One More Reason I'm Not Tweeting

I still don't understand this Twitter craze that is sweeping the nation. I understand what it does, I just don't see the purpose. And with all of the sports stars getting in trouble from their respective teams and leagues for tweeting at inappropriate times during games, it makes little sense for me to even pay attention to it. So while Shaquille O'Neal is the most followed person on the Twitter site, I will not be one of those hanging on every word he publishes to the site. With that being said, it comes as no surprise that Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak is caught in some serious controversy thanks to his agent's Twitter feed.

Allan Walsh tweeted the following on Saturday night following the Canadiens' 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning: "Interesting stat of the night....Price is 10W, 32L in last 42 starts. Hmm."

As some of you in the greater Montreal area might be aware, there is a serious goaltending controversy brewing in La Belle Province as Jaroslav Halak's success is being swept under the rug as head coach Jacques Martin opts to play the statistically-inferior Carey Price over Halak.

While Walsh downplays the comments by claiming he was simply joking around, the truth of the matter is that it is his job to find Halak a place to ply his trade. Whether that be in Montreal or elsewhere, Walsh is doing his job by tweeting about Carey Price's woeful win-loss record. It is the same thing he would do in a face-to-face meeting with GM Bob Gainey: tout his client's stats as a bargaining chip in the negotiations.

Where the story goes off the tracks is that by doing this over Twitter shows that Walsh may have a small issue with ethics. It is slightly unethical for an agent to run down a player who is competing with his client for playing time. It is worse when he cannot bring his client's complaints to management for some unknown reason. It is entirely inexcusable, in my view, to then try to dismiss the slight to his client's competitor as "a tongue in cheek comment not meant to be taken seriously".

While I'm not suggesting that Walsh should be dismissed by Halak at this point, I am suggesting that Halak give his representative strict rules on what he can tweet about when it comes to team solidarity. After all, no matter how well Halak plays, the teams sinks or swims based upon the efforts of the other 21 men as well. If Montreal's players don't trust one another, this will be another season of heartbreak and dismay as the Canadiens struggle. With agent's undercutting other players on the team, Bob Gainey may also want to meet with Mr. Walsh and explain the nuances of good taste.

This isn't a phenomenon limited to just Twitter, though. People always seem to have a little more courage to say things they wouldn't normally say in everyday life when it comes to writing it down on a website. Chatrooms are full of alpha males who think that they are smarter and better than others because they can say things they would never dream of saying if those people were face-to-face. Twitter is no different. And with every tweet made, even those that are made in jest normally contain some amount of truth to them.

And to be honest, why is he speaking about this to thousands of people who can do little to change the situation? Does he think the fans will rally together and force head coach Jacques Martin to play Halak because he through out some meaningless stats? Chances are that he's done more to limit Halak's playing time than helping him get more. No coach or GM likes to be called out by an agent. And Bob Gainey won't stand for it.

Again, what Walsh wrote is true. Carey Price's stats in Walsh's tweet? Entirely accurate. However, the appropriateness of Walsh's tweet in helping his client get more playing time is nil. Especially when you consider he is most likely welcome to speak to Mr. Gainey at any time he feels necessary.

If I'm an athlete competing for playing time, that's the kind of agent I'd want. Someone who is outspoken and not afraid to take the fight to a neutral area where embarrassment always is countered with swift retribution. Because that's a smart career move for both him and myself. Excuse my sarcasm in this paragraph.

Next time, Mr. Walsh, use your head for more than a hat rack.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

You're Wearing That: Last of 2009

It has been a while since I had enough material for another "You're Wearing That" article, but it's time we review some of the questionable uniform choices made by hockey teams across the planet. For all the good uniforms out there, it just takes one bad egg to remind us why some promotions and uniform designs go too far. See that segue? That's right: I tied the picture and the article together. Maybe my writing skills will be featured in a "How Not To Write" article one day. That would be interesting. But let's take a look at some of the funny, scary, and downright embarrassing uniforms from the world of hockey once more. Some of these will be new, while others are from our Seven Days of Scary. All of them deserve a look, and maybe a second look.

The AHL's San Antonio Rampage held a promotional night last season on April 4 honouring Boy Scouts of America. I'm all for professional hockey teams helping out various causes and charities as it really shows that they are part of the community. However, when you want to honour someone, you probably want to have that cause highlighted more than a couple of words on the edge of the logo. As I stated before, these look like beer league versions of Quebec Nordiques jerseys. Why can't they get a jersey that looks like a boy scout's uniform?

