I wanted to mention a couple of items I noticed this morning as a follow up to the post yesterday about former players:
- Colton Yellow Horn had another hat trick last night in a 5-3 victory as his Ontario Reign defeated the Bakersfield Condors. He now has 29 goals which is seven more than anyone else in the league and his 47 points are second in the league. And he is not on the all star team!!! What is wrong with this picture? All Star week is next week in Colorado. I sure hope they have a chance to rectify this wrong as I would assume some replacements will be needed as several players named to the all star team have moved up to the AHL.
- I didn't mention Trevor Hendrikx (2011-2012) yesterday in my former player post. Trevor started this year with the San Francisco Bulls (ECHL) and was released and then signed by the Bakersfield Condors in early November. He has three goals, seven assists, is a -6 and has 66 penalty minutes in 24 games playing for the worst team in the ECHL. I heard an unsubstantiated rumor he has been talking to the Americans about returning to Allen if some of the current defensemen get promoted to the AHL.Trevor played for Martinson when he coached in Elmira in 2007-2008. Incidently, Jim McKenzie (2011-2012) was also on that team.
- Steve Kaunisto (2011-2012) who played here briefly last year (10 games) signed yesterday and played last night with Dwight Mullins and the Elmira Jackals (ECHL). He had been playing in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) for the Mississippi River Kings.
I plan on attending practice today and will post this afternoon if I get any information worth reporting. I am working on a story about the Americans bus and hope to talk to the bus driver today. I have been getting a few stories from the players about traveling by bus during their hockey careers. If anyone knows of a good bus story please let me know.
I am also working on a story about one of the hockey wives. Hope to post it this weekend. It will be a combination of getting to know her and also learn more about what it is like to be the wife or girlfriend of an Allen Americans player living in North Texas.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Update On Former Americans Players
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| Colton Yellow Horn Leads ECHL in Goals |
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| Dave Bonk plays in Japan photo by chlphotos.com |
With the CHL on a break I thought I would take another look at how former Allen Americans players are doing. A couple of items related to the current team in case you haven't been tracking the transactions. Mike Montgomery is on bereavement leave and Trevor Ludwig has been called up by the Houston Aeros following in his brother's (Tyler) footsteps who was called up briefly last week. It is a great time to be called up as the entire Aeros team is in Minnesota helping the Wild prepare for the NHL season. Since Houston didn't have a game from last Sunday (1/13) until next Saturday (1/19) and the game on Saturday is in Chicago the Aeros stopped in Minnesota to participate in a couple of intrasquad games with the Wild.
Here is what I found about some of the former players:
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| Liam Huculak retires photo by chlphotos.com |
- Dave Bonk (2010-2011) continues to do well in Japan. He leads his team in all offensive categories and ranks in the top ten in the league in goals (16), assists (26), and points (42). His team (Nikko Ice Bucks) is not having a good year as they are in sixth place in the seven team league. An interesting note is the last place team, the China Dragon, who play in Shanghai, have yet to win a game in 28 tries.
- Colton Yellow Horn (2009-2012) leads the entire ECHL in goals scored with 29 which is seven more than the next closest player. He has 18 assists for a total of 47 points which ranks him second in the league. His team (Ontario, California Reign) leads their division in points with a 26-10-1-2 record. Their point total of 55 ranks second in the entire league which has 23 teams. The Reign average 7070 in attendance which ranks second in the league.
-Bruce Graham continues to play well for the Nottingham Panthers in the British Elite Ice hockey League. Bruce has 22 goals & 20 assists in 37 games which places him second on the team in goals and points. His team leads the league with a 26-6 record.
- The San Francisco Bulls, home to former players Justin Bowers (2009-2010), Scott Langdon (2010-2012) and Dylan King (2010-2012) continue to struggle having won only three times in the last ten games. They have the second worst record in the league. Justin Bowers leads the team in assists with 21 but has the worst +/- on the team at -17. Scott Langdon is one of a few players on the team on the + side in +/- stats and is the leader with a +13. Dylan king is a -12.
- Josh Hepditch (2011-2012) who is in his first year as coach and general manager of the Creston Valley Thunder Cats in the Kootenay International Hockey League is in last place in his division with a 13-22 record in regulation. They have had 6 overtime games and are 0-6 in those games.
