SOS: Schedule - Fan Support

We as fans need to step up if we want the AHL to get better. Let me explain.

This needs to happen more often. And this was in Bridgeport!
Creative Commons: Andrew Gardecki

People need to buy into the AHL so they can get a better product. Think of it as pumping energy into a machine. The more you pump in, the more you get. The more sugar in your system, the bigger the sugar rush.

The Utica Comets in this instance are the ideal franchise. They have a legitimate fan base. The result is they have seemingly worked out a fairly well balanced schedule. They have a better travel budget, they can have better variety of opponents and can diversify their product while still building up rivalries without saturating an opponent. How are they able to do this? Fan support.

The fans bought in, showing it through 17 sell out home games. Utica is on rise and its because of what the fans can do to help galvanize the team, pump money back into the system and demand attention be paid to the way the team is managed and run. And because of that, the organization seems to be listening, and in a year where I am prepared to declare Utica a heavy favorite to win the East, it makes it more important.

And Utica's situation is a perfect example of things I've already been saying. They have rivalries. They have history, to a point. They are in a market that isn't saturated by an NHL team. The home town can call them their own. And it all works perfectly. Utica is so important to that community that it will help drive the success of the community and ultimately help make Vancouver a contender, if the Comets aren't made the more valuable piece of the franchise through whatever championships they win.

But, those factors also worked because of the X-Factor they couldn't control which is the fan support. Fans bought it. If you are an AHL fan, and want your team to succeed, you need to be a maniac about these things. You need to bring friends to games, you need to talk the team up, build up hatred for other teams. Get others to drink the Kool-Aid.

The AHL will be a better product if the fans show that they want one. Just take the leap of faith and let's hope that the AHL reads all the right cues.

AHL Twitter Wars: Celebrities, Smackdown and NHL 16 ratings

Figured I would check in with AHL Twitter to see how things were going. Any new chirps, or beefs? Anything of interest? Ok, so the Hamilton Bulldogs keep talking up something. They've been scorned by the AHL and re-aligned with the OHL, lets see how they're handling the transistion...

Are you excited for the Bulldogs' Home Opener? These fans are! Get Your Tickets: http://t.co/SvSVMxD4US #NewBreed pic.twitter.com/sn0UAl8arE

— Hamilton Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) September 15, 2015

Yup, that is a burn and  half. That's the equivalent of breaking up with someone and then the next day they have new arm candy that happens to be a model / astrophysicist. "Fine, you don't want us in the AHL? Whatever, we still got Tom Hanks and Martin short doing promotional bits for us."

Wait... You mean the Bulldogs are really St. Johns now, and the Ontario Team is just some old OHL team renamed? Why is this all so complicated!?!

Anyway, obligatory Hartford Wolf Pack / Springfield Falcons.

.@TheFalconsAHL @DMeczywor Don't feel bad, the @TheFalconsAHL "let us" beat them all the time.

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@WolfPackAHL) September 15, 2015

Admittedly, I had a hand in this one, but they took the ball and ran with it. But Springfield, what are you doing? You have a video saying vs Hartford games don't sell as well as vs Providence! That's when you chirp back with  something like "It's cute how Hartford thinks its a rival when they don't sell as well. #irrelevant" or something like that. Instead your response is...

@WolfPackAHL @DMeczywor we'll let the Undertaker pick up on this one... #creepylaugh pic.twitter.com/rSr0coFRZP

— Springfield Falcons (@TheFalconsAHL) September 15, 2015

But that's fine, it works. It basically says "We'll do our talking on the ice. We're coming for you."  Which is good. Certainly better than how the Checkers and Ice Caps "Smack talk"

.@IceCapsAHL This is nothing sending us a big case of maple syrup wouldn't smooth over...

— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) September 17, 2015

What I left out was all the talk about who had better fried chicken. No. Seriously.

Clean it up guys.

I know I talk about how much the Crunch fight, but it seems like most of the Phantoms countdown images involve fights...

We're getting there Phantoms fans...#RiseUp #IsItOctoberYet pic.twitter.com/uV0DfYrYQw

— LehighValleyPhantoms (@LVPhantoms) September 11, 2015

We're getting even closer Phantoms fans. Just 4 weeks to go... #RiseUp #IsItOctoberYet pic.twitter.com/OUikeb071W

— LehighValleyPhantoms (@LVPhantoms) September 12, 2015

Oh, and #isitoctoberyet memes and gifs keep flying in.

This is how we felt when we realized there was exactly one month until the home opener! pic.twitter.com/Aida6hZeEZ

— Milwaukee Admirals (@mkeadmirals) September 16, 2015

And with the release of NHL 16, there were a lot of tweets going out about that. The best is the following exchange:

.@Condors @EASPORTSNHL We don't see a problem there.

— GrandRapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) September 15, 2015

I'm sure there were more highlights I'm missing but they got drowned out in a lot of rookie tournament action going

AHL original Six

I keep talking about the AHL "original six," but in reality, there are no historic teams in the AHL anymore with the exception of the Bears, whom are the oldest standing franchise in AHL history. Springfield was moved and another team took its spot, so the Falcons aren't historical, at least as much as they should be. Providence, teams moved all around and they didn't have an AHL team for a while. Trying to follow it all is a nightmare, so I'm going to try to do my best to identify the six most historical teams in the AHL.

Wikemedia Commons

1. Hershey Bears
Most calder cups, no major moves or re-brandings, pretty consistently there. They are the oldest operating team in the league.

2. Springfield Falcons
Springfield is the home of AHL headquarters. They have pretty consistently had a team, and the city played host to one of the original teams as well. That team was moved to Worcester and was dissolved but in its stead, the Falcons formed and kept hockey in Springfield MA.

3. Hartford Wolfpack
The Wolfpack is not as new you think they are. And I'm not just talking about the year the spent as the Whale. They have historically been one of Springfield's biggest rivals since day 1, when they weren't even in Hartford, but were AHL founding member, the Providence Reds. They moved from place to place, Re-branding after re-branding, until they wound up where they are, living out the history they started with Springfield as a major market rival.

4. Utica Comets
While Springfield is home to the AHL for its founding and growth, Utica is home to one of those founding Springfield teams. Early on they were the Springfield Indians, before moving around from city to city and landing in Utica.

5. Rochester Americans
Founded in 1956, they're currently one of the oldest operating teams in the AHL, were founded to be a Canadiens affiliate, and Rochester is also home to an old IHL (International Hockey League) team, which the IHL was an early predecessor for the AHL.

6. Syracuse Crunch
The team might be as old as the Falcons, but the city is rich with AHL history, with teams coming and going for years. Syracuse is just another place that is just a good AHL market and some team always finds a home there.

Also worth consideration are the Senators, whom have been around since 1972, though just not in New York, and the St. Johns Ice Caps whom were founded in the 60s. But I don't consider these locations as important to the AHL history, nor have a historical team history to them. So, there we have it, your AHL hockey tradition as defined by me: The guy who started blogging about this last week.

Tickets Starting to Go on Sale

This is just a quick little reminder, tickets are starting to go up on sale. I know as of writing this, Providence Bruins are up on Ticketmaster, Hershey Bears are up, Senators are up, Barracuda, I haven't gone through all of them, but they definitely aren't all up. (Gulls, Utica, Falcons, Wolfpack, Bridgeport are all absent)

The other thing that is starting to come out are the theme days. I'll get into my opinions on theme days more in depth, what ones to go for, teams with the best theme days and so forth as the stuff comes in. But the main point of this is just to let people know to start checking out your local teams for tickets this weekend. All of the fun stuff is coming soon and I'll be there complaining about it all in one way or another.

Ra-Ra. More real blogs to come this is just kinda filler until I have more information.

Bridgeport Soundtigers: Games to Gun For

The only banners in Bridgeport
Creative Commons Doug Kerr

Games to gun for will go over specific games and opponents fans might want to see. Criteria are based upon AHL rivalries, fun teams to watch in the AHL and regional rivalries between the local NHL teams. Consider it a guide for casual fans to know how to get the biggest bang for their buck.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers haven't really been competitive the past few years. They've posted a fair amount of last place finishes in their division and so this year they have a lot to prove. A lot. To be honest, it makes this a little bit harder for me to determine what rivalries will be fun, what team prospects would you like to see and to be honest, I don't really know?When you are at rock bottom, you have to make it through everybody, so everyone is your biggest rival. And that is why writing this is so hard.

Side note before I begin, the Sound Tigers are running a blog series that any one considering going to a game should check out. Its called KNOW YOUR OPPONENT (all caps) and its something I feel every team should be doing. Maybe something I'll talk more about later, but if you're from Bridgeport and you got tickets, definitely check it out. It will help provide a lot more in depth info about that opponent than I will right now.

Anyway...

Home opener: October 10th
Opponent: WB/Scranton Penguins
Analysis: This might be a fantastic chance to get the season off on the right foot as they are taking on the Penguins coming off of a game in Providence. Back to back road games that are also home openers? Penguins might have a hard time with that start and the Sound Tigers might be lucky enough to get a win right out of the gate.

Opponents

1. Everyone.
Seriously, I know its a cop out, but everyone. I don't think its too far of a stretch to say the most exciting part about the Sound Tigers as is, would be the pre-season because it is the highest in the standings they may be all year. And that's because of the alphabet. If you are a fan of the Sound Tigers, don't worry about what game, just go because they probably will need the emotional support. Hate everybody and try to drive your team.  Failing that, aim for these teams.

1. Hartford Wolfpack
This is purely geographical. Two Connecticut teams affiliated with two New York teams, a rivalry just makes sense. They face each other 10 times, five at home but really, depending on where you live, it might be equidistant and you can hit up any of the 10 with a short 30 minute drive.

