2010-11 Griffiti - Issue #3

2010-11 SEASON ISSUE #3

Limited of Posters Edition etzee & o Willie C eech k e Der M !

Inside

official magazine of the grand rapids griffins

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Vol. 15, No. 3

TA B L E

O F

C O N T E N T S

StARtING LINEUP

22

22 PRIME tIME

Goaltender Joey MacDonald is happy to return to the Griffins after NHL stints in Detroit, Boston, New York and Toronto.

31 RENEWED ZIP

Jordan Owens wants to show that the Red Wings made the right move when they traded for him last season.

41 GEttING StRONGER

Brandon Straub earned a standard player’s contract with the Griffins by overcoming the odds.

51 BUILt tO LASt

The names and faces change year after year, but the AHL has thrived during its three-quarters of a century history.

31

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

46 .........Get Connected!

48 .........Griffins Records 54 .........Community Crease 57 .........Penalty Calls 58 .........Griffins History 64 .........Arena Map/Ticket Info 68 .........It All Starts Here 71 .........Kids Page 72 .........Parting Shot

41

COVER: Goaltender Joey MacDonald is back in Grand Rapids after spending the better part of the past four seasons in the NHL. 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 ©2011 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.

51

NExt HOME OPPONENtS

PLAYERS TO WATCH HAMILtON (JAN. 5, FEB. 4, FEB. 16) e Bulldogs like the intelligence of J.T. WyMAN (#10), a dartmouth College product who recorded a career-high 17 goals last season. A fourth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2004 NHL entry dra, the 24-year-old Wyman earned a three-game promotion to the NHL in Nov. 2009.

CHICAGO (JAN. 21, JAN. 22) e Wolves hope to get solid point production from NIgeL dAWes (#15), a Winnipeg native who scored 14 goals in 66 games for the NHL’s Calgary Flames last season. A veteran of more than 200 NHL games, the 5-foot-9, 195-lb. winger scored a career-high 35 goals for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack in 2005-06.

ROCKFORD (JAN. 28) e IceHogs want to give some seasoning to top Chicago Blackhawks prospect NICk Leddy (#6), a first-round pick (16th overall) of the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL entry dra. Only 19 years old, the 5-foot-11, 190-lb. defenseman has the potential to be a strong two-way player. He won Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey Award in 2009.

2 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

MILWAUKEE (FEB. 5) e Admirals are encouraged that defenseman TeeMu LAAksO (#2) has nearly equaled the point total of his rookie season in less than half as many games. A native of Tuusula, Finland, the 6-foot, 215-lb. blueliner was a third-round pick (78th overall) of the Nashville Predators in the 2005 NHL entry dra.

tExAS (FEB. 18) e stars think MATHIeu TOusIgNANT (#40) has proven that he belongs in the AHL aer spending 20 games in the eCHL last season during his first year as a pro. A 21-yearold center from st-etienne-de-Lauzon, Quebec, Tousignant averaged a point per game in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

PEORIA (FEB. 20) e rivermen are hoping to eventually get more production out of TyLer sHATTOCk (#26), a 6-foot-3, 200-lb. forward from Vernon, British Columbia. A fourth-round pick of the st. Louis Blues in the 2009 NHL entry dra, shattock is coming off back-toback 30-goal seasons in the Western Hockey League.

LAKE ERIE (FEB. 25) e Monsters see nothing but upside for 20-year-old defenseman CAMerON gAuNCe (#3), the second-round choice (50th overall) of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2008 NHL entry dra. A product of Markham, Ontario, gaunce knows how to use his 6-foot-1, 203-pound frame to his advantage.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 3

WITH GRIFFINS HEAD COACH CURT FRASER

griffins head coach Curt Fraser and assistant coach Jim Paek have two jobs. One is to win hockey games, the other is to develop future players for the detroit red Wings. e path to the first is no easier than the process of the second. “kids are draed and they come into a league that is very competitive,” Fraser said. “guys who were good players on their junior hockey and college teams come into a league that is full of first-round picks and kids who have played in world championships.

“Plus, there are mature players who have been in the league for four, five, six or more years, and so these young kids discover that the American Hockey League is a very difficult league to play in.” young prospects are typically signed to three-year entry-level contracts to give them a chance to develop, but there is no timetable that says the player will be ready in any given time.

“Players come in and think everything’s going to happen immediately, but it’s a long process,” Fraser said. “ey have to learn the league, the players and the team’s system, as well as what is generally expected of them.”

Conditioning is another concern, as players are encouraged to build their physical skills so they are able to work harder on the ice for a longer period of time.

In practice, the development of an NHL prospect takes time, if it happens at all.

Fraser points to the example of Patrik stefan, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 NHL entry dra.

As the coach of the expansion Atlanta rashers, Fraser watched the prized prospect struggle to find his game.

“It wasn’t until his third or fourth year that he started to contribute (at the NHL level), and that was aer playing all the time in all different situations. It took him that long to get strong enough and to learn what he needed to do to play well.”

Many younger players experience similar growing pains.

“A good example here is Cory emmerton,” Fraser said. “He had a pretty good first year, a better second

year, and now he’s right on the edge of making the next step to the NHL. “Jan Mursak is another example. He had a slow start, but he worked hard and his second year was much better and now his third year is that much better. you can point to guys like Frankie Pare and Logan Pyett as others who have developed themselves into good hockey players, but it didn’t happen overnight.”

Fraser said the prospects in grand rapids have an advantage over young players in other organizations, since the red Wings prefer to take the time to allow their players to ripen at the minor league level. “ey give players more time to develop at this level so when they’re asked to go up and play for the red Wings, they are able to contribute to the success of the team, and that’s a big jump from the American Hockey League.” skill and hard work will only take a player so far, Fraser contends. “ey have to learn to play a team game,” he said. “e individual game doesn’t work at this level – that’s why players oen don’t have the numbers they had in juniors or college. you have to learn to work with each other. It’s teamwork that wins here.”

Players also have to develop two-way skills.

Offensive players must be defensively responsible in their zone, while defensive players have to learn to contribute in the offensive end.

“All this takes time,” Fraser said. “It takes hard work. It takes a commitment by the player. And it takes a lot of patience by the coaches to watch them grow and develop.” e AHL provides the perfect venue for players to learn, develop and grow, but it’s difficult for some players to progress to the next level. “And yet if they pay attention, do the work and develop themselves, the reward is well worth all the effort,” Fraser said, “because one day they will get to play in the NHL for the detroit red Wings.”

