2010-11 Griffiti - Issue #1

2010-11 SEASON ISSUE #1

Limited sters of o P n o i t i Ed TON & R E M M E CORY SAK JAN M U R Inside! official magazine of the grand rapids griffins

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Vol. 15, No. 1

TA B L E

O F

C O N T E N T S

StARtING LINEUP

23

23 ULtIMAtE tEAM GUY

Defenseman Greg Amadio returns to Grand Rapids after celebrating back-toback Calder Cup titles in Hershey.

31 UNCOMMON tALENt

Defenseman Brendan Smith hopes to make a name for himself on his way to earning a job in the NHL. 44 FIRE IN thE BELLY

Forward Francis Pare yearns to get a taste of the NHL.

31

53 NEW ARRIVALS

The AHL welcomes Charlotte and Oklahoma City to the fold.

ON thE BENCh 2............Next Opponents 5............Chalk Talk 6............Coming Attractions 9............Griffins Schedule 12 .........AHL Team Directory 18 .........AHL Tradition 21 .........Detroit Red Wings 28 .........Promotional Calendar 36 .........Meet the Griffins 41 .........Stanley Cup Winner

48 .........Griff's Tech Corner 50 .........Griffins Records 56 .........Community Crease 57 .........Penalty Calls 58 .........Griffins History 64 .........Arena Map/Ticket Info 68 .........It All Starts Here 71 .........Kids Page 72 .........Parting Shot

44

COVER: Defenseman Greg Amadio contends that he is a much improved player from five years ago when he last played in Grand Rapids.

Photo by Mark Newman

Griffiti magazine is published four times a year by the Grand Rapids Griffins, Van Andel Arena, 130 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI 49503. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

All contents ©2010 Grand Rapids Griffins. For advertising information, contact Griffins Sales & Marketing, (616) 774-4585; fax (616) 336-5464. Unsolicited manuscripts and other materials will not be returned.

53

NExt hOME OPPONENtS

PLAYERS TO WATCH KEiTH sEaBrooK, 22, is determined to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Brent, who celebrated a stanley Cup championship this past summer as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. seabrook, a 6-foot, 198-pound defenseman, is projected to be one of the Calgary organization’s future stars. He was traded to the Flames for future considerations by Washington, which had originally draed him in the second round in 2006.

OCt. 8 ABBOtSFORD hEAt

Colin Wilson, 21, is a young prospect who appears destined for a long career in the nHl aer being the seventh overall pick in the 2008 nHl Entry Dra. e 6-foot-1, 215-pound center is the son of Carey Wilson, who spent 10 seasons in the nHl and played for Team Canada in the 1984 olympics. His grandfather, Gerry Wilson, had a brief stint in the nHl with the Montreal Canadiens and was later the Winnipeg Jets' team doctor.

OCt. 22, NOV. 10 MILWAUkEE ADMIRALS

JEan-FranCois JaCquEs, 25, is a power forward who has spent time in Hamilton, Wilkes-Barre and springfield since the Edmonton oilers chose the Montreal native with a secondround pick in the 2003 nHl Entry Dra. Jacques, who notched 24 goals in his rookie aHl season back in 2005-06, played a career-high 49 nHl games with the oilers last season. e 6-foot-4, 217-pound le wing is recovering from the back surgery he underwent in March.

JoEl PErraulT, 27, came into Vancouver’s training camp this fall to compete for a job on the Canucks’ fourth line aer splitting the last four seasons between Phoenix and its affiliate in san antonio. originally draed by anaheim in the fih round of the 2001 nHl Entry Dra, Perrault contemplated playing in switzerland this season before signing with the Canucks. e 6-foot-1, 197-pound center has seen action in a total of 89 nHl games, recording 12 goals and 14 assists.

2 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

OCt. 29 OkLAhOMA CItY BARONS

OCt. 30, NOV. 5 MANItOBA MOOSE

arTurs KulDa, 22, entered the atlanta rashers' training camp this fall as one of the organization’s top prospects, battling for the seventh defenseman spot. a rugged 6-foot-2, 194pound blueliner out of riga, latvia, Kulda honed his skills last season playing alongside future Hall of Famer Chris Chelios. Kulda, who represented latvia at the 2010 World Championship in Germany, made his nHl debut with the rashers last season, appearing in four games.

NOV. 6 ChICAGO WOLVES

ClayTon sTonEr, 25, is a big, physical defenseman who can pack a punch. a third-round pick (79th overall) in the 2004 nHl Entry Dra, the British Columbia native appeared in eight nHl games with the Minnesota Wild in 2009-10, his fih season with the aeros. e Wild thought highly enough of the 6-foot-3, 225 pound d-man that the organization signed him to a two-year extension last March. stoner has 283 aHl games on his resume.

NOV. 19 hOUStON AEROS

JusTin MErCiEr, 23, provides an energetic, physical presence on the ice. a tenacious forechecker and strong positional player, Mercier likes to skate in heavily trafficked areas. a fouryear regular at Miami (ohio) university, the 5-11, 190-pound center saw his first nHl action last season when he appeared in nine games with the Colorado avalanche. He recorded 13 goals in 64 aHl games during his rookie season a year ago.

JaKE DoWEll, 25, hopes to prove that he’s ready to take his game to another level and earn a spot with the parent Chicago Blackhawks. a fihround pick of the Hawks in the 2004 nHl Entry Dra, Dowell is a product of the usa Hockey u-18 Developmental Program. a native of Eau Claire, Wisc., Dowell played four years of college hockey for the Badgers, winning an nCaa championship in 2006.

aDaM CraCKnEll, 25, is the proverbial late bloomer. unheralded as a junior player, he hit his stride during his fourth season with the Kootenay ice of the Western Hockey league in 2005-06, tallying 42 goals and 51 assists for 93 points in 72 games. originally a ninth-round pick of the Calgary Flames, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound right winger recorded 17 lamp-lighters last season with the st. louis Blues’ top affiliate

NOV. 20 LAkE ERIE MONStERS

NOV. 26 ROCkFORD ICEhOGS

NOV. 28 PEORIA RIVERMEN Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 3

WITH GRIFFINS HEAD COACH CURT FRASER

alance – it is the hallmark of many successful hockey teams.

B

one player cannot carry an entire club no matter how good he may be. although coaches love guys who can put the puck into the net, they also appreciate the contributions of the puck-pushing power play quarterback, the ferocious forechecker and the pesky penalty-killing specialist.

Coaches value the balance of youth and experience.

While younger players can provide the energy and enthusiasm to propel a team to great things, veterans can offer leadership, along with the knowledge and experience that only comes with years of play. e Griffins will enter the season with an exciting contingent of dynamic rookies – Brendan smith, Brian lashoff and Brent raedeke – to go with solid veterans such as Doug Janik, Greg amadio, Jamie Johnson and Chris Minard. e team feels it is well-positioned for a rebound from a disappointing 2009-10. one area in particular where head coach Curt Fraser feels the Griffins should be stronger is netminding.

“Having two young players (Daniel larsson and omas McCollum) in goal last season presented a bit of a challenge,” Fraser said. “When they both started to struggle, there was no one with experience to stabilize everything.” e return of Joey MacDonald this season should pay dividends. since leaving Grand rapids in early 2007, the veteran goaltender has seen nHl action with the Detroit red Wings, Boston Bruins, new york islanders and Toronto Maple leafs. His 88 career wins as a Griffin still rank second only to Jimmy Howard’s 90, while his 16 shutouts remain the all-time best.

“We think Joey gives us some stability in net,” Fraser said. “When things are going well, we know he’ll want to push (himself and McCollum) and when things aren’t so good, he’ll be the one that helps us get back on track.

He’s the type of player who’s going to settle everyone down. We hope Joey can keep Tommy playing at a real high level the whole year.”

How well the goaltenders perform will depend in part on the play of the Griffins’ defensive unit, a group that epitomizes the balance of youth and experience.

Expectations are high for smith, a highly skilled blueliner who was a Hobey Baker award candidate for college player of the year last season with the university of Wisconsin, and lashoff, who has played six games for

the Griffins in each of the last two seasons plus eight games in the playoffs two years ago. e pair will watch, listen and learn from a couple of well-traveled defensemen. Janik was re-signed by the red Wings aer splitting his time last season between Detroit and Grand rapids. amadio, meanwhile, returns with back-to-back Calder Cup titles in Hershey on his resume and a desire to repeat the experience while playing in Van andel arena. “you really need good leadership from guys who have been around,” Fraser said. “When Janik was called up last year aer the Wings got the injury bug, we really missed him and that’s when our struggles started. is year we think we’re going to have some really good leaders who can help these young kids.” success breeds success, and there is no better place to learn the secrets of success than Detroit and Grand rapids.

“When young players get to hang around veterans like (nicklas) lidstrom and (Kris) Draper, they get to see where they are at and where they need to be. ere are no better examples to follow into the pros than these guys, and to be able to have our young guys sit beside them is fantastic.” in the end, however, it may not be the rookies or the veterans who make the difference. Fraser said it is important that a group of second- and third-year pros shows significant improvement in its play this season. Jan Mursak and Tomas Tatar, for example, need to build on strong seasons a year ago when they scored 24 and 16 goals, respectively.

“We’re looking for guys like Frankie Pare, Cory Emmerton, logan Pyatt and sergei Kolosov to take a big step up,” Fraser said. “if we get them to raise it another level, we think we’ll be very competitive.”

Fraser is excited about his third season in Grand rapids. shortly aer the midpoint of the 2010-11 season, he will become the longest tenured coach in Griffins history.

“We’re going to have a good, strong unit and it looks like we’re going to be a really entertaining hockey team,” he said.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 5

hEAD OVER hEELS a hockey season can be topsy-turvy with many ups and downs, as wins turn into losses and vice versa. e Griffins are hoping their fans won’t experience any vertigo while turning cartwheels over the success of the 2010-11 team. it’s only appropriate then that a unique acrobatic act highlights the upcoming promotional schedule, which is packed with a long list of unique giveaways. (see page 28 for the complete list.)

RUSSIAN BAR tRIO – SUN., NOV. 28 e russian Bar Trio has nothing to do with Moscow or vodka, but instead is a remarkable performing act from quebec City, quebec, that excites crowds with its combination of circus-like stunts and olympic athleticism. originally part of the circus company Cirque Eos, the trio of Christine Bédard, Marco Dieckmann and yves Gagnon perform high-flying jumps, fantastic flips and daredevil stunts.

Dieckmann and Gagnon brace a 13-foot flexible beam between them that allows Bédard to flip high into the air and land squarely on the narrow, 4-inch-wide trampoline-like rod. e act combines the gymnastic skills of the balance beam, the rebound tempo skills of trampoline and the swing handstands skills of the uneven bars and the parallel bars.

During a performance, the act collaborates on many levels. it requires acrobats to be highly skilled in tumbling and have experience with the trampoline and/or sports acrobatics. e act requires not only physical skill, but psychological and communicative skills as well.

Featured on the third season of America’s Got Talent, the russian Bar Trio has performed over a thousand shows in the last five years, including appearances on Oprah and e Ellen Degeneres Show as well as the nBa Finals.

6 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

e russian Bar Trio “is singly the most exciting act i’ve seen in the two years i’ve been doing this show,” said America’s Got Talent host Jerry springer.

Freebies on nov. 28 include a Francis Pare Jersey Card and a Griffins logo CrazyBand giveaway presented by nordic Hot Tubs. hALLOWEEN COStUME PARtY – SAt., OCt. 30 Whether you prefer ghosts and goblins or vampires and zombies, the Griffins' annual costume party is sure to haunt your memories when the Manitoba Moose come to Van andel arena.

Fans can take advantage of Clingz schedules and a rally Towel giveaway presented by Play n Trade alpine. a post-game open skate and Huntington Bank postgame autograph session are also slated.

FAIth AND FAMILY NIGht PRESENtED BY APPLEtREE ChRIStIAN LEARNING CENtERS – SAt., NOV. 6 an aluminum water bottle giveaway highlights this special night that welcomes families for a wholly entertaining evening. Parents and kids are welcome to bring their skates for a post-game open skate. tENth ANNUAL MAtINEE GAME PRESENtED BY LAkE MIChIGAN CREDIt UNION – WED., NOV. 10 While the Griffins hope to school the Milwaukee admirals in the finer points of hockey, thousands of schoolchildren will participate in pregame presentations designed to enchance the educational experience.

Elementary students will discover topics centered on science, technology, engineering and mathematics through interactive exhibits and hands-on activities hosted by Michigan Technological university.

Meanwhile, the middle/high school career forum will focus on career strategies. West Michigan experts and professionals will share secrets and tips to help students strengthen their skills as they take their careers into the future. lake Michigan Credit union’s Director of Business and Community involvement Vickie smith will share information on the institution’s Hutt scholarship and discuss financial responsibility following high school.

ANNUAL tEDDY BEAR tOSS – FRI., NOV. 26 Bring a new stuffed animal for Hug-a-Bears of Kent County and toss it onto the ice when the Griffins score their first goal of the game against the rockford iceHogs. as with every Friday throughout the season, fans can enjoy dollar beers and hot dogs from 6-8 p.m. while supplies last.

Wherever life takes you in the Grand Rapids metro area, The Rapid has an easy, low-cost way to get you there.

