Allen Americans Weekly Update - Hebert Returns, Combs Retires, Costello 3ICE Injury, Where Are They Now and More

 

Some big happenings around the Allen Americans since the last update and a look at news for some former Allen players. Here goes:

- The Americans announced the signing of Grant Hebert for the 2023-24 season. Hebert joined the Americans last season in January after playing at the University of Maine. In 37 games as a rookie, Grant had 26 points (8G, 18A). A powerful skater with great vision and ability to carry the puck, look for Hebert to compete for a top six forward spot in his first full season in Allen. Allen has now announced four players for the 2023-24 season. Forwards Colton Hargrove, Liam Finlay, Hebert and defenseman Matt Brassard. 

 

- Jack Combs had a career year last season with 95 points (36G, 59A) which was second in the ECHL behind his teammate, Hank Crone. Jack played more games (70) than any other forward on the team and played in every situation. It was an amazing season for the 35-year-old. Despite the great season it was pretty much a foregone conclusion Combs would retire to pursue a coaching position. That happened this past week with Jack announcing his retirement to become an assistant coach at Lindenwood University in his hometown of St. Louis. 

I asked Jack what his role will be at Lindenwood since college programs have several assistants and also asked him what it was like playing his last pro season in Allen with his close friend (and coach) Chad Costello. Here is what Jack had to say:

 "My role at Lindenwood will be individual skills and special teams."

"Last season in Allen was honestly how I envisioned going out with the exception of not winning the Kelly Cup. Playing for Chad was awesome and being able to see him firsthand excel at being a head coach was very special. I am really going to miss everything about playing in Allen, but I am also very excited to put down roots for my family at home and to be challenged right away with an amazing opportunity to stay involved in the game I love so much."

 

- It was quite a ride for Jack Combs over his 14-year pro career that saw him play in the AHL. ECHL and CHL in North America and overseas in Russia, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Romania. Here are a few of his stats:

• 162 AHL games (40G, 39A), points per game average of .49
• 350 ECHL games (189G, 246A), points per game average of 1.24
• In 2014-15 playing for Allen, Jack had 56 points (22G, 34A) in just 32 games (1.75 PPG) before leaving for Europe.
• Combs played 162 of his 350 ECHL games for the Allen Americans. He is only #9 on the all-time Allen games played list (ECHL only) but is #4 in goals (79), #3 in assists (134), #3 in points (213) and #2 in points per game (1.31).
• Combs and Costello had amazing chemistry and friendship. They played together on six different teams (Allen Americans, Bridgeport Islanders, Colorado Eagles, Iserlohn Roosters, Tulsa Oilers and Worcester Sharks). 
• If you look at ECHL points per game since 2009-10 when Combs first played in the league the top two (minimum 275 ECHL games played) are Costello (1.50) and Combs (1.24). No other player is above 1.08. 

 

- If you watch 3ICE you saw Chad Costello, take a puck to the ear in the tournament in Grand Rapids a couple of weeks ago. The injury was bad enough to keep Chad out if his team's (Team Johnston) game in Newark last week. Team Johnston won the tournament in Newark and has finished its regular season (each team plays three times). Most teams in the eight-team league have one or two games remaining. Team Johnston is currently in second place but will have to wait out the final two regular season weeks to see if they finish in the top four and advance to the championship finals in Philadelphia on August 12. FYI, the top team in 3ICE is Team Murphy who has played twice and won both weeks. Colton Hargrove, Hank Crone and Matt Register are on Team Murphy.