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 5

By Jiminy! It’s a Howard Bobblehead!

Jimmy Howard has had few bobbles since grabbing the No. 1 goaltending position in detroit, and that has inspired his former team to immortalize him with a bobblehead of his own. griffins fans can take home a Jimmy Howard bobblehead, courtesy of Huntington Bank, on saturday, Jan. 22 when the team plays the second of back-to-back games against the Chicago Wolves at Van Andel Arena. runner-up for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie last season, Howard has established himself as one of the leading contenders for the Vezina Trophy this season. rough his first 24 games, Howard had a 17-5-2 record with two shutouts, a 2.60 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Over two regular seasons, he had gone 22 consecutive games without a loss in regulation (19-0-3) before dropping a 6-4 decision to Vancouver on Nov. 6.

Joey Macdonald, who mentored Howard during 200506, said he came away impressed with what he saw while backing up his protégé in detroit earlier this season. “during my five weeks with the team, he impressed me,” Macdonald said. “When I played with him in grand rapids, you knew he had potential, but he’s come a long way.

I give him credit.”

Macdonald said critics should not underestimate Howard’s ability. “People may say he’s only facing 15-20 shots per game, but he’s coming up with that big save when he has to,” he noted. “When you’re not getting a lot of work, you’ve got to be ready.”

Howard posted a 37-15-10 record last season when he finished in the NHL’s top-5 for goals-against and save percentage. He was the runner-up to Buffalo defenseman Tyler Myers for the Calder Trophy. e sky’s the limit for Howard, Macdonald contends. “you can see it in his confidence,” he said. “e more he plays, the more confident he’ll become.”

In addition to the Howard bobblehead giveaway, the griffins will welcome an appearance by the ZOOperstars, those zany inflatable characters who tickle the funny bones of sports fans with their crazy antics.

6 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Hockey Day in West Michigan Presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union – Sat., Feb. 5 e likeness of square-jawed Travis richards, the griffins’ alltime leader in games played with 655, will be chiseled into ceramics, the result being a bobblehead to be given away in his honor. richards, the only player in griffins history to have his number retired, was selected for the distinction as the winner in fan voting. e former defenseman’s bobblehead will be given to the first 2,500 fans entering Van Andel Arena before the game against the Milwaukee Admirals.

A fan favorite since the griffins’ inaugural season, richards played for the team from 1996 to 2006.

Wednesday Is Hockey Night! – Wed., Jan. 5 e griffins have partnered with downtown restaurants to offer fans special discounts on food and drinks. griffins fans can show their tickets before or aer every Wednesday night home game to enjoy drink specials and 20% off food at participating Arena district restaurants. (Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts, offers or specials.) Other remaining dates are Feb. 16, March 16 and March 23.

“Many downtown employees come in at 8 and leave at 5 each workday,” said Tim gortsema, senior vice president of business operations for the griffins. “e goal of Hockey Night is to entice these folks to stick around aer work, have a great meal at a downtown restaurant, and enjoy an actionpacked game at the arena.”

For the complete list of 20 participating restaurants and bars – including Peppino’s sports Lounge, home of the griffins’ Wednesday post-game parties – please visit griffinshockey.com/hockeynight.

As a part of the Hockey Night endeavor, several local sponsors purchased griffins tickets for distribution to nearly 3,000 downtown workers, including firefighters, police officers and those involved in health care, education and the nonprofit sector. supporters include Huntington, Meijer, Wolverine World Wide, rdV Corporation, Amway, Citadel Broadcasting, seyferth Pr, grand Valley state university, Wells Fargo, e grand rapids Press, rockford Construction, experience grand rapids, NAI West Michigan, and Paul goebel group Insurance.

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

For more information visit www.ridetherapid.org.

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

17 TOR 5:00

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

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*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

Photos and story by Mark Newman

22 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

griffins goaltender Joey Macdonald laughs when someone wonders whether he’s too old to be plying his trade in the AHL. As far as he’s concerned, he is just entering his prime. “ ‘But you’re 30 years old,’ they’ll say,” Macdonald chuckles, knowing he can point to a couple of former teammates who were just beginning to show flashes of brilliance between the pipes at that age.

Macdonald, who was the understudy of dominic Hasek and Chris Osgood during the detroit red Wings’ 2006-07 season, thinks back to watching the workouts of Hasek, who won the first of his six Vezina Trophies at the age of 29.

Better yet, he remembers backing up Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, the Flint native who played several seasons in Finland before becoming an NHL starter at the creaky age of 31.

Thomas, currently the hottest goalie in the NHL, was a positively ancient 35 when he won his first Vezina Trophy in 2009.

Macdonald, of course, would never suggest that his talent is comparable to either Hasek or Thomas, but he believes that both players underscore the belief that netminders can take longer than others to develop.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 23

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And so now, after seeing playing time with the red Wings, Bruins, New york Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs, Macdonald is looking to re-establish himself in the city where his pro career first blossomed.

Macdonald had no hesitation about returning to grand rapids, where he ranks among the griffins’ all-time goaltending leaders in numerous categories and stands first in wins and shutouts.

“When detroit called last July 1st, I didn’t take any time to think about it,” Macdonald said. “The red Wings organization is great, but if I was going to play in the American Hockey League, there’s no better place than grand rapids.”

He figured he would see a lot of action with the griffins, but an injury to Osgood led to a lateOctober recall to detroit, where he enjoyed a five-week stay before being sent back to grand rapids on dec. 1.

Although he saw action in only one game in relief of Jimmy Howard, the red Wings’ No. 1 netminder, Macdonald nevertheless appreciated the opportunity to fill the backup role.

“Whenever you get a chance to be on the ice with the best team in the National Hockey League, you can’t take it for granted,” he said. “sure, it’s a little frustrating because you want to play some games, but, at the same time, Howie was playing really well and you’ve got to respect that.”

It wasn’t the first time that Macdonald had to ride the pine. After four seasons in grand rapids, he spent the majority of the 2006-07 season in detroit, where he was the red Wings’ third goaltender.

He saw action in only eight games, getting a rare start in between backing up Osgood and sitting in the pressbox.

