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1510 days - 1290 nights
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October 24, 2006
I usually don't bother trying to tune into the Admiral radio broadcasts from where I live (the south side of Kenosha) because I'm too far away to get the weak radio signal. If I'm home, I listen online to hear Aaron Sims call of the game.
Tonight, the Admirals had their weekly Tuesday night call-in show, and I happened to be on the north side of Racine (just south of Milwaukee county). Excited to have the chance to listen in on that program, I tuned in to 1290 and instead listened to a crystal clear broadcast of Dayton, Ohio, news... WHIO-1290AM.
Which brings me to another thought... I occasionally hear from other fans who cannot fathom how far I drive to see every hockey game... as if I live in another world. For reference, my drive is 36 miles one way - a half hour of driving with no freeway delays. Piece of cake.
Fact is, there are many, many people around here who regularly commute to Milwaukee (or Chicago) on a regular basis. It's a way of life in suburban America that I guess the big city folks don't comprehend.... and makes me wonder why major metropolitan radio stations (for sports or otherwise) are not always strong enough to reach their entire audience.
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'0 Canada' - 2 Milwaukee
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October 21, 2006
A blue collar win last night. Let's break it down with my three keys to the game.
Goaltending
Scott Reid looked comfortable and made a few point blank saves to earn his first pro shutout. He had no trouble staying in position on a few misdirection plays by the Moose forwards. Manitoba's Drew MacIntyre earned his paycheck with 31 saves on 32 shots.
Neutral zone
Manitoba couldn't manage many clean breaks into the attack zone, and this was a key factor in Milwaukee's win. Night and day difference compared to the first two home games. Let's hope this was because the Admirals improved and not that Manitoba failed to execute.
Special teams
Both teams looked like crap on their power plays (a combined 0 for 12). The Admirals could not set up a big slapper, nor could they find a nice backdoor pass. Let's hope this is a focus in this week's practices. The Admirals penalty killers upped their streak to 17, but they had trouble clearing the puck in a few late game kills when the game was on the line.
With that said... I'm pleased. It's obvious that Coach Noel is still molding this team into shape, and he has a light schedule early on (6 games in the first 36 days of the season) that will give him time to do just that.
I was disappointed by the small crowd. Friday night. Nothing big on TV (no World Series/football/basketball etc.). No big blockbuster movie premieres. And most area high school football teams were off. No snow or rain to keep people from driving. So... what gives? Where were all the area's casual hockey fans? Did the first two home games turn them off that much?!? Maybe.
I'd also like to acknowledge the improvement by the woman (sorry, I haven't learned her name) on the PA for in-game promotions. She's not talking as fast and seems to be getting the hang of it.
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| Recent user comments
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Clarkie writes...
A solid performance, if unspectacular. Reid in
the shutout not overly worked, but good to see the Ads hold onto a close game
W/O Radulov. That was key. If/when Radu comes back, it should be looked at as a
huge bonus - not a 'thank God he's back!'...For some reason Wilson got jumped
at the beginning of the third. Don't know why. Thought the Moose should have
gotten the extra two, or maybe I missed something (?). Segal laid out some good
hits, and I hope to see good things from Brandon, it may be his last chance at
impressing the boys upstairs. I think he is in his fourth year here. Abid
picked it up as well...
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Hey Clarkie... send me your thoughts on the new Sabres logo... As for Radulov, he'll likely stick around with the Predators if he overachieves in his first few NHL games. If not, he'll be sent back here for more seasoning when the injuries heal in Nashville. The question to be answered is who will the Preds release if he stays?
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Turnstile Treats
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October 18, 2006
The Admirals released a huge schedule of promotions for this season. Here's a rundown with my comments...
Bobbleheads
One of the favorite giveaways of the year... the team will have three separate bobblehead nights. Jordin Tootoo, Pekka Rinne, and the new logo dude. Three thumbs up from me. I'm not a BH collecting geek, but these three should look good on the shelf with the rest of my hockey stuff.
Special uniforms
There will be two themed jerseys that will be auctioned off for charity. St. Patrick's Day and a Hawaiian shirt design. I will hold my opinions until I see them, but the St. Patty's ones never disappoint me (I'm Irish). As for the Magnum P.I. night... let's hope it's not too hard on the eyes.
Other giveaways
Puck, mini hockey stick, dog tags, calendar, cowbell, cinch sack, mug, tshirt, pennant, boxer shorts, hat, batting helmet, pint glass, trading cards, team picture (also the magnet schedule and Wittliff photo we already received)
All in all, about one giveaway every other game. Can't complain about that. The calendar is something I'm looking forward to... especially if it has an Admiral picture for each month. Last season's hat was better than expected, so this one will probably not disappoint. And hopefully the trading cards have decent pictures for once. Otherwise, everything else sounds ok. Thankfully (knock on a huge plank of wood), cheer sticks are not listed this year.
Celebrities
NASCAR star Matt Kenseth, AWA legends, Pat McCurdy, and all the way from San Diego... the Famous Chicken returns for the first time in about 9 or 10 years. A country music concert night has yet to be determined.
Kenseth and the concert could lead to big crowds. The geezer wrasslers attracted a different crowd to the BC last year, so they'll probably be back in bigger numbers this time around. The Chicken... we'll see if he still has his A game.
As a followup to the infamous "Harriest Back" promotion last season, the team returns with something a little less vomit-inducing. A lucky(?) fan will be awarded the "Biggest Beer Belly" award on January 20th - winning a trip to Cancun for their efforts.