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2010-11 SEASON SCHEDULE OCTOBER S 3 RFD 5:05

17 TOR 5:00

M 4 11 18 25

T 5 12 19 26

W 6 13 20 27

T

NOVEMBER S

M

T

W

T

F

S

1

2

3

4

MTB

CHI

7:00

7:00

8

9

MIL

11

12

HAM

Noon

18

HOU 7:00

7:00

25

RFD

CHI

7:00

8:00

F

S

1

2

7

ABB 7:00

9

5:00

14

MTB

MTB

HAM

8:30

8:30

4:00

21

MIL

RCH

7:00

7:35

21

22

23

28

OKC

MTB

PEO

7:00

7:00

4:00

29

30

S

M

T

LE

15

16

LE 7:00

TOR 11 A.M.

4:00

LE

31

DECEMBER S SA 4:00

TEX

M 6

T

W

T

F

1

2

MIL

SA

8:00

7:00

7

MIL

9

TEX

PEO

7:00

8:05

16

PEO

PEO

7:00

7:00

4:00

13

14

HOU

19

20

21

TOR 7:00

23

24

LE

CHI 8:00

28

29

30

TOR

4:00

7:00

S

JANUARY W

M

T

W

1

3

4

HAM

MIL

7:00

8:00

8:05

9

10

11

12

SA 8:00

25

HOU

17

TEX

5:05

19

23

24

25

RCH

30

31

S

M

T

W

8:30

7:05

2

8:00

3

7:00

7:00

9

10

OKC

OKC

OKC

17

6

7

SA

14

15

21

22

TOR

4:00

7:00

24

27

28

29

30

31

3:00

5:30

LE

LE

RFD

7:00

7:30

APRIL MIL

S RCH

7:30

28

5

F RCH

TOR

7:00

T 7

F

S

ABB

ABB

10:00

10:00

ABB

RFD

7:00

8:05

MIL 6:00

TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR FOR MORE INFO, VISIT GRIFFINSHOCKEY.COM OR CALL 1.800.2.HOCKEY

8:35

T

TEX

24

8:05

MARCH

11

7:00

4

8:35

10

23

3

PEO

7:00

1

22

W

RFD

PEO

21

T

27

LE

17

M

8:00

7:00

HAM

S

CHI

7:00

7:00

8

4:00

CHI

3

15

HAM

20

MIL

7

4:00

HOU

HAM

14

3:05

14

S

6 PEO

RFD

F

RCH

8:00

7

T

CHI

S 7:00

2

6:00

F

PEO

FEBRUARY S

T

Home

Away A way

8:05

2

7:00

7:05

8:05

LE

RCH

7:00

7:00

TEX

TEX

8:30

8:00

*All times Eastern. Dates, opponents, and times subject to change.

Post-Game Open Skate Huntington Bank Post-Game Autograph Session Fan 4-Pack Home Game Games broadcast live on

ABB – Abbotsford CHI - Chicago HAM - Hamilton HOU - Houston LE – Lake Erie MTB - Manitoba MIL - Milwaukee

OKC – Oklahoma City PEO - Peoria RCH – Rochester RFD - Rockford SA - San Antonio TEX – Texas TOR - Toronto

Dear Grand rapids Griffins Fans, Welcome to a milestone season for the Griffins franchise. at times, it’s hard to believe that we are already entering our 15th season of providing the highest level of sports entertainment in West Michigan, not to mention our 10th year of membership in the american Hockey league. since that first game on oct. 5, 1996, the Griffins have created a legacy of success, winning five division titles, making 10 playoff appearances and sending 110 players to the nHl, 13 of whom have gone on to win the stanley Cup. as proud as we are of the winning tradition we’ve established, we’re just as pleased at our continuing accomplishments off the ice. The Griffins’ front office has received three aHl awards for excellence in the last two years, winning the Western Conference’s award for fan experience in 2009-10, after being honored in the areas of community service and overall ticket sales growth in 2008-09.

Bob Kaser, whom everyone knows as the “voice of the Griffins,” received the aHl’s 2009-10 Ellery award for excellence in radio broadcasting, joining several other Griffins staffers who have won league awards through the years. While fans pay attention to player movement between Grand rapids and Detroit, one of the strengths of our organization has long been the retention of key staff, often a rarity in professional sports. Three of our current employees have been with us since before the first puck dropped, while five others have at least 10 years of service to the organization.

The most important people in our equation of success, however, are you and the thousands of other Griffins fans. Thanks to you, we finished fourth in the aHl in attendance last season, behind three markets – Hershey, Winnipeg and Chicago – whose pro hockey histories date back much further than Grand rapids’. That’s a testament to your passion and your loyalty, two things that we try to earn on a nightly basis.

We’ll continue to offer one of the most innovative promotional lineups in hockey. Check out page 28 for all the details. We also hope that this year’s two major upgrades to Van andel arena – the expansion of the northwest concourse and the installation of a state-of-the-art lED ribbon on the façade of the upper deck – enhance your game-night experience and keep you coming back for more.

Thank you for your continued support of the Griffins. on behalf of our players, coaches and staff, i hope you enjoy the 2010-11 season.

Sincerely,

Dan DeVos President & CEO Grand Rapids Griffins

10 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

DA AVID VID A A.. AN NDREWS DREWS PRESIDEN RESIDENT NT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE FFICER, ER, AMERICA MERICAN AN HOCKEY LEAGUE

American Am erican Hock Hockey ey League Leag gue One M Monarch Place – Springfield, MA 01144 0 Phone: Phone e: (413) 781-2030 Fax: (413) 733-4767 33-4767 Dear D ear Fans FFans, anss, great pleasuree ttoo welcome historic anniversary American Hockey IItt is my gr eat pleasur welcome yyou ou ttoo the hist oric 75th anniv ersary season of the A merican H ockey League.

League. This This milestone milestone provides opportunity history professional hockey. pr ovides a unique opp ortunitty ffor or a season-long ccelebration elebration of our rremarkable emarkable hist ory in pr offessional ho ckey.

O ur op ening w eekend ffestivities estivities and annd hist oric rivalry rivalry mat chups featur ffeature eature Springfield, SSpr pringfieldd, Providence, Providence, RRochester, ochesterr, Hershey, Hersheey, SSyr yracuse and Our opening weekend historic matchups Syracuse LLake ake Erie, Er Eriee, and thr oughout the seas son all of our clubs will bbee hosting eevents vents ttoo rrecognize ecognizze former former stars and AHL H all of FFamers, aamerss, and throughout season Hall the ic onic Calder Calder C up -- the symb oll of AHL supr emaccy ffor or 75 yyears ears -- will visit many of our cities as w ell. iconic Cup symbol supremacy well.

W e’re thr illed ttoo ent er this sp ecial sseason eason with an all-time high of 30 teams teams ccompeting ompetingg ffor or the 75th C alder C up championship We’re thrilled enter special Calder Cup championship..

A ational H ockey LLeague eague clubs clubbs now now ha ve their oown wn pr imary affiliates affiliates in the AHL,, further further solidifying our position position as the home Allll 30 N National Hockey have primary of the NHL op dr afft picks and fut futur ure sup erstars. LLast ast season alone orrmer first- and sec ond-round NHL dr afft picks NHL’s’s ttop draft future superstars. alone,, mor moree than 200 fformer second-round draft pla ayed in the A merican H ockey LLeague, eaaguee, and mor plaayyers sa w ac tion in bboth othh the AHL and the NHL. played American Hockey moree than 300 players saw action A recognize our past in 2010-1 11, w ok ttoo a bright bright futur wo outstandingg ne w cities as the C harlotte C heckers and Ass w wee recognize 2010-11, wee also lo look futuree in ttwo new Charlotte Checkers the O klahoma C Cit ity BBarons arons join thee league elcome those cities and their fans ttoo th he ent ertainmentt, sk ill and eexcitement xcitement of Oklahoma City league.. W Wee w welcome the entertainment, skill the AHL. W ontinue ttoo bbee pr oud of our tr a adition of de veloping the bbest est hockey hockey talent in the w orldd, with oover ver 85 ppercent ercent of ttoday’s oday’s NHL Wee ccontinue proud tradition developing world, pla ayerss, ccoaches oaches and officials having havinng honed their sk ills in the A merican Hockey Hockey LLeague, eaguee, including rreigning eigning VVezina ezina Trophy Trophy winner players, skills American RRyan yan M iller and 2010 N orris TTrophy rophyy rrecipient ecipient D uncan KKeith. eith. O ur lo oyyal fans oover ver the past st 75 yyears ears have have enjo oyyed cheer ing for for mor Miller Norris Duncan Our loyal enjoyed cheering moree than 100 futur ockey H all of Famers, Faam merss, and ha ve rooted rooted ffor or mor alder C upp champions who w ould go on ttoo ha ve their futuree H Hockey Hall have moree than 100 C Calder Cup would have names engr aved on the Stanle u as w up ell. engraved Stanleyy C Cup well.

TThe he Hershey Hersheey BBears ears ent er this seasonn as the ttwo-time wo-time def fending ending league champions af ftter e capping capping a rrecord-setting ecord-setting season with enter defending after their 11th C alder C up last JJune. une. This Thiis year’s year’s BBears ears ar oking ttoo hold off 29 other teams teamss whose ultimat Calder Cup aree lo looking ultimatee goal will also bbee the 2011 C alder Cup Cup championship. championship.

Calder W vite fans fr om acr oss the leag gue ttoo join us in H ersheey, PPa., a., the most hist oric and st toried ttown own in all of professional proffessional ho ckey, as Wee in invite from across league Hershey, historic storied hockey, w elebrate our 75th anniv ersarry with all of the sp ectacular eevents vents which will tak ace at the 2011 C apital BBlue lue Cr C ross wee ccelebrate anniversary spectacular takee pl place Capital Cross AHL A ll-Star C lassic on January January 30 and 31.

All-Star Classic O ehalf of all of our teams, teams,, thankk yyou ou again for for yyour our ccontinuing ontinuing support support and I wish yyou ou the utmost enjoyment enjooyment yment in following ffollo ollowing Onn bbehalf yyour our club thr ough what pr omises ttoo bbee another fantastic season. through promises SSincerely, incerely,

D avid A. A ndrews David Andrews PPresident resident & Chief Chief Ex EExecutive xecutive O fficer Officer A merican H ockey LLeague eague American Hockey

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 11

2010-2011 AHL DIRECTORY EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION: Bridgeport, Hartford, Manchester, Portland, Providence, Springfield, Worcester EAST DIVISION: Adirondack, Albany, Binghamton, Charlotte, Hershey, Norfolk, Syracuse, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ADIRONDACK PHANTOMS

HERSHEY BEARS

NHL AFFILIATION: Philadelphia Flyers HOME ICE: Glens Falls Civic Center (4,816) GENERAL MANAGER: Paul Holmgren HEAD COACH: Greg Gilbert ENTERED AHL: 1996-97 (as Philadelphia Phantoms) CALDER CUPS: Two (1998, 2005) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 10 of 14 2009-10 RECORD: 32-41-3-4, 71 pts.

WEB SITE: www.phantomshockey.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Washington Capitals HOME ICE: Giant Center (10,500) GENERAL MANAGER: Doug Yingst HEAD COACH: Mark French ENTERED AHL: 1938-39 CALDER CUPS: 11 (1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 61 of 72 2009-10 RECORD: 60-17-0-3, 123 pts.

WEB SITE: www.hersheybears.com

ALBANY DEVILS NHL AFFILIATION: New Jersey Devils HOME ICE: Times Union Center (6,691) GENERAL MANAGER: Chris Lamoriello HEAD COACH: Rick Kowalsky ENTERED AHL: 2006-07 (as Lowell Devils) CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 4 2009-10 RECORD: 39-31-4-6, 88 pts.

WEB SITE: www.thealbanydevils.com

BINGHAMTON SENATORS

MANCHESTER MONARCHS NHL AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Kings HOME ICE: Verizon Wireless Center (9,852) GENERAL MANAGER: Ron Hextall HEAD COACH: Mark Morris ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 8 of 9 2009-10 RECORD: 43-28-3-6, 95 pts.

WEB SITE: www.manchestermonarchs.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Ottawa Senators HOME ICE: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena (4,710) PRESIDENT: Tim Smith HEAD COACH: Kurt Kleinendorst ENTERED AHL: 2002-03 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 3 of 8 2009-10 RECORD: 36-35-6-3, 81 pts.

WEB SITE: www.binghamtonsenators.com

NORFOLK ADMIRALS

BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS

PORTLAND PIRATES

NHL AFFILIATION: New York Islanders HOME ICE: Bridgeport’s Arena at Harbor Yard (8,412) GENERAL MANAGER: Garth Snow HEAD COACH: Jack Capuano ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 6 of 9 2009-10 RECORD: 38-32-4-6, 86 pts.

WEB SITE: www.soundtigers.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Buffalo Sabres HOME ICE: Cumberland County Civic Center (6,733) GENERAL MANAGER: Darcy Regier HEAD COACH: Kevin Dineen ENTERED AHL: 1993-94 CALDER CUPS: One (1994) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 13 of 17 2009-10 RECORD: 45-24-7-4, 101 pts.

