2021-22 Griffiti - Issue #2 by Grand Rapids Griffins

2021-22 SEASON ISSUE NO. 2

E S T. 1 9 9 6

Defenseman ryan murphy

PUCK-MOVING

PLAYMAKER O F F I C I A L

M A G A Z I N E

O F

T H E

G R A N D

R A P I D S

G R I F F I N S

We’re big fans of the Griffins. We’re also fans of their fans. Huntington is proud to support the Grand Rapids Griffins, through the wins, the losses, and the hat tricks. No matter the outcome, it’s a joy to watch you from the stands, competing your hearts out. From all your fans at Huntington, go Griffins!

Vol. 25, No. 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS STARTING LINEUP 26 �� MAN ON A MISSION Playmaking defenseman Ryan Murphy has a renewed perspective since returning to North America.

34 �� WINNING ATTITUDE Turner Elson brings the kind of positive influence that coaches love. 42 �� NEW CHAPTER Jimmy Howard is enjoying life after his retirement from the Red Wings. 50 �� LAST STOP BEFORE DETROIT Since 2002, a dozen goaltenders have played for the Red Wings after appearing in at least one game with the Griffins. 52 �� ROAD TO ‘RENO’ The Red Wings found their way back to Dan Renouf, thanks to his development as a dependable defenseman.

ON THE BENCH 2..........Chalk Talk 4..........Scouting Report 9..........Griffins Schedule 12.......AHL Tradition 16.......AHL Team Directory 21.......Detroit Red Wings 22.......Promotional Calendar 40.......Meet the Griffins

65.......Griffins Records 68.......Griffins All-Stars 73.......Penalty Calls 74.......Arena Map/Ticket Info 76.......It All Starts Here 79.......Kids Page 80.......Parting Shot

COVER:

Ryan Murphy joined the Griffins after being selected as the AHL’s best defenseman last season. 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 ©2021 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.

WITH GRIFFINS HEAD COACH BEN SIMON “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” That might sound like an excuse, but it has been the reality for the Griffins more often than not during the past decade. Every team since 2012-13, including the Griffins’ first Calder Cup championship club, has finished the season with a winning record, but six times the organization opened the season with less-than-stellar starts. The 2012-13 team won only two of its first eight games. The defending Calder Cup club started the 2013-14 campaign with only one win in its first six contests. The 2014-15 team that finished with a 100-point season (46-22-6-2) started 3-6-1-0. More recently, the 2017-18 team that finished second in its division started with a less-thanspectacular record of 3-5-0-1. In 2018-19, which was Ben Simon’s first season as the head coach, the Griffins started 2-5. Even the past two seasons saw the Griffins start flat with close to .500 records. So it’s no surprise that nobody was panicking when the Griffins started this season with a record of 2-4-0-1. After 19 games, their slate stood at 8-8-2-1, which suggests that the team – as usual – is starting to head in the right direction. All things considered, Simon said he was relatively happy with where the team stood as it neared the quarter mark of the 2021-22 season. “For whatever reason, starts have not been a huge bonus for us,” Simon said. “Historically, we have had terribly slow starts to our seasons. At the same time, we can’t afford to let games slide away from us so early.” Simon cites the chaotic nature of the first few weeks as a potential cause for the sluggish starts. Getting everyone on the same page takes some time, especially when opportunities to practice are limited. “People get sent down and all of a sudden you’re dealing with guys who are disappointed that they’ve 2 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Photo: Sam Iannamico

been sent down,” he said. “Whether it’s right or wrong, guys are generally disappointed, so they’ve got to get their head around it. Now they’re in a hotel room, they’re looking for an apartment, they’re scrambling to move all their things – there’s a lot of stuff going on. “Nearly half of the team is new to the area, so there’s a culture shock. It’s a different city, a different coach, a different team, different systems. It all takes time. There’s always an assimilation period – every team goes through it – but that’s the American Hockey League. We’re no different from any other team in that regard.” Add injuries and call-ups to the mix and the challenge becomes greater. Within the first few weeks, the Griffins already had several players out of their lineup along with almost an equal number of players promoted to Detroit. On Nov. 17, for example, the Griffins were missing the three top centers from their Opening Night lineup. Joe Veleno had been recalled by the Red Wings, Kyle Criscuolo was away from the team for a family funeral, and Chase Pearson was serving a one-game suspension. “Every time someone gets called up, it’s an opportunity for someone else,” Simon said. “We have to make sure guys who are growing into bigger roles and who are being given bigger opportunities are prepared when the time comes.” And some players have responded. Tyler Spezia, Dominik Shine and Turner Elson all have raised their level of play while the team has been missing players. “We’ve leaned on them heavily,” Simon said. “They’ve played big minutes for us and they’re the kind of guys that, as a coach, you know what you’re going to get every shift. They’re character guys who you would gladly go to war with any day of the week.”

Being undermanned has meant the Griffins must work harder to stay competitive. It’s not been easy. The Griffins managed to outshoot their opponents only once in their first 17 games. At this point in the season, Simon is not overly worried about that statistic, but he is concerned. “You can get outshot 50 to 20, but if 40 of those 50 are from way outside or most are not what we deem quality scoring chances, it’s not a big deal,” he said. “In saying that, we’ve given up way too many chances. We have to make sure that we’re much tighter defensively and that we’re not giving up Grade A chances. We’ve been inconsistent in that regard.” He also would like to see the Griffins do more to create scoring chances of their own. “We have to be less selective with our shots. We’re waiting for the opportune shot instead of what might seem like an innocent shot,” he said. “Whether it’s throwing the puck at the goalie’s feet or throwing it toward the net with one of our guys creating a little bit of traffic in a screen situation, we need to create the kind of chaos that leads to secondary scoring chances. “We need to create situations that take the opposing team out of their structure in the d-zone and produce that split second of uncertainty, which leads to more chances. We certainly have to do a better job of getting more pucks, as well as more bodies and more traffic, to the net.” Thankfully, goaltender Calvin Pickard has been rock solid between the pipes. “’Pick’ just seems to win games,” Simon said. “Whether the score is 3-1 or 6-5, he finds ways to win games. I think it comes down to his natural

competitiveness. Even in practice, he doesn’t want to allow goals. He competes and he doesn’t let up on anything. He demands a lot of himself, which puts the onus on the other players. “He’s a vocal guy and he wears his heart on his sleeve, which the guys respect. They like to battle for him, which is not to say that they don’t for any other goalie who might be in the lineup, but they seem to really rally behind Pick. He’s been fantastic.” Simon is looking for similar consistent play up and down the Griffins’ lineup. “At this level, everyone can be good for a game or two. The guys who find their way out of this league are the guys who are really good for long stretches of time, and that’s what affords them the opportunity to get called up and be given the chance to do the same things at the next level. “You’ve got to find a way to keep your foot in the door and not let the door shut on you. Find a way to earn a job and stay there.” So while Simon was not thrilled with the way his team had started the 2021-22 season, he is seeing enough encouraging signs that he remains confident that the Griffins will be competing for a playoff position next spring. “I’ve been a part of teams that had great starts but didn’t make the playoffs, and we’ve had horrible starts and won the Calder Cup, so a lot can happen between Oct. 3 and April 15,” he said. “When things go sideways a little bit, you want to make sure you don’t get derailed and you’re able to keep the train on the tracks as best you can. “It’s making sure you’re doing something every day to improve as an individual and as a team.”

2021-22 GRIFFINS HOCKEY OPERATIONS STAFF

General Manager

Pat Verbeek

Video Coach

Justin DeMartino

Head Coach

Assistant Coach

Ben Simon

Matt Macdonald

Athletic Trainer

Assistant Athletic Trainer

Josh Chapman

Anthony Polazzo

Assistant Coach

Goaltending Coach

Todd Krygier

Mike Knuble

Brian Mahoney-Wilson

Equipment Manager

Assistant Equipment Manager

Strength-Conditioning Coordinator

Brad Thompson

Charlie Kaser

Marcus Kinney

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 3

SCOUTING REPORT

TORONTO DEC. 18, DEC. 19

• Top affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Marlies will return to Van Andel Arena for the first time since Nov. 9, 2019, when the Griffins fell 5-2. Grand Rapids holds a 32-31-3-2 all-time record against Toronto, including a 19-14-1-1 ledger on home ice. • Toronto finished below the .500 mark last season for the first time since the 2009-10

campaign, standing secondto-last in the pandemic-bred, five-team Canadian Division with a 16-17-0-2 mark.

• Left wing Jack Kopacka is the only Michigander featured on the Marlies’ roster as he was born in Lapeer, Mich. Through 10 games this season, the forward had one goal, two assists and 15 penalty minutes.

MILWAUKEE DEC. 22, DEC. 31, JAN. 5, JAN. 22, JAN. 26

· Cole Schneider returned to the Admirals this season after spending last year with the Texas Stars, where he totaled 28 points (11-17—28) in 36 appearances. Through 15 games this season, the left winger had a team-high 17 points (7-10—17). · The Admirals’ roster includes two former first-round draft picks in 4 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Cody Glass and Michael McCarron. Vegas took Glass with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. McCarron, a Grosse Pointe, Mich., native, was taken 25th overall by Montreal in the 2013 draft. · Grand Rapids’ 104 victories over Milwaukee are the most against any opponent in franchise history. Furthermore, the Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any

club in the AHL, competing in 195 games dating back to the 2001-02 campaign, when both teams joined the AHL from the IHL.

IOWA JAN. 7 · Iowa concluded the shortened, no-playoffs 2020-21 season in fourth place in the Central Division with a 17-13-4-0 record, including a 2-2-0-0 ledger against the Griffins. The Wild jumped out to a 9-5-1-0 start this season. · 2017 Calder Cup champions with the Griffins, Joe Hicketts (2016-21) and Dominic Turgeon

(2016-21) are now with Iowa after signing deals with the Minnesota Wild in the offseason. Ryan Kuffner (2019-20) is also featured on the Wild’s roster, while Nate DiCasmirro (2005-06) is an assistant coach for Iowa. · Grand Rapids began the season series by defeating the Wild 6-5 in overtime in Des Moines on Nov. 5. The Griffins possess a

36-15-4-2 all-time record against Iowa, including 17-6-3-2 at home and 19-9-1-0 on the road.

CLEVELAND JAN. 8

· Cleveland competed in the Central Division a year ago for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign, finishing in second place with a 16-10-1-2 record. Now back in the North Division, the Monsters got off to a 9-3-23 start this season.

· Cleveland’s power play was one of the best in the AHL in 202021, finishing in second place with a conversion rate of 26.9%,

just 0.2% less than first-place Hartford. The Monsters’ unit was struggling as November came to a close, though, ranking 27th at 15.5%.

· The Monsters’ roster features two former first-round draft picks in centers Liam Foudy and Brendan Gaunce. Foudy was selected by Columbus with the 18th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, while

Vancouver chose Gaunce with the 26th pick in 2012.

MANITOBA JAN. 14, JAN 15 · Mark Morrison is in his first season as Manitoba’s bench boss after spending four seasons with the Anaheim Ducks as an assistant coach. The Moose held a 11-6-1-0 record through the month of November and sat in second place in the Central Division. · Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16, Grand Rapids

is 22-11-0-1 against them, including 13-5-0-0 at Van Andel Arena. · Forward Bobby Lynch hails from Grand Blanc, Mich., and played a year of junior hockey in West Michigan with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The third-year pro has logged 36 games in the AHL, totaling 10 points (4-6—10) and 14 penalty minutes.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 5

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2021-22 SEASON

Dear Griffins Fans, Welcome back! What a long, strange trip it’s been, and in many ways continues to be. These last 19 months have tested all of us in ways we could never have imagined, impacting everything from our loved ones and livelihoods down to the most trivial aspects of daily living. Amidst this turmoil, having a shared sense of community and common rallying points has never felt more vital or craved, even if that just means gathering at Van Andel Arena to watch a Griffins game with 10,834 of our closest friends. We’ve never taken the roar of a huge crowd for granted, but it will sound unimaginably sweet to hear that again this season.

DAN DEVOS LETTER FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

The slow return to normalcy is coming with some exciting changes to your fan experience, most notably advances like fan-friendly mobile ticketing technology and cashless arena concessions that offer mobile ordering and easy pickup. They have the added benefit of making our game-night operations as contactless as possible. While the shortened 2020-21 campaign was technically our 25th season, we’ve saved the celebrations of the first quarter-century of Griffins hockey to share with you this year! Among the many promotions, giveaways and special events we have planned are two that you certainly won’t want to miss: the jersey number retirement ceremonies for Griffins greats Michel Picard (Feb. 19) and Jeff Hoggan (April 2), who will take their rightful places in the arena’s rafters alongside Travis Richards, currently the only player in our franchise’s history to have been so honored. As we pay tribute to the great memories and legends of our storied past, let’s not forget about the newest Griffins who will be looking to forge their path east to Hockeytown. The Detroit Red Wings boast one of the deepest and most promising prospect pools in the NHL – led by high draft picks like Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren – that is sure to give us many reasons to cheer as we chase an eighth consecutive berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs. If all of that wasn’t enough to look forward to, we’re beyond excited about the return to our broadcast booth of Bob Kaser, the newest, incredibly deserving member of the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame. Our beloved Voice of the Griffins missed the entire 2020-21 season while recovering from heart surgery but is now thankfully back to full strength, and he’s spreading the gospel of both Griffins hockey and heart health. On behalf of Griffins players and staff from the past and the present, I salute you for your loyalty through the years and hope you enjoy the celebration of our 25th anniversary season. Sincerely,

Dan DeVos Chief Executive Officer Grand Rapids Griffins

10 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

2021-2022 SEASON

Dear Fans, It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2021-22 American Hockey League season, the latest chapter in a tradition of excellence that can be traced back more than eight decades.