I've made mention of this before, but the trend of the Blackhawks wearing their socks wrong is really starting to bother me this season. The stripes are supposed to be slightly below the knee, not around the ankle. For a professional team, the Blackhawks sure look bush league with their mismatched socks.

The ECHL's Bakersfield Condors will make a number of appearances on this list today, but their "Hockey-thon" jerseys from last season are fairly decent. Sure, there are a number of ribbons all over the jerseys, but the cause they support and the awareness they raise are evident. While I'm not convinced pink jerseys should fly n professional hockey, these jerseys get a thumbs-up from me as they go to support great causes.

Bakersfield decided to get in on Halloween and a memorial tribute in one swoop this season when they hosted their "King of Pop" night. The tribute was held on October 30, and the uniforms they sported that night were tributes to Michael Jackson. To top it all off, the players wore one white glove on one hand, and their normal black glove on the other - a direct tribute to Michael Jackson's sequined hand. I'll give Bakersfield a pass for this promotion because they did it tastefully, but I'm not sure that honouring people who have passed on with a promotional jersey is a move that should be duplicated.

Last season, Bakersfield played a Country Music night last season, and wore these jerseys for the occasion. I wasn't aware at the time because I simply have no appreciation for country music, but the "Bakersfield Sound" movement in country music originated in Bakersfield, California around the 1950s where the music is extremely popular. Musicians such as Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam had fairly successful careers using this sound, and Bakersfield honoured last season with a promotional night.

The ECHL's Alaska Aces spent Halloween this season in some fairly traditional Halloween costumes. Spiders, spider webs, and some orange-and-black font make for a solid Halloween jersey. The names and numbers are very legible on this jersey as well, so this one gets a pass. Not too busy, but enough detail to be completely obvious as to the promotion.

The ECHL's Wheeling Nailers went purple last season for their Relay For Life promotional jerseys. Honestly, this jersey doesn't bother me in terms of the amount of purple they are wearing. The Nailers auctioned off the jerseys after their game, and raised a considerable amount of money for cancer research. That is exactly why these types of jerseys are important for minor-pro teams: they provide a memorable souvenir for a fan while helping to raise money for other people who are battling diseases.

The ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers - a team that always appears on these lists - honoured the men and women of the US Military on October 23 and 24 with a special camouflage jersey. The one pictured is Keith Primeau's jersey. Primeau is the special assistant to the General Manager in Las Vegas, and it is currently up for auction if you're interested in owning something rather unique. The jerseys looked good in the games that the Wranglers played, and any tribute that goes out to the bravest men and women on the planet gets a thumbs-up from me.

In sticking with the southwest corner of North America, the Anaheim Ducks also honoured the men and women of the US Military by donning camouflage jerseys during the warm-up of their recent NHL games. Parros is intimidating enough with that mustache, but the camouflage jerseys are a great way to honour the men and women of the Armed Forces.

The New York Islanders, having played horrifyingly scary hockey for the last few seasons, decided to put that idea into action by wearing Halloween-themed practice jerseys for the October observance. There have been other warm-up jerseys worn in the past by NHL teams that have included observances, and it's nice to see the Islanders helping out. All the jerseys, including Tavares' practice jersey, went up for auction, and the Islanders raised a pile of cash for the New York Islanders Children’s Foundation, a non-profit children's charity that works to improve children's lives in the areas of education, youth hockey development, and health. Well done, Isles!

I also want to point out that Zdeno Chara is the largest Fisherman I've ever seen. The 6'9" behemoth on defence never got the opportunity to develop into his massive frame on Long Island, but he looks pretty good in that Fisherman Islanders jersey. Then again, I'm a little biased.

ECH Munich of the German Elite League went all out for Oktoberfest. Beer and hockey go together, but lederhosen? What's even more scary is that the bench of players looks more like a scene from Broken Lizard's Beerfest on ice. Jemand bringt mir ein bayerisches Bier!

From the German Elite League, we jump to the Serie-A Italian League where Associazione Sportiva Asiago Hockey is certainly making hockey look interesting. Especially if you're an advertiser. How many advertisements can be crammed on to one jersey? With as bad as the yellow jersey is, the red jersey only does more to highlight the white advertisements. I barely even noticed the player's name on the back. There's corporate support for your team, and then there's overkill. I'm pretty sure you know what category these jerseys fall under. The only saving grace for Asiago's hockey team is that every single team in the Serie-A Italian League is covered in advertisements. An example? Here's Matt Kelly of the Red Orange Val Pusteria Wolves wearing 14 different advertisements on the front of jersey and helmet alone! Maybe it's not a "saving grace" after all.

