2015-16 Griffiti - Issue #1

2015-16 SEASON ISSUE NO. 1

BLAST FROM THE PAST Ex-Griffins Players Return to Coach Their Former Team

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

CADILLAC CHARLEVOIX CHICAGO GRAND RAPIDS MARQUETTE NEGAUNEE TRAVERSE CITY

Ambitious goals make for remarkable achievements.

Fox Motors is proud to support the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Here’s to a remarkable 2015-2016 season.

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Vol. 20, No. 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS STARTING LINEUP 24 ALL FOR ONE & ONE FOR ALL Todd Nelson, the first player ever signed by the Griffins, wants to build a culture that encourages players to put the team ahead of individual accomplishments.

30 EXPERIENCE COUNTS

Jeff Blashill hopes to put his time with the Griffins to good use in Detroit.

32 CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS

Twelve different captains have led the Griffins during the organization’s first 20 years.

42 LIVING THE DREAM

Tyler Bertuzzi is thrilled to be playing professional hockey,

but you can bet he won’t sleep until he reaches the next level.

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50 WORKING MEN

As Part 1 of a seasonlong series celebrating the organization’s 20th anniversary, Griffiti caught up with a hat trick of former Griffins now making their marks in other professions.

60 NEW SEASON, NEW LOOK

The majority of teams are taking a fresh approach into the American Hockey League’s 80th season.

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ON THE BENCH 2............Chalk Talk 4............Opposing Forces 6............Coming Soon 9............Griffins Schedule 12.........AHL Tradition 15.........AHL Team Directory 19.........Detroit Red Wings 21.........Promotional Calendar 40.........Meet the Griffins

59.........Griffins Records 68.........Griffins All-Stars 69.........Penalty Calls 74.........Arena Map/Ticket Info 75.........Social Media 76.........It All Starts Here 79.........Kids Page 80.........Parting Shot

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COVER:

Former defenseman Todd Nelson (center), who has come full circle with the Griffins by becoming the 10th head coach in franchise history, is joined by ex-Griffins forwards Ben Simon (left) and Bruce Ramsay, who will serve as his assistant coaches for the 2015-16 season.

Photo by Mark Newman

Griffiti magazine is published four times a year by the Grand Rapids Griffins, Van Andel Arena, 130 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI 49503. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. All contents ©2015 Grand Rapids Griffins.

For advertising information, contact Griffins Sales & Marketing, (616) 774-4585; fax (616) 336-5464. Unsolicited manuscripts and other materials will not be returned.

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WITH GRIFFINS HEAD COACH TODD NELSON

Before the Griffins even stepped onto the ice for their 20th anniversary season, head coach Todd Nelson already had his sights on the playoffs.

“It’s not a goal; it’s an expectation,” said Nelson as he prepared for his first season as the bench boss in Grand Rapids. “That’s the philosophy in Detroit and it’s the same in Grand Rapids. For me, it’s a huge expectation.”

From an organizational standpoint, Nelson points to the fact that the Red Wings have made the Stanley Cup playoffs every season since 199091 – that’s 24 consecutive seasons, matching the fourth-longest streak in NHL history. From a personal perspective, Nelson says that “missing the playoffs doesn’t sit well.”

“Since I was five years old, I’ve only missed the playoffs four times as a player or coach: last year with Edmonton, twice in Atlanta and once in Germany,” he said. “I expect to play into May and June every year.”

Of course, there is a long road from expectation to execution, and whether the Griffins make the playoffs next spring will all depend on what happens from the time the team started its 2015-16 schedule in Bakersfield, Calif., on Oct. 9 to when it completes its campaign next April 16 against the same Bakersfield Condors at home.

Nelson likes his team’s chances.

Based on the play of his team at the 2015 NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City in mid-September, he saw plenty of encouraging signs. The team recorded three straight victories

in the eight-team field before dropping the championship game to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“All in all, it was a solid effort,” said Nelson, who called it the most talented group he had coached in similar events over the years. “Playing four games in five nights, our group really competed hard.

They played the tournament like it was the playoffs.”

When the Griffins opened their training camp two weeks before the team’s season opener, Nelson was finally getting a better read on the talent that will be playing in Grand Rapids. “I’ve been getting a feel for all the players and getting to know them better,” he said.

If there is any worry at the start of the season, it’s how the Griffins coach will keep everyone happy when there might not be enough room on the bench. Some very good players could find themselves sitting in the stands some nights.

“Quite honestly, my challenge will be to find ice time for everyone,” Nelson said. “It’s up to me to put the best team forward, and we have a lot of talent and everyone is very capable. Of course, that’s the everyday challenge of managing an American Hockey League team.”

Too much talent is a good problem to have.

Conversely, injuries can change that dynamic rather quickly.

“Injuries can deplete your roster,” said Nelson, who was forced to use nine different goaltenders during the 2013-14 season in Oklahoma City.

“During those times, you try to keep your head above water. You do your best to maintain your place in the standings until players come back.

Almost every American Hockey League team

“It’s up to me to put the best team forward, and we have a lot of talent and everyone is very capable.”

2 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

goes through it at some point in the season.”

If the Griffins have a full, healthy roster, players will have to earn their playing time.

“We live in a world where there is entitlement, and as a staff, we’re going to combat that and make sure players understand that you get rewarded for what you’ve done,” he said. “The Red Wings want people to earn the right to wear that crest on the front of their jersey, and the same thing will apply in Grand Rapids.”

At the same time, Nelson and his coaching staff will do their best to make sure players who don’t play stay positive. “If a player sits out a game or two, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we’re here to help them develop and get better,” Nelson said.

Every season is important in a player’s career, but it’s especially critical for second-year pros to build on their rookie campaigns. Expectations will be high this year for Andreas Anthanasiou, Anthony Mantha, Marek Tvrdon and Mark Zengerle, among others.

“The biggest thing for young players is consistency,” Nelson said. “Successful NHL players, for the most part, do everything right 99 percent of the time. Players in the AHL have to learn that they must bring it every night – it’s not just a cliche, it’s a fact.”

Nelson’s arrival in Grand Rapids means that every player has a new opportunity to impress the coaching staff.

“We’re a brand new coaching staff, and we’re hoping to see what players can do,” Nelson said.

“It’s a great opportunity for players who thought that things could have gone better last season.

It’s up to them to showcase their abilities. We’re approaching everyone with an open mind.”

Nelson said he has held discussions with Blashill about how to approach this season.

“We’re sharing ideas,” he said. “Nowadays, nobody knows it all. We have to help each other to be successful.”

The two men engaged in “epic battles” during the past three seasons as opposing coaches in the AHL, including the 2013 playoffs when the Griffins edged the Barons in seven games during the Western Conference Finals on the way to their Calder Cup championship.

“What’s best for the organization is that we have the same messaging and teach the same philosophy,” Nelson said. “It’s important that we play the same style, so when players get called up, they feel comfortable with the systems of play and all they have to worry about is competing hard and outworking their opponent.

“But Detroit also wants us to win hockey games, so we have the latitude to make adjustments. When the game is not going in our direction, we can juggle things systematically.

We want to win. Ultimately, though, we’re here to serve Detroit and help them win a championship.”

2015-16 GRIFFINS COACHING AND TRAINING STAFF

Head Coach: Todd Nelson

Assistant Coach: Bruce Ramsay

Assistant Coach: Ben Simon

Assistant Coach: Mike Knuble

Goaltending Coach: Jeff Salajko

Video Coach: Bill LeRoy

Athletic Trainer: John Bernal

Equipment Manager: Brad Thompson

Assistant Equipment Manager: Andrew Stegehuis

Strength & Conditioning Coordinator: Marcus Kinney

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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OPPOSING

FORCES

The Griffins welcome the San Diego Gulls for their first-ever visit to Grand Rapids and Van Andel Arena during a heavy home slate that will quickly test head coach Todd Nelson’s ability to prepare his new team.

SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 16, Oct. 17) Rampage forward Rocco Grimaldi displays dynamic puck skills that allow him to to excel in tight areas despite his small 5-foot-6 frame. A product of the U.S. National program, the Auburn Hills, Mich., native played three years at the University of North Dakota after the Florida Panthers chose him in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Grimaldi tallied 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) in 64 games with San Antonio last season.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “He is a hard-working forward who possesses speed along with great vision on the ice,” said Florida general manager Dale Tallon.

CHARLOTTE (Oct. 21, Oct. 23) Checkers defenseman Keegan Lowe is in his third season in the Carolina organization after getting his first taste of the NHL last season, when he appeared in two games with the Hurricanes. A third-round pick (73rd overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Lowe has an NHL pedigree: he is the son of Edmonton Oilers vice chair Kevin Lowe, who played 1,254 NHL games and was a member of six Stanley Cup-winning teams.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “He’s a full-time player for us, playing some big situations… and is a hard guy to play against,” said ex-Checkers coach Jeff Daniels, who is now a Carolina Hurricanes scout. “He’s a competitive kid who wants it.”

ROCKFORD (Nov. 6, Nov. 18) IceHogs center Dennis Rasmussen likes to drive the net and battle along the boards, using his size (6-foot-3, 205-pounds) to create room for his linemates.

Signed by the Blackhawks as an undrafted free agent, Rasmussen tallied 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 73 games last season in Rockford, his first in North America after three full seasons in the Swedish Hockey League. With good size and good wheels, he is expected to develop into a checking role in the NHL. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “(Rasmussen) is a responsible guy, a two-way type of center man. He’s strong, has a nice shot,” said Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville.

4 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

IOWA (Nov. 11, Nov. 25) Wild forward Kurtis Gabriel is a late-bloomer who was chosen by Minnesota in the third round (81st overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft after scouts had earlier overlooked his potential. A hard worker willing to claw for every opportunity, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound right winger showed he wasn’t afraid to drop the gloves during his first full season in the AHL, when he notched seven goals and nine assists in 67 games.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “We (first) noticed him because of his size and physical presence in games, and he just got better and better throughout the year,” said Minnesota assistant general manager Brent Flahr.

SAN DIEGO (Nov. 20) Gulls forward Kenny Ryan is with his third organization in three years after beginning his pro career with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. A native of the village of Franklin near Southfield, Mich., Ryan enjoyed his best season a year ago when he tallied 12 goals and 17 assists in 73 games with the Lake Erie Monsters. He was originally a second-round pick (50th overall) of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “He’s worked hard and has come a long way,” said Warren Rychel, general manager of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, where Ryan played his junior hockey.

LAKE ERIE (Nov. 28, Dec. 5) Monsters center Alex Broadhurst begins his first season in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ organization after he was included in the Brandon Saad trade by the Chicago Blackhawks last summer. At 5-foot-11, Broadhurst is a bit undersized, but he possesses excellent offensive creativity and quickness. In April 2012, Broadhurst recorded the first shorthanded hat trick in the history of the United States Hockey League.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “He refocused his whole commitment to his career… he’s learned to work hard and take care of his body,” said Ted Dent, head coach of the Rockford IceHogs, Broadhurst’s former team.

CHICAGO (Dec. 4) Wolves goaltender Jordan Binnington established himself as Chicago’s No. 1 option in net during his first full AHL season, posting a 25-15-4 record with a 2.35 goalsagainst average. Chosen in the third round (88th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the 22-year-old St. Louis Blues prospect spent most of the 2013-14 season with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings. Binnington played for Team Canada at the 2013 World Junior Championship.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “He’s very calm. He doesn’t get rattled very easily and I think it gives everybody a good feeling,” said Wolves head coach John Anderson, who gave Binnington a franchise-record 18 consecutive starts.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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PAINT THE TOWN RED

The Griffins will celebrate their 20th anniversary season not only by offering a number of premium giveaways, but also by calling attention to another crimson-themed organization that has been giving back to communities for more than a century.

Roses are red, but so are Wings and kettles.

Few people could tell you that the Detroit entry in the National Hockey League was known first as the Cougars and then as the Falcons before Chicago millionaire James Norris bought the team in 1932 and rechristened the club as the Red Wings in honor of the Winged Wheelers, a famed amateur team from his youth in Montreal.

The team’s blood-red jerseys – a holdover from the team’s days as the Cougars (a feline fit with the baseball Tigers) – featured a logo that matched the town’s Motor City image. To combat any confusion on the ice when the team visited the similarly attired Montreal Canadiens, the league mandated that the Wings had to wear white pullovers over their red sweaters until Norris eventually issued white jerseys for road games.

Red kettles, meanwhile, have an even more timeworn history. In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee pledged to feed 1,000 of San Francisco’s poorest individuals on Christmas Day, but he had one major hurdle to overcome. He needed to figure out a way to fund the project.

Thinking back to his sailor days in Liverpool, England, he remembered a large, iron kettle in which passersby tossed a coin or two to help the poor. Placing a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street, he added a sign that read “Keep the Pot Boiling,” thus launching a tradition that has spread not only across he United States but throughout the world.

Today, the Salvation Army assists more than fourand-a-half million people during the holidays in just the U.S. alone, and it’s that generosity that the Griffins will celebrate with their first Red Kettle Game on Friday, Nov. 20 when Grand Rapids welcomes the San Diego Gulls to Van Andel Arena for the first time ever.

The Griffins will wear special Red Kettle jerseys, which will be available to the highest bidders during a post-game auction. Proceeds will benefit the Salvation Army and its ongoing mission to provide programs and services to West Michigan residents in need.

OCT. 16 OPENING NIGHT PRESENTED BY HUNTINGTON BANK A magnet schedule giveaway kicks off a full slate of 2015-16 promotions as the Griffins start the home portion of their 20th anniversary season with the first of back-to-back games against the visiting San Antonio Rampage.

Opening Night will mark the initial $2 Beers and $2 Hot Dogs promotion, the first of 14 such offerings on Fridays at Van Andel Arena. A post-game open skate is scheduled while the team auctions off the players’ Wednesday jerseys from the 2014-15 season.

NOV. 28 TEDDY BEAR TOSS PRESENTED BY J&H FAMILY STORES Fans are encouraged to bring new, store-tagged stuffed animals to the game and throw them onto the ice when the Griffins give the signal – the first goal scored against the Lake Erie Monsters.

A post-game open skate will accompany a Griffins team poster giveaway presented by Eikenhout Inc.

OCT. 21 BUDWEISER CLYDESDALES PRE-GAME APPEARANCE PRESENTED BY WEST SIDE BEER DISTRIBUTING The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses will appear outside of Van Andel Arena prior to the first Winning Wednesday promotion of the season, when a Griffins’ victory means a free ticket to the next Wednesday game.

6 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

DEC. 4 ‘90S NIGHT Nirvana and the sound of Seattle grunge will mix with boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC as the Griffins play ‘90s music to celebrate the nostalgia of the Gen-X decade, best known for Seinfeld, Beavis and Butt-head, The Matrix and The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Another $2 Beers and $2 Hot Dogs promotion is also in the cards when the Griffins host their arch-nemesis, the Chicago Wolves.

DEC. 5 CALENDAR GIVEAWAY PRESENTED BY FOX MOTORS The first 2,000 fans entering Van Andel Arena will receive a 2016 Griffins wall calendar celebrating the team’s 20th anniversary, presented by the friendly folks at Fox Motors.

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2015-16 SEASON SCHEDULE October S

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Post-Game Open Skate Huntington Bank Post-Game Autograph Session Friends & Family 4-Pack Home Game Pepsi Reading Goals Redemption Date

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Games broadcast live on

All times Eastern.

Dates, opponents and times subject to change.

7:00

BAK - Bakersfield CHA - Charlotte CHI - Chicago IA - Iowa LE – Lake Erie MB - Manitoba MIL - Milwaukee

RCH - Rochester RFD - Rockford SA – San Antonio SD – San Diego TEX - Texas TOR - Toronto UTI - Utica

PRIMARY AFFILIATE OF THE DETROIT RED WINGS

@GRIFFINSHOCKEY

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

9

Griffins Chief Executive Officer

Dear Griffins Fans, Michigan’s favorite musical son, Bob Seger, once sang “Twenty years now, where’d they go?...I sit and I wonder sometimes where they’ve gone.”