- Nino Musitelli (2009-2011 & 2012-2013), who was traded to Rapid City for Alex Penner on January 5th has not reported to Rapid City. The rumor is he is entertaining offers from the ECHL.
- Judd Blackwater (2010-2011) who got off to a fast start this year with three goals in the first three games playing for the Las Vegas Wranglers has only score 6 goals in his last 33 games. The Wranglers are third in their division and will probably not make the playoffs.
- Justin Dacosta (2010-2011) who signed with Elmira (ECHL) the beginning of November after starting the season playing in Europe (Austria) is still with the team. The Elmira Jackals, who are coached by former Allen Amercians coach Dwight Mullins (2009-2012) are in third place in their four team division. Justin has no goals and ten assists in 27 games with the Jackals and has a team worst -9 in +/-. Elmira continues to struggle at the box office as they rank 22nd out of 23 teams with an average attendance of 2644.
- Chris Whitley (2009-2011) is the third ranked goalie in the Federal Hockey League with a GAA of 3.64 and a save percentage of 91%. His team, Williamsport Outlaws, are in second place in the six team league.
- Jordie Benn (2009-2010) is currently at training camp with the NHL Dallas Stars after having a good year thus far with the AHL Texas Stars. Jordie is fighting for a position on the Stars and has a legitimate shot.
- Scotty Howes (2012-2013) was signed by the Springfield Falcons (AHL) on January 3rd but has yet to play. With several forwards from the Falcons at the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL training camp let's hope he gets his first start tonight as Springfield plays the Manchester Monarchs.
- Erik Adams (2009-2012) has been working in the front office for the Americans since he retired. His business card says he is the manager of community relations and game operations but it seems like he gets involved in a myriad of other issues as well. While most everyone knows Erik works in the Americans front office what is less well known is he and his wife Jennifer are expecting their first child, a girl, in March. Erik is also pursuing his interest in coaching as he is the assistant coach of the Dallas Stars Elite Hockey Club Under 18 team.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Allen Loses in OT & Other Thoughts - 1/13/13
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| Photo by chlphotos.com |
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| Kale Kerbashian with two goals in first game |
Adam's performance follows in the footsteps of Maiani, Bootland and Schaafsma (the last three player profiles) who also had great weekends their player profile was published.
Kale Kerbashian lived up to the high expectations set by coach Martinson before he arrived in Allen. In his first game the Thunder Bay, ONT. native had two goals including one to tie the game with less then five minutes left.
The Americans ended a disappointing weekend with a second consecutive loss to the Ft. Worth Brahmas. This time it was in their building and the loss was in overtime 4-3. Their lead in the standings actually increased as Wichita lost in regulation time so the Americans now have a six point lead and still have four games in hand. Missouri, Denver and Ft. Worth are in a three way tie for third place nine points back.
My thoughts and musings:
- The power play was shut out again last night and was 0-9 on the weekend. Bloomington has now taken the lead as the best power play in the CHL.
- The penalty kill group is still the tops in the league with a lofty 88.3%
- There was a good crowd at Nytex last night as the official attendance was 2414 which included a good Americans contingent. I also heard it was jersey giveaway night.
- Mike Montgomery did not play last night. I sure hope he is okay and will come back after the break as the Mike Montgomery we are used so seeing play.
- Lots of talk about the officiating by Fitzgerald and Daniels on the broadcast last night. I usually dismiss these comments as every team thinks they get the short end of the officiating stick. But last night sounded like there was something to the poor officiating reported by Mo and Tommy. Bryan Lewis who is the CHL Referee-in-Chief was at the game and Tommy was going to try and talk to him after the game. I hope Tommy gives us a report on that conversation. And yes that is the same Bryan Lewis that worked as a referee in over 1000 NHL games including nine Stanley cup finals.
- The players now get a few days off in what I hear referred to as the all star break even though there is no all star game. Not sure what the schedule will be for the week. They may practice on Wednesday and then leave for Arizona.