When you think of Canada, what comes to mind first? This? Maybe this? A combination of the two? In all seriousness, most people think of hockey when they hear the word "Canada" mentioned. However, I think Hockey Canada's idea of "honouring" the Saskatchewan prairies with a green alternate jersey for the 2010 World Junior Championships is way off-base. Personally, the rest of the country hates the Saskatchewan Roughriders, so this effort doesn't win Hockey Canada any points. I wasn't fond of the black Canadian jersey, but I certainly hate it less than a green Canadian jersey.

The OHL's Kingston Frontenacs honoured the men and women of the Canadian Military with a jersey tribute, but not just any tribute. Kingston's own Don Cherry, a major supporter of the Canadian and US troops of Armed Forces, routinely honours the fallen men and women with tributes on Coach's Corner, and often speaks directly to them on his segment regarding their unwavering courage. Because of this, he was the guest of honour during the military tribute, and the Frontenacs wore jerseys that resembled Grapes' famous suits. This was a great way to honour one great man who supports the troops every time they are called upon, and the very men and women that are sent to faraway lands to keep the peace.

This next piece isn't a focused on the jersey, but rather the player inside the jersey. The WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings have a young lad playing for them this season by the name of Wheaton King. You read that correctly: Wheaton King is a Wheat King. The 17 year-old Brandon native is a forward for the WHL club this season, and has recorded one goal thus far in nine games. The name coincidence is pretty cool in my books. It would be like a player named Sylvio Vertips playing for the WHL's Everett Silvertips. Ok, that was a much lamer example, but congrats to Mr. King on making the Wheat Kings this season!

You wanna know something else that has begun to bother me? Virtual ads on the glass while the play is going on. It completely distracts viewers away from the play by being obtrusive. And I get that the point of an advertisement is to draw viewers in, but not while the play is happening. It bothers me greatly that the advertisement is more important than the play that is happening on the ice.

That's all for this Saturday, kids. I have a hockey game to play tonight, so I need to start preparing for that. Don't forget about the Pepsi Cheer Contest going on right now! You have a chance to win some non-green Canadian hockey jerseys and other great prizes from Pepsi!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Walking With Legends

Some people tell stories based on what they have heard. And that's a fine way of recalling the events of certain situations. However, I have a respect for those people who tell the story from a first-hand perspective simply because they lived and breathed those situations. Teebz's Book Club is proud to present a collection of stories from one of those people who tell it as he saw it in Walking with Legends, written by Ralph Mellanby and published by HB Fenn and Company in 2007. Mr. Mellanby spent a long time in television, most notably producing and directing Hockey Night in Canada, and through his job he has collected a myriad of stories about about a number of influential people in the world of hockey. Walking with Legends is an autobiographical account of Mr. Mellanby's interactions with these legends of hockey.

Ralph Mellanby was born on August 22, 1934 in Hamilton, Ontario, and grew up in Essex County in the Windsor, Ontario area. Being that the area was settled by French colonists, Mellanby grew up as a Montreal Canadiens fan rather than a Detroit Red Wings fan. However, his schooling took him to Wayne State in Detroit where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 1958. Ralph had worked as a prop boy in Windsor, and, once he had his degree, a stagehand, a cameraman, and a floor director in Detroit. This opened new doors, and he landed in Chicago with WGN early 1960 where he started directing baseball and football telecasts.

Bud Hayward, President of newly-licensed CFCF-TV in Montreal, was tipped off to hire the up-and-coming Canadian director. Hayward hired Ralph, and Mr. Mellanby directed everything from CFL football broadcasts to variety shows. When CTV began airing Wednesday night NHL games in the mid-1960s, Mellanby got his first taste of NHL action - an association that would remain intact for the next two decades. Because of his "showbiz" background, Hockey Night in Canada would see unparalleled success right through to the new millenium, and Mr. Mellanby would earn several Emmy awards for his work with American networks on their Olympic broadcasts.

Ralph Mellanby is married to a wonderful woman named Janet, and they have two children: a fairly well-known son named Scott, and a daughter named Laura, following in dad's TV footsteps, who is now the director of pay-per-view programming with DirecTV.