As the Griffins enter our 20th anniversary season, I look back upon all the memories we’ve shared and am grateful to all the people and partners who have been so integral to our remarkable success. Van Andel Arena’s staff and the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority ensure that our home remains a world-class arena, making continual investments in amenities such as the HD video board and LED ribbon that enhance your enjoyment at a game.

We enjoy rich relationships with our Pillar Partners – Amway, Fox Motors, Huntington, Meijer, Spectrum Health and West Side Beer Distributing – and dozens of other sponsors, several of whom have been with us since our inaugural 1996-97 season.

Most crucial, though, has been the unwavering support of the best fans in hockey. After first setting sellout records in our early years, we’ve witnessed attendance increases in eight of the last nine seasons and led the AHL in total attendance during the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Such stability has been a hallmark of our organization, a welcome attribute in a sport in which change often seems to be the only constant. After three seasons of unprecedented success behind the Griffins’ bench, Jeff Blashill is now the head coach for the Detroit Red Wings. He undoubtedly left behind big shoes to fill, but fortunately we found a man with large feet: Todd Nelson, who comes full circle as the first player ever signed by the Griffins in 1996 and, now, the 10th head coach in franchise history.

After winning several cups during his playing and coaching careers and serving as interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers last season, Nelson heads up a staff comprised of fellow former Griffins Bruce Ramsay, Ben Simon and Mike Knuble, all of whom are focused on defending our seventh division title and making a run at our second Calder Cup. We’re proud of the new logo and colors that our players will be sporting on the ice this year and enthused about what’s happening off the ice as well. Under the leadership of new Griffins president and original employee Tim Gortsema, our staff is planning an exciting array of promotions and events in celebration of 20 seasons of Griffins Hockey.

A new era is taking flight. I hope you enjoy everything that this landmark season has to offer.

Sincerely,

Dan DeVos Griffins Chief Executive Officer

10 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

DAVID A. ANDREWS RESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DPAAVID A. ANDREWS MERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

DAVID A. ANDREWS

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, American Hockey AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE League American Hockey League One Monarch Place – Springfield, MA 01144 One Monarch Place – Springfield, MA 01144 Phone: (413) Phone: (413)781-2030 781-2030 theahl.com Fax: (413) 733-4767

Dear Fans, Dear Fans, Dear Fans,

American Hockey League

One Monarch Place – Springfield, MA 01144

Phone: (413) 781-2030 theahl.com ItItItisis pleasure towelcome welcome you to the historic 2015-16 American Hockey League mygreat great pleasure to welcome to the 2014-15 American Hockey League season, ismy my great pleasure to you toyou the historic 2015-16 American Hockey League season, one that79th is sure to beofis one of the most memorable campaigns ever. season, one that sure to one of thetomost memorable campaigns our year play.

Webe are proud be entering what is sure toever. be another exciting season, continuing our tradition of excellence and bringing an entertaining, physical and We are celebrating our 80th anniversary season literally from coast to coast: From the shores of the We are celebrating anniversary season from6 coast to fans coast:inFrom theacross highly skilled levelour of 80th professional hockey to literally more than million arenas Atlantic to our five new members in California, all 30 teams will hit the ice to continue a tradition of Dear Fans, North America. shores of the Atlantic tothe ourhallmark five new in California, all 30 teams will hit the ice excellence that has been of members the American Hockey League since 1936. to continue a tradition has been2015-16 the hallmark of the American It is my great pleasure of to excellence welcome youthat to the historic American Hockey League Hockey season, one The AHL remains ofthe itsonce role developing more 88 percent of today’s National Hockey that issince sure to beproud one of mostinagain memorable campaigns ever.

The 2014-15 season will feature 30than teams who will be competing for theLeague AHL’s League 1936. players, as well asCup the vast majority of theand NHL’s managers, staffs, broadcasters historic Calder championship, 30coaches, National Hockeytraining League clubs who willand be We areIncelebrating our350 80th anniversary season literally from coast coast: From the officials. total, nearly AHL players were recalled to the NHL lasttoseason alone,the andshores more of than developing their top prospects and futureallstars in our cities.

Last season alone, more than The AHL remains proud of its roleinNHL in developing more 88the percent ofAHL. today’s Atlantic tofirstour five new members California, 30 teamsthan willtheir hit iceintothe continue a tradition 250 former and second-round draft picks developed skills And throughofthe 240 firstand second-round NHL draft competed in American Hockey League, National Hockey League as well aspicks thecheering vast majority ofthe thesince NHL’s coaches, excellence thatand has been players, the hallmark ofenjoyed the American Hockey League years, our loyal passionate fans have for more than 1001936. future Hockey Hall of Famers, and 347 players the ice of in more boththan the 100 AHLCalder andInCup the NHL. and have witnessed the triumphs champions whoAHL would go on to have their managers, trainingtook staffs, broadcasters and officials. total, nearly 350 players The AHL remains of its role more than 88 percent of today’s National Hockey League names engraved onproud the Stanley Cupinasdeveloping well. were recalled to the NHL last season alone, and more than 250 former first- and secondas well as the vast majority of the NHL’s coaches, managers, training staffs, broadcasters and Weplayers, take great pride in our tradition of developing the best hockey talent in the world, with round NHL draft picks developed their skills in the And through years, loyal total, 350 AHL players were recalled to theand NHL last season alone, andour more than Toofficials. our newInfans in nearly Bakersfield, Ontario, San Diego, San AHL. Jose Stockton; tothe our returning fans in over 88 percent of today’s NHL players, coaches and having honed their skills in and passionate fans have more thanofficials 100 Hall of 250 former firstsecond-round NHL picks developed theirfuture skills inHockey the Andto through thejoin Manitoba; to all of and you whoenjoyed cheer forcheering AHL draft teamsfor across North America -- We are AHL. excited have you the American Hockey League.

Through the years, our loyal and passionate fans have our excitement loyal passionate fans have enjoyed cheering more than 100infuture Hockey Hall of Famers, usyears, fromand the of opening weekend, to 2016 AHLfor All-Star Classic Syracuse, andwho through the Famers, haveand witnessed the triumphs ofthe more than 100 Calder Cup champions and and have witnessed the triumphs of Playoffs. more than 100 Calder Cup whoand would go on to have their enjoyed cheering more than 100 future Hallchampions of Famers, have witnessed the thrills emotion offor the Calder Cup would go on to have their names engraved on Hockey the Stanley Cup as well. names engraved on the Stanley Cup as well. triumphs of more than 100 Calder Cup champions who would go on to have their names On behalf of allthe of our teams,Cup players staff, thank you again for your continuing support of the AHL. engraved on Stanley as and well.

To our new fans Ontario, San Diego, and Stockton; our fans in To our new fansininBakersfield, Bakersfield, Ontario, San Diego, SanSan JoseJose and Stockton; to our to returning I wish you the utmost enjoyment of all the excitement that our 2015-16 season has in store.

Manitoba; to in allManitoba; of you who to cheer foryou AHL who teamscheer acrossfor North We are excited to have you join returning fans all of AHLAmerica teams -across North America to continue to deliver professional to the great fans ofand Glens Falls,the us from the excitement opening weekend, to the 2016 hockey AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse, through Sincerely, --We’re We arepleased excited to haveofyou join us from the excitement of opening weekend, to the thrills and of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

N.Y., and weemotion welcome Allentown, Pa., to the league as the Adirondack Flames and Lehigh 2016 AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse, and through the thrills and emotion of the Calder Valley Phantoms hit the ice this season. The AHL’s two newest entries will join the rest of CupOn Playoffs. behalf of all of our teams, players and staff, thank you again for your continuing support of the AHL. theI wish league in looking to dethrone defending Calder Cup champion Texas you the utmost enjoyment of all the the excitement that our 2015-16 season has in store.Stars in the chase for the AHL’s 2015 title.

On behalf of all of our teams, players and staff, thank you again for your continuing Sincerely, David A.of Andrews support the AHL. I wish you the utmost enjoyment of all the excitement that our On behalf&of all Executive of our teams, President Chief Officer players and staff, thank you again for your continuing 2015-16 season in Istore.

Americanof Hockey League support thehas AHL. wish you the utmost enjoyment of all the excitement that our

2014-15 season has in store.

David A. Andrews Sincerely,

President & Chief Executive Officer American Hockey League

David A. Andrews President & Chief Executive Officer American Hockey League /TheAHL

theahl.com

@TheAHL

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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A TRADITIONsinceOF EXCELLENCE 1936 THE BEGINNINGS The American Hockey League is celebrating its 80th season of play in 2015-16, continuing a tradition of excellence that began in 1936 when the Canadian-American Hockey League merged with the International Hockey League to form what is today known as the AHL. Eight teams hit the ice that first season, playing in Buffalo, Cleveland, New Haven, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Springfield and Syracuse.

Frank Calder, the National Hockey League’s president at the time, was instrumental in the forming of the new league, and his name would be given to its championship trophy. The first Calder Cup was won by the Syracuse Stars in 1937; the 79th championship was captured by the Manchester Monarchs last spring.

From those roots, the American Hockey League has grown into a 30-team league that provides fans with exciting, high-level professional hockey while preparing thousands of players, coaches, officials, executives, trainers, broadcasters and more for careers in the NHL.

THE PLAYERS In today’s National Hockey League more than 88 percent of the players are AHL alumni, including 2015 Hart and Vezina Trophy recipient Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. The 2015 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks were stocked with AHL graduates as well, among them Conn Smythe Trophy winner Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, Brandon Saad, Kris Versteeg, Corey Crawford, Andrew Shaw, and head coach Joel Quenneville.

During the 2014-15 season, a total of 865 AHL alumni played in the National Hockey League, including 341 who skated in both leagues last year alone. Forty of the 49 players who skated in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final were AHL graduates, including Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop, Ryan Callahan, Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn, and Ondrej Palat.

More than 250 former first- and second-round draft picks developed their skills in the AHL last season, including Teuvo Teravainen, David Pastrnak, William Nylander, Derrick Pouliot, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ryan Hartman, Matt Dumba, and Julius Honka.

Carey Price 2015 Hart, Vezina Trophy winner 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs MVP

At the start of the 2015-16 season, the National Hockey League featured 21 head coaches who were former AHL bench bosses, including former Calder Cup champions Jon Cooper, Peter Laviolette, Barry Trotz, Todd McLellan, Bruce Boudreau, Bob Hartley, Willie Desjardins, and Jeff Blashill. Stanley Cup winners Joel Quenneville, Claude Julien, Dan Bylsma, and Mike Babcock also spent time in the AHL before making the jump.

THE COACHES At the start of the 2015-16 season, the National Hockey League featured 21 head coaches who were former AHL bench bosses, including former Calder Cup champions Jon Cooper, Peter Laviolette, Barry Trotz, Todd McLellan, Bruce Boudreau, Bob Hartley, Willie Desjardins, and Jeff Blashill. Stanley Cup winners Joel Quenneville, Claude Julien, Dan Bylsma, and Mike Babcock also spent time in the AHL before making the jump.

“The time I spent in the American Hockey League was essential in my preparation to become head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. Without question, the AHL is just as valuable as a proving ground for future coaches as it is for young players.”

-- Jeff Blashill, Head Coach, Detroit Red Wings 2014 AHL Coach of the Year 2013 Calder Cup Champion Photo: Dan Hickling

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THE LEGENDS For the past eight decades, the American Hockey League has been home to some of the greatest players in the history of our sport. In fact, more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have been affiliated with the AHL during their careers. All-time greats like George Armstrong, Toe Blake, Gump Worsley, Terry Sawchuk, Glenn Hall, Brad Park, Ken Dryden, and Brett Hull came through the AHL ranks and now find themselves enshrined in Toronto, and the coveted Calder Cup is inscribed with the names of legendary AHL alumni like Patrick Roy, Larry Robinson, Gerry Cheevers, Andy Bathgate, Tim Horton, Al Arbour, Emile Francis, Doug Harvey, and Billy Smith.

Photo: AHL Archives

The American Hockey League has created its own legends as well, and in 2006 began honoring them with the formation of the AHL Hall of Fame. The 10th class of inductees, recognized in 2015, included Frederic Cassivi, James C. Hendy, Bronco Horvath, and Art Stratton. They join the likes of Johnny Bower, Fred Glover, Jody Gage, Mitch Lamoureux, Willie Marshall, Frank Mathers, Eddie Shore, Bruce Boudreau, Tim Tookey, Zellio Toppazzini, and others as distinguished members of the American Hockey League Hall of Fame.

Eddie Shore Honored Member, Hockey Hall of Fame Honored Member, AHL Hall of Fame

THE FANS

Photo: Lindsay A. Mogle

For the 14th consecutive season, American Hockey League teams drew more than 6.2 million fans to games across North America in 2014-15. The Hershey Bears led the league for the ninth year in a row, averaging 9,700 fans per home game, while the Utica Comets followed up their inaugural season with 27 sold-out regular season crowds at the Utica Memorial Auditorium, plus 13 more in the playoffs. And Syracuse set a new U.S. indoor pro hockey record when 30,715 fans packed the Carrier Dome for a Crunch game on Nov. 22, 2014.

Fans are also continuing to follow their teams and the league in record numbers digitally. Last season, the AHL Internet Network -- featuring TheAHL.com and the official Web sites of all 30 clubs -- got nearly 90 million page views from fans worldwide. Meanwhile, more than one million fans follow the AHL and its teams on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

In their first-ever Calder Cup playoffs appearance, the Utica Comets sold out all 13 postseason games at the Aud.

88.8

865

341

254

519

Percentage of all NHL players in 2014-15 who were graduates of the AHL

Former AHL players who skated in the National Hockey League last season

AHL players who also played in the NHL in 2014-15

Former 1st- and 2ndround NHL draft picks who skated in the AHL in 2014-1

AHL alumni who played for the 2015 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks

“Everywhere I’ve been, the American Hockey League has been an important part of my career. It has been the biggest part of our success in developing our players in Chicago, first with the Norfolk Admirals and now with the Rockford IceHogs.”

-- Scotty Bowman, Honored Member, Hockey Hall of Fame 14-Time Stanley Cup Champion 2-Time Jack Adams Award Winner Photo: Getty Images

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UNLEASH YOUR MVP

5 LOCATIONS!

VISIT MVPSPORTSCLUBS.COM TODAY!

2015-16 AHL DIRECTORY EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTIC DIVISION: Bridgeport, Hartford, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Portland, Providence, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

ALBANY DEVILS

NHL AFFILIATION: New Jersey Devils HOME ICE: Times Union Center (6,691) GENERAL MANAGER: Ray Shero HEAD COACH: Rick Kowalsky ENTERED AHL: 2006-07 (as Lowell Devils) CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 9 2014-15 RECORD: 37-28-5-6, 85 pts.

WEBSITE: thealbanydevils.com

BINGHAMTON SENATORS

NHL AFFILIATION: Ottawa Senators HOME ICE: Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena (4,696) GENERAL MANAGER: Randy Lee HEAD COACH: Luke Richardson ENTERED AHL: 2002-03 CALDER CUPS: One (2011) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 6 of 13 2014-15 RECORD: 34-34-7-1, 76 pts.

WEBSITE: binghamtonsenators.com

BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS

NHL AFFILIATION: New York Islanders HOME ICE: Webster Bank Arena (8,412) GENERAL MANAGER: Garth Snow HEAD COACH: Brent Thompson ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 7 of 14 2014-15 RECORD: 28-40-7-1, 64 pts.

WEBSITE: soundtigers.com

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

NHL AFFILIATION: New York Rangers HOME ICE: XL Center (15,635) GENERAL MANAGER: Jim Schoenfeld HEAD COACH: Ken Gernander ENTERED AHL: 1997-98 CALDER CUPS: One (2000) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 15 of 18 2014-15 RECORD: 43-24-5-4, 95 pts.

WEBSITE: hartfordwolfpack.com

HERSHEY BEARS

NHL AFFILIATION: Washington Capitals HOME ICE: Giant Center (10,500) GENERAL MANAGER: Doug Yingst HEAD COACH: Troy Mann ENTERED AHL: 1938-39 CALDER CUPS: 11 (1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 65 of 77 2014-15 RECORD: 46-22-5-3, 100 pts.

