Reflections on the Outdoor Classic

Photo by Kyle Mace.

Before we left for the game I wrote about how last year was too warm and this year was supposed to be different. Well that was the forecast. As we were getting ready to leave, the temperature was around 60F. I was hoping that when the sun went down the temps would drop. We had set out lots of things to keep warm including a wool blanket to take with us. As we were packing the truck, we decided not to take the blanket. I did have my daughter put on her long underwear because I knew it would get chilly. She’s eleven after all and would probably get cold. That’s what I thought at least. Once we got to the stadium parking lot it was time to put on the rest of the clothes. For me that meant my jersey, a sweatshirt and a coat. For my daughter, that was snow pants, boots, a sweatshirt, a jersey and her coat. As it turns out she couldn’t get her jersey on over her sweatshirt. It was like a scene out of “A Christmas Story” as my girlfriend tried to help her. She kidded my daughter about the scene from the movie about not being able to put her arms down.

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The Richmond Factor

Danny Richmond (Photo by Kyle Mace)

After the meltdown formerly known as the Sunday game against Norfolk, my girlfriend (in a semi-kidding sort of way) said “We would have won if they’d have played Danny Richmond.” She kind of has a thing for him and has declared him to be her favorite. Don’t get me wrong. She’s no puck bunny. She has been studying the game in depth and is a big help when I am tweeting a game. She’s a true hockey lover. As we were on our way home, I started thinking about it more. Could there be something to this? Richmond has seen limited action this year. Including this past weekend, he has seen action in just 12 games. The limited playing time is at least in part due to the AHL’s “veteran rule”.

The rule as described by the AHL:

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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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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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SHOE’s Voting Guide for the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic

Hi, I’m Brian. First, let me start by saying I am thrilled to be part of the Sweetest Hockey On Earth team! I will be bringing you coverage of the back-to-back Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears from a local (and rink-side) perspective. Please take a moment to go to the About Us page to read more about me.

As for the 2011 AHL All-Star game, the Captains for this season’s game have already been named.  Heading up the Eastern Conference will be Mark Wotton and from the West it will be Alexandre Giroux.  They both are not only veterans of the league, but between the two of them, they have been named to several All-Star teams.  More interesting to you Hershey fans, is that both of these team captains are former Calder-Cup winning Bears players!

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Finding the Missing Pieces

If you want to follow the AHL, the first thing you must learn is how high the turnover rate for each team is. No matter how prepared you may feel to handle losing several players, the first off-season is an eye-opener. Between trades, free agency, and call-ups, you can barely get used to a player being around before he’s gone. This season is no exception.

We lost several key players and their roles can not go unfilled. In this post, I’ll take a look at the big guys we lost and the prospects I think will fill their shoes.

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