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[triswykes]

Here's the game story from the St. Pete Times on Mike McKenna's heroics last night. What's the rush on Mike Smith's injury now? Let the kid play until he cools off.

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Admirals Sign Forward Erik Johnson

NORFOLK, VA – The Norfolk Admirals have signed forward Erik Johnson to a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO), Admirals General Manager Mike Butters announced today.

Johnson, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound forward, has appeared in 39 games this season with the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL), posting 12 goals and 19 assists with 37 penalty minutes. He currently ranks fourth in goals, seventh in assists and sixth in points with the Nailers.

The 27-year-old from Coon Rapids, Minnesota, is in his fourth professional season. Johnson split last season in the Central Hockey League with the Youngstown SteelHounds and New Mexico Scorpions, scoring 11 goals and 26 assists in 55 games. He has also skated in the ECHL with the San Diego Gulls, Cincinnati Cyclones and Pensacola IcePilots. In 102 career ECHL games, Johnson has scored 26 goals and 31 assists with 80 penalty minutes.

Johnson spent four seasons at Mercyhurst College from 2002-03 to 2005-06, scoring 28 goals and 32 assists in 112 career games.

My take: Too bad he isn't THAT Erik Johnson.

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Interesting story on former ECHL Admirals coach John Brophy trying to make a speech without cussing as he's inducted into that league's Hall of Fame.

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The Admirals have won just 10 of 40 regular season games in Wilkes-Barre since they joined the AHL in 2000. That's horrendous.

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Justin Keller out in the first period after a collision with a teammate, Pete Michaud reports on the radio. The MASH unit is filling up.

[triswykes]

The St. Petersburg Times has a feature on goaltending sensation Mike McKenna.

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Admirals Release Forward Erik Johnson

NORFOLK, VA – The Norfolk Admirals have released forward Erik Johnson from his Professional Tryout Contract (PTO), Admirals General Manager Mike Butters announced today.

Johnson made his AHL debut last night with the Admirals in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and recorded one shot. Johnson will return to ECHL Wheeling where he has 12 goals and 19 assists with 37 penalty minutes in 39 games.

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Funny stories here about John Spano, the former NYI owner who was a con man.

From the same site is a rant about why the plus/minus stat is worthless. I concede it's not a particularly accurate way to measure a player's worth, but I certainly think it has value.

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Former Admirals and current Blackhawks Dustin Byfuglien and James Wisniewski are mired in offensive slumps.

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From the St. Pete Times (it's always from the SPT):

Josef Melichar, acquired last week from the Hurricanes in the Jussi Jokinen deal, is on re-entry waivers with the intention of getting him in Tuesday's game with the Thrashers. The move was made because, as coach Rick Tocchet said on Monday, the defensive situation is in such flux.

With Paul Ranger "iffy" with an undisclosed injury (he did not practice Monday), Tampa Bay is down to four regular defensemen: Cory Murphy, Steve Eminger, Lukas Krajicek and Matt Smaby we know will play against Atlanta. Putting David Koci back on defense for a turn here and there makes it five. Melichar would be the sixth. If Melichar plays, he will be the 43rd Lightning player this season and the 17th defenseman.

As for Brookbank, also acquired in the Jokinen deal, it appears he is headed to AHL Norfolk if he clears waivers.

Both were put on waivers at noon today. We will know at noon tomorrow if they have cleared.

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Media Advisory: Admirals to Trade In Jerseys for Aprons to Fight Heart Disease

NORFOLK, VA – Several Norfolk Admirals players will trade in their jerseys for aprons to benefit the fight against heart disease in women during the California Pizza Kitchen Celebrity Serve on Tuesday night.

Admirals players Zenon Konopka, Brent Henley, Ty Wishart, Jay Rosehill, Brandon Segal and Justin Keller will be celebrity servers at the California Pizza Kitchen at MacArthur Center in Downtown Norfolk from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Twenty percent of each table's check will benefit the American Heart Association.