“Being the third guy was tough,” he said. “I wasn’t getting into a lot of games because when Hasek played, Ozzie would back up. even in practices, Hasek would be at one end and Ozzie at the other, with me floating back and forth.”

To combat the inactivity, Macdonald spent a lot of time before and after practice working with red Wings goaltending coach Jim Bedard. Being the third (winged) wheel also afforded him plenty of time to observe. “even at age 41, Hasek was on the ice long before practice and he was one of the last guys off, too, and now Ozzie is the same way,” he said. “When you see the older guys doing it, it energizes you and makes you work that much harder.”

And hard work is what it will take to earn a return ticket to the NHL. “Once you get a taste of the NHL, you want to keep working to get back,” Macdonald said. “you can never give up.”

The Bruins claimed Macdonald on waivers in February 2007 after the red Wings tried to send him to grand rapids to get more work. As the backup to Thomas, Macdonald saw action in seven games,

posting a 2-2-1 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

His Beantown performance led to a two-year contract with the New york Islanders. He spent the majority of the 2007-08 season in Bridgeport, but the following season saw him become a fulltime NHL goalie after rick diPietro, the Islanders’ No. 1 netminder, was idled with injuries.

Macdonald, who appeared in 49 NHL games during the 2008-09 season, was chosen the NHL’s third star of the month in November behind Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins center evgeni Malkin. excelling in relief of diPietro, Macdonald made 14 consecutive starts that month, posting an 8-5-1 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. He led all goaltenders in games (14), minutes (842) and shots faced (439), and shared the lead in victories.

The month also saw him outduel opposing goaltenders roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens in shootout victories that came just a week apart.

“I think I proved that I could play in the National Hockey League,” he said.

Being the No. 1 gave him the opportunity to relax and not worry about being replaced the next game.

“When you’re the guy and you’re playing every night, it makes things a lot easier,” he said. “you might get lit up for 5 or 6 goals one night, but you know you’re going to have the chance to jump right back in there the next night.

“When you’re playing on a regular basis, you get into a rhythm and you don’t think. As a goalie, you don’t want to think too much. you just want to go out and play the game.”

One of the highlights of his career to date came in his return to Joe Louis Arena. He made 42 saves for his lone NHL shutout in the Islanders’ 2-0 win over detroit on March 27, 2009.

“I was a little nervous; I think my legs were shaking almost the whole game,” he said. “It was one of those games where they hit a couple of posts, I made a few good saves and we stuck with it. I beat Ozzie, so I still tease him that I’m 1-0 against him.”

A month earlier, Macdonald led the Islanders to a big win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the eventual 2009 stanley Cup champions. “The game was at home in New york and we were tied 1-1, so we went into a shootout. We scored the first goal and after a couple of stops, it came down to me and sidney Crosby, two Nova scotians, and I ended up stopping him for the win.”

Last season, Macdonald spent a good part of the season with the Toronto Maple Leafs when injuries sidelined Jonas gustavsson and Vesa Toskala. He saw action in six games with the Leafs, including 40 minutes of a 3-0 shutout of Montreal and a 6-3 win at Columbus.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 25

In 2004-05, MacDonald established Griffins marks with 24 consecutive starts and 31 consecutive games played in goal.

Playing hockey in Toronto is a pressure-packed experience. “It’s a crazy spot,” he said. “Wherever you are, you’re always in the spotlight. It even filtered down to the Marlies.

“There’s a lot of pressure. I have a lot of respect for the guys who played a long time in Toronto – guys like (Mats) sundin and (Tie) domi. They dealt with it for 10-15 years. It’s a tough place to play, but putting on the Leafs jersey was a good experience for me.”

In his return to grand rapids, Macdonald not only has provided veteran leadership but also has mentored red Wings prospect Thomas McCollum, who was detroit’s first choice (30th overall) in the 2008 NHL entry draft.

“Tommy has a lot of talent,” Macdonald said.

“He’s big, moves really well and he’s a great kid. To come back and work with someone like that is fun.

It’s the same as Marc Lamothe and me back in the day. Marc was my age then and I was Tommy’s age.

I’m hoping I can help him.”

Macdonald was anxious to shake off any rust left from his extended his stay in detroit. “you can practice all you want, but it takes a few games to get into the flow of the game, the quickness, and just little things like picking up pucks through screened shots,” he said.

His goal is to prove that he belongs in the NHL. “you never know what’s going to happen, but I would like to have a really good year and put myself in a good position for the next,” he said. “right now, however, the goal is to win here.”

26 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Whatever happens, he knows there are people watching back in his hometown of Pictou, Nova scotia, where he lives with his wife Alyssa, son Camden, 6, and daughter kendall, 3.

Camden is already following in his father’s footsteps. He is an aspiring goaltender.

“When I was in New york, he would watch the games to the very end, even criticizing me at times.

I would come home and he would say, ‘dad, why didn’t you do this?’ and he’d get down and show me.

“I’m thinking, ‘I have coaches and goalie coaches and now I have my five-year-old (at the time) telling me what to do.’ I’m looking at him, thinking, ‘yeah, I probably should have done that,’ and it’s great because he’s already got a couple of years on me, because I didn’t start playing in nets until I was 7 or 8.”

It’s obvious that Macdonald takes as much pride in being a father as he does in his playing. He finishes with a story of Camden going to school with proof of his daddy’s success.

“He had taken my Toronto Maple Leaf card to school for show-and-tell and another little kid raised his hand and said, ‘I have that same card, but mine is signed!’” Macdonald recalls with a chuckle.

“Cam came home and said, ‘dad, can you sign my card, too?’”

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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 27

MARKYOUR CALENDAR! 2010-11 GRiFFiNs PROMOTiONAL sCHEDULE

Jan. 22

Jan. 22-23

Feb. 5

Jan. 22: Jimmy Howard Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Huntington Bank/Appearance by the ZOOperstars

Feb. 20: Mattias Ritola Jersey Card and Zamboni CrazyBand Giveaway presented by One Communications

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

Feb. 22: Annual Griffins vs. Grand Rapids Sled Wings sled hockey game at Griff’s IceHouse

Feb. 5: Hockey Day in West Michigan presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union/Travis Richards Bobblehead Giveaway/Jersey Auction #2/National Anthem by the Red Wings’ Karen Newman

Feb. 23: Inaugural Griffins Wine Gala at Noto’s Old World Italian Restaurant

Feb. 18: Vows at the Van Feb. 20

Feb. 25: Locks of Love presented by Douglas J Aveda Salons March 4: Ladies Night, with makeup, hairstyling and pampering by Panopoulos Salons Feb. 22

S E A S O N - L O N G Dollar Beers and Hot Dogs: Every Friday, enjoy $1 hot dogs and $1 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last.