Finally, I hope you all have had a chance to read the player profile on Adam Pineault. If you have read the story you know his wife, Monique, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2011 and under went a bone marrow transplant. Monique was in Florida this week meeting with her transplant team. She got great news and has been able to discontinue several of the thirteen different medications she has been taking. Adam had a special request for Americans fans: Click on www.marrow.org and begin the process to determine if your marrow is a match for somebody, like Monique Pineault, who might one day need a transplant. All it takes to get on the registry is a swab of your mouth and a walk to the mailbox.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Martinson Post Game Comments - 1/11/13
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| Photo by www.ScenebyKimberly.com |
Here is what Coach Martinson had to say after the game:
- We didn't compete very hard the first half of the game, we were soft going to the net, we were soft on turnovers.
- We are not an end to end team. We will get those goals once in a while but we are a puck support, puck deep, get turnover type team.
- We didn't have enough players willing to go to the front of the net and when they did go to the front of the net they were being pushed to the side by 180 lb defenseman. We will show the video to the players and hopefully things will change.
- Every goal we had was a pucks to the net, guys in front type goal.
- Ft. Worth forwards have outplayed our forwards for most of the last two games.
- The small rink with the small corners tomorrow night in Ft. Worth will help the Americans.
- Kale Kerbashian will be in the line up Saturday and his speed and play making ability should help. He has looked good in practice. He may play with Maiani and Bootland.
- If you don't compete anyone can beat you. We might have been thinking too much about our winning streak.
- I had to challenge a couple of guys to play a little grittier.
- After a loss like tonight I think the players will learn what they have to do to be successful. It is good to be able to play the same team again 24 hours later to see what the players learn from the loss.
- Coach Martinson acknowledged Mike Montgomery struggled in his first game back. He was cleared to play a week ago after having a concussion but he is not at 100%. They may rethink whether he should play tonight (Saturday).
- We are not in first place because we are a fancy team. We are in first place because we have to pay the price. We have to out work the other team, go to the tough areas, be smart and be patient. Our cycling was not good tonight.
- Several readers of the blog have asked me why Garrett Clarke played last Saturday after I reported in the post game comments by Coach Martinson on Friday he would be get an automatic one game suspension for a fighting instigator game misconduct penalty. I had a chance to ask Coach about that after the press conference last night. The ECHL, where he coached last year, has the automatic suspension rule but the CHL does not have that rule.
As I listened to Martinson talk about the game last night I was struck by how consistent his message is every time I hear him speak. His message is so clear and so consistent there is no doubt in my mind the players know what is expected. I don't think understanding the message is a problem but translating that message to action on the ice is obviously more difficult than it sounds.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Adam Pineault - Player Profile
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| Photo by Chip Grail chlphotos.com |
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| Adam Pineault |
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| Adam, Monique & Shadow in the Czech Republic where he played 2009-2011 |
Birthdate: May 23, 1986
Birthplace: Holyoke, MA
Hometown: Daytona Beach, FL
6' 1" 201 lbs.
Position: Right wing
Shoots: Right
Selected by Columbus Blue Jackets Round #2, 46th overall, 2004 NHL Draft
You seldom walk away from an interview feeling you have really gotten to know a person. My interview with Adam Pineault was one of those occasions where I felt I really got to know him. His story reminds us all of the highs and lows life brings and what is most important is how you deal with the highs and lows. I hope I can share with you the passion, devotion, love, dedication, determination and positive attitude Adam brings to hockey as well as his family and particularly to his lovely wife, Monique.
Adam was born and raised in Holyoke, Massachusetts. His dad Roland, was an art dealer and collector and his mom, Esther, helped his dad in the business. He is the middle of three children. His older sister Jessica is a big outdoor enthusiast who has run many marathons. His younger sister, Ashley, is currently studying to become a nurse.
Adam's dad, who had pro baseball talent as a pitcher, was unable to pursue his career because of shoulder injuries. Adam's earliest sports memories with his dad is playing catch in his yard. His first hockey recollection is at the age of five his dad taking him to a state park about a mile from his house and skating on double bladed skates. They also attended many Springfield Indians (now the Falcons) games as the arena was only ten minutes from his house.. Springfield was one of the founding teams in the American Hockey league starting in 1926.
Adam started playing organized hockey when he was eight and told me he wasn't great right from the get go as you might think. His parents invested a lot of time and money once they saw how much Adam enjoyed playing hockey. They sacrificed a lot to get him where he is today. A tradition in his family was to have a big feast cooked by his mom on Thanksgiving and then his dad would build a rink on the side of their house. They did this until Adam was thirteen and put a slap shot through the neighbors window.
