In The Houston Press, and Random Thoughts

My latest Aeros bit in the Press is now posted -- remember, it's through the Press that I get my pass press, so let them know you're appreciative.

Now a few random thoughts.

1. If you read my stuff in the mothership, especially during baseball season, or just listen to me talk, you know that I have a love/hate relationship with the Astros, one that has veered more to hate the past decade or so -- I'm a former employee, so my feelings of Drayton McLane are anything but happy, and his failure to hire anybody competent to handle any job since he forced out Gerry Hunsicker continuously make me angry. I'm really not fond of Ed Wade, who I can't believe is still allowed to work in baseball.

What's this got to do with anything hockey, well, reading the comments from some of you guys makes me feel downright giddy when it comes to the prospects of the Astros, and me feeling giddy towards the Astros just doesn't happen.

I know that's lot of you aren't happy with where you see the team heading. I'm not either, but, it's only seven games into the season. Don't press the panic button yet. Give Mike Yeo a chance to implement his system and his plans. I think the regime in St. Paul will give him a bit more leeway than they gave Kevin Constantine last system, primarily because Yeo's their guy, so maybe that will help a bit.

2. That said, the Aeros are a FARM CLUB of the Minnesota Wild, and the team exists to serve the needs of the Wild. So if they want the Aeros producing defenseman and goalies, then so be it.

This team is never returning to the Chuck Watson days -- I don't get your nostalgia for that guy because he's the guy who kept Les Alexander from bringing the NHL to Houston, yet I read about nothing but the greatness of Chuck Watson. In many ways, I consider Watson to be on par with Bob McNair as being one of those guys treated like a saint who has done nothing to actually earn the sainthood status. And things are a bit different, primarily being that, for most of Watson's ownership, the Aeros were in the IHL, and the IHL was a bit different from the AHL in that the IHL teams didn't have lots of NHL affiliations and they could do what they wanted.

But unless the team has independent ownership, like Chicago who basically does whatever it wants, then the team is going to have to deal first and foremost with satisfying the needs of the parent club.

3. Get over Krys Kolanos already. That's a myth that's not returning, no matter how much you bitch. It wasn't the Wild's fault he didn't come back, last year's staff didn't want him back, despite his performance for them. There's a reason he's generally with a different team every year -- and doesn't even have a contract at the moment. The entire Wild office, however, did want Corey Locke back, but he got a tremendous offer to sign with the Rangers.

4. Finally, just give the team a chance, for a bit. It's not showing record-wise, but I can see a better team on the ice than what there was last year. Just like, with the Astros, I can actually see a better team on the field now that they've cut ties with a bunch of guys and have made a try at start over with a new system.

Now it's time for a breakdown; don't hit this button just yet

People, people, people.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the voice of reason.

It is a bummer than Locke and Kolanos are gone. They did a lot of great and fun things for this team last year. And yes, it is a bit alarming that they team has not re-signed Beaudoin, Schultz and others.

But it is still early, and there are still a ton of free agent forwards out there. This is not a conspiracy to A) save money and B) let the team fail on the ice so it will be easy to move the affiliation to Des Moines next offseason.

Here is what I do know.

(UPDATE: Thanks to the anonymous poster, it does appear that both Jon DiSalvatore and Duncan Milroy have signed with the Wild and will provide good depth at forward for the Aeros this season.)

There are several players (free agent Aeros) that I have spoken to, and they all want to come back. A lot of that is out of their hands, but no one is running these guys out of town. I talked to someone that has a great pulse on what is going on with the Rangers organization and they told me that the AHL part of Corey Locke's contract will have him doingbetter than just "A-OK." And that put him out of the reach of most organizations looking for minor league depth. In other words, it wasn't going to happen.

Kolanos, and I hate to say this, really wore out his welcome with his attitude. Especially after he was sent down for good. For what it's worth, I don't think the phone lines were buzzing to his agent either. Sure he was injured down the stretch ... but there are people that believe he changed for the worse.

There is talk that some of the powers that be with the team are concerned about the Aeros lack of depth right now at forward. There is also talk among players and others that this could be the very best defensive corps the team has seen in a long, long time.

That in itself, I am sure, has motivated GM Jim Mill to work the phones and get some forward depth. I got a chance to talk to him, too, after he took the job, and he has very much been looking forward to building a team down at this level. He is working hard to put a good team in Houston and to do what is best for the Wild.

I will talk to him again today, so we will see what comes of that. (Obviously, I will ask about DiSalvatore and Milroy.)

Also, Kevin Constantine, who is getting re-married soon to his wonderful fiancee Val, knows how to get the most out of whatever team he is given. Just look at how entirely different the last two teams have been. Yet, they both finished 3rd in the division and had teams capable of making a run in the playoffs.