As stated above, Walking with Legends is a collection of stories about the men and players who essentially formed the history of Hockey Night in Canada. Mellanby speaks about all of the biggest names in hockey broadcasting: Foster Hewitt, Bill Hewitt, Brian McFarlane, Dick Irvin, Danny Gallivan, Howie Meeker, Bob Cole, Harry Neale, Ron MacLean, Don Cherry, Don Wittman, and a pile of other men who have worked under the Hockey Night in Canada name. This book might be one of the best looks at the men behind the world's premiere hockey broadcast, Mellanby brings it all together by presenting it in a first-person, tell-it-as-it-happened format.

You can honestly feel that Mellanby has a deep respect for the men he put in front of the camera every game, and that all of them together as a team were better than they were as individuals. That collection of skills is a credit to Mellanby's leadership, and I cannot stress that enough.

From the Hewitts' distinct calls to McFarlane's warm welcome on each broadcast to Howie Meeker's telestrator work to Dave Hodge's intellectual conversations with players, all of it is covered in this book. Mr. Mellanby also speaks about the players he hired as analysts, and he has a fondness for all of those NHL players who moved from the ice to the broadcast booth. Even those that didn't work as well as they should have in the analyst role. The stories are warm and respectful, and Mr. Mellanby highlights the highs and lows of the relationships and friendships forged over hockey.

A quotation from Malcolm G. Kelly's book, Hanging It Out on Camera 3, is featured in Mike Brophy's introduction, and I think it goes to show exactly how important Ralph Mellanby was and is to hockey broadcasting. From the following quote, it appears that today's hockey telecasts are the result of Mr. Mellanby's involvement with the game of hockey:

"You know those dramatic openings that are a regular feature of Hockey Night and most other sports shows these days? The shots of scalpers and chestnut salesmen outside the arena, the wide look at the skyline, the people coming in through the turnstiles while a sonorous voice imparts to the television audience expository wisdom about the battle to come?

"That's Ralph Mellanby.

"How about the sound of bone-crunching hits along the boards, or the puck dinging off the goalpost?

"That's Ralph Mellanby."

Without a doubt, Mr. Mellanby's book is an excellent resource about all of hockey's non-ice personalities and innovations introduced to hockey, and he does an excellent job in relating the stories with humour and respect about the men (and one woman) who appeared on Hockey Night in Canada. The Dave Hodge chapter is particularly interesting, especially when it comes to Hodge's dismissal from the program, and I commend Mr. Mellanby for handling it as well as he did in his retelling of that story.

While there is some PG-language in the book, I fully recommend Walking with Legends to all readers as it really brings a personal perspective to Hockey Night in Canada, and the stories told by Mr. Mellanby makes these larger-than-life on-air personalities a lot more real. Walking with Legends is recommended by Teebz's Book Club, and is certainly worthy of Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval.

Just before I sign off on this entry, here is a look at 50 years of Hockey Night in Canada personalities. As you're watching this, remember that the men seen on the video wearing the powder blue HNIC jackets were hired by Mr. Mellanby, and a very large number of them have gone on to impressive careers after their time on the program. All of the men featured in this video, however, are associated with Mr. Mellanby's time in television. Enjoy!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Done In The OHL

Michael Liambas, pictured to the left, is now a former player for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. I say "former" because OHL Commissioner David Branch came down hard on Liambas for his hit on Kitchener Rangers rookie Ben Fanelli. Liambas was suspended for the remainder of the season and for the entire playoffs for his hit on Fanelli on October 30 that sent the 16 year-old to the hospital with skull and facial fractures. The 20 year-old Liambas, being an over-aged player already, has had his career ended on a play that was unnecessary unless you're a big fan of late hits. The reason for his shortened season, according to David Branch, was due to his lack of respect for Fanelli and the distance he traveled to throw the hit.

"Players must understand they shall be held accountable for their actions," OHL commissioner David Branch said in a statement. "We must all work towards improving the level of respect players have towards opposing players and the game in general."

This is what I was speaking about on Monday when I suggested that we, the fans, might be a large part of the problem. David Branch recognizes that players in these developmental leagues need a chance to make it to the next level, and that there is a respect factor involved when it comes to everyone helping each other be better.

The end result of that hit was that Fanelli's visor was cracked, and his helmet - Branch was told by Kitchener staff that Fanelli had it securely fastened - popped off his head. The impact with the boards and ice were major factors in the skull and facial fractures that have lead to Fanelli's extended hospital stay. As it stands right now, his season is over as he remains in hospital in serious but stable condition.

Branch, in his statement, suggested that Liambas' character was not to blame in this situation, and I really believe that Liambas was only doing what he was told to do by his coaches, most notably head coach Robbie Ftorek: create some energy, and finish your checks.