When he was fourteen Adam tried out for and made the Boston Junior Bruins and was playing with guys much older (18,19, 20). Everyday his dad would pick him up after school, they would drive over an hour to practice and then head back to Holyoke after practice. Adam would do his homework on the way to and from practice. He had such a great year with the Junior Bruin's (30 goals and 35 assists in 57 games while helping them win the league championship) he was offered a full scholarship to Boston College at fourteen years of age.
The next hockey season (2001-2002) Adam was selected for the USA National Team Development Program (USNTDP). The USNTDP was started in 1996 by USA hockey as a way to identify elite hockey players in the country under the age of 18, and centralize their training. The team trained in Ann Arbor, Michigan, so at fifteen Adam made his first move to play hockey. It turned out to be a tough time for his mom, Esther, as his older sister, Jessica, left for college one day and Adam left for Michigan the very next day. Having two of your three children leave at the same time was a difficult adjustment for his mom.
Adam played for the national team for two years and what an experience it was. He traveled all around the world playing hockey. His travel included trips to Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia to name a few. They won several tournaments including the Under 17 World Championship in 2002 which took place in Winnipeg. Some of Adam's great memories from his time with the national team was playing against future NHL super stars including Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.
In addition to the hockey Adam was busy finishing high school in Michigan. As a testament to his hard work and dedication he managed to graduate from high school a year early.
After his first year with the National Team in 2002, Adam was selected in the first round (fourth overall) of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft by the Moncton Wildcats. He had just turned sixteen when he was drafted. So his future was set at sixteen as he could play college hockey for Boston College or junior hockey in Canada for the Moncton Wildcats.
After two years with the national team he made the decision to play college hockey and avail himself of the scholarship at Boston College. Going into that season (2003-2004) the hockey world was anxious to see what Adam could do playing NCAA hockey. Having taken an accelerated program to graduate from high school a year early he entered Boston college as a seventeen year old. Many NHL draft insiders were picking him to be a top 20 pick in the 2004 NHL draft. Unfortunately, the season didn't go as expected for Pineault, as it was tough to out play guys who were twenty three or twenty four going into their senior year. He saw little ice time throughout the season scoring just four goals in 29 games and was unable to crack the line up at all for the playoffs. To make matters worse Boston College refused to release him to play for the United States National Team in the 2004 Under 18 World Championships. In spite of the disappointing hockey season and a tribute to Adam's positive attitude he talks of his year in college as a learning experience and one that was very enjoyable. He was able to have the college experience, living on his own for the first time, especially living in Boston. He had a great time and took advantage of the opportunities. He remembers taking the subway with his buddies to Red Sox games.
After the season Adam made the decision to enter the NHL draft. Because he was under age, the rules at the time required he forfeit his remaining college eligibility. He felt given the situation at Boston College going to play junior hockey in Canada for Moncton in the QMJHL was best for his career.
The 2004 NHL draft was held on June 26 in Raleigh North, Carolina. It is especially notable because it was the last NHL event to take place before the beginning of the lockout which cancelled all the games scheduled for the 2004-2005 NHL season. Adam and his family went to Raleigh to attend the draft along with his agent who was NHL great Bobby Orr. He was taken in the second round, 46th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets. "We had a great time, it was such a good experience to see the joy on my parents face, to go up and get the jersey is something you dream about, it is something you don't forget."
So in the fall of 2004 Adam went to Moncton, New Brunswick to play for the Wildcats. He had a great rookie season with 26 goals and 20 assists in 61 games which was third on the team in points. The team, which started out the year as the favorite and did well early in the season had two key injuries (one was former American Bruce Graham who broke his leg) and had a disastrous January which led to the firing of the coach. The team ended up losing in the second round of the playoffs.
If you ask Adam about his greatest experience in hockey thus far, he would say it was his second year (2005-2006) in Moncton. There are many factors that contributed to the great year. A new coach was hired and it was Ted Nolan, a former NHL player and coach who won the Jack Adams trophy as coach of the year when he was head coach for the Buffalo Sabres in 1996-1997. "He was the type of coach that could motivate you to work that much harder because you not only wanted to win for yourself, you wanted to win for him. It was unbelievable to have a coach like Ted Nolan in junior hockey. He teaches you a lot about hockey and a lot about life." The entire coaching staff was great. Adam made great friends (his best friend on the team was former American Josh Hepditch). And by the way, the team captain was another former Allen American, Christain Gaudet.
