It’s Staal over in Raleigh: Jared gets his first NHL recall

Posted on April 25, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

I was pretty excited to read the news that Riley Nash and Tim Wallace would once-again be members of the Charlotte Checkers for this weekend’s trip to Oklahoma City. (Even though Wallace’s assignment in Charlotte would last only about five hours!)

Jared Staal as a rookie in 2010 for the Charlotte Checkers. (Photo – J. Propst)

I was also pleased that Nicolas Blanchard was getting the opportunity to stay in Raleigh. Blanchard’s presence with the Hurricanes is a huge loss to the Checkers, but I can’t think of a player who has worked harder and given more heart, soul and grit to the team in each of the six full seasons as a part of the Hurricanes organization.

And when I heard about Wallace and Nash, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Hurricanes had enough healthy players to field a full roster for their final games, and since it’s now public knowledge that Alexander Semin has a concussion, it’s obvious the Hurricanes weren’t healthy enough for tonight’s game.

So of all of the potential players the Hurricanes could have recalled, they chose Jared, youngest son of the famed Staal clan. And the more I think about it, the more I like it.

Jared does not have the same skill level his older brothers did at his age. He’s had a much steeper learning curve adjusting to life in the American League during his time with the Checkers, but there has been a huge amount of improvement. He played more games than ever this year in Charlotte, and the number of minutes played also increased.

This year, it’s almost as if Jared’s physicality has finally matured into his body. He’s finishing checks and using his size to overtake opponents. He’s played more minutes, and been more of a threat on the ice than in the previous two years I watched him play. Jared might not be the offensive scoring machine his brothers are, and doesn’t have the smooth skating stride of them, but he’s come a long way. He still looks surprised when he scores during practice, and as it was pointed out on Twitter, isn’t really an offensive force, but not every player needs that to be their role. His seven points this year (4g, 3a) in 52 games are about average for his scoring in the AHL… last year he had eight (3g, 5a) in 44 games. But honestly, despite what one might see on the score sheet, Jared Staal is a much improved player this year, and if he continues to get grittier, maybe the NHL could be in his future. He’s got size, genetics, and all kinds of potential, he just needs to keep working hard to get there.

Jared Staal plays the puck against the Milwaukee Admirals in Charlotte in December, 2012. (Photo – J. Propst)

Jared might not ever win a Stanley Cup like Eric and Jordan, or wear a letter on his sweater in the NHL like his three elder siblings, but he has a potentially bright future if he can focus and continue to improve as he did this year. I’m pretty confident Eric, Marc and Jordan will never win a Kelly Cup, but Jared has one with the Florida Everblades, and that is something to be proud of.

Did Jared Staal deserve an NHL recall over guys like Zac Dalpe, Zach Boyhuk, Chris Terry or a handful of others in Charlotte? Probably not. But let’s be honest, the Hurricanes season is done, and as a fan of the Charlotte Checkers, I applaud the Hurricanes for doing what they can to make it fun for the fans in Raleigh and booster the lineup in Charlotte, a team with real playoff potential this off-season. And a third Staal in the lineup in Raleigh is certainly newsworthy. Having one of the superstars and NHL caliber guys from the Checkers won’t change the fate of the Hurricanes, so why not build on the FUTURE of the Canes, and support the AHL squad for what seems like the first time all season.

Also? With the lineup in Charlotte these days, there’s nothing even close to a guarantee that Jared would have been one of the lucky 18 skaters to play against the Barons on tomorrow. There was a time that a dozen guys were injured in Charlotte, but that number is dwindling, and there are more healthy scratches available each night, and Jared would have been one of five or six skaters fighting for a spot on the fourth line. So the entire Hurricanes organization is better off with him in Raleigh, exciting the national media, and letting the Checkers excel as they have the potential to in Oklahoma City this weekend.

Good luck tonight in Raleigh, Jared. I’m sure many of us will be cheering you on in your NHL debut!

P.S. I will definitely e wearing my “Party like a Staal brother” t-shirt today in honor of the game! #LetsGoStaals

Charlotte Checkers by the numbers: A bunch of reasons they are really awesome. End-of-season edition

Posted on April 22, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

Remember when I put together a “Checkers by the Numbers” piece last October? Well… it was a lot of fun, so why not have a post-regular season edition to tide us all over until the first playoff game later this week!

257,688 – How many people who attended a Charlotte Checkers game this season. That’s over a quarter of a million!

2163 – The huge number of pucks Checkers goaltenders stopped during the season.

191 – Pucks Checkers goaltenders allowed during the season.

92 – The number of points the Checkers finished the season with.

60 – Over the course of 70 games played for the Checkers, the number of points Chris Terry ended the season with. He led the team in both goals (25) and assists (35).

48 – The number of different players who skated in a game for the Charlotte Checkers during the 2012-13 season.

44 – The number of shootout attempts the Checkers made this season. They scored 11 shootout goals, or exactly one-fourth of their attempts.