 

- Former Allen player John Snowden (2013-14) has had quite the career since retiring from hockey in 2014. A scratch golfer, John went to Orlando to attend a PGA golf school to become a teaching pro and while living in Orlando (coaching youth hockey) was hired as an assistant coach for the Orlando Solar Bears. After three years in Orlando, he was recruited to become an assistant coach in Newfoundland (2018-19) and became head coach mid-season when the head coach had to step down because of health issues. Snowden led Newfoundland to its first and only Kelly Cup in 2019. In 2021 John was promoted to assistant coach of the AHL Toronto Marlies. The entire Marlies' coach staff was let go after a second-round playoff loss last season. It didn't take long for John to find another coaching position as he has been hired as an assistant coach for the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms. I had a chance to catch up with Snowden to ask about his new position and the family. Here is what he said:

"I will be working with the forwards, running the power play, 6-on-5 and will handle the 5-on-5 offensive side of the puck."

"Kids are doing great and growing up FAST! Hockey has been good, and they are pretty good little players. Both of the boys are also playing baseball. My golf game is almost nonexistent at this time in our lives with kids' sports taking over." 

One of the most memorable games in Snowden's pro career of over 700 games came when he was playing for the Fort Worth Brahmas on February 13, 2013. John scored five goals including four straight goals in the second period as Fort Worth beat Arizona 7-1. 

 

-  Where are they now? Here are a few of the Allen Americans players from the past that have signed for the 2023-24 season showing where they will be playing.

• Dyson Stevenson - Glasgow, Scotland (congrats on his marriage this past weekend)
• Josh Brittain - Dundee Scotland
• Vincent Arseneau - Providence (AHL)
• Alex Lavoie - Grenoble, France
• Branden Troock - Solna, Sweden
• Olivier Archambault - Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia
• Dante Salituro - Hannover, Germany
• J.D. Dudek - Coventry, England
• Josh Winquist - Esbjerg, Denmark
• Nick Albano - Innsbruck, Austria
• Braylon Shmyr - Trondheim, Norway
• Tyler Sheehy - Straubing, Germany
• Les Lancaster - Tampere, Finland
• Stepan Falkovsky - St. Petersburg, Russia
• Hank Crone - Chicago (AHL)
• Jakov Novak - Laval (AHL)
• Corey Mackin - Innsbruck, Austria
• Brett Neumann - Sheffield, England
• Aidan Brown - Miercurea Ciuc, Romania
• Xavier Bernard - Bakersfield (AHL) 

 

- The upcoming season will be the 15th for the Allen Americans franchise. The team is hoping to have a 15th anniversary alumni game, likely in March as an under card to an Americans game. It was a big hit when the Americans had an alumni game for the 10th anniversary and a 15th could potentially be even bigger.

 

- Per team President Jonny Mydra, ticket sales are up 30% over the same time last season. The 2023-24 season is shaping up to be a success both on and off the ice. 

 

- I saw where the AHL regular season will run one week longer on 2023-24 than last season and the AHL playoffs will be the same. That means a lot of teams make the playoffs and they last a long time. Here is how it might impact the Americans in getting help from Belleville for the playoffs:

• Belleville's last regular season game is April 20.
• Allen's last regular season game is April 14.
• Five of seven teams in the AHL North Division (Belleville's division) make the playoffs.
• The AHL playoffs are five rounds. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Since 2006-07 the only ECHL player with more than one 100-point season is Chad Costello who had three straight (2014-17). Here are the seven players with one 100-point season:

• Hank Crone - Allen (2022-23)
• Tyler Donati - Elmira (2009-10)
• Justin Donati - Elmira (2009-10)
• Ryan Kinasewich - Utah 2009-10)
• Kevin Baker - Florida (2008-09)
• David Desharnais - Cincinnati (2007-08)
• Brad Schell - Gwinnett (2006-07)          
  

 

Allen Americans Update, 2023-24 Roster, Liam Finlay Returns, Renewed Affiliation, Preseason Games, BOG Decisions, 3ICE Update, ECHL 2010's Decade Top Scorers

 

I signed up for Threads today so if you have established a Threads account give Allen Americans Blog a follow. Just another way to keep up with posts, especially in the off season when blogs don't get published every day.