SCOTT HOWSON PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

We’re thrilled to have 31 teams back on the ice this fall, and we’re especially excited to have our passionate fans back to cheer on our players inside arenas across North America. Our clubs remain dedicated to ensuring everyone’s health and safety, allowing us to continue our role as the top development league for nearly all of the players, coaches, executives, trainers, broadcasters and officials in the National Hockey League today. On behalf of all of our teams across the United States and Canada, thank you for your continuing support of the AHL, and I will see you at the rink.

Sincerely,

SCOTT HOWSON PRESIDENT & CEO | AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 11

BY THE NUMBERS

A TRADITION OF

87.7% Percentage of all NHL players in 2020-21 who were graduates of the AHL

890 Former AHL players who skated in the NHL last season

THE BEGINNINGS Embarking on its 86th season of play in 2021-22, the American Hockey League is continuing a tradition of excellence that began in 1936 when the Canadian-American Hockey League joined with the International Hockey League to form what is today known as the AHL. Eight teams hit the ice that first season, representing Buffalo, Cleveland, New

Haven, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Springfield and Syracuse.

Hershey Bears have captured the most championships in league history with 11.

Frank Calder, the National Hockey League’s president at the time, was instrumental in the forming of this new league, and his name would be given to its championship trophy. The first Calder Cup was won by the Syracuse Stars in 1937; the

From those roots, the American Hockey League has grown into a 31-team, coast-to-coast league that provides fans with exciting, high-level professional hockey while preparing thousands of players, coaches, officials, executives, trainers, broadcasters and more for careers in the NHL.

268 AHL players who also played in the NHL in 2020-21

193 Former 1st- and 2ndround NHL draft picks who skated in the AHL in 2020-21

L . T O R . : A H L G R A D U AT E S M I K KO R A N TA N E N , S E M YO N VA R L A M O V, T Y L E R T O F F O L I , YA N N I G O U R D E , M A R K S T O N E

12 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

THE PLAYERS

THE LEGENDS

THE COACHES

In today’s National Hockey League nearly 90 percent of the players are AHL alumni, including 2021 Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury, Lady Byng Trophy recipient Jaccob Slavin and Bill Masterton Award winner Oskar Lindblom. The 2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning were stocked with AHL graduates including Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy, leading scorer Nikita Kucherov, and former Calder Cup champions Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson.

For the past eight decades, the American Hockey 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 Johnny Bower, 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 is inscribed 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.

At the start of the 2021-22 season, the National Hockey League featured 21 head coaches who were former AHL bench bosses, including two-time Stanley Cup winner Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Colorado’s Jared Bednar, Washington’s Peter Laviolette, Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan, Nashville’s John Hynes, Toronto’s Sheldon Keefe, Vancouver’s Travis Green and the N.Y. Islanders’ Barry Trotz are also among the current NHL coaches who spent time in the American Hockey League before making the jump.

During the 2020-21 season, a total of 890 AHL alumni played in the National Hockey League. There were 268 players who skated in both leagues last year alone, and nearly 200 former first- and second-round NHL draft picks developed their skills in the AHL last season, including Quinton Byfield, Jack Quinn, Cole Perfetti, Thomas Harley, Trevor Zegras, Martin Kaut and Nick Robertson.

“Without my time in the AHL, the door to the NHL does not open.” - J O N CO O PE R AHL COACH OF THE YEAR | ’11-12 CALDER CUP CHAMPION | ’12 STANLEY CUP CHAMPION | ’20, ’21

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 13

Photo by Rachel Ponstein from Rachel Gabrielse Photography

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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 15

A H L D I R EC TO RY

EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION

Bridgeport, Charlotte, Hartford, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Providence, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

NORTH DIVISION

Belleville, Cleveland, Laval, Rochester, Syracuse, Toronto, Utica

BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS

CHARLOTTE CHECKERS

NHL Affiliation............................New York Islanders Home Ice.......................Webster Bank Arena (8,412) General Manager............................ Chris Lamoriello Head Coach.................................... Brent Thompson Entered AHL................................................ 2001-02 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs.........................................9 of 18 2020-21 Record...................... 8-14-2-0, 18 pts./.375 Website..............................bridgeportislanders.com

NHL Affiliations......Florida Panthers, Seattle Kraken Home Ice....................... Bojangles’ Coliseum (8,600) General Manager............................Derek Wilkinson Head Coach.....................................Geordie Kinnear Entered AHL................................................ 2010-11 Calder Cups............................................. One (2019) Seasons in Playoffs...........................................5 of 9 2020-21 Record......................................Did not play Website........................................... gocheckers.com

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

HERSHEY BEARS

LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS

NHL Affiliation............................. New York Rangers Home Ice......................................XL Center (15,635) General Manager..................................Ryan Martin Head Coach.......................................Kris Knoblauch Entered AHL................................................ 1997-98 Calder Cups............................................. One (2000) Seasons in Playoffs.......................................15 of 22 2020-21 Record...................... 14-9-1-0, 29 pts./.604 Website.................................hartfordwolfpack.com

NHL Affiliation.........................Washington Capitals Home Ice.................................Giant Center (10,500) General Manager................................Bryan Helmer Head Coach..............................................Scott Allen Entered AHL................................................ 1938-39 Calder Cups.....11 (1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010) Seasons in Playoffs.......................................68 of 81 2020-21 Record...................... 24-7-2-0, 50 pts./.758 Website........................................hersheybears.com

NHL Affiliation............................Philadelphia Flyers Home Ice......................................PPL Center (8,420) General Manager...............................Chuck Fletcher Head Coach.........................................Ian Laperriere Entered AHL.... 1996-97 (as Philadelphia Phantoms) Calder Cups................................... Two (1998, 2005) Seasons in Playoffs.......................................12 of 23 2020-21 Record...................... 18-7-4-2, 43 pts./.672 Website..................................phantomshockey.com

PROVIDENCE BRUINS

SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

NHL Affiliation....................................Boston Bruins Home Ice................................ Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence (11,273) General Manager..................................... Evan Gold Head Coach......................................Ryan Mougenel Entered AHL................................................ 1992-93 Calder Cups............................................. One (1999) Seasons in Playoffs.......................................22 of 27 2020-21 Record...................... 15-6-2-2, 34 pts./.680 Website................................. providencebruins.com

NHL Affiliation................................... St. Louis Blues Home Ice........................MassMutual Center (6,793) General Manager............................Kevin McDonald Head Coach......................................Drew Bannister Entered AHL................................................ 2016-17 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs...........................................0 of 3 2020-21 Record......................................Did not play Website.......................springfieldthunderbirds.com

NHL Affiliation......................... Pittsburgh Penguins Home Ice........Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (8,050) General Manager...................................Patrik Allvin Head Coach..............................................J.D. Forrest Entered AHL................................................ 1999-00 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs.......................................17 of 20 2020-21 Record.................... 13-13-4-2, 32 pts./.500 Website........................................wbspenguins.com

16 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

2021-22

BELLEVILLE SENATORS

CLEVELAND MONSTERS

LAVAL ROCKET

NHL Affiliation............................... Ottawa Senators Home Ice......................................CAA Arena (4,365) General Manager.................................Pierre Dorion Head Coach..............................................Troy Mann Entered AHL................................................ 2017-18 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons In Playoffs...........................................0 Of 2 2020-21 Record.................... 18-16-1-0, 37 pts./.529 Website........................................bellevillesens.com

NHL Affiliation......................Columbus Blue Jackets Home Ice......................Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (18,926/9,447 lower bowl) General Manager..................................... Chris Clark Head Coach............................................. Mike Eaves Entered AHL............2007-08 (as Lake Erie Monsters) Calder Cups............................................. One (2016) Seasons in Playoffs.........................................3 of 12 2020-21 Record.................... 16-10-1-2, 35 pts./.603 Website...............................clevelandmonsters.com

NHL Affiliation..........................Montreal Canadiens Home Ice..................................... Place Bell (10,062) General Manager...............................Marc Bergevin Head Coach...............................Jean-Francois Houle Entered AHL................................................ 2017-18 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons In Playoffs...........................................0 Of 2 2020-21 Record...................... 23-9-3-1, 50 pts./.694 Website............................................rocketlaval.com

ROCHESTER AMERICANS

SYRACUSE CRUNCH

NHL Affiliation...................................Buffalo Sabres Home Ice............................... Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial (11,215) General Manager............................Jason Karmanos Head Coach............................................Seth Appert Entered AHL................................................ 1956-57 Calder Cups.....Six (1965, 1966, 1968, 1983, 1987, 1996) Seasons in Playoffs.......................................46 of 63 2020-21 Record.................... 11-15-2-1, 25 pts./.431 Website ................................................ amerks.com

NHL Affiliation........................Tampa Bay Lightning Home Ice......................War Memorial Arena (6,230) General Manager................................... Stacy Roest Head Coach.........................................Benoit Groulx Entered AHL................................................ 1994-95 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs.......................................15 of 25 2020-21 Record.................... 19-10-3-0, 41 pts./.641 Website.....................................syracusecrunch.com

TORONTO MARLIES

UTICA COMETS

NHL Affiliation..........................Toronto Maple Leafs Home Ice........................Coca-Cola Coliseum (7,851) General Manager....................................Ryan Hardy Head Coach............................................ Greg Moore Entered AHL................................................ 2005-06 Calder Cups............................................. One (2018) Seasons in Playoffs.......................................11 of 14 2020-21 Record.................... 16-17-0-2, 34 pts./.486 Website.................................................... marlies.ca

NHL Affiliation..............................New Jersey Devils Home Ice............Utica Memorial Auditorium (3,860) General Manager.............................Dan MacKinnon Head Coach..........................................Kevin Dineen Entered AHL................................................ 2013-14 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs...........................................3 of 6 2020-21 Record.................... 16-11-0-1, 33 pts./.589 Website..........................................uticacomets.com

THE ROAD TO THE CALDER CUP A total of 23 teams will qualify for postseason play in 202122, with five rounds of playoffs leading to the crowning of a Calder Cup champion. In each of the AHL’s four divisions, all but two teams will qualify for postseason play, creating a playoff field of six teams in the Atlantic Division, five in the North Division, five in the Central Division and seven in the Pacific Division. Teams will be ranked by points percentage in the regular-season standings. First Round matchups will be best-of-three series. The top two teams in the Atlantic Division, the top three teams in each of the North and Central Divisions, and the firstplace team in the Pacific Division will receive byes into the best-of-five Division Semifinals, with the First Round winners re-seeded in each division. The Division Finals will also be best-of-five series, followed by best-of-seven Conference Finals and a best-of-seven Calder Cup Finals. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 17

A H L D I R EC TO RY

WESTERN CONFERENCE PACIFIC DIVISION

Abbotsford, Bakersfield, Colorado, Henderson, Ontario, San Diego, San Jose, Stockton, Tucson

CENTRAL DIVISION

Grand Rapids, Chicago, Iowa, Manitoba, Milwaukee, Rockford, Texas

COLORADO EAGLES

ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS

BAKERSFIELD CONDORS

NHL Affiliation............................Vancouver Canucks NHL Affiliation............................... Edmonton Oilers Home Ice..........................Abbotsford Entertainment Home Ice...................Mechanics Bank Arena (8,751) & Sports Centre (7,018) General Manager................................ Keith Gretzky Woodcroft General Manager................................Ryan Johnson Head Coach........................................ JayONTARIO Head Coach................................................Trent Cull Entered AHL................................................ 2015-16 PRIMARY M Entered AHL................................................ 2021-22 Calder Cups......................................................None Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs...........................................1 of 4 Seasons in Playoffs..............................................N/A 2020-21 Record.................... 24-14-0-1, 49 pts./.628 Website..............................abbotsford.canucks.com Website...............................bakersfieldcondors.com

HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS

NHL Affiliation...........................Colorado Avalanche NHL Affiliation....................... Vegas Golden Knights Home Ice................Budweiser Events Center (5,289) Home Ice................................ Orleans Arena (7,773) General Manager.............................Craig Billington General Manager.....................................Tim Speltz Head Coach............................................Greg Cronin Head Coach.......................................Manny Viveiros Entered AHL................................................ 2018-19 Entered AHL................................................ 2020-21 Calder Cups......................................................None Calder Cups......................................................None SAN DIEGO GULLS Seasons in Playoffs...........................................1 of 1 Seasons in Playoffs..............................................N/A MARK pts./.500 2020-21 Record.................... 15-15-3-1, 34PRIMARY 2020-21 Record.................... 25-13-0-1, 51 pts./.654 Website.....................................coloradoeagles.com Website........................hendersonsilverknights.com

ONTARIO REIGN

NHL Affiliation..............................Los Angeles Kings Home Ice..................................Toyota Arena (9,491) General Manager...............................Richard Seeley Head Coach....................................John Wroblewski Entered AHL................................................ 2015-16 STOCKTON HE Calder Cups......................................................None of 4 MARK Seasons in Playoffs...........................................3 PRIMARY 2020-21 Record.................... 17-19-4-0, 38 pts./.475 Website.........................................ontarioreign.com

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SAN DIEGO GULLS

SAN JOSE BARRACUDA

STOCKTON HEAT

NHL Affiliation.................................Anaheim Ducks Home Ice.......... Pechanga Arena San Diego (12,920) General Manager................................Bob Ferguson Head Coach.........................................Joel Bouchard Entered AHL................................................ 2015-16 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs...........................................3 of 4 2020-21 Record.................... 26-17-1-0, 53 pts./.602 Website.......................................sandiegogulls.com

NHL Affiliation.................................San Jose Sharks Home Ice................. SAP Center 2015-16 at San Jose (17,496) General Manager..........................................Joe Will Head Coach.......................................... Roy Sommer Entered AHL................................................ 2015-16 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs...........................................4 of 4 2020-21 Record.................... 15-15-4-2, 36 pts./.500 Website.......................................... sjbarracuda.com