The Wildcats finished the season with the most points in the league going 52-15 and also won the league championship called the President's Cup over the Quebec Remperts. The next step was the Memorial Cup competition. For those not familiar The Memorial Cup is the junior hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round-robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and Western Hockey League(WHL). Because Moncton was the host team for the Memorial Cup tournament Quebec as the runner up in the QMJHL also participated.
For the first time in the history of the Memorial Cup, two teams from the QMJHL, Moncton and Quebec would meet in the final. Two weeks after losing to Moncton in the President Cup Final, Quebec prevailed and were crowned Memorial Cup Champions for 2006.
The Wildcats fell one game short of achieving their goal of winning the National Championship but as the disappointment of the final loss faded, players and fans together celebrated a season to remember.
When it comes right down to it hockey wasn't the primary reason the 2005-2006 season was one to remember. It was an interview with local sports reporter Monique Gauthier that changed his life. Monique, who had a successful career as a model including an appearance in Maxim magazine had recently been hired as a sports reporter for the local TV station. Adam had returned from playing in the World Juniors in 2005. The first time Monique interviewed him was in January 2005 and he was immediately smitten. She was popular with all of the players and as Adam said, "Anytime you got the call Monique asked for an interview you made sure to slick your hair back and tried to look good." While Adam was struck with her he never really approached her until September 2005. He was not playing as he was injured and Monique interviewed him between periods. After the interview they started talking and Adam invited her for a drink after as the players were getting together at a local bar. She said she would "think about it" but Adam wasn't sure if he had a shot. When he got to the bar Monique was there with her best friend Tracy and they started talking.
They started dating in September and by January 2006 things were getting pretty serious. They were enjoying their relationship as well as their careers.. Adam was having a great hockey season (29 goals and 30 assists in 55 games) and Monique was doing well in her career which included covering the hockey team. Adam shared the story about telling his dad he was dating a wonderful woman who was a sports reporter and had appeared in Maxim magazine. His dad didn't believe him. When his family came to Moncton for the Memorial Cup in May the first thing his dad said when he arrived was let me see the Maxim magazine. After the first game Adams dad got to see Monique doing all of the interviews with the players and coaches and as she was one of the main reporters during the Memorial Cup. He introduced them later that night and his dad loved her immediately.
During the summer of 2006 Adam got an apartment with his best friend, Jim Sharrow in Boston and continued his relationship with Monique as they traveled back and forth between Boston and Moncton to see each other. In the fall he headed for the Columbus Blue Jackets AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch for the 2006-2007 season. Adam and Monique made a decision they didn't want to be so far apart so Monique made a big sacrifice and gave up everything in Moncton to be with Adam in Syracuse.
One of the experiences Adam shared with me is the importance of veterans on a hockey team. He showed up in Syracuse as a 20 year old rookie and one of the veterans on the team, Darcy Verot, who played in the NHL and was a tough guy enforcer type, took him under his wing. "Darcy probably didn't realize the impact he had on the younger guys. He was so nice to me and I was almost in awe of him. Learning and watching Darcy and the other veterans was a great experience that first year in Syracuse. They taught me how to be a pro." Adam played for Syracuse from 2006-2009.
During his second year in Syracuse and after dating for about 18 months Adam and Monique were in a well known jewelry store in Moncton looking at rings. One of Adam's good friends, Maudo Massaro, is part of the family that owns Itacast Jewelry. Maudo asked Adam if Monique was "the one" and when Adam told him yes they worked together to create a custom engagement ring. Adam proposed to Monique during the all star break January (2008) in New York City while they were skating around the ice rink in central park. Adam was kind of nervous about a big wedding so early in the summer he kiddingly said lets get married in Las Vegas and when Monique said that would be okay they got married at a beautiful resort on Lake Las Vegas on July 31, 2008.