WEB SITE: www.portlandpirates.com

CHARLOTTE CHECKERS

PROVIDENCE BRUINS

NHL AFFILIATION: Carolina Hurricanes HOME ICE: Time Warner Cable Arena (6,800) HEAD COACH/ GENERAL MANAGER: Jeff Daniels ENTERED AHL: 2010-11 WEB SITE: www.gocheckers.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Boston Bruins HOME ICE: Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence (11,075) GENERAL MANAGER: Peter Chiarelli HEAD COACH: Rob Murray ENTERED AHL: 1992-93 CALDER CUPS: One (1999) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 15 of 18 2009-10 RECORD: 36-38-5-1, 78 pts.

WEB SITE: www.providencebruins.com

HARTFORD WOLF PACK NHL AFFILIATION: New York Rangers HOME ICE: XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum (9,801) GENERAL MANAGER: Jim Schoenfeld HEAD COACH: Ken Gernander ENTERED AHL: 1997-98 CALDER CUPS: One (2000) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 13 2009-10 RECORD: 36-33-6-5, 83 pts.

WEB SITE: www.hartfordwolfpack.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Tampa Bay Lightning HOME ICE: Norfolk Scope (8,725) GENERAL MANAGER: Julien BriseBois HEAD COACH: Jon Cooper ENTERED AHL: 2000-01 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 7 of 10 2009-10 RECORD: 39-35-3-3, 84 pts.

WEB SITE: www.norfolkadmirals.com

2010-2011 AHL DIRECTORY SPRINGFIELD FALCONS

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

NHL AFFILIATION: Columbus Blue Jackets HOME ICE: MassMutual Center (6,789) GENERAL MANAGER: Bruce Landon HEAD COACH: Rob Riley ENTERED AHL: 1994-95 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 6 of 16 2009-10 RECORD: 25-39-12-4, 66 pts.

WEB SITE: www.falconsahl.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Pittsburgh Penguins HOME ICE: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (8,050) GENERAL MANAGER: Ray Shero HEAD COACH: John Hynes ENTERED AHL: 1999-00 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 9 of 11 2009-10 RECORD: 41-34-2-3, 87 pts.

WEB SITE: www.wbspenguins.com

SYRACUSE CRUNCH NHL AFFILIATION: Anaheim Ducks HOME ICE: Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter (6,159) GENERAL MANAGER: Vance Lederman HEAD COACH: Mark Holick ENTERED AHL: 1994-95 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 9 of 16 2009-10 RECORD: 34-39-4-3, 75 pts.

WEB SITE: www.syracusecrunch.com

WORCESTER SHARKS NHL AFFILIATION: San Jose Sharks HOME ICE: DCU Center (6,800) GENERAL MANAGER: Wayne Thomas HEAD COACH: Roy Sommer ENTERED AHL: 2006-07 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 3 of 4 2009-10 RECORD: 49-25-3-3, 104 pts.

WEB SITE: www.sharksahl.com

TM

WESTERN CONFERENCE NORTH DIVISION: Abbotsford, Grand Rapids, Hamilton, Lake Erie, Manitoba, Rochester, Toronto WEST DIVISION: Chicago, Houston, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Peoria, Rockford, San Antonio, Texas ABBOTSFORD HEAT

HAMILTON BULLDOGS

NHL AFFILIATION: Calgary Flames HOME ICE: Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre (7,046) PRESIDENT: Tom Mauthe HEAD COACH: Jim Playfair ENTERED AHL: 2009-10 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 1 2009-10 RECORD: 39-29-5-7, 90 pts.

WEB SITE: www.abbotsfordheat.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Montreal Canadiens HOME ICE: Copps Coliseum (8,819) GENERAL MANAGER: Pierre Gauthier HEAD COACH: Randy Cunneyworth ENTERED AHL: 1996-97 CALDER CUPS: One (2007) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 11 of 14 2009-10 RECORD: 52-17-3-8, 115 pts.

WEB SITE: www.hamiltonbulldogs.com

CHICAGO WOLVES NHL AFFILIATION: Atlanta Thrashers HOME ICE: Allstate Arena (16,692) GENERAL MANAGER: Wendell Young HEAD COACH: Don Lever ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: Two (2002, 2008) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 7 of 9 2009-10 RECORD: 49-24-1-6, 105 pts.

WEB SITE: www.chicagowolves.com

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS NHL AFFILIATION: Detroit Red Wings HOME ICE: Van Andel Arena (10,834) GENERAL MANAGER: Bob McNamara HEAD COACH: Curt Fraser BEGAN PLAY: 1996-97 (IHL) ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 6 of 9 2009-10 RECORD: 34-39-3-4, 75 pts.

WEB SITE: www.griffinshockey.com

HOUSTON AEROS NHL AFFILIATION: Minnesota Wild HOME ICE: Toyota Center (8,939) GENERAL MANAGER: Jim Mill HEAD COACH: Mike Yeo ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: One (2003) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 7 of 9 2009-10 RECORD: 34-34-7-5, 80 pts.

WEB SITE: www.aeros.com

LAKE ERIE MONSTERS NHL AFFILIATION: Colorado Avalanche HOME ICE: Quicken Loans Arena (10,025) GENERAL MANAGER: David Oliver HEAD COACH: David Quinn ENTERED AHL: 2007-08 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 3 2009-10 RECORD: 34-37-1-8, 77 pts.

WEB SITE: www.lakeeriemonsters.com

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 13

2010-2011 AHL DIRECTORY MANITOBA MOOSE

SAN ANTONIO A RAMP RAMPAGE AGE

AFFILIATION: IA Va Vanncouv Canucks NHL AFFILI ATION: Vancouver u er Canucks HOME H OME ICE: ICE: MTS MTS Centre Centre (8,800) (8,8800) SSENIOR ENIOR VP/GENERAL VP/GENERAL MANAGER: MAN NA AGER: Craig i Heisinger Heisinger C raig COACH: Claaude Noel Noel HEAD C OACH: Claude ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CALD ER CUPS: None None SSEASONS EASONS IN PLAYOFFS: PLAY YOFFS: 8 of of 9 RECORD: 40-33-5-22, 87 pts. pts.

2009-10 REC ORD: 40-33-5-2, www.mo . osehockkey.c . om WEB SSITE: ITE: www.moosehockey.com

AFFILIATION: FFILIATION: Phoenix Phoenix Coyotes Coyotes e NHL A HOME H OME ICE: ICE: AT&T AT&T Center Center (6,374) GENERAL GENER RAL MANAGER: MAN NA AGER: Brad Brad Treliving Tr Treliving COACH: Ray Ray EEdwards d ards HEAD COACH: dwa ENTERED ENTER RED AHL: 2002-03 CALDER CALD E CUPS: None ER None SSEASONS EASONS IN PLAYOFFS: PLAY YOFFS: 2 of of 8 2009-100 RECORD: RECORD: 36-32-5-7, 84 ppts. ts. www.s . arampage.com WEB SSITE: I www.sarampage.com ITE:

MILWAUKEE MIL WAUKEE ADMIRALS ADMIRAL S AFFILIATION: IA Nashville Predators Preda NHL AFFILI ATI T ON: Nashville datoors H OME ICE: ICE: Bradley Bradley Center Center (17,845) HOME GENER AL MANAGER: MANAGER: Paul Paul Fenton Fentoon GENERAL HEAD C OACH: Lane Lanne Lambert Lambert COACH: ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALD ER CUPS: One (2004) CALDER SSEASONS EASONS IN PLAYOFFS: PLAY YOFFS: 8 of of 9 2009-10 REC ORD: 41-30-2-7, 41-30-2-77, 91 pts. pts.

RECORD: WEB SSITE: ITE: www.milwaukeeadmirals.com www.miilwaukeeadmir a als.com

OKLAHOMA CITY BARO BARONS ONS NHL AFFILI AFFILIATION: IA ATION: Edmonton Edmonton Oilers Oilers HOME H OME ICE: ICE: Cox Cox C Convention onvention Center Center (13,399) GENER AL MANAGER: MANAGER: Bill Bill Scott Scottt GENERAL HEAD C COACH: OACH: Todd T Toodd N Nelson elson ENTERED AHL: 2010 2010-11 11 WEB SSITE: ITE: www.okcbarons.com www.okcbarons.ccom

PEORIA RIVERMEN NHL AFFILI AFFILIATION: IA ATION: St. St. Louis Louis u Blues Bluues HOME H OME ICE: ICE: Peoria Peoria Civic Ciivicc Center Center – Carver C arver Arena Arena (9,919) GENERAL GENER AL MANAGER: MANAGER: Kevin Kevin i McDonald McDonald HEAD C COACH: OACH: Jared JJaared Bednar Bednaar ENTERED AHL: 2005-06 CALDER CALD ER CUPS: None None SSEASONS EASONS IN PLAYOFFS: PLAY YOFFS: 2 of of 5 2009-10 REC RECORD: ORD: 38-33-2-7, 38-33-2-77, 85 pts. pts.

WEB SSITE: ITE: www.rivermen.net www.rivermen.nnet

ROCHESTER AMERICAN AMERICANS NS NHL AFFILI AFFILIATION: IA ATION: Florida Florida Panthers Panthers HOME H OME ICE: ICE: Blue Blue Cross Cross A Arena rena n at at the Rochester R ochester War Wa War Memorial Memorial (7,528) (7,5528) GENERAL GENER AL MANAGER: MANAGER: Michael Michhael Santos Santos HEAD C COACH: OACH: Chuck Chuck Weber W Weeber ENTERED AHL: 1956-57 CALD ER CUPS: Six Six (1965, 1966, 1966, CALDER 1968, 1983, 1987, 1996) SSEASONS EASONS IN PLAYOFFS: PLAY YOFFS: 411 of of 54 2009-10 REC ORD: 44-33-2-1, 44-33-2-11, 91 pts. pts.

RECORD: WEB SSITE: ITE: www.amerks.com www.aamerks.com

ROCKFORD ICEHOGS NHL AFFILI AFFILIATION: IA ATION: Chicago Chicaggo Blackhawks Blackkhaawks HOME H OME ICE: ICE: Rockford Rockkfordd MetroCentre M MeetroCentre (5,767) GOVERNOR: GO VERNOR: Mark Mark Bernard Bernarrd HEAD C COACH: OACH: Bill Bill Peters Peteers ENTERED AHL: 2007-08 CALDER CALD ER CUPS: None None SSEASONS EASONS IN PLAYOFFS: PLAY YOFFS: 3 of of 3 2009-10 REC RECORD: ORD: 44-30-3-3, 44-30-3-33, 94 pts. pts.

WEB SSITE: ITE: www.icehogs.com www.iicehogs.com

TEXASS ST STARS ARS AFFILIATION: FFILIATION: Dallas Dallas a Stars Stars NHL A ICE: Cedar Cedar Park Park rk Center Center (6,863) ( ) H OME ICE: HOME GENER RAL MANAGER: MAN NA AGER: Scott Scott White Whiittee GENERAL COACH: Glen Glen Gulutzan Gulutza tzann HEAD COACH: ENTER RED AHL: 2009-10 ENTERED CALDER E CUPS: None None CALDER SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: PLAY YOFFS: 1 of of 1 SEASONS RECORD: 46-27-3-4, 99 pts. pts.

2009-100 RECORD: SITE: I www.texasstarshockey.com www.ttexasstarrshockey.com WEB SITE:

TORONTO TORO NTO MARLIES NHL A AFFILIATION: FFILIATION: Toronto Tooroontoo Maple T Maplee Leafs Leaffs HOME H OME ICE: ICE: Ricoh Ricoh C Coliseum oliseum (7,851) GENERAL GENER RAL MANAGER: MAN NA AGER: Dave Dave Nonis Nonis HEAD COACH: COACH: Dallas Dallas EEakins akiins ENTERED ENTER RED AHL: 2005-06 CALDER CALD E CUPS: None ER None SSEASONS EASONS IN PLAYOFFS: PLAY YOFFS: 3 of of 5 2009-100 RECORD: RECORD: 33-35-6-6, 78 ppts. ts.

WEB SSITE: I www.torontomarlies.com ITE: www.ttorontomaarlies.com

2010-11 PLAYOFF FORMAT Thee ttop The op ffour our teams teams in each division will qualify for for the 2011 Calder Calder Cup Cup Pla yoffs, with one possible possiblee Playoffs, eexception xception e in each conference. conference. If If the fifth-place fifth-plac th place tteam eam m in the West West Division Division finishes with mor poin o ts moree points thann the fourth-place fourth-place tteam eam in the North North Division, Division, n, it will cr oss oover ver and compete compete in the N orth Division Division on cross North playoffs. pla yoffs. Lik Likewise, ewise, if the fifth-place fifth-place tteam eam in the East D iviision finishes with more more p oints than the fourthfourrthDivision points place plac ce tteam eam in the Atlantic Atlantic D Division, ivision, it will cr cross oss oover ver and d compete compete in the A tlantic Division Division playoffs. playoffs.

Atlantic ivision Semifinals Semifinals – Best Best of Seven Seveen - W ithin each eacch 1. D Division Within first-place team team plays plays the fourth-place ffour ourth-p place division, the first-place team, while the second-place second-place team team faces faces the thirdthhirdteam, place team. team. place 2. D ivision Finals Finals – Best Best of Seven Seven 2.

Division onference Finals Finals – Best Best of Seven Seven - TThe he winner rs 3.. C Conference winners North and West West Divisions Divisions will play play for for the he of the North Western Conference Conf Confference title, title, while the championss of Western A Atlan tlantic and East Divisions Divisions will face face off for for the the Atlantic Eastern Conference Conference crown. crown.