 

- It has been over a week since the last update on all things Allen Americans. The biggest news since the last update was the renewal of the affiliation agreement with the Ottawa Senators and the announcement of Liam Finlay's return to Allen for 2023-24. Here are the details on these two news items plus a bunch of other miscellaneous items:

 

- Liam Finlay became the third player announced for 2022-23 joining captain Colton Hargrove and defenseman Matt Brassard on the formally announced roster. Finlay returns after an outstanding rookie season with the Americans. In 54 games Finlay had 70 points (33G, 37A). Here are a few of his accomplishments:

• His seven game winning goals led the Americans and was tied for third in the ECHL,,
• His .611 average goals per game was second on the team, trailing only Hank Crone.
• His 33 goals ranked him #3 among all rookies and #8 in the ECHL despite missing 18 games.
• His 22.4% shooting percentage (33 goals on 147 shots) led the Americans, led all rookies and was #4 in the ECHL.
• He was selected to the ECHL All-Rookie Team.
• He was Allen's representative in the ECHL All-Star Game. 

Staying healthy will be key for Finlay in 2023-24 after missing 18 games to injury last season. Despite being a small player, elite prospects shows him as one of the shortest (5'7") and lightest (154 pounds) players in the ECHL, Finlay has a knack for getting to the tough areas of the ice. He has a combination of speed and quickness that allows him to get in front of the net. He has also been durable, playing in every game (118 straight) his last three seasons in college. Finlay was a member of the University of Denver NCAA championship team in 2017 that was coached by the current NHL Coach of the Year, Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins. In 2018-19, Finlay led Denver in scoring. 
 

 

-  Allen has renewed its affiliation with the Ottawa Senators and Belleville Senators. Hopefully year two of the affiliation will be more productive for Allen than year one. From my reporting Allen never looked around for other options and got this agreement done early. If you remember, last year the affiliation wasn't announced until August 24, 2022. Allen didn't get much help from the affiliation last season. The Senators sent two goalies (27 games), two defensemen (75 games) and no forwards. Both Ottawa and Belleville had many injuries during the season that impacted the number of players sent to Allen.

On the flip side Belleville signed many ECHL players to PTO's during the season but not a single Allen forward got a chance in Belleville. Defenseman Nick Albano was loaned to Belleville in November, signed an AHL deal with the Senators in December and promptly left for Europe. 

All indications are year two of the affiliation will be better for the Americans, but Ottawa is in the process of changing ownership so you never know what that will bring. It won't take much to be an improvement over last season when Allen had the fewest NHL/AHL contracted players (games) in the league.

 

- Here is a reminder of the players I think are signed but not announced. These are the players that played a significant role with the Americans last season, are not veterans, were on Allen's season ending roster and were not given a qualifying offer. The only logical reason these players were not qualified is because they had already signed with Allen.

• Colby McAuley (F)
• Grant Herbert (F)
• Kris Myllari (D)
• Eric Williams (D)
• Ryan Gagnon (D)
• Ty Farmer (D)

 

 

- I have had several questions about the goalie situation for 2023-24. I would assume it will be similar to last season. Allen will get several different goalies from Ottawa/Belleville and the Americans will sign one goalie to an ECHL contract. Chase Perry was key to Allen making the playoffs as he played 10 of 15 games in the last month of the season. Perry's save percentage in Allen was .921 over 22 games. I also heard he had a great attitude in the playoffs when Kevin Mandolese played in most games and Perry was primarily in a backup roll. Perry did get the only win in Allen's 4-1 series playoff loss to Idaho. Perry faced 56 shots and saved 54 in game three, Allen's only win against the Steelheads. Have to assume Perry will be back with the Americans in 2023-24. 