"Michael is a bright and articulate man and he certainly represented himself very well," Branch said of Liambas. "But any issues that Michael is facing pale in comparison to what, unfortunately, Ben and his family are going through."

He continued, "In our minds, the most concerning thing about the hit was the distance travelled and the speed. It then resulted in injury... and the injury was the most concerning, no question."

And there's the key: Branch has become less of an administrator in times like this, and more like a parent looking out for all his kids playing in the OHL. That is exactly the kind of sentiment I would hope to hear from all presidents and commissioners of all developmental leagues when it comes to offering the best chance to move to the next level of hockey.

Player safety and security are the most paramount thing in David Branch's mind. It's the reason why visors and neck guards are mandatory in the OHL. It's the reason why head checks are penalized in the OHL. It's the reason why hits from behind are severely punished in the OHL. Branch ensures that every player who steps on a sheet of ice in the OHL has the best chance possible of becoming a hockey player at the next level of hockey.

Was the decision to suspend Michael Liambas extremely harsh? Yes, it was. Some will say that the hit was clean, and that Fanelli's injuries are the result of unfortunate circumstances. Some will say that discouraging hits like these - legal by the definition of hitting, but borderline in good judgment - takes away from the excitement of the game and makes it more into figure skating or women's hockey. Others will simply say that sometimes bad things happen to good players, and that by punishing Liambas for a "hockey play" that happens hundreds of times per game will ruin the game of hockey.

Where David Branch sees the problem is that Liambas skated in from the blueline, gaining speed while traveling, and threw a bodycheck on a vulnerable Fanelli while he didn't have the puck and was off the boards. This charging-boarding play committed by Liambas that caused significant injury to the young Fanelli is the entire reason why David Branch is ensuring that he'll be watching from the stands for the rest of the season.

It may appear that Branch is trying to remove hitting from his league by cracking down hard on Liambas. I think he's simply trying to make players respect one another on the ice in a world where violence and speed often are endorsed. Speed has been increased thanks to the rule changes coming out of the work stoppage in 2005, and defensive players are no longer allowed to slow up on-coming forecheckers as they press into the zone. Liambas would be one of those forecheckers, and he did what he has been taught: finish your check, create a turnover.

Bobby Clarke, a man known for his tenacity on the ice, said on TSN's Off The Record that he wouldn't want to play the game today with the way that players are flying into one another. He called today's game "too dangerous". For the leader of the Broad Street Bullies to make that claim, you know that there has to be something wrong with how hockey is being played today.

Was the suspension too harsh? Most will say "yes". Most will say that 20 or 25 games would send the message that this kind of hit is not going to be tolerated. When asked at the media scrum after the statement was made why a 25-game suspension wasn't handed down, Branch responded, "How does 25 games line up with Ben Fanelli not playing again this year?"

If there is anything that David Branch is, he is the most consistent Commissioner in hockey today when it comes to handing out punishment for what he considers to be unsafe play. When he says that his league will not tolerate something, he makes sure that everyone realizes that he's serious about this belief.

When Branch says that he wants to ensure that every single player in the OHL has a shot at making the NHL, he's not just talking about skill sets and hockey fundamentals. He's talking about providing a safe environment where kids can get better at the game of hockey without fearing for their lives. This is the same belief we have about our school systems: a safe environment where children can maximize their potential before moving on to bigger stages in life. This speaks volumes to the "respect factor" that I have been pounding the drum on.

As an administrator, isn't David Branch the kind of guy you want when sending your child to his school? Isn't this the kind of guy you want preparing your kids for the next stage of their lives?

"I would say without question the injury played a factor," Branch told Mike Brophy of Sportsnet.ca. "Without question. The two driving points from our perspective is, players must understand they will be held accountable for their actions. A lot of them play the game on the edge, as they say. As well, we all must work together to improve the level of respect that we have in our game."

I feel bad for Liambas in all this because he was doing what he was told. Sometimes, though, what's right is not always popular. David Branch knows this, and he's telling everyone in the OHL this same message. Anyone can throw a massive bodycheck on a vulnerable player, but it takes a smarter, better player to realize when and how to throw that check safely. And it certainly takes more respect for your opponent.

"I tried to draw an analogy with Michael Liambas at the hearing yesterday," Branch explained to Mike Brophy of Sportsnet, "that you can drive down a side street at 60 kilometers per hour in a speed of 60 kilometers per hour and if a youngster runs out in front of your vehicle and you hit that child, chances are people will say the child didn't look both ways. But if you're driving down that street at 90 or 100 kilometers per hour chances are you are at fault. We have got to get a perspective. In the purest sense nobody is saying the hit was illegal, but it is our opinion the distance he traveled and the speed at which he chose to travel at did not demonstrate sufficient respect. If there is an injury then you are going to be held accountable."