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 postgame party at McFadden's.

Wednesday is Hockey Night: Before or after every Wednesday home game, show your ticket to that night’s game to receive drink specials and 20% off food at participating Arena District restaurants and bars, including Peppino’s Sports Lounge, home of the Griffins’Wednesday post-game parties. Visit griffinshockey.com/hockeynight for a list of participating restaurants.

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.

28 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

March 5: Star Wars Night/Bottle Opener Giveaway presented by MetroPCS 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 Griffins Crest Logo CrazyBand Giveaway/Appearance by Quick Change, performers featured on America’s Got Talent April 8: Season Finale presented by Chrysler/Jersey Auction #4 Feb. 23

P R O M O t I O N S

sunday is Fun Day!: Every Sunday, enjoy $1 Cole’s Breadsticks and $1 Pepsi drinks from 3-5 p.m. Enjoy Jersey Card and Crazy Band giveaways for the kids, live music from Jaded 8, and the J & H Family Stores Post-Game Skate.

Fan 4 Packs: For select games, receive four tickets and $12 in concession cash for a great low price.

Valid for games on 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 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.

J & H Family stores Post-Game skates: Jan. 22; Feb. 5 and 20; March 5, 19 and 20.

Huntington Bank Post-Game Autograph sessions: Jan. 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.

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reneWeD ZiP JorDan oWens Wants to shoW that the reD Wings maDe the right move When they traDeD for him last season.

Photos and story by Mark Newman

sometimes a change of address will boost a player’s fortunes. Jordan Owens certainly hopes so.

Owens was traded by the New york rangers to the detroit red Wings last March in exchange for kris Newbury. e Toronto native had spent the majority of his professional career with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, and he felt it was time for a change.

“I had been in Hartford for three years and the situation was becoming stale,” Owens said. “Plus, the team was struggling, so it was pretty miserable. I needed a change.”

Owens totaled 58 goals in his last two junior seasons before becoming a tenacious forechecker and penalty killer in the pros.

Nevertheless, he never expected to have his wish granted.

“I thought that I would have been the last guy to get traded, but it happened,” he said. “When they said I was going to grand rapids, I’m sure my eyes lit up, but I tried to contain my emotions because it was kind of bittersweet leaving.”

Hartford, it seemed, had been good to Owens.

He had been signed to an amateur tryout toward the end of the 2006-07 season, then made a favorable enough impression in two regular season games and six playoff contests to be signed to an AHL/eCHL contract.

32 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Owens had no permanent address during the 2007-08 season. His rookie year was spent living in a residence Inn on the outskirts of Hartford as he bounced between the Wolf Pack and the eCHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

“I was in the hotel for the whole year, and that was quite the experience on its own,” he said.

“Living in a hotel is like nothing else, really. It’s like you’re on the road the entire year.”

He became well acquainted with the restaurant next door. “I lived right beside a TgI Friday’s and I probably ate there a good 4-5 times a week,” he recalled. “sometimes I’d eat both lunch and dinner

there, so I became really familiar with their menu. To this day, I could probably rattle off the whole menu.” even eating the best food gets old after a while, but Owens wasn’t going to complain. He was living out a dream that had been developing since he had played three years of junior hockey for the Mississauga Icedogs.

“I was excited because that’s where I wanted to be,” he said, shrugging off his provisional accommodation. “It was all good, just part of the experience. To me, that was pro hockey.

“I just came to the rink and tried to earn a spot every single day of the year.”

He played well enough for the rangers to pick up his option for a second year. In 2008-09, he enjoyed his best season to date, tallying 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points in 67 games.

“I felt really positive,” he said. “everything went my way and I gained a lot of confidence every night.”

A point-per-game player during his last two years in junior hockey, Owens discovered that he needed to find a new role in the pro ranks.

“In junior, I was one of those guys who was expected to create offense and score points, but in the pros, the skill level is elevated that much more. There are some really good players at this level, even more so at the NHL. “I wasn’t blessed with the same skill as the top NHL guys or even the best players in the American Hockey League, so I have to show something.”

That “something” was speed, along with a willingness to work harder than his opponent. A former participant in both the OHL and eCHL all-star games, Owens finished second in the eCHL’s fastest-skater event in that league’s 2007-08 all-star skills competition.

“I fell into the role of forechecker and penalty killer,” he said. “I think the role suits me because I can use my speed to my benefit. Plus, I’ve never been one to shy away from physical play and that’s a good attribute for a checker.”

“It’s about

giving second

and third effort, and taking

pride in your work ethic.”

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 33

Prior to his trade to the red Wings last season, Owens compiled 19 points (6-13--19) and a teamhigh plus-eight rating in 50 games with Hartford, after the rangers had rewarded him with a free agent NHL contract.

“Points, for me, are a bonus,” he said. “When I’m doing my job and also contributing by scoring some big goals for the team, that always feels good. It adds to your confidence when you’re able to chip in and contribute on a regular basis.”

He came to the griffins reinvigorated, ready to roll with renewed zip.

“I was happy and excited to come to detroit,” he said, “so when I arrived in grand rapids, I wanted a fresh start.”

Owens’ #46 jersey had been a fan favorite in Hartford, but he decided to symbolically change his number. He chose #22 in honor of Willie O’ree, the first black player in NHL history when he made his debut with the Boston Bruins on Jan. 28, 1958. “seeing that the 50th anniversary wasn’t too long ago, I decided there wasn’t a better number to wear,” he said.

He admits that he never really encountered the bigotry that O’ree faced half a century earlier. “I’m sure it’s not as serious as an issue as it was back in the day,” he said. even so, he wasn’t oblivious to the color of his skin. “As a young hockey player, it’s kind of funny when you’re sitting in a room and no one else looks like you, but I’ve never felt uncomfortable,” he said. “To be honest, it never really crosses my mind.”