 

 

 

- Allen will play two preseason games against Tulsa. On Friday, October 13th the teams will play in DFW at the NYTEX Sports Centre (North Richlands Hills) and on Saturday, October 14th they will play in Tulsa. Why is Allen playing at NYTEX? I contacted team President, Jonny Mydra to get the answer:

 

"The staff at NYTEX has been trying to get us to host a game there for a while. They told us they are confident most of their season ticket members (NYTEX is the home of the NAHL Lone Star Brahmas) will buy tickets and we can keep 90% of the revenue from the game. The game will be an opportunity to grow our fan base since we are on TV in that market."

 

"The City of Allen didn't want us to have the preseason game in the main arena, so it would have had to be played in the community rink again, which is obviously very small and not the best fan experience.  We have seen NHL/NBA teams occasionally have preseason games in cities that are on the fringe of their market so we figured we would give it a try."

 

I have been around long enough to watch many Allen games at NYTEX and it is a fun rink to watch a hockey game. Sitting in the balcony at the end of the rink, right above the goal, is a unique experience. Here is the press release on the preseason games:  https://allenamericans.com/news/press-release/preseason-schedule-announced/    

 

 

 

- At the ECHL Board of Governor's (BOG) meeting in Las Vegas at the end of June the rule changes the BOG adopted got a lot of publicity especially the rules that call for an automatic game misconduct for two fights in a game and for fighting prior to or at the puck drop. Something else the BOG approved that has not gotten as much publicity is an increase in the maximum number of ECHL memberships from 30 to 32. It sounds rather mundane since there has been talk for years the ECHL wants to match the 32 teams in the NHL and AHL. The BOG change makes you wonder how many ownership groups are currently pursuing a franchise. Franchise #29 (Lake Tahoe) was just approved for startup in 2024-25, but you have to assume others are in the works. I have also heard there are quite a few current ECHL franchises up for sale.

 

 

 

- If you have been following 3ICE you know the Allen connected players have played a dominant role thus far. The schedule is different this season as only four of the eight teams play each week, and the regular season is only six weeks. Each team plays three weeks (2 games per week) and the top four (by points) go to the championship on August 12. Each week is a four-game tournament. After the first round the two losing teams play for the consolation and the two winning teams play for the championship. Points awarded are one point for a first-round win, a half point for a consolation win and two points for a championship win. Last week (Wednesday) the tournament was in Grand Rapids and all four teams had current/former Allen players on the roster. Here were the results:

 

• In game one Team Johnston (Costello) beat Team Fuhr (Combs, Newton) 2-1 (shootout)
• In game two Team Murphy (Crone, Hargrove, Register) beat Team LeClair (Saucerman) 5-1
• In consolation game Team Fuhr beat Team LeClair 9-5
• In the championship game Team Murphy beat Team Johnston 4-2.

Team Murphy has played two tournaments and won them both so are a lock as one of the four teams that will play in championship week. The other three teams with Allen connections also have played two tournaments and have just one regular week remaining. It will be an uphill battle to make the final four on August 12. Here are the points earned by the four Allen related teams:

 

• 6.0 points - Team Murphy
• 1.5 points - Team Fuhr
• 1.0 points - Team Johnston
• 1.0 points - Team LeClair

FYI, the other four teams in 3ICE have played only once so 3.0 points is the maximum with 6.0 points still available. Here are the points for these teams:

• 3.0 points - Team Patrick
• 0.5 points - Team Carbonneau
• 0.5 points - Team Bourque
• 0.0 points - Team Mullen       

 

- The Allen connected players are all over the 3ICE leader board. Here are some individual stats and accomplishments:

• #1 in points (9) - Hank Crone
• #3 in points (6) - Chad Costello
• #3 in points (6) - Colton Hargrove
• #1 in goals (6) - Hank Crone
• #1 in assists (5) - Jack Combs
• #2 in assists (4) - Colton Hargrove
• #2 in plus/minus (+7) - Matt Register 
• Hank Crone won Goal of the Week in week 2.
• Hank Crone and Colton Hargrove were nominated for Goal of the Week in week 3.