Admirals Five Star Kids Club members eat for free with their membership card and a paying adult.

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Random Thoughts About the Admirals...

What's going to happen when Tampa Bay sends back a goaltender? Either it's Mike McKenna and his standout performance didn't count for much, or it's Karri Ramo and here's a guy many of the Norfolk fans don't want to see playing for the Admirals. Does Riku Helenius go back to ECHL Mississippi? Does he go back to being a backup who never plays? Do the Bolts change their policy of wanting Ramo to play most of the games and let Ramo and Helenius split time?

I don't think Karri Ramo is going to be in the Lightning organization after this season. His entry-level contract is up after this winter and he hasn't been particularly impressive the last two campaigns. Now, Helenius and Dustin Tokarski are coming along behind him in the Bolts pipeline, to say nothing of McKenna.

For that matter, I don't think too many of the current Admirals who are in the last season of their entry-level deals are going to be qualified/retained by Tampa Bay. These aren't guys the current regime drafted and has an attachment to. Many of them haven't played very well. So I would get your fill now of Blair Jones, Jay Rosehill, Justin Keller and Andy Rogers. I also think Chris Gratton, Brent Henley, Peter Zingoni, Grant Potulny, Jamie Heward and McKenna have either played their last Norfolk game or won't be back next season.

Out of all those guys, I feel the worst for Rogers. He's played hard, he's worked his tail off and he just can't stay healthy. It's just not in the cards for some players.

Guys you'll almost certainly see back with Tampa Bay are those who still have time on their entry-level deals. Ty Wishart, Juraj Simek, Vladimir Mihalik, Mike Lundin, Riku Helenius, Chris Lawrence, Scott Jackson and Kevin Quick. The Lightning/Admirals will keep Bracken Kearns and Brandon Segal if they know what's good for them. Kearns signed a one-year deal with Norfolk and I'm not sure what Segal's status is.

Brandon Bochenski and Zenon Konopka hit the lottery to my way of thinking with the deals they signed last summer. They got two-way deals for this season but next season they've got one-way deals, meaning they get NHL money even if they're not in the NHL. Those pacts don't look nearly as good now as they did then. Bochenski just hasn't produced the way he should and Konopka, who was expected to spend a decent part of this season with Tampa Bay, has been limited by injuries.

Henley is one of the nicest and most articulate Admirals in years, but he's no AHL heavyweight, despite his size. His balance always seems to be off during tussles and at times he seems to have graduated from the Mike Brown School of Hugging. I'm really happy for him that he's stuck in this league so far this season and earned the money that goes with that, but if Rosehill isn't kept in the Tampa Bay fold, they need to find a legitimate enforcer who can skate a regular shift. [Note: Perhaps that's why the Bolts are said to be sending Wade Brookbank down here. Although judging by his bio, he appears to have been often concussed. Not good for a fighter.]

Speaking of Rosehill, I think he could fit that bill, if only someone would give him the ice time. He plays harder and often more effectively than others on the roster, but like last season, there are a lot of nights he plays only a few minutes.

Ty Wishart has been making progress in playing a more physical game, but his half-hearted (quarter-hearted?) ``effort'' to body check the Bridgeport Sound Tiger who went by him for the winning goal Saturday was embarrassing. There are an awful lot of guys in hockey who would stand in front of a train for the money Wishart has made and will make as a first-round draft pick. He would do well to show some more heart.

Another defenseman, Kevin Quick, is also making strides. He came back from his NHL callup with more confidence and has joined the rush effectively here and there. He still gets knocked around, but if he really pushes himself to get stronger, he's going to have a lengthy NHL career. He may have come here because of a crime he committed at the University of Michigan, but by all accounts, he's kept his mouth shut and his nose squeaky clean. Congratulations to a kid who tossed himself into a sink-or-swim situation.