Eastern alder Cup Cup FFinals inals – Best Best of SSeven even 4.. C Calder

14 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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HISTORY

T

he American Hockey League is excited to be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2010-11, a milestone of excellence that began in 1936 when the Canadian-American Hockey League merged with the International Hockey League to form what is today known as the AHL. Eight teams hit the ice that first season, playing in Buffalo, Cleveland, New Haven, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Springfield and Syracuse.

Frank Calder, the National Hockey League’s president at the time, was instrumental in the forming of the new league, and his name would be given to its championship trophy. The first Calder Cup was won by the Syracuse Stars, beginning a tradition that continued in 2010 when the Hershey Bears captured a record 11th AHL championship.

LEGENDS

Over the past three-quarters of a century, the American Hockey

Johnny Bower Honored Member, Hockey Hall of Fame Honored Member, AHL Hall of Fame

League has been home to some of the greatest players in the history of our sport. In fact, more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have been affiliated with the AHL during their careers. All-time greats like George Armstrong, Toe Blake, Gump Worsley, Terry Sawchuk, Glenn Hall, Brad Park, Ken Dryden and Brett Hull came through the AHL ranks and now find themselves enshrined in Toronto, and the coveted Calder Cup trophy is enscribed with the names of legendary AHL alumni like Patrick Roy, Larry Robinson, Gerry Cheevers, Andy Bathgate, Tim Horton, Al Arbour, Emile Francis, Doug Harvey and Billy Smith.

T

he American Hockey League has created its own legends as well, and in 2006 began honoring them with the formation of the AHL Hall of Fame. The fifth class of inductees, recognized in 2010, included Macgregor Kilpatrick, John Paddock, Marcel Paille and Bill Sweeney.

They join the likes of Johnny Bower, Fred Glover, Jody Gage, Willie Marshall, Frank Mathers, Eddie Shore, Bruce Boudreau, Tim Tookey and others as distinguished members of the American Hockey League Hall of Fame.

In today’s National Hockey League, more than 85 percent of the

18 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Photo: Buffalo Sabres

players are AHL alumni, including 2010 Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller and 2010 Norris Trophy recipient Duncan Keith. More than 130 AHL alumni participated in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, with 42 collecting medals including Canada’s Eric Staal and Dan Boyle, the United States’ Zach Parise and Dustin Brown, and Finland’s Mikko Koivu and Valtteri Filppula -- all former AHL All-Stars. The Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks were stocked with AHL graduates as well, among them Kris Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien, Troy Brouwer, Patrick Sharp and Antti Niemi.

Ryan Miller 2010 Vezina Trophy Winner 2005 AHL Goaltender of the Year

PLAYERS

During the 2009-10 season, more than 800 AHL alumni played in the

Photo: Chicago Blackhawks

National Hockey League, including 320 who skated in both leagues last year alone. Anaheim’s Corey Perry and Philadelphia’s Mike Richards were among the 13 AHL graduates who led their NHL teams in scoring, and former AHL All-Stars Tuukka Rask, Jaroslav Halak and Jimmy Howard were among the 26 AHL goaltending alumni who paced their NHL clubs in victories. More than 200 former first- and second-round draft picks developed their skills in the AHL last season, including breakout rookies like Logan Couture, P.K. Subban, Tyler Ennis, John Carlson and Lars Eller.

Former AHL All-Star and Calder Cup champion Patrick Sharp won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks last June.

COACHES

At the start of the 2010-11 season, the NHL featured 23 head coaches who were former AHL

bench bosses, including Joel Quenneville of the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks and 2009 Stanley Cup champion Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rookie head coaches in the NHL include Tampa Bay’s Guy Boucher and Columbus’s Scott Arniel, the last two winners of the Louis A.R. Pieri Award as the AHL’s coach of the year.

“The American Hockey League has been essential in developing my potential both as a player and as a coach.

Being able to hone my skills and improve at a high level of competition was key to reaching my goals of playing in the NHL, becoming a head coach and winning the Stanley Cup.” -- Dan Bylsma, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Penguins

FANS

Photo: Kevin Colton

The 2009-10 season saw more than 6 million fans attend AHL games

for the ninth year in a row; since 2001, AHL games have been played before more than 58 million fans in arenas across North America. The Hershey Bears paced the league by averaging more than 9,500 fans per game last year; the Lake Erie Monsters drew a franchise-high 18,626 fans for a single game in January; and a league-record 21,508 fans were part of hockey history when the Syracuse Crunch hosted the Mirabito Outdoor Classic, the AHL’s first-ever outdoor game, on Feb. 20.

An AHL-record crowd of 21,508 fans packed the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse for the Mirabito Outdoor Classic on Feb. 20, 2010.

STARS

The AHL All-Star Classic showcases the league’s top talent each

Of the 528 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Brad Boyes, Daniel Briere, Brian Campbell, Zdeno Chara, Miikka Kiprusoff, Chris Kunitz, Bobby Ryan, Martin St. Louis, Jason Spezza and Tomas Vokoun.

Sports Action Photography/AHL

year in an All-Star Skills Competition and All-Star Game. The 2011 AHL All-Star Classic will be held at Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., on January 30-31, featuring the Eastern Conference All-Stars battling the Western Conference All-Stars in a game to be televised live across the U.S. and Canada.

P.K. Subban’s memorable rookie season included a trip to the 2010 AHL All-Star Classic in Portland.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 19

速

Detroit

reD Wings

Photo: Getty Images

Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard went 37-15-10 with a 2.26 GAA and a 0.924 save percentage as a rookie last season, finishing second in voting for the NHL’s Calder Trophy and becoming the latest in a long line of former Griffins to make an impact in Hockeytown.

since the Grand rapids-Detroit affiliation began in 2002, Griffins fans have proudly watched 37 players move on to play for the red Wings – including the likes of Justin abdelkader, Jonathan Ericsson, Valtteri Filppula, Darren Helm, Jiri Hudler and niklas Kronwall – while also enjoying the opportunity to see some of Detroit’s brightest stars play at Van andel arena during conditioning stints. tOP AFFILIAtE Grand rapids Griffins (aHl)

ARENA Joe louis arena seating Capacity: 20,066

INFO Phone: (313) 394-7000 www.detroitredwings.com

StANLEY CUPS 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008

MANAGEMENt Ken Holland, Executive VP/General Manager Jim nill, VP/assistant General Manager

COAChING StAFF Mike Babcock, Head Coach Paul Maclean, assistant Coach Brad McCrimmon, assistant Coach Keith McKittrick, Video Coach Jim Bedard, Goaltending Coach

GRIFFINS WhO hAVE EARNED thEIR WINGS* Justin abdelkader, 2008-09 sean avery, 2002-03 ryan Barnes, 2003-04 Patrick Boileau, 2002-03 Darryl Bootland, 2003-04 aaron Downey, 2008-09 Matt Ellis, 2006-07 Jonathan Ericsson, 2007-08 Valtteri Filppula, 2005-06 Mark Hartigan, 2007-08 Darren Helm, 2007-08 Jimmy Howard, 2005-06 Jiri Hudler, 2003-04 Matt Hussey, 2006-07 Doug Janik, 2009-10 Jakub Kindl, 2009-10 Tomas Kopecky, 2005-06 niklas Kronwall, 2003-04 Marc lamothe, 2003-04

Josh langfeld, 2006-07 Brett lebda, 2005-06 Ville leino, 2008-09 Joey MacDonald, 2006-07 Donald Maclean, 2005-06 Darren McCarty, 2007-08 Derek Meech, 2006-07 Kevin Miller, 2003-04 Mark Mowers, 2003-04 anders Myrvold, 2003-04 Kris newbury, 2009-10 Kyle quincey, 2005-06 Mattias ritola, 2007-08 Jamie rivers, 2003-04 nathan robinson, 2003-04 stacy roest, 2002-03 Garrett stafford, 2007-08 Jason Williams, 2002-03

* not including conditioning stints for Curtis Joseph (2003-04), Chris Osgood (2005-06), Manny Legace (2005-06), Chris Chelios (2008-09) and Andreas Lilja (2009-10).

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 21

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story and photos by Mark newman

Defenseman Greg amadio returns to Grand rapids aer celebrating back-to-back Calder Cup titles in Hershey.

Whether it’s taking a punch to the head or a puck to the face, Greg amadio will do whatever takes to win. it’s better than the alternative – losing – which oen feels like a kick in the gut. in the end, it’s all about sacrificing oneself for the good of the team. Players like amadio exemplify the axiom that “teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.” it’s the spirit that is embodied in the “all for one and one for all” mantra.

Craig Kennedy, a former ontario Hockey league forward and a longtime friend of amadio, described his pal succinctly for their hometown sault ste. Marie, ontario, newspaper. “He’s the ultimate team guy,” Kennedy said. amadio credits his dad ron and older brother Terry for instilling the proper character and attitude. “it’s the way i’ve Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 23

always played hockey and it’s really the only way i when we had a great regular season. although know how to play,” he said. “When people say those things didn’t work out in the playoffs, it was a things about me, i don’t know what to say.” successful year.”

He is excited to return to the Griffins amadio bounced from iowa to Portland to organization, which he feels helped prepare him for Binghamton the next two seasons. in Portland, he the success that he would later enjoy in Hershey, played for head coach Kevin Dineen, who played where he won back-to-back Calder Cup 1,188 nHl games over his 19-year playing career. championships the last two seasons.

“He had a pretty big influence on me, even “Grand rapids gave me my first real chance and though it was only half a season,” amadio said. “He i really enjoyed the city, the fans and the people taught me how to play the game and improve, and there. Everything about it was a good experience,” showed me how to do the right things to win.” amadio said. “i love the idea that i’m coming back after a frustrating 2007-08 season in here.”

Binghamton, amadio came to Hershey, where he He is returning to the state where he attended would experience the best two years of his career. college, having “it was incredible graduated from from the day i got Michigan Tech there,” he said. “We with a degree in had a great group of industrial guys.” management and That group marketing in 2003. included team His father played captain and former hockey for the Grand rapids Huskies in the late teammate Helmer, as 1960s. well as high-scoring amadio spent center alexandre one and a half Giroux, who began seasons in the his pro career with ECHl before he the Griffins in 2001got a one-game 02 when the team audition with the was affiliated with Manitoba Moose the ottawa senators. in Dec. 2004. The Winning the Griffins came Calder Cup for the calling a month first time was an later and amadio experience amadio stayed in Grand will never forget. rapids for the “until you win it, remainder of the you can’t really know 2004-05 campaign (what it feels like). as well as the it’s not something following season. that you can He has fond describe.” memories of his amadio brought time in Grand the Cup back to rapids, particularly sault ste. Marie, the 2005-06 when the place where he first hershey became the first team since 1991 to Griffins won the learned to skate repeat as Calder Cup champions. aHl’s regular some 25 years earlier. season His father used to championship. His teammates that year included build an outdoor rink for amadio and his brother current red Wings Jimmy Howard, Jiri Hudler Terry every winter. “My dad was pretty busy with and Valtteri Filppula, as well as Tomas Kopecky, work, but whenever he had time, he’d come out Matt Ellis and Kyle quincey. with us. He had a huge influence on my “i had learned a lot from older guys like Bryan development as a hockey player.”

Helmer, Kip Miller, Travis richards and Pete He celebrated the championship with his entire Vandermeer during the previous season,” he said. family – parents, sibling, aunts, uncles and cousins – “The following year we had a great group of guys at a party held at an uncle’s home. The occasion was 24 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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captured on video for a popular youTube clip that asks “How many Coors light to fill the Calder Cup?” in the video, amadio shows his father the proper way to hold the Cup, rattles off the names of sault ste.

Marie players who are etched on its side (there’s five) and jokes that it’s the most italians that have ever touched the trophy. “Ha, i know that’s true, for sure,” he chuckles.

Winning the Cup a second time last year was just as sweet. “There was so much pressure on us right from the beginning because on paper, it was virtually the same team. luckily we had a special group of guys who were able to handle the pressure all year.”

Hershey set team records for wins (60), points (123), home wins (34), road wins (26), consecutive wins (12), consecutive home wins (24), playoff overtime wins (eight) and consecutive playoff series won (eight).

The marks for wins, home wins, consecutive home wins, playoff overtime wins and consecutive series won also established league records in the 74-year-old aHl. When the Bears dropped the first two games of the finals, amadio said Helmer helped to rally the troops.

“He got us all together in the Amadio has played for six different AhL teams. room and told us to play with heart and courage and things i wouldn’t do myself,” he said. “i like to lead by would work out. Everybody listened and just example.” responded to what he said.”

While amadio is quite vocal – his chatter and amadio might have stayed in Hershey had it enthusiasm were hallmarks of high-tempo practices not been for the fact that he has played 316 aHl in Hershey – he is not outspoken. “i’m not averse to games, which means he now qualifies as a veteran. talking to someone but it has to be the right time Teams are limited to five veterans with experience and right situation. if there’s an issue that has to be of more than 260 games. addressed, you address it.”