 

- This week 3ICE is in Newark, NJ and the four teams are Team Bourque vs Team Leclair (Saucerman) and Team Carbonneau vs Team Johnston (Costello). It will be the last opportunity for Saucerman and Costello to earn points to make it the championship weekend. They will likely have to win the weekend (3 points) to make it to the final four. Games will start at 6:00 pm CDT and can be viewed on the CBS Sports Network.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: I came across this stat while researching the top ECHL point scorers by decade for my ECHL Stats page. The decade of the 2010's has a distinct Allen flavor.  Three of the top five in points in the 2010's decade spent time in Allen. I have included ECHL games played in the decade in parenthesis:

• #1 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel, 504 points (558)
• #2 - Chad Costello, 589 points (307)
• #5 - Mathieu Aubin, 393 points (507)  

 

 

A Trip to Scotland Remembered, Allen Qualifies Six Players, Details on What it All Means for the 2023-24 Roster and More

 

It has been far too long since I did an update on the Allen Americans. My wife and I have just returned from a tour of Scotland with a few days in London before our tour started. Dyson Stevenson, who has played for the Glasgow Clan the last two seasons and his fiance, Taylor, were kind enough to give us some tips on where to go and what to see on our free time in Scotland. FYI, Dyson and Taylor will be getting married on July 22 and be heading back to Scotland for the 2023-24 season. Dyson has just re-signed with Glasgow. Jack Comb's younger brother, Charlie, has also just signed with Glasgow.

 

- The trip to Scotland was amazing with its rich history that included everything from castles to cathedrals to museums to boat rides on Loch Ness (we didn't see "Nessie the Monster) and Loch Lomond. We visit the old course at St. Andrews (did not play), the home of golf established in the early 15th century. Ate a lot of fish (mostly fish and chips), tried haggis (it was surprisingly tasty) and did some whiskey tastings. With all of the history here are two photos that will always remind me of Scotland. It has to be the greenest place on earth, likely helped by the fact it rained (mostly light rain/mist) every day of our trip. This photo is up in the highlands. The second photo is from a day we spent on a cattle farm (called a fold) that raised Highland Cows or as the Scots would pronounce, "Heeland Coos" which are a hearty breed that originated in the Scottish Highlands and have long horns and long shaggy hair. We traveled around the "fold" by tractor learning all about this breed.

 

The gorgeous Scottish Highlands

 

 

  

A view from the home of the farm we visited

 
- Before I talk about the roster, players signed and qualifying offers there is some old news worth mentioning. Here is the list I kept while in Scotland.

 

- The PHPA (Professional Hockey Players Association) has awards in several categories that are voted on by the players at the end of the season. Players recognizing players is much different than the league awards that are voted on by the media, the PR department and other front office personnel and coaches. There is one player selected from each conference for each award. Allen had two players selected for these awards: 

Kris Myllari was selected by his peers as the best defensive defenseman in the Western Conference. Kris contributed to the team offensively (31 points, 8G, 23A), but his defensive contribution was a big part of the team's success. He led the Americans in plus/minus (+10). Here is the PHPA press release on Myllari's Best Defensive Defenseman Award: https://phpa.com/news/2704   

Captain Colton Hargrove was selected by his peers for the Veteran Presence Award given to the player who qualifies as a league veteran and continuously demonstrates the ability to motivate and lead their fellow teammates. Providing leadership both on and off the ice. Here is the press release:  https://phpa.com/news/2703     

 

- The ECHL Board of Governors made several rule changes at the summer meeting in Las Vegas. The most significant was adding automatic game misconduct penalties for a player that fights twice in a game or has a fight prior to, at the drop of the puck or immediately following any face-off during the game. As I wrote while in Scotland, if Derek Mathers played under the current rules when he set the all time Allen record for fights in a single season (29) in 2016-17, he would have been suspended 35-40 games.Here is the ECHL press release with all of the rule changes in case you haven't seen it. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/7/annual-echl-board-of-governors-meeting-concludes

 