He is much more concerned with creating the right impression, to demonstrate the kind of character and work ethic that makes people colorblind. Whether he’s killing penalties or leading the forecheck, he wants people to notice only one thing – he’s giving everything he has.

“It’s a matter of outworking your opponent,” he said. “On the penalty kill, you have to be willing to work hard and be a little fearless and reckless in terms of getting into shooting lanes and blocking shots. It’s about giving second and third effort, and taking pride in your work ethic.”

For the past couple of summers, Owens has followed the guidance of former griffins captain Matt ellis, whom he describes as the “dad” of the gym where he and several other players work out in the Niagara Falls area during the offseason.

“He’s the veteran who everybody looks to for advice and tips,” Owens said. “He’s probably the

hardest worker there every single day, so he’s an inspiration for everybody in the gym.”

Owens points to ellis as the type of player he’d like to become. “He worked his way up – he didn’t leave anything in someone else’s hands,” he said.

“He left nothing to chance and left it all on the table every day. He’s a worker. I see it in his eyes every day in the gym.”

Owens opened some eyes of his own this fall when he made a positive impression on red Wings coach Mike Babcock during training camp.

“He’s not going to make our hockey club, but I didn’t know who he was and now I do.

That’s a good camp,” Babcock told reporters in Traverse City.

“He played with real good energy, real good speed and he was tenacious.

“If you would have said what’s the red and White lineup at the start of the camp, he wouldn’t have been in it. so he earned his way into that opportunity, so good for him.”

Owens looked at the camp as another step in his development as a player.

“I think I accomplished what I set out to do, which was just to have the best camp that I could,” he said. “I wanted to have a great camp and worked hard all summer toward that goal. I got to show them how I play, and hopefully they were happy with my play.”

For Owens, the opportunity to witness the work ethic of established players like Pavel datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg only served to underscore what it is necessary to excel at the highest level. “you think you are working out hard and then you see datsyuk and Zetterberg and these guys are working out even harder,” he said. “It shows you what it takes to be a world-class athlete. If I can imitate what they do, I think I’ll be pretty well off.”

And while home for the time being is Van Andel Arena, Owens hopes to eventually show that he’s worthy of another change of address – to 600 Civic Center drive in detroit, home to Joe Louis Arena.

“My goal is to come to the rink here, be the best that I can be, and hope everything works out,” he said.

Owens opened some eyes of his own this fall when he made a positive impression on Red Wings coach Mike Babcock

34 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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2010-2011

roster

19

18

GREG AMADiO Defenseman 6-2, 230 lbs.

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

8

JOAKiM ANDERssON Center 6-2, 205 lbs.

Born: 2/5/89 Munkedal, sweden

15 CORY EMMERTON Center 6-0, 190 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 Right Wing 5-10, 185 lbs.

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

33 iLARi FiLPPULA Forward 5-11, 189 lbs.

Born: 11/5/81 Vantaa, Finland

32

10 DOUG JANiK Defenseman 6-1, 214 lbs.

Born: 3/26/80 Agawam, Mass.

31 BRiAN LAsHOFF Defenseman 6-3, 208 lbs.

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

TRAVis EHRHARDT Defenseman 5-11, 204 lbs.

Born: 4/12/89 Calgary, Alta.

JAMiE JOHNsON Center 5-10, 185 lbs.

Born: 1/23/82 London, 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 Amherst, N.Y.

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20 BRENDAN sMiTH Defenseman 6-2, 195 lbs.

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22

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

BRANDON sTRAUB Forward/Defenseman 6-4, 225 lbs.

Born: 3/1/83 Colorado springs, Colo.

JORDAN OWENs Left Wing 6-0, 193 lbs.

Born: 5/1/86 Toronto, Ont.

12 LOGAN PYETT Defenseman 5-10, 195 lbs.

Born: 5/26/88 Regina, sask.

25

BRENT RAEDEKE Center 6-0, 200 lbs.

Born: 5/29/90 Regina, sask.

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

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Born: 12/1/90 ilava, slovakia

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 37

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40 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

getting

stronger

Brandon straub earned a standard player’s contract with the griffins by overcoming the odds. story and photos by Mark Newman

“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.”

– African proverb success, it has been said, is measured not by what one accomplishes, but by the opposition one encounters and the courage one must summon to overcome the odds.

In other words, it is the epitome of the belief “that which does not kill us makes us stronger,” a contention that griffins forward Brandon straub would not argue against. straub knows his hockey career could have been over a couple of times had he not persevered and showed the kind of determination that has enabled him to triumph over various difficulties and distractions.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 41

Nothing sharpened his focus more than a calamity that befell his family when his father lost his eyesight after something went horribly wrong during a routine procedure to repair vertebrae in his back. straub was in his freshman year of high school in Vail, Colo., having been recruited to play midget AAA hockey there. His parents had given their blessing for him to leave their Colorado springs home and live with a host family, but his father’s circumstances caused him to question his move.

“I came home for two weeks, but my parents more or less forced me to go back,” he recalled. “I was ready to quit and just stay home, but they wanted me to finish the year in Vail.”

All straub could think about was how his family needed him. “When something like that happens, it’s almost immediate,” he said. “everyone just wanted to do what they could to help get my dad back on his feet.”

It was his father who convinced him to return to Vail the following fall. He recognized his son’s passion for hockey and did not want to rob him of the chance to chase the dream. “It put things in perspective, for sure,” straub said. “I think it helped me mature and grow up almost overnight.” straub found motivation in his father’s struggle, watching how much his father had to work just to regain the ability to do things that had been so simple before the accident.

“The way he bounced back was amazing,” he said.

“I’ve never seen someone so strong and so positive in my life. He still tries everything. Within a few years of his surgery, he was waterskiing and snowskiing with a guide. The things he does are amazing. It gives me motivation to this day.” straub, who graduated from Battle Mountain High school, signed to play for the Tulsa Crude in the u.s.

Hockey League in 2001, but the team eventually folded. “knowing your team is going under is really hard,” he said. “guys are playing just to get picked up for next season, so you stick together because, at that point, you only have your teammates.”