In this age of instant communication and all sorts of technology, etc., perhaps I shouldn't find the absence of Lightning GM Brian Lawton galling. I know he receives daily reports and video clips from Norfolk, but as far as I know, he's been here once all season. Jay Feaster didn't show up at all last winter. So that's one visit from the Grand Pooh-Bah of Tampa Bay Development in two seasons.

When the Blackhawks were the Admirals' NHL affiliate, their GMs made several trips per season. Especially when Tampa Bay's product has stunk up the joint, it might be a good idea to show up in person to press the flesh, offer a few apologies and seek to reassure people in and around the Admirals organization. And don't tell me visits by other Lightning types count. What message does it send the regional office and those who support it when the national manager doesn't ever show up?

Last but not least, what does Admirals owner Ken Young do about this mess? From what I understand, there's no escape clause until after next season, but the decision on whether to use it or not is going to have to be made by this time next year and probably even sooner. Young lives in Tampa part of the year and he loved the fact the Lighting had won the Stanley Cup a few years before he hopped in bed with them. But two dreadful seasons during terrible economic times is a dangerous combination for an Admirals franchise in a non-traditional hockey market.

Young said last summer that winning is very important to being successful business-wise in minor league hockey. I guess we'll see just how important he thinks it is by how he deals with the Lightning down the road.

[triswykes]

Turns out Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Mike Smith is suffering from post-concussion syndrome and it isn't known when he'll be back. Which means we don't know when either Karri Ramo or Mike McKenna will be back here. The Admirals will push forward with Riku Helenius.

Also, here's a Tampa Tribune piece on McKenna that notes NHL ref Don Koharski was one of his youth coaches. And Koharski worked McKenna's first start in Tampa the other night.

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It's not often you're going to find former Admirals goaltender Michael Leighton and Flyers legend Bernie Parent linked together, but they're both here on this page showing Philadelphia netminder masks through the years. Cool!

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Former Admirals forward Adam Burish is chipping in offensively with the Chicago Blackhawks.

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Admirals PR man Keith Phillips has tunneled into the archives and notes his team has won 6 of 7 games played on Friday the 13th. He gives us these notes below and we thank him and his pocket protector.

Ajay Baines appeared in five Friday the 13th games for Norfolk... Casey Hankinson, Ajay Baines, Shawn Thornton and Carl Corazzini each had three goals for Norfolk on Friday the 13th...Corey Crawford tended net in three games – all wins – on Friday the 13th.

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Admirals are practicing today, but have tomorrow off. Coach Darren Rumble said he's going to cut way back on practice time because the team has an idiotic bit of scheduling to deal with in the coming weeks. Consider:

7 games in 9 days starting Friday against Hamilton at home.

9 in 11 days starting next Friday against Providence at home. This includes a rescheduled game for March 4.

7 in 11 days starting March 11 at Albany.

In the span that covers all three of those stretches, Norfolk plays 22 games in 37 days.

You think the players are beat up now? If they get through this without losing 2-3 more guys for a significant period of time, I'll be amazed. With the closest team five hours away, and 12 of those games on the road, the bus trips alone will be killer.

[Update: Writes one AHL beat man in response to the above, ``I'd say this would be Exhibit A for the prosecution (i.e., NHL general managers) in the argument to get the AHL to slice the schedule back to 72 games. Of course, the owners in the AHL said no.'']

[Update II: Writes Bridgeport beat man Mike Fornabaio of the Sound Tigers, ``They played a February two years ago like this, 15 games in 24 days,
capped off by an 8-in-10. It left everybody banged up and ruined their playoff chances.'']

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Latest from the St. Petersburg Times, leading up to tonight's game with the Atlanta Thrashers:

Defenseman Josef Melichar cleared re-entry waivers at noon today, has been assigned to the Lightning from AHL Norfolk and should be available for tonight's game with the Thrashers. If he plays, Melichar will be the 43rd player used by the Lightning this season, 10 off the team record set in 1999-2000 and 12 off the NHL record of 55 set by the 1991-92 Bruins. Melichar would also be Tampa Bay's 17th defenseman.