WEBSITE: hersheybears.com

NORTH DIVISION: Albany, Binghamton, Rochester, St. John’s, Syracuse, Toronto, Utica

LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS

NHL AFFILIATION: Philadelphia Flyers HOME ICE: PPL Center (8,420) GENERAL MANAGER: Ron Hextall HEAD COACH: Scott Gordon ENTERED AHL: 1996-97 (as Philadelphia Phantoms) CALDER CUPS: Two (1998, 2005) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 10 of 19 2014-15 RECORD: 33-35-7-1, 74 pts.

WEBSITE: phantomshockey.com

PORTLAND PI

PRIMARY MA

PORTLAND PIRATES

NHL AFFILIATION: Florida Panthers HOME ICE: Cross Insurance Arena (6,157) GENERAL MANAGER: Eric Joyce HEAD COACH: Tom Rowe ENTERED AHL: 1993-94 CALDER CUPS: One (1994) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 16 of 22 2014-15 RECORD: 39-28-7-2, 87 pts.

WEBSITE: portlandpirates.com

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PROVIDENCE BRUINS

NHL AFFILIATION: Boston Bruins HOME ICE: Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence (11,075) GENERAL MANAGER: Don Sweeney HEAD COACH: Bruce Cassidy ENTERED AHL: 1992-93 CALDER CUPS: One (1999) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 18 of 23 2014-15 RECORD: 41-26-7-2, 91 pts.

WEBSITE: providencebruins.com

ROCHESTER AMERICANS

NHL AFFILIATION: Buffalo Sabres HOME ICE: Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial (10,662) GENERAL MANAGER: Tim Murray HEAD COACH: Randy Cunneyworth ENTERED AHL: 1956-57 CALDER CUPS: Six (1965, 1966, 1968, 1983, 1987, 1996) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 44 of 59 2014-15 RECORD: 29-41-5-1, 64 pts.

WEBSITE: amerks.com

SPRINGFIELD FALCONS

NHL AFFILIATION: Arizona Coyotes HOME ICE: MassMutual Center (6,784) GENERAL MANAGER: Darcy Regier HEAD COACH: Ron Rolston ENTERED AHL: 1994-95 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 8 of 21 2014-15 RECORD: 38-28-8-2, 86 pts.

WEBSITE: falconsahl.com

ST. JOHN’S ICEC

PRIMARY MARK

ST. JOHN’S ICECAPS

NHL AFFILIATION: Montreal Canadiens HOME ICE: Mile One Centre (6,287) GENERAL MANAGER: Marc Bergevin HEAD COACH: Sylvain Lefebrve ENTERED AHL: 2011-12 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 4 2014-15 RECORD: 32-33-9-2, 75 pts.

WEBSITE: stjohnsicecaps.com Grand Rapids GRIFFINS PANTONE 2758 C

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2015-16 AHL DIRECTORY SYRACUSE CRUNCH

UTICA COMETS

NHL AFFILIATION: Tampa Bay Lightning HOME ICE: War Memorial Arena (6,010) GENERAL MANAGER: Julien BriseBois HEAD COACH: Rob Zettler ENTERED AHL: 1994-95 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 21 2014-15 RECORD: 41-25-10-0, 92 pts.

WEBSITE: syracusecrunch.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Vancouver Canucks HOME ICE: Utica Memorial Auditorium (3,855) GENERAL MANAGER: Pat Conacher HEAD COACH: Travis Green ENTERED AHL: 2013-14 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 2 2014-15 RECORD: 47-20-7-2, 103 pts.

WEBSITE: uticacomets.com

TORONTO MARLIES

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

NHL AFFILIATION: Toronto Maple Leafs HOME ICE: Ricoh Coliseum (7,851) GENERAL MANAGER: Kyle Dubas HEAD COACH: Sheldon Keefe ENTERED AHL: 2005-06 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 7 of 10 2014-15 RECORD: 40-27-9-0, 89 pts.

WEBSITE: marlies.ca

NHL AFFILIATION: Pittsburgh Penguins HOME ICE: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (8,050) GENERAL MANAGER: Jason Botterill HEAD COACH: Mike Sullivan ENTERED AHL: 1999-00 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 14 of 16 2014-15 RECORD: 45-24-3-4, 97 pts.

WEBSITE: wbspenguins.com

WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION: Grand Rapids, Charlotte, Chicago, Iowa, Lake Erie, Manitoba, Milwaukee, Rockford

BAKERSFIELD CONDORS

NHL AFFILIATION: Edmonton Oilers HOME ICE: Rabobank Arena (8,751) GENERAL MANAGER: Bill Scott HEAD COACH: Gerry Fleming ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 WEBSITE: bakersfieldcondors.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Detroit Red Wings HOME ICE: Van Andel Arena (10,834) PACIFIC DIVISION: GENERAL MANAGER: Ryan Martin Bakersfield, Ontario, HEAD COACH: Todd Nelson CONDORS San Antonio, San BAKERSFIELD Diego, ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 PRIMARY MARK San Jose, Stockton, CALDER CUPS: One (2013) Texas SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 9 of 14 2014-15 RECORD: 46-22-6-2, 100 pts.

WEBSITE: griffinshockey.com

IOWA WILD

CHARLOTTE CHECKERS

NHL AFFILIATION: Carolina Hurricanes HOME ICE: Bojangles’ Coliseum (8,300) GENERAL MANAGER: Derek Wilkinson HEAD COACH: Mark Morris ENTERED AHL: 2010-11 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 5 2014-15 RECORD: 31-38-6-1, 69 pts.

WEBSITE: gocheckers.com

CHICAGO WOLVES

NHL AFFILIATION: St. Louis Blues HOME ICE: Allstate Arena (16,692) GENERAL MANAGER: Wendell Young HEAD COACH: John Anderson ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: Two (2002, 2008) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 10 of 14 2014-15 RECORD: 40-29-6-1, 87 pts.

WEBSITE: chicagowolves.com

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GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

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NHL AFFILIATION: Minnesota Wild HOME ICE: Wells Fargo Arena (8,162) GENERAL MANAGER: Brent Flahr HEAD COACH: John Torchetti ENTERED AHL: 2013-14 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 2 2014-15 RECORD: 23-49-2-2, 50 pts.

WEBSITE: iowawild.com 2015-16

LAKE ERIE MONSTERS

NHL AFFILIATION: Columbus Blue Jackets HOME ICE: Quicken Loans Arena (19,665/10,025 lower bowl) GENERAL MANAGER: Bill Zito HEAD COACH: Jared Bednar ENTERED AHL: 2007-08 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 8 2014-15 RECORD: 35-29-8-4, 82 pts.

WEBSITE: lakeeriemonsters.com

MANITOBA M

PRIMARY M

MANITOBA MOOSE

NHL AFFILIATION: Winnipeg Jets HOME ICE: MTS Centre (8,812) GENERAL MANAGER: Craig Heisinger HEAD COACH: Keith McCambridge ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 (played through 2010-11; re-entered 2015-16) CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 9 of 10 WEBSITE: moosehockey.com

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2015-16 AHL DIRECTORY MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS

SAN DIEGO GU

PRIMARY MARK

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SAN DIEGO GULLS

NHL AFFILIATION: Nashville Predators HOME ICE: BMO Harris Bradley Center (17,845) GENERAL MANAGER: Paul Fenton HEAD COACH: Dean Evason ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: One (2004) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 14 2014-15 RECORD: 33-28-8-7, 81 pts.

WEBSITE: milwaukeeadmirals.com PANTONE 282 C

NHL AFFILIATION: Anaheim Ducks HOME ICE: Valley View Casino Center (12,920) GENERAL MANAGER: Bob Ferguson HEAD COACH: Dallas Eakins ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 WEBSITE: sandiegogulls.com

PRIMARY MAR

PRIMARY MARK

SAN JOSE BARRACUDA

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NHL AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Kings HOME ICE: Citizens Business Bank Arena (9,491) GENERAL MANAGER: Rob Blake HEAD COACH: Mike Stothers ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 WEBSITE: ontarioreign.com

NHL AFFILIATION: San Jose Sharks HOME ICE: SAP Center (8,000, curtained) GENERAL MANAGER: Joe Will HEAD COACH: Roy Sommer ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 WEBSITE: sjbarracuda.com

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SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE

NHL AFFILIATION: Colorado Avalanche HOME ICE: AT&T Center (6,374, lower bowl) GENERAL MANAGER: Craig Billington HEAD COACH: Dean Chynoweth ENTERED AHL: 2002-03 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 4 of 13 2014-15 RECORD: 45-23-7-1, 98 pts.

WEBSITE: sarampage.com

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STOCKTON HEAT

ROCKFORD ICEHOGS

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ONTARIO REIGN

ONTARIO REIGN

NHL AFFILIATION: Chicago Blackhawks HOME ICE: BMO Harris Bank Center (5,895) GENERAL MANAGER: Mark Bernard HEAD COACH: Ted Dent ENTERED AHL: 2007-08 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 4 of 8 2014-15 RECORD: 46-23-5-2, 99 pts.

WEBSITE: icehogs.com

PRIMARY MARK

NHL AFFILIATION: Calgary Flames HOME ICE: Stockton Arena (9,737) GENERAL MANAGER: Brad Pascall HEAD COACH: Ryan Huska ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 WEBSITE: stocktonheat.com

STOCKTON

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TEXAS S PRIMARY

2015-16

TEXAS STARS

NHL AFFILIATION: Dallas Stars HOME ICE: Cedar Park Center (6,863) GENERAL MANAGER: Scott White HEAD COACH: Derek Laxdal ENTERED AHL: 2009-10 CALDER CUPS: One (2014) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 5 of 6 2014-15 RECORD: 40-22-13-1, 94 pts.

WEBSITE: texasstarshockey.com

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THE ROAD TO THE CALDER CUP 2015-16 PLAYOFF FORMAT Eight teams in each conference will qualify for the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The top four teams in each division, ranked by points percentage (points earned divided by points available), will qualify for the postseason, with one possible exception in each conference. If the fifth-place team in the Atlantic or Central Division finishes with a better points percentage than the fourth-place team in the North or Pacific Division, respectively, it will cross over and compete in the other division’s bracket.

The division semifinals will be best-of-five series; the division finals, conference finals and Calder Cup Finals will be best-of-seven series.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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DETROIT

RED WINGS During the 2014-15 season, 24 of the 31 players who saw action with the Red Wings had previously worn a Griffins uniform. Those Grand Rapids alumni are now guided by their new head coach, former Griffins bench boss Jeff Blashill, who tutored many of them during his remarkable three-year tenure (2012-15) in Hockeytown West.

TOP AFFILIATE

Grand Rapids Griffins 14th Season / Through 2016-17

ARENA

Joe Louis Arena Seating Capacity: 20,066

CONTACT

(313) 394-7000 detroitredwings.com

STANLEY CUPS

1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008

MANAGEMENT

Executive VP/General Manager: Ken Holland Assistant General Manager: Ryan Martin

COACHING STAFF Head Coach: Jeff Blashill

Assistant Coaches: Tony Granato, Pat Ferschweiler Goaltending Coach: Jim Bedard Video Coach: Dave Noel-Bernier Strength and Conditioning Coach: Mike Kadar

GRIFFINS WHO HAVE EARNED THEIR WINGS *

Justin Abdelkader, 2008-09 Adam Almquist, 2013-14 Joakim Andersson, 2011-12 Sean Avery, 2002-03 Ryan Barnes, 2003-04 Patrick Boileau, 2002-03 Darryl Bootland, 2003-04 Fabian Brunnstrom, 2011-12 Mitch Callahan, 2013-14 Ty Conklin, 2011-12 Chris Conner, 2011-12 Danny DeKeyser, 2013-14 Aaron Downey, 2008-09 Patrick Eaves, 2013-14 Matt Ellis, 2006-07 Cory Emmerton, 2010-11 Jonathan Ericsson, 2007-08 Landon Ferraro, 2013-14 Valtteri Filppula, 2005-06 Luke Glendening, 2013-14 Mark Hartigan, 2007-08

Darren Helm, 2007-08 Jimmy Howard, 2005-06 Jiri Hudler, 2003-04 Matt Hussey, 2006-07 Doug Janik, 2009-10 Tomas Jurco, 2013-14 Jakub Kindl, 2009-10 Tomas Kopecky, 2005-06 Niklas Kronwall, 2003-04 Marc Lamothe, 2003-04 Josh Langfeld, 2006-07 Brian Lashoff, 2012-13 Brett Lebda, 2005-06 Ville Leino, 2008-09 Joey MacDonald, 2006-07 Donald MacLean, 2005-06 Alexey Marchenko, 2013-14 Darren McCarty, 2007-08 Tom McCollum, 2010-11 Derek Meech, 2006-07 Kevin Miller, 2003-04

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

Mark Mowers, 2003-04 Petr Mrazek, 2012-13 Jan Mursak, 2010-11 Anders Myrvold, 2003-04 Andrej Nestrasil, 2014-15 Kris Newbury, 2009-10 Gustav Nyquist, 2011-12 Xavier Ouellet, 2013-14 Teemu Pulkkinen, 2013-14 Kyle Quincey, 2005-06 Mattias Ritola, 2007-08 Jamie Rivers, 2003-04 Nathan Robinson, 2003-04 Stacy Roest, 2002-03 Riley Sheahan, 2011-12 Brendan Smith, 2011-12 Ryan Sproul, 2013-14 Garrett Stafford, 2007-08 Tomas Tatar, 2010-11 Jordin Tootoo, 2013-14 Jason Williams, 2002-03

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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2015-16 GRIFFINS PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE

MARK YOUR

CALENDAR! Oct. 16: Opening Night presented by Huntington Bank/Magnet Schedule Giveaway/2014-15 Wednesday Jersey Auction

Nov. 20: Red Kettle Game presented by The Salvation Army/Red Kettle Jersey Auction

Jan. 9: 20th Anniversary Blanket Giveaway presented by DTE Energy

Nov. 28: Teddy Bear Toss presented by J&H Family Stores/Post-Game Poster Giveaway presented by Eikenhout Inc.

Dec. 4: ‘90s Night Dec. 5: 2016 Calendar Giveaway presented

by Fox Motors Oct. 21: Budweiser Clydesdales Pre-Game Appearance presented by West Side Beer Distributing

Jan. 17: Bring Your Dog to the Game presented by Nestlé Purina/$1 Pepsi Drinks and $1 Ice Cream from 3-5 p.m

Dec. 19: Lego Night presented by Flagstar Bank/Anthony Mantha Blockhead Giveaway (kids 12 and under)/Skyline Jersey Auction Dec. 31: 19th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration presented by Farm Bureau Insurance/Post-Game Fireworks

Jan. 23: Youth Jersey Giveaway presented

by Comerica Bank (kids 12 and under)/ Fan-Designed Jersey Auction #1 Oct. 27: Tip-A-Griffin at Uccello’s Restaurants, benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation

Jan. 23-24: 14th Annual Great Skate Winterfest at Rosa Parks Circle

CHECK OUT OUR SEASON-LONG PROMOTIONS ON THE NEXT PAGE! Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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Jan. 27: 15th Annual Matinee Game presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (11 a.m. start) Jan. 29: ‘80s Night Feb. 6: Teemu Pulkkinen Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union Feb. 9: Griffins & Sled Wings Game at Griff’s IceHouse

Feb. 20: Baseball Cap Giveaway presented

by Option 1 Credit Union

March 8: Corks, Pucks & Brews at the Goei Center, benefiting Easter Seals Michigan

Feb. 27: Tom McCollum Bobblehead Giveaway/Social Media Night presented by Michigan Office Solutions Feb. 28: Pennant Giveaway presented by Centennial Securities/$1 Pepsi Drinks and $1 Ice Cream from 3-5 p.m.

March 12: Star Wars Night presented by DTE Energy March 2: Brain Injury Awareness Game presented by Brain Injury Association of Michigan

March 26: Team Sock Giveaway/ Superhero Night presented by Eikenhout Inc./ Fan-Designed Jersey Auction #2 April 6: Griffins Booster Club Awards Banquet April 16: Season Finale presented by Huntington Bank/20th Anniversary Jersey Auction

Feb. 19: Fifth Annual Purple Community Game presented by Van Andel Institute/ Purple Jersey Auction

SEASON-LONG PROMOTIONS $2 Beers and $2 Hot Dogs: Every Friday, enjoy $2 domestic drafts and $2 hot dogs from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last.