2. Hershey Bears.
This was my most painful one to omit from my Springfield Falcons blog because there is so much history to this franchise, and in Springfield and its just about AHL love. Ultimately I felt the four matchups between the two wasn't really worth the digital ink. That said, Bridgeport plays Hershey three times at home, six times total. Is it like crazy high matchup count? No, but I think Hershey is a Marquee AHL franchise that, if your team isn't doing hot or isn't slated to do well, then you would be well served to check out.

3. Portland Pirates
By sheer volume alone, this is a good divisional opponent to check out, and you probably will see, given that they face each other in Bridgeport six times. Familiarity breeds contempt so the more they face off, the more they'll start to hate each other. That means more fights, more fun.

4.St. Johns IceCaps.
In the off chance you're a Bruins or Rangers fan and not and Islanders fan, this one is just for you guys. The Sound Tigers and IceCaps face off only four times, twice at home, but they are the Canadiens affiliate and the enemy of my enemy... or something like that.

5. Albany Devils
Are they a divisional rival? No. But they face off as many times as one. Eight times, four at home. That's more than they face the Penguins, more than the Phantoms, and to be honest, I'm sick of writing why you should hate those teams. Especially when your team needs to hate everyone.

In the words of Mary Jane Watson: Go get 'em tiger.

Comptetitive Disadvantage

I figured I would try to get in depth to a point I made earlier in regards to why the AHL is important, or should be worth your consideration and I figured it merited a longer think piece. But the point was something along the lines of everyone is on the level so the games in a way aren't that different from an NHL game.

So, what this blog is, is me emphasizing that in a bunch of different ways. It will probably be redundant. It will probably be boring. Just stay with me on this though as I try to ramble my way to what will probably amount to an insanely idiotic conclusion.

The only difference between the NHL and the AHL is the stage the games are set at. And the skills of the players, yeah, but it isn't like high school or college where some teams are really, really good, and other teams kinda suck and the good teams pick on the bad teams. They're professionals all the same, waiting to get called up. you won't encounter Olympians competing against the Bad News Bears Go to Japan. Even compared to the NHL, a greater parity can be achieved because if a player was skilled enough to be NHL ready, they would be playing there.

I'm digging a hole here, but here is where the game gets comparable. Scoring occurs due to capitalizing on weaknesses and the mistakes of the other players. It is just as hard for an AHL player to score a goal on an AHL goalie as it is for an NHL player to score a goal on an NHL goalie because their ability to assess and target weaknesses and capitalize mistakes is the same as the players on the other team. So, at each level competitive advantages and disadvantages are assessed the same. 

While NHL has the tv contract, it makes more sense to go to an AHL game because its cheaper for the ticket, cheaper for the beers, cheaper for the snacks. Unless you're a hockey scout or pro, you probably won't have the eye to discern the differences in the play because of how hockey is. Most people think they're trained to  recognize a superior product but that's because TV tells you whats going on to make you think that. At speed, it gets harder and while you can tell at times, it isn't a game like football  where there is less passing and more running at the lower levels. In an AHL game you get maybe a little bit less puck control, so its a little bit more like a national game with bad ice.

In either situation, the threat of scoring is always just as real, just as the threats of fights and hits, breakaways and saves. Is it the same as an NHL game? No, but it can be pretty close and you might not always be able tell.

I know its a hard argument to sell, and I don't know if I made it well. I probably lost some people out there. Hell, I lost myself I think. But the easier sell is, just stop thinking the results can be terribly different. They game can play out similarly and either can be just as fun if you put the same amount of heart and emotion into it.

Hall of Fame

Recently the AHL announced their own Hall of Fame nominations I am neither old enough nor have I been knowledgeable enough to be able to talk at length about any of the nominations. But it is an interesting piece of history.

Credit: AHL website

My knee jerk reaction was to think this was a really cool way to honor players and coaches and build upon the AHL's history. Second knee jerk reaction was why are people from the NHL hall of fame also being inducted? Then third knee jerk reaction was well, its whoever made the AHL special, though I'm still a bit confused at what exactly the criteria is that separates an NHL nomination from the AHL nomination. I've discussed the volatility of the league before and this was a smart way to ground the AHL a bit with names.

It seems like teams change their names, change locations, affiliations, lose players to moving up or trades. It's nice to keep track of the players who are good enough to make the AHL special, though perhaps more likely those players are probably owners, coaches or managers of AHL teams. Right now I'm trying to dig through it all to get a good glimpse of that history, though its pretty dry. They also seem to have a lot of ground to cover before they will get to the players and coaches of recent years that seem to make the Hall of Fame situation special for fans who might grow up watching the AHL. (It might even behoove them to add on a more contemporary inductee to their list to compliment more historical inductees while they get caught up.)

I would say, since its all online, pay it a visit. I'll be trying to get caught up before the season, and maybe look into doing some blogs on the history of the AHL teams / players. Ra-Ra.