The most memorable day during his time in Syracuse from a hockey perspective came in early April 2008. Adam remembers it as if it were yesterday. He was stretching with the other players after a game against the Wilkes-Barre Penguins and the coached called him into his office. The other players started laughing and kidding him he was in trouble. The coach said, "Congratulations, you made it!" Adam really didn't believe him until he said "Your plane leaves in the morning as you need to meet the Blue Jackets in Detroit." Adam said, "I had the chills, I walked out of the rink with my hockey bag to meet Monique at the car and she immediately knew what had happened by the look on my face." Adam couldn't call his dad fast enough and his dad got choked up. I know he didn't sleep that night. His dad couldn't make it to Detroit because of work commitments but after spending all day obtaining the NHL center ice package Roland and Esther got to watch their son play his first NHL game from their couch.
Monique and Adam's best friend jumped in the car and drove all day to get to Detroit.
When I asked Adam how nervous he was playing in his first NHL game he said, "I felt sick to my stomach, it was almost to the point I was so nervous I wasn't sure I could get out on the ice. I still remember my first shift, it was on a line change and on the ice for Detroit was Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Draper, Chris Chelios & Dominik Hasek. I was definitely in awe, like a kid in a candy store. I lined up against Chelios and I wanted to tell him how much I admired him.
Adam played in three NHL games. After the Detroit game they flew to St. Louis to play the Blues and his third game was a home game in Columbus. Adam's dad passed away last April and before he died he told Adam his biggest regret was not taking time off to see Adam play in the NHL. His dream as he was fighting a tough battle with cancer was to see Adam play in the NHL. Adam uses this as motivation to get back to the NHL so his dad can watch him from heaven.
In January of 2009 Adam was traded by Columbus to the Chicago Blackhawks and assigned to the AHL Rockford IceHogs where he finished the 2008-2009 season.
Adam was trying to find a spot to play for the 2009-2010 season and was having trouble finding an AHL team and when he got an offer to play in Europe he checked it out and made a decision to play in the Czech Republic. His team, HC Pardubice was a great team in the best league in the Czech Republic and had former NHL players Petr Sykora and Dominik Hasek on the team. While the monetary package was outstanding it meant Adam would be in Europe by himself as Monique had applied for US citizenship and was not allowed to leave the country during the process. They had recently bought a home in Daytona Beach and Monique would spend her time decorating the new home.
The hockey season was outstanding as the team won the championship. They played in a 10,000 seat stadium, all the games were televised, and the fans were amazing, enthusiastic, diehard fans. The team returned to Pardubice at 3:00 am after the championship game and there were over 40,000 people waiting for them in the town square. Celebrations took place for four or five days afterwards.
Adam returned to Czech Republic for the 2010-2011 season but it was not as successful. He had signed a two year contract with Pardubice but his coach left after the first year and the style of play was different under the new coach. Monique and Shadow (see details below) had come along for the second year. But there were complications with Monique's visa. After they made long trips to get it straightened the bottom line was she had to leave the country. So for another season they were apart.
After the season Adam headed home to Daytona Beach and they were enjoying the summer until Monique had flu like symptoms and decided to get it checked out. They didn't think it was anything serious and assumed they would get some medication and be out of the hospital in an hour. Two days later on June 6, 2011 Monique was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia a rare form of cancer. The next morning Monique was on medi vac jet to her hometown in Canada for treatment.
Monique underwent a bone marrow transplant in October 2011. Her brother was the donor for the bone marrow transplant,” said Pineault. ”He was a 10 out of 10 match. It’s a miracle because the percentage chance of finding a perfect match is pretty low. Monique was doing well after the transplant and was doing great so Adam thought he would try hockey again. Through his friendship with Josh Hepditch he got in contact with the Americans and signed a contract in February of 2012. Adam was only in Allen for ten days when he got some bad news as during Monique's weekly checkup the doctor noticed the beginnings of graft versus host disease. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a complication that can occur after a bone marrow transplant in which the newly transplanted material attacks the transplant recipient's body. Adam new as a player, hockey is important but as a husband hockey is minor in the grand scheme of things. He was going to give up hockey for the year to be with Monique. All summer Monique was on as many as 13 different medications. Her transplant team was in Tampa so every Wednesday Adam & Monique would take the three hour drive from Daytona Beach to Tampa for her check up. They would leave the house at 5:00 am to be in Tampa by 8:00, have appointments all day and then return home Wednesday evening.