- I had a chance to look at some stats comparing the Allen Americans with the Kelly Cup finalists (Florida & Idaho). Here is what I found:

• Allen had four players in the top 20 in points. The finalists had none.
• Allen had five 10+ goal scorers, Florida had 10 and Idaho had 15.
• Allen's top four scorers were 1st, 2nd, 5th and 18th in points.
• Idaho's top four scorers were 20th, 43rd, 50th and 50th in points.
• Florida's top four scorers were 28th, 116th, 123rd and 155th in points. 
• Allen was ranked #23 in goals allowed per game (3.65).
• Florida was ranked #8 in goals allowed per game (2.96).
• Idaho was ranked #1 in goals allowed per game (2.13).
• Based on these stats, Allen will need more balanced scoring and allow fewer goals to be successful in 2023-24.
  

 

 

ALLEN AMERICANS 2023-24 ROSTER

- The Americans have announced the signing of two players for 2023-24. Captain Colton Hargrove will return for his second season with Allen. Defenseman Matt Brassard, who was acquired as the future consideration in the trade that sent Darian Skeoch's ECHL rights to Savannah at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. 

 

- Allen's has issued qualifying offers to six players; Nick Albano, Aidan Brown, Chad Butcher, Hank Crone, Mikael Robidoux and Stephen Baylis. What this means is a lot of players have already signed because it is not necessary to qualify players that have already signed. 

 

- Let's start with the players that have been qualified as that is the way Allen can retain their rights for all of next season. Here is my take on each of the six qualified players:

• Nick Albano - Nick played in Europe last season after signing an AHL deal with Bellevile. He hasn't signed yet for 2023-24 so assume he is looking at the AHL or Europe. Unlikely he will sign in Allen.
• Aidan Brown - Aidan has already signed in Europe (Romania) so will not be signing with Allen (at least initially).
• Chad Butcher - Chad is likely looking for a job in Europe so his future is yet to be decided.
• Hank Crone - Hank has signed an AHL deal (Chicago Wolves) so hopefully he will be playing in the AHL in 2023-24. Allen has Hank's ECHL rights so if he is sent to the ECHL it will be to Allen.
• Mikael Robidoux - Mikael is likely looking at Europe so his future is still undecided.
• Stephen Baylis - Stephen missed the entire 2022-23 season with an injury and it is unsure what his plans are for 2023-24. 
  

 

- Veterans are the hardest group to figure out because they are usually not qualified as they can become free agents even if they are qualified. Whether the veterans (Asuchak, Combs, Saucerman, Fournier) will re-sign, retire or move on will likely not be known until later in the summer.

 

- That leaves the group of younger players that were not qualified so have likely already signed with Allen and will be announced over the course of the summer. It would make no sense to not qualify these players unless they have already signed because if they haven't signed they are now unrestricted free agents. Here is the list of skaters that are non-vets, weren't qualified and were on Allen's season ending roster. You have to assume most (but not all) of these players have signed for 2023-24:

• Liam Finlay
• Colby McAuley
• Kris Myllari
  
• Grant Hebert
• Eric Williams
  
• Ryan Gagnon
• Ty Farmer
• Dalton Skelly

Here is the ECHL press release with the qualifying offers for all 28 teams: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/7/echl-announces-players-with-qualifying-offers

  

 

ECHL Protected Lists Due Today and Other Allen Americans and ECHL Happenings

 

There is not much happening with the Allen Americans but there is one action item due today. However, things will start to ramp up over the rest of June. I had a few unrelated items on my list so thought today would be a good day to share. Here it goes:

 

- It looks like the Brabham Cup curse will strike again and the best regular season team in the history of the ECHL will not end up with a Kelly Cup for the Idaho Steelheads. Idaho was shutout 1-0 by Florida last night as Everblades goalie Cam Johnson had his fourth shutout of the playoffs. Idaho is down 0-3 in the series with the next two games in Florida on Friday and Saturday. If Florida wins the Kelly Cup look for goalie Cam Johnson to become the first back-to-back playoff MVP in ECHL history.