Get in the D-ZONE: Every Friday night is a Griffins D-Zone night. Avoid the concession lines and get your $2 beers and $2 hot dogs served to you in your seats.

Call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com/ dzone today! Fans can purchase a package of four or more D-ZONE tickets for any Friday night game, or customize their own ticket package with the D-Zone seven-game pack or purchase the 14-pack, which includes all Friday games this season.

Military Nights: Every home game, current members of our military can purchase up to four Upper Level tickets for $14 each or four Lower Level Faceoff tickets for $18 each with a valid military ID. The offer also extends to veterans who present a VA ID or discharge papers.

Winning Wednesdays: Presented by Farm Bureau Insurance, every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game.

Fox Motors Fast Lane: An owner of a Fox Motors vehicle has the ability to bypass normal ticket lines on game nights by showing their keychain at the designated “Fox Motors Fast Lane” ticket window, located at Van Andel Arena’s main box office. Once presented, the keychain owner may purchase their tickets, subject to availability, at the window and proceed into the game.

Post-Game Parties at Peppino’s: After every Wednesday game, join Griffins players and staff for the official post-game party at Peppino’s Sports Grille downtown.

Free Ride Friday on The Rapid: Ride the Rapid to and from any Friday game and enjoy a complimentary fare by showing your ticket to that night’s game. Visit ridetherapid.org for schedule information, routes and maps.

Library Nights: For every Sunday and Wednesday game, fans can present their Grand Rapids Public Library card or Kent District Library card at the Van Andel Arena box office on the night of the game or at The Zone anytime during the store’s regular business hours to purchase either an Upper Level ticket for $14 (regularly $16 advance and $19 day of game) or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $18 (regularly $20 advance and $23 day of game). Limit four tickets per card per person, subject to availability.

Wednesday is Hockey Night: For select Wednesday home games, show your Griffins ticket at participating Arena District restaurants and bars to enjoy Happy Hour specials before the game and Hockey Night specials afterward. Wednesday is Hockey Night specials are available on the following dates: Nov. 18, Dec. 9, Feb. 17, March 2 and April 13. Visit griffinshockey.com/ hockeynight for a list of participating establishments.

Friends & Family 4-Packs: Available for all Saturday games, each pack incudes four tickets and $12 in concession cash for a great low price. Visit griffinshockey.com/f4p or call (616) 774-4585 ext.

2. New this season, fans may use their concession cash to purchase healthy choice menu options at the stand located outside of section 125, including low-fat yogurt, apples, oranges, granola bars and smoothies.

College Nights: Presented by Michigan First Credit Union, college students can show their ID at every Friday game to purchase an Upper Level ticket for $14 (or $13 in advance at The Zone). Limit one ticket per ID.

Popcorn Packs: Enjoy all of the popcorn you can eat with this special offer that includes four or more upper or lower level tickets and a Griffins popcorn bucket good for unlimited popcorn refills throughout the game. Popcorn packs are only available by calling 616774-4585 ext. 2 or at griffinshockey.com/popcorn.

Pepsi Reading Goals: Children with Griff’s Reading Goals bookmarks who have completed the required three hours of reading can redeem their bookmark for two free Upper Level tickets to any of the following games: Bookmark #1 – Nov. 25 and 28; Dec. 9; and Jan. 17; Bookmark #2 – Feb. 17 and 28; March 2; and April 13.

Post-Game Open Skates: Presented by Arby’s – Oct. 16; Nov. 28; Dec. 31; Jan. 9; Feb. 27; March 12; and April 16.

Huntington Bank Post-Game Autograph Sessions: Oct. 17; Dec. 5; Jan. 9; Feb. 6 and 20; and March 26.

MOS Corner Office: Presented by Michigan Office Solutions, this section, located on the terrace level above section 118, provides the best seats in the house for groups of up to 30 people, with La-Z-Boy chairs and an array of unprecedented amenities.

Call (616) 774-4585 ext. 4.

J. Gardella’s Burger and Beer Special: Take your used Griffins ticket to J. Gardella’s Tavern to enjoy a burger and beer for $6. Refer to the back of your ticket for details.

Bagel on the Board: Whenever the Griffins “put a bagel on the board” – i.e. shut out their opponent – you have one week to take your ticket to any Bagel Beanery location to receive one free bagel and a gourmet coffee.

ALL PROMOTIONS AND DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT GRIFFINSHOCKEY.COM. 22 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Story and photos

by Mark Newman

ALL FOR ONE & ONE FOR ALL Todd Nelson, the first player ever signed by the Griffins, wants to build a culture that encourages players to put the team ahead of individual accomplishments.

24 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Todd Nelson had officially been named the 10th head coach in Griffins history for less than two hours this summer when he was asked if there was any slogan he planned to endorse in the Grand Rapids locker room when he returned this fall.

“We Not Me,” he said almost reflexively, reacting as though he were poke-checking the question like the seasoned defensemen he once was. “It’s simple but it says it all in terms of team philosophy.”

As the first-ever player signed by the Griffins before the team’s inaugural 1996-97 season, Nelson was a consummate team guy, a blue-collar defenseman who was dedicated, disciplined and dependable. He was the ultimate “D” man.

Indeed, many felt that Nelson, having distinguished himself as one of the game’s top young coaches, was the perfect choice to succeed Jeff Blashill, who replaced Mike Babcock as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings after serving three years at the helm of the Griffins.

“I know I have big shoes to fill in following Jeff, but I’m very confident going forward,” Nelson said. “I’m here to do a great job for the organization. I want to piggyback on the great job that Jeff did in Grand Rapids.”

Nelson is ready to embrace the challenge, excited that he is getting not only an opportunity with a new organization but also joining a talentrich organization that has reached the Stanley Cup playoffs every season since 1990-91.

“When you look at organizations in the National Hockey League, the Detroit Red Wings represent the gold standard,” Nelson said. “I like the way they do things, their philosophy in terms of earning the right to play. Much of what they do falls in line with the things that I believe.

“When they contacted me to be the head coach in Grand Rapids, I jumped at the opportunity. It just seemed like a really good fit.”

Ironically, Nelson had hoped to be in a situation similar to Blashill this fall, looking forward to coaching his first full season in the NHL. After five successful seasons in Oklahoma City, Nelson became the interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers last December, replacing the fired Dallas Eakins. By all accounts, the young Edmonton team showed marked improvement under Nelson’s direction, and it looked likely that he would lose the interim tag.

That is until the Oilers hired Peter Chiarelli as their new president of hockey operations and general manager, replacing Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish, in late April.

Chiarelli, whose nine-year tenure in Boston included a Stanley Cup in 2011 and another finals appearance in 2013, decided he wanted a different Todd – former Red Wings assistant Todd McLellan, who had been the head coach of the San Jose Sharks the past seven seasons.

“Things were looking pretty good for me in terms of staying on as the head coach,” Nelson said. “But a new general manager usually wants to put his stamp on the organization, so he went ahead and hired McLellan as the new head coach.”

To say that Nelson was disappointed would be putting it mildly. He had joined the Oilers organization in 2010 when the club moved its AHL affiliate from Springfield to Oklahoma City, following back-to-back seasons in which the team had finished dead last in the league.

In his four full seasons in Oklahoma, Nelson built winning teams that topped the 90-point mark and qualified for the playoffs each year.

The Barons twice reached the conference finals, most notably in 2013 when Nelson’s team was eliminated in seven games by the eventual Calder Cup champion Griffins.

Nelson interviewed with McLellan regarding the possibility of joining his coaching staff but ultimately decided to seek a new opportunity elsewhere.

“From a professional point of view, I wasn’t sure which direction I should go – I felt like I was on an island by myself,” Nelson said. “I discussed options with Todd and we had a great conversation. I thought about it really hard for a couple of days. It was a very tough decision. In the end, it came down to the fact that I wanted to stay a head coach.”

Nelson received permission from the Oilers to talk to other teams, and after having talks with the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins about leading their AHL affiliates in Charlotte and Wilkes-Barre, respectively, he accepted the Red Wings’ offer.

“The situation in Grand Rapids really intrigued me because of my ties here,” he said.

“I have a lot of fond memories of playing here.

Needless to say, I’m very excited, and very hungry to re-establish myself at this level with a new organization.”

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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Nelson doesn’t expect that he will need to alter his coaching style, which relies on creating a winning atmosphere that is built on a culture of camaraderie and cohesiveness.

“When I went up to Edmonton, people asked me if I was going to change and I said I was going to coach the same way that I always have coached,” he said. “I’m going to provide a good atmosphere for the players to come to work every day and encourage a positive, upbeat attitude.

“For me, the biggest thing is just being myself.

Because when you speak from the heart, you speak the truth.”

Like Blashill, Nelson is considered a players’ coach, a teacher who is tough but fair and honest at all times, a mentor with an open door policy, a bench boss who is just as interested in the player as a person as he is in the player as an athlete.

“Everywhere I go, I try to build a family atmosphere,” he said. “This is their family away from home. The way I look at it, coaching is part parenting and part teaching. You’re trying to educate your players on what they need to do to make it to the next level, but you’re also trying to provide a sense of comfort and that discipline that a parent gives their child. With every team I’ve coached, I’ve treated every player as if they were my own.”

During the course of a season, there are always hard decisions to be made, but tough love is part of parenting. “Those are the bad days when you have to cut someone or send someone down or trade somebody who’s been part of your family,” he said.

“On the other side, there’s no better gratification for a coach at the AHL level than getting that phone call from the parent club because they want to call up somebody and then you see the smile on the kid’s face before their first NHL game. That’s the greatest thing.”

He confessed that he never really thought about coaching until 2001-02, his final season as a player. Danton Cole became the head coach of the Muskegon Fury after two years as an assistant coach in Grand Rapids (under Guy Charron and Bruce Cassidy) and Cole convinced both Nelson and Bruce Ramsay to become player-assistants.

Nelson drew on the men he had as coaches, most notably, Barry Trotz, the longtime Nashville Predators head coach and current Washington Capitals coach, who led the Portland Pirates to 26 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Nelson began his full-time coaching career as an assistant with the Griffins in 2002-03.

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Nelson played 236 games in a Grand Rapids uniform, which puts him sixth all time among Griffins defensemen.

the 1994 Calder Cup (besides Nelson, the team included Todd’s brother Jeff and future Griffins all-time leading scorer Michel Picard).

Not only was Trotz an innovator with video, a nascent technology two decades ago, but Nelson said Trotz also made good use of interpersonal skills that were often untapped by some of the game’s greatest coaches.

“Barry provided a culture that was conducive to success,” Nelson said. “He was a good communicator. He wasn’t just a coach, he was our friend. You could talk to him about situations; whether it was hockey or personal life, it didn’t matter. He showed that he cared. He built a culture and a strong family atmosphere.”

Nelson returned to Grand Rapids as a fulltime assistant coach when Cole was named the head coach of the Griffins for the 2002-03 season.

“Danton helped groom me as a coach,” Nelson said. “He came from an organization (New Jersey) that was really structured, and he was very organized and very detail-oriented, qualities that helped train me as a coach.”

One year later, Nelson was back in Muskegon, where he took his first head coaching job, leading the Fury to back-to-back United Hockey League 28 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

championships in 2004 and 2005. “Muskegon was a great place to learn because at that level, you’re doing everything,” Nelson said. “You’re also the general manager – you’re handling all the logistics, from the salary cap to housing.

“It’s a great training ground for a young coach because you get to build your own team.

Winning back-to-back championships is very difficult in this day and age, but I was fortunate to get good players who wanted to come there and play for me. We had three great years.”

Nelson’s success in Muskegon led to an offer to join the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, where he served as an assistant coach under John Anderson for two seasons. Winning the Calder Cup in 2008 earned the pair a promotion to the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers.

“John Anderson was very creative offensively,” Nelson said. “I learned that it was OK to deviate from your plan as long as you have buy-in from the players. If you have their trust and respect, it doesn’t matter what you want to do tactically, they will follow you.”

Anderson and his staff were eventually relieved of their duties in Atlanta after the 200910 season, which opened up the opportunity for

Nelson to take the job in Oklahoma City and become a head coach at the AHL level.

Coaching the talent-laden Barons fortified Nelson’s belief that coaching breaks down into two categories: arts and science. The latter covers tactics and systems of play – the proverbial X’s and O’s – while the former deals more with the mental aspects of the game.

“What you see today is that the arts portion is more important than ever,” Nelson said. ”As a coach, you want to create an atmosphere where players do what they are asked to do. You’ve got to get people to believe in themselves and in the group. If they are selfless, if they care more for each other than they do themselves, you’ll be successful.”

It’s that close-knit environment that Nelson will do his best to foster in Grand Rapids.

“Team-building, for me, is not going out to play laser tag. Anybody can do that. It’s about creating a culture that is conducive to success.”

One event that Nelson does embrace is a team pig roast, a tradition from his playing days. “It’s important for the guys to get away from the rink and get to know each other,”

he said. “I think guys care more about their teammates when they know more about each other.”

Coming into the Red Wings organization, Nelson feels like half of the battle has already been won since the club seems to truly understand the process of player development.

“Everybody loves a winner and Detroit obviously has been very good at it by building a really good track record of playoff hockey,” Nelson said. “We want players to develop in a winning atmosphere.”

Helping Nelson guide the Red Wings’ top prospects this season as assistant coaches will be a pair of fellow former Griffins: Ramsay, who played in Grand Rapids from 1996-99, and Ben Simon, who was a member of the 2006-07 team.

Nelson contends he will do everything in his power to make sure that the Griffins’ 20th anniversary season is one of their best.

“Being part of a winning team provides the opportunity to go on to bigger and better things,” he said. “I’m here to do a great job for the organization.”

Anywhere, Anytime, Anyplace.

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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

29

EXPERIENCE COUNTS Jeff Blashill hopes to put his time with the Griffins to good use in Detroit.

When Detroit general manager Ken Holland introduced Griffins coach Jeff Blashill as the 27th head coach in Red Wings history on June 9, 2015, Blashill proclaimed that he felt fortunate to land “one of the most coveted jobs in the National Hockey League.”

As a Motor City native who grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., as a diehard Red Wings fan after his father had been a Detroit cop for 10 years, Blashill was grateful to be given the opportunity to guide the only Original Six team that he ever followed.

“It’s a neat thing to become the head coach of an organization that was a big part of your life growing up,” Blashill said. “That’s pretty cool.”

Blashill came to Grand Rapids before the 2012-13 season following one year as an assistant for head coach Mike Babcock in Detroit. The 30 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Griffins, who made the playoffs all three seasons under Blashill after missing the postseason the prior three, won the 2013 Calder Cup under his guidance. Moreover, Grand Rapids’ 50 playoff games played during his tenure set an AHL record for the most ever by a team during a threeyear span.

Several teams inquired about securing Blashill’s services after that championship, but the young coach opted to stay put as the heir apparent to Babcock.

“I loved my job in Grand Rapids,” Blashill said.

“I loved the city and I had a great experience with the ownership and staff of the Griffins. When you’re in a great situation, I don’t think you’re in a rush to go anywhere.”

Blashill will look back fondly at his time in the AHL, which he called “an unbelievable

experience.” He said the “They were a huge part “Coaches are experience of coaching the Red of our success and a huge Wings’ top prospects will be reason for the acceleration of ultimately a beneficial to his work in Detroit. development of many of the “(Grand Rapids) has had Red Wings’ prospects who are reflection of a huge impact on my career,” members of the team now their players and either Blashill said. “I think the or knocking on the door,” he American Hockey League is a I’ve been really said. “I don’t spend a lot of time great, great league for coaches rah-rah speeches and other fortunate to coach with to learn in. They say it’s a great motivational tactics because development league for players, great people and I believe the guys motivate but I think it’s just as important themselves.” great players.” for coaches, and I think it’s In that sense, Blashill said he shown by the number of NHL looks forward to working with coaches who are AHL graduates.”