NHL Affiliation..................................Calgary Flames Home Ice.............................Stockton Arena (10,050) General Manager...................................Brad Pascall Head Coach..............................................Mitch Love Entered AHL................................................ 2015-16 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs...........................................1 of 4 2020-21 Record.................... 11-17-2-0, 24 pts./.400 Website........................................stocktonheat.com

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2021-22

TUCSON ROADRUNNERS

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

CHICAGO WOLVES

NHL Affiliation.................................Arizona Coyotes Home Ice..................................Tucson Arena (6,791) General Manager...............................John Ferguson Head Coach..............................................Jay Varady Entered AHL................................................ 2016-17 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs...........................................1 of 3 2020-21 Record.................... 13-20-3-0, 29 pts./.403 Website...............................tucsonroadrunners.com

NHL Affiliation............................. Detroit Red Wings Home Ice...........................Van Andel Arena (10,834) General Manager...................................Pat Verbeek Head Coach............................................. Ben Simon Entered AHL................................................ 2001-02 Calder Cups................................... Two (2013, 2017) Seasons in Playoffs.......................................13 of 18 2020-21 Record.................... 16-12-3-1, 36 pts./.563 Website.......................................griffinshockey.com

NHL Affiliation...........................Carolina Hurricanes Home Ice.............................. Allstate Arena (16,692) General Manager..............................Wendell Young Head Coach......................................Ryan Warsofsky Entered AHL................................................ 2001-02 Calder Cups................................... Two (2002, 2008) Seasons in Playoffs.......................................13 of 18 2020-21 Record...................... 21-9-1-2, 45 pts./.682 Website......................................chicagowolves.com

IOWA WILD

MANITOBA MOOSE

MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS

NHL Affiliation.................................Minnesota Wild Home Ice........................ Wells Fargo Arena (15,181) General Manager..................................Mike Murray Head Coach............................................... Tim Army Entered AHL................................................ 2013-14 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs...........................................1 of 6 2020-21 Record.................... 17-13-4-0, 38 pts./.559 Website.............................................. iowawild.com

NHL Affiliation................................... Winnipeg Jets Home Ice..............................Bell MTS Place (15,294) General Manager..............................Craig Heisinger Head Coach........................................Mark Morrison Entered AHL........ 2001-02 (played through 2010-11; re-entered 2015-16) Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs.......................................10 of 14 2020-21 Record.................... 18-13-3-2, 41 pts./.569 Website....................................... moosehockey.com

NHL Affiliation...........................Nashville Predators Home Ice.....UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena (12,700) General Manager...................................Scott Nichol Head Coach..............................................Karl Taylor Entered AHL................................................ 2001-02 Calder Cups............................................. One (2004) Seasons in Playoffs.......................................15 of 18 2020-21 Record......................................Did not play Website............................. milwaukeeadmirals.com

ROCKFORD ICEHOGS

TEXAS STARS

NHL Affiliation..........................Chicago Blackhawks Home Ice.................BMO Harris Bank Center (5,895) General Manager................................Mark Bernard Head Coach.................................... Anders Sorensen Entered AHL................................................ 2007-08 Calder Cups......................................................None Seasons in Playoffs.........................................6 of 12 2020-21 Record.................... 12-19-1-0, 25 pts./.391 Website.................................................icehogs.com

NHL Affiliation....................................... Dallas Stars Home Ice.............H-E-B Center at Cedar Park (6,800) General Manager................................... Scott White Head Coach...........................................Neil Graham Entered AHL................................................ 2009-10 Calder Cups............................................. One (2014) Seasons in Playoffs.........................................7 of 10 2020-21 Record.................... 17-18-3-0, 37 pts./.487 Website.............................................texasstars.com Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 19

20 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

DETROIT RED WINGS Photo credit: Getty Images

ith a young core powered by former Griffins such as Tyler Bertuzzi, Filip Hronek and Filip Zadina, the 202021 Detroit Red Wings achieved the NHL’s largest improvements last season in terms of both points percentage and goal differential. Moritz Seider, Michael Rasmussen, Gustav Lindstrom and Givani Smith are among the Griffins alumni who’ve joined them in Hockeytown for 2021-22, the 20th season of affiliation between Grand Rapids and Detroit. TOP AFFILIATE: Grand Rapids Griffins • 20th Season ARENA: Little Caesars Arena • Seating Capacity: 19,515 CONTACT: (313) 471-7000 • detroitredwings.com STANLEY CUPS: 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008 MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE VP/GENERAL MANAGER: Steve Yzerman ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER: Pat Verbeek COACHING STAFF HEAD COACH: Jeff Blashill ASSISTANT COACHES: Doug Houda, Alex Tanguay GOALTENDING COACH: Jeff Salajko VIDEO COACH: LJ Scarpace ASSISTANT VIDEO COACH: Jeff Weintraub

GRIFFINS WHO HAVE EARNED THEIR WINGS

Justin Abdelkader Adam Almquist Joakim Andersson Andreas Athanasiou Sean Avery Ryan Barnes Tyler Bertuzzi Patrick Boileau Darryl Bootland Madison Bowey Mathias Brome Fabian Brunnstrom Mitch Callahan Jake Chelios Dennis Cholowski Ty Conklin Chris Conner Jared Coreau Kyle Criscuolo Danny DeKeyser Aaron Downey Patrick Eaves Christoffer Ehn Matt Ellis Cory Emmerton Jonathan Ericsson Landon Ferraro Valtteri Filppula Martin Frk Luke Glendening Mark Hartigan Darren Helm Joe Hicketts

2008-09 2013-14 2011-12 2015-16 2002-03 2003-04 2016-17 2002-03 2003-04 2019-20 2020-21 2011-12 2013-14 2018-19 2018-19 2011-12 2011-12 2016-17 2021-22 2013-14 2008-09 2013-14 2018-19 2006-07 2010-11 2007-08 2013-14 2005-06 2017-18 2013-14 2007-08 2007-08 2017-18

Taro Hirose Jimmy Howard Filip Hronek Jiri Hudler Matt Hussey Doug Janik Nick Jensen Tomas Jurco Jakub Kindl Tomas Kopecky Niklas Kronwall Marc Lamothe Josh Langfeld Dylan Larkin Brian Lashoff Brett Lebda Ville Leino Gustav Lindstrom Matt Lorito Joey MacDonald Donald MacLean Anthony Mantha Alexey Marchenko Darren McCarty Tom McCollum Dylan McIlrath Derek Meech Wade Megan Drew Miller Kevin Miller Mark Mowers Petr Mrazek Jan Mursak

2019-20 2005-06 2018-19 2003-04 2006-07 2009-10 2016-17 2013-14 2009-10 2005-06 2003-04 2003-04 2006-07 2015-16 2012-13 2005-06 2008-09 2019-20 2016-17 2006-07 2005-06 2015-16 2013-14 2007-08 2010-11 2018-19 2006-07 2018-19 2016-17 2003-04 2003-04 2012-13 2010-11

Anders Myrvold Andrej Nestrasil Kris Newbury Tomas Nosek Gustav Nyquist Xavier Ouellet Calvin Pickard Matt Puempel Teemu Pulkkinen Kyle Quincey Michael Rasmussen Dan Renouf Mattias Ritola Jamie Rivers Nathan Robinson Stacy Roest Robbie Russo Moritz Seider Riley Sheahan Brendan Smith Givani Smith Ryan Sproul Garrett Stafford Ben Street Libor Sulak Evgeny Svechnikov Eric Tangradi Tomas Tatar Jordin Tootoo Dominic Turgeon Joe Veleno Jason Williams Filip Zadina

2003-04 2014-15 2009-10 2015-16 2011-12 2013-14 2019-20 2018-19 2013-14 2005-06 2018-19 2016-17 2007-08 2003-04 2003-04 2002-03 2016-17 2021-22 2011-12 2011-12 2019-20 2013-14 2007-08 2016-17 2018-19 2016-17 2015-16 2010-11 2013-14 2017-18 2020-21 2002-03 2018-19

* not including conditioning stints for Curtis Joseph (2003-04), Chris Osgood (2005-06), Manny Legace (2005-06), Chris Chelios (2008-09), Andreas Lilja (2009-10), Jonas Gustavsson (2012-13), Carlo Colaiacovo (2012-13) and Stephen Weiss (2014-15).

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 21

MARK

YOUR

E S T. 1 9 9 6

DEC. 18 Holly Jolly Holiday Celebration presented by Comerica Bank/Kids 25th Anniversary Jersey Giveaway/Santa Claus Appearance DEC. 19 Salute to Frontline Workers presented by MET & MESP DEC. 31 24th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration/Post-Game Fireworks/6 p.m. Start (NO $2 Beers and $2 Hot Dogs)

JAN

JAN. 8 Heroes vs. Villains Night presented by Marathon/ Character Appearances JAN. 15 Tyler Bertuzzi Champion Series Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Michigan Office Solutions JAN. 22 The Mighty Griffs Night presented by Michigan First Credit Union/Poster Giveaway/Mighty Griffs Jersey Auction

FEB. 5 Princess Night presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union/Princess Appearances/Tea Party FEB. 19 ‘90s Night presented by Play Gun Lake/Michel Picard Jersey Number Retirement Ceremony/ Mini Van Andel Arena Replica Giveaway/ Throwback Jersey Auction

JAN. 15

FEB. 26 Hockey Without Barriers & Sensory Friendly Game presented by Adventure Credit Union/Tomas Tatar Champion Series Bobblehead Giveaway MARCH 5 Star Wars Night presented by DTE/Character Appearances

8 C. 1 DE

JAN DEC

22 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

CALENDAR MARCH 18 10th Annual Purple Community Game presented by Van Andel Institute/ Purple Jersey Auction APRIL 2 Margaritaville Night presented by Centennial Securities/Jeff Hoggan Jersey Number Retirement Ceremony/Beach Hat Giveaway

APRIL 13 Jake Engel Memorial Dog Game No. 2 presented by Nestlé Purina

APR

FEB. 26

APRIL 22 Fan Appreciation Night presented by Huntington Bank APR. 2

FEB. 19

. 22 JAN

APR

FEB

. 19 FEB

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MAR FEB

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N O -L N O S A E S E S E H T T U CHECK O

S N O I T O PROM

urring motionsdovcc ro p se e th tage f n o a te no ke a e k Ta a ! m n so to a re se su e e th B roughoudtogs, free tickets, military and regularlyp th eer and discounts and more! of chea bst udent

$2 BEERS AND $2 HOT DOGS Every Friday, enjoy $2 domestic drafts and $2 hot dogs from 6-8 p.m., at select stands while supplies last. MILITARY NIGHTS Every home game, current members of our military can purchase up to four Upper Level Faceoff tickets for $14 each, four Upper Level Center Ice tickets for $17 each or four Lower Level Faceoff tickets for $20 each with a valid military ID. The offer also extends to veterans who present a VA ID or discharge papers. FREE RIDE FRIDAY ON THE RAPD Ride the Rapid to and from any Friday game and enjoy a complimentary fare by showing your ticket to that night’s game. Visit ridetherapid.org for schedule information, routes and maps. WINNING WEDNESDAYS Every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. To redeem a Winning Wednesday ticket, please visit the box office following the Winning Wednesday game, The Zone during normal business hours, or the Van Andel Arena box office prior to the next Wednesday game beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans who exchange their Winning Wednesday ticket at

The Zone on a non-game day will receive 20% off the purchase of one item (excluding jerseys). One discount per person present.

SUNDAY IS FUN DAY For all Sunday games, enjoy $1 small Pepsi drinks and $1 small ice cream cups from 3-5 p.m.

LIBRARY NIGHTS For all Wednesday and Sunday games, fans can 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 to purchase either an Upper Level Faceoff ticket for $14 (regularly $16 advance and $19 day of game), an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $17 (regularly $19 advance and $22 day of game) or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $20 (regularly $22 advance and $25 day of game). Limit four tickets per card per person, subject to availability.

PEPSI READING GOALS Children with Griff’s Reading Goals bookmarks who have completed the required three hours of reading can redeem their bookmark for two free Upper Level tickets to any of the following games: Bookmark #1 – Dec. 19 and 22; Bookmark #2 – Jan. 26; March 9 and 16; April 6.

FRIENDS & FAMILY 4-PACKS Presented by Buddy’s Pizza and available for all Saturday games, each pack includes four tickets, one four square cheese pizza at Buddy’s Pizza, and $20 in concession cash for a great low price. Visit griffinshockey.comf4p or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2. Continuing this season, fans may use their concession cash to purchase healthy choice menu options at the stand located outside of section 126, including low-fat yogurt, apples, oranges, granola bars and smoothies.

POST-GAME OPEN SKATES Bring your skates to the rink and take to the ice for a post-game open skate. Dates include Dec. 31, Jan. 15 and April 22. As a reminder, Van Andel Arena has a no-bag policy, but security will allow fans to use bags to bring in their skates. MOS CORNER OFFICE Presented by Michigan Office Solutions, this section, located on the terrace level above section 118, 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 ext. 4. DAVE & BUSTER’S FREE SUPERCHARGE Take your Griffins ticket to Dave & Buster’s or show your mobile ticket to receive a free supercharge of your Power Card.