He is looking forward to assuming the role and amadio never hesitates to stick up for a responsibility of being a veteran with the Griffins teammate by dropping the gloves. “i don’t like to go this season. “i don’t expect anybody to do anything

26 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Amadio led the two-time defending Calder Cup champion hershey Bears in penalty minutes both seasons. looking for it, but i know that the way i play, sometimes it’s going to find you,� said amadio, who led Hershey in penalty minutes the last two seasons. “i’ve never minded doing it – that’s just part of the game, like blocking shots.� last season amadio took a puck in the kisser after a deflected pass bounced off a stick right into his face. “it hurts initially, (then) it just keeps getting worse. your lip feels like it’s about 10 times the size it normally is. But it happens. it’s just a bad bounce.�

amadio would like to think he is a better player than he was five years ago when he last played for the Griffins. “i’m still a stay-at-home, physical defenseman but i move my feet a lot more. i used to be more stationary, but (Griffins assistant coach) Jim Paek used to get all over me to keep my feet moving. i think i have better positioning now, too, and i learned how to relax a bit and not be so uptight.� at age 29, amadio knows his chances of playing in the nHl are dwindling, but they are still there. “it’s something that’s always in the back of your mind because you play with so many guys who get that chance,� he said. “i realize the percentages (are small) but it’s still the dream. it keeps me motivated.� in terms of motivation, however, it’s hard to beat the thrill of winning a team championship, whether it’s the Calder Cup or the nHl’s stanley Cup. “i enjoy winning so much that i’m willing to do anything to win, whether it’s blocking shots or dropping the gloves,� he said. “in the end, it’s so worth it.�

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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 27

MARKYOUR CALENDAR! 2010-11 GRiffiNs PROMOTiONAL sCHEDULE Oct. 8: Opening Night presented

by Comcast/Glow Bam and Clingz Schedule Giveaway

Nov. 20: Fleece Blanket Giveaway presented by Comerica

Dec. 4: Drawstring Backpack Giveaway presented by Dean Foods

Oct. 11: Third Annual Pups and Pucks Fall Walk-a-thon at Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary

Jan. 22-23: Annual Great Skate Winterfest at Rose Parks Circle in Downtown Grand Rapids

Oct. 30: Halloween Costume Party/Rally Towel and Clingz Schedule Giveaway presented by Play N Trade Alpine Nov. 5: Rally Towel Giveaway Nov. 6: Faith and Family Night presented by Appletree Christian Learning Centers/Aluminum Water Bottle Giveaway

Nov. 26: Annual Teddy Bear Toss for Hug-A-Bears of Kent County

S E A S O N - L O N G

Winning Wednesday: Every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. sunday is fun Day!: Every Sunday, enjoy $1 Cole’s Breadsticks and $1 soft 28 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Dec. 26: Jersey Card #4 and CrazyBand Giveaway presented by Jack Links/Griffins Give Back Dec. 31: 14th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration presented by Delta Imports/Team Calendar Giveaway/Jersey Auction to benefit GVSU club roller hockey Jan. 1: Inaugural New Year’s Day Game presented by Dodge/U-M & MSU-Themed Griffins Hat Giveaway

Nov. 10: 10th Annual Matinee Game presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union

College Nights presented by Chemical Bank: Every Friday, college students can show their ID to purchase a lower bowl ticket for $12 (or $10 in advance at The Zone) and stop by the McFadden’s concourse table to receive a free pass to the post-game party at McFadden’s.

Dec. 5: Jersey Card #2 and CrazyBand Giveaway presented by Cambridge Partners Dec. 12: Jersey Card #3 and CrazyBand Giveaway presented by J&H Oil

Nov. 28: Francis Pare Jersey Card and CrazyBand Giveaway presented by Nordic Hot Tubs/Appearance by the Russian Bar Trio circus act featured on America’s Got Talent

Dollar Beers and Hot Dogs: Every Friday, enjoy $1 hot dogs and $1 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last.

Jan. 22: Jimmy Howard Bobblehead Giveaway presented

by Huntington Bank/Appearance by the ZOOperstars

drinks until one hour after the start of the game. Enjoy Jersey Card and Crazy Band giveaways for the kids, live music from Jaded 8, and a post-game open skate. fan 4 Packs: For select games, receive four tickets and $12 in concession cash for a great low price. Valid for games on Nov. 28; Dec. 5, 12, 26 and 31; Jan. 1; Feb. 20; and March 20.

Visit griffinshockey.com/f4p or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2.

Library Nights: For every Sunday and Wednesday home game, fans who present their Grand Rapids Public Library card or Kent District Library card at the Van Andel Arena box office on the night of the game or at The Zone

feb. 5: Hockey Day in West Michigan presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union/Fan Vote Bobblehead Giveaway/Jersey Auction #2 feb. 20: Jersey Card #5 and CrazyBand Giveaway presented by One Communications March 5: Star Wars Night/Bottle Opener Giveaway March 19: Mascot Mania presented by Centennial Securities/Team Poster Giveaway/Jersey Auction #3 March 20: Fan Appreciation Day presented by Michigan Office Solutions/Griffins #1 Fan Sign and CrazyBand Giveaway/Appearance

by Quick Change, performers featured on America’s Got Talent April 8: Season Finale presented

by Chrysler

P R O M O t I O N S anytime during the store’s regular business hours can purchase a lower bowl ticket for just $10 - a savings of $7!

Limit four tickets per card per person.

Post-Game Open skates: Oct. 8 and 30; Nov. 6, 20 and 28; Dec. 5, 12, 26 and 31; Jan. 1 and 22; Feb. 5 and 20; March 5, 19 and 20.

Huntington Bank Post-Game Autograph sessions: Oct. 30; Nov. 20; Dec. 5 and 26; Jan. 1 and 22; Feb. 5 and 20; March 5 and 20.

MOs Corner Office presented by Michigan Office solutions: Located on the terrace level above section 118, this section provides the best seats in the house for groups of up to 30 people,

with La-Z-Boy chairs and an array of unprecedented amenities. Call (616) 774-4585.

D-ZONE Nation presented by WGRD: D-ZONE Nation citizenship includes specially priced tickets to the seven primary D-Zone games of the season, $1 beer $1 hot dog in-seat wait service from 6-8 p.m., the official D-ZONE t-shirt (exclusive to sevengame citizens) and much more. New for 2010-11, seven-game D-ZONE citizens enjoy a lower price per ticket than single-game D-ZONE buyers and avoid service fees. Go to griffinshockey.com/dzone or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 3042.

All promotions and dates subject to change.

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Defenseman Brendan smith hopes to make a name for himself on the way to earning a job in the nHl.

story and photos by Mark newman

î ˘ere are close to three million north americans named smith, with roughly about one percent (or more than 30,000) of them also sharing the first name of Brendan. in other words, it is a fairly common name that is not likely to get you noticed, so it helps to have some kind of talent or skill if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking to stand out from the crowd.

Canadian-born Brendan smith, 21, would like to make a name for himself in the nHl, but it looks like GriďŹ&#x192;ns fans are going to have the opportunity to get to know the red Wings prospect first.

continued on next page Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 31

“He’s been one of the best defensemen in college hockey, so i think he’ll be able to step into Grand rapids and make an immediate impact,” said Griffins head coach Curt Fraser. “in training camp with the Wings, he didn’t look out of place at all. if anything, he looked very strong.”

Fraser does not think smith will take long to adapt to the style of play in the aHl, thanks to his uncommon talent and the hockey smarts that he developed at the university of Wisconsin. “i don’t think he’s going to have trouble adjusting,” Fraser said.

Families in the blue-collar neighborhood of Mimico, ontario, have known the smith family for many years. ere were many times when the basement of lester and Deirdre smith was filled with boys playing with mini hockey sticks, and the outcome was almost always the same.

Brendan and his older brother rory and younger brother reilly were extraordinarily competitive and they didn’t like to lose. Ever.

“When we were younger, we were so competitive,” smith said. “We would have three or four friends over to play mini-sticks until there would be six or seven of us. By the end of the night, it would only be us three and the other kids would be upstairs crying and sitting with my parents.”

With boys being boys, things sometimes ended up getting broken. “We broke lots of stuff – vases, TVs, couches, doors – but our parents still encouraged us to keep playing. e only time we got in trouble was when we got into fights.”

Brendan and his brothers also played lacrosse. “We were actually better at lacrosse than hockey,” he said. “i loved playing lacrosse, but your options are limited if you want to turn pro. To keep the dream alive, it’s kind of a tough life. Most guys have to work double jobs.” nevertheless, smith played lacrosse into his teens. “Hockey players like Joe Smith led all NCAA nieuwendyk and Gary roberts play the defensemen in scoring sport because it’s great conditioning since you’re always running and it requires good last season. eye-hand coordination,” smith said. “But i went strictly hockey around age 16 or 17 as hockey got a little more demanding.” smith honed his offensive skills with the st.

Michael’s Buzzers of the ontario Provincial Junior a Hockey league, but it was at Wisconsin where he truly blossomed as a player while overcoming injuries to his back and wrist. under the tutelage of head coach Mike Eaves and his Badger staff, smith took significant strides defensively. “ey totally changed my game while emphasizing the little things that i never really learned until i went to college: the importance of making that first good pass, how to block shots or use your stick effectively,” he said.

“Coach Eaves uses a method called TWiG – ‘Take What is Given’ and i live by that motto. When you try to force plays, that’s when you get yourself into trouble. you need to keep things simple.” smith was the first pick of the red Wings in 2007 when the organization selected him in the first round (27th overall) of the nHl Entry Dra. as a result of being chosen so high in the dra, smith realizes expectations are high. “i’ll put pressure on myself because i want to be the best that i can be,” he said. “it fuels the fire and makes me want to produce and make the nHl even earlier. i think it’s a good type of pressure.” smith exploded with a monster season as a Wisconsin junior last year. in 42 games, he tallied 15 goals and 37 assists for 52 points, which led all nCaa defensemen in scoring and tied for sixth overall. His performance set the stage for his signing a three-year entry-level contract with the red Wings last May. “obviously i love Wisconsin and you want to come out with a degree,” said smith, who was majoring in sociology. “it was a tough decision, but aer i had done so well this past season, i was ready to be challenged more. i just think it’s the right timing for me to turn pro. i talked to my coach and he agreed.”

Days aer signing his contract, smith got into a well-publicized scrap outside a Madison home that Smith was a top-10 finalist for the hobey Baker Award given to the best college hockey player.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 33

led to a disorderly conduct charge, immediately prompting concerns among the red Wings’ faithful that Detroit might have enlisted a problem. smith insists they need not worry. “i just want people to get to know me and understand who i am, and that people can be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. “if people get to know me, i’m not like what they read on the internet.”

He plans to stay focused on his primary objective: making himself a better hockey player. “i want to come to every practice and improve myself.

Smith’s future rests on his ability to improve his defensive play.

34 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

obviously i would like to play in Detroit, but if i’m in Grand rapids, that’s great because i’m learning the system.” red Wings head coach Mike Babcock has gone on record saying that he is excited by smith’s gamebreaking ability. But Babcock knows the young defenseman faces a steep learning curve in order to develop into a more-rounded player.

“Game-breakers have a tendency to want to break the game all the time,” Babcock told a group of reporters aer a training camp practice in Traverse City this fall. “as you become a pro, you realize lots of shis, nothing happens and you wait for opportunity and then you take advantage. and then you don’t get yourself into trouble because you’re not forcing things.”

Patience will be key.

“For me, the biggest thing is being responsible defensively,” smith said. “i know my upside is my offense, so the red Wings will want to know that i’ve adapted and learned the defensive side of the game.” smith feels like he has already made giant strides. “you can always improve and get better, but i think my defensive game has already improved,” he said. “My play is 10 times better than it was a few years ago.”

He said his parents are excited that his apprenticeship will begin closer to home.

“Wisconsin was a 12-hour drive for them, so they’re kind of excited about that,” he said.

“My family is very close, so it’s awesome that they will be able to watch me even more.”

Getting the chance to make a name for himself in the pros may take time, and that’s alright by him.

“Whether i’m in Detroit or Grand rapids, it’s a win-win situation.

Either way, i’m in a great organization.”

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2010-2011

roster

19

18

GREG AMADiO Defenseman 6-2, 232 lbs.

Born: 5/13/81 sault ste. Marie, Ont.

8

JOAKiM ANDERssON Center 6-2, 198 lbs.

Born: 5/5/89 Munkedal, sweden

15 CORY EMMERTON Center 6-0, 188 lbs.

Born: 6/1/88 st. Thomas, Ont.

28 sERGEi KOLOsOV Defenseman 6-4, 217 lbs.

Born: 5/22/86 Novopolotsk, Belarus 36 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

4

17 WiLLiE COETZEE forward 5-10, 186 lbs.

Born: 11/7/90 Maple Ridge, B.C.

33 iLARi fiLPPULA forward 5-11, 191 lbs.

Born: 11/5/81 Vantaa, finland

32

10 DOUG JANiK Defenseman 6-1, 215 lbs.

Born: 3/26/80 Agawam, Mass.

31 BRiAN LAsHOff Defenseman 6-3, 204 lbs.

Born: 7/16/90 Albany, N.Y.

TRAVis EHRHARDT Defenseman 5-11, 203 lbs.

Born: 4/12/89 Calgary, Alta.

JAMiE JOHNsON Center 5-11, 185 lbs.

Born: 1/3/82 Port franks, Ont.

35 JOEY MacDONALD Goaltender 6-0, 197 lbs.

Born: 2/7/80 Pictou, N.s.

THOMAs McCOLLUM Goaltender 6-2, 210 lbs.

