Pick your pre-game playlist.


The first home game of the season is coming up this Saturday night. One of the things that I look forward to every year is finding out what will be playing during the pre-game warm up skate. I don’t always like all of the selections, so with that in mind (credit to my girlfriend for inspiration), I have decided to come up with what I would play. I also asked Kyle and Kathryn to do the same. I think we had fun with this one. Kyle was pretty quick with his, but Kathryn and I were a little slower. Take a look at what we came up with. We would also like to hear what would be in your playlist. Add yours to the comments section. Do it. You know you want to. It’ll make you feel good…

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Chocolate Fix 10/12/2011

Mattias Sjogren from Caps Development Camp 2011. Photo from RMNB/Chris Gordon.

This is the first Chocolate Fix of the 2011-2012 regular season! And what a way to start out the season. The first two games are on the road and the Bears come home with 2 wins. The first was against the defending Calder Cup champion Senators, and the second was against the Penguins. How nice is that?

Tomorrow look for a unique post to get you ready for the home opener, a unique post that I’m pretty sure you won’t find anywhere else.

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Let the games begin!


Photo via Hershey Bears Facebook Page

There is a fall chill in the Central PA air.  It’s now October.  The Bears have had training camp and the preseason games are over.  Now comes the anticipation as we await the start of the regular season.  For the team it starts tomorrow, but we won’t see them until October 15th.  Currently, there is a large RV show that has taken over the parking lots of the Giant Center and Hersheypark.  This happens every year and it yet another signal of hockey’s impending return.

The final cuts have been made, and the opening roster is set. But this is the AHL.  The roster won’t be the same for long.  When the Caps lose a player to injury, he is temporarily gone.  Those positions are filled in from the Bears.  As an AHL fan, we know that our guys are different.  Instead of being temporarily gone, they are temporarily here.  There are no long term contracts. We hope for the best for them and that their dreams of making it to the NHL come true.  I kind of equate it to parenting.  We want the best for our boys, but while they are under our roof we demand the best from them.  This is Hershey.  When you look up the rafters in Giant Center you will see the names of the greats and 11 Calder Cup banners.  Division and Conference championship banners are not hung.  The Reese’s advertising in section 211 says it all.  “It’s all about the cup!”.  This is Hershey and you will be held to a higher standard.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at who we will be seeing in Hershey to start the season.

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Memories of the “Old Barn”


In this second part of the two part series on the Old Barn, I present to you a collection of memories from former players, staff and fans.  To begin, I will share my fond memories.  One of the biggest things that I missed when the Giant Center opened was the live organ music.  To me, that was something very nostalgic about the Old Barn.  It really enhanced the feel of the building.  Many people talk about ‘old school hockey’. I don’t think you can get much more old school than an organ playing repeated bars of “Charge!” to get the crowed going. If you ever had the chance to sit there, you will also remember how steep it was.  Your feet were just about on the shoulders of the person in front of you.  On the other hand, it gave you a fantastic view of the game.  

I was at the very last regular season Bears game played in the building, and I still have my tickets.  When the Giant center opened, I was at the first game there.  On that night, they handed out posters depicting the Old Barn and Giant Center.  I now have that poster framed with my tickets from the last Old Barn game and the first Giant Center game: memories that will last a lifetime.

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Chocolate Fix 9/21/2011

Chris Bourque photo by Andrew Harnik, The Washington Times

It may not be October yet, but hockey has started.  The Caps opened their preseason last night with several Bears in the line up.  Unfortunately, it was a 2-0 loss to the Preds which means there isn’t much in the way of highlights from Bears.  Here is what I was able to dig up.

Head Coach Bruce Boudreau has some praise for Stanislav Galiev and Jay Beagle. [Caps video]

Beagle was a stand out. [Wash Times]

Sean Collins and others talk about the poor ice conditions. [Wash Times]

Former Bear and current Predator Tyler Sloan talks about the ice. [WaPo]

Collins talks about making the Caps roster. [Wash Examiner]

Patrick Wellar gets his first NHL game. [PennLive]

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A History of the “Old Barn”


Photo from Hershey Community Archives

The Hershey Sports Arena turns 75 years old this year and we’ve decided to honor it with a three* two part series.  If you have never been there, you should make it a point to go.  On most days, the building is open giving you the ability to walk in and at least see the arena.  They still offer public skating in the Old Barn, so go skate where so much history is made.  The building talks to you.  It really does.  Take in the sights and smells of this glorious building.  You won’t find another like it in North America.

*Note: This was originally a three part series which was to include coverage of a dinner event at the Old Barn.  Due to flooding conditions that dinner has been postponed until October 29th.

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