All promotions and dates subject to change. For more information, visit griffinshockey.com. 24 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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Playmaking defenseman Ryan Murphy has a renewed perspective since returning to North America. Story and photos by Mark Newman

MAN ON A MISSION

26 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

When Ryan Murphy was looking for a place to play this season, one destination stood out. He saw the Detroit Red Wings as an organization on the rise and, if he was going to play in the American Hockey League, there was no better place to be than Grand Rapids. “When I was figuring out where to play this year, I remembered playing the Griffins wherever I might have been,” he said. “They always have a heckuva team and they win and they win. It’s just a winning culture. I want to be in a winning culture and this is probably the best team in the minors if you want to experience that. “Looking at the Detroit Red Wings, you see Steve Yzerman putting together a team just like he did in Tampa, where they have done something special by winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. I hope something special can happen here and I can be a big part of it.” In his ninth full season as a professional, Murphy, 28, has a new perspective. For years, he struggled to secure his spot in the NHL, splitting season after season between the world’s top league and the minors, caught in a virtual netherworld where negativity can threaten to seep into the soul of any former firstround draft pick.

A year of playing in Russia helped set his psyche straight. Seeing friends enjoy the apex of success only strengthened his resolve. “I want to win something before I’m done,” he said. “I’ve watched [as] two of my best friends have won Stanley Cups the past three years [St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington and Barclay Goodrow of the Tampa Bay Lightning]. I’ve seen them come home for the summer and I’ve watched them celebrating and how life is good. “I want that. Seeing them both do it, even though they had different rides to the NHL, only made it real for me and showed that it is possible. It’s been cool to see because they have been awesome supporters of mine. Every year they say ‘Next year is your year.’ “I want to go into the summer with a championship that I can celebrate with my friends and family just because I’ve seen them do it. I’ve seen how cool it is and how rewarding it can be. And I think this is the place where it can happen.” The desire to win is nothing new for the Aurora, Ontario, native. Growing up north of Toronto, he took to hockey at a young age, his skills overshadowing his smaller size – a reality

Murphy won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenseman last season while playing for the Henderson Silver Knights.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 27

that was recognized by his minor hockey coach, Moe Catenacci, whose son Daniel was one of his close friends growing up. Catenacci coached both boys in the York Simcoe Express Hockey Association for 10 years, from the time the boys were seven years old until they hit 16 and left for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He saw Murphy could be a special player if he maximized his offensive skills. Having played 15 seasons in Europe, Catenacci believed that turning Murphy into a Euro-style blueliner presented his best chance at a future in professional hockey, because his size (5-11, 185 lbs.) was on the small side for NHL defensemen. “I idolized Moe,” Murphy said. “He played one exhibition game for the St. Louis Blues, which I thought was so cool. He was the first guy to teach me the offensive side of the game as a defenseman. I was put on the back end by a coach named Dave Howie, who put all his good skaters on the defense. “When I got to Moe, Moe started to tell me to go the other way when the puck started coming toward us to pick off passes and stuff. He developed my offensive side of the game. I didn’t start learning the defensive side until the NHL, to be honest.” In the OHL, Murphy played four years for the Kitchener Rangers, where he was encouraged to pursue the same offensive mindset. “I played for Steve Spott, who preached the same thing,” Murphy said. “He let me play offense. He told me that defense was something I would learn later in life.” While Murphy excelled at helping put the puck into the net, Spott kept guiding the Rangers to winning seasons until he left for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and eventual assistant coaching positions in the NHL. During his draft year, Murphy tallied 26 goals, an impressive number by any measure for a defenseman. That kind of success in junior hockey convinced the Carolina Hurricanes to take Murphy with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Over the next five seasons, Murphy struggled to establish himself as a regular in the NHL, bouncing between Carolina and the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. “I didn’t know how to handle playing in the minors,” he now admits. “At first, I thought I was done. I was the 12th overall pick and now I was in the minors. What’s going on? It was the first 28 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

adversity I faced.” Disappointment, frustration and despair are emotions that have faced many high draft picks who find themselves in the minor leagues. “It took me years, probably up until the time I went to Europe, to realize that you’ve got to be a professional and you’ve got to do the little things. You can’t just rely on your God-given talent,” he said. “There are so many little things that you have to do to become an everyday NHLer.” It didn’t help his cause that there were five different head coaches between Carolina and Charlotte during his time in the organization. “We had so many changes with coaches and management that it was tough to find my way as a young guy, especially because I was trying to establish myself as an NHL player. For the most part all of my coaches were great, but you’re learning from all these different coaches and it’s not as easy as it sounds.” One thrill that will be forever etched in his mind is his first NHL goal, which he scored at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto two weeks into his first full season as a pro in 2013. “I’m almost embarrassed to say that it’s the highlight of my career,” he said. “I was still young to the point where family members are still surprised that you made it. We had a partial breakaway and I missed the net but I looped back around and delivered a one-timer for a power-play goal. “I had about 50 people in the crowd, including my parents with my older brother and younger sister. My grandparents were in the house, plus other extended family and friends. It was awesome. It’s a feeling I want to experience again.” Even so, those kinds of moments were few and far between for Murphy. He eventually decided he needed a change of scenery. “It was just time,” he said. “I didn’t feel like my career was going in the right direction. I wanted out of Carolina because I wanted a fresh start somewhere.” Murphy thought he had his new shot when Carolina included him in a three-player deal with an exchange of draft picks to Calgary during the summer of 2017, but he wasn’t a member of the Flames for even 24 hours. Calgary announced it would be buying out his 2017-18 salary. “My agent was telling me that the Flames were interested and that Calgary was a good spot for me,” he recalled. “I was talking with my buddies and celebrating when I got another call about an hour and a half later saying that I was

Murphy was drafted in the first round (12th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 29

being bought out. I was confused. To this day, I still don’t know why. It was bizarre. To not be even given a chance was strange, but everything happens for a reason.” He ultimately signed a one-year deal with Minnesota and started the 2017-18 season with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. When defenseman Jared Spurgeon was sidelined by a partial tear of his hamstring, Murphy was recalled for another stab at the NHL . “I came into a top-four role and [head coach] Bruce Boudreau said ‘You play well, roll with it’ – no pressure but play well. It was probably the most solid hockey I played in my NHL career. I was averaging about 20 minutes per game and I thought that I had established myself there.” Playing on the second defensive pairing in Minnesota, Murphy recorded two goals and three assists while being a plus-eight in 21 games. So Murphy was surprised when the Wild didn’t issue a qualifying offer the following summer. Instead, the team signed him to a oneyear, two-way contract for the league minimum. “I ended up taking a pay cut, so it was clear that I wasn’t going to be their guy. That was frustrating. The coaches were great and I made some good friendships, but for whatever reason, things didn’t work out.” In January 2019, Minnesota traded Murphy to New Jersey for Binghamton defenseman Michael Kapla. “I got a call that San Jose had put in a trade offer for me and Minnesota was nice enough to say that if I wanted out, they would do it,” he said. “San Jose was where my old coach from juniors [Steve Spott] was now, so I thought about it and said let’s do this. “I thought this could be a good thing, so I said let’s pack up and get out of here. Then I saw I was going to New Jersey/Binghamton in a trade. I was shocked. “Those were some dark days. We didn’t have a good team in Binghamton. I did get to go up for one game with the Devils and play against Carolina. We won 3-2 and I had the assist on the game’s first goal, but I got sent back down the next day and that was it for New Jersey. It was a tough experience. “I thought I was done. I thought I was finished with hockey. You get into your head when you can feel the door closing. That summer the phone was not ringing.” Murphy eventually got a job offer from Slava Butsayev, the former Griffins forward (199930 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

2001) who was the head coach of Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik in the KHL. Nizhnekamsk is a city in the Republic of Tatarstan, a two-hour flight east of Moscow in the middle of Russia. “I got a call that they were offering me a contract for decent money and that I essentially needed to let them know,” he said. “I didn’t know much about the KHL, but I was told that it was not the best place in the world or the most glamorous team, so I knew that going in. “My way of looking at it was that I was going to go to Russia, I’d stick to myself and focus only on hockey. I wanted to find the offensive confidence that I had lost over the previous seven years from being beaten down by almost every coach along the way.” Murphy quickly found that playing in Russia would require more than a little adjustment. “Everything’s a little different over there,” Murphy said. “We had a translator who would translate what we needed to know, but it was tough. Whenever Butsayev was on the board describing the drills, you had to pay attention because most of the time the translator was kind of wrong about what we were supposed to do. He was a great guy but not the best translator. “Butsayev spoke English but he didn’t really speak it to the North American guys, so there was a big language barrier. We only had a couple of Russian players who spoke any English and they didn’t go out of their way to speak to us. You definitely felt isolated at the time.” As an assistant captain, Murphy felt a sense of responsibility. “It was tough because we didn’t have the best team in the world. We had a lot of young Russians trying to make their way in the KHL and when you’re going up against the top teams every night, it was a little overwhelming. We were playing in our zone a lot and getting stomped on. “As the year went along, I found little ways to individually create offense. And that’s what I used to be really good at – creating offense. Towards the end, I felt like I was catching my stride and we started winning games.” In retrospect, Murphy believes playing in the KHL was almost the best thing that could have happened for his career. “Going to Russia, I got so humbled,” he said. “There was a McDonald’s but there wasn’t much to do. On off days, you could fly to Moscow or drive to Kazan. In the sense of my career, it was what I needed. I started to appreciate stuff in

Murphy has NHL experience with Carolina, Minnesota and New Jersey.

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Murphy is known for his ability to quarterback the power play.

ROAD TRIP!

Hockey players can have interesting summers. Like the time Murphy headed south to an unusual location with a buddy. “One weekend, I said to him, ‘Do you want to get away from here?’ So we each wrote down five destinations on our phones and swapped them to see what matched up. One of the places on both of our lists was Colombia.” Murphy had been obsessed with Narcos, the Netflix documentary about the life and death of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. His friend, meanwhile, knew a family in Colombia from a previous trip to the Bahamas. “He had gone up to the dad and said, ‘I think your daughter is very good looking. Can I talk to her?’The dad thought that was amazing. He really appreciated him approaching him like that.” The encounter led to a standing invitation to visit Colombia sometime in the future. “I said, ‘Let’s do it!’” Murphy recalled. “So we booked our flight and they took care of us when we got there.” 32 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

North America better where I don’t care where I am now. I just want to play in North America in front of my friends and family.” With the pandemic pushing the hockey season into limbo, Murphy wasn’t sure where he would be headed next. “I had a decent season in the KHL, but not enough to open the eyes of people from the big clubs in Russia and not enough to earn an NHL contract,” he said. “I was still a little lost, but I knew I didn’t want to give up on the NHL. I knew I wanted to play in North America again.” He approached his old coach, Steve Spott, who had become an assistant coach with the Vegas Golden Knights. “They put an AHL deal on the table and I didn’t think twice and took it,” he said. “With our league being pushed back by the pandemic, I thought my best chance at hitting the ground running was to be ready for camp as much as I could.” Murphy began last season with Minsk Dynamo of the KHL. “Belarus was a better experience because we had a North American coach, Craig Woodcroft, who was awesome,” he said. “The city of Minsk was beautiful, we had a good team and I knew a lot of guys. I needed Murphy admits that they were naturally a bit naive about the whole trip. “It was a little weird,” he said. “We got picked up in a bulletproof car. Right away, I’m thinking, ‘What’s going on?’They asked us what we wanted to do. I was obsessed with the Narcos documentary, so I wanted to do the Pablo Escobar tour. “They said, ‘OK, we’ll set it up. Be outside your hotel at 11 and we’ll send a car.’We weren’t sure what we were getting ourselves into with the bulletproof car and stuff.” Sure enough, there was a vehicle waiting for them at the appointed time. “We got in the car and we drove for about 10 minutes. We came to this house on the top of a hill. It was nothing crazy, but it was a nice house overlooking all of Medellín. The car dropped us off and this man starts walking toward us. “He’s talking in Spanish and he sounded angry. Then this lady came out. She said, ‘Do you guys know where you are?’We had no idea. She said, ‘This is where the Escobar family lives now. This is his brother Roberto.’ I was like, ‘What!?’” Roberto Escobar, the older brother of Pablo, was the accountant who was responsible for the cartel’s money. The Escobar organization is said to have been responsible for thousands of murders and untold billions of dollars in drug traffic. So many billions that folklore says the cartel spent $2,500 a month on just rubber bands to keep the currency together in neat stacks.

to go there to be able to take another stab at playing here.” He played 12 games in Belarus before opening the season with the Henderson Silver Knights. In 37 games, he led all AHL defensemen with 22 assists and 27 points. He led the league with 13 power-play assists and ranked second with 14 power-play points. He began his eighth AHL season as an assistant captain but was promoted to captain late in the season after Patrick Brown was recalled by Vegas. In recognition of his play, Murphy won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s outstanding defenseman for the 2020-21 season, as voted by coaches, players, and media members in each of the league’s active member cities. “My European experience helped my mindset,” he said. “My goal ever since I came back from Russia is to establish myself and not be a bubble guy. I just want to play a consistent role for a hockey team and not be disposable. I want to be leaned on.” So life is good. Murphy, who is engaged to get married next June to his grade-school sweetheart, is happy to be playing hockey in Grand Rapids, where a winning culture has long been in place and veteran leadership is seen

as being integral to the development of future Detroit Red Wings players. “It starts at the top with Brian Lashoff,” Murphy said. “He’s not much older but I look up to him. The guy has been around forever and he’s been on the same team the whole time and that’s an achievement, to have one organization want you that many years. It’s a compliment to him.” Murphy thinks this year’s team has the makings of being special. “When you look up and down the lineup, we have such a good mix of young and old, with great goaltending, and the coaching staff is great. They’re approachable and you can talk to them,” he said. “Of course, you’d like to start your season by winning 10 games in a row, but we’ve had a lot of bright spots in our games. We haven’t even scratched the surface in terms of what this team is capable of doing. “For so many years, my life has been a story of up and down, up and down, up and down. It takes its toll. But looking back now, I consider myself fortunate because I have met so many people and I have learned so many things from so many different coaches. “I want to win something before I’m done. When I look at our team here, I’m excited.”