He found a spot to play on Vancouver Island – “you don’t see the sun a lot in the winter, but it’s gorgeous, surrounded by water and green year-round,” he says – and was named the most valuable defenseman for the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League. despite the honor, he couldn’t land a scholarship to Colorado College in his hometown, so he accepted an offer to play hockey for the university of Findlay in Ohio. Midway through his freshman year in 2003-04, the school announced it was dropping its hockey program.

“We decided all we could do was to continue to go out and win games for each other,” he said. “We wanted to be able to feel good about ourselves, because that’s all we really had. It was just a matter of everyone buying in and doing it for the team.”

42 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

The situation was unusual, with Findlay players trying to impress their opponents in hopes of being recruited after the season. straub ultimately was offered that scholarship to Colorado College, where he would play the next three seasons (2004-07), eventually becoming a team captain like his Findlay teammates Mike Batovanja (Michigan Tech) and kenny Macaulay (Vermont).

“Colorado College is where I always wanted to play when I was growing up,” he said. “It really was a nobrainer to go back home and play Fridays and saturdays at home in front of everybody I knew, then go to my parents for dinner on sunday. It was very rewarding.”

He realized another dream when he was invited as an undrafted free agent to the Colorado Avalanche’s 2007 rookie camp and then spent a couple of days in the NHL team’s regular camp, even playing in the club’s intrasquad Burgundy scrimmage.

“If there’s ever one place you’d want to play when you’re growing up, it’s your home state team,” he said.

“It was awesome, a memorable experience that I’ll be able to someday tell to my kids and grandkids.” straub was paired defensively with former Michigan state university standout John-Michael Liles, who helped ease the rookie’s nerves and offered helpful pointers and tips. From all indications, he fared well.

“He got our attention in rookie camp,” thenAvalanche head coach Joel Quenneville told the Colorado Springs Gazette. “I didn’t know that much about him, but he showed his versatility and he was being active in the game. I thought he did a nice job.”

His play earned him a chance to play with the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Lake erie Monsters. He saw action in nine games with the Monsters but spent most of the 2007-08 season playing for the eCHL’s Johnstown Chiefs.

The Chiefs played their home games in the historic 3,745-seat Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, Pa., where most of the hockey scenes in the movie Slap Shot were filmed. steve Carlson, one of the Hanson Brothers, was the team’s original coach.

“Johnstown was a very unique place,” straub said. “you could sense the history with the team and the pride the fans took in having the Chiefs there. It made for a very special place to play, despite what (the arena, built in 1950) might have looked like on the exterior.” shuttling back and forth between Cleveland (where Lake erie calls home) and Johnstown helped straub’s development. “I think I was up and down five or six times between Lake erie and Johnstown, and that experience made me mature as a pro very quickly,” he said. “I think I learned quite a bit.”

He started the 2008-09 season with the Quad City Flames, but once again spent most of the year in the eCHL, this time playing for the Las Vegas Wranglers.

“Las Vegas was a lot of fun,” he said. “We had a gorgeous rink that was two minutes off the strip, so

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 43

Straub has played for seven different teams during his short pro career. there was no shortage of things to do during your time off. you never get bored, that’s for sure.”

As a result, the Wranglers had a pretty good home record. “When away teams would come into town, they tended to go out a little more than they should,” said straub, who enjoyed playing roulette, craps and blackjack himself. unable to land a permanent spot in the AHL – although he did play two games with the Houston Aeros in 2009-10 – straub spent most of last season with the Allen (Texas) Americans of the Central Hockey League. rather than look at his situation as a step down, he saw it as an opportunity. A natural defenseman, he had started to play forward and, after talking with his agent and family, realized that he might be able to prolong his career by making himself more versatile to teams.

44 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

“Learning to play forward, I was able to make mistakes that I wouldn’t have been able to get away with at higher levels,” he said. “I was able to work on two positions, where I would have been stuck in one role at a higher level.” straub admits that bouncing between different cities and different levels has presented a challenge, but it’s one that he hopes will ultimately make him a stronger hockey player.

“With a new team, you have a very small window to try to make an impression, so you try to take advantage of every opportunity you get,” he said.

“There were some places where I’ve felt great and felt like I really did my job, and then there were other times when I felt like I could have done more. Those are the tough ones to swallow, especially after you get sent down.”

He had planned to play this season in Allen until the griffins offered him a professional tryout in October. He signed his first AHL contract with the team in November and now looks to establish himself as a dependable forward. “I really enjoy playing forward,� he said. “My passion was always defense and I loved being a defenseman, but there’s something about playing forward that’s a lot of fun. It’s a position where it’s easier to spark the team, whether you’re going hard to the net and scoring or just finishing big checks. Being able to create energy that way is very exciting. I’m growing to enjoy it a lot.�

Most of all, he is excited about being able to prove himself at the AHL level. “I’ve played in some very cool spots, but my wife has been very patient and has dealt with a lot since I started taking my tour around North America,� he said.

Last July, straub married his longtime girlfriend, sandra “sandy� rucker, a figure skater who was the 2005 u.s. Junior National Champion before a back injury ended her competitive career. she did much of the skating for actress Michelle Trachtenberg in the movie Ice Princess and was a featured performer in the West Coast cast of disney's High School Musical: The Ice Tour in 2007.

The couple met in Colorado springs while straub was in college. His team skated at the club where rucker practiced. “she’s definitely the better skater,� he said, noting that she plans a career in coaching.

Meanwhile, straub is doing what he can to make his family proud. His father has partial sight in one eye. surgeons cut a hole in the center of his father’s left eye, giving him 3 degrees of the usual 180 degrees of sight. “If you looked through a coffee straw out of your left eye, that’s about what he sees,� he said. “If he sits up high enough in the stands and is told where I’m at, he can watch me while I skate around the ice.�

As far as straub is concerned, there’s nothing better than a smile on his father’s face. “My dad was the biggest role model of my life before the surgery and now he’s a huge inspiration, too,â€? he said. “How he handles everything day-to-day is amazing. This is my fourth year as a pro now, and every year I’ve been up and down, up and down, just trying to stick. I’ve never been quite able to do it and to finally have it happen here‌ well, it’s a great feeling.â€?

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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 45

The Griffins have more ways than ever to help you stay connected with your team, both during games and when you are away from Van Andel Arena. to Griff Text your song requests message at 88188. Simply send a /artist)” to reading: “Griff (song title t to play bes our do ’ll 88188 and we e. your song during the gam

We want to see your photos from the game! Take pictures with your camera phone and send them to us at photos@griffinshockey.com. Then after s the game, check out rtag.mobi/griffin fans’ r othe from game the see to perspectives. You can also email us pictures from your digital cameras after the game. We’ll be awarding prizes for the best pictures, so snap away and send us your best.

