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A rope, a tree, hang the referee
April 22, 2008
Yep, if you were at game 3 of the opening round playoff series against Chicago, you witnessed a very poorly officiated game by Brian Pochmara. In these tightly contested and obviously important set of games, you would hope the league would assign their finest referees. When the teams shake hands after the series is over, the last thing that should be bitched about is how a referee decided the outcome. Unfortunately, that will probably happen in the coming days.
After the first two games in Chicago, Wolves coach John Anderson was in the newspapers complaining about the officiating - game one by Shaun Davis and game two by Pochmara. Was the slanted officiating in game 3 an attempt to appease Anderson? If I were a ref, I wouldn't want Anderson's tobacco-laden spittle in my face, so I'd probably do what I could to keep that from happening. I doubt that conspiracy theory has any merit, but you never know.
Since the Admirals joined the AHL in 2001, I have been pleased by the performance of the refs. Sure, over the last seven seasons there have been some poor games here and there (mostly by Justin St. Pierre), but when I hear fans at the BC scream about a call/non-call... the ref usually made a correct (or close judgement) call.
Prior to 2001, the referees in the IHL made my blood boil on several occasions. There were games where fans littered the ice in protest (Derek Martin), and many in which the refs were screamed at along the tunnel coming off the ice. Pochmara called game 3 like an IHL ref.
Sigh... I'm not surprised this series against Chicago has been so tight and chippy. All three have been one goal games - two in overtime. Several group shoving matches and curse words thrown about. No matter who is on the roster, these two teams have always hated each other over the years.
I'm still wishing we could have finished 5th in the division to cross over to the North Division playoffs. Not only have I believed the Admirals would have an easier time against Toronto in the first round (Milwaukee won both games in the regular season), but even if the Marlies would prevail, it would not be as bad as a loss to the Wolves. Not many Toronto fans come to Milwaukee to talk trash.
In fact, I think San Antonio tanked it in the final regular season game to face Toronto instead of Chicago. After all of the other games in the league were wrapped up (and San Antonio's chances at a 3rd place finish were erased), they allowed Quad City to come from behind to win in the 3rd period. Smart move. Do not be surprised if San Antonio advances to the Conference Final.
I know... it's been awhile since my last entry. Partly because I've been busy. Partly because I really haven't had much of an urge to write about anything in particular. However, today I have some time, and I want throw out my thoughts on the upcoming playoffs as the Admirals are currently in a tight race amongst the 2nd through 5th place teams in the division going into the final week of the regular season.
As I write this... 2. Rockford - 94 points, 4 games remaining 3. Houston - 92 points, 4 games 4. Milwaukee - 92 points, 3 games 5. San Antonio - 90 points, 4 games
Because the North Division is a wasteland this season, the fifth place team in the West Division will cross over to play as the #4 seed in the North. In fact, it's possible the entire 8 team West Division will finish with a better record than the four non-playoff teams in the North (Hamilton, Grand Rapids, Lake Erie, and Rochester).
As a logical fan, I'd LOVE to see the Admirals finish 5th and play in that weaker division. Of course, it wouldn't be bad to see Milwaukee fight on and finish 2nd, but I prefer our possibilities against Toronto than anyone in our division.
The one team in the North that scares me is Syracuse. They are on a 16-0-0-3 run, with former Admiral midget goalie Karl Goehring earning recent league hardware for Player of the Week and Goalie of the Month. Then again, they have several doormats in their division, making a run like that easier to accomplish.
But worrying about Syracuse is forward thinking... the Admirals would not face them until at least the 2nd round. As of today, Milwaukee could possibly face Toronto or any of the other four West teams in the first round. Bring on the Marlies!
I did some math to illustrate how dominate Milwaukee's division is... Average points per team 88.75 - West 86.43 - Atlantic 84.71 - East 79.43 - North
Average wins per team 40.5 - West 38.7 - East 38.4 - Atlantic 35.1 - North
If Milwaukee doesn't finish fifth, I hope they climb to 2nd or 3rd in order to avoid Chicago in the first round. Houston, San Antonio, and Rockford are fairly equal in my mind. I really have no preference among those three teams.