Born: 12/7/89 Cambria, N.Y.

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44

14 DEREK MEECH Defenseman 5-11, 200 lbs.

Born: 4/21/84 Winnipeg, Man.

9

1 fRANCis PARE Right Wing 5-10, 188 lbs.

Born: 6/30/87 Lemoyne, Que.

12

JAN MURsAK Right Wing 5-11, 184 lbs.

Born: 1/20/88 Maribor, slovenia

16 JORDAN PEARCE Goaltender 6-1, 195 lbs.

Born: 10/10/86 Anchorage, Alaska

7 BRENT RAEDEKE forward 6-0, 190 lbs.

Born: 5/29/90 Regina, sask.

22

13

CHRis MiNARD forward 6-1, 200 lbs.

Born: 11/18/81 Owen sound, Ont.

3 sEBAsTiEN PiCHE Defenseman 6-0, 194 lbs.

Born: 2/4/88 La sarre, Que.

25 BRENDAN sMiTH Defenseman 6-2, 190 lbs.

Born: 2/2/89 Mimico, Ont.

JORDAN OWENs Left Wing 6-0, 189 lbs.

Born: 5/1/86 Toronto, Ont.

LOGAN PYETT Defenseman 5-10, 200 lbs.

Born: 5/26/88 Regina, sask.

27 JAMiE TARDif Right Wing 6-0, 200 lbs.

Born: 1/23/85 Welland, Ont.

TOMAs TATAR Left Wing 5-10, 179 lbs.

Born: 12/1/90 ilava, slovakia

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 37

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Former Griffins equipment assistant Jim heintzelman spent a day with the Stanley Cup on the shores of Gun Lake.

gooD going! griffins Alum CelebrAtes stAnley Cup ChAmpionship

Wayne Gretzky, following the advice of his father, knew to skate where the puck was going, not where it had been.

Chicago Blackhawks equipment assistant Jim Heintzelman is no Gretzky, but he would be the first to admit that he has had a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Heintzelman, who previously served as the Griffins' assistant equipment manager (2003-07) and visiting locker room attendant (1998-03), will have his name etched on the stanley Cup aer Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 41

tending to the needs of the nHl champion Blackhawks in his first season at the nHl level. “i feel really fortunate,” he said, standing alongside hockey’s holy grail during a private celebration at Bay Pointe inn in shelbyville in early september. “i have to thank the Griffins organization for giving me my start. i wouldn’t be here without them.”

Heintzelman, a graduate of Wyoming Park High school, was just another hockey fan when current Griffins equipment manager Brad ompson (who also graduated from Wyoming Park) first recruited him out of the stands. “i knew Brad (who was the equipment assistant at the time) and he needed someone in the locker room, so i came down and helped,” he recalled. “i guess i did okay because he asked if i would be interested in working the rest of the season.”

Eventually he worked his way into the assistant’s job a couple of years aer ompson himself was promoted, although Heintzelman admits that he didn’t feel so fortunate at the time. “i didn’t feel lucky because i was losing my uaW factory job – all the work was going down south,” he said. “so i jumped ship when i was offered the position because (working in hockey) was something i loved.”

Heintzelman spent nine seasons with the Griffins before he landed the equipment manager’s position with the rockford iceHogs, aHl affiliate of the Blackhawks, beginning with the 2007-08 season. Two years later, he got the call to come to Chicago. “it’s a pretty big step,” Heintzelman said, comparing the difference between the nHl and aHl. “e work is about the same, but the demands are heightened because there is so much more pressure and media exposure, especially during the playoffs when there is so much riding on every game.” e Blackhawks had a storybook season, ending a 49-year championship drought by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games during the stanley Cup Finals. “it was unbelievable,” he said. “(Before Game 6) i was so nervous, i couldn’t eat. i had a hard time even watching the game behind the bench. i

wanted to win so bad, but it was out of my control.”

While the Blackhawks were confident, there was no air of inevitability about the team’s Cup run, according to Heintzelman. “We struggled for a little bit, but once (goalie antti) niemi took over, you could see the confidence building. We felt we had such a good offense that we always had a chance no matter what the deficit or how the game was going.”

Winning the Cup was even better than he could have ever imagined. Getting to hoist the hallowed hardware on the ice aer the Cupclinching win is something he will never forget.

“When i got my turn, the adrenalin was going so hard that i probably could have held it up there for an hour.” e scene inside the locker room was pure bedlam. “at was the best part,” he said. “it wasn’t a huge room – everybody was shoulder to shoulder – and people were cheering and yelling and spraying champagne and beer everywhere. it was a madhouse but a lot of fun.” an estimated two million people turned out to congratulate the Blackhawks when the players and front office personnel rode double-decker buses through downtown Chicago for the city’s ticker-tape parade and rally. “i don’t know if the two million is true or not, but the amount of people there was insane,” said Heintzelman, who was thankful that his brother, sister-in-law and their kids were able to join the celebration. “e parade was pretty wild. i think i had goose bumps the whole way.”

While the Blackhawks are anxious to defend their title, Heintzelman says he is looking forward to an nHl campaign that should be a little less hectic and much less stressful than his rookie season.

“We started last season in Europe with a couple of games in Finland, then we had the compressed schedule due to the olympics and then the long playoff run,” he said. “it was an unbelievable experience, but it seemed like it was non-stop.” “i’m excited just to get back to a normal schedule this year.”

“It’s a pretty big step,” Heintzelman said, comparing the difference between the NHL and AHL.

42 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 43

Forward Francis Pare yearns to get a taste of the NHL.

story and photos

by Mark newman 44 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Francis Pare is determined to be a hungrier hockey player this season.

His hankering began this summer when he changed physical trainers and moved back home. He wanted to concentrate on getting his career back on a track that he hopes will bring an opportunity to play in the national Hockey league. “i had a great summer to be honest with you,” he said. “it’s always good to be home, so i went back to Montreal and stayed with my family. i kept a diet and my mom cooked all the meals. no more McDonald’s. no more beer. i was eating a lot more vegetables and lost some fat.” e result is that Pare is now leaner and, if not meaner, at least more determined than ever to succeed. He knows his contract expires aer this season and that his performance in 2010-11 will likely decide whether the red Wings show even a nibble of interest. “i worked out seriously this summer,” he said, noting that he abstained from skating while working out in the gym twice a day. “obviously i want to sign a new contract with the Wings, so i have to play my best.”

Watching what he ate was only one part of his off-season regimen, but his belt-tightening diet was a critical component in his efforts to buckle down. He even showed the willpower to avoid poutine, which are French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and covered in gravy.

Well almost.

“My favorite dish is poutine, but it’s way too fat, so i ate a lot of chicken and Caesar salad,” he said. “But there is no poutine in the states, so i had to get at least some in my body to hold me through the winter.” in pure hockey terms, Pare would be the first to admit that last season was hard to stomach. He went the first 21 games of the year without a goal. “i had never been through anything like that before,” he said. “it was unbelievable. Fortunately i learned a lot out of it and i’m ready to go this year.”

Pare knew he wasn’t the first hockey player to squeeze the stick a little too tightly in hopes of putting the biscuit in the basket, but that knowledge provides little comfort. as a natural goal scorer – he tallied 54 goals in his final junior season before turning pro in 2008 – he struggled mightily to understand what was wrong. “i was talking to my dad every single day. He told me to keep shooting, keep it simple and stay positive – just keep good thoughts in my head,” Pare said.

“When you start thinking negative stuff, that’s when you’re done. unfortunately, the negative stuff went through my head for a long time and i got away from the things that i had done the year before. i wasn’t playing my game – i was just looking for a goal.”

Griffins head coach Curt Fraser provided some necessary encouragement. “i think what happened to him was a fluke because Pare has recorded the Griffins’ best plus-minus there’s no way you can keep a player of his ability off the rating in each of the past two seasons.

board for that long,” Fraser said. “i told him, ‘Just keep going. We’re not changing our mind about you. We know you can do it.’ it was just reinforcing the positive things because we know how good a player he is.”

Hearing that kind of verbal support was important, Pare said.

“When coach talked to me that helped, but we’re pros and you’ve got to get through it by yourself,” Pare said. “nobody’s going to take you by the hand and put the puck into the net for you. But it was good to know that my family, friends and teammates were there for me.” in fact, Pare’s secret santa had planned to present him with a puck for a free goal, but he spoiled the surprise when he finally scored on a penalty shot the night before the Griffins’ gi exchange. “e joke was over, but i was happy,” he said.

Pare may have been feeling pressure or at least some sense of responsibility to outperform. in april 2009, red Wings general manager Ken Holland signed Pare to a two-year entry level contract that would allow him to hone his skills in Grand rapids.

“Ever since i was three years old, my dream has been to play in the nHl,” he said. “When i signed the contract with the Wings, i was very proud because it was a great achievement for my family. ey had made a lot of sacrifices and spent a lot of energy on me, so it was very moving.” up until last year’s disastrous start, Pare had done everything in his power to prove to Detroit that he deserved an opportunity. His rookie season in 2008-09

Pare won the Michel Briere trophy as the MVP in the Quebec Major Junior hockey League for 2007-08.

46 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

had seen him record 24 goals and 24 assists in 63 aHl games. in addition, his plus-minus rating, which demonstrates a player’s ability to be defensively responsible on the ice, was a team-best plus-23 during his rookie year. He led the Griffins with a plus-19 rating last season, becoming the first player to ever pace Grand rapids in consecutive seasons. “i’m not the best player on defense, but i try to work hard every time that i touch the ice,” Pare said. “i just try to play both sides of the zone.”

While it is his offensive talents that may ultimately give Pare a shot at the nHl, he is far from being a defensive liability, according to his coach.

“He’s just a plus player all the time,” Fraser said. “He’s more than capable of putting up huge numbers. i think he’s going to have a great year. He’s a special player.”

Pare would like nothing more than to show that his coach’s faith is not misplaced. He is not going to get hung up on numbers, whether this year’s or last season’s.

“My attitude coming into this season is to forget about last year,” Pare said. “i’m just going to take it one practice, one game and one day at a time.” and that, he hopes, is a recipe for success.

After a 21-game goal drought to open last season, Pare scored 16 goals over his last 37 games.

JOIN THE

GRIFFINS KIDS CLUB!

Membership for kids 12 and under includes: • Official kids Club t-shirt • Free ticket to a Griffins game • Members-only kids Club parties • Monthly newsletters and contests • And more!

For more information, visit the Griffins kids Club Booth located at the top of the stairs near section 101, go to griffinshockey.com, or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 3038.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 47

griff’s teCh Corner Have you visited the new griffinshockey.com yet? launched on the eve of training camp, the Griffins’ revamped home on the web features a cleaner and sharper design with improved content, expanded team coverage, easier navigation and better organization.

e home page provides expanded coverage of the Griffins through an embedded GriffVision video player, a multimedia/social media hub that includes a link to the team’s new blog, and a featured-article area. roughout the 2010-11 season, these elements will be frequently updated with player interviews, offthe-ice features and in-depth articles about the team,

giving fans an enhanced look at their favorite Griffins players and Detroit red Wings prospects. in addition, the home page offers fans quick and easy access to ticket deals, promotions and scheduling information, including a one-stop shop for tickets in the Buy Tickets now area. Fans can also view live status updates from the Griffins’ Facebook and Twitter pages, making it easier to “like” or “follow” the team and be granted access to deals found only on these social media sites.

Griffinshockey.com continues to offer extensive photo galleries through Flickr, free subscriptions to the Griff info news/information service, an in-depth roster page with detailed bios of each player, and the most recent news and coverage of the team. e site also remains the preferred portal for Griffins fans to order tickets, access live audio and video webcasts, shop for team merchandise, and view live scores from around the aHl. WhAt IS thIS? it’s called a qr code, and you’ll see them throughout the pages of Griffiti this season. Take a picture of one with your smartphone to access multimedia content that supplements the stories and features you find in the magazine.

For example, want to sit in on Greg amadio’s day

YOUR SEARCh IS JUSt BEGINNING e Griffins Toolbar is now available for internet Explorer or Firefox users, giving you a new way to stay connected.

Designed to make your life on the internet easier, this free toolbar offers shortcuts to the most popular pages at griffinshockey.com, along with a yahoo search box that has an adult filter to make it safer for children.

48 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

e Griffins Toolbar will not replace any of your existing toolbars. ere are no pop-ups, adware, spyware or any other annoyances or threats to your privacy, and it’s quick and easy to download (and remove, if necessary).

Visit griffinshockey.com today to download your toolbar!

with the Calder Cup in 2009? use the code on page 27.

Want a sneak preview of the amazing russian Bar Trio, who will perform at the nov. 28 Griffins game? Turn to page 6. if you’ve never used a qr code before, you’ll need to install a qr scanner app on your smartphone. search the Web for "qr reader" and the model of your phone to find a scanner app; they're available for the iPhone, Windows Mobile, nokia, BlackBerry, and other app-based phones with a camera built in. We like the one available at i-nigma.com, but feel free to find the app that works for you.

GEt thE GRIFFINS IPhONE/ANDROID APP! Get the all new official Griffins iPhone and android app!

Everything about your favorite aHl team is now available in the palm of your hand…for free! stay up to date on our schedule, merchandise, roster and much more.