34 – The number of Checkers who scored a goal during the season. (and that number is out of 43 skaters and five goalies… and unless you are Martin Brodeur playing against the Hurricanes, it’s pretty unrealistic to expect a goal!)

19 – The number of Charlotte Checkers who suited up for the Carolina Hurricanes this season. (Muse, Peters, Ellis, Sanguinetti, Faulk, Jordan, Bellemore, Gragnani, Dalpe, Boychuk, Bowman, R. Nash, Brett Sutter, Wallace, Blanchard, Terry, Welsh, Nodl, R. Murphy)

16 – The number of Checkers who played NCAA hockey before turning pro. (Eric Baier, Danny Biega, Zac Dalpe, Sean Dolan, Dan Ellis, Justin Faulk, Justin Krueger, Rob Madore, John Muse, Brendon Nash, Riley Nash, Bobby Raymond, Jeremy Welsh & Brendan Woods). Two of these, John Muse and Justin Faulk, won NCAA titles, during their college career.

15 – The magic number of wins required by the Checkers in the post-season.

11 – Players who started and finished the regular season with the Charlotte Checkers.

10 – The number of shutouts Checkers goalies were responsible for. (Peters – 6, Ellis – 2, Madore – 2)

8 – The number of game-winning-goals that Chris Terry scored, which is also tied for the league-lead. If that’s not Terryiffic, I don’t know what is!

8 – The longest game goal-scoring streak by a Charlotte Checker. Drayson Bowman scored 9 goals over an eight-game period from October 19 through November 4.

8 – On a list of 1-30, where the Checkers stood on the attendance rankings. Pretty great position, with a per-game average of 6781.

7 – The number of different Checkers who scored during shootouts (11 total goals between Chris Terry, Jerome Samson, Zac Dalpe, Justin Krueger, Brett Sutter, Justin Shugg and David Marshall).

5 –Justin’s who played for the Checkers this year (Soryal, Shugg, Peters, Faulk and Krueger).

5 – The number of goaltenders who played for the Checkers during the regular season. Only one was named Justin.

5 – The number of teams in the South division this year. Of them, four are in the playoffs. Can you say tough division?

4 – The number of players who wore number 33 throughout the season. (Andreas Nodl, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Leigh Salters and Brendan Woods).

4 – The number of shootout goals Jerome Samson scored during the season, out of six attempts. Not too shabby!

4 – The number of first-round draft picks who played for the Checkers this year. Only two (Zach Boychuk and Ryan Murphy) were first-rounders of the Hurricanes.

3 – The number of Checkers who are the sons of current NHL coaches (Darryl Sutter of the LA Kings and dad of Brett; Ralph Krueger of the Edmonton Oilers and dad of Justin; and Bob Woods of the Anaheim Ducks, dad of Brendan).

2 – The number of goaltenders who had points during the game. Dan Ellis has one assist, and Justin Peters had three.

0 – The number of times Nathan Beasley had to dress for the Checkers despite injuries and last-minute call ups.

Fighting Fires with Mike Commodore – where he’s been, and where he’s going

Posted on April 12, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

I spent some time on Thursday with Mike Commodore after his morning skate before the Charlotte Checkers game. He talked about the AHL, what’s on his bucket list, where his career has been, and where it’s headed. If you read this site regularly, you know that me interviewing this veteran, Stanley Cup winning defenseman was something on my own bucket list.

Mike Commodore, a defenseman for the Texas Stars, played his first-ever game in Charlotte against the Checkers on Thursday. (Photo – J. Propst)

After leaving the Hamilton Bulldogs in January, Mike Commodore spent a month at home near Edmonton, skating with the University of Alberta’s hockey team. But when the Golden Bears went off to the National Championship, he lost his opportunity to use their ice, and had decided he was going to pack up the hockey for the season. It was Commodore’s first time at home in almost 16 years, but when the ice left, he too, decided to hit the road.

He flew to Tampa, where he’d ended last year’s NHL season, and a number of his belongings still were. And Commodore started golfing, making his way across the gulf coast towards Texas when he was offered another PTO for another western conference AHL team.

Commodore is now playing for the Texas Stars, a team who leads the Western Conference and the South Division. With the playoffs right around the corner, he knew he was signing with a good team that had a lot of post-season potential.

Commodore has played for 14 teams in his 13-year career. The three seasons he spent in Raleigh with the Hurricanes was the longest he ever spent with an NHL club. He enjoyed his time in Raleigh, at least after getting past the initial culture shock and learning his way around a new city filled with tall trees, and curvy roads that seem to lead to nowhere, which is quite different from the flat prairies of Alberta where he’d grown up and played professionally in Calgary.

“It’s unfortunate I got traded out of there. Obviously it was a business decision for the Hurricanes,” shared Commodore, of the time he spent in North Carolina, “Other than to play a couple of games and to run in Pete Friesen’s charity run there, I haven’t been back for any kind of period of time, which is too bad. I should try and change that.”

When you’ve played for as many teams as Commodore has, you can understand how he would become a self-proclaimed gypsy.