Hopefully, I'll be able to come early on January 6th, as a high school game between Marquette High and University school starts a double-header night of hockey. A great idea that will hopefully be used more often in the future.
There are several other nuggets on their promotional calendar. Click here to view it all (from milwaukeeadmirals.com).
Overall, I'm happy with what I see on the promotion list. It shows a commitment by the ownership group to keep trying everything they can to get new fans in the seats. Let's hope their efforts aren't wasted.
On a totally un-hockey related note... I've learned of a trick with Windows XP that makes reading text on my computer screen much nicer. I'm sure some of you out there already know this, but I'm spreading the word, because I like the way it treats my web site. It's called 'ClearType'. Easy to turn on or off. Right click the desktop, choose the Appearance tab, click on Effects, choose ClearType in the option to smooth the screen fonts. From what I gather, it's only an option on XP.
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| Recent user comments
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Oilersfan writes...
As far as the new logo is concerned....what would you think
about the Admirals adopting a new, updated "Skating Admiral" logo? It seems
that that logo is the heart and soul of Admirals history. By updating it,
making it more attractive (possibly bigger and tougher), and picking an
attractive color scheme, do you think the Ads might be able to achieve the
"special" logo you have talked about?
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If done right, that's not a bad idea. I like bigger and tougher, but I'm more in favor of a simple design that could stand the test of time.
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9.92 GAA
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October 15, 2006
11 saves on 19 shots in about 48 minutes. Those are the numbers on Admirals goaltender Karl Goehring after the first two games. Instead of dwelling on this situation for half of this column (which I could), I'll let the numbers speak for themselves and move on to more positive subjects.
First off... my prediction came through. Each road team won this weekend. In my head, I also predicted Reid to start Saturday after another relief appearance on Friday.
Alexander Radulov. A five point night on Friday, followed by a goal on Saturday. The only knock I have on him so far is that he's been in the penalty box more times (4) than anyone else on the team thus far. Otherwise, he shows all the signs that he's ready for the NHL. Cal O'Reilly. Growing as a player before our eyes. Showing much more confidence than his first pro games late last year. Ville Koistinen. If he keeps it up, he'll move up to #7 or 8 on the Nashville defensive depth chart.
After seeing them for one game, I'm loving the new defensive pairing of Nolan Yonkman and Alex Henry. Two big guys who aren't letting too many guys through. I'm normally not a big fan of big defensemen because of their general lack of mobility, but these two do not disappoint.
On my way home from work on Thursday, I made a quick decision to take in the Predators game at the United Center in Chicago. The drive took twice as long as I'd hoped due to traffic, but I made it in time.
Being a weeknight game, it was an awfully small crowd. Makes me feel better about the anemic crowds in Milwaukee. I enjoy my elbow room, but I was fortunate to sit in a section with some very intelligent Canadian fans who were a blast to listen to. Presumably in town on business, they were quick to make fun of anything and everything.
The Preds used Chris Mason in goal after two bad outtings by Tomas Vokoun, and Mace looked pretty decent. He gave up two goals and the Hawks added an empty netter to make it 3-1. Jason Arnott scored his first Predator goal on a quick shot from the slot after Paul Kariya fed him the puck from the right side boards.
Greg Zanon (concussion), Scott Nichol, and Vern Fiddler were scratched. Dan Hamhuis surprisingly looked a little slow at times, while on the flipside Scottie Upshall was rushing all over the place to make something happen (but didn't).
Despite the loss, I'm glad I took the opportunity to see several ex-Admirals at the next level of their career. (Photos will be posted sometime this week.)
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| Recent user comments
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Dave writes...
You mentioned that the Admirals had the chance to do something
"really special" with their uniforms? What were you expecting? What could
they have done to improve? I'd like to hear your thoughts.
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Take a step back and look at classic logos and color schemes of major league sports teams. NFL, MLB, NHL. In most every case, the look is strong, but simple. Cartoony logos do not last. Also, great logos do not need an explanation (as does the history of the skeleton Admiral). I'm less critical of the color scheme, but bright blue on black is a bit of a harsh contrast... and the home jerseys being primarily white and black just doesn't work in my eyes.
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Clarkie writes...
... a
much better performance than the 7-1 drubbing vs. Omaha the other night!
Radulov? What can I say? Has had a point on EVERY Admirals goal this season...a
goal and four assists tonight, the lone goal the other night. The guy is
freakin' amazing with the puck. Sees the whole ice...I told my lady friend that
the sad part is that he'll probably be up with the Preds before too long. She
screamed, "No!!!!!"...you guys in Nashville have a treat. I hope they keep him
here the whole season to 'season' him, but I fear that may not happen...Other
thoughts? Karl Goehring should not be playing as a goaltender in the AHL.
Period. Please come back Pekka! Reid had to come in in relief the last two
games, and looked good tonight. The defenseman Young laid out some pretty nasty
hits tonight. He and Yonkman dared some Wolves to drop the gloves, and they
basically skated away...Go Preds! (and Sabres...)
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Let's hope Abid, Widing, and the rest of the guys can step up and fill the void when Alex gets called up.
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As I mentioned, I went to the races Saturday, and I'd like to give a big pat on the back to my friend Chris, who owns a sprint car. The prestigious national touring series, the World of Outlaws, were at Wilmot last night, and Chris' car finished 9th in the main race... the highest finishing local car. Not bad at all considering his team runs on a moderate budget compared to most other local teams.
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