“So we ended up having coffee with Roberto and his nephew Nicolas and niece Laura. I told them about this place in Toronto named after the Escobar family and that everybody goes to this bar and everybody loves it. “Somehow, lost in translation, they thought I said I owned this restaurant. The next thing I knew they started feeding me all this merchandise. Like T-shirts and stuff, and before we left, they gave me this big, thick book.” Murphy didn’t recognize the book, but the leather cover identified it as Pablo Escobar Gaviria en Caricaturas 1983-1991, a self-published collection of political cartoons that the author completed while incarcerated in the prison he had built for himself. Most of the copies of the book were burned after Escobar escaped from the prison, with only a handful of copies surviving the fire. The book turns up now and again on eBay at predictably ludicrous prices. Sotheby’s auction house has a copy listed for $10,000. “All of the family members came out, signed it, and put their fingerprints in it for authenticity,” Murphy said. “When I got home, my dad looked it up. We couldn’t believe it. It was such a crazy trip.” The book now sits prominently on a coffee table in Murphy’s home – a souvenir of his trip to Colombia and his meeting Roberto Escobar and family. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 33

Turner Elson brings the kind of positive influence that coaches love.

34 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Story and photos by Mark Newman

Elson is in his fifth season with the Griffins.

In a quarter of a century of Griffins hockey, fewer than three dozen players have spent at least parts of five seasons in Grand Rapids. If you reduce the ranks to those who have logged five seasons of at least 20 games and who came to the organization as undrafted free agents – players who were discovered without the pedigree of being a prized prospect of any NHL team – you can count those players on less than two hands. Turner Elson is one of those rare examples. Now in his fifth year with the Griffins, Elson joins Brian Lashoff, Dominik Shine, Joe Hicketts, Colin Campbell, Francis Pare, Joey MacDonald and Dave Van Drunen as the only players to claim that distinction. His longevity speaks to his value to the organization. “He’s a hockey player – he loves the game of hockey,” said Griffins head coach Ben Simon. “He’s a versatile guy that you can use on the wing, at center, on the power play or the penalty kill. He can play different styles. Whatever you need, he’ll do. He doesn’t ask questions. He doesn’t ask why. He just works and he works hard.

“He’s one of those guys you know what you’re going to get because he competes. And he cares. He cares if the team wins or loses, which is not to say that the other guys don’t care, but he’s a soldier. He’s the kind of guy you go into a foxhole with.” Elson fully appreciates the advantages that come with relative job security. “At the start of my career I bounced around, so I know how it’s hard to get to know new people, new systems, new coaching staffs. You don’t know who is going to like you. It’s all of the unknowns. There are so many factors that can determine how your season might go,” he said. “Being able to come back to Grand Rapids, I know where I stand. I know what they want from me as far as a position of leadership, my role on the team, and what they expect from me. It makes things so much easier when you’re able to come back to the same organization. I get to focus on my game.” For his part, Elson takes nothing for granted. Being able to re-sign with the organization year after year is directly dependent on his Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 35

Elson set careerhigh totals for goals, assists and points during the 2018-19 season.

ability to excel – and that means nothing has changed for someone who has always thrived on his capacity to beat the odds. Give him even a little chance and he’ll turn it into a bigger opportunity. This is a player whose favorite book is Lone Survivor, the heroic story of a U.S. Navy Seal who managed to survive an ambush by Taliban fighters. This is a player who finds inspiration in the quote “A trying time is no time to quit trying” because he is determined to show that surrender is not part of his vocabulary. Elson has had that unflagging conviction for a long time. The fourth of five boys growing up in Alberta, Canada, Elson inherited his indefatigable spirit from his maternal grandfather, a marathon runner who competed in 30 marathons after finishing his first at the age of 50, and who also battled bladder cancer and a form of ALS. It was that same never-give-up attitude that drove a 17-year-old Elson to call Western Hockey League teams in an attempt to talk his way into a tryout. When he got a camp invitation from the Red Deer Rebels, he literally fought for his place on the roster. 36 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

He did the same thing in Calgary, earning an NHL contract as a free agent by fighting to get noticed. “I felt like my junior experience inspired me,” he said. “It was working, so I kept doing it.” Elson played sparingly during his rookie pro season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat in 2013-14. He played limited minutes, tallying two goals and an assist in 37 games before the Flames sent him to the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. In typical Elson fashion, he looked at the move as an opportunity rather than a demotion. “I was just happy to play because I was barely playing in the AHL,” he said. “In Abbotsford, I was in and out of the lineup, playing only three minutes a night sometimes. I didn’t have the confidence to play in the AHL at that time, so I was happy to go down and play. Plus I knew the team had the potential to win the Kelly Cup.” Elson finished the regular season with 15 points (5-10—15) in 18 ECHL games before adding seven goals and four assists in 21 playoff games to help the Aces capture the 2014 Kelly Cup. “Playing with that team was probably one of

the most memorable experiences so far in my career,” Elson said. “We had such a good team and we were playing in Alaska, which meant no darkness, so we had a lot of fun. It’s a cool spot to play because you could find something to do all the time.” More than whale watching, more than viewing the biggest glacier in the world, Elson remembers the genuine excitement that enveloped the team during its championship run. Being in Anchorage made it even more special. “The city got behind the team and whenever we flew, fans were waiting for us at the airport. They were cheering us on and it became this crazy experience. “Ever since winning that championship, I want to touch [a cup] again.” Elson spent two more seasons in the Calgary organization, moving from Abbotsford to the Adirondack Flames in 2014-15 and the Stockton Heat in 2015-16. He recorded 30 points each season, tallying 17 goals with the Flames and 14 with the Heat while playing 59 and 63 games, respectively. At the end of 2015-16, Elson fulfilled a lifelong goal by getting to play in Calgary’s final game of the season. It is his only NHL game to

date, which means that it remains his proudest achievement. “It was pretty awesome,” he said. “I didn’t think I played that well – nerves got in the way – but I did get an assist.” At a crossroads, Elson decided to try his luck with a new organization. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche but appeared in just four games with the San Antonio Rampage before he was sidelined with a sports hernia. He ended up missing most of the 2016-17 season, appearing in just nine more games. That lost year left him feeling like he had fallen off the radar of most teams. He was thrilled when the Red Wings offered him a one-year contract to play for the Griffins, who were coming off their second championship in five years. He celebrated his arrival with a four-point effort in the season opener when the team raised its second Calder Cup banner in Van Andel Arena. While his point production slowed over the next four months, he continued to be a steady performer until February 2018. Out of the blue, he was struck with a mysterious ailment. “My legs felt like I had no strength and I could barely walk,” he said. “It felt like I had done a Elson is considered a strong two-way forward who is defensively responsible.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 37

Elson displays the kind of positional versatility that enables him to play either wing or center on any line.

thousand squats every day.” Days turned into weeks and no answers were forthcoming. Guillain–Barré syndrome, a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system, seemed a strong possibility but was quickly ruled out. “They did so many tests… some of them scary like Multiple Sclerosis and AIDS. Nothing came back,” he said. Doctors wondered if Elson’s condition might have been similar to a condition experienced by marathon runners, but they were never able to pinpoint the cause. “It was a scary time,” he said. “I had never felt that way or heard of anyone in hockey who had experienced something like that, so I was happy that I got out of the whole experience without any lasting effects.” When Elson came back for the 2018-19 season, he was eager to erase any doubts about his hockey future. He proceeded to post careerbest totals for goals (18), assists (21) and points (39). As usual, he was exceeding everyone’s expectations but his own. “I knew I had to make an impact if I wanted to stay here,” he said. “Of course, you want to 38 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

make an impact every year. I was fortunate to play with [Chris] Terry and [Matt] Puempel, which meant I got the opportunity to play with the team’s top unit on the power play – guys who knew how to score.” His totals during his third season reverted to numbers almost identical to those from his first year in Grand Rapids, but then the quality of his play has never been judged by numbers alone. “I think my game starts in the defensive zone,” he said. “I’m that defensive forward who has a little bit of offensive upside where I can help put pucks in the net or help my linemates to score. I’m not all about offense. “I start my play in the d-zone and then work my way up the ice. I think my role over time has developed where I am seen as defense first, offense next.” Playing good hockey is not all about points. “It’s blocking a shot or getting the puck out of the zone at a crucial time,” said Elson, who views Grand Rapids product Luke Glendening as the type of player he aspires to be. “There are lots of things that factor into a game that the average person might not notice – it’s not all

about scoring goals,” he said. “But scoring goals gets you paid.” So Elson doesn’t mind when his shot occasionally finds its way into the net. While he has never been considered a pure goal scorer, he knows a strong effort will produce its share of points. Just because he was undrafted doesn’t mean he must go unnoticed. “Talent will get you noticed, but work ethic will keep your job,” he said. “You can’t just work off talent a lot of the time. That’s why a lot of first-rounders end up out of the league in three years.” Elson realizes that his ability to adapt and to be able to play in different situations has helped cement his place on the roster. “I’ve played on a lot of fourth lines in this league, but in recent years, I’ve also played first, second and third,” he said. “I’ve been all over the map on the lineup sheet and I like that. I like new opportunities and new challenges every time I’m on the ice. Whenever I’m on a new line, I think about the ways that I can help the line better for the team – but defensively first.” Most of all, Elson aspires to be a good teammate.

“Guys come here to make the NHL,” he said. “I know I’m out of the conversation because I’m going to turn 30 next year. I need to help these kids learn how to become NHL players. I need to be a good leader – like [Brian] Lashoff and [Luke] Witkowski, for example – and help the younger guys get to the next level.” Being a leader is a role that he has wholeheartedly embraced. “I’m enjoying the role of being a veteran,” he said. “I’m a positive person, so if someone gets sent down or they’re struggling, I want to keep things upbeat. I’ve been in that place where you feel like you’re down in the dumps and you need somebody to pick you up and bring you back to the love of the game. And I love this game and I love all of my teammates. It’s a culture I always want to be a part of.” Elson hopes the organization’s winning culture yields another championship for Grand Rapids. “I love this place,” he said. “Everyone, from the coaches to the whole staff, is so good here. I appreciate that I feel like I’m wanted here and I want to do whatever I can to keep playing here. I want to keep putting good seasons together so I can stay around.”

Elson made his NHL debut with Calgary on April 9, 2016 at Minnesota. Photo Credit: Getty Images Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 39

2021 -22 11

27 RILEY BARBER

Defenseman 6-2, 200 lbs. Born: 8/18/90 Kelowna, B.C.

KYLE CRISCUOLO

Forward 5-9, 180 lbs. Born: 5/5/92 Southampton, N.J.

17 Forward 5-10, 170 lbs. Born: 6/30/96 Calgary, Alta. 40 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

JONATAN BERGGREN Forward 5-11, 195 lbs. Born: 7/16/00 Uppsala, Sweden

PATRICK CURRY

Forward 5-11, 190 lbs. Born: 1/9/96 Schaumburg, Ill.

Defenseman 6-3, 215 lbs. Born: 7/16/90 Albany, N.Y.

Goaltender 6-4, 202 lbs. Born: 3/22/97 Goteborg, Sweden

TURNER ELSON

KADEN FULCHER

Forward 6-0, 194 lbs. Born: 9/13/92 Edmonton, Alta

71 BRIAN LASHOFF

VICTOR BRATTSTROM

18 TARO HIROSE

E S T. 1 9 9 6

48 SETH BARTON

Forward 6-0, 205 lbs. Born: 2/7/94 Pittsburgh, Pa.

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS ROSTER

Goaltender 6-3, 201 lbs. Born: 9/23/98 Brigden, Ont.

3 JON MARTIN

Forward 6-2, 215 lbs. Born: 8/23/95 Winnipeg, Man.

JARED McISAAC Defenseman 6-1, 192 lbs. Born: 3/27/00 Truro, N.S.

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40 RYAN MURPHY

Defenseman 5-11, 180 lbs. Born: 3/31/93 Markham, Ont.

WYATT NEWPOWER Defenseman 6-3, 207 lbs Born: 12/9/97 Hugo, Minn.

DAN RENOUF

79 Forward 5-10, 177 lbs. Born: 8/8/00 Yekaterinburg, Russia

Forward 6-3, 203 lbs. Born: 8/23/97 Alpharetta, Ga.

DONOVAN SEBRANGO

Forward 6-2, 200 lbs. Born: 1/13/00 Kirkland, Que.

Goaltender 6-1, 210 lbs. Born: 4/15/92 Moncton, N.B.

32 Forward 5-11, 180 lbs. Born: 4/18/93 Detroit, Mich.

TYLER SPEZIA

Forward 5-10, 175 lbs. Born: 6/7/93 Clinton Township, Mich.

38 JOE VELENO

CALVIN PICKARD

DOMINIK SHINE

Defenseman 6-2, 195 lbs. Born: 1/12/02 Kingston, Ont.

KIRILL TYUTYAYEV

CHASE PEARSON

Defenseman 6-3, 205 lbs. Born: 6/1/94 Pickering, Ont.

HAYDEN VERBEEK Forward 5-10, 183 lbs. Born: 10/17/97 Kingston, Ont.

LUKE WITKOWSKI Defenseman 6-2, 220 lbs. Born: 4/14/90 Holland, Mich.