“I never travel anywhere without a computer. And I always have my passport because I’m never sure what country I’m going to be going to,” Commodore recounted, “Clothes and stuff, I learned a long time ago with all the trades and stuff that I went through that all that extra stuff is just a pain in the ass. Furniture and all that, get rid of it. So I travel pretty light.”

During Commodore’s hockey career, he’s competed in two Stanley Cup finals, won one of them, and was a black ace in a third. In college, he won the NCAA Frozen Four with the University of North Dakota.

Other than the obvious dream come true of winning the Stanley Cup, one of the things he is most proud of is winning a World Championship with Team Canada in 2007.

“You know, that was my only time that I’ve had a chance to play for Team Canada, and I think I played really well. We had a good team that went 9-0. We had a team where the people at home were all ‘This team is brutal, where’s Sidney Crosby, the D-corps are brutal’, and we went there [to Moscow] and dominated teams.,” shared Commodore, of his experience on the Gold Medal winning Canada team, “The toughest games were at the beginning of the tournament where we were getting used to each other, and then that was it. I’m really proud of that.”

Commodore also spoke of his time in Columbus, and the positive experience it was, despite the turmoil in his last season there.

“I’m proud of the team that made the playoffs in Columbus. We didn’t win a playoff game, which was unfortunate, but that was probably individually, my best year as a pro,” Commodore continued, “ It gets overlooked now, because whenever me and Columbus come up it’s always assumed it was a complete disaster, but that was one of my best years as a pro. It would have been nice to win a game or two, and I thought I played very well.”

On and off the ice, he’s played in a number of NHL and AHL cites. As far as the AHL goes, he said the warm cities of Texas, Quebec City, Wilkes-Barre and Manchester were some of his favorite to play in. Cleveland is the city he says he saw the biggest turn around, from an awful place to play when he was with the Cincinnati Ducks, to an arena filled with passionate fans.

As for AHL cities he’d rather not play in again, Commodore was quite animated. “Springfield is awful, terrible, the rink sucks. Worcester is terrible. Portland, I wouldn’t mind if I didn’t have to go back there,” With a smile, Commodore went on, “God, there’s a few… that’s probably enough. I don’t want to badmouth the whole league.”

Off the ice, Commodore seems to be a fun, passionate individual. He wants to travel and see other countries.

“I’ve been to Scotland, and I’d like to go overseas maybe to Ireland for golfing. Scotland was great, and I’ve heard Ireland is like Scotland, but there’s more to do off the golf course,” he spoke of what his post-hockey life may include, “I enjoy traveling when it’s not for work and I’m not hauling around hockey gear.”

He’s also thought about post-hockey careers. After spending a month in his mom’s basement, he knows it’s not how he wants to spend the rest of his life.

“Yeah, I had a really good time being Chazz Reinhold there,” recounted Commodore of the Wedding Crashers robe-wearing character played by Will Ferrell, “That was enough. I’d like to keep those trips a lot shorter. I’ve got to do something. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve done well enough off the ice with hockey where I don’t think I need to, but what else am I going to do? I can’t just sit around.”

Become a fireman? Well, that’s one of the things Commodore is considering for years down the road when he’s done playing.

“I’m pretty good with numbers, so I was thinking something business wise, or I think something I’d be fairly decent at, would be a fireman.” Commodore continued, “You know, it’s a lot of teamwork and I’ve had a couple of offers to come join firemen. It’s a team atmosphere, locker room atmosphere.”

He also thinks about having a place of his own that isn’t a basement in an Edmonton suburb.

“I’d like to get a place in Scottsdale, I think. Scottsdale’s nice. You know, with me moving around a lot, I haven’t seen much of my parents since I was in high school, and they aren’t young anymore, so as the years go by I’d like to spend more time with them there, but I don’t want to go up to Edmonton to do it. They put their time in up there in the cold, and they like the Phoenix area in the winter.”

For now, Commodore seems content playing on one of the top teams in the American League.

“It’s been a different year. The last couple years have been tough. They’ve been tough for me. To be honest I’m the exact same player I was five years ago, it’s just situations have changed. I’ve had back-to-back coaches that have basically done their best to punt me out of the league.”

So far, Texas seems to be a good fit, and with the playoffs right around the corner, the future is bright. Playing for the Stars could lead to one more championship on his already loaded resume.

“If we can pull out a Calder Cup I will have won every trophy I ever played for.”

With aspirations of playing golf on the Emerald greens of Ireland to possibly fighting fires, whatever comes next for Mike Commodore is sure to be an adventure.

The Checkers star in Charlotte, defeat Texas 4-3

Posted on April 11, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

Tonight’s game saw two Checkers take the ice with Charlotte for the first time. Brendon Nash, older brother of Riley, was paired for most of the game with fellow defenseman Justin Krueger. He’s on loan from San Antonio for the remainder of the season.