Isn't that the most important lesson about checking? Good coaches tell you that a well-timed, clean check can significantly alter the momentum of the game. Scott Stevens knew this. Larry Robinson knew this. Denis Potvin knew this. All three men were highly respectful of other players in that they never once were penalized for a check from behind. Stevens, the most feared hitter of this generation, finished his career with only four elbowing penalties. These men were all about respecting their opponents.

David Branch is also all about respecting your opponent, and he's working to teach the OHL players about this respect. Even if it means some players have to be removed from the classroom setting. After all, what's popular isn't always right, and what's right isn't always popular. In my view, David Branch lives and breathes the latter part of that statement.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Antler Banter: Volume 1

Welcome to the very first "Antler Banter"! As you are probably aware, today is November 4. The Manitoba Moose started their season on October 2. Because of this, we have a little backtracking to do in order to get everyone caught up. We'll get that out of the way first before focusing on what the Moose have in store for the upcoming week. The Norfolk Admirals were in town last night, and we'll update everything to that point. For all of your Manitoba Moose news and information, don't forget to check out the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. I also produced a season preview for the Moose earlier in September that should help you out with some preliminary information about the team. Without further adieu, let's get to the Hardcore Hockey!

October Notes

The Manitoba Moose opened the 2009-10 AHL season as one of the busiest teams, playing a total of 14 games in the month of October. Games at home saw the Houston Aeros, Chicago Wolves, Abbotsford Heat, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins pass through the MTS Centre, while the Moose visited Cleveland, Hamilton, Chicago, and Milwaukee for dates with those clubs in their buildings.

The Moose started the season with a split as the Houston Aeros visited the Moose on October 2 and 3. Former Aero and current Moose forward Marco Rosa has a big debut weekend as he had a pair of goals against his former club. Captain Mike Keane also notched a pair in the two games against Houston. Manitoba won the Friday night affair by a 4-3 margin before Houston responded on Saturday with a 4-2 victory. This left the Moose with a 1-1-0-0 record to start the season.

The Chicago Wolves visited Winnipeg on October 9 and 10. Former Moose Drew McIntyre and Jason Krog were welcomed back to the MTS Centre in different ways: McIntyre drew cheers, while the boos rained down on Krog. The Moose saw a couple of new players hit the scoresheet as Michael Funk and Russian prospect Sergei Shirokov dented the twine with their firsts of the season on Friday night. The Moose skated to a 4-1 victory. On Saturday, the Moose saw Mike Keane add his third of the season as Drew McIntyre misplayed the puck, and the Moose recorded a 2-1 victory on Michael Grabner's game-winner in the second period. Goaltender Daren Machesney recorded his first win as a member of the Moose with the 2-1 victory as well. With the two wins, the Moose improved to 3-1-0-0 this season.

The Moose had a couple of days off before the Abbotsford Heat invaded the MTS Centre on October 13 and 14. Jason Jaffray returned to the MTS Centre after signing with Calgary in the off-season, and the long-time Moose sniper was greeted with a loud ovation. Mikael Grabner scored his fourth goal of the season, but Abbotsford's Jason Jaffray scored the game-winning goal late in the second period as Abbotsford took the first of two games by a 4-2 score. Marco Rosa scored his third goal of season on Wedenesday night, and Jaffray added his second against his former team as the two clubs battled through regulation to a 4-4 draw. Guillaume Desbiens scored the shootout winner for the Moose as they split with Abbotford on a 5-4 shootout win. The Moose's record stood at 4-2-0-0 after six games.

The Moose spent the next six games away from home, stopping in Cleveland, Ohio on October 16 and 17 for a couple of games with the Lake Erie Monsters. Mike Keane's fourth goal of the season midway through the second period stood as the winner as the Moose took the first of two games by a 3-2 score. Lake Erie stormed out of the gates on Saturday night, doubling up the Moose in the first two periods to take a 4-2 lead into the third. Darren Haydar added a single in the third to give Lake Erie the split in the two games. The Moose's record after eight games stood at 5-3-0-0.

