HERSHEY, PA – Tomas Kundratek, seen here at the end of last season, resigned for two more seasons with the Washington Capitals Tuesday (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
In today’s morning hours, Capitals’ beat writer Katie Carrera of the Washington Post reported the Capitals tendered a qualifying offers Nicolas Deschamps, Karl Alzner, Marcus Johansson, Tomas Kundratek and Peter LeBlanc.
HERSHEY, PA – Joel Rechlicz, seen here at the Hershey Bears award ceremony, is returning to Hershey for a fourth season in the Chocolate and White sweater (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Wednesday afternoon, the Washington Capitals and Hershey Bears announce they have re-signed Joel Rechlicz and Dane Byers for the 2013-14 season.
HERSHEY, PA – New Hershey Bears head coach Mike Haviland poses for a photo after being name the team’s new head coach Tuesday morning (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Mike Haviland made a very good first impression. Haviland was named the 24th head coach in Hershey Bears history on Tuesday in a press conference at Giant Center. Haviland comes with an impressive background in coaching, including being an assistant coach with the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Washington, DC – Mark French, seen here at the AHL Showcase at Verizon Center, was named head coach of KHL Medveš?ak Zagreb in Croatia (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Former Bears head coach Mark French has been named head coach of . After five seasons in Hershey, French heads overseas to coach the Zagreb Bears. The Washington Capitals announced in May they will not be renewing his contract for the 2013-14 season.
HERSHEY, PA – Ryan Potulny, seen here at the 2013 Outdoor Classic, has signed in the KHL after two seasons in Hershey (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
After 496 professional regular season games played in North America, Ryan Potulny will leave the continent and continue his hockey career in Russia.
Photo courtesy the Reading Royals
Last night, the Hershey Bears farm club, the Reading Royals, won the ECHL championship. The team included seven former Bears, T.J. Syner, Stanislav Galiev, Barry Almeida, Evan Barlow, Alex Berry, Patrick Wellar, and Brett Flemming who played in Hershey this season, and one former Bear, Nikita Kashirsky, who played in the Chocolate and White during the 2010-11 season. Reading beat the Stockton (Ca) Thunder in five games. The Royals had an Eastern Conference best 46-19-7 regular season record with 99 points.
Below the jump, check out some tweets from Reading players and a very familiar team after Reading won their first Kelly Cup.
Photo by Kyle Mace
After four seasons behind the Bears bench, Mark French will not return as coach for the 2013-14 season. The announcement was made Friday morning by the Washington Capitals General Manager George McPhee. The move comes after the Bears failed to win a first round playoff series against the top seeded Providence Bruins, after winning the first two games of the best-of-five series.
Photo via Official American Hockey League Facebook page
It was a matter of we had them, but we lost them. It was a matter of a week-long layoff between game’s two and three. It was a matter of the eighth seed trying to pull off a stunning upset over the AHL Regular Season Champions. But in the end, it was the Providence Bruins winning games three, four and five, winning the best of five, first round series 3-2. Game five concluded in a 3-2 defeat Wednesday night.
We think back to a stunning overtime win in Game 2 to bring home a commanding series lead. And we smile back at Tom Wilson’s first professional goal with 4:40 left in regulation in Game 4 to give Hershey a 4-3 lead. By far those were the top two moments for the Chocolate and White this postseason that make the short-lived run worth while.
HERSHEY, PA – Carter Camper (center) and former Hershey Bear Chris Bourque celebrate Camper’s game winning goal against Hershey in game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Sunday evening the Hershey Bears battled in what could of been there final game at Giant Center this postseason. In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals, Bruins’ Carter Camper completed a hat-trick by scoring with 1:04 left in regulation to down Hershey, 5-4.
HERSHEY, PA – Chris Bourque scores in his return to Chocolate Town (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
For the first time since the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs, the Hershey Bears hosted a postseason game in the month of May. Saturday the Bears sought an unexpected three game series sweep over the AHL Regular Season Champion, Providence Bruins. Chris Bourque returned to Giant Center and claimed first star honors in a 5-1 rout over the Bears.