Brock McGinn also played his first game as a Checker after practicing with the team for the past week following the conclusion of his OHL season with the Guelph Storm. McGinn is a speedy forward who isn’t afraid to use his body and had no trouble finding himself down in front of the net a number of times.

“I thought he was great. He didn’t play scared and he was out there. He can skate well and was out there on the forecheck and he likes to bang bodies,” commented Coach Jeff Daniels, “He was tenacious and I think he’s only 19 years old, and that’s a very big and very good team to jump in on his first game and he played very well.”

In recent weeks, the first period of play has been slow to get started, with very little offensive effort, but tonight the first period proved to be a big one. A big check by Captain Brett Sutter led to a turnover by Mike Commodore. Matt Beca capitalized on it, and made the score 1-0.

Despite being outshot 20-7 in the second period, and two goals within the first two minutes, the Checkers were able to keep it together. Stellar play by goaltender Rob Madore played a huge part in this. He made countless saves during a Stars play and kept the Checkers in the game through a period that was quite sluggish at times, and had a slightly offensive Checkers offense.

“To his credit, I thought he really bounced back,” said Daniels on the play of Rob Madore who faced 47 shots, “I mean, we’re up 1-0, then down 2-1, and it could have been 3-1 or 4-1 without Rob making some big saves in the second period.”

A big third period saw Jeremy Welsh score to make the score 3-2, only to have Texas immediately tie it up. With less than two minutes left in the game, Zach Boychuk, with a feed from Chris Terry and Bobby Raymond, ended up scoring the game winner on the power play.

Bobby Raymond had two points on the night (1g,1a) and also a number of key defensive plays that kept the Checkers in the game.

Tomorrow’s rematch against the Texas Stars is the final home game for the Checkers this season before the team takes the road for their final four games in Chicago, Peoria and Milwaukee.

Odds & Ends

If the playoffs started today, Charlotte would face the Houston Aeros. Following the news that the Aeros are relocating to Iowa next season, it may be the last time Charlotte faces a team from Houston for awhile.
In Nicolas Blanchard’s first game with the Carolina Hurricanes, he had four hits and his first fighting major at the NHL level.
Be watching the Chasing Checkers Twitter feed and website tomorrow for a pretty special Q&A with a former Stanley Cup winner with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Frozen Four – Fun facts and which Charlotte Checkers have had NCAA success

Posted on April 9, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

I love the Frozen Four tournament. When all of my friends are talking about “March Madness” my mind instantly goes to the Division I hockey teams hoping to make the post season.

On Thursday (while the Checkers take on the Texas Stars), the semi-finals will be underway in Pittsburgh, with St. Cloud State taking on top-ranked Quinnipiac, and UMass-Lowell will face Yale. The final is on Saturday.

Half of the tournament is over already, and my NCAA team lost in the second round unfortunately, so I’m without a team to cheer for in the Frozen Four this weekend.

Sean Dolan captained the Wisconsin Badgers during his senior year of college.

This year, the Frozen Four consists of three teams who’ve never made it to the Frozen Four, and a fourth team who has only made it once. When my team gets eliminated early in the tournament, I like to cheer for the underdog, but that’s a hard choice this year, because none of the teams have a lot of post-season success. I can’t tell you the last time the Frozen Four didn’t include one of the NCAA powerhouses such as Sean Dolan’s Wisconsin or John Muse’s Boston College.

A few fun facts about this year’s Frozen Four:

The mascots of the four teams include pretty regular creatures. Two types of dogs, a cat, and a bird. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Golden Gopher, A Fighting Sioux, or a mythical creature like a Golden Knight or Buckeye. This makes me sad.
Yale and Quinnipiac are located on the same street in Connecticut, only eight miles away.
St. Cloud State University has never been to a Frozen Four before this year, though the state of Minnesota has 20 players in the Frozen Four this year.
University of Massachusetts – Lowell is also making their first-ever Frozen Four appearance. They have the fewest Canadians on their team with three, and are the only team to not have a player from the state of Minnesota.
David Marshall as a member of the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

Quinnipiac has the most Canadians on their team with six. This is their first Frozen Four, and only their second appearance in the post season. In 2002, they lost in the first round to Cornell. Charlotte Checkers forward David Marshall spent four years playing for the Quinnipiac Bobcats Connecticut.
Yale is set to make their second Frozen Four appearance in their history. They last made it to the Frozen Four in 1952. Former Hurricanes player Mike Commodore was recruited by Yale, but they wanted him to re-take the SAT to be accepted. He instead chose to attend the University of North Dakota, where he won the Frozen Four tournament in 2000.

NCAA Alumni on the Charlotte Checkers

John Muse is one of the greatest goaltender’s to ever play for Boston College.

John Muse is undoubtedly the most successful member of the Checkers when it comes to his NCAA experience. He won two Frozen Fours in 2008 and 2010, and appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2011 (the year, by the way, former Checker Justin Faulk’s Duluth team won the championship). His record in the NCAA tournament was 13-1.
Checkers center Jeremy Welsh spent three seasons at Union College. Welsh played in two NCAA tournaments in 2011 and 2012. Last year, Welsh was a member of the Union Dutchmen team that made the Division I Frozen Four for the first time in the team’s history.
Justin Krueger spent four years as a member of the Cornell Big Red hockey team.