No rest for the wicked as Manitoba spent the next day traveling for two games against the Hamilton Bulldogs on October 19 and 20. The Moose faced off against former teammate Curtis Sanford as he manned the net for the Bulldogs. Both he and Cory Schneider played extremely well in the opening game of this two-game set. Sergei Shirokov scored his third of the season for the Moose. Ryan Russell tied things up, sending this game to overtime. In OT, Nolan Baumgartner's first of the season gave the Moose the 2-1 victory. On Tuesday night, Mathieu Darche had his third and fourth goals of the season, and the Moose were not able to recover from the Bulldogs' press all night as they fell 4-1. Matt Pettinger did notch his third of the season for the Moose in the loss. With the split, the Moose moved to 6-4-0-0.

On Friday, October 23, the Moose arrived in Chicago for a date with the Wolves - the third time in two weeks that these two teams have tangled. Former Moose goaltender Manny Legace got the start for the Wolves against Cory Schneider, and these two men put on a goaltending clinic. Manitoba peppered Legace with 31 shots through regulation time, but none found the back of the net. Chicago threw 24 shots at Cory Schneider, but they also couldn't find the back of the net. With a scoreless draw through 65 minutes, a shootout would decide this game. Mike Keane scored for the Moose, but Tim Stapleton tied it up on the next shot. Matt Pettinger would give Manitoba the win with his shootout goal as the Moose prevail with a 1-0 victory. This moved the Moose's record to 7-4-0-0 in October.

No rest for the wicked, however, as Saturday, October 24 saw Manitoba travel to Milwaukee for a game against the Admirals. The road weary Moose played hard as they battled to a 2-2 through 60 minutes. Sergei Shirokov netted his fourth of the season while Anaheim prospect Brian Salcido scored his first on the powerplay. However, Ben Guite's powerplay goal in overtime with Brian Salcido sitting in the penalty box proved decisive as the Moose recorded the 3-2 overtime loss. After twelve games, the Moose had a record of 7-4-1-0.

The first Eastern Conference team to visit the MTS Centre this season were the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on October 29 and 30. Daren Machesney matched up with John Curry, and the two goaltenders matched each other save for save through sixty minutes. 39 seconds into overtime, however, former Moose forward Ryan Bayda slipped a puck past Machesney to give the WBS Penguins the 1-0 win in overtime. Friday night's game saw a little more scoring. Sergei Shirokov had his team-leading fifth goal. However, a penalty shot goal by Dustin Jeffrey equalized the score for the Penguins at 1-1. Machesney and Curry matched each other again after the goals, and this game would be decided in shootout. Shirokov was the only player to net a goal in the shootout, giving the Moose a 2-1 win. The Moose closed out October with a record of 8-4-2-0 record for a total of 18 points.

With their 18 points, the Moose sat in second place in the North Division, but had played the most games. This doesn't bode well if the other teams can take advantage of their games-in-hand, but the Moose are certainly performing well over the first month.

One obvious issue plaguing the Moose right now are injuries. More specifically, injuries to players in Vancouver. Mikael Grabner is day-to-day with an ankle injury, and has missed two games in Vancouver since being recalled. Alexandre Bolduc is day-to-day with a shoulder injury, and has missed three games in Vancouver since being recalled. Roberto Luongo is day-to-day with a rib injury, meaning Cory Schneider has been in Vancouver since October 24. Players that should be in Manitoba right now - Matt Pettinger, Mario Bliznak, and Cory Schneider - are filling roles in Vancouver due to their injury problems. Defenceman Lawrence Nycholat is currently in Manitoba's sick bay nursing shoulder and knee injuries, while Guillaume Desbiens is out for four-to-six weeks after blocking a shot with his foot in the Friday game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

While this is an issue for all AHL teams, Manitoba's best players are now in Vancouver, and the Moose look like they may struggle over the short-term. Once the injury bay for the Canucks begins to clear out, scorers like Grabner, Bolduc, and Bliznak will most likely be returned to the Moose. Until then, it's all hands on deck for the Moose as they look to piece together a top-flight scoring unit.

November Notes

November 2 and 3 saw the second Eastern Conference team visit the MTS Centre as the Norfolk Admirals spent two nights in Winnipeg. These two teams have never played a regular-season game against each other in the AHL, so the Monday night tilt was a historic one.

Enforcer Matt McCue scored his first goal for the Moose on Monday night, but, as stated above, scoring is as abundant as water in the desert right now for the Moose. I'll take nothing away from the hometown boys: they still play hard, they are still tenacious on defence, and they still run the systems as best as they can. But like any team missing four of its top six forwards, the snipers are clearly missed. The Moose deserve an A for effort as they outshot Norfolk, but the Admirals put three behind Machesney to win the Monday night game by a 3-1 score. Brandon Bochenski scored his seventh of the season as the game-winner for Norfolk.