The '08 was great defensively, but could not find the back of the net against Rockford.
And the '09 team played better than expected with an unproven goalie with tons of injuries and still made one of their more memorable playoff runs in team history.

Trust the coach, give the new GM a chance and wait until the roster is final before pressing that big red button at the top of this blog.

Krys Kolanos signs with Philly

First Locke, Rosa next and now it's bye-bye Krys Kolanos.
Surely there will be more news later, but as Fred pointed out, if you look on the Flyers nhl.com roster page, he is there complete with video highlights.

Someone within the organization told me not too long ago that they would be VERY surprised if the Wild brought him back. But his ability to score goals at this level, and in such a dramatic fashion at times, will very much be missed.

I can't think of too many other Aeros (ever) that had his ability to literally create something good out of absolutely nothing.

Fans in upstate New York will enjoy his presence.

Round 3, Game #4 -- Aeros vs. Moose -- Photos -- Part 2

I realized I'd not given you a shot of Carson McMillan yet.

Some Marco Rosa.

A swooping Danny Irmen.

Bryan Lundbohm and ex-Aero Mark Cullen

A calm Cory Schneider is about to catch the puck.

Matt Beaudoin rushes up the ice.

Greg Rallo lifts the stick of Matt Kassian.

Cory Schneider with some leather larceny.

Mitch Love is cross-checked by Nolan Baumgartner.

Mitch Love is given a ride along the Aeros bench by Guillaume Desbiens.
Krys Kolanos gets off one of his terrific shots on Cory Schneider. Often times these find their way through, under the arm of the netminder.

Cory Schneider takes some refreshment during a stoppage in play.

All Photos:Fred Trask

Round 3, Game #3 -- Aeros vs. Moose -- Photos

Real short descriptions tonight. I might change them and add more detail tomorrow. The Aeros played hard tonight but just couldn't get it done in the end. Hopefully Wednesday will bring a better result. I'll probably have a few more photos tomorrow.

I'll start with some Krys Kolanos for Ms. C.

Then throw in some Bryan Lundbohm. Bryan has really turned it on in playoffs in my opinion.

Here is the Beaudoin goal, a very nice tip in.

Some more KK.

Here he took a nasty spill into the boards after going over the leg of ex-Aero Maxime Fortunus.

Corey Locke was able to get this one past Cory Schneider.

Danny Irmen was able to tie it up at 3 goals each with this one between the feet of Cory Schneider.

And he had a nice celebration dance.

All Photos:Fred Trask

Post-production Photos from Games 1 and 2 (Updated w/Chris's weekend report)

Since our pal, Chris Jerina, was away from his photo editing software, we got the raw stuff earlier. In case you're interested, here's the post-prod versions of the photo sets. Amazing the difference.

Game 1

Game 2

And because I can, here are a few teasers:

How hot is this? Very.

I know it sucks when Dimples gets the hook but, really,
tuque + dimples = more adorable than Basket of Puppies,
and that's math you can believe in.

All Photos: Chris Jerina

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Update! Chris gives us this fun weekend report:

Friday 5/15
Arrived in Winnipeg at 12:30, picked up and arrived at Fairmont at around 1. Sign seen on the way: "Beer goes great with hockey." Indeed.

The hotel is located at a 4 way, 6 lane intersection, requiring the use of an underground tunnel known as the "circus," which is essentially what it was in attempting to just cross the darn street. (On the way back from the game, we just j-walked... much easier!) Oh yeah, and it was snowing in the afternoon. I thought I was done with this winter stuff!

Picked up the media pass and tickets at 5:30ish and headed into the game after attempting to eat at the restaurant under the arena with some guys staying at the same hotel (who were meeting up with the Moose owner there (who was able to laugh at the wearing of an Aeros jersey). After taking 20 minutes just to get our drinks, we bailed. Warmups > food ;)

The first game, as recapped earlier, very boring. So I'll just recall the noticeable things not necessarily caught in the score sheet. (Some things previously noted)

• There's something special about 10k fans singing along to the Canadian National Anthem that just gave me a chill of excitement of the upcoming game
• The first time Canuck prospect Cody Hogson, playing his first pro game, touched the puck, a quiet came over the crowd in anticipation of what he was going to do. Between Games 1/2, I got the opinion that the majority of Moose fans are actually knowledgeable of not only the Moose but also the entire Canucks team (something not seen in Milwaukee for the most-part)
  

After the Aeros tied the game up, my first thought was "this could end up being a long game," sadly not the case with Mantioba breaking the tie shortly after.