Justin Krueger and Riley Nash both played college hockey at Cornell. The mascot of Cornell is “Big Red.” Krueger and Nash made two NCAA hockey tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010.
Sean Dolan was the captain of the Wisconsin Badgers during his senior season in 2010-11. He made two NCAA tournament appearances during his college career, in 2008 and 2010. His junior year, in 2010, his team lost to the goaltending of John Muse and Boston College for the championship.
Rob Madore played college hockey at the University of Vermont.

Rob Madore played four seasons at the University of Vermont. He appeared in two NCAA tournaments in 2009 and 2010. His name is on the school’s record books alongside Tim Thomas in pretty much every stat category.
Matt Beca played for the Clarkson University Golden Knights for four seasons. He appeared in two NCAA tournaments in 2007 and 2008.
Danny Biega, Checkers defenseman, played three years at Harvard. The mascot of Harvard is “Crimson” which is VERY different from the “Big Red” of Cornell. Harvard and Cornell are fierce rivals. I hope the Checkers players who skated for different shades of red in College can put aside those rivalries now that they are professionals!
Eric Baier played four years for the Providence Friars. During his time there, they didn’t make the post season.
Zac Dalpe played for the the Ohio State Buckeyes for two years before turning pro.

Zac Dalpe spent two years at Ohio State. During his freshman year, his team appeared in the NCAA tournament.

Bobby Raymond spent four years at the Rochester Institute of Technology. It was a Division III school his freshman year, but joined the Division I ranks his second year. While he didn’t play in an NCAA tournament as a student, his teammates made it the year after he graduated.

Rivermen franchise sold to Canucks…. what other AHL teams might move as well?

Posted on April 3, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

I was hoping to have trade deadline updates, but it’s been pretty slow today. So instead let’s see if I can get all of this franchise movement straight….

According to the knowledgeable Dave Eminian in Peoria, moves are still in the works following the April 1 (not fools) announcement that the Rivermen had been sold.

The Vancouver Canucks have purchased the Peoria Rivermen from the St. Louis Blues, but it seems that the Canucks have no interest in moving their AHL affiliation from Chicago (where it is currently, and has been for two seasons) to Peoria, a couple of hours away. Ideally, they want to move their team to Abbotsford, where Calgary’s franchise currently plays and has a long-term lease.

Minnesota had been working on a deal that would move their AHL team (currently the Houston Aeros) closer to them in Des Moines, Iowa. That deal is allegedly on hold (or cancelled altogether) and Peoria is being considered as an another site.

Calgary wants to move their AHL franchise to Utica, NY, but first has to find a way out of their lease and agreements with the city of Abbotsford. The other moves make a lot of sense, but moving an AHL team for a far-west team like Calgary to the middle of upstate New York doesn’t make sense to me. Sure, travel would be a breeze for a team in Utica (Binghamton, Albany, Glen Falls, Syracuse and Rochester are all within a couple of hours of Utica…) but easy travel is a small part of operating a successful franchise, and call-ups would be a hassle. Ticket sales and sponsorship revenue is incredibly important to running a successful sports franchise, but if Calgary thinks there is enough potential in Utica, a city of 62,000 people, then I say go for it. Clearly, the AHL has done well in small towns in New England for a long time, and expanding to major markets outside of that small region doesn’t seem to be a focus of the league.

As a fan of the sport of hockey, and a team outside of the north east, I’m disappointed that this kind of move would be approved by the league and the Board of Governors. I don’t think that oversaturating New York and the north east with yet another team is going to help the AHL brand, or the league itself. If the AHL brand is to grow and expand, it needs to be in recognizable markets with the potential for growth. In cities where there is real name recognition and the opportunity to reach a totally new audience.

Other odds and ends from the east (the AHL conference I admittedly don’t pay enough attention to) that also may affect franchise movement:

Any move of a western team (Abbotsford or Peoria) to New York means the Western Conference divisions will have to be re-worked again. Just for fun, can the Checkers move to the division with Rochester, Hamilton and Toronto? Maybe then Charlotte will actually play those teams. Plus, four divisions and two conferences in four years would be a pretty epic stat, eh?
Allentown, PA will have a completed arena in 2014, and the plan is to move the Adirondak Phantoms out of Glen Falls, New York.
There’s plenty of chatter about the desire for the NY Rangers to move their team in Hartford to Bridgeport. I have no idea where the Sound Tigers/Islanders would go, but the rumors are out there. There’s also the possibility of moving the Rangers team (currently the Whale) to Glen Falls.
I’m probably missing some of the chatter… what have you heard?