Tuesday night's battle saw Tommy Maxwell score his first goal of the season as the Moose paced themselves to a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes. Paul Szczechura of the Admirals tied the game midway through the second period as be banged in a rebound past Machesney for his fourth of the season. With 2:22 remaining in the frame, Martins Karsums went top-shelf on Machesney as he drove the net, and the Admirals had the lead at 2-1 after 40 minutes. Adam Hall unintentionally elbowed a puck into the net in the third period to ice the game for the Admirals, giving them the sweep in the first meetings between these two teams after a second 3-1 victory. With the two losses, the Moose drop to 8-6-2-0 on the season after 16 games.

It's clear that the Moose need some help with the call-ups to Vancouver becoming more and more frequent, and they are doing everything at this point to find someone who can score goals. Jokes were made with Moose head coach Scott Arniel that "Help Wanted" signs might need to be posted outside the MTS Centre.

"I'll take anything right now with two legs and can handle a stick," Arniel joked as he spoke to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. "Certainly we want someone who can fit into the mould here. We're trying. Hopefully, through the middle of the week here we'll get some help from somewhere else."

Winger Olivier Latendresse was brought back from the ECHL's Victoria Salmon Kings, while forward Mark McCutcheon was signed to a professional tryout contract in an attempt to alleviate some of these injury and call-up concerns. Latendresse was the leading scorer for the Salmon Kings at the time of his recall to the Moose, while McCutcheon played 65 games with the Lake Erie Monsters last season, recording six goals and 11 assists.

These two won't solve all of the Moose's scoring woes, but it's a start. At this point, they're better than not having anyone in those roster spots. And if they catch fire playing here in Manitoba, that's all the better for both them and the Moose.

Stats Scrum

Leading Moose scorer: Sergei Shirokov - 5G + 6A = 11pts.
Leading Moose goal-scorer: Sergei Shirokov - 5 goals.
Leading Moose setup man: Shirokov/Michael Funk - 6 assists each.
Leading Moose plus/minus guy: three players at +2.
Leading Moose sin bin resident: Tom Maxwell - 41 PIMs.
Leading Moose power player: Sergei Shirokov - 3 PPGs.
Leading Moose shortie: Keane/Bliznak - 1 SHG each.
Leading Moose shooter: Marco Rosa - 51 SOG.
Leading Moose blueliner: Michael Funk - 1G + 6A = 7pts.

AHL Notes

• The Hamilton Bulldogs, one of the teams that the Moose are now chasing in the North Division, have yet to lose a game in regulation. They have a record of 7-0-1-3 thus far this season, and are the only team to have yet to lose in regulation time.
• The Rochester Americans, another team that the Moose are chasing in the North Division, have the best record in the AHL right now with a 9-1-1-1 mark. Their .864 winning percentage has them ranked first overall in the AHL.
• The Abbotsford Heat are the most penalized team thus far this season. To date, the Heat have racked up an astounding 432 PIMs through 14 games, an average of 30.9 minutes of sin bin time per game!
• Corey Locke of the Hartford Wolf Pack leads the league in scoring with 17 points. Chris Minard of the Springfield Falcons leads the AHL with nine goals.

Moose Outlook

Thursday night sees the Moose travel to Houston for a game against the Aeros. The Aeros are currently third in the West Division with a 6-7-0-0 record. Robbie Earl and Jean-Michel Daoust lead the Aeros in points with six points each. The Moose will have to battle hard, but they should be able to squeeze at least one point out of this game.

Friday and Saturday night see the Moose move to Austin, Texas where the Moose will match-up with the Texas Stars for the first time in the regular season. The Stars are 8-2-0-2 and first in the West Division. They feature a number of former Moose players, and this should be a test for the shorthanded Moose. Colton Sceviour leads the team with eight points, while former Moose forward Greg Rallo has seven points. Any sort of split with the Stars should be considered a victory for the Moose.

After those three games, the Moose are off until the following weekend when the Toronto Marlies come to Winnipeg for a two-game set on November 13 and 14. We'll preview those games next week.

That's all for Antler Banter today, kids. If there's anything you wish to see featured on Antler Banter, please let me know through the comments or via email. I'm open to suggestions on things you want to see, so please let me know. Just as an aside, the next issue of Antler Banter will be markedly shorter as there will be no recap for the previous month. I will, however, add an additional section profiling a Moose player for that week. Again, if you want to see something added or changed, please let me know!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!