46 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Check out our new blo g, Half Eagle, Half Lion, All Griffin, for a daily compilation of links to news, videos and features about the Griffins and our NHL alumni gathered from dozens of sources across the We b. Go to grgriffins.wordpress.co m.

Download the official Griffins iPhone and Android app, featuring schedule, roster, team and arena information and more. Visit griffinshockey.com/app.

Let your friends know that you’re at the game and that they are missing out if they’re not here too – check in when you get here on Foursqua re or Facebook.

Check out our deal on Foursquare while you ’re here.

Twitter, make sure For our fans who use tsGoGriffins #Le ag you use the hasht the games. Your m fro ing eet tw en wh ted onto an tweets will be projec the SE corner of exterior screen near using technology the Van Andel Arena uter Solutions. mp Co GR provided by

Most importantly, introduce yourself to your fellow fans sitting around you, have a good time, and cheer your hearts out for the Griffins!

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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 47

(rough december 21, 2010)

GRIFFINS ALL-tIME LEADERS 1.

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GAMES PLAYED Travis richards...............655 Michel Picard .................364 ryan Oulahen.................302 darryl Bootland .............293 Matt ellis .........................282 dave Van drunen ..........280 Jamie Tardif.....................271 derek king......................264 evan Mcgrath ................262 derek Meech ..................260

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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

JOEY MacDONALD (94)

JIMMY HOWARD (90)

48 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

MIKE FOUNtAIN (55)

MARC LAMOtHE (54)

DANIEL LARSSON (45)

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SAVOR... savor… Grand 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 in this ad. Be sure to make your reservations in advance as space is limited.

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BUilt to last The names and faces change year after year, but the AHL has thrived during its three-quarters of a century history.

Over the course of 75 seasons, the American Hockey League has seen its share of teams come and go.

Like most professional sports leagues, the AHL has weathered changes to its ranks through growth and expansion, countless relocations and the simple attrition that occurs in any financial enterprise.

In 1936, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and syracuse of the International Hockey League joined with New Haven, Philadelphia, Providence and springfield of the Canadian-American League to form a new league that would eventually be known as the AHL. That lineup, however, would not even last the 1936-37 season.

The Buffalo Bisons started the season playing in an arena in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The team has lost its home arena the previous season when the roof of the Peace Bridge Arena collapsed due to 13 inches of wet snow deposited by an early spring storm on March 17, 1936.

Located in Fort erie, In celebration of the AHL’s 75th season, the Griffins will wear this Ontario, Peace Bridge Arena commemorative jersey during their Feb. 5 home game against Milwaukee. was only eight years old at the only 11 games into the season, and all games time of its demise. It had been built with the involving the financially strapped team were spectator in mind, featuring a “Lamella Trussless” not counted in the standings. design that reduced the number of support The league continued operations with only frames obstructing the view of fans. The seven members until the 1938-39 season, when structure, however, proved to be too weak and the void was filled by the admission of the then collapsed under the weight of the snow, forcing two-time defending eastern Amateur Hockey the Bisons to play the remainder of the 1935-36 League champion Hershey Bears. season on the road. seven decades later, Hershey remains the only Buffalo had joined the new league with high one of the eight original cities to have been hopes, but it soon became clear that the team represented in the league without interruption. would not be able to make a profit or pay players’ since its inception 75 seasons ago, the AHL has salaries from ticket sales in the smaller Niagara welcomed more than 120 different teams. Teams Falls arena. The Bisons withdrew from the league Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 51

from 25 different cities have won the Calder Cup, the league championship trophy named in honor of Frank Calder, the first president (1917-43) of the National Hockey League.

Hershey has hoisted the trophy a record 11 times. some cities have had several incarnations during the AHL’s 75-year history. syracuse, for example, has been home to five different AHL teams.

The syracuse stars played in the AHL from 1936-40, the syracuse Warriors from 195154, the syracuse eagles from 1974-75, the syracuse Firebirds from 1979-80, and the current syracuse Crunch, who have played in the league since the 1994-95 season.

Other notable defunct teams include the Washington Lions (1941-42, 42-43, 47-48 and 4849), the only AHL team to play in the nation’s capital; and the springfield Indians, who were the first AHL team to win three consecutive Calder Cup titles (1960-62). springfield was owned by eddie shore, the former NHL defenseman who was a four-time winner of the Hart Trophy, the award given to the league’s most valuable player. known for being about as tough they come – as a rookie, he nearly lost an ear in a confrontation with teammate Billy Coutu, only to have it sewn back on without anesthetic while he watched with a mirror – shore was also a shrewd businessman. shore purchased the bankrupt springfield franchise in 1939 for $42,000, beating out the detroit red Wings, who had also wanted the team. “They were too late,” laughed shore, who also secured ownership stakes in the san diego skyhawks in the Pacific Coast Hockey League, the Fort Worth rangers in the united states Hockey League, and the New york Americans of the NHL. As an owner, shore could be cantankerous and was often accused of treating players with little respect. Inactive players, for example, were often required to sweep the arena, make popcorn or blow up balloons by the thousands.

In fact, shore unwittingly started the first successful hockey players' unions.

His actions led to a players’ revolt during the 1966-67 season. He suspended three players,

including future NHL star Bill White, for what he said was “indifferent play,” which led the rest of the team to refuse to take the ice.

Asked for an explanation, the two players who spoke for the team (one of whom was future junior hockey coaching legend Brian kilrea) were suspended by shore. Alan eagleson, then a little-known lawyer and aspiring politician, was summoned to settle the dispute. eagleson convinced shore that the players were serious about quitting, which ultimately led shore to relinquish day-to-day operations to his son, Ted. The incident led directly to the formation of both the Professional Hockey Players' Association and the National Hockey League Players' Association. shore eventually leased the springfield franchise to the NHL’s Los Angeles kings, although he retook control of the team during the 1974-75 season when he enjoyed his final hurrah.