Red Wings veterans Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Blashill is the latest in a long line of AHLDatsyuk and Niklas Kronwall. trained coaches, a list that includes fellow Calder “The No. 1 factor that will influence a Cup winners Barry Trotz (Portland, 1994), team’s success is having players who embody Bob Hartley (Hershey, 1997), Peter Laviolette the characteristics of winners: inner drive, (Providence, 1999), Todd McLellan (Houston, competitiveness, selflessness,” he said. “If you 2003), Bruce Boudreau (Hershey, 2006), Jon have guys with those qualities, it gives you a Cooper (Norfolk, 2012) and Willie Desjardins chance to win. If you don’t, you have no chance (Texas, 2014). to win.”

“There’s no question that I’ve learned a ton The fact that Blashill will be coaching many in Grand Rapids,” he said. “As someone who players in Detroit who played for him in Grand wants to get better at his craft, you learn to Rapids should help with his transition to the adapt. I think my time in Grand Rapids has been NHL. paramount to my development as a coach.”

“I know what makes a lot of the guys tick,” he It’s the very nature of the AHL as the top said. “You have to motivate people in different developmental league of the NHL that provides ways, and the fact that there is familiarity will coaches with the opportunity to improve allow that to happen in a more efficient manner. themselves in the same way that players practice You can’t treat every guy the same.” and play games to get better.

While he will employ many of the same “During the course of a single season, you’re systems used by Babcock, Blashill will not be a presented with more challenges than at any carbon copy of his former boss, now the head other level because of player movement,” Blashill coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I’ll have my said. “You face so many different situations that own approach, and with my own approach will you have to learn to adapt. It forces you to find come change,” he said. different ways to win.”

At the same time, Blashill plans to adhere Blashill gives credits to his players in Grand to the same process that he followed in Grand Rapids for making him look good.

Rapids, like breaking the season into segments in “Coaches are ultimately a reflection of their an effort to get the team to compete at a playoff players and I’ve been really fortunate to coach level throughout the year. great people and great players,” he said. “You only “The message will stay consistent,” he said. win championships with great talent and great “The one thing I’ve learned is (good) habits are character. You can’t have just one or the other. just as important in the NHL as they are in the You’ve got to have both.”

AHL. The difference between winning and losing He is especially grateful for the veteran is so minimal that the edge often goes to the team leadership of captain Jeff Hoggan and that pays closer attention to details.” defensemen Nathan Paetsch and Brennan Evans “I can’t wait to go to work with this group and and credited their work ethic for developing a try to work to win a Stanley Cup.” culture that bred success.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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CAP

COUR

32 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

TAINS AGEOUS

Twelve different captains have led the Griffins during the organization’s first 20 years.

This season will be Jeff Hoggan’s fourth as the captain of the Grand Rapids Griffins, the longest tenure in the 20-year history of the organization, but he shares many of the characteristics that have distinguished the 11 men who came before him.

“Hoggie is an outstanding captain, mostly because of his character,” said new Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, who counted on the leadership of the veteran forward for all three of his seasons behind the bench in Grand Rapids.

“Hoggie is an unbelievable example of someone who has great work ethic, who has great attention to detail, who is always selfless, and I think he really helped accelerate the growth of our hockey team every year. When you have a leader like Hoggie, you have no choice but to follow.”

To be a leader, one must have others who are willing to follow, and there is no greater responsibility in hockey than being the team captain and convincing guys with different personalities, different backgrounds and different skills to sacrifice themselves for the good of the unit.

Hoggan, of course, led the Griffins to their only Calder Cup championship in 2013, but he was following the same philosophy and moral code that has driven every team captain, starting with Don McSween, who served as the club’s first captain during the inaugural season in 1996-97.

McSween, who first became a captain as a sophomore at Michigan State University, was a 32-year-old veteran defenseman when he came to Grand Rapids after seeing

spotty action in the NHL “(Don McSween) was a real have to be willing to serve with the Buffalo Sabres and others.” genuine guy who set a good Although he didn’t Anaheim Mighty Ducks. fully grasp the import To his teammates, example by caring about McSween was a wellof his appointment back everybody on the team more then, McSween now respected leader who put others ahead of himself. treasures his moment in than he did himself.” the organization’s history.

“He was exactly what “When I look back at my you want in a captain,” – Danton Cole time with the Griffins, I’m said Travis Richards, a really pleased and honored that I was chosen to be member of that first Griffins team and a player the first captain,” he said. who would later become a captain himself. “We all Twenty years ago, the Griffins were not affiliated had the utmost respect for him. He was quiet, but with any NHL club, so the team pulled talent from he played hard. He was a true professional. many different organizations, which made the job “He was outstanding,” said Danton Cole, who of being team captain just a little more challenging. joined the Griffins midway through the first s “There were no incumbent players as is usually eason but had played with McSween at MSU. “He the case,” McSween said. “We were all coming was a real genuine guy who set a good example by from different places so we had to jell quickly in caring about everybody on the team more than he order for us to play as a team. We had our rough did himself.” spots, but by the end of the year, we came together A selfless attitude is often a hallmark of a strong pretty well.” captain. “When you’re captain, it’s about putting As the second-oldest player on a veteran-laden your teammates above yourself,” McSween said. team, McSween was responsible for establishing “It’s almost biblical: he who will be first will be last. the tone for the rest.

If you want to be recognized as a team leader, you Don McSween

34 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Photo Credit: Tom Sorensen

Danton Cole player to make sacrifices for the betterment of the “When you wear the ‘C,’ it’s a badge of honor team, a responsibility that hopefully will be shared and a nice recognition of your position on the by the rest of the players. team, but it also bears a lot of responsibility,” “As captain you have to be cognizant of what McSween said. “You can’t really fly under the radar because wearing the ‘C’ makes you a marked man.” you’re doing at all times,” Cole said. “If you are going to ask other guys to work hard, sacrifice McSween did his best to lead by example. or assume a role on the team that they’re not “Eighty games is a long season,” he said. “It comfortable with, you certainly have to be willing might be a Tuesday night in San Antonio, it’s game to do those things yourself.”

56, and you’re kind of beat up and it’s the second Many of the men who have served as Griffins game in two nights, or third in four nights, and captains have been on the more reserved side, even though you’re a little weary, you can’t take but Cole was a little more fiery than the others, the night off. You have to make sure that you’re according to teammate Richards. pushing hard, you’re leading by example.

“Danton was more boisterous, but he backed “If you’re not leading by example, your words it up,” Richards said. “He played hard and he become pretty hollow, and it doesn’t do you any expected you to do the same, and if you didn’t, good to be piping up on the bench or speaking out in the locker room. Nobody is going to listen to the he let you know. You can challenge other guys if you’re doing it yourself, words of someone who “(Danton Cole) played hard and he always did.” isn’t putting it all out on Cole won a Stanley the line.” and he expected you to do Cole, who served Cup with the New Jersey the same, and if you didn’t, Devils two seasons before as the Griffins’ captain joining the Griffins, an during the 1998-99 season he let you know.” accomplishment that following Kerry Huffman, would certainly have said the role requires a – Travis Richards Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

35

Travis Richards

earned players’ respect if Cole hadn’t also been one of the team’s hardest workers. That attribute came naturally to Cole, who had more drive and determination than most.

“When you’re a player put into a leadership position, you don’t really need to change,” Cole said. “You just need to stay true to yourself.”

That philosophy was certainly embraced by Richards, whose low-key personality served the team well when he was team captain for three seasons (2001-04) following Ed Patterson.

“To me, it’s what you do on the ice that matters,” he said. “I don’t really care if you talk in the locker room or if you’re the funny guy; to me it’s how you handle yourself in the game.

If you’re the guy working hardest in practice, everyone has to follow. Because how can they not? You set the tone for everything.”

Richards played 10 seasons with the team before the organization retired his number in 2006.

Griffins head coach Todd Nelson, who played with Richards during four different seasons (1996-98, 1999-2000, 2001-02), thinks his one-time defensive partner made an excellent captain because of qualities that went beyond the way he played.

“(Travis Richards) was not only a steady, consistent hockey player, but he also was a leader and a glue-guy in the room.”

– Todd Nelson

36 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

“I think the reason that Richie had such a long tenure here was not only was he a steady, consistent hockey player, but he also was a leader and a glue-guy in the room. He had great character and a lot of players looked up to him.

There’s a reason that only one jersey is hanging in the rafters.”

Richards suggests that he may have worn the ‘C’ but it was really NHL veteran Derek King who ran the team for two of his three seasons as captain. King, who came to the Griffins after 830 games with the New York Islanders, Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues, scoffed at the notion.

“That’s just Travis being Travis, wanting to stay under the radar and not taking all the

credit,” King said. “If people respected me, they respected him just as much. I know I respected him and I definitely looked at him as a leader.

Everybody followed his footsteps in the way he worked. He was definitely a big part of the franchise.”

If there was one player that Richards looked up to as a great leader, it was the player known as The Captain, Steve Yzerman, the longtime Red Wings favorite.

“The captain I admired and watched was Steve Yzerman,” Richards said. “I think he was kind of a quiet guy, but he would block a shot with his face and then he would go score a goal. He backchecked harder than anyone and he just did all the right things.”

Cole played with Scott Stevens, the rock-solid defenseman who built his reputation in New Jersey after playing in Washington and St. Louis.

Like Yzerman, Stevens was another quieter captain who led by example. “But he also knew the right time to step up his presence in the room and say something,” Cole said.

Of course, both Yzerman and Stevens were Hall of Fame players. Most captains are not. Many times they are overachievers – like the Griffins’ Matt Ellis, who served as team captain during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

Matt Ellis

“In terms of his work ethic and approach to the game, Matt (Ellis) was a pro from the first day.”

– Danton Cole Ellis worked his way up from the ECHL and overcame the odds to become captain. When he first joined the Griffins, some scouts said he lacked the talent to ever play in the NHL. Ellis eventually played more than 350 games with the Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres.

Cole, who coached Ellis during his first two seasons in Grand Rapids, said he wasn’t surprised when Ellis was named captain a couple of years later.

“Matt had all the qualities,” Cole said. “In terms of his work ethic and approach to the game, Matt was a pro from the first day. You don’t always see it in a young player, but he embodied a lot of what you would want in a young man. He wasn’t

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

37

Jeff Hoggan

going to be discouraged, he was going to keep working, and he kept getting better and better.

You look for guys with that determination because it is contagious.”

It’s that drive that distinguishes the best captains, and the Griffins have had no better captain than Hoggan.

“The thing that makes Hoggie really special is his competitiveness,” Blashill said. “We saw that every year in the playoffs. Every time we needed to raise our competitive level, whether it was being down two games to none against Toronto last year or going to Syracuse for Game 1 of the finals in 2013, Hoggie’s competitiveness is so high, the rest of the team just follows.”

“When you have a leader like (Jeff Hoggan), you have no choice but to follow.”

– Jeff Blashill

38 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Hoggan said he has taken cues from some of the captains that he has encountered during his career, now in its 15th season.

“I’ve been fortunate to watch captains like Shane Doan, Dallas Drake and Zdeno Chara, as well as other guys who guided me when I was younger,” he said. “I was able to watch them in terms of the things that contribute to a working dressing room. I think making everyone feel a part of the team is key. I’ve learned that you’ve got to respect that every guy is different, but you try to connect them to the unit as much as you can.”

For Hoggan, being a good captain doesn’t happen overnight. “Becoming a captain is one thing, but becoming an even better captain is a growth process,” he said.

And it never stops. Now, at age 37, Hoggan is making sure that he does all the right things more than ever.

“As the old guy, all eyes are on you,” he said. “Even management looks at your birth certificate, so there’s a little bit of having to prove your worth and that you can still do it.

You want the younger guys to notice that you’re not just the old guy, that you’re still capable of competing just as hard as anyone. That’s what I take pride in doing.”

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2015

2016

11

ANDREAS ATHANASIOU Forward 6-2, 200 lbs.

Born: 8/6/94 London, Ont.

45

22

LOUIS-MARC AUBRY Forward 6-4, 212 lbs.

Born: 11/11/91 Arthabaska, Que.

31 COLIN CAMPBELL

49

Forward 6-0, 200 lbs.

Born: 10/5/93 Pelhrimov, Czech Republic 40 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Defenseman 6-0, 201 lbs.

Born: 3/17/88 Toronto, Ont.

10 TRISTON GRANT

Forward 6-1, 221 lbs.

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MITCH CALLAHAN Forward 6-0, 195 lbs.

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2 MATT CORRENTE

Goaltender 6-6, 220 lbs.

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23 MARTIN FRK

TYLER BERTUZZI Forward 6-1, 190 lbs.

Born: 2/24/95 Sudbury, Ont.

JARED COREAU

Forward 6-1, 205 lbs.

Born: 4/17/91 Toronto, Ont.

27

39

SCOTT CZARNOWCZAN Defenseman 5-11, 183 lbs.

Born: 5/29/91 Macomb, Mich.

14 JEFF HOGGAN Forward 6-1, 190 lbs.

Born: 2/1/78 Hope, B.C.

NICK JENSEN

Defenseman 6-0, 195 lbs.

Born: 9/21/90 Minneapolis, Minn.

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BRIAN LASHOFF

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Defenseman 6-3, 221 lbs.

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

21

ANTHONY MANTHA Forward 6-5, 204 lbs.

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37 ZACH NASTASIUK

Forward 5-8, 175 lbs.

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Forward 6-2, 202 lbs.

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4 XAVIER OUELLET

Defenseman 6-0, 200 lbs.

Born: 7/29/93 Bayonne, France

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Born: 1/13/93 Mississauga, Ont.

Defenseman 6-5, 228 lbs.

Born: 7/1/93 Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic

TOMAS NOSEK

Forward 6-2, 210 lbs.

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5 ROBBIE RUSSO

Forward 6-4, 220 lbs.

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JOEL RECHLICZ

Defenseman 6-1, 195 lbs.

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TOM MCCOLLUM

19

RICHARD NEDOMLEL

44

ERIC TANGRADI

30

Defenseman 6-2, 212 lbs.

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NATHAN PAETSCH

26 RYAN SPROUL

ALEXEY MARCHENKO

42

ANDY MIELE

16

3

Defenseman 6-0, 195 lbs.

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9 MAREK TVRDON Forward 6-2, 217 lbs.

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MARK ZENGERLE Forward 5-10, 185 lbs.

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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

41

LIVING THE DREAM Tyler Bertuzzi is thrilled to be playing professional hockey, but you can bet he won’t sleep until he reaches the next level by earning a job with the Detroit Red Wings.

42 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Story and photos

by Mark Newman

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

43

Tyler Bertuzzi is loving every minute. His grin is as wide as McCharles Lake is long.

There are 330 lakes within the city limits of his hometown, Greater Sudbury in northern Ontario, but there is only one – McCharles Lake, where his family still lives – that gave birth to Bertuzzi’s dream of someday playing professional hockey.

As an avid fisherman, Bertuzzi has spent countless hours on the lake, fishing for bass. But it’s the countless hours skating, stickhandling around real and imaginary defenders, and firing thousands of pucks into the net that have made all the difference in overcoming the odds and making his dream a reality.

Now in his first full season in Grand Rapids, he is looking to build his resume in hopes of someday earning a job in Detroit, where his uncle Todd Bertuzzi toiled for the better part of six seasons late in his career after he had established himself as one of the game’s top power forwards.

It’s been Tyler’s dream for as long as he can remember.

He started skating when he was four, playing throughout his childhood on the outdoor rinks of his hometown. He was undeterred by sub-zero winter temperatures that are all too common to an area upwind of the chilly waters of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay.

44 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

rd Todd Bertuzzi.

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Bertuzzi is the neph

In 14 Calder Cup Playoff games a year ago, Bertuzzi tallied seven goals, including an AHL-high four game-winners.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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Nothing – not even strep throat or bumps and bruises – could stop the little engine that could. Often one of the smallest players on the ice, Bertuzzi warmed to the words of wisdom imparted by his coach, the man he called “papa” – Albert Bertuzzi, a tough, windowwashing Italian-American who was only too happy to make sure his grandson followed in his formidable footsteps. Little Tyler wasn’t going to be afraid of anyone or anything.

“I loved going to practice every night and games even more,” Tyler said. “I’d be the first one on and the last one off. We had practice three times a week, and in between I’d be playing road hockey or be out on the lake practicing all the time.”