21 DENNIS YAN

Forward 6-2, 192 lbs. Born: 4/14/97 Portland, Ore. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 41

NEW CHAPTER Jimmy Howard is enjoying life after his retirement from the Red Wings. Story and photos by Mark Newman

When Jimmy Howard looks back on his professional career, he can’t believe where it took him. “It was 15 years and it went by in the blink of an eye,” he said recently as he contemplated his time in the Red Wings organization, which started with four seasons in Grand Rapids. Howard officially announced his retirement on Jan. 28, 2021, closing the books on a successful career that included a 246-196-70 record with a 2.62 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage, and 24 shutouts in 543 games. His games-played and win totals rank him third in franchise history behind only Terry Sawchuk and Chris Osgood. A three-time NHL All-Star, Howard also appeared in 48 playoff games for the Red Wings and led them to the second round on three occasions. “When I went on TV with Ozzie, John Keating, Mickey [Redmond], and Ken Daniels, after retiring, I didn’t even know all that

42 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

stuff,” said Howard, who was humbled to be mentioned in the same breath as Sawchuk and Osgood. “I told Ozzie, ‘I think it sounds like one of the names doesn’t belong.’” Howard, 37, spent his entire career with the Red Wings after being selected in the second round (64th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Few players with longevity get the opportunity to play for only one organization in their career, a fact that played a part in his decision to retire a Red Wing rather than seek to extend his career somewhere else.

“One hundred percent,” Howard said. “It gave me some satisfaction that I could retire with the team that drafted me, that stuck by me and gave me the opportunity to play in the NHL. To be able to do that feels amazing because you don’t see that very often.” Howard was still training after the 201920 season as he contemplated continuing his career. It was reported that the Edmonton Oilers, under former Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, had expressed some interest in signing the veteran. “The decision became easier as the pandemic stretched on,” Howard said. “I started thinking, ‘Was it worth it to put myself in quarantine for the five or six months and be away from my family? Was it worth it to chase the dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup?’ That may never happen.” Howard said his epiphany came during one of his on-ice workouts.

“Honestly, one day at the beginning of December [2020], I was on the ice, working with my goalie coach, getting hit by pucks, and I thought, ‘This isn’t fun anymore.’ I was always keen on the belief that once it wasn’t fun anymore, it was probably time.” “It was a Friday afternoon and I called him over and told him that I had to go home and talk to my wife and think about it over the weekend. That was the first time in a very long time that I was absolutely miserable out on the ice.” His wife, Rachel, was very supportive. “There was a lot that went into the decision,” he said. “Obviously, COVID meant that I would have to be by myself and not be able to see her or the kids for an extended period of time. But the biggest thing was that it wasn’t fun anymore.” Howard confessed that watching the NHL the following season helped reinforce his decision. “My first year of watching wasn’t hard because I felt bad for the players, knowing what they had to go through every single day to be able to go out on the ice – all the hoops they had to jump through, how they weren’t allowed out of their hotel rooms, how they weren’t performing before fans. It had to be lonely for a lot of the guys.” If anything, Howard experienced the feelings of restlessness more this fall.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 43

Howard played four full AHL seasons (2005-09) at the start of his career.

“The emotions of missing the game came back more so at the beginning of this season when I saw the buildup going to Traverse City, seeing guys sending photos of themselves golfing together and having a little bit of fun. Then came the preseason and the buildup to opening night. That is when the emotions came back and I thought, ‘Gosh, I miss it now.’ “What I miss most is being in the dressing room with the guys, going on the plane for road trips, going to dinners. I miss going out and performing in front of 20,000 people. When it comes to the mental and physical aspects of the game … not so much.” Although he struggled statistically in his last season, Howard said he felt like he could physically still play. “It was more mental than physical,” he said. “I had such a mental block. Just when you think you’ve turned something around, something else happens and you have another below-average game and you’re back to square one. The last year of my career was very hard mentally. “Yes, my last year was frustrating, but everything happens for a reason. As players, 44 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

we all have expiration dates, so I guess my expiration date was called.” And so it was over, as he says, in a blink of an eye. Howard continues to look back fondly at his time with the Griffins and what his development in the AHL meant for his career. “Grand Rapids means the world to me,” he said. “It’s where my professional career started and the city will always have a special place in my heart.” When Howard joined the Griffins, he was a 21-year-old prospect from the University of Maine. Highly touted at the time, he skipped his senior season to turn pro. His rookie pro year was the memorable 2005-06 season when he went 27-6-2, splitting time in net with Joey MacDonald. The Griffins, who won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy with the AHL’s best regular-season record, were paced by Donald MacLean’s 56 goals, Jiri Hudler’s 96 points, and nine other players with goal totals in double figures. “That was a very special team,” said Howard, who became the first Griffin named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team. “It was a close-knit

group with a lot of special players. Even though Travis Richards was in and out of the lineup a lot that year, he was huge for the young guys playing on the back end like Derek Meech and Kyle Quincey.” Howard saw action in four games with the Red Wings that season, recording his first NHL win on Nov. 28, 2005, when he shrugged off a penalty-shot goal to stop 22 shots in his NHL debut, leading the visiting Red Wings to a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. The Detroit lineup that night included Chris Chelios, Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper, Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman and Henrik Zetterberg. “I remember looking around that dressing room and being in awe of all the guys who were going on the ice,” he said. “That I was going to be part of their team was just a tremendous feeling. To get the win was just a cherry on the top of the whole experience.” If his first NHL win felt like validation that he was on the right path, Howard might have been a little anxious the following year when he spent the entire 2006-07 season in Grand Rapids without seeing any action in the NHL.

“Looking back on it, I’m very thankful that Ken Holland, [Wings assistant GM] Jim Nill, and [Wings goaltending coach] Jim Bedard had a plan for me,” Howard said. “As a dumb hockey player in his early 20s, when you see other young guys playing in the NHL, you wonder why you’re not getting that same opportunity. Why am I not being called up? “That was the thing about Kenny [Holland]. He was very patient with his young players and I benefitted from that. All the time [in the AHL] served a purpose. Every young kid playing in the AHL wants to get to the next step and play in the NHL. I’m very fortunate that they allowed me to stay in GR and work on my game and fine-tune my play, so when they finally called me up, I could make an impact right away. “When I got my opportunity, I was able to take the reins and run with it. Looking back at my career, I now recognize that.” Howard posted 37-win seasons in his first two full years in Detroit, starting in 2009-10. He finished in the top five in goals-against average and save percentage during his rookie year, when he was the runner-up for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is given to the NHL’s

Howard was runner-up for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top rookie.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 45

Howard was a three-time NHL All-Star. 46 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

top first-year player. “Having those successful seasons early in my career helped with my confidence and my maturity,” he said. “It reinforced that I can play in this league and I can have success, too. It doesn’t matter if you are a goalie, defenseman or forward, playing in the NHL is all about confidence.” His third full season, 2011-12, saw him win 35 games and earn his first NHL All-Star appearance. He also was an all-star in 2015 but was injured and could not play. He was Detroit’s lone representative at the 2019 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose.` “Being named the first time was special,” he said. “Our oldest [James IV] was only four months old, but he was sitting there with my wife, my mom, and my dad behind the net. Obviously, he wouldn’t remember, so to be selected again when the boys were old enough to understand what an honor and privilege it was to be recognized by the NHL meant the world not only to me but also to my wife Rachel and family.” The Howards’ youngest, Louis, was not born yet, but their oldest boys, James and Henry, remember the experience as more than

a vacation for the family, which also includes daughter Olivia, now age 3. “Man, did they have a blast out in San Jose,’ he said. ‘To them, I was just their dad, but they still talk about meeting Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. Just the other day James was talking about how he was playing Xbox with Henrik Lundqvist and his daughter. Those are memories that will last a lifetime for the two older boys. It’s something I will cherish for the rest of my life.” Like most hockey parents, Howard now gets to live vicariously through his boys. He is the head coach of James’ team and helps out when he can as an assistant coach for Henry’s team. “There’s still a little bit of the urge to be out on the ice, but I get my hockey fill now with my two older boys,” he said. “Being a youth hockey coach is a lot of fun, to be able to give back everything you’ve been taught by your coaches along the way. It makes you feel really good when the light bulb goes on and they get something that you’ve been trying to coach. It’s very gratifying.” Both James and Henry play forward, but that is subject to change. “James, who is 10, has zero interest in being

Howard joined the Red Wings organization after his junior season at the University of Maine.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 47

Howard’s 94 wins rank third in Griffins franchise history.

a goalie, which I’m totally fine with,” Howard said. “Henry, our 7-year-old, is talking about it a lot more. We let him play goalie in a game this year and he said he liked it but he liked playing forward more. But now he’s asking, ‘Dad, when can I play goalie again?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. That’s up to your coach. Your team has a goalie already.’ “So Henry’s a wild card right now.” Howard said it’s been fun to watch the boys develop their passion for hockey. “Early in his young hockey career, James liked to retire and then make a comeback. He’s done that a couple of times,” Howard chuckles. “Henry has been on the ice since he was three. He loves the game of hockey. “I think Louis, our youngest, is going to love hockey the most. Every morning, he wakes up and he has to play mini-sticks in his brothers’ bedrooms or as soon as he wakes up from a nap. Last night I had to put him to bed with a hockey stick in his hand. He’s been traveling around watching the boys since he was a baby, so he already loves the game of hockey.” Howard is clearly enjoying being a dad and 48 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

embracing every moment. “For such a long time, as long as I can remember since I was 13 or 14 years old, I had a regimented schedule,” he said. “I’m still getting used to the idea of having a lot of free time. Now the kids are probably thinking, ‘Dad is around way too much.’ “I love being a dad. I enjoy going out on the road with James and helping with Henry’s team. But I can see how hockey can be very taxing on young families, especially families with multiple children, because you’re going in every direction. Hockey takes a lot of your free time and it takes a lot of sacrifice from the parents. “My dad laughs. “He says, ‘It’s come full circle, Jim. It’s come full circle. Now you know how I felt.’” Early in his career, Howard mentioned that he might eventually want to coach college hockey, something that remains on his radar. “I’m not ruling anything out,” he said. “The biggest thing right now is that I have to finish my degree in order for me to be able to coach college hockey. I have one year of school left,

but COVID hit and everything online through the University of Maine got turned upside down. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get on that again soon.” While the Howard family returns to Maine every summer, they will likely call Michigan home for a long time. “We’ll be Michiganders, at least until the kids are off for college or universities,” he said. “The people here welcomed me and my family with open arms and I am very thankful for the fans in Michigan. It feels good when people appreciate what you did.” Howard was always happy to return the favor when he could. He sponsored the Griffins’ Howard’s Heroes program for his entire career until he retired, buying four season tickets so families with patients at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital could attend games. “For me to do something like that was very small but could have a big impact,” he said. “Grand Rapids was awesome and living there was a pleasure, so I was happy to give something back.”

Howard retired with the thirdmost goaltending wins in Red Wings history. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 49

LAST STOP BEFORE DETROIT

During the 20 seasons of affiliation between the Griffins and Red Wings, a dozen goaltenders have played for Detroit after appearing in at least one game with Grand Rapids. Whether these masked men played at Van Andel Arena at the beginning of their pro careers, during conditioning stints, or under other scenarios, among them are some of the finest netminders to ever suit up for either franchise. Between them, these 12 goalies have won four Stanley Cups, four Calder Cups and three Olympic medals (one gold, two silver) over the course of their careers, during which they’ve been selected to eight NHL All-Star Games and five AHL All-Star Classics while accumulating numerous other accolades.

All stats are through games of Dec. 2, 2021. NHL Records are W-L-T-OT. GRG Records are W-L-OT.

Chris Osgood (GRG 2005-06) Detroit Totals GRG Totals

Manny Legace (GRG 2005-06) Detroit Totals GRG Totals

GP Record GAA SO 565 317-149-46-29 2.49 39 3 2-1-0 3.34 0

GP 180 1

Record 112-34-16-3 1-0-0

GAA SO 2.18 13 2.00 0

Jonas Gustavsson (GRG 2012-13;14-15) GP Detroit Totals 41 GRG Totals 3

Record 21-12-0-6 2-1-0

GAA SO 2.66 2 1.68 0

Tom McCollum (GRG 2009-16;17-18) GP Detroit Totals 3 GRG Totals 263

Petr Mrazek (GRG 2012-15) Detroit Totals GRG Totals

Record 72-58-0-20 54-27-3

GAA SO 2.60 13 2.21 7

Marc Lamothe (GRG 2002-04) Detroit Totals GRG Totals

GP 166 87

GP 2 103

Record 1-0-0-0 123-105-14

GAA SO 2.98 0 2.76 8

Record 1-0-1-0 54-34-13

GAA SO 1.44 0 2.10 10

Curtis Joseph (GRG 2003-04) Detroit Totals GRG Totals

GP 92 1

Record 50-29-9-0 1-0-0

GAA SO 2.46 7 1.00 0

Jared Coreau (GRG 2013-18) Detroit Totals GRG Totals

GP 21 148

Record 5-9-0-4 85-48-11

GAA SO 3.74 2 2.44 13

Calvin Pickard (GRG 2019-22) Detroit Totals GRG Totals

GP 9 50

Record 2-3-0-1 25-17-5

GAA SO 3.97 0 2.78 4

Joey MacDonald (GRG 2002-07;10-12) GP Detroit Totals 37 GRG Totals 210

Record 14-15-0-5 109-77-11

GAA SO 2.62 1 2.44 20

Ty Conklin (GRG 2011-12) Detroit Totals GRG Totals

Record 30-17-0-3 8-4-0

GAA SO 2.71 7 2.40 0

Jimmy Howard (GRG 2005-09;16-17;19-20) GP Record GAA SO Detroit Totals 543 246-196-0-70 2.62 24 GRG Totals 192 94-75-11 2.66 15

GP 55 12

ROAD TO ‘RENO’ The Red Wings found their way back to Dan Renouf, thanks to his development as a dependable defenseman.