Changing the team name from the kings back to the Indians in January 1975, the 72year-old shore brought the club’s old blue-white-red uniforms out of the mothballs and got a cast of relative no-names to win the Calder Cup after finishing the regular season in fourth place. shore sold the team following the next season, his reputation having long been secured. The eddie shore Award is presented annually to the AHL’s best defenseman.

Of the past six winners of the eddie shore Award, four are former griffins. danny groulx (2002-05) won the 2009-10 award while playing for the Worcester sharks. sheldon Brookbank (2001-03) took home the award for 2006-07 as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals. Andy delmore (2009-10) was honored for his 200506 season with the springfield Falcons, while Niklas kronwall (2003-06) is the only player to be so honored for his play in grand rapids. kronwall won the award for the 2004-05 season.

Eddie Shore was known for being

about as tough they come. As a rookie, he nearly lost an

ear in a confrontation with teammate Billy Coutu

52 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 53

C o m m U n i t y

C r e a s e

Join the griffins at the

2011 great skate Winterfest! saturday, Jan. 22 – sunday, Jan. 23

rosa Parks Circle Downtown grand rapids

GR E AT SK ATE WIN TERFEST

Celebrate winter in our city and skate with Griffins players, all to benefit the Griffins Youth Foundation! Enjoy a day full of winter-inspired events, sports demonstrations and family activities, followed by a 24-hour skating marathon with Griffins players.

3rD annUal Winterfest sat., Jan. 22 from noon until 10 p.m.

• Free admission. Donations encouraged.

• ice skating - $1 skating fee/free skate rental • Winter sports demonstrations, including Grand Rapids sled Wings, GVsU synchronized skating Club, Greater Grand Rapids Figure skating Club, Mascot Broomball • Family activity tent, with *Caricatures by David Wodarek, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Public Library, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Greater Grand Rapids safe Kids • Dog sled presentations by snow Bound Adventures • Winter animals from the John Ball Zoo • *Horse-drawn carriage rides by Classic Carriage • ice sculpture demonstration by the ice Gurus, stars of ArtPrize and the upcoming Food Network series, Ice Brigade • silent auction item every hour

9th annUal great sKate

sat., Jan. 22 at 10 p.m. until sun., Jan. 23 at 10 p.m.

• Free admission and skate rental, no skating fee.

Donations encouraged.

• skate around the clock with Griffins players and coaches, as well as local celebrities and media personalities.

• Help raise money for the Griffins Youth Foundation by sponsoring a Griffin or collecting pledges for your own participation.

• Winter animals from the John Ball Zoo • *Horse-drawn carriage rides by Classic Carriage • ice sculpture demonstration by the ice Gurus, stars of ArtPrize and the upcoming Food Network series, Ice Brigade • silent auction item every hour …Plus games, fire pits, a warming tent and more!

All events subject to change. *Certain activity fees apply.

For more information, including a schedule of Griffins skating times and a link for making/collecting pledges, please visit griffinshockey.com/greatskate.

54 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 55

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 • And10SMB206_GRAND_RAPIDS_AD_PRESS.pdf more!

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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.

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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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7177 Kalamazoo Kalamaz oo Ave., A ve., Caledonia, C aledon ia, MI M I 49316

624 P ort Sheldon Sh eldon Rd., Grandville, G ran dville, MI M I 49418 Port

ascade Rd., Gran d Rapids, MI M I 49546 5500 C Cascade Grand

616.656.9898 61 6.656.9898 | www.ston www.stonewatercc.com ewatercc.co m

616.457.1100 61 6.457.1100 | www.sun www.sunnybrookcc.com n ybrookcc.com

616.949.0570 61 6.949.0570 | www.watermarkcc.com

OPEN TO T O THE PUBLIC! P UBLIC!

VAN ANDEL ARENA

TICKETS VIP Glass

$30

Lower Level Preferred

$25

Lower Level Center Ice

$20

Lower Level Faceoff

$17

VIP Edge

$17

Upper Level Preferred

$15

Upper Level

$13

Suites & Hospitality Areas Call for pricing and availability

Located at West Michigan Meijer stores, www.startickets.com or 616.222.4000 THE ZONE Located on the West side of Van Andel Arena ONLINE griffinshockey.com Seats may not be available in all price categories.

For season, game-plan and group ticket information, call 616.774.4585 or 1.800.2.HOCKEY.

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64 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

San Antonio Rampage

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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 111 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 95 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 111 Jeremy Williams 10/24/10 NYR vs. NJ

Ville Leino

Bold = Has played in the NHL this season (as of Dec. 20) Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup after playing for Grand Rapids

all Niklas Kronw

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

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 ✫all star WorDsearCh✫ PRESENTED BY

The 2011 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross, which will take place at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., will feature the league’s top young talent competing in the AHL All-Star Skills Competition (Sunday, Jan. 30) and the AHL All-Star Game (Monday, Jan. 31).

Vote for your favorite Griffins and the most deserving AHL players by visiting theahl.com or facebook.com/theahl and completing the official Reebok AHL All-Star Fan Ballot before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 9.

While Grand Rapids’ 2011 representatives have yet to be determined, the Griffins had 32 different players selected to play in an all-star game in either the AHL or IHL during their first 14 seasons.

Find the last name of each Griffins All-Star by searching horizontally, vertically and diagonally, both forward and backward. Have fun!

Chris BALA Jonathan ERICSSON Valtteri FILPPULA Mike FOUNtAIN Ian GORDON John GRUDEN Jimmy HOWARD Jiri HUDLER Kerry HUFFMAN Jani HURME Jakub KINDL Niklas KRONWALL Joel KWIAtKOWSKI Marc LAMOtHE Daniel LARSSON Joey MACDONALD Donald MACLEAN Derek MEECH Kevin and Kip MILLER Mark MOWERS Jeff NELSON Robert PEtROVICKY Michel PICARD Martin PRUSEK Pokey REDDICK Travis RICHARDS Patrick RISSMILLER Nathan ROBINSON Petr SCHAStLIVY Maxim SPIRIDONOV Todd WHItE

Join the Griffins Kids Club!

Turn to page 56 for membership information.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 71

FOWL PLAY – Griff hands roses to a lucky fan and then gives her the “bill” during a break in the action at Van Andel Arena.

Photo by Mark Newman 72 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Proud sponsor of Grand Rapids hockey.

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JEEP IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF CHRYSLER GROUP LLC.