His NHL dreams blossomed with occasional trips to Vancouver to watch his uncle play.

“When I was young, I would go see him a couple of times a year,” he recalled. “He was a big deal then. I remember skating with him on the ice and getting to meet guys like (Mark) Messier and (Eric) Lindros. Just being able to grow up and have him behind me, tell me what it is like to go through it all, was a big help.”

By his own admission, Bertuzzi was an

average student at best. He’d rather hit an opponent on the ice than hit the books. “I liked fooling around,” he said. “It seemed like I was always getting into trouble for doing something.”

Frankly, he was a ball of energy. Sitting still in a classroom was not his idea of fun. Playing hockey morning, noon and night was. “My goal was to play hockey, so I guess I let school slide a little bit,” said Bertuzzi, who played minor midget hockey in Sudbury before he was drafted by the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League in anticipation of the 2011-12 season.

Guelph just happened to be the same city where his uncle had played his junior hockey.

“When I was drafted by Guelph, it was a big day for me,” Bertuzzi said. “I knew my uncle had played there, but I didn’t know all the history and what he had done there. He called me and told me it was a great organization and that it would be awesome for me.”

An underdog to make the team as a 16-yearold, Bertuzzi scored six goals with 11 assists in 61 games during his first junior season in Guelph. He also had 18 fighting majors, underscoring his reputation as an agitator who

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was willing to forecheck hard or drop the gloves when necessary. Bertuzzi, according to Gueph general manager Mike Kelly, was fearless, describing him as having “the heart of a lion.”

During his second season in Guelph, Bertuzzi missed more than two months after suffering a neck injury with concussion-like symptoms.

The injury slowed his progress, but not his drive or determination. Bertuzzi was ranked 207th among North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings.

Many observers were surprised when the Red Wings selected Bertuzzi in the second round (58th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. “I think it surprised me more than anyone,” said Bertuzzi, who stayed home because he wasn’t sure anyone would take him. “But I knew I had it in me to prove everyone wrong.”

Being chosen by the Red Wings was simply icing on the cake. “It was an honor to be selected by them in the second round,” he said, noting that “there is a lot of history there.”

Again, Uncle Todd called to congratulate his nephew (Todd and Tyler’s mom, Angela, are siblings). “He gave me the inside (scoop) on everything,” Bertuzzi said. “He told me things

like ‘Don’t be late. Always be respectful. Say thank you, yes please,’ all those little things that I already knew but needed to be reminded about.

I took what he told me to heart.”

Bertuzzi got off to a fast start for eventual OHL champion Guelph in his third season before he was sidelined with the same head and neck issues that shortened his 2012-13 season.

He returned for the playoffs, scoring 10 goals with seven assists in 18 games, including five goals in four Memorial Cup games.

The injuries began to take a toll on Bertuzzi’s psyche.

“My skills kept evolving and, due to injuries, I stopped fighting,” he said. “I’ll still fight here and there, lay the big hit or block shots, but I had to change my game. I didn’t want to get hurt anymore, so I just focused a lot on my skill and how to contribute offensively, and it paid off.”

Bertuzzi had a breakout season a year ago, starting with his final season in Guelph and finishing in Grand Rapids, where he joined the Griffins right before the Calder Cup Playoffs.

He recorded 98 points (43 goals and 55 assists) in 68 games with the Storm, then tallied seven goals in 14 games with the Griffins.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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Bertuzzi scored 43 goals during the 2014-15 regular season, his final year with the Guelph Storm.

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Four of his playoff goals were game-winners, underscoring then-Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill’s contention that Bertuzzi was a playofftype player. “He’s hard on the puck, he goes to the net hard and he is good in front of the goalie,” Blashill said. “He is a guy who can really complement a couple of skilled players because he’s got a real high offensive ability.”

Bertuzzi draws comparisons to Abdelkader, another player with high-level offensive ability who is willing to work in the hard areas of the ice.

For his part, Bertuzzi won’t object to such comparisons. “I think I can be a good playoff performer because I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win,” he said. “It’s about blocking shots, getting the puck out when you have to, forechecking hard. You do all the little things you need to do to win. I felt like I was a contributor offensively, but I think my game is going to get better.”

He is quick to give credit to his playoff linemates, Andy Miele and Mark Zengerle, for giving him opportunities to display his playmaking abilities. “Coming up, I didn’t know

what to expect,” he said. “I was hoping to play a few games, maybe play a fourth line role, and there I was on the first line, playing with Miele and Zengerle, scoring goals and making assists and doing everything I could to help us win.”

After a short two-week break to vacation in Cuba with his girlfriend, Bertuzzi got back to business this summer. He worked with his father, Adrian Gedye, on sprints and squats to strengthen his lower body. “My dad was a swimmer and triathlete who never played (hockey), but he understands the game. We worked a lot on foot speed this summer.” Of course, they also found time to go fishing, along with Tyler’s younger brothers, Evan and Matthew.

At age 20, Bertuzzi might not become any taller – he’s now 6-foot-1 – but he recognizes that he still has plenty of room to grow. “I want to be a two-way forward who can contribute offensively and defensively,” he said. “I’m always going 100 percent every shift, working my butt off. I want to build on what I did last year. So far it’s been a pretty good ride.”

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As Part 1 of a season-long series celebrating the organization’s 20th anniversary, Griffiti caught up with a hat trick of former Griffins now making their marks in other professions.

50 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

DANTON COLE: ALL-AMERICAN MENTOR

As a player, Danton Cole may not have been a star, but there were few who could top his intensity. That’s how the former sixth-round draft pick parlayed modest skills into a 10-year pro career that included 318 NHL games and a Stanley Cup with the 1995 New Jersey Devils.

When Cole entered the coaching ranks, first as an assistant with the Grand Rapids Griffins (1999-01) and later as a head coach of the Muskegon Fury (2001-02) and Griffins (200205), he brought the same passion for the game that made him excel as a player.

After a year as an assistant coach at Bowling Green State University, Cole spent three seasons (2007-10) as the head coach of the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, the only NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey program located in the South, where he shared his enthusiasm with college players eager to improve.

Cole got his first international coaching opportunity when he served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. “I had been a member of three US. Men’s National Teams (1990, 1991, 1994), but coaching at that level was a new experience,” said Cole, who was “intrigued” by the prospect of coaching teenagers full-time. “I really liked the experience.”

When Alabama-Huntsville found itself without a conference following the 2009-10

season, he began to consider pursuing a larger role with USA Hockey. “The more I explored, the more I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to work with some great kids and a great organization like USA Hockey,” he said.

Cole is now in his sixth season as a head coach within USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP). He is guiding the U.S. National Under-18 Team in 2015-16 and was recently named an assistant coach for the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland.

“It’s a fun place to coach,” Cole said. “We get to coach against teams from junior hockey and college as well as international teams. The kids are outstanding. Their level of talent and abilities make the job a lot of fun, and it’s neat to see how much they grow and move forward in two years.”

Cole has led the Under-18 Team to a pair of gold medals at the IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship (2012, 2014), in addition to five other first-place finishes in international competition.

Launched in 1996 as a revolutionary new initiative, the NTDP is a full-time development program that is designed to prepare student athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers.

Along with Don Granato, the other head coach in the program, Cole is responsible for developing the future stars of USA Hockey, making sure that the young men in the program excel not only during high-caliber participation on the ice but also in becoming well-rounded individuals off the ice. While enrolled in the NTDP, most players stay with billet families and attend Pioneer High School.

“The program is all-inclusive,” Cole said.

“These are young men who are very moldable, so we spend an incredible amount of time on things beyond hockey. Whether it’s a leadership class, life skills or just the experience of traveling internationally, it’s important that they understand the message that we convey as mentors, coaches and leaders.”

Since the NTDP’s inception, the U.S. has won the gold medal at the IIHF World Men’s Under-18 Championship nine times, winning Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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with a roster comprised primarily of NTDP players. Cole said 16 players from his first U.S. National team have signed NHL contracts.

“Recognizing their age and maturity, we do things as close to NHL-level as possible,” Cole said. “The program functions as a front porch for USA Hockey, and I think it’s done a good job of preparing players to represent the U.S. in various tournaments.”

An example of a recent graduate of the NTDP is Dylan Larkin, the highly touted prospect who was selected in the first round (15th overall) by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2014 NHL Draft and who showed signs of future greatness during the Griffins’ Calder Cup playoff run last season.

“If you talk to anyone around the program, you will hear that everyone has a lot of respect for Dylan, just because of the way he approached things here, how hard he worked and how much better he got, which is a tribute to the time he put in here,” Cole said of Larkin, who spent two years in the program before his freshman year at the University of Michigan.

Cole is looking forward to his participation in the 2016 World Junior Championship tournament. He got his first look at the potential team during a camp in August. The group will reconvene in mid-December and stick together until the end of the tournament in early January.

“I’ve been through it a few times and things go fast,” he said. “You have to take care of the game you’re playing. In a way, it’s like the NCAA basketball tournament. You survive and move on. If things go wrong, it can get away from you rather quickly.”

Seeing many of his past players compete on a world stage should be an eye-opening experience.

“You find out a lot about them during the course of a tournament,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure on these young men. You never know until you get there, but I think we have a good group. It certainly should be fun.”

Cole is looking forward to serving as an assistant coach with Chris Chelios under head coach Ron Wilson. In the past, Cole has crossed coaching paths with a number of former Griffins, including John Gruden and Kelly Miller. Jake Visser, who was the assistant equipment manager in Grand Rapids for three seasons (2007-10), is in his fifth year with NTDP. 52 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

“It’s amazing how many guys I see who I either played with or against or coached,” Cole said.

“It’s great to see so many guys continuing in the hockey business.”

Based in Ann Arbor since its inception in 1996, the program moved into the old Compuware Arena in Plymouth this fall. The facility, which has been renamed USA Hockey Arena, is being renovated with new locker rooms, a weight room and offices in the works.

After moving more times than he can count due to all the places he played and coached, Cole has been happy to stay in one place with his wife, Debbie, and their three daughters, Ashton, Madeleine and Payton.

With his youngest daughter now a junior in high school, though, Cole admits that he has begun to think about his future, whether it’s staying with USA Hockey or moving to a new opportunity in the pros or college ranks.

“I love where I’m at, so there’s no hurry,” Cole said. “The people here are outstanding. They give us the tools and the freedom to do the job we’re tasked with, which is developing and molding these kids into good hockey players and fine young men. As a coach, it’s all you can ask for.” — Mark Newman JED FIEBELKORN: FLY FISHING EXPERT Jed Fiebelkorn grew up in Minnesota, the so-called “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” For a boy who grew up to love hockey and fishing, there could hardly have been a more perfect place.

“My dad was a big fisherman,” he recalled. “I got a fly rod when I was fairly young and didn’t know much about fly fishing, but we spent summers at a cabin near the boundary waters of Lake Superior and the Gunflint Trail, and it was there that I got my first taste of trout.”

Northern Minnesota was the type of place that could make an avid outdoorsman out of almost anyone. “It was pretty, rugged, remote, off the grid,” said Fiebelkorn, noting that his grandfather had bought the cabin from a trapper. “No power, no water, but a wild and amazing place for a kid to discover the outdoors.”

Fiebelkorn would grow up and play hockey at the University of Minnesota, where Travis Richards was his teammate for two seasons.

Richards, of course, would eventually play 655 games in a Griffins uniform, or 650 more than the number that Fiebelkorn played during his one season (1998-99) in Grand Rapids.

It was just long enough to make an impression on Fiebelkorn, who played professionally for five seasons until a knee injury prematurely ended his career. He remembers the city as being “a super cool town.”

“The thing I remember most about Grand Rapids was the environment there,” said Fiebekkorn, recalling that he joined the Griffins right before the holidays that winter. “It was just a warm, inviting place to play.”

He recalled that the city was hit by a huge snowstorm during his stay, which might not seem that memorable for a Minnesota native, except Fiebelkorn joined the Griffins from the ECHL expansion team in South Florida known as the Miami Matadors.

Actually, Fiebelkorn was already familiar with West Michigan, having played the previous season in Kalamazoo for the Michigan K-Wings.

His teammates there included a pair of future Griffins: Aris Brimanis and John Emmons.

Following his brief stint in Grand Rapids, Fiebelkorn decided to go to Germany to play, but he appeared in only 22 games before he wrecked his knee. “I figured I was going to play a few more years in Europe, but when my career ended, I had to figure out what was next.”

Having studied psychology as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, Fiebelkorn figured he would pursue sports psychology. “I was drawn to the mental side of

performing and when I looked at schools with programs, there was the University of Montana,” he said.

The idea of attending graduate school in Big Sky Country was just too good for Fiebelkorn to pass up.

He had become acquainted with the West after an uncle and cousin moved to Colorado when he was a boy. “As I got older, my cousin started fly fishing for trout in the rivers out there, so I started visiting him regularly,” he said. “I began to venture out to places like the Green River in Utah and, eventually, to the famed rivers of Montana.”

In Montana, Fiebelkorn saw a unique opportunity.

“I knew the guiding game a bit from my cousin, so I figured I could run a few trips and make a few extra bucks while I was going to graduate school,” he said. “My wife (Shannon) loved the area, too, so when I finished my master’s degree, we just decided to stay.”

And thus, Endless Drift Outfitters was born.

Fiebelkorn has been a full-time guide in western Montana for the better part of a decade, taking anglers of all types – “from raw beginners to people who have fished all over the world” – to his adopted state’s blue ribbon trout streams, including the Blackfoot River, Bitterroot River, Clark Fork River, the Missouri and Rock Creek.

A few years ago, Fiebelkorn was approached to host a fly fishing show for television. He co-hosted an instructional show called “Fly Fisherman” for two seasons, then hosted another show, “Trout Unlimited: On The Rise,” on his own for two more.

“I was never the guy who loved the camera or the spotlight, but when they flipped on the camera, I didn’t have much of a problem with it,” he said. “I think it’s because the teaching aspect came naturally to me. I just did my thing and it worked out.”

Fiebelkorn loves sharing his passion for the sport of fly fishing. In fact, he teaches two courses on the fundamentals of fly fishing at the University of Montana.

“One of my passions is to fish new water, and you can always fish different species, different areas and different parts of the world. You’re constantly learning new intricacies of rivers and bug life and hatches. One thing that I truly love about the sport is that you can continue to learn Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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and get better. It’s a lifelong endeavor.”

The television shows allowed Fiebelkorn to travel to some of the world’s most beautiful fly fishing destinations, even going as far as the Patagonia region of Chile. Cuba, Mongolia and Kamchatka are a few of the places still on his bucket list.

“I’m keeping my eyes open for new projects,” he said. “If the opportunity arises and I can tie hosting together with writing and field producing, I would definitely be interested.”

He’s hoping to grow his outfitting business beyond the borders of Montana. He has hosted several trips to the Florida Keys, where his wife’s family spends a lot of time, and he’s trying to develop trips to the Bahamas and Alaska. “There’s an adage that trout don’t live in ugly places; they live in beautiful places. And the sport of fly CHRIS BALA: BOARDING SCHOOL AMBASSADOR Chris Bala has good memories of playing for the Griffins.

“I look back very fondly on Grand Rapids because it was my first season as a pro,” said Bala, a second-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators who made his pro debut with the Griffins during the 2001-02 season after graduating from Harvard University.

“I was a wide-eyed kid, naive as could be,” Bala said, noting he was one of the few rookies on a team filled with veterans like Kip Miller, Travis Richards, John Gruden and James Black, all of whom were age 31 or older. “To be honest, I had no clue, no sense of what was up from down.”

Bala remembers a moment early in his first season where head coach Bruce “Butch” Cassidy scheduled an optional skate after a couple of rough games.

“I took him at his word; to me, optional meant optional. I thought, ‘This is pretty cool,’” Bala recalled. “So I slept in the next morning, had breakfast and when I showed up at 5 o’clock for the next day’s game, I immediately knew something was wrong.

“I found out I was the only one not to go.

Everybody had been there. I wasn’t trying to be a big wheel or do anything of the sort. In my mind, 54 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

fishing takes you to amazingly beautiful places.”