Monique was doing well enough in the fall that the doctors said it would be fine for Adam to continue his hockey career. Bill McDonald had kept in touch with Adam all during the summer and he kept in touch not to ask about hockey but to ask about Monique and how she was doing. Adam told me, "I have a lot of respect for Coach McDonald."
Adam had an interesting story about signing with the Americans for this season. Steve Martinson had written Adam a message on Facebook asking if he would be interested in playing but when Adam checked out Martinson's Facebook page it still showed him as the Coach for the Chicago Express so he sent a message back saying he wasn't interested. Later when he was talking to Bill McDonald he realized Martinson was contacting him as the new coach for the Americans. So Adam called Coach Martinson and the first thing he did was apologize for saying no so quickly. The rest is history.
Adam shared with me at the end of our interview that Monique was in Tampa this week for a checkup with her transplant team who are amazing. They have both gotten very close to her doctor (Dr. Brian Betts) and her nurse (Alex Beaupiere). Monique got a great report and the doctor took her off four of the thirteen medications she is taking. They want to slowly take her of the other medications over time.
I wanted to mention in a little more detail the important role Shadow has played in the Pineault family. Adam's dad had German Shepherds while he was growing up and he has always had a fondness for them. A few months after they were married while Adam was playing in Rockford, Shadow joined the family. She has been the source of companionship, security when Adam is away from home, a friend during tough times and a great playmate. Shadow hangs out at the dog park by the Allen Event Center so if you see a good looking German Shepherd stop by and say hi!
Adam also talked a lot about their home in Daytona Beach which is five minutes from the ocean. When he was a kid Adam's family used to spend summers in Westbrook, Connecticut. Westbrook is a quaint shoreline community nestled on the banks of Long Island Sound between New Haven and New London. They had a boat and had great times with the boat. Adam and Monique have a boat and enjoy the life style in Daytona Beach.
Here are some comments I found about Adams hockey ability;
- Adam is a hard-nosed, gritty, power forward
- Adam is a powerful skater with great acceleration
- Adam's style of play creates turnovers along the boards in both zones
- Adam has a booming slapshot
- Adam is a strong puck handler
We asked Adam a few questions to get to know him better:
Nickname: P-no
Roommate On The Road: Anthony Maiani
Hockey Hero: Cam Neely
Who Do You Admire As A Leader: Mike Berube
Favorite Actor: Will Ferrell
Favorite Actress: Eva Longoria
Favorite Type Of Music: Country
Favorite Singer; Kenny Chesney
One Thing People Would Be Surprised To learn About You: I got 1440 on the SAT and had a perfect score on the English portion.
Something That Has Great Value To But Little Value to Anyone Else: I have a chain hanging up in my stall in the locker room that I gave to my dad when he was diagnosed with cancer and when he passed away so I took it back.
What Chore Do You Hate To Do: Vacuum & Laundry
If You Could Live Outside The US for Two Years Where Would It Be: Bahamas
If You Could Be Anything Besides A Pro Hockey Player: Pro baseball player
Any Pregame Rituals: I say the same prayer before each game, I get dressed the same way each game, I bless myself three times and I knock my blade three times.
Who Is The Funniest Guy On The Team: Ryley Grantham
Who Is Your Number One Fan: Monique
What Do You Like To Do To Kill Time On The Bus: Watch TV
Favorite Childhood Toy: Nintendo (Duck Hunter)
If You Could Have Someone As A Mentor: My dad
What Do You Like To Do Away From The Rink: Boating (I have a boat in Florida). golfing
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Ft. Worth Game & Other "Stuff"
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| Kip Brennan Photo by Chip Grail chlphotos.com |
- Kip Brennan had two goals and a fight to lead the team
- Jamie Schaafsma continued his streak (I call it his post interview streak) with two assists. He now has six points in the last three games (three goals & three assists).
- Garrett Clarke took an elbow to the head midway through the second period and did not return to the game. Sounded to me like he will have to pass a concussion test before he gets back on the ice. No tweets last night after the game from Garrett so that tells me he was hurting.
- It is a good night when the three forwards with the most penalty minutes (Brennan, Grantham & Bootland) score all of the goals.
- The official crowd was 968. How can the Brahmas survive?
