota for getting replays for every game played at Toyota Center, no matter when the game was played. In the past, we've been stuck with replays just on Friday and Saturday. But this year, we had them every game. So thank you.

WORST NON-TEAM DEVELOPMENT: For some reason, the number of Lady Dynamics dropped, and dropped, throughout the season. And I liked watching the Lady Dynamics. But I want to give my thanks to those young ladies who stuck it out for the whole season. Thank you.

BEST READERS: This is for the readers of T3I. Thanks for sticking with us all season. I apologize for not being around as much as last season, but hopefully the T3I supplied you with all of the information about the team that you needed, and wanted. Thanks for reading. We appreciate it.

BIGGEST T3I LOSS: Fred, we missed you this season. It wasn't the same without you around. I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help out.

Updates from around the Aeros Universe

First off, a little update on Barry Brust who is being held hostage in the ECHL. Not that I have an opinion.

If you haven't been following my blog, just go here and get an eyeful of The Man, The Myth, The Legend thanks to our friend Bethani in Everblades Country, as well as updates on how he's faring.

Now, some might tell you he's down on a rehab/conditioning assignment, but by the time your goals against average is the best in the league and you've been awarded ECHL Goalie of the Week... call. me. crazy..... but I think it's safe to say you're healthy and well-conditioned.

And super handsome. But that's not the point.

The Blades are on a huge winning streak with Barry between the pipes. It's really been a remarkable turnaround for a team that wallowed in mediocrity and defensive "WTF?" the first half of the season.

Photo by Bethani Shilladay

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Second, the Aeros' own Max Noreau won AHL Player of the Week thanks to his 7 points in the 2-game series against Abbotsford over the weekend and league-leading scoring for a defenseman. Here's the release from the Aeros.

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Finally, here's a fun little story about temporary Aero, Andy Neilson, the emergency back-up goalie who practiced and kept the goalie spot on the bench warm in Abbotsford this weekend.

My End Of Season Aeros Awards

For the mothership today, I handed out my end of season awards to some of the Aeros, and I give just a glimpse into why it's going to be an eventful off-season. And note, these are just my picks. Andrew, Heather, and Fred had nothing to do with my picks, so don't take it out on them if you don't like what I decided on.

So go over and give it a look. Thanks.

Aeros To Be Honored By City On Tuesday

Sure, it's not a parade or a gathering at Toyota Center, and it's doubtful that any of the players or staff will be attending, but...the City of Houston and the Anti-Defamation League will be honoring the Houston Aeros along with 39 other Houston-area organizations for participating in the Anti-Defamation League's Community of Respect Initiative.

The Aeros are the lone Houston-area sports team being honored.

To become part of the initiative, the Aeros had to submit a form of intent, create a diversity coalition and/or appoint a person to oversee the implementation of the initiative, sign the Resolution of Respect pledge or create one of their own, implement at least three anti-bias/diversity activities, and document completion of those activities and send that documentation to the Anti-Defamation League for approval.

I know this isn't really sports related. And it's not really honoring the Aeros for their on-ice play. But I just thought I would note a sports team that is actually being honored for performing a good service, and unlike some of Houston's other sports teams (I'm talking to you Astros) doesn't go out of its way to point out what a great citizen or trumpet what a great charitable organization it is.

Kolanos Announced as AHL Player of the week

According to the AHL Web site, Krys Kolanos has been named the AHL's player of the week.

He is the first Aeros player to get it since Barry Brust did last year in March.

Before that, Jean-Guy Trudel was the last to get the honor .... way back in November 2003.

Here is a nice list on the AHL site that shows previous all the way back to the year 405 B.C.

Congrats to KK and his help in literally getting the Aeros to the playoffs this year.

Brandon Rogers Is The AHL Man of The Year

Congratulations are in order for Aeros defensman Brandon Rogers who, today, was named the winner of Yanick Dupree Memorial Award as the 2008-09 AHL Man of the Year. The award is presented for outstanding contributions to the local community and charitable organizations.

Each team nominated a player for the award, so Rogers beat out 28 other players for the award.

Now, let's just hope that someone with the Aeros front office decides to tell him about his winning the award, and he doesn't have to wait to hear from one of his teammates.

(Oh, and isn't it nice to see that the Aeros are still able to win something?)

A Brief Chat With The Aeros Man Of The Year

Houston Aeros defenseman Brandon Rogers was named last Thursday as the Houston Aeros Man of the Year by the AHL. This makes Rogers one of the 29 finalists in competition for the AHL’s Man of the Year Award, known as the Yanick Durpee Memorial Award.

Rogers was nominated for the award by the Aeros PR staff. I asked them what it was that set Rogers apart from the rest of the guys on the team, and their response was that all of the guys on the team are great when it comes to going to the schools and hospitals and visiting with people, but Rogers was always that one guy who willingly did more than was expected.

Rogers himself was pleased to have received the honor, but a bit surprised. “It’s a nice honor,” he said after Friday’s game. “I didn’t even know that I was getting it, to be honest with you. One of the guys, coming to the rink today, congratulated me on it, and I said for what? I didn’t even know.”

Rogers doesn’t see the team’s humanitarian outreach as a duty. It’s something that he enjoys. Not only because of the people that he gets to meet, but because of the perspective on life that it provides.

“I get a lot of enjoyment out of it,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for us to meet some people, some kids, people of all ages, really, that are in some unfortunate situations. It really puts things in perspective. For us to take some time out of our day to put a smile on a face or to help out any way we can is the least that we can do in the position that we’re in.”

And he doesn’t really see himself as putting out extra effort to make himself available. “It’s really not too much to ask for anyone to do it,” he says.

Now I see myself as a bit of a neutral observer here as I’m not around these guys all of the time like the staff is, but to me, all of the Aeros seem to be a great bunch of guys who are always great with the fans and always appear to be willing to go out and make appearances. And to me, they all seem to want to do everything possible to be a part of the Houston community.

So though Rogers might not think he’s doing anything out of the ordinary to set himself apart from his teammates, with the efforts the rest of the team put into their off-ice activities, he must really be doing a little extra something.