Hotel room was OK, a whistling/humming came from the heater, but otherwise no problems. (Unlike the others I was with, whose room had a litany of troubles: poor flushing toilet, whistling windows, broken thermostat, wobbly chair and being located directly above the 19th floor kitchen meant smelling whatever was being cooked up at the current moment.)

Saturday 5/16
Felt obligated to finally try a Tim Horton's, so had the pleasure of navigating the "circus" again in attempts to get there. Less hassle this time, and enjoyed 2 Bostom Creme donuts (way sweeter than Dunkin Donuts equivalents in the states... too sweet)

Decided to check out Portage Place mall, was 90% womens/juniors fashion, not much interest for guys (in terms of shopping). Had lunch at "Pita Pit," quite fascinating, a fast food place that sells a variety of pita bread sandwiches, rather tasty, would recommend.

On to the interesting night... ate at some restaurant just past the arena called Rinkside. Food was OK, but the room had a, let's just say, interestingly disturbing aroma.

On to the game, gates opened at 6:30 and arrived about then. I've never seen a concourse so packed at the opening of the gates! Was handed a "Go Moose Go" fan, and little did I know it how annoying those things would be.

Had the opportunity to meet Carson McMillan's cousin who was excited about Carson's future with Houston/Minnesota. (Carson ended up being a scratch)

Ended up shooting from the seats rather than the photo sections, to "enjoy" the full ambiance of the fans. We attempted to make the states proud by singing with the star spangled banner, but unfortunately 3 people can't compare to 10k. As soon as "O Canada" started, with drunks trying to sing along in our section, it was already known this could be a long night regardless of the outcome.

Falling behind 2-0 early only gave rise to louder fandom to a cheer of "anton, anton, anton..." apparently "Khudobin" is too hard to pronounce for Canadians. :D Annoying drunk fans enjoyed never shutting up to the ire of not only us, but the majority of the Moose fans, too. (Primarily due to nuggets like "You guys suck, Canada kicks ass." Psst, a number of Aeros are Canadian.) Combine them with the people on the aisle who, when realizing the noise from the paper fans annoyed us to no end, found it a smart idea to kick up the frequency of their usage. Mind you, we were keeping to ourselves, not making a scene, etc.

Thankfully the usher was excellent and after complaining to her, she asked them to keep it down and would check up every 10-15 minutes to make sure they were. Employee of the month (and we told her as much, too!).

Highlight of the night was a fan near us came over and talked to us, and we complained about the paper fans and offered him a dollar bill to take the fan from the seats of the drunks as they were gone at intermission. We promptly tore up the fan, much to the pleasure of most of the fans around us (surprisingly). Apparently that's worth about $1.15 CAN at the moment, so its even better than getting a loonie! (I suggested he frame it though with the ticket, gotta be able to laugh, right?)

With about 2 minutes left in the game, drunk fans decided it was a good idea to start a "na na na hey hey goodbye" chant to the Aeros. Apparently, they cant keep time and ended up being an epic fail. I really had the urge to ask, "Was it over when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor!? When the going gets tough, the tough get..." but didn't need to direct any attention and besides would they even get it?

The game itself was rather exhausting dealing with the fans, so I just had a quick drink and went to sleep.

Sun 5/17

Timmy's for breakfast again, this time trying "old-fashioned glazed" donuts and a French Vanilla coffee. Quick question for any Canadian readers... it is a Timmy-wide policy that donuts must be stacked top-on-top, resulting in one really heavily frosted donut and one without any? Really annoying!

Walked around downtown Winnipeg enjoying the 40-50 degree weather. The architecture in Winnipeg is quite beautiful, with a mix of both contemporary and historic building design. Wish I could say more on it, but not being familiar with any of it doesn't help other than "it's pretty." ;)

Had lunch at Earl's after being recommended by someone from the Wild, rather good food, then headed to the airport for O'Hare.

Given the choice to go again, experiencing what I did, despite the obnoxious drunk fans, I would recommend it to anyone. (Every arena has a few stupid fans... sadly). I would suggest looking into staying at the Radisson though (half a block from the arena), as it is closer to anything of interest. The playoff atmosphere at the arena was amazing compared to any of the games I was at in Milwaukee, Peoria, or Rockford. Plus I'm glad I went as I have a more annoying way to cheer than a cowbell at the games next season (hooray paper fans!)

Finally, the marketing and production values of the Moose are second to none of teams I've seen:

• My media passes were laminated, with all of my info printed on the pass (fancy!)
• The advertising around the arena made it impossible to be downtown and not realize the Moose were in the playoff hunt.
• Jumbotron display/screens were excellent!! During warm-ups, they put the camera on each Aeros player and showed #, name and position, then showed a rundown of accomplishments of both team and a comparison between the teams and their arenas. (I was surprised that Houston's arena holds 18k, until I remember its where the Rockets play too.)

Observations From The Morning Skate -- Quick Notes Edition

Just a few quick notes from this morning's skate...of which I just returned. I'll give you some quotes, etc., later, but I want to go get some lunch.

Anton Khudobin will be starting at goal for the Aeros tonight. Nolan Schaefer says that he is ready to play if needed, and his knee feels good.

Krys Kolanos did not skate, and he will be a game-time decision. Tomas Mojzis did not skate either.

The guys looked loose and ready to go. They were a little more serious on the ice than they were on Saturday morning, but it didn't look like they were gripping their sticks or anything. Clayton Stoner says the team went to dinner after Monday's game and put the game out of their mind and they're ready to go tonight.

And for those of you who are interested, the entire team went to Miller Park to watch the Brewers defeat the Florida Marlins last night.

I'll have more later. I'll try to get an inside the numbers thing up, but that will just depend on when I get and how tired I am.

Round 2, Game 6: The Elephant in the Room

As our Andrew would say, "Outstanding!"

When last did the wheels fall so completely off this team? Wow. 7-0 Milwaukee, a goalie run (and if there'd been a third goalie dressed, I'm guessing he would have gotten a shot after Nolan's third goal), and elimination avoided.

So, here's my "being nice to the boys" theory: The extra rest Milwaukee got after sweeping the semi-finals is finally coming to bear. And the No Rest that the Aeros got is coming to bear in the opposite direction. Add a little shaky Dimples and a rusty Schaefer in goal and Kolanos out with a cranky lower body and you've got a disaster waiting to happen.

And boy did it ever happen! But it's ridiculous to even try and analyze a game that goes THAT wrong. Just forget about it and move on.

The post-game quotes certainly speak to a locker room that shares that attitude. Locker sounds downright excited to have a game 7 to play. Man, hockey players may like game 7s but they really should come with defibrillators, or at least tequila, for the helpless fans who have to sit and watch.

The highlight of the night for me, apart from some really delicious steak and macaroni & cheese, was hearing the Pride of Swan River, Barry Brust, providing color for O'Donnell's play-by-play. That's Ms. Conduct's play of the game.

And I hope all you folks who went to the Maple Leaf Pub got good and drunk, because you deserved it for not getting to watch this disaster from the comfort of your own couch in your underwear like I did. Well, I wasn't in YOUR underwear or on YOUR couch but ... well, never mind.

So, to wrap up, my favorite transplanted Minnesotan suggested to me today that if Olvecky came back (he's not), this song would be appropriate to welcome him back. But I think that was merely a premonition that the Aeros WOULD be missing a critical piece tonight, so for Kolanos, who is expected to be back Wednesday here's a little Fray:

Krys Kolanos Injury Info

I have been informed that Krys Kolanos is out of tonight's game due to a lower body injury. And I can attest that the trainers have been working on him after the last several games.

If I hear anything further, I'll update you.

Round 2, Game #4 -- Aeros vs. Milwaukee -- Photos Part 2

Milwaukee had chances all night but Anton either got them or they were just wide.

I have not posted any Mitch Love for a while so here is some Love.

Here is a series of photos where Bryan Lundbohm tries to tip a high shot.

Drew MacIntyre manages to get the blocker on it.

Late in the 3rd period things got a bit exciting in front of Khudobin as Hrkac clears the puck.

Kolanos puts the icing on the cake with the empty netter as Smolinski tries to prevent the goal.

Krys Kolanos gives Smolinski and evil grin as he celebrates the goal with Danny Irmen.

I'll close with more of the birthday boy, Anton Khudobin.

And a little Photoshoping that you'll either love or hate.

All Photos:Fred Trask

Round 2, Game #4 -- Aeros vs. Milwaukee -- Photos

Probably my favorite photo of the night.

PA Announcer Steve Vidal leads the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to Anton Khudobin. Anton joins in. Happy Birthday Anton!

I tried a bit of a failed experiment tonight. There was a new sheet of glass placed behind the Aeros net and I thought I'd get some shots from there. I don't really like how they came out but there were a few interesting ones.

This one was a bit freaky as Krys Kolanos just gave Anton quite a stare at the start of the game. He just glared at him for several seconds.

Milwaukee came this close to scoring early in the first period.

I kind of liked this angle with Anton looking around behind the net for the puck.

Here is the Pouliot goal. Rosa really worked setting this up. MacIntyre was stuck on the other side of the net for quite a while and Benoit Pouliot had a wide open net.

Pouliot didn't look too excited but Marco was pretty happy.

More tomorrow.

All Photos:Fred Trask