Adding the 30-year-old, who was assigned to AHL Norfolk after being acquired from the Hurricanes in the Jussi Jokinen trade, should take some pressure off a blue line that is really banged up and without Jamie Heward (concussion), Paul Ranger (upper body) and Andrej Meszaros (arm). In addition, Matt Smaby is expected to play but was walking around the locker room after the morning skate with a boot on his right foot.

Melichar gives Tampa Bay six defenseman for tonight's game as Marek Malik will play after missing nine games with a sore right ankle. Also expected to play are Cory Murphy, Lukas Krajicek and Steve Eminger.

Left wing Wade Brookbank, also acquired with Melichar from the Hurricanes, cleared waivers as well and was assigned to Norfolk.

Other stuff from this morning: As expected, Mike McKenna gets the start in net. In three games with Tampa Bay, he is 1-0-1 with a 1.57 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage. ... Fs Adam Hall and David Koci likely will be scratched.

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Found this fun ad in an old Flyers program I have. I think the Admirals need to get some just like those.

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The Edmonton Oilers have canned their coach of the Springfield Falcons. Darren Rumble sleeps with one eye open and on the fax machine.

[triswykes]

From the St. Petersburg Times yesterday:

Apparently, Josef Melichar's flight from Norfolk was delayed and the defenseman, who cleared re-entry waivers Tuesday, will not play for Tampa Bay against the Thrashers. That means David Koci is the sixth defenseman, though he likely won't play much

So it doesn't just happen to us. Pro athletes suffer as well.

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The SPT described McKenna allowing an `atrocious'' shorthanded goal last night but the Tampa Tribune gives him a kinder review:

Tampa Bay's sputtering offense finished 0-for-5 on the power play despite getting 10 shots on goal with the man advantage. The Lightning also had a pair of two-man advantages totaling nearly a minute but generated only one shot on net and failed to provide Mike McKenna, who stopped 21 shots, with much offensive support.

"Our goalie gave us a chance to win and we, as a team, dropped the ball," alternate captain Jeff Halpern said.

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Former Philadelphia Phantom and current Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Sharp is showin' some leg.

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Former Admirals center Mark Bell is hoping to escape his AHL exile with the Toronto Marlies and land with another NHL organization.

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A Hartford Courant columnist takes a look at Sean Avery's arrival with the Wolf Pack.

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Former Admirals defenseman Danny Richmond has this to say in a story about the AHL's East Division:

“Every year you have teams here that traditionally have a lot more tough guys — Peter Vandermeer, David Koci, all the Philly guys,” defenseman Danny Richmond said. “There are a couple guys on every team I find I really just cannot stand. You see them in the lineup and it really fires you up and you want to get after them.”

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Scope's ice surface has had its bad times, but apparently it's nothing compared to what they've suffered through in Washington, D.C.

Speaking of D.C. and the Capitals, Washington Post beat man Tarik El-Bashir has this note on owner Ted Leonsis:

Earlier this morning at Union Station I was sipping my Starbucks in the waiting area when Ted Leonsis walked in by himself. We talked for a few minutes, then we headed to the train.

As we walked to the track entrance, a homeless man who was seated on the floor mumbled something in our general direction. The crowd kept moving, and so did I. But Ted stopped and asked the man to repeat what he had just said. Stunned by this, I looked around and stopped, too.

Ted put down his bag, reached for his wallet and, as he did this, noticed the man was not wearing any shoes.

"What happened to your shoes?" Ted asked him.

The man, who is old and appeared to be disabled, told Ted, "Somebody stole them." Ted said, "What?" The man said it again. Ted handed the guy a big bill (I didn't see how big). But before he gave it to him said, "Promise me you are going to buy shoes with this, okay?" The man nodded and said very quietly, "Thank you."