OTHER STUFF:
- The Americans now have a five point lead over Wichita with four games in hand. The next closest teams (Missouri & Denver) are ten points behind.
- In the weird stat category the top four players in penalty minutes (Clarke, Grantham, Bootland, & Brennan) are the only guys on the team with the number 7 on their back (7, 17, 27, 37). Brennan leads with 99 PIM's.
- Lukin, Pineault & Brennan all had opportunities for short term call ups to the AHL but turned them down for personal reasons.
- According to the pregame interview Tommy Daniels had with Coach Martinson, Alex Penner should play Friday night and Kale Kerbashian should be in the line up on Saturday.
- If Mike Montgomery doesn't get called up by Houston (remember he has a two way AHL/CHL contract) he may also be in the line up this weekend.
- Tyler Ludwig has returned to Allen after playing one game with the Houston Aeros.
- I keep hearing about financial difficulties that several teams around the league are having. We've all heard about Ft. Worth only having one set of uniforms until recently. Even though officially this wasn't budget related it has to be tough when average attendance as reported by the CHL (which most say is inflated) is under 1600 per game. I have also heard about other franchises asking players to take pay cuts and owners not allowing anyone to be put on injured reserve to save money. All I can say is we are so fortunate to have the ownership group that we have here in Allen.
- I talked to Adam Pineault yesterday after practice and he agreed to sit down for a "player profile" interview this Thursday. I will have his story posted Friday morning. I am so grateful the players are willing to take the time to share their life stories with us. I am sure you will find Adam's story very compelling as he and his wife, Monique, dealt with her diagnosis of leukemia in 2011.
- I know I keep kidding that doing a "player profile" interview results in a great weekend in the scoring department. I just want to point out that after Adam agreed to doing an interview he went out and got a point last night. I predict we will keep the streak alive and Adam will score a goal this weekend.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Practice Notes & Other Thoughts 1/8/13
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| Kale Kerbashian |
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| Alex Penner |
- Alex Penner and Kale Kerbashian were at practice this morning for the game day skate however neither one of them will play in the game tonight.
- I confirmed that Liam Huculak has indeed retired from hockey and is not in consideration for a position with the Americans.
- So far today five more ECHL players for a total of 30 have been recalled by AHL teams.
- Two additional CHL players have been recalled by AHL teams for a total of seven.
- Something to keep in mind is that each NHL team will have more players in camp than will end up on their roster. While training camps will be much smaller than normal because of the short duration there is going to be a recoil of players being sent back down to the AHL, ECHL, & CHL at the end of the NHL training camps. So this week we see lots of ECHL/CHL players being recalled to the AHL. In about ten days you will see some of them coming back.
- In my post this morning I reported Jordie Benn would go to training camp with the Dallas Stars and had a good chance of making the team. I have seen two other articles about projected training camp rosters and both predict he won't even be at camp. Guess we will have to wait and see.
- One of the drawbacks of the upcoming short training camp for the Dallas Stars – and all other NHL teams – will be the lack of exhibition games. Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk and his staff are looking for an alternative, and they think the Texas Stars can help.
The plan Nieuwendyk is considering is to bring the Texas Stars to Dallas after they wrap up their three games this weekend. Texas plays in Cedar Park on Friday and Saturday and then in Oklahoma City on Sunday. After that, they don’t play again until Wednesday in Chicago.
“The one thing we are thinking about doing, and I think it will happen, is instead of them going onto Chicago, we’ll bring them into Dallas so we’ll have both teams there for a (joint) practice for one or two days,” Nieuwendyk said.
That would put the Texas Stars in Dallas on Monday and Tuesday, and set up the possibility for some scrimmage situations that would help offset the lack of exhibition games heading into the regular season.
- Is it just me or does it seem like having two Class AA hockey leagues makes things difficult for minor league hockey. At least they used to have an agreement not to steal each others players. They can't even agree on that at this point. I was hopeful the Americans would be joining the ECHL next year but I wonder if anything will happen. I have heard that if the CHL gets down to eight teams it would allow teams to switch to other leagues without violating the terms of their agreements with the CHL. If I remember correctly the Americans signed a 10 year agreement with the CHL and we are only in our fourth year. Seems like everyone agrees the best thing for hockey would be to have only one Class AA league so I hope it happens.
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