Regardless of who they face, to go far in the playoffs, the Admirals need to put more pucks on the net, get more output from their anemic power play, win more key faceoffs, and get consistent goal scoring from guys like Ellison, Langfeld, and Pihlström.
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Last night, I began a project to change the layout of my web site. I've always kept my site friendly to people using a screen resolution of 800x600, aligning everything to the left with a text area at a width of 750 pixels.
That size was acceptable to me on my 1024x768 monitor. I had a small amount of blank space on the right side, but that didn't bother me much. It did limit some of what I could and could not do with my site, as I had to squeeze everything into that 750px wide space.
I now have a widescreen monitor (1440x900), and I found it painful to see all of that wasted space on my screen. So, last night, I changed the layout on the main page to feature a wider text area that is centered on the screen. In time, I will change all of the pages to a wider size - a task that involves not only widening the layout, but also creating different graphics and tweaking the presentation to make it look right.
Anyone using a screen sized at 800x600 will have to horizontally scroll to see the whole page. To those who are bothered by this, I recommend changing your screen settings, or better yet, upgrading to a high resolution monitor.
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I found it refreshing to see Claude the Happy Trumpeter at the games this past weekend... not that I'm a huge fan of his schtick... but rather it meant I didn't have to listen to as many annoying songs (Jump on It, Put Your Hands Up, YMCA, Everybody Clap Your Hands, ETC!)
The best hockey arenas mix in classic rinkside organ music, which is sorely lacking at the BC.
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Why do the BC cameramen search out shirtless boys in the crowd? In the times we live in, glorifying that is in poor taste... especially after the team was mentioned several times in the local newspaper for having an employee who really, really likes young boys. Chances are, there are a few gay pedophiles at every game who get their "inner drool" going when they see half naked kids up on the Jumbotron.
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Before I go, I want to warn everyone... if the web site stops getting updated, I probably died. No, I'm not suicidal... I've been getting signs that my time is approaching.
Recently I experienced a string of eight straight days of coming across a funeral procession in eight different parts of my hometown. The streak ended when I stayed home one day... but since then I've been seeing one every few days.
When the time comes, please don't send flowers... after all, I'm a hockey fan, not a nancy boy.
The regular season is now 75% complete. 60 games down, 20 to go. And I have some real concerns of the Admirals chances to make the playoffs.
If the season ended today, they would make the playoffs by a single point in the standings. However, Peoria and Quad City have played fewer games and are within a few points of elbowing their way past Milwaukee.
For the Admirals to succeed at the tail end of the season, they will have to be better than they are at the tail end in a typical game. They tend to be outplayed in the final twenty minutes. If comparing an Admirals game to a horse race, the Admirals would be a thoroughbred that fades after the 3/4 pole.
In the first 60 games, the Admirals have only outscored their opponent in the third period 17 times (28.3%). And it's happened only 6 times in the last 29 games (20.7%). They are not battling back often enough when they are losing, and they are blowing leads too often.
The photo at the top of this entry is of a piece of paper posted in the Admirals locker room to teach the team how to play with a lead. One paragraph. To me, it comes across as a statement that you would hope a pro hockey player would already be aware of.
Then again, there are postings in my workplace that state the obvious. Stuff I don't bother reading more than once. Let's hope the coaching staff is passing along the message by doing more than just putting stuff on the wall.
Another concern I have is with the power play. Ranked 19th in the league, and all too often we see the team struggle to even gain the zone with a man advantage. At times I wish they could be allowed to decline a penalty and continue playing 5-on-5.
If the Admirals hold on and make the playoffs, I hope they finish 5th in the division and get to cross over to play against weaker North division teams in the first two rounds. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but I like their chances in the first round against Toronto a lot better than Chicago right now.