"This is America, right?" Ted said to me moments later as he boarded the first class car (I'm in business so we've been emailing between the cars). "How does he not have shoes? Incredible."

Funny how the wealthiest man on the train was the only one -- that I noticed anyway -- to stop and help a fellow human in need. I know this has nothing to do with hockey, but I thought I would share it anyway.

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I have three words for you: Giant Skating Presidents.

I have six words for you: Rod Langway naked in the hall.

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Former Hershey coach and current Capitals bench boss Bruce Boudreau is not a fan of the morning skate. His players must absolutely love him. Boudreau told a DC radio show recently that:

"Some coach got it in his head, 'Oh, we should practice in the morning,' but I don't know what the heck it does for you," Boudreau said.

"I've been against this from when it first started," Phil Esposito agreed.

"I understand [why] it started, to get you out of bed and awake," Boudreau said. "But then it got taken steps further about practicing, and then some coaches took it steps further and you're practicing hard. I've been on teams where I say, 'Are you kidding? It's the fifth time in three days that we're going to be on the ice, and it's too much.'

"We really think rest is more important, especially when you've got a guy like Ovechkin that plays 23 minutes every game and he's hitting or being hit every shift. It's a lot of wear on the body....If we'd have gone on today it would have been totally up to whoever. Like, for us to have Sergei Fedorov on the ice every day at 39 years old and skating is ridiculous. He's got to save his strength for the games, and that's where it's the most important. We try to walk that fine line, and hopefully it works."

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Admirals assistant coach Alan May said this one day about minor league hockey players. I think he was talking mostly about the lower minors, but it also applies to quite a few AHL types.

``Some players are good from the neck up and some are good from the neck down. Very rarely do you get one who's good from top to bottom.''

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The Albany River Rats will not be raising ticket prices for next season. Smart move.

Here's Admirals vice president Joe Gregory on the topic:

We won't raise the cost of season tickets for next season. We've already begun the renewal process and have implemented a monthly payment plan to
make paying for season tickets more accommodating.

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One hockey writer says former Admirals goaltender Craig Anderson will make the 2010 U.S. Olympic team, along with former ECHL Admirals defenseman Joe Corvo. I ask, what about Duncan Keith?

[triswykes]

Although the number of games played weighs into this, I still say it's not a good sign when the Admirals are second-to-last in the overall AHL standings, occupy the East Division cellar six points behind sixth-place Albany and are 17 points out of the division's fourth and final playoff berth.

You say this isn't fair, the Admirals are tied for the fewest games played among AHL teams. I say, what about taking that into consideration and Norfolk has STILL allowed the most goals in the league?

The next person outside the organization who says anything about making this season's playoffs gets mauled with a Marek Kvapil blow up doll. The people inside the organization have to talk about making the playoffs because they're worried about being labeled quitters if they don't.

Remember how Darren Rumble said his team was aiming for 90 points because he felt that would be enough to get into the postseason? Well, the Admirals now need to earn 45 points in their final 30 games to pull that off. Assume they don't earn any single points in overtime or shootouts and they'd need to go 23-7 the rest of the way.

I'll spray paint myself orange if they can manage that. And then I can be happy, because I will get to cover playoff hockey... while resembling a highway construction cone.

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I'm very hopeful that there will be a hockey version of this coming soon.

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Notes for tonight's Lightning vs. Maple Leafs game from the St. Petersburg Times:

Mike McKenna, who allowed one bad goal but otherwise played well Tuesday against the Thrashers, gets his third straight start. "He deserves to play right now," Tocchet said. "We're going to run with it and see how it goes." ... Tocchet said right wing Steve Downie is a game-time decision with an undisclosed injury. ... Defenseman Josef Melichar gets his first Lightning start. ... Tocchet said forward Paul Szczechura (lower body believed to be a knee injury) is "close" to being ready to return.