Story and photos by Mark Newman

52 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

In March 2016, the Detroit Red Wings signed Dan Renouf to a two-year, entry-level contract. The Pickering, Ontario, native was an undrafted free agent who had just finished his junior season at the University of Maine, where he had been the leading scorer among defensemen. Five years later, Renouf returned to the Red Wings, a recognition of his rise as a dependable defender who is already a two-time Calder Cup champion at age 27. It also didn’t hurt that “Reno” had proven himself a capable call-up, having spent a good chunk of the 2020-21 campaign in the NHL with a team that many considered to be among the league’s strongest during the regular season. His first championship ring came courtesy of the Griffins, whom he helped capture the 2017 Calder Cup to cap off his rookie pro season. “Coming out of college, it was important to see what it takes to win in this league, during the regular season and then through the playoffs,” Renouf said. “It’s a long schedule, a long year, and I benefitted from having that experience right away.” Renouf played all 19 games of Grand Rapids’

playoff run. His two goals in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals led the Griffins to a 3-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch and brought the team to within one victory of securing the title. “Getting to play in the Calder Cup Finals and playing for a team with a chance to win it all was a cool experience for us rookies who were thrown to the fire,” he said. “It was especially cool because it was my first year as a pro.” After Grand Rapids dropped Game 5 in Syracuse, the Griffins rallied for a 4-3 comefrom-behind victory at home to collect their second Calder Cup in five seasons. It was a thrill that Renouf will always remember. “Winning is the best,” Renouf said. “You make lifelong friendships from winning. I still talk to most of the people on that roster. [Editor’s note: Brian Lashoff and Dominik Shine are the only other players from the 2017 team still with Grand Rapids.] It was awesome to win here. And now I’m back, so clearly I loved it. I think the winning culture is evident.” Renouf made his NHL debut with Detroit on March 27, 2017, which proved to be his only game in a Red Wings jersey during his first stint with the organization. During his second Renouf returned to Grand Rapids this fall after playing in two other organizations.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 53

pro season, he appeared in 73 games, all in I hadn’t had my experience in Grand Rapids.” Grand Rapids. Renouf tore his hamstring in the conference He opted to leave the organization in hopes finals against the Toronto Marlies. He of getting another look at his talents. was trying to defend a 2-on-1 breakaway “I felt they valued my game here, but I could when he kicked out his leg and heard his see that the numbers weren’t going to work out hamstring “pop.” in my favor,” he said. “It’s all about time and “It was a tough pill to swallow,” he said. place. I thought it would be a good experience “Fortunately, we had great depth on the team. to go to a new team where I could have new I tried not to skip a beat, so I still tried to eyes on me.” provide support where I could. You can’t win Renouf signed a onein this league without a year, two-way contract with tight-knit group.” “In GR, we had four the Carolina Hurricanes, His teammates included the team against which two fellow former Griffins: lines that fit perfectly in he had made his lone Tomas Jurco, a deadlineNHL appearance. their roles. In Charlotte, deal acquisition who In retrospect, Renouf was a member of the deemed it a “great decision.” we just out-skilled every 2013 Calder Cup team, “My third year as a pro and Zach Nastasiak, a team and everything was probably my biggest,” depth player from the he said. “There were no 2017 championship club. just came together at the hard feelings (with Detroit), Both played key roles. but I had the drive that I perfect time. It was fun Jurco tied for second in still needed to prove myself playoff scoring while to see how you can win Nastasiak appeared in all 19 in this league. I think the move was beneficial playoff games. in different ways.” for my career.” The Checkers claimed After attending the the title by winning three Hurricanes’ training straight games in Chicago camp, he was assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte to oust the Wolves in five games. Charlotte Checkers, where he would spend the entirety of leaned heavily on goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, the 2018-19 season. He doubled his point total who currently shares the Red Wings’ net with from the previous year, totaling two goals and Thomas Greiss. 22 assists during 74 games in a top-four role on “He was our best player from start to finish,” the blue line. Renouf said. “I’m not surprised at the success “It’s crazy how different my role was in two that he had last season in Carolina and now years,” he said. “I went from being a rookie in Detroit. He was someone who I would watching what Brian Lashoff and Nathan have bet my bottom dollar on becoming an Paetsch were doing to being considered one of NHL starter.” the veterans in Charlotte because we had such Of course, winning two Cups in three years a young team. will get people’s attention. On July 1, 2019, the “It was a cool experience to go from being a Colorado Avalanche signed Renouf to a twofollower to a leader in just two years.” year, two-way contract. The Checkers finished with the AHL’s best “When you’re in the AHL, you’re trying to record (51-17-7-1) and positioned themselves build your resume, so getting a second Calder as the favorite to capture the Calder Cup. Cup was big,” he said. “I could have stayed, but “Our team was very different from the GR the Avs looked like they had holes on their left team,” he said. “In GR, we had four lines that side and I saw a good opportunity in Colorado fit perfectly in their roles. In Charlotte, we just that I couldn’t pass up.” out-skilled every team and everything just Spending the 2019-20 season with the came together at the perfect time. It was fun to AHL’s Colorado Eagles enabled Renouf to see how you can win in different ways. refine his game. He credits Eagles head coach “I don’t think I would have helped as much if Greg Cronin, a longtime NHL assistant coach 54 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Renouf was a rookie on the Griffins’ 2017 Calder Cup championship team.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 55

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with the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs. “Greg Cronin helped me a ton,” he said. “When you play so many games you can sometimes lose focus, and he helped with those little details of the game that you can lose sight of. I’m thankful that I had him as my coach.” Renouf appeared in all but two of the Eagles’ 56 games, recording two goals and 14 assists. His plus-minus was second-best among Colorado defensemen, who were mentored by assistant coach Aaron Schneekloth, who had played for the Griffins from 2002-04. “It wasn’t my best year, but it was a very important year,” Renouf said. “I stripped down my game to make sure that I improved all those little things. My first year with the Eagles set me up to push for a spot with the Avs the following season.” Renouf appeared ticketed for another season with the Eagles, but injuries on the Avalanche blue line created the NHL opportunity that he had wanted so badly for so long. “When you’re in the AHL and you feel like you’re playing well, it can get frustrating at

times, wondering if you’re going to get another look,” he said. “I got to play one game with Detroit, but I didn’t see any action in the NHL for a few years, so getting a second opportunity was big for my confidence. It was good to know that I was going to get another chance.” With the Avalanche, Renouf got the chance to play for head coach Jared Bednar, another former Griffins defenseman. Like Renouf, Bednar was known for his gritty play, as attested by his team-leading 220 penalty minutes for the 1998-99 Griffins. “Bedsy was great with me,” Renouf said. “He said I had a good camp and he wanted to give me a look, so I shouldn’t look at it as ‘do or die,’ so I didn’t feel like I had too much pressure on myself. I ended up just going in and playing my game.” Renouf was joining an Avalanche roster that included some of the best and brightest young talents in the NHL, with Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen only age 21, 25 and 23, respectively. “Those guys have world-class talent, and just to be able to practice with them every day Renouf won his second Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019. Photo Credit: Manitoba Moose

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 57

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and see it live is crazy,” could succeed.” “I kept proving to myself Renouf played 18 NHL he said. “Knowing that you’re able to play with with the Avalanche, that I could belong at the games them in practice helps registering three assists and a you feel confident that NHL level. It was a great couple of fights. you’ll probably be OK “Every single game I kept in the game.” experience. It provided getting more confident and It also helped that it just kept going,” he said. “I proof not only to myself kept proving to myself that I he quickly assimilated into the Avalanche belong at the NHL level. but also to other teams in could locker room. “A lot of It was a great experience. It guys helped me with the league that I can be provided proof not only to the transition,” he said. myself but also to other teams “It certainly helps your effective at that level.” in the league that I can be transition when you’re effective at that level.” playing for the best team If Renouf had any regret in the league, and to get a chance on a team like about his first extended stay in the NHL, that was great.” it was that his promotion occurred in the Even so, Renouf admits that he felt a few middle of a pandemic. The coronavirus butterflies in his stomach when he played his prevented his father from attending any first game with the Avs against the Arizona games. After witnessing both of Renouf ’s Cup Coyotes in Phoenix. “Being a COVID year, wins, he couldn’t leave Canada due to border there were no fans, so I think that helped restrictions. the nerves a bit. It had been a long three “For all the years that he’s followed me, the years between playing in the league, but I one time I was in the NHL for a while, it sucked felt confident with my pro experience that I that he couldn’t come,” he said. “I felt so bad

Renouf is a gritty defenseman who is not afraid to drop his gloves. Photo Credit: Nicolas Carrillo Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 59

because he would have a text after a bad game, I “My dad knows my come to every single game. know it’s coming,” he said. He would have moved to game and I do rely on “My dad knows my game Colorado, for sure.” and I do rely on him to give Renouf said he remains him to give me tips here me tips here or there. He grateful for the support of follows the game so closely or there. He follows the that he knows when I’m his parents, Shawn and Lisa, over the years. a good or bad game game so closely that he playing “Coming from Toronto, and he knows what to say. hockey is like our religion,” “Sometimes I get knows when I’m playing he said. “For someone who annoyed at him because never played the sport, my a good or bad game and sometimes I don’t want dad is so passionate about to hear it, but I know he knows what to say.” he’s looking out for my the game. I trust his take on hockey more than anyone best interests.” because he knows my game and how I play. Of course, Renouf didn’t always subscribe “He’s watched a ton of hockey in his day and to the belief that “father knows best.” He he’s one of those guys who just gets the game. remembers the period in his life when he took You don’t have to play hockey to know the skateboarding more seriously than hockey, game. He’s been so supportive and helped me and his dad not taking kindly to his choice of out during this journey to play in the NHL. I’m recreational activities. so thankful for him and my mom’s sacrifice to “He sat me down when I was 15 and said, let me do what I want and try to make it.” ‘Enough of this. You’re good at hockey.” I was Renouf said his father watches every single heartbroken at the time, but I’m thankful he game and then corresponds accordingly. did that,” Renouf recalled. “I thought I was “Whether it’s a text after a good game or good, but looking back now at old tapes, I was

Renouf played 18 games in the NHL last season with the Colorado Avalanche. Photo Credit: Getty Images Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 61

never good. Thank God I Grand Rapids if he was “Hockey is all about quit, because I was not a not in the NHL made natural skateboarder.” his signing with Detroit confidence. Winning Renouf became an a no-brainer. definitely helps you out in unrestricted free agent “When you go to after last season. It meant other teams, you feel that regard. Winning a Calder like there are a lot of he could choose the organization where he you meet who have Cup shows that you’ve been guys felt he could make the the same fond memories most impact. to the peak of the AHL. You of GR,” he said. “For me, “I wanted to go to free everything started in know what to expect. And Grand Rapids. agency and see what was out there and find my “It starts with best opportunity,” he said. you know that you can play.” showing that you “As [an unrestricted free can be an everyday agent], you’re able to put yourself in the best AHLer and showing that you can be part of a position possible. Picking Detroit was a pretty winning team. From there, you just chip away. easy situation.” I think it’s a matter of being put in different He was already spending his summers in situations and improving during your time Michigan. His girlfriend, Kylee Scholten, whom in the AHL. Eventually, you gain more and he met while playing in Charlotte, was from more confidence. Charlevoix. “I already knew northern Michigan “Hockey is all about confidence. Winning from the Red Wings camps in Traverse City, so definitely helps you out in that regard. Winning I fell in love with the area. Spending summer a Calder Cup shows that you’ve been to the there is awesome.” peak of the AHL. You know what to expect. Renouf said the possibility of playing in And you know that you can play.” Renouf appeared in his first NHL game of the 2021-22 season on Nov. 24 in the Red Wings’ 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Photo Credit: Dave Reginek

62 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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RECORDBOOK ANDLEADERS Through games of Dec. 2, 2021

GAMES PLAYED Travis Richards Brian Lashoff (2nd) 5 players tied Riley Barber, Joe Hicketts GOALS Michel Picard Turner Elson (T35th) Donald MacLean (2005-06) Riley Barber ASSISTS Michel Picard Brian Lashoff (18th) Jiri Hudler (2005-06) Taro Hirose

All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21 All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21 All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21

655 526 *82 32

All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21

158 45 *56 20

All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21

222 83 60 23

All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21

POINTS Michel Picard Brian Lashoff (33rd) Michel Picard (1996-97) Riley Barber PLUS/MINUS Travis Richards Turner Elson (13th) Ivan Ciernik (2000-01) Turner Elson PENALTY MINUTES Darryl Bootland Brian Lashoff (20th) Darryl Bootland (2005-06) Dylan McIlrath

380 110 101 34 +131 +43 *+41 +6 1,164 277 390 70

* = Led League

Michel Picard

Calvin Pickard

Darryl Bootland

Turner Elson

Brian Lashoff

Joey MacDonald

All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21 All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21 All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21

GOALIE GAMES PLAYED Tom McCollum Calvin Pickard (T14th) Joey MacDonald (2004-05) Kevin Boyle, Pat Nagle GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE Martin Prusek Calvin Pickard (T17th) Martin Prusek (2001-02) Pat Nagle WINS Tom McCollum Calvin Pickard (13th) Joey MacDonald (2004-05) Mike Fountain (2000-01) Kevin Boyle

263 50 *66 12

All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21

1.83 2.78 *1.82 2.78

All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21

122 25

All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2020-21

34 *34 7

* = Led League

SHUTOUTS Joey MacDonald Calvin Pickard (T10th) 6 players tied Kaden Fulcher SAVES Tom McCollum Calvin Pickard (12th) Joey MacDonald (2004-05) Pat Nagle SAVE PERCENTAGE Martin Prusek Calvin Pickard (14th) Joey MacDonald (2003-04) Pat Nagle

20 4 6 1 6,640 1,370 1,785 256 0.930 0.909 0.936 0.892

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 65

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GRIFFINS IN THE ALL-STAR GAME 2020

Matthew Ford

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2 018

Chris Terry

2 016

Chris Terry

2020

Matt Puempel

2 018

Matt Lorito

2 015

2 014

Jeff Hoggan and Xavier Ouellet

Teemu Pulkkinen

Alexey Marchenko

2 013

Chad Billins

Petr Mrazek

2019-20

Matthew Ford, Chris Terry

2005-06

2018-19

Chris Terry

2004-05

Niklas Kronwall, Joey MacDonald

2017-18

Matt Lorito, Matt Puempel

2003-04

2016-17

Matt Lorito, Robbie Russo, Todd Nelson (head coach)

Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall, Travis Richards (captain), Nathan Robinson

2002-03

Marc Lamothe, Mark Mowers

2015-16

Jeff Hoggan (captain), Xavier Ouellet

2014-15

Xavier Ouellet, Teemu Pulkkinen

2013-14

Alexey Marchenko, Jeff Blashill (co-coach)

2012-13

Chad Billins, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist

2011-12

Gustav Nyquist

2010-11

Ilari Filppula, Brendan Smith

1999-00

2009-10

Patrick Rissmiller

1998-99

Robert Petrovicky, Maxim Spiridonov

2008-09

Jakub Kindl, Daniel Larsson

1997-98

Ian Gordon, Kerry Huffman, Michel Picard

2007-08

Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard

1996-97

Jeff Nelson, Michel Picard, Pokey Reddick

2006-07

Derek Meech, Kip Miller (captain)

68 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

2001-02

2000-01

Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Donald MacLean

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72 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

BOARDING Called for any action which causes an opponent to be thrown violently into the boards.

HIGH STICKING Making contact with an opponent while carrying the stick above shoulder hight.

MISCONDUCT 10-minute or disqualification penalty for excessive or additional misbehavior on the ice.

TRIPPING Called for using the stick, arm or leg to cause an opponent to trip or fall.

CHARGING Taking a run at an opposing player using more than three strides to build up speed.

HOLDING Clutching an opposing player’s body with the hands, arms or legs.

ROUGHING Called for engaging in fisticuffs or shoving.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT Called for unsportsmanlike actions such as disputing an official’s decision, grabbing the face mask of a player, etc.

CROSS CHECKING A check or block delivered by a player with both hands on the stick and no part of the stick on the ice.

HOOKING The use of the stick or blade to impede the progress of an opponent.

SLASHING Striking an opposing player with the stick.

DELAYED PENALTY Referee extends his arm and points to the penalized player until the penalized team regains possession of the puck.

INTERFERENCE When a player impedes the progress of an opponent who is not in possession of the puck.

SPEARING Called for using the stick like a spear.

ELBOWING Called when a player uses an elbow to impede an opponent.

KNEEING Called when a player uses a knee to impede an opponent.

WASH-OUT When used by the referee, it means goal disallowed. When used by linesmen, it means there is no icing or no offside.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 73

ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS BAKERSFIELD CONDORS BELLEVILLE SENATORS BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS CHARLOTTE CHECKERS CHICAGO WOLVES CLEVELAND MONSTERS COLORADO EAGLES GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS HARTFORD WOLF PACK HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS HERSHEY BEARS IOWA WILD LAVAL ROCKET LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS MANITOBA MOOSE MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS ONTARIO REIGN PROVIDENCE BRUINS ROCHESTER AMERICANS ROCKFORD ICEHOGS SAN DIEGO GULLS SAN JOSE BARRACUDA SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS STOCKTON HEAT SYRACUSE CRUNCH TEXAS STARS TORONTO MARLIES TUCSON ROADRUNNERS UTICA COMETS WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

74 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Griffins in the NHL Since their inception in 1996, the Griffins have sent 187 players to the National Hockey League, 17 of whom have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. In fact, a Griffins alumnus has had his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s chalice in eight of the last 14 years and in 10 of the last 17 seasons. In chronological order, here are the 23 goalies and 164 skaters who have worn an NHL sweater after playing for Grand Rapids, along with the dates of their NHL debuts/returns. 76 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

IT ALL

STARTS

HERE

1............Pavol Demitra............................3/17/97 STL at PHX 2............Kevyn Adams...........................10/1/97 TOR vs. WSH 3............Tyler Moss................................10/28/97 CGY vs. PIT 4............Michel Picard..................................1/6/98 STL at SJ 5............Jeff Nelson.............................10/10/98 NSH vs. FLA 6............Patrick Traverse.......................10/10/98 OTT at COL 7............Mark Greig...................................1/7/99 PHI vs. NYI 8............Radim Bicanek............................2/1/99 OTT at VAN 9............Robert Petrovicky........................2/15/99 TB at NYI 10..........Andrei Vasilyev...........................3/5/99 PHX vs. DET 11..........Todd Hlushko...............................4/25/99 PIT vs. NJ 12..........Patrick Lalime............................10/2/99 OTT at PHI 13..........Glen Metropolit......................10/2/99 WSH at FLA 14..........Kevin Miller.............................10/31/99 OTT at ATL 15..........Karel Rachunek.......................10/31/99 OTT at ATL 16..........Erich Goldmann....................11/11/99 OTT vs. NSH 17..........Yves Sarault...............................11/20/99 OTT at NJ 18..........John Gruden...........................11/30/99 OTT vs. CHI 19..........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 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 112........Jan Mursak..............................12/27/10 DET at COL 113........Chris Mueller.........................12/28/10 NSH vs. DAL 114........Tomas Tatar......................12/31/10 DET vs. NYI 115........Cory Emmerton........................1/22/11 DET vs. CHI 116.........Patrick Rissmiller......................2/23/11 ATL at BUF 117 .......Tom McCollum .........................3/30/11 DET vs. STL 118 ......Gustav Nyquist ...............11/1/11 DET vs. MIN 119 ........Fabian Brunnstrom....................11/5/11 DET vs. ANA 120.......Brendan Smith..................11/17/11 DET at SJ 121......Mark Cullen.................11/29/11 FLA at CAR 122........Chris Conner..............................12/2/11 DET at BUF 123........Joakim Andersson.................12/27/11 DET vs. STL 124.......Ty Conklin ..........................3/21/12 DET at NYR 125.......Riley Sheahan......................4/7/12 DET vs. CHI 126........Brian Lashoff..............................1/21/13 DET at CBJ 127........Mike Knuble...............................1/26/13 PHI at FLA

128........Jamie Tardif.................................2/2/13 BOS at TOR 129........Petr Mrazek ...........................2/7/13 DET at STL 130........ Jonas Gustavsson...................2/19/13 DET at NSH 131........Carlo Colaiacovo.........................4/1/13 DET vs. COL 132.......Danny DeKeyser..............10/2/13 DET vs. BUF 133.......Luke Glendening...........10/12/13 DET vs. PHI 134........Xavier Ouellet............................10/21/13 DET vs. SJ 135........Adam Almquist .....................11/4/13 DET at WPG 136........Chad Billins...............................11/5/13 CGY at MIN 137........Patrick Eaves............................12/14/13 DET vs. PIT 138........Tomas Jurco..............................12/15/13 DET vs. TB 139........Jordin Tootoo..........................12/19/13 DET vs. CGY 140........Alexey Marchenko......................1/4/14 DET at DAL 141........Teemu Pulkkinen ..................3/14/14 DET vs. EDM 142........Landon Ferraro........................3/18/14 DET vs. TOR 143.......Calle Jarnkrok....................3/21/14 NSH at CGY 144........Mitch Callahan...........................3/25/14 DET at CBJ 145........Ryan Sproul................................4/13/14 DET at STL 146........Andrej Nestrasil.......................10/9/14 DET vs. BOS 147........Stephen Weiss.......................11/24/14 DET vs. OTT 148.....Mattias Janmark............10/8/15 DAL vs. PIT 149.......Dylan Larkin.....................10/9/15 DET vs. TOR 150...... Kevin Porter...........................10/10/15 PIT at ARI 151.......Andreas Athanasiou......11/8/15 DET vs. DAL 152.....Tomas Nosek...............12/26/15 DET at NSH 153........Eric Tangradi...............................1/25/16 DET at NYI 154.......Anthony Mantha..............3/15/16 DET at PHI 155........Alan Quine...................................4/9/16 NYI vs. PHI 156........Martin Frk..............................10/18/16 CAR at EDM 157.....Tyler Bertuzzi.................11/8/16 DET at PHI 158........Jared Coreau...............................12/3/16 DET at PIT 159.......Nick Jensen........................12/20/16 DET at TB 160........Drew Miller...............................2/28/17 DET at VAN 161........Robbie Russo..............................3/7/17 DET at TOR 162.....Dan Renouf.................. 3/27/17 DET at CAR 163........Ben Street..................................3/28/17 DET at CAR 164.....Evgeny Svechnikov.........4/3/17 DET vs. OTT 165........Matt Lorito.................................4/8/17 DET vs. MTL 166.....Kyle Criscuolo.............. 11/17/17 BUF at DET 167........Dominic Turgeon.......................1/14/18 DET at CHI 168........Joe Hicketts..................................1/22/18 DET at NJ 169.....Dennis Cholowski..........10/4/18 DET vs. CBJ 170........Libor Sulak................................10/4/18 DET vs. CBJ 171.....Filip Hronek...................10/4/18 DET vs. CBJ 172........Wade Megan..............................11/1/18 DET vs. NJ 173........Christoffer Ehn........................11/6/18 DET vs. VAN 174........Eddie Pasquale............................12/4/18 TB at DET 175.....Michael Rasmussen........2/7/19 DET vs. VGK 176.....Filip Zadina......................2/24/19 DET vs. SJ 177........Matt Puempel..........................3/23/19 DET at VGK 178........Dylan McIlrath.............................3/25/19 DET at SJ 179........Jake Chelios.................................3/29/19 DET vs. NJ 180.....Givani Smith.............. 10/25/19 DET vs. BUF 181........Calvin Pickard..........................11/29/19 DET at PHI 182.....Madison Bowey.......... 12/14/19 DET at MTL 183........Taro Hirose...................................2/6/20 DET at BUF 184.....Gustav Lindstrom........... 2/6/20 DET at BUF 185.....Joe Veleno..................... 4/27/21 DET at CBJ 186........Mathias Brome............................5/7/21 DET at CBJ 187.....Moritz Seider................10/14/21 DET vs. TB Bold = Has played in the NHL this season (as of Dec. 5) Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup after playing for Grand Rapids All photos by Getty Images

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 77

Don’t miss any of the action this season! Listen To Bob Kaser’s play-by-play on Newsradio WOOD 106.9 FM / 1300 AM Stream the action on iHeartRadio!

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A BIG THANKS TO OUR RADIO SPONSORS FOR THEIR HELP IN BRINGING GRIFFINS HOCKEY TO YOU THIS SEASON.

78 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE

EMBARRASSING CLIFF MEN (= GRIFFINS NAME SCRAMBLE)

Unscramble the goofy words to form the name of a Griffins player. Good luck!

ANAGRAMS

A HERON’S SPACE

ACADEMIC JARS

AIR SHOOTER

DARN CIVIL PACK

FEDERAL CHUNK

FLASH OF BRAIN

HARKENED BY EVE

I PRY CAR, TRUCK

LAY KITTY, RULE IVY

LAZY RESPITE

MINIONS HIKED

MY HURRY NAP

NOEL RETURNS

RANGER BANJO GENT

RE: SILLY CUCKOO

REAL BRIBERY

SANDY NINE

TO MR. NINJA

WOW, TWENTY PEAR!

PLAYERS

A FUN DRONE

1. A FUN DRONE 2. RANGER BANJO GENT 3. LAY KITTY, RULE IVY 4. ACADEMIC JARS 5. HARKENED BY EVE 6. AIR SHOOTER 7. FEDERAL CHUNK 8. RE: SILLY CUCKOO 9. A HERON’S SPACE 10. MY HURRY NAP 11. LAZY RESPITE 12. MINIONS HIKED 13. SANDY NINE 14. TO MR. NINJA 15. WOW, TWENTY PEAR! 16. DARN CIVIL PACK 17. REAL BRIBERY 18. FLASH OF BRAIN 19. I PRY CAR, TRUCK 20. NOEL RETURNS

1. DAN RENOUF 2. JONATAN BERGGREN 3. KIRILL TYUTYAYEV 4. JARED MCISAAC 5. HAYDEN VERBEEK

6. TARO HIROSE 7. KADEN FULCHER 8. KYLE CRISCUOLO 9. CHASE PEARSON 10. RYAN MURPHY

ANSWERS Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 79

RILEY BARBER JONATAN BERGGREN KYLE CRISCUOLO PATRICK CURRY TURNER ELSON KADEN FULCHER TARO HIROSE BRIAN LASHOFF JON MARTIN JARED MCISAAC RYAN MURPHY WYATT NEWPOWER CHASE PEARSON CALVIN PICKARD DAN RENOUF DOMINIK SHINE TYLER SPEZIA KIRILL TYUTYAYEV HAYDEN VERBEEK DENNIS YAN

11. TYLER SPEZIA 12. DOMINIK SHINE 13. DENNIS YAN 14. JON MARTIN 15. WYATT NEWPOWER

16. CALVIN PICKARD 17. RILEY BARBER 18. BRIAN LASHOFF 19. PATRICK CURRY 20. TURNER ELSON

PARTING SHOT

Referee Katie Guay, who played college hockey at Brown University, became the first female to officiate an AHL game when she worked the Oct. 16 contest between the WilkesBarre/Scranton Penguins and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Guay is one of 10 women hired by the AHL as referees or linespersons for 2021-22, all part of the NHL Officiating Mentorship Program that sets the stage for their potential advancement to the NHL. Photo courtesy Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 80 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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2021-22 Griffiti - Issue #2

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