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Somebody posted a comment on my previous entry pointing out the story of the Bradley Center seeking a title sponsor for the building.
The Bradley Center was a $90 million gift to the city by the late Admirals owner Jane Bradley Pettit in 1988. Many feel that it would insult her generous legacy by giving her gift a corporate-sponsored name.
Wanna be angry at someone about it? Blame the Bucks.
To keep the NBA team from leaving to a more lucrative market, the BC grabs it's ankles and bites it's lips while the Bucks use and abuse it. Not only do the Bucks play rent-free, the BC payed them over $7 million dollars last year!! A number that increases each year.
In addition, the Bucks receive 27.5% of concession revenue from all events at the BC, as well as revenue from merchandise and suite sales. Because of this, I haven't spent one dime at the BC food stands in almost 2 years.
The Bucks are spending $62.6 million dollars on their 15 man roster. Eleven players make more than a million. Eight players make at least three million. Michael Ruffin makes over a million and averages 1.3 points per game.
I feel that if the BC secures a few million a year in corporate sponsorship, then the Bucks will want even more money to stay put. In fact, it's inevitable. They have long term contracts with five players that generally increase in price each year. Next season, ten players are already under contract for about the same amount as the fifteen from this season, meaning that five more player contracts will blow that total up even higher.
It's just a matter of time until that growing fiscal irresponsibility becomes too much for the blue collar Milwaukee market to endure. The sooner the Bucks leave, the better.
Regardless of whatever name shows up on my ticket stub in the future, I will always call it the Bradley Center.
Sunday marks the 10 year anniversary of my Milwaukee Admirals web site. That statement just blows my mind.
Back in the 1997-98 season, I connected to the internet for the first time. It was my fourth season as an Admiral fan, and when the idea of creating a web site entered my mind, my first thought was to make one on the Admirals.
In the early days, the site was very crude. I spent a little bit of time every day tweaking it and coming up with ideas... some that worked, and some that didn't. I experimented with graphics and layouts and learned from my mistakes.
Back then, the Admirals were still an independent team in the IHL. Eric Fenton, Mike Tomlak, Shannon Finn, Ken Sabourin, and Danny Lorenz were a few of the team's key players.
A lot has happened since then. The NHL affiliation with Nashville. Two major logo and jersey changes. The passing of one owner and the long search for a new one. The move from the IHL to the AHL. Nine playoff runs. Two division titles. Two Finals appearances. And the 2004 championship season.
Yep, it's been a wild and memorable ten years. And I'm glad to have been able to share it all with you.
The original title of the site was "The Admiral's Log", a name that I never really liked. I adopted the easy-to-remember rhyme milwaukeehockey as my domain name and site title in 1999. You can view what it was like back in May 1998 on the Wayback Machine at archive.org.
At times, the site held so much information, that it completely consumed my free time to maintain. Recently, I've had less free time to devote to it, so there is less content now than in the past, but I fully intend on keeping the site going for as long as I am a fan.
It's only appropriate that I take this time to thank all of the readers and contributors from the past decade. All of the kind words of encouragement I have received has been the fuel to keep me doing what I do.
Here's to the next ten years!
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Anyone notice the new paint job on the mask of Dov Grumet-Morris? I didn't realize it until seeing a few photos from the last game, but it appears that he has the old Admirals logo used from 1982-98 on the top of his mask. The Predators logo also appears on the chin of the mask. Very cool.
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Flipping through the channels the other night, I came across Wolves highlights on a Chicago newscast. In a game against Manitoba, the Wolves lost the game in overtime after Steve Martins sent the puck the length of the ice into his own goal. On a delayed penalty, Chicago pulled their goaltender for a sixth attacker. Martins intended on passing the puck back to a defenseman, but it missed his intended teammate and cost his team the win. Manitoba goaltender Drew MacIntyre got credit for the goal as he was the last Moose player to touch the puck.