In the meantime, he’s content spending more time with his two boys, Oden, 8, and Hatcher, 5.

“I’ve introduced them to the outdoors, and we’ve obviously spent a lot of time on the rivers, the streams and the wilderness of Montana,” he said. “I’m just trying to get them out there and allowing them to have fun. They’re not doublehauling 100 feet of line yet, but they’re on their way to becoming fly fishermen.”

Fiebelkorn misses playing hockey and the joys of being on a team, but he has no regrets.

“I’m doing exactly what I always wanted to do,” he said. “I’m not making millions and millions of dollars, but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else anywhere else. It’s all about the lifestyle and Montana is it for me.”— Mark Newman

I took the ‘option’ and in a veteran-laden room, you can imagine, it didn’t go over very well. The guys gave me some serious heat.”

Bala remembers having a sit-down with Cassidy around Thanksgiving that season, a “hey kid, when are you going to figure it out” meeting that may have been his awakening, along with the opportunity to play on the same line with Miller.

Blessed with speed, Bala blossomed under Miller’s wing, scoring 21 goals that season, which tied for second-best on the team next to the 22 tallied by Petr Schastlivy.

“When I look back, the success I had in Grand Rapids might not have been the best thing for me,” he said. “I think I might have gotten pigeonholed as a scorer, and I’m not totally positive that was the best label to bear.”

Bala played six NHL games with the Senators during his rookie campaign, but he spent all of the next season in Binghamton when Ottawa moved its affiliation to upstate New York and the Griffins began their affiliation with the Detroit Red Wings.

He eventually was dealt to the Minnesota Wild and played for Todd McLellan in Houston before bouncing around the AHL for a couple of years with Hershey and Milwaukee. He finished his career with the ECHL’s Reading Royals in 2009.

Once he qualified as a veteran, Bala knew his days were numbered. Not wanting to pursue playing in Europe, he decided to call it a career rather than play out the string.

“I probably could have played a couple of more years, but I walked away from the game on my own volition,” Bala said. “It was not an easy decision but one that I remain comfortable with to this day. I have no regrets.”

Bala considered pursuing a job on Wall Street but decided the financial world was not his thing.

He eventually found his way back to The Hill, the private boarding school in Pennsylvania he had once attended.

Today, Bala is the school’s associate director of admissions and director of financial aid, as well as its hockey coach.

“I don’t mean to be corny or cliche, but my time at Hill changed my life,” said Bala, who joined The Hill staff in 2007 and lives in a dormitory on campus with his wife Katie, an elementary school teacher, and their three children, Joshua, 9; Jackson, 7; and Gianna, 3.

Bala decided to attend Hill after he was selected at age 17 to play for a U.S. National Team at a tournament in Japan.

“Colleges started calling and because I had decent grades and scores, there was some Ivy League interest,” Bala said. “At that time, prep schools were seen as a yellow brick road to college, and I was drawn to The Hill by their coach.”

John Micheletto, now coaching at UMassAmherst after stints at Vermont, Notre Dame and Union College, was considered one of the best young coaches in the prep ranks. “Nothing against my high school at the time, but I figured if I was going to end up matriculating at an Ivy League institution or a good college, I wanted a different setting.”

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Academics aside, Hill helped Bala with his confidence. He served as class president before heading to Harvard where he earned a B.A. in government.

“I felt like I became a different person,” Bala said. “A school like ours places so much responsibility on kids that they’re forced in a good way to step up and be accountable to high expectations. We talk about positive peer pressure, and I very much got swept up in the rising tide. My experience at Hill was crucial to who I became.

“It was a really special two years of my life.”

Founded in 1851, The Hill School offers a liberal arts curriculum that challenges its students to “work hard; think and reason; be fulfilled; serve the common good; and be prepared to lead as citizens of the world.” Patrick Rissmiller, who played for the Griffins during the 2009-10 season, also went to Hill before attending Holy Cross College.

Although Hill was an all-boys school when Bala attended, it is now co-ed with 502 students from 28 states and 27 countries. “We want our students to become critical thinkers, so we still

stress the written word and the importance of becoming effective communicators,” Bala said.

To combat the image of the ivory tower of some boarding schools, he notes that the admission office makes a concerted effort to address socio-economic diversity. It helps that the school is located in the middle of bluecollar Pottstown and offers community service initiatives.

“We’re not a school with 500 kids with straight A’s, and not all of our kids come from families who can afford $55,000 for tuition,” said Bala, noting that 40 percent of the student body receive some sort of financial aid.

The Hill School has been a great place for Bala and his wife to raise their three kids. Both boys play hockey, and Bala has a constant reminder of his time in Grand Rapids. A framed photo of Van Andel Arena hangs over his older son’s bed.

“In some ways, my job is 24/7. There’s no line between my personal and professional life, but I have the ability to have a career and be a full-time dad and husband at the same time,” Bala said. “At the end of the day, I really love what I do.”

— Mark Newman

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57

RECORD BOOK AND LEADERS (Entering 2015-16 Season)

GAMES PLAYED

GOALS

ASSISTS

ALL-TIME: ACTIVE LEADER: SINGLE-SEASON: 2014-15:

Travis Richards....................... 655 Mitch Callahan (18th)............ 237 5 players tied......................... *82 Jeff Hoggan/Kevin Porter....... *76

Michel Picard............................158 Mitch Callahan (15th).................59 Donald MacLean (2005-06)......*56 Teemu Pulkkinen......................*34

Michel Picard.................................. 222 Nathan Paetsch (T12th).................... 84 Jiri Hudler (2005-06)........................ 60 Andy Miele....................................... 44

Michel Picard

Travis Richards

Darryl Bootland

POINTS

PLUS/MINUS

PENALTY MINUTES

ALL-TIME: ACTIVE LEADER: SINGLE-SEASON: 2014-15:

Michel Picard......................... 380 Mitch Callahan (22nd)........... 111 Michel Picard (1996-97)........ 101 Andy Miele.............................. 70

Travis Richards...................... +131 Nathan Paetsch (6th).............. +55 Ivan Ciernik (2000-01)...........*+41 Nick Jensen/Tomas Nosek......*+30

Darryl Bootland............................1,164 Triston Grant (17th)........................ 299 Darryl Bootland (2005-06)............. 390 Chris Bruton................................... 124

GOALIE GAMES PLAYED

GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE

ALL-TIME: ACTIVE LEADER: SINGLE-SEASON:

Joey MacDonald..................... 210 Martin Prusek..........................1.83 Tom McCollum (2nd)............. 196 Jared Coreau (8th)....................2.46 Joey MacDonald (2004-05).... *66 Martin Prusek (2001-02)........*1.83

2014-15: Tom McCollum......................... 37 Jared Coreau............................2.20

Martin Prusek

Tom McCollum

WINS

Joey MacDonald............................. 109 Tom McCollum (3rd)......................... 88 Joey MacDonald (2004-05).............. 34 Mike Fountain (2000-01).................*34 Tom McCollum.................................. 19

Joey MacDonald

SHUTOUTS

SAVES

SAVE PERCENTAGE

ALL-TIME: ACTIVE LEADER: SINGLE-SEASON: 2014-15:

Joey MacDonald....................... 20 Tom McCollum (T6th)................ 6 5 players tied............................. 6 Jared Coreau/Petr Mrazek.......... 3

Joey MacDonald.....................5,362 Tom McCollum (3rd)...............4,835 Joey MacDonald (2004-05)....1,785 Tom McCollum..........................949

Martin Prusek...............................0.930 Jared Coreau (T5th)......................0.919 Joey MacDonald (2003-04)..........0.936 Jared Coreau.................................0.927

* Led League

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

59

The majority of teams are taking a fresh approach into the American Hockey League’s 80th season.

60 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

The new jersey/logo introduction came almost exactly two months after the Griffins held a press conference at Van Andel Arena to welcome Todd Nelson as the team’s new head coach.

improve. This year, as we underwent this process heading into our 20th season, we looked at ways to modernize our logo,” said Griffins president Tim Gortsema. “While the traditional and original Griff has been and always will be a storied part of our team’s history, we desired a fiercer incarnation that also incorporates our amazing city’s skyline.

“Just as Griff protects our city on this striking new jersey, our hockey team must do the same as we protect home ice, assisted by the loudest and most supportive fans in the American Hockey League,” added Gortsema.

In addition to a redesigned crest, the jersey added black to the team’s color scheme for the first time. The Griffins’ CCM home jerseys are predominantly white, accentuated by black shoulders, striping and numbers, along with silver and red trim and a reverse-color

After being fired by Edmonton last season, San Diego’s Dallas Eakins was succeeded by Todd Nelson, who served as the Oilers’ interim head coach for their final 51 games.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Photo: Getty Images

It’s no exaggeration to say that fans will need a scorecard, if not a spreadsheet, to keep up with all of the changes signaled by the start of the American Hockey League’s 201516 season.

A full 19 of the 30 AHL teams are either in a new location, have a new NHL affiliate, have a new head coach and/ or new logo or jersey.

The Griffins unveiled new uniforms and their first primary logo change in the history of the franchise on Aug. 18 in anticipation of the franchise’s 20th season (see Parting Shot on page 80). The Reebokdesigned logo features Griff fiercely protecting the skyline of Grand Rapids, reinforcing the pride that the Griffins have in their city while portraying an aggressiveness that was absent from the original logo.

"Each season we review every aspect of our business and look for ways that we can

61

Lake Erie Monsters coach Jared Bednar racked up 220 penalty minutes as a member of the Griffins in 1998-99.

nameplate (white on black). The road jerseys are black with silver striping, white numbers and lettering, and silver and red trim.

Both versions have a lace neck – a first for a standard Griffins jersey – and shoulders that feature a 20th anniversary patch (left) and a Red Wings logo (right).

The new jersey/logo introduction came almost exactly two months after the Griffins held a press conference at Van Andel Arena to welcome Todd Nelson as the team’s new head coach. He replaced Jeff Blashill, who was hired by the Detroit Red Wings as their new coach. Nelson is one of 12 new head coaches in the AHL. Other new bench bosses for 2015-16 include: • Mark Morris was hired by the Carolina Hurricanes to replace Jeff Daniels as the head coach of the Charlotte Checkers.

Morris, who has 21 seasons of head coaching experience with Clarkson University (1988-2002) and at the AHL level with the Manchester Monarchs (2006-2014), is the only coach to win more than 300 games at both the collegiate and professional levels. He served as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers last 62 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

season and ranks 10th in AHL history with 338 victories.

• Former Griffins player Jared Bednar (1998-99) is the new head coach of the Lake Erie Monsters. Bednar and his assistant coaches, retired NHL veterans Nolan Pratt and Toby Petersen, take over as part of the Monsters’ new affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The coaching staff, which comes intact from the Blue Jackets' previous American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, will hope to change the Monsters’ postseason fortunes, with only one playoff appearance in the past eight seasons.

• One-time New York Islanders head coach Scott Gordon was introduced as the new head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, replacing Terry Murray, who left for an assistant coaching position with the Buffalo Sabres. Gordon, who helmed the Islanders from 2008-10, was the head coach of the AHL’s Providence Bruins from 2002-08. His teams never finished with a regular season record below .500, and his 2007-08 squad finished with the AHL’s best regular season record.

• Tom Rowe joins the Portland Pirates as the eighth head coach in franchise history, having served as the head coach of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage for the past two seasons. Rowe, who guided the Rampage to a franchise-record 45 victories and the club’s first-ever West Division title last season, previously served as the head coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. The Pirates are the new affiliate of the NHL’s Florida Panthers.

• Randy Cunneyworth is returning to the bench of the Rochester Americans this season after serving as the Buffalo Sabres’ development coach since 2014.

Cunneyworth has coached more Amerks games than anyone in franchise history.

He had a 306-273-61 record in his eight seasons from 2000-01 through 2007-08.

That included an AHL-best 51-19-6-4 record during the NHL lockout of 2004-05, when he was named American Hockey League coach of the year.

• Dean Chynoweth now coaches the San Antonio Rampage, the new affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. A former NHL defenseman and assistant coach with the New York Islanders, Chynoweth spent the past three seasons behind the bench in Cleveland with Colorado’s former top farm club, the Lake Erie Monsters.

• Dallas Eakins was named the new head

coach of the San Diego Gulls after the Anaheim Ducks moved their affiliate from Norfolk to closer quarters in California.

Eakins, who was most recently the head coach of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, piloted the AHL’s Toronto Marlies for four seasons from 2009-13, compiling a record of 157-114-15-26 in 312 contests.

• Roy Rolston is the new head coach of the Springfield Falcons, who changed their affiliation from Columbus to the Arizona Coyotes. Rolston was the head coach of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres for 51 games during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons after spending two years as the head coach of Buffalo’s AHL affiliate in Rochester.

Rolston, who previously spent seven seasons as a head coach with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, guided Rochester to back-to-back berths in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

• Sylvain Lefebvre became the head coach of the St. John’s IceCaps after the organization moved its affiliation from Winnipeg to the Montreal Canadiens. Lefebvre hopes the change of scenery will change his luck. He led the Hamilton Bulldogs to three straight losing seasons, marking first time that the Canadiens’ affiliate has missed the playoffs over three consecutive years.

• Sheldon Keefe succeeds Gord Dineen as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies after Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan

Sheldon Keefe, newly appointed coach of the Toronto Marlies, is the older brother of former Griffin Adam Keefe (2006-08; 10-11).

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

63

began remodeling the front office of the organization with his hiring of longtime Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. Dineen is staying with the organization as an associate coach to work with Keefe, the 2014-15 Canadian Hockey League coach of the year who directed the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to a franchise-record 110-point season.

• Mike Sullivan takes over the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins from John Hynes, now head coach of the New Jersey Devils.

Sullivan, who had an 11-year playing career in the NHL, brings 13 years of coaching experience at the NHL, AHL and international levels. He served two seasons as the head coach of the NHL’s Boston Bruins from 2003-06, starting at age 35, after spending two seasons with the AHL’s Providence Bruins.

In addition to the new coaches, the AHL welcomes five new California-based teams and the return of a team in Manitoba.

The previously announced Pacific Division will include the Bakersfield Condors, Ontario Reign, San Diego Gulls, San Jose Barracuda and Stockton Heat, as well as the San Antonio Rampage and Texas Stars. Curiously, the California teams will play 68 games while the rest of the league will continue to play 76. AHL

president and CEO David Andrews said travel costs and limiting the number of three games in three nights scenarios were reasons for the reduced schedule.

Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets announced last March that their AHL affiliation, which had resided with the St. John’s IceCaps, would relocate to Manitoba and return to the MTS Centre. The Moose were active from 1996 to 2011 in both the IHL and AHL — when they were the Vancouver Canucks’ affiliate — before relocating to St. John’s when the Atlanta Thrashers became the Jets. With a new team comes a new color scheme, as the team’s new blue-hued Moose logo is a modification of its original green, bronze and black motif.

Besides the Griffins and Moose, other existing AHL teams sporting new looks include the Milwaukee Admirals (a logo featuring a more fierce and determined sailor), the Portland Pirates (new uniforms that bring back the team’s original “Swash” logo), the St. John’s IceCaps (a classic-looking uniform that adopts the design of the Montreal Canadiens’ traditional jersey) and Texas Stars (updated logos and color scheme to match their NHL affiliate in Dallas).