As a sign at the arena last night said, “We adore Rob Madore”

Posted on March 31, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

On Tuesday after the Checkers win over Norfolk, Rob Madore walked out into the group of waiting media members, still wearing his pads and skates, asked us if we had a box for him to stand on. Though he’s only 5’9”, you’d never guess it from his play on the ice. In his five appearances during the past week, Madore has quite a record. He’s 3-1, with a 1.50 GAA and .960 sv%. He’s faced 173 shots, and only allowed 7 of them.

Madore sat on the sidelines for nearly a month before getting to start a game for the Checkers. He backed up John Muse, watching the ups and downs of the Checkers. During that time, Charlotte went 3-5, including two games which took overtime and a shootout to win. After watching for seven games, Madore got a bit of ice time when he relieved Muse during a March 21 game at Houston. He held his own, and didn’t allow a single goal, and was rewarded with a start two days later against Texas, which gave him his first AHL win in a 43 save performance.

Madore works hard. He’s spent four years at the University of Vermont, and practices hard.

Jeff Daniels “He competes so hard. If you watch him in practice he doesn’t quit on any shot and gets upset when any puck gets by him. He’s prepared every game and really stepped up.”

Daniels recognized that Madore’s performance last night was definitely that of a first-star goaltender.

As far as last night’s game was concerned, Daniels had positive things to say about the goaltender.

“Rob Madore was the first star,” Daniels continued, “And the chances we did have, not that there were a lot of them, we were able to capitalize on them.”

After a couple of his games this past week, I had the opportunity to speak to Madore after his wins. And oh my, is he a funny and intelligent guy.

Last night, he faced 44 shots in his first AHL shutout. He had a huge smile on his face, and had been awarded the well-deserved first-star honors.

“At this point in the year it’s not about personal stuff. We need wins, we need to get in the playoffs, so you know, however we get it, I’ll take it,” With a bit of a gleam in his eye, Madore continued, “Obviously, not letting any goals is fun though.”

When I asked him what his personal record was in regards to shots faced, and he said 77.

So I guess 44 is easy, right Rob?

“Yeah, 44 is an easy night,” With a huge grin on his face, Madore continued, “I actually had to have the guys spray me down with water in between breaks so it looked like I was doing something”

He also alluded to feeling like it wasn’t his best night. He knows what he needs to work on, such as giving up fewer rebounds, and plans to concentrate on that in practice. (And if that wasn’t his best night, can you imagine what awesomeness there is to come from our netminder??!?!??!?)

It’s a great feeling to have a confident, skilled goaltender between the pipes in Charlotte, and another waiting patiently in the wings if he’s needed. The Charlotte Checkers are lucky to have such a great roster of goaltenders, and I can’t wait to see more of Rob Madore on the ice. The sign I saw in the stands on Saturday in Charlotte says it all, “WE ADORE ROB MADORE.”

Let’s Go Checkers

I knew there was #NorfolkingWay the Admirals could take the Checkers. Charlotte wins 3-1.

Posted on March 27, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

During the post-game media scrum, Zac Dalpe was looking on as a group of reporters gathered around his good friend and teammate Zach Boychuk, and you could tell Dalpe was just itching to be able to participate in some way. I offered my iPhone (which I record the interviews with) to Zac so he could at least ask some questions since he’s still not playing, and he just grinned.

Boychuk, with a huge grin on his face in response to Dalpe’s creeping into the media scrum from the sidelines, had this to say. “I think he wants to get in here, and get out there on the ice, and play together maybe.”

You can tell that Dalpe’s ready to be back, which is great news for the entire Hurricanes organization.

Even better news for Checkers fans is that with an incredibly shortened bench as far as the regular, more veteran Checkers, the team has found a way to win again, and are beginning to return to their successful special teams again.

Tonight saw birthday boy Beau Schmitz rack up two more points (1g, 1a), bringing his total over the past seven games of his most recall to five points (3g, 2a).

In his fifth game with Charlotte, Casey Pierro-Zabotel registered his first AHL goal. There’s nothing quite like seeing a player who’s worked so hard to get to this level see the results of his effort in the form of a goal on the scoresheet, especially one that ended up being the game winner.

In his first game played IN Charlotte since December 21, Zach Boychuk registered a goal, a beautiful shot that went over Norfolk goaltender Frederik Andersen’s glove hand. This is Boychuk’s second goal in as many games since being returned to the Checkers after a crazy month that due to waiver claims, saw him play for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and now Charlotte again.

“It’s nice to come to a team and play lots of minutes and improve and get better,” said Boychuk, “ And those guys in the locker room there have been really good friends for a long time, and I’m really happy to be back with them.

The biggest story of the night was probably the play of goaltender Rob Madore. In his second straight start (and third appearance) with the Checkers, he faced 38 shots, turning all but one of them away, and was named the first star of the game for his outstanding performance. After almost a month of watching games from the bench, his play the past three games has given him and the players in front of him a great deal of confidence about his ability.

Jeff Daniels had only positive things to say about Madore’s performance.

“He competes so hard. He doesn’t quit on any shot and gets upset when any puck gets past him. “

I believe a win like tonight’s can carry the team through the week, and to the back-to-back games against the San Antonio Rampage this weekend. The four points on the line will be crucial as the regular season is nearly over.