OnveBil oiurLlaEtest GheOGriiffiNns aGre seM t to u f a version o

ile, g, GriffMob e tech offerin mized for th ti p o ey.com griffinshock of smartphones and ens r smaller scre October, ou unching in La . r Cs e P tt t e le b tab e for a will provid ns mobile site r Griffins fa fo ce n e ri e xp e g browsin on the go.

T

Griffins iPhone/Android App Features: • Schedule • Promotions and game details • Coupons • Exclusive photos • Videos • team and front office roster • Directions to every game • Store • Van Andel Arena seating maps and information • team history available now through the Griffins’ website at griffinshockey.com/app, on iTunes, or at the android Market.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 49

(rough october 7, 2010)

GRIFFINS ALL-tIME LEADERS GAMES PLAYED 1. Travis richards...............655 2. Michel Picard .................364 3. ryan oulahen.................302 4. Darryl Bootland .............293 5. Matt Ellis .........................282 6. Dave Van Drunen ..........280 7. Derek King......................264 8. Evan McGrath ................262 9. Tomas Kopecky ..............243 10. Jamie Tardif.....................239

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GOALS Michel Picard .................158 Kip Miller..........................75 Derek King........................73 Darryl Bootland ...............72 Matt Ellis ...........................69 Jiri Hudler .........................65 Tomas Kopecky ................63 Donald Maclean..............62 slava Butsayev ..................61 Travis richards.................56

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ASSISTS Michel Picard .................222 Travis richards...............182 Kip Miller........................133 Derek King......................130 Jiri Hudler .......................114 Glen Metropolit................88 Jeff nelson .........................87 Matt Ellis ...........................84 Tomas Kopecky ................75 Ed Patterson......................75

SINGLE SEASON tOP tEN POINTS Michel Picard................101 .....................1996-97 Jiri Hudler .......................96 .....................2005-06 Jeff nelson .......................89 .....................1996-97 Donald Maclean............88 .....................2005-06 Michel Picard..................84 .....................2002-03 Derek King ....................*83 .....................2000-01 Mark Mowers..................81 .....................2002-03 Glen Metropolit..............81 .....................1998-99 Darren Haydar................80 .....................2008-09 Eric Manlow....................73 .....................2005-06

ASSISTS 1. Jiri Hudler .......................60 .....................2005-06 2. Jeff nelson .......................55 .....................1996-97 Michel Picard..................55 .....................1996-97 4. Glen Metropolit..............53 .....................1998-99 5. Michel Picard..................52 .....................2002-03 6. Derek King ......................51 .....................2000-01 7. Valtteri Filppula..............50 .....................2005-06 8. Darren Haydar................49 .....................2008-09 9. Eric Manlow....................48 .....................2005-06 stacy roest ......................48 .....................2002-03

GOALS Donald Maclean ..........*56 .....................2005-06 Michel Picard..................46 .....................1996-97 Jiri Hudler .......................36 .....................2005-06 Mark Mowers..................34 .....................2002-03 Jeff nelson .......................34 .....................1996-97 6. slava Butsayev.................33 .....................2000-01 Michel Picard..................33 .....................1999-00 8. Jeremy Williams .............32 .....................2009-10 Tomas Kopecky ..............32 .....................2005-06 Michel Picard..................32 .....................2002-03 Derek King ......................32 .....................2000-01 *Led League

PENALTY MINUTES Darryl Bootland ...........390 .....................2005-06 Matt ruchty ..................364 .....................1996-97 Chris neil ......................354 .....................2000-01 Wade Brookbank..........337 .....................2001-02 Darryl Bootland ...........336 .....................2004-05 Darcy simon .................327 .....................1996-97 Peter Vandermeer ........310 .....................2004-05 Bruce ramsay ...............310 .....................1997-98 9. Bruce ramsay ...............306 .....................1996-97 10. Chris neil ......................301 .....................1999-00

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GRIFFINS’ ALL-tIME LEADERS IN GOALtENDING WINS

JIMMY hOWARD (90)

JOEY MACDONALD (88)

50 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

MIkE FOUNtAIN (55)

MARC LAMOthE (54)

DANIEL LARSSON (45)

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SAVOR... savorâ&#x20AC;ŚGrand Rapids, the food service provider for the Van Andel Arena is teaming up with fifth Third Bank in the operation of the Restaurant located on the lower level of the Arena. This new opportunity is for all patrons to enjoy the delicious food and atmosphere that the fifth Third Bank Vault has to present.

Please join us in celebrating this partnership by cutting out the coupon at right. Be sure to make your reservations in advance as space is limited.

52 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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neW

Former GriďŹ&#x192;ns defenseman todd Nelson was hired by the Edmonton Oilers to be the head coach of their AhL aďŹ&#x192;liate in Oklahoma City.

the Ahl WelComes ChArlotte AnD oklAhomA City to the folD. a couple of historic nicknames and another name familiar to West Michigan hockey fans highlight the arrival of new aHl teams in Charlotte and oklahoma City this season.

The Charlotte Checkers, who begin play in the aHl as the affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, borrowed their identity from the team of the same name that competed in the ECHl from 1993-94 until last season. actually, the moniker goes back even further.

Hockey history buffs may remember that there was a team called the Charlotte Checkers that played in the Eastern Hockey league and southern Hockey league from 1956 to 1977.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 53

With their home ice at Time Warner Cable arena in Charlotte, the Checkers are led by Jeff Daniels, who was named head coach and general manager, and Geordie Kinnear, who was hired to be the team’s assistant coach.

Daniels, 41, is entering his 13th season with the Carolina Hurricanes and third year as the head coach and general manager of the team’s aHl affiliate. Prior to his current position, he spent four seasons with the Hurricanes as an assistant coach, helping guide the team to a stanley Cup championship in 2006.

During his 15-year professional playing career as a forward, Daniels spent time with Pittsburgh, Florida, nashville and Carolina. in 425 nHl regular-season games, he scored 17 goals and 26 assists, while adding three goals and five assists in 41 playoff games. The oshawa, ontario, native also won a stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 1992, as a teammate of Griffins assistant coach Jim Paek.

Meanwhile, the oklahoma City Barons are led by general manager Bill scott, who worked in the aHl office for four seasons. as director of hockey operations for the aHl, scott was responsible for creating the league schedule, assisting in determining player fines and suspensions, supervising aHl games in the regular season and playoffs, and interpreting bylaws, regulations and CBa for the member teams.

He also oversaw all on-ice and off-ice officials and managed the on-ice branding program for the league. scott, who was born and raised in unionville, ontario, graduated from Michigan state university with a bachelor’s degree in business management in 2003. He started his career as an intern with the nashville Predators in their hockey operations department.

The Barons are the aHl affiliate of the Edmonton oilers and play their home games at the newly renovated Cox Convention Center.

The head coach in oklahoma City is Todd nelson, who is assisted by Gerry Fleming.

Fleming served as an assistant coach last season with springfield, the oilers’ former aHl affiliate, under rob Daum. nelson, 41, was the first player signed by the Grand rapids Griffins before the team’s inaugural season in 1996-97. He played 236 games with the

Griffins before finishing his career as a playerassistant coach with the Muskegon Fury in 2001-02.

He served as a Griffins assistant coach under Danton Cole in 2002-03 before becoming the head coach of the Fury. in Muskegon, he won back-to-back championships in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and compiled an overall record of 149-58-0-9. nelson spent two years as an assistant coach with the aHl’s Chicago Wolves, then served as an assistant coach with the nHl’s atlanta Thrashers during the past two seasons. Prior to landing the Barons job, he had interviewed for the head coach position with the Edmonton oil Kings, the junior hockey team owned by the same group that owns the nHl’s oilers.

The oilers made a major effort this summer to deepen their ranks and bolster the Barons, signing the likes of alex Giroux, Brad Moran, Ben ondrus and shawn Belle. “i think the emphasis is on development and a lot of people agree that winning is a part of development,” nelson told the Edmonton sun. “you want players to feel good about themselves, so if they get called up to play in the nHl, they can bring that winning attitude with them. That’s very important.

“We think we’ll have some good veteran presence there with some character, and it’s going to help us a lot.”

This will be the third time that the aHl will count a team called the Barons among its ranks.

The Cleveland Barons first played in the aHl from 1937 to 1973. The name was reclaimed by the former san Jose sharks’ aHl affiliate from 2001 to 2006.

There was also a Cleveland Barons team that played two seasons in the nHl from 1976 to 1978. The team merged with the financially troubled Minnesota north stars before the 197879 season, retaining the latter’s name.

The aHl also welcomes a third new team this season in the albany Devils, who relocated from lowell and assumed the city’s hockey mantle from the river rats. The Devils share the name of their nHl affiliate in new Jersey.

“We think we’ll have some good veteran presence there with some character, and it’s going to help us a lot.”

54 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 55

Community CreAse

5

What We Did During Our Summer Vacation ere comes a time in every hockey season when the games end and the ice must melt, but summer isn’t much of an offseason for Griff and the Griffins staff, who stay busy throughout the warmer months by making dozens of community appearances throughout West Michigan. Here’s just a sampling.

PhOtOS: 1. Grand Cycling Classic 2. Griffins Youth foundation Golf Classic 3. ArtPrize 2010 4. Habitat for Humanity Build

1

6

5. fourth of July Parades 6. Lids at the Library 7. Bike Rodeos 8. Playhouse Dedication at Ronald McDonald House

21 7

3

4 8

2010-11 GRIFFINS COMMUNItY EVENtS Oct. 11, 2010

Pups & Pucks Fall Walk-a-thon (Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary)

Oct. 18, 2010

Griffins Booster Club Meet the team Dinner

Jan. 22-23, 2011 Great Skate Winterfest (Rosa Parks Circle) for information on these and many other events, please visit griffinshockey.com.

56 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

NhL AFFILIAtIONS ottawa senators 1999-2002, Detroit red Wings 2002-Present

SEASON RECORDS (IhL 1996-2001, AhL 2001- Present) YEAR 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

GP 82 82 82 82 82 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80

W 40 38 34 51 53 42 48 44 41 55 37 31 43 34

L 30 31 40 22 22 27 22 28 35 20 32 41 25 39

T 11 8 8 –

OTL 4 0 2 0 2 1 6 2 6 3

SOL 12 13 8 9 3 2 4 5 6 6 4

PTS 92 89 76 111 113 95 106 96 86 115 85 70 98 75

GF 244 225 256 254 279 217 240 195 200 323 226 210 255 244

GA 246 242 281 200 196 178 177 166 200 247 244 245 226 265

FINISH 10 of 19 11 of 18 15 of 16 2 of 13 1 of 11 4 of 27 2 of 27 5 of 28 17 of 28 1 of 27 17 of 27 25 of 29 8 of 29 26 of 29

G R I F F I N S A L L - S tA R S 1996-97

Jeff Nelson, Michel Picard, Pokey Reddick

1997-98

Ian Gordon, kerry huffman, Michel Picard

1998-99

Robert Petrovicky, Maxim Spiridonov

1999-00

John Gruden, Jani hurme, kevin Miller, Petr Schastlivy

2000-01

Mike Fountain, Joel kwiatkowski, travis Richards, todd White

2001-02

Chris Bala, John Gruden, kip Miller, Martin Prusek, Petr Schastlivy

2002-03

Mark Mowers, Marc Lamothe

2003-04

Jiri hudler, Niklas kronwall, travis Richards, Nathan Robinson

2004-05

Niklas kronwall, Joey MacDonald

2005-06

Valtteri Filppula, Jiri hudler, Donald MacLean

2006-07

kip Miller, Derek Meech

2007-08

Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy howard

2008-09 2009-10

Jakub kindl, Daniel Larsson Patrick Rissmiller

58 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

2005 All-Star Joey MacDonald Photo by: Jim McIsaac

2008 All-Star Jimmy howard Photo by: JustSports Photograph y

SEASON LEADERS

(* = led league)

SCORING 1996-97 . . . . . Michel Picard ...........................101 points 1997-98 . . . . . Michel Picard.............................69 points 1998-99 . . . . . Glen Metropolit .........................81 points 1999-00 . . . . . Michel Picard.............................68 points 2000-01 . . . . . Derek King...............................83 points* 2001-02 . . . . . Kip Miller ..................................56 points 2002-03 . . . . . Michel Picard.............................84 points 2003-04 . . . . . Michel Picard.............................54 points 2004-05 . . . . . Niklas Kronwall .........................53 points 2005-06 . . . . . Jiri Hudler .................................96 points 2006-07 . . . . . Kip Miller ..................................72 points 2007-08 . . . . . Carl Corazzini.............................60 points 2008-09 . . . . . Darren Haydar ...........................80 points 2009-10 . . . . . Jeremy Williams.........................63 points GOALS 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

. . . . . Michel Picard.......................................46 . . . . . Michel Picard.......................................28 . . . . . Glen Metropolit ...................................28 . . . . . Michel Picard.......................................33 . . . . . Slava Butsayev ....................................33 . . . . . Petr Schastlivy ....................................22 . . . . . Mark Mowers.......................................34 . . . . . Kevin Miller.........................................27 . . . . . Eric Manlow.........................................21 . . . . . Donald MacLean.................................56* . . . . . Matt Ellis ............................................26 . . . . . Carl Corazzini.......................................24 . . . . . Darren Haydar .....................................31 . . . . . Jeremy Williams ..................................32