For 7 of the last 11 years, the Admirals have scheduled a home game on the same day as the Daytona 500 (98-01, 05, 07-08). Possibly 8 of 12... I could not find a 96/97 Admirals schedule.
That's a shame. My two most passionate sports interests are hockey and auto racing, and for the most part, they coexist without too many conflicts. Local race tracks generally hold their seasons from April-September, which fits nicely with the hockey calendar. One event I always look forward to watching on TV is the Daytona 500. NASCAR's biggest event kicks off the season on a mid-February Sunday afternoon.
Honestly, if the scary winter storm the local news glamorized for the past 72 hours would have actually happened (10-16" - "Run for your lives!!"), I would have stayed home to watch the race. I've only missed one Admirals home game in the last seven years by choice... which was to go to a Predators game in Chicago.
If you look around the crowd at any given game, you'll see racing hats, shirts, and jackets in the crowd, and decals in the parking lot. The Admirals work hard not to compete with Packers games when making the schedule, even rescheduling the hockey games if Green Bay manages to make the playoffs. I wish the Admirals would recognize the number of NASCAR fans who fight with the decision of staying home on that particular Sunday afternoon and keep that date open. (psst... next year it's on February 15)
In 2001, I had to learn about the death of Dale Earnhardt on a muted TV screen in the concourse of the Bradley Center. I remember being in a daze for the rest of the game, wishing I was at home. Next year, I hope I will be.
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I know I usually use this space to complain. This season, there hasn't been a whole lot to be positive about, but I will applaud a few things this time...
- How about the turn-around by Cal O'Reilly lately? Shortly after Rich Peverley was promoted to the NHL, Cal stepped up his game and has been on a tear. Six goals and 21 assists in the last 14 games, which included a nine game scoring streak and an AHL Player of the Week Award. I mentioned in the mid-season report card that he was in a sophomore slump, but maybe he's kicked it to the curb.
- And Amen and Hallejuleh that the gloves have been dropped on a regular basis again! Another item I criticized earlier this season, but lately, the boys have not let themselves get bullied around. Alex, Kelsey, Nolan... well done! Hell, even Antti and Cal each got into a scrap! After only 11 fights in the first 28 games, the team has had 21 in the last 27, and they would have had more if Kelsey didn't break his nose last month.
- I gotta admit, I was mildly amused by the Valentine's Day visit by Roscoe's girlfriend. Who knew he was getting some action away from the BC? In case you missed it, they dusted off the spare Roscoe costume, and dressed it up with a skirt and a long blond wig. She could have used an Admirals jersey, but instead she wore a sweater.
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A couple more thoughts before I go...
Someone ought to advise the youth hockey groups that participate during intermission that they should not take it too seriously. Many groups waste a minute or two of their alloted time by making sure all the kids are in their proper position before letting them play. Even worse, some groups will sit a couple of players on the bench instead of playing 7-on-7. Let the kids have fun. No one is keeping score. Just drop the puck and let them enjoy their five minutes of ice time.
Those who use cheer sticks show a lack of respect for the people they sit near. In most cases, the blame lies on lazy parents who encourage their kids to use them, as it keeps them occupied, giving the parents an escape from, well... actually being parents! The cheer sticks ought to come with a ziplock bag of earplugs to be handed out to anyone within earshot.
Better yet, I encourage the use of your hands. The sound of natural applause is louder and more pleasant than the annoying ping. There is no need for plastic toys that will find their way to the area's landfills.
Ok... so I couldn't resist a complaint... but I still have the headache 12 hours later.
The regular season is now 75% complete. 60 games down, 20 to go. And I have some real concerns of the Admirals chances to make the playoffs.
Anyone notice the new paint job on the mask of Dov Grumet-Morris? I didn't realize it until seeing a few photos from the last game, but it appears that he has the old Admirals logo used from 1982-98 on the top of his mask. The Predators logo also appears on the chin of the mask. Very cool.