Let’s Go Checkers!

Quick Hits:

Though the team is finally finding a way to win again after some struggles that can be credited to losing three goaltenders to Raleigh over the past two months, and an injured list that still boasts 11 skaters, though a few are close to returning. Zac Dalpe, AJ Jenks, Justin Shugg, Marc-Andre Gragnani and Jerome Samson have all been taking part in full practices, and should see a game soon.
The win against Norfolk moved the Checkers from fourth to second in the west, though if the playoffs started today, they’d still be a fourth seed, facing at this moment, the Houston Aeros.
Attending a game with family is so much fun. Two nephews, a niece, two brothers and two sisters-in-law all joined me, and it was great fun! As the only member of my family in Charlotte, it’s a rare treat to get to share the team with them!
Thank goodness for spellcheck, or I would have had a sentence in this post about “Goat tending” which would bring a whole new idea to the sport of ice hockey.
For all of you who read my silly goaltending post yesterday and complimented me on it, whether in comments, tweets, facebook messages or in person, I thank you. My favorite posts are the ones that make people laugh, and it means a lot when I get feedback that what I’m trying to do is working!

With Muse to Raleigh, who’s the Checkers next goalie?

Posted on March 25, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

While having lunch with my best friend and discussing the goaltending situation in Raleigh and Charlotte, we began reminiscing about some of the interesting characters who have played goal in the Hurricanes organization, and since the Checkers are now in need of another goalie, which of those past players could be invited back? Fortunately, Dan Ellis isn’t expected to be out of work for long. Right now, there’s a critical need in Raleigh right now for help between the pipes, which is why John Muse was recalled today by the Hurricanes, and leaves the Checkers one short for tomorrow’s game against Norfolk.

Warning in advance: Please take most of this with the grain of salt that its intended to be taken with.

In alphabetical order, so it doesn’t appear that I’m playing favorites, here are some goalie possibilities for the Checkers and/or Hurricanes:

Nathan Beasley – I’m not sure if he’s ever played goal, but I feel like he’s a pretty quick learner and a hard worker, plus he works out and eats healthy and doesn’t binge on ice cream at Harris Teeter in the middle of the night, so that’s good, right?

Bobby Goepfert – Alex, I’ll take “Fan favorite Checkers goaltenders for $800″. Goepfert spent a season in the Checkers organization, including a stretch in Charlotte. His use of twitter is brilliant, and I’m not sure if any professional athlete has made me laugh more between his Twogs about his fear of flying, and amazing iPhone filmed movie trailers starring himself and his Checkers teammates, I can assure you that Goepfert would add a lot of personality to a team bench. And the good news is he is back in the U.S. for the summer after spending the past two years in Germany.

John Grahame had an epicly awesome mask when he played for the Hurricanes… you know, if you are into fast cars and bikinis!

John Grahame – Though he hasn’t played professionally since he was with the Lake Erie Monsters in the spring of 2011, John Grahame is a former goaltender and fan favorite for the Hurricanes. Last March, he was briefly signed by the New York Islanders to serve as a backup when they were particularly injured, though he never played in a game. He was my favorite in Raleigh because he had surgically enhanced bikini clad girls on his helmet, and an awesome NASCAR theme. I can’t recall how he was in net, but he sure was fun! I believe he’s half of the only mother/son pair to both have their names on the Stanley Cup. His mom is a member of the front office for the Colorado Avalanche, and he won the cup in 2004 with Tampa Bay.

Brian Helms – I know nothing about his resume, but on twitter, he volunteered, so I feel like I’ve got to give him a shot, eh?

Chris Jablonski – Jason Shaya loves to refer to him as a “former goaltender of the Portland Pirates,” and while this is certainly true, the full story is that he was a last minute addition to the team, who when in Charlotte, needed a backup for their backup, who was starting that night after a recall of their number one goalie. Jablonski, at the time, was an intern for the Checkers, and suited up for the visiting team, which is a pretty amazing story for a guy who was getting college credit for working for the team! Regardless, the fact he has actually knows how to play the position and has in fact dressed for an AHL team probably makes him a more viable candidate than Beasley (Sorry buddy, personally you’d be my first choice!)

Mike Murphy skated with the Checkers last week before the team left on their two-game roadtrip. (Photo – J. Propst)

Mike Murphy – The good news is, he’s practiced with the team a couple of times in the past week. He’s also the winningest goaltender in the history of the Checkers, the reason the Checkers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011, and one of my favorite people on the planet. He had a tough season in the KHL, but I have more confidence in Murph than just about any professional athlete I’ve met, and if he and the team feel he’s ready to be back, then I say #PutMurphIn

Justin Pogge, during his modeling days. He’s got a lot more facial hair and permanent ink these days.