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The dangers of the Internet include sexual predators, spam and free Pee Wee Herman videos upon demand.

The benefits of the Internet include allowing snarky bloggers access to these choice photos of former Admirals wing Matt Keith. He's playing in Europe and was recently strutting on a fashion show runway. Bet the boys in the locker room loved those outfits. Brown is very slimming, you know.

[triswykes]

Washington Capitals fever is sweeping D.C.

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Lightning Assign C Paul Szczechura to Admirals

TAMPA BAY, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning, NHL parent club of the Norfolk Admirals, have assigned center Paul Szczechura to the Admirals, it was announced today by Lightning Executive Vice President & General Manager Brian Lawton.

Szczechura, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound center, had appeared in all 23 games for Norfolk prior to his first NHL call-up on December 1. He was leading the team with 11 goals, 13 assists and 24 points at the time. He also was tied for ninth in the AHL in scoring and tied for tenth in the league in goals at the time.

Szczechura made his NHL debut on December 2 with the Lightning in Philadelphia. Since then, he has played 18 games with Tampa Bay, scoring two goals and two assists with six penalty minutes. He has been sidelined with a lower body injury since January 13. Szczechura, 23, signed a two-year deal with the Lightning on April 24.

My take: I really thought he'd never don an Admirals uniform again. I guess his recent injury set him back.

[VaB Hockey]

Originally Posted by triswykes

One hockey writer says former Admirals goaltender Craig Anderson will make the 2010 U.S. Olympic team, along with former ECHL Admirals defenseman Joe Corvo. I ask, what about Duncan Keith?

Duncan Keith will definately NOT make the 2010 US Olympic team. Being a citizen of Canada he may and probably should make the Canadian team.

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You know, that's a darn good point. I guess the fact he played briefly at Michigan State and plays in Chicago threw me off. Perhaps we can get him to switch?

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Admirals Sign G Craig Kowalski, Release G Tyler Sims

NORFOLK, VA – The Norfolk Admirals have signed goaltender Craig Kowalski to a Professional Tryout Contract and have released goaltender Tyler Sims from his Professional Tryout Contract, Admirals General Manager Mike Butters announced today.

Kowalski, 28, is a 5-foot-8, 190-pound goaltender from Clinton Township, Michigan. He has spent this season with the ECHL's Phoenix RoadRunners, going 17-13-1-0 with one shutout, a 2.90 goal-against average and a .918 save percentage in 31 games. Among ECHL goaltenders this season, he ranks fifth in wins and sixth in save percentage.

In 166 career ECHL games between Phoenix, the Gwinnett Gladiators and the Florida Everblades, Kowalski has a 100-49-13 record with eight shutouts, a 2.65 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. He also has a 17-9 record with four shutouts, a 2.39 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 29 career Kelly Cup playoff games.

The fifth-year pro has appeared in 24 career American Hockey League games between the Lowell Lock Monsters and Syracuse Crunch, going 8-12-3 with one shutout, a 3.22 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. He made his AHL debut at Scope with Lowell on January 7, 2006.

Kowalski was drafted in the eighth round (235th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. He spent four seasons at Northern Michigan University from 2000-01 to 2003-04, going 68-39-12. Kowalski also was a member of the 2001 U.S. National Junior Team.

Sims made his AHL debut in relief last Sunday in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, stopping five of six shots in 10:36 without receiving a decision. He returns to the Mississippi RiverKings of the Central Hockey League where he is 5-4-0 in nine games with a 2.80 goals-against average, .898 save percentage and one shutout.

My take: This suggest to me that Tampa Bay is going to shut Mike Smith down for the season, or at least that he's going to be out a long time with his concussion symptoms. And that the Bolts are going to therefore keep Ramo and McKenna as their goaltenders. I suspect Sims was a stopgap, someone who was available at the exact minute the Admirals needed a goaltender. Kowalski was here in training camp and has a much better career.