Maiden Voyage

I find myself standing before an interesting idea, and a series of questions.

Entering its 80th season, the American Hockey League, is perhaps the most notable farm system for the NHL. It's where you see the big time stars develop and grow.. Its fun to watch, and being from the northeast its nice to see a game, but as a Bruins fan and a fan of the NHL in general, wandering into the AHL feels like I'm a man with no country.

You see, I grew up in Western Massachusetts, not too far from AHL headquarters. I was surrounded by ads for the Wolfpack, the Falcons, with other teams not too far away. I went to a college on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, where I would pass by billboards for the Worcester Sharks and be a short drive away from Providence, home of the Bruins affiliate. But I never really cared. They weren't the NHL and I want to see the cream of the crop.

Somewhere that all changed I don't know exactly why. It must have been a series of questions. A co-worker was trying to organize a work related outing to a Springfield Falcons game. I started getting excited, since it was hockey and I thought out of anything it could be really fun and I started to dig deeply into what games we should aim for getting. Springfield? Obviously Hartford should be a goal game, if not that then the Providence Bruins, or the... and so forth.

I began to wonder if the AHL was something I should be getting that excited about, and if its something other people could be getting more excited about. There isn't much out there, so it could be an interesting experiment of sorts. Is the AHL something worth caring about, how do you care for it when your hometown AHL team might be an NHL opponent? Can passion be built around the Semi-Pros as much as it can be for the top players? While the Calder Cup isn't THE CUP, can't winning it be just as deserving of a parade? Can't these games be just as fun?

I will try to see.

The AHL is also going through a lot of changes this year. They changed the divisions, and the teams seem to have spread out more so geographically.  A few teams have moved around and affiliations have changed, most notably last years Calder Cup winner, Manchester Monarchs going to the ECHS. It's a very volatile league in that aspect, coupled with the amount of players moving in and out as they go up an down the chain or get traded. Perhaps the recent rash of changes and going into a marquee year is what makes this such a good place to jump in head first.

So, my goals with this blog:

• Provide fan perspective on all AHL teams, although I reserve the right to form biases. (No Hartford, I don't want to like you.)
• Listen to at least one game from every AHL team and provide a recap or commentary on it.
• Comment on AHL news and happenings, scandals and what not.
• Try to help others develop interest in local teams and the AHL.
• Develop my own passion and have fun with this.

My promises are:

• I will deliver my opinions and insight as genuinely as possible. I will try my best to deliver humorous, interesting and inspiring insight into the AHL teams.
• Operate this blog independently from the AHL and AHL influences. (In other words, I'm not the AHL's cheerleader or spokesperson.)
•  Provide as much of a complete picture as to the goings on of the AHL that any sane person with a full time job could provide. 

Why should the AHL matter to you...

...and more importantly me.

There are a few big things on why these teams are important I want to touch on before I start handling news aspects in depth. These are the reasons I think the AHL could be interesting to me, and potentially others.

1. Local economy.
This one is regional specific. I live in the Hartford-Springfield area where a good majority of people love the Bruins while mourning the loss of the Whalers, I am a 20 minute drive rivalry drive away from the Falcons and the Wolfpack. Most interesting aspect of this to me is that AHL headquarters is located in Springfield, so now that the AHL is doing their own hall of fame inductees (Since 2006, More on that in a later blog) means that Springfield is the historical epicenter for guns and sports. (Take that Canton!) Make no mistake, if you live in Western Mass, or Connecticut, the AHL should matter to you because it does bring in a certain level of business and the best way to help it is to encourage its growth.

Even if you don't live in Western Mass, or CT, local teams can help grow local economy. Even at a third of the draw, that is tax money that is going to help the state and the region with better access to resources. By getting people more interested in local teams, you are helping assisting regional growth and...

2. Local Pride
What really is more galvanizing than sports?

Nothing.

This point is simple enough. With a strong enough interest in local minor league teams, then there is a chance for a source of local pride and unity that you may not be as accessible for NHL or other teams. While some AHL teams may be competing with NHL teams (another blog, another day) the ones that don't deserve your attention to help unify the community towards a greater competitive cause. Also, if you live that close to a local team, consider yourself lucky because its at least a level of professional sports. Some areas of the country only have high school football to look forward to.

3. Farm System
If you're a fan of the NHL, you should be keeping a very close eye on your AHL affiliate. They have your prospects that may get you a big name player in a trade or get called up to your team to fill in for an injured player. Its a chance to get an eye on the people who may make up your team in the future and their success in the AHL can help determine your NHL teams future. I've seen beat writers cover Pawtucket with immense scrutiny out of love of the Red Sox; the AHL is a fantastic gauge for talent. Expect a lot of these blogs, particularly as it pertains to the the Providence/Boston Bruins.

4. Beats Netflix
It's getting easier and easier to be a vegetable these days. Going to the games is good fun. It's a good chance to get kids into sports, or sports spectating. And even then, last AHL game I went to, they served beers, so if you get your heart into it, it can be similar to watching an NHL game. But how? Similar skill levels mean that while the playing style isn't elite, teams are comparable to each other. More depth, another blog, but long story short, the players know enough of what they're doing that a minor error that might be noticed at the NHL level won't be be noticed at the AHL level because it won't lead to the same consequences.

That is a brief summary of the 4 main points. There are more arguments I'm sure but this is still an introductory phase and I want to get out of these blogs and to the real meat of the blog soon enough. Not these Ra-Ra novels. I'll sprinkle in think pieces throughout for sure, but for now, I want to get to analysis and commentary. I'm gonna try to go full out for Monday. Watch out AHL, I'm coming for you...