Justin Pogge – I never thought they day would come that I campaigned to bring him back, but here it is. Hands down, Pogge was one of the most entertaining characters during his season in Charlotte, from the “Justin Pogge has lost his mind” game in Hershey, to the charisma he exhibited on and off the ice, I’d love to have him back in Charlotte just because he makes me smile. Also, good news on the Pogge front, his season in Italy finished in January. For what it’s worth, Pogge’s numbers this season in Italy were the best of his professional career.

Jason Shaya – Many years ago, I saw him dress in a game for the Checkers, so I know it’s a possibility, especially with the posse of interns and color guys he has accumulated that could cover for him. I’d bid on his jersey at the end of the year!

Tripp Tracy – He likes to bill himself as a former professional goaltender, but his statistics are limited to two seasons in the ECHL and six games in the AHL, however six starts is better than nothing, even if they were 15 years ago. I’m sure he could keep the bus rides entertaining with his stories about texting Jared Staal’s parents and all of the other celeb hockey players he texts regularly. The good news is Tracy is close by in Raleigh, and just a phone call away!

Bits and pieces:

Though I will miss seeing him in Chalotte, congrats to Riley Nash for another call up to the Hurricanes in Raleigh, especially since he’s one of 15 healthy forwards on the roster there.
It will be great to see Zach Boychuk back in a Checkers sweater. Though I’m sure he’d rather be playing in the NHL I’m confident that with the right grit and determination, he’ll get there.
My whole family is coming into town for the game tomorrow night! My niece and nephews are huge Checkers fans, and can’t wait. This is an especially exciting game because my brother and sister in law who live in Madagascar, Africa are here and seeing their first hockey game in well over a year.

Checkers goaltending, more Canes call ups, and random thoughts

Posted on March 20, 2013 by ChasingCheckers

Mike Murphy practices with the Checkers in Indian Trail. (Photo – J. Propst)

I spent the morning at the Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail watching the Checkers morning practice. For the second day in a row, Mike Murphy skated with the team as a third goalie, and spent a great deal of time working with Hurricanes goaltending coach Tom Barrasso. For a guy who hasn’t played a pro game in over four months, I was impressed with Murphy’s on-ice work. I think he’d be a huge asset to the Checkers, especially during this playoff push, but at the same time, I hope he isn’t rushed before he is ready. He still needs time, but as all Checkers fans who are familiar with Murphy’s experience and work ethic, I know he can do it.

Yesterday, in his Ten Thoughts, Jason Shaya mentioned that the Hurricanes are

Could this be the future of Charlotte Checkers goaltending? Mike Murphy and John Muse both worked with Hurricanes goaltending coach Tom Barrasso. (Photo – J. Propst)

reportedly looking for reinforcements for the Checkers, which is reassuring considering until this point, it seems they have left Derek Wilkinson and the Checkers to find their own reinforcements, most of whom are ECHLers with little or no AHL or NHL experience. While many have already contributed in great ways (Matt Marquadt comes to mind, in particular) what Charlotte really needs is some NHL caliber talent, either in the form of an up-and-coming prospect, or an NHL veteran trying to get back into the majors. The Checkers currently have 11 injuries, if you include Zac Dalpe and Justin Soryal, though the former is on the verge of returning. They have 5 healthy defensemen, and 11-12 healthy forwards, depending on how you count them.

As I was watching the Checkers skate this morning, I got the official word that the Texas Stars had signed an NHL veteran to a PTO by the name of Mike Commodore. With a Stanley Cup ring, NCAA Championship, and IIHF Gold Medal, he brings a lot of experience to an already brutal Stars team. I’d be kidding if I said I didn’t wish the Hurricanes organization hadn’t jumped on that veteran first, but kudos for the Stars for getting a great veteran blueliner. This is the kind of player I hope the Checkers can get, and I firmly believe it’s what they need right now. They need grit and experience to fill out their roster.

Odds and ends:

Former Checkers goaltenders continue to shine in Raleigh. Justin Peters recently had a shutout, and Dan Ellis made 40 saves in a loss last night against Florida, with a shortened Canes bench in front of him. Justin Faulk left the game in the second period and didn’t return, Bobby Sanguinetti took a skate to the face and received 13 stitches, and Tim Gleason missed a portion of the game as well to receive 16 stitches after a high stick to the face by Panther Scottie Upshall.
This morning, the Hurricanes announced that Justin Faulk will be out for 2-4 weeks with an MCL sprain. Brett Bellemore was recalled from the Checkers, which will require recall TO the Checkers as well. Currently, from what I can tell, the only defenseman under contract with the Hurricanes and not currently with the Canes or Checkers is Joe Sova, who played with the Reading Royals and San Francisco Bulls this season. Keegan Lowe, Ryan Murphy and Austin Levi are all Canes prospects under contract, but are all but still playing in Major Junior.
Zac Dalpe took part in a full practice this morning with the Checkers. They leave later today for a short road trip to Texas.
AJ Jenks, who suffered a wrist fracture in January, was still wearing a yellow no-contact jersey, but looks extremely close to returning, and was skating at full speed throughout the practice.

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