PENALTY MINUTES 1996-97 . . . . . Matt Ruchty ......................................364 1997-98 . . . . . Bruce Ramsay ....................................310 1998-99 . . . . . Jared Bednar .....................................220 1999-00 . . . . . Chris Neil...........................................301 2000-01 . . . . . Chris Neil...........................................354 2001-02 . . . . . Wade Brookbank ...............................337 2002-03 . . . . . Ryan Barnes ......................................151 2003-04 . . . . . Ryan Barnes, Darryl Bootland .............175 2004-05 . . . . . Darryl Bootland .................................336 2005-06 . . . . . Darryl Bootland .................................390 2006-07 . . . . . Darryl Bootland .................................222 2007-08 . . . . . Kyle Quincey......................................149 2008-09 . . . . . Aaron Downey ...................................126 2009-10 . . . . . Paul Crosty ........................................170 GOALTENDING WINS 1996-97 . . . . . Pokey Reddick ..........................(30-14-10) 1997-98 . . . . . Ian Gordon.................................(23-16-4) 1998-99 . . . . . Neil Little ..................................(18-21-5) 1999-00 . . . . . Jani Hurme ................................(29-15-4) 2000-01 . . . . . Mike Fountain ..........................(34-10-6)* 2001-02 . . . . . Martin Prusek..............................(18-8-5) 2002-03 . . . . . Marc Lamothe ..........................(33-18-8)* 2003-04 . . . . . Joey MacDonald .........................(22-12-3) 2004-05 . . . . . Joey MacDonald .........................(34-29-2) 2005-06 . . . . . Jimmy Howard .............................(27-6-2) 2006-07 . . . . . Jimmy Howard ...........................(21-21-3) 2007-08 . . . . . Jimmy Howard ...........................(21-28-2) 2008-09 . . . . . Daniel Larsson ...........................(22-12-2) 2009-10 . . . . . Daniel Larsson ...........................(23-24-2)

2008 All-Star Jonathan Ericsson Photo by: JustSports Photograph y

2004 All-Star Jiri hudler Photo by: BBS Dave kaye

2005 All-Star Niklas kronwall Photo by: Jim McIsaac

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 59

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Rochester Roc R och chester hes h est ste er

Binghamton Binghamton h ha amton ton

Grand Gr rra and R Ra Rapids ap pid ds

Manchester Ma anche c est ster M t r

Bridgeport Br rid dge geporrt

W Wilkes-Barre ilk kes--Barre r Rockford R oc ckf kford f rd C Cleveland Cl le eve velland d Hershey H e errsh hey y P Peoria eori rria a

Chicago Chi icago Wolves o Wolves Charlotte Ch Cha arlo rlottte e

Oklahoma Okl O la ah ho oma ma C Ci City ity ty y

Peoria Rivermen Lake Erie Monsters Cedar C Ce ed darr P Park Parrk

San Sa an A Antonio nto n on niio o

Char harl arlott ttte t Charlotte Checker k rs Checkers Bridgeport Sound Tigers Tigers Oklahoma City Barons

64 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

San Antonio Rampage

Texas Texas Stars

Houston Aeros

Keep your team healthy.

At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, we believe that being physically active and eating right are vital to a long, healthy life — especially for your family. It’s why we fund programs that encourage families and educate kids to eat right, stay fit and make smart decisions about health. It’s also why we created an online community devoted to a healthier future for Michigan. Because good health isn’t just about your personal health, it’s about the health of your community, your business and even Michigan’s health care system.

To join the conversation, just go to aHealthierMichigan.org.

Leading Michigan to a healthier future.

SM

it All stArts here 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Matt Ellis

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

kevyn Adams

17 18 19

Pavol Demitra 3/17/97 STL at PHX Kevyn Adams 10/1/97 TOR vs. WSH Tyler Moss 10/28/97 CGY vs. PIT Michel Picard 1/6/98 STL at SJ Jeff Nelson 10/10/98 NSH vs. FLA Patrick Traverse 10/10/98 OTT at COL Mark Greig 1/7/99 PHI vs. NYI Radim Bicanek 2/1/99 OTT at VAN Robert Petrovicky 2/15/99 TB at NYI Andrei Vasilyev 3/5/99 PHX vs. DET Todd Hlushko 4/25/99 PIT vs. NJ Patrick Lalime 10/2/99 Ott at PhI Glen Metropolit 10/2/99 WSh at FLA Kevin Miller 10/31/99 OTT at ATL Karel Rachunek 10/31/99 OTT at ATL Erich Goldmann 11/11/99 OTT vs. NSH Yves Sarault 11/20/99 OTT at NJ John Gruden 11/30/99 OTT vs. CHI Mike Fountain 12/3/99 OTT at NJ

20 Dave Van Drunen 12/13/99 OTT at TOR 21 Petr Schastlivy 1/3/00 OTT vs. NJ 22 John Emmons 1/6/00 OTT vs. PHX 23 Slava Butsayev 1/28/00 OTT at BUF 24 Aris Brimanis 2/13/00 NYI at NYR 25 Dieter Kochan 3/28/00 TB vs. DAL 26 Jani Hurme 4/9/00 OTT vs. TB 27 Shane hnidy 10/5/00 Ott at BOS 28 Donald MacLean 10/14/00 TOR vs. OTT 29 David Oliver 11/4/00 OTT vs. CBJ 30 Jamie Rivers 11/12/00 OTT at CAR 31 Sean Gagnon 11/26/00 OTT at NYR 32 Joel Bouchard 11/29/00 PHX at COL 33 Mike Crowley 12/8/00 ANA at MIN 34 Ivan Ciernik 1/23/01 OTT at NYI 35 Darren Rumble 2/6/01 STL at COL 36 Joel Kwiatkowski 2/19/01 OTT at BUF 37 todd White 2/19/01 Ott at BUF 38 Chris Neil 10/3/01 Ott at tOR

39 Toni Dahlman 1/3/02 OTT vs. WSH 40 Steve Martins 1/11/02 OTT at FLA 41 Kip Miller 1/17/02 NYI at SJ 42 Jody Hull 2/4/02 OTT at TB 43 Dmitry Afanasenkov 2/6/02 TB at FLA 44 Simon Lajeunesse 3/7/02 OTT at SJ 45 Martin Prusek 3/23/02 OTT vs. ATL 46 Chris Bala 3/27/02 OTT at NYI 47 Neil Little 3/28/02 PHI at CAR 48 Josh Langfeld 3/30/02 OTT vs. TB 49 Gaetan Royer 4/1/02 TB vs. NYR 50 Jason Spezza 10/24/02 Ott at BOS 51 Sean Avery 10/29/02 DEt vs. SJ 52 Jason Doig 12/3/02 WSH at PIT 53 Jason Williams 12/5/02 DEt at Phx 54 Patrick Boileau 12/19/02 DET vs. DAL 55 Stacy Roest 2/20/03 DET vs. EDM 56 Wade Brookbank 10/9/03 NSH vs. ANA 57 Julien Vauclair 10/25/03 OTT at MTL 58 Jiri Hudler 10/29/03 DET vs. STL

68 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

kyle Quincey

Mark Eaton

Jimmy

Since their inception in 1996, the Griffins have sent 110 players on to the National Hockey League, 13 of whom have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. In fact, a Griffins alumnus has had his name engraved on the Cup each of the last three years and in five of the last six seasons. Last June, Chicago's Tomas Kopecky became the first former Griffin to win his second Stanley Cup. In chronological order, here are the 16 goalies and 94 skaters who have donned an NHL sweater aer playing for Grand Rapids, along with the dates of their NHL debuts/returns.

59 Curtis Joseph 10/30/03 DET at NSH 60 Darryl Bootland 11/8/03 DET vs. NSH 61 Mark Mowers 11/19/03 DET vs. CBJ 62 Nathan Robinson 11/28/03 DET vs. NYI 63 Blake Sloan 12/4/03 DAL at LA 64 Niklas Kronwall 12/10/03 DET at BUF 65 Ryan Barnes 12/15/03 DET vs. FLA 66 Chris kelly 2/5/04 Ott vs. tOR 67 Marc Lamothe 2/23/04 DET at EDM 68 Anders Myrvold 2/26/04 DET at CGY 69 Mathieu Chouinard 2/29/04 LA at ANA 70 Brett Lebda 10/5/05 DET vs. STL 71 Mark Eaton 10/5/05 NSH vs. SJ 72 Chris Osgood 10/29/05 DET at CHI 73 kyle Quincey 11/25/05 DEt at ANA 74 Jimmy howard 11/28/05 DEt at LA 75 Valtteri Filppula 12/15/05 DET at FLA 76 Rob Collins 12/17/05 NYI vs. COL 77 Manny Legace 1/5/06 DEt vs. StL

78 David Gove 1/31/06 CAR at MTL 79 Tomas Kopecky 2/28/06 DET at SJ 80 Alexandre Giroux 3/25/06 NYR at tB 81 Joey MacDonald 10/19/06 DEt at SJ 82 Derek Meech 12/7/06 DET vs. STL 83 Matt Ellis 12/18/06 DEt at CBJ 84 Matt Hussey 1/26/07 DET at STL 85 Sheldon Brookbank 2/6/07 NSh at PIt 86 Danny Syvret 2/27/07 EDM vs.

Phx 87 Mark Hartigan 11/29/07 DET vs. TB 88 Drew MacIntyre 12/13/07 VAN at SJ 89 Peter Vandermeer 2/10/08 PHX vs. NSH 90 Jonathan Ericsson 2/22/08 DEt at CGY 91 Garrett Stafford 2/23/08 DET at VAN 92 Darren Helm 3/13/08 DET vs. DAL 93 Mattias Ritola 3/15/08 DEt vs. NSh 94 Clay Wilson 3/25/08 CBJ at NSH 95 Darren McCarty 3/28/08 DET vs. STL 96 Krys Kolanos 11/4/08 MIN at SJ

97 Landon Wilson 11/22/08 DAL vs. ANA 98 Bryan Helmer 11/28/08 WSH vs. MTL 99 Chris Chelios 12/13/08 DET at PHX 100 Aaron Downey 1/29/09 DET vs. DAL 101 Justin Abdelkader 1/31/09 DEt at WSh 102 Ville Leino 1/31/09 DEt at WSh 103 Aaron Gagnon 10/16/09 DAL vs. BOS 104 Scott Parse 10/24/09 LA at Phx 105 Doug Janik 11/3/09 DEt vs. BOS 106 Ryan keller 11/25/09 Ott at NJ 107 Jakub kindl 12/3/09 DEt vs. EDM 108 kris Newbury 12/14/09 DEt vs. Phx 109 Darren haydar 2/10/10 COL vs. AtL 110 Andreas Lilja 3/1/10 DEt at COL

Ville Leino

Bold = Played in the NhL during the 2009-10 season.

Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup after playing for Grand Rapids

All photos by Getty Images except Niklas Kronwall (Dave Reginek).

all Niklas kronw

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 69

howard

tomas kopeck

y

Chris Neil

Whether the Griffins are at Van Andel Arena or on the road, the New ESPN 96.1 FM will bring it home, live with Bob kaser Brought to you by the new home for Griffins hockey:

*XHVW 6XLWHV

KIDS PAGE fAns embrACing slim ref (= griffins name scramble) Do Rag s Bend

ner y Croo M et M

thin Arm

PLAYERS Greg Amadio Joakim Andersson Willie Coetzee travis Ehrhardt Cory Emmerton Ilari Filppula Doug Janik Jamie Johnson Sergei kolosov Brian Lashoff Joey MacDonald thomas McCollum Chris Minard Jan Mursak Jordan Owens Francis Pare Jordan Pearce Sebastien Piche Logan Pyett Brent Raedeke Brendan Smith Jamie tardif tomas tatar ANSWERS 1. Brent Raedeke 2. Ilari Filppula 3. Logan Pyett 4. Joey MacDonald 5. Brendan Smith 6. Jamie tardif 7. Francis Pare

ANAGRAMS 1. Entrée Be Dark 2. Liar Pupil Fail 3. Got Penalty 4. Demand Cola Joy 5. thin Arms Bend 6. Mired Fajita 7. Fancier Raps 8. Word on Jeans 9. Ninja’s Rodeo Mask 10. Avert third Rash 11. Join Mean Josh 12. tweeze Oil Lice 13. Jeep Con Radar 14. Do Rag Image 15. Rats at Moat 16. Ink Jag Duo 17. Beseech Pianist 18. his Lab Ran Off 19. A Ram’s Junk 20. Car’s hind Rim 21. to Call Moms Much 22. Met My Crooner 23. Rookie’s Gloves

Image

unscramble the goofy words to form the name of a griffins player. good luck!

his Lab Ran Off

8. Jordan Owens 9. Joakim Andersson 10. travis Ehrhardt 11. Jamie Johnson 12. Willie Coetzee 13. Jordan Pearce 14. Greg Amadio 15. tomas tatar

o Mask Ninja’s Rode

Entrée Be Dark

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 71

16. Doug Janik 17. Sebastien Piche 18. Brian Lashoff 19. Jan Mursak 20. Chris Minard 21. thomas McCollum 22. Cory Emmerton 23. Sergei kolosov

the GriďŹ&#x192;ns hope they have a sweet goaltending tandem this season with their M&Ms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thomas McCollum and Joey MacDonald. During the recent training camp in traverse City, the pair practiced under the watchful eye of Red Wings goaltending coach Jim Bedard.

Photo by Mark Newman

72 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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