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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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2014 AHL All-Star Alexey Marchenko Photo by Jeff Parsons/AHL

2015 AHL All-Star Teemu Pulkkinen Photo by Lindsay A. Mogle/AHL

2013 AHL All-Star Petr Mrazek Photo by Alan Sullivan/AHL

2012 AHL All-Star Gustav Nyquist

Photo by PhotoGraphics Photography/AHL

GRIFFINS ALL-STARS 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03 2003-04

2004-05 2005-06

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Jeff Nelson, Michel Picard, Pokey Reddick Ian Gordon, Kerry Huffman, Michel Picard Robert Petrovicky, Maxim Spiridonov John Gruden, Jani Hurme, Kevin Miller, Petr Schastlivy Mike Fountain, Joel Kwiatkowski, Travis Richards, Todd White, Bruce Cassidy (co-coach) Chris Bala, John Gruden, Kip Miller, Martin Prusek, Petr Schastlivy, Bruce Cassidy (head coach), Gene Reilly (asst. coach) Marc Lamothe, Mark Mowers Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall, Travis Richards, Nathan Robinson Niklas Kronwall, Joey MacDonald Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Donald MacLean Derek Meech, Kip Miller Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard Jakub Kindl, Daniel Larsson Patrick Rissmiller Ilari Filppula, Brendan Smith Gustav Nyquist Chad Billins, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist Alexey Marchenko, Jeff Blashill (head coach) Xavier Ouellet, Teemu Pulkkinen

2011 AHL All-Star Ilari Filppula

Photo by JustSports Photography/AHL

2013 AHL All-Star Chad Billins Photo by Alan Sullivan/AHL

2013 AHL All-Star Gustav Nyquist Photo by Paul Yacovone III/AHL

2010 AHL All-Star Patrick Rissmiller

Photo by Sports Action Photography/AHL

P E N A LT Y C A L L S

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

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

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

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

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

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

ROUGHING Called for engaging in fisticuffs or shoving.

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

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

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

SLASHING Striking an opposing player with the stick.

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

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

SPEARING Called for using the stick like a spear.

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

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

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

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 69

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Tickets

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ADVANCE

keep the conversation going with

@griffinshockey

Tweet your photos with #GoGRG and your posts could be displayed on the video board during the game!

Stop by the #GriffinsSocial Lounge behind Section 224 on game nights to charge your phone, connect to free wifi, see your social media posts displayed on our TV and much more!

Download the official Griffins iPhone and Android app to stay connected with the Griffins on the go!

GRIFFINS IN THE NHL

IT ALL STARTS HERE Since their inception in 1996, the Griffins have sent 147 players to the National Hockey League, 15 of whom have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. In fact, a Griffins alumnus has had his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s chalice in five of the last eight years and in seven of the last 11 seasons.

In chronological order, here are the 20 goalies and 127 skaters who have worn an NHL sweater after playing for Grand Rapids, along with the dates of their NHL debuts/returns.

1................Pavol Demitra...............................................3/17/97 STL at PHX 2................Kevyn Adams............................................. 10/1/97 TOR vs. WSH 3................Tyler Moss....................................................10/28/97 CGY vs. PIT 4................Michel Picard........................................................1/6/98 STL at SJ 5................Jeff Nelson................................................ 10/10/98 NSH vs. FLA 6................Patrick Traverse........................................10/10/98 OTT at COL 7................Mark Greig.........................................................1/7/99 PHI vs. NYI 8................Radim Bicanek..............................................2/1/99 OTT at VAN 9................Robert Petrovicky...........................................2/15/99 TB at NYI 10.............Andrei Vasilyev.............................................3/5/99 PHX vs. DET 11.............Todd Hlushko...................................................4/25/99 PIT vs. NJ 12.............Patrick Lalime...............................................10/2/99 OTT at PHI 13.............Glen Metropolit.........................................10/2/99 WSH at FLA 14.............Kevin Miller.................................................10/31/99 OTT at ATL 15.............Karel Rachunek.........................................10/31/99 OTT at ATL 16.............Erich Goldmann....................................11/11/99 OTT vs. NSH 17.............Yves Sarault................................................... 11/20/99 OTT at NJ 18.............John Gruden.............................................11/30/99 OTT vs. CHI 19.............Mike Fountain................................................12/3/99 OTT at NJ 20.............Dave Van Drunen...................................12/13/99 OTT at TOR 21.............Petr Schastlivy..................................................1/3/00 OTT vs. NJ 22.............John Emmons..............................................1/6/00 OTT vs. PHX

KEVYN ADAMS

PAVOL DEMITRA

23.............Slava Butsayev............................................1/28/00 OTT at BUF 24.............Aris Brimanis..................................................2/13/00 NYI at NYR 25.............Dieter Kochan...............................................3/28/00 TB vs. DAL 26.............Jani Hurme.........................................................4/9/00 OTT vs. TB 27.............Shane Hnidy................................................10/5/00 OTT at BOS 28.............Donald MacLean...................................10/14/00 TOR vs. OTT 29.............David Oliver................................................. 11/4/00 OTT vs. CBJ 30.............Jamie Rivers.............................................. 11/12/00 OTT at CAR 31.............Sean Gagnon............................................11/26/00 OTT at NYR 32.............Joel Bouchard..........................................11/29/00 PHX at COL 33.............Mike Crowley.............................................12/8/00 ANA at MIN 34.............Ivan Ciernik....................................................1/23/01 OTT at NYI 35.............Darren Rumble.................................................2/6/01 STL at COL 36.............Joel Kwiatkowski.......................................2/19/01 OTT at BUF 37.............Todd White....................................................2/19/01 OTT at BUF 38..........Chris Neil....................................... 10/3/01 OTT at TOR 39.............Toni Dahlman..............................................1/3/02 OTT vs. WSH 40.............Steve Martins...............................................1/11/02 OTT at FLA 41.............Kip Miller...............................................................1/17/02 NYI at SJ 42.............Jody Hull...............................................................2/4/02 OTT at TB 43.............Dmitry Afanasenkov.........................................2/6/02 TB at FLA 44.............Simon Lajeunesse............................................3/7/02 OTT at SJ

TOMAS KOPECKY

JIMMY HOWARD

JIRI HUDLER

45.............Martin Prusek.............................................3/23/02 OTT vs. ATL 46.............Chris Bala.........................................................3/27/02 OTT at NYI 47.............Neil Little..........................................................3/28/02 PHI at CAR 48.............Josh Langfeld................................................3/30/02 OTT vs. TB 49.............Gaetan Royer....................................................4/1/02 TB vs. NYR 50..........Jason Spezza..............................10/24/02 OTT at BOS 51.............Sean Avery....................................................10/29/02 DET vs. SJ 52.............Jason Doig......................................................12/3/02 WSH at PIT 53.............Jason Williams............................................12/5/02 DET at PHX 54.............Patrick Boileau........................................12/19/02 DET vs. DAL 55.............Stacy Roest.................................................2/20/03 DET vs. EDM 56.............Wade Brookbank................................... 10/9/03 NSH vs. ANA 57.............Julien Vauclair..........................................10/25/03 OTT at MTL 58..........Jiri Hudler.....................................10/29/03 DET vs. STL 59.............Curtis Joseph...........................................10/30/03 DET at NSH 60.............Darryl Bootland........................................11/8/03 DET vs. NSH 61.............Mark Mowers............................................11/19/03 DET vs. CBJ 62.............Nathan Robinson...................................11/28/03 DET vs. NYI 63.............Blake Sloan.......................................................12/4/03 DAL at LA 64..........Niklas Kronwall........................... 12/10/03 DET at BUF 65.............Ryan Barnes..............................................12/15/03 DET vs. FLA 66..........Chris Kelly........................................ 2/5/04 OTT vs. TOR 67.............Marc Lamothe...........................................2/23/04 DET at EDM 68.............Anders Myrvold........................................2/26/04 DET at CGY 69.............Mathieu Chouinard...................................2/29/04 LA at ANA 70.............Brett Lebda......................................................10/5/05 DET vs. STL 71.............Mark Eaton........................................................10/5/05 NSH vs. SJ 72.............Chris Osgood................................................10/29/05 DET at CHI 73..........Kyle Quincey.............................11/25/05 DET at ANA 74..........Jimmy Howard.............................11/28/05 DET at LA 75..........Valtteri Filppula............................12/15/05 DET at FLA 76.............Rob Collins.................................................12/17/05 NYI vs. COL 77.............Manny Legace................................................1/5/06 DET vs. STL 78.............David Gove..................................................1/31/06 CAR at MTL 79..........Tomas Kopecky.................................2/28/06 DET at SJ 80.............Alexandre Giroux.........................................3/25/06 NYR at TB 81.............Joey MacDonald..........................................10/19/06 DET at SJ 82.............Derek Meech...................................................12/7/06 DET vs. STL 83..........Matt Ellis......................................12/18/06 DET at CBJ 84.............Matt Hussey...................................................1/26/07 DET at STL 85.............Sheldon Brookbank........................................2/6/07 NSH at PIT 86.............Danny Syvret...........................................2/27/07 EDM vs. PHX 87.............Mark Hartigan............................................ 11/29/07 DET vs. TB 88.............Drew MacIntyre...........................................12/13/07 VAN at SJ 89.............Peter Vandermeer..................................2/10/08 PHX vs. NSH 90..........Jonathan Ericsson....................... 2/22/08 DET at CGY 91.............Garrett Stafford.......................................... 2/23/08 DET at VAN 92..........Darren Helm................................. 3/13/08 DET vs. DAL 93.............Mattias Ritola.............................................3/15/08 DET vs. NSH 94.............Clay Wilson....................................................3/25/08 CBJ at NSH 95.............Darren McCarty............................................3/28/08 DET vs. STL 96.............Krys Kolanos...................................................11/4/0x8 MIN at SJ 97.............Landon Wilson......................................11/22/08 DAL vs. ANA 98.............Bryan Helmer........................................ 11/28/08 WSH vs. MTL 99.............Chris Chelios .............................................12/13/08 DET at PHX

CHRIS KELLY

VALTTERI FILPPULA

100..........Aaron Downey.........................................1/29/09 DET vs. DAL 101........Justin Abdelkader...................... 1/31/09 DET at WSH 102..........Ville Leino.....................................................1/31/09 DET at WSH 103..........Aaron Gagnon.......................................10/16/09 DAL vs. BOS 104..........Scott Parse.....................................................10/24/09 LA at PHX 105..........Doug Janik..................................................11/3/09 DET vs. BOS 106...........Ryan Keller..................................................... 11/25/09 OTT at NJ 107........Jakub Kindl.................................12/3/09 DET vs. EDM 108..........Kris Newbury..........................................12/14/09 DET vs. PHX 109...........Darren Haydar............................................2/10/10 COL vs. ATL 110..........Andreas Lilja...................................................3/1/10 DET at COL 111...........Jeremy Williams.........................................10/24/10 NYR vs. NJ 112..........Jan Mursak.................................................12/27/10 DET at COL 113.......Chris Mueller............................12/28/10 NSH vs. DAL 114........Tomas Tatar................................12/31/10 DET vs. NYI 115..........Cory Emmerton.........................................1/22/11 DET vs. CHI 116...........Patrick Rissmiller.........................................2/23/11 ATL at BUF 117 ........Tom McCollum ............................3/30/11 DET vs. STL 118 .......Gustav Nyquist ..........................11/1/11 DET vs. MIN 119 ...........Fabian Brunnstrom........................................11/5/11 DET vs. ANA 120 ........Brendan Smith..............................11/17/11 DET at SJ 121.........Mark Cullen.................................11/29/11 FLA at CAR 122.......Chris Conner................................ 12/2/11 DET at BUF 123........Joakim Andersson....................12/27/11 DET vs. STL 124........Ty Conklin .....................................3/21/12 DET at NYR 125.......Riley Sheahan.................................4/7/12 DET vs. CHI 126........Brian Lashoff................................. 1/21/13 DET at CBJ 127..........Mike Knuble...................................................1/26/13 PHI at FLA 128..........Jamie Tardif.....................................................2/2/13 BOS at TOR 129........Petr Mrazek .....................................2/7/13 DET at STL 130....... Jonas Gustavsson.......................2/19/13 DET at NSH 131.......Carlo Colaiacovo...........................4/1/13 DET vs. COL 132.......Danny DeKeyser.........................10/2/13 DET vs. BUF 133.......Luke Glendening.......................10/12/13 DET vs. PHI 134.......Xavier Ouellet...............................10/21/13 DET vs. SJ 135..........Adam Almquist .......................................11/4/13 DET at WPG 136..........Chad Billins...................................................11/5/13 CGY at MIN 137.......Patrick Eaves...............................12/14/13 DET vs. PIT 138.......Tomas Jurco.................................12/15/13 DET vs. TB 139.......Jordin Tootoo............................12/19/13 DET vs. CGY 140.......Alexey Marchenko.........................1/4/14 DET at DAL 141.......Teemu Pulkkinen .....................3/14/14 DET vs. EDM 142.......Landon Ferraro........................... 3/18/14 DET vs. TOR 143.......Calle Jarnkrok..............................3/21/14 NSH at CGY 144..........Mitch Callahan.............................................3/25/14 DET at CBJ 145..........Ryan Sproul...................................................4/13/14 DET at STL 146.......Andrej Nestrasil..........................10/9/14 DET vs. BOS 147.......Stephen Weiss..........................11/24/14 DET vs. OTT Bold = Played in the NHL during the 2014-15 season Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup after playing for Grand Rapids.

All photos by Getty Images.

NIKLAS KRONWALL

CHRIS NEIL

JASON SPEZZA

78 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

KIDS JOS

PAGE

E BA

PRIM

ARY

RRA CUD MA A RK

2015-16

SAN

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

The AHL’s western shiftCONDORS brings six new teams to the BAKERSFIELD DIEGOteam’s GULLS league this season. Try to identify SAN each location and learn some fun facts in the process. Good luck!

PRIMARY MARK

PRIMARY MARK

A

B BARRACUDA

ARENA

PANTONE 281 C

HOW THE LOCATION GOT ITS NAME

GULLS

SAP Center

Rabobank Arena

Valley View Casino Center

NHL Sharks (1991-Present)

ECHL Condors (2003-15) WCHL Condors (1998-03) WCHL Fog (1995-98)

PANTONE 429 C

PANTONE 172 C

PANTONE MEDIUM BLUE C

PANTONE 1655 C

201 WHITE

5-16

ONTARIO REIGN PANTONE 5455 C

PROCESS BLACK

WHITE

2015-16

Named by an early settler, Named in honor of Saint Didacus PRIMARY MARK Colonel Thomas Baker of Alcalá

Named in honor of Saint Joseph

MAN

ITOB

Brandi Chastain (soccer player)

A MO (former chief justice Earl PRIM Warren OSE ARY ARK Supreme Court) ofMU.S.

LOCALS’ CLAIM TO FAME

City leads the nation in patent generation

No. 1 oil-producing county in the U.S.

D

PANTO NE 282 C

E PANTO 2945 NE C

PANTO COOL NE GRAY 11

City is home to the world’s largest naval fleet

F

HEAT

MOOSE

PANTO NE 429 C

WHITE

PANTONE 110 C

LOCATION

Dr. Seuss (author)

PANTONE 425 C

FAMOUS NATIVE

NICKNAME

ECHL Gulls (2003-06) WCHL Gulls (1995-03) IHL Gulls (1990-95) 2015-16

PROCESS BLACK

RECENT TEAMS

C CONDORS

WHITE

NICKNAME

PANTONE 142 C

LOCATION

REIGN

ARENA

(Location) Arena

MTS Centre

Citizens Business Bank Arena

RECENT TEAMS

ECHL Thunder (2005-15)

NHL Jets (2011-Present) AHL Moose (2001-11) IHL Moose (1996-01) NHL Jets (1979-96)

ECHL Reign (2008-15)

HOW THE LOCATION GOT ITS NAME

Named in honor of Commodore Robert F. Stockton

FAMOUS NATIVE

Amos Alonzo Stagg (football coach)

Anna Paquin (actress)

Prince Fielder (baseball player)

LOCALS’ CLAIM TO FAME

First community in California to have a name not of Spanish or Native American origin

First city in the world to develop the 911 emergency phone number

Home to Southern California’s largest outlet shopping mall

2015

Derived from Ojibwa manidoobaa, meaning “straits of Manitou, the Great Spirit”

PANTONE 186 C

Named by its founders in 2015-16 honor of their home Canadian province

B - BAKERSFIELD

WHITE

PROCESS BLACK

ANSWERS A - SAN JOSE

C - SAN DIEGO

D - STOCKTON

E - MANITOBA

F - ONTARIO

PANTONE 429 C

-16

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

79

PARTING SHOT

Griffins captain Jeff Hoggan (left) and defenseman Scott Czarnowczan modeled the team’s new home and road uniforms while Griffins president Tim Gortsema unveiled the club’s new primary logo at an invitation-only event on Aug. 18, 2015 at Van Andel Arena.

Photo by Mark Newman

80 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS