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| Welcome back Mr. Bagnall, we missed you/photo John Royal |
It was a big win for the Aeros in that the Aeros a) got the win and b) reduced the magic number to eight points. And while the fight and effort level were a lot better tonight, the team's probably not too happy with its performance. At least head coach John Torchetti wasn't too happy, and he's the one who really matters.
"We’ve got to be way more detailed," Torchetti said. "It’s a win. It’s a big win. But we’ve got to be way more detailed. We can’t be satisfied being average. We’ve never been average all year, and that’s the bottom line."
He was especially not happy with the play of his defensemen, and he was quite clear that there will be some healthy scratches among that group on Saturday night. He was quite complimentary of goalie Mike Condon, who just weeks ago was taking Princeton midterms and working on his thesis.
Condon said it's been quite the whirlwind for him these past several weeks, going from Princeton hockey to Orlando and now the Aeros. His planned celebration for this game was kind of unique for a pro hockey player: "I’m going to go back to my room tonight and write a midterm and do it all over again," he told us.
[And congrats to Mr. Condon for not being insulted when Andrew asked him about taking midterms at Harvard.]
Torchetti was complimentary, once again, of the veterans on the team, Stephane Veilleux, Paul O'Mara, and Jake Dowell for not being afraid to go out and do what needs to be done. And another key veteran returned to the lineup, with Drew Bagnall getting game action for the first time in over a month.
"The ankle felt really good," Bagnall said. "I think it’s pretty tough at this time of year to prepare yourself for the pace of games. I didn’t feel out of place out there, but I didn’t feel where I need to be kind of going into playoffs, so I’m happy we’ve got a few more games to get under my belt."
Bagnall said it's been tough sitting back and not being able to contribute. Last week, during the team's home losing streak, even though not completely healthy, he tried to get Torchetti to play him, but Torchetti refused.
"We weren’t playing real well at home," Bagnall said. "And I actually approached Torch and we talked and I said, ‘hey, listen, if you want me to play, I’m ready to go.’ And he said, you’re not ready, so take your time. So he let me play tonight, and hopefully this means I’m in the lineup the rest of the way.'
The Aeros play there last ever (more than likely) home regular season game on Saturday night when they once again host the San Antonio Rampage.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:
Drew Bagnall was named by the AHL as Houston's Man of the Year for his involvement with the community. There will still be a lot of professional athletes in Houston once the Aeros depart, but I can't help but think the community is going to miss a little something by not having guys like Bagnall in it.
"I try to just make myself available whenever there are certain activities or things to do, especially with kids," Bagnall said. "I know that our booster club is big with Kids Unlimited, and I try to go spend time with kids at Children’s Hospital. I just feel that if I can brighten somebody’s day, that’s part of the responsibility you have as an athlete, and it’s something – I mean, when I was a kid I would have loved to talk to pro hockey players, but we didn’t have that option living in a small town, so I try to make myself available when I can."
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Regarding the relocation. I saw several nice signs in the arena tonight, but I was not in a position to get any photos. Kudos, however, to the Toyota Center video crews for repeatedly putting up some of the signs, including the one saying "Save Our Aeros, Occupy Toyota Center."
There was another one I liked that compared Les Alexander to Bud Adams. And somebody told me that instead of shouting "Hey [Insert Goalie's Name], you suck," that some people were shouting "Hey, Les, you suck." It's really hard to make out the chants down in the corner however.
Not to overstep my bounds, or to get me in any kind of trouble, but I say go for it with the signs and chants. Just don't use profanity for the kids who are around.
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And an unrelated hockey point, but I need to rant since I wasted two hours on it tonight...If you work in a HR department of a temp agency. And you're sending out forms for your temp employees to fill out before starting temp projects, make sure your damn inbox is big enough to contain the damn attachment that I'm sending you after I destroy a tree printing the material, then fill it out, then scan it into my computer, then try to send.
Oh, and would I be convicted of murder if I were to kill Microsoft Word. It crashed on me three times while I was trying to transcribe the quotes from tonight.
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18 comments:
It was very gratifying to see the signs but it also hit home that this is the end of a wonderful relationship.
i know this is really a reach but too bad Craig Leopold and Les can't interface to resolve this.
I have no earthly idea what I'll do once the Aeros are gone.
Can't afford to commute to San Antonio / Cedar Park every weekend and besides - it's still not our beloved Aeros.
So why don't the Aeros and Wild just go ahead and announce the move officially? Are they waiting for the regular season or playoffs to be over first? Why wait just to give us a 5% chance of hope? It's really bad business and once again shows they don't respect or care about the fans. "Nice season by the way we will never be back, thanks for your thousands of dollars and 19 years of support." Off to Iowa then South Dakota because we didn't think Les would give us a good deal but just played out the last FIVE year lease and made NO other plans that would help keep the Aeros in Houston. FIVE years and NO other area arenas could be outfitted or built? Once again Houston is screwed... RIP Aeros.
Two items:
1. Hear Zucker is being recalled. Hope it's not true.
2. Also heard that any playoff games will be held at the Xcel Center, not Houston.
Zucker may very well get recalled, but that is OK. Kid deserves to go up. The Wild are slip sliding down the standings.
As for the other rumor, let me tell you this. I heard the same thing and have been assured that the Aeros will play their playoff games in Houston.
While I can fathom a scenario that says otherwise, I absolutely believe my source on this issue.
If the Aeros do indeed play their home games elsewhere, I will make sure those responsible for lying to the media and fans are called out for what I feel would be a terrible, terrible disservice.
No need. Just glad to hear that playoffs will be here in Houston.
You bring up some good points Anon #2 about the Aeros not being proactive in trying to secure another building to play in the Houston area. Surely they knew Les would put the screws to them when he had the chance. And he did. There are other facilities which could have hosted the AHL Aeros, but none had an ice plant. Maybe no one wanted to spend the money / time to add an ice plant to their arena, but maybe one of those facilities would have, had they been given the time to do it. Rumors of a new Reliant Arena being built with an ice plant, hold hope for the future, but that is several years away, if it even gets built. For now, the hockey fans of Houston will soon be left with nothing.
Give up the Reliant fantasies. Dealing with the Rodeo and Texans over access will make dealing with Les look like a cakewalk.
The Rodeo takes over the every entire facility from mid-February to mid-March. They will allow no other event for the month. It will be impossible to play weekend games in January/February because the Texans will demand all of the parking spaces for playoff football games, and they won't know when the games will be played until a week in advance.
Fridy, Saturday and Sunday games will be difficult from October through December because of high school, collge, and pro football games which take all of the parking lots.
Those years when Reliant hosts NCAA Basketball Regionals or the Final Four also make the place unusable for other tenants, as will the Super Bowl, if the NFL ever comes back.
You're looking at a schedule of midweek games which means pretty crappy attendance.
I know throwing out scenarios is fun, but the Rodeo can be just as big a jerk, even bigger, than Les Alexander. And if you think scheduling around the Rockets is hard, wait until it's the Texans, which is a team most of the city actually cares about.
Dealing with Les is a cakewalk? He just drove our hockey team out of town.
As one who's dealt with both the Rodeo and Toyota Center, let me butt in and say that I'd send neither organization a get well soon card were they in the hospital dying.
with the recall of JasonZucker today in an attempt to salvage the lethargic swan song of the Wild you can kiss any deep playoff run hopes goodbye.
I suggest not supporting toyota center sat night, meaning dont pay for their parking or concessions. It is their greed that has made us lose our team.
Thank you guys at Third Intermission for all you have done for all these years, John, Andrew, Ms Conduct and Fred
Sadly the whole way the Wild is dealing with the Aeros is so sad, because in the past the Aeros were a first class organization. Now they are sadly, not even close to their past standards, they are very minor league.
This is a perfect example of why you dont want out of town ownership...just like Les Alexander..
Concessions are run by Levy's, not the TC. Also, the workers in the concessions are volunteers for 403c organizations which receive 10% of sales as fundraisers for their respective organizaitons. I worked for in of them during four Rockets seasons when my oldest son was in high school. His band booster organization worked one up on the 4th level. It's hard work but a group can make some money over the course of a season.
Also glad Zucker is moving up but just bemoaning that our offensive effort may not be as productive.
The problem that (most) of us are having is our emotional "ownership" of the team. We've been with them when they've had great seasons going to the Calder Cup playoffs and also with them during the years they've come in dead last in their division. It's coming to terms that this emotional attachment is coming to an end and there's not a damned thing we can do to control the situation. I've done my share of pissing and moaning about the situation out of frustration but I'm not going to become bitter about it with the Wild or Aeros organization. They, unfortunately, have to run it like a business. I hope the TC is PACKED tomorrow night and we can send them off in the greatest way possible.
The Aeros as an organization have been as much in the dark as the fans, The sales staff most of all has been in the dark, I pray for the kids just out of college trying to land jobs and on their feet.
Tomorrow night from what i am to understand should be a sold out venue with some major profile events that the sales staff put together and the buzz surrounding the impending doom. Also every season ticket holder has a ticket to this game.
The Aeros Looked at reliant and kicking in a portion to outfit the arena there, unfortunately that facility couldnt be ready for another 2-3 years. There is no comparable location in the Houston area, which is why they were consistently pushing talks with TC. The staff has been dwindling steadily. I have a feeling that should the Aeros lose tomorrow night, that the organization will make an announcement on Monday.
I believe that the Aeros have been fighting to stay. Unfortunately its the Toyota Center who has decided to hike their rent up so high that it is forcing them out.
I agree, B2. Lots of memories. And the Aeros only missed the playoffs three times. Winning the cup was exciting and almost winning it was exciting but sad. We've seen some great players and can still watch many of the former Aeros in the NHL. Yes, many of us are angry and upset but let's not take it out on the team. It's not their fault. However many more games we'll see (assuming we go into post season), we should cheer them on and wish them well.
With all the hopelessness I am surprised they renewed the lease 5 years ago. Once again Houston will be a clown in the sports world kicking out our best most successful franchise for more barney, air supply and madonna concerts.. Luckily Im only 2 hours from cedar park so I hear they have AHL hockey, D league basketball, concerts and More ... And they get players sent down from their club for the home stretch. Let's Go out with a Win tonight Aeros and sorry no one in power fought to keep you in Houston.
It will be difficult leaving the Toyota Center tonight not knowing if I will EVER return to that building, or see live professional hockey so easily and nearby again (trust me, I will see live pro hockey next fall, maybe just not this easily, frequently, or cheaply). Even if Alexander buys a team and locates it here, I sincerely doubt I could support it, especially at the STH level.
I think the earlier comment about our “ownership” of the Aeros is right on. We minor league hockey fans are a fiercely loyal bunch. The Watson Aeros were easy to fall in love with, especially for someone like me who had gone without live hockey for many years since relocating to Houston. I fell head over heels like many of us did. It was not only affordable, but high caliber too. (Note to self to be more cautious regarding future team loyalties.)
This is not meant as a slight to the Wild, they are running the Aeros with an entirely different purpose in mind and under different circumstances wrt the arena. The Wild are running the team as a farm club, Mr. Watson was running it to prove to the NHL that he could run an NHL team.
I do hope the Wild and Alexander can pull something out at the 11th hour, but I fear it is 11:59 right now.
See you at the game, and I will try not to cry. There is no crying in hockey (except for maybe Sidney Crosby).
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