   

- The first action of the 2023-24 season is due today (3:00 pm EDT) as ECHL teams must submit protected lists. This is a list of unlimited length of players that meet one of several criteria that allows teams to retain rights. There are always some unexpected names on the protected lists. Keep in mind the list is players that meet one of the criteria and doesn't say anything else.

1. All the players that signed contracts with Allen last season and weren't traded or released. In addition to all of the players with the team at the end of the season you can add Jared Bethune (left on his own), Nick Albano (loaned/signed to Belleville, then left for Europe) and Stephen Baylis (out all year injured) to the list.

2. Players that were given qualifying offers last summer and did not sign with Allen and weren't traded or released. Ben Carroll, Jake Kearley and J.D. Dudek are in this category. 

 A year ago, Allen had 30 players on the protected list. By my calculation the number of players meeting one of the criteria this year will be less.  

 

- The protected list does not tell you much about the 2023-24 roster. That will be clearer later in the month (June 22) when season ending rosters are due to the league office. This list is a maximum of 20 players and will be limited to players that signed a contract with Allen in 2022-23. 

 

- Typically, after the season is over and prior to the time players can sign for 2023-24 (June 23) there is not much going on between the players and the Americans. It is the time when players and their agents are looking at options for next season. The two main options are opportunities in the AHL and/or in Europe.

 

- Future consideration trades must be completed by June 20. I would expect it will go up to the deadline before those trades are completed. These future consideration trades typically are structured where one team can protect a number of players (agreed to at the time of the trade) and the team that traded a player can choose from the unprotected list. Allen will gain and lose one player from future considerations.

• Savannah owes Allen a defenseman. The Ghost Pirates will protect a predetermined number of defensemen and Allen will pick from the rest.
• Allen owes Norfolk a player for the trade that brought defenseman Eric Williams to Allen in early March. Williams was the captain in Norfolk and led the team in points by defensemen (by 9 points) even though he played in only 45 games before being traded. The point is you don't trade for a player like Williams without giving up a good player back. It should be noted the futures is for a "player" not a specific position. Coach Costello will be a able to protect predetermined number of players but there is little doubt Norfolk will get a good player from the list they will have to choose from.
  

 

- I am sure many of you have seen the ECHL press release on what they call the Team Awards which include both individual and group awards given to what I call front office employees. It covers everything from Broadcaster of the Year to Community Service Team of the Year to several Sales awards. Here is the press release with the 17 award categories and the five finalists for each award: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/6/echl-announces-finalists-for-2022-23-team-awards-presented-by-sponsorcx    

 

- It is always interesting to me to see which teams get the most nominations. I have never done the stats over a period of years, but it seems the Mountain Division is always at the low end. There are 17 awards with five nominations for a total of 85 nominations. If you divide by the 28 teams in the ECHL it comes out to an average of three nominations per team. If you multiply the average of three nomination by the seven teams in each division, it would be 21 nominations per division if distributed equally. The Mountain Division has a total of 14 nominations this year. 

 

- Allen has two nominations. One is for the Most Creative Revenue Generation of the Year, which was a Tickets for Teachers Program that offered discounted tickets for teachers to get visibility at schools. The second nomination is for Specialty Jersey of the Year for the Star Wars Night. 

 Allen Americans ECHL Specialty Jersey of the Year Nomination

 

- Two of the most visible of the 17 awards are Broadcaster of the Year and Media/PR Director of the Year awards because this group is well known in the local markets and around the league. The Mountain Division got no nominations for Broadcaster of the Year. However, congrats to Cam McGuire (Idaho) and Jason Mals (Wichita) who are finalists for the Media/PR Director of the Year.

 

- Here are the nominations for each ECHL team ranging from seven to zero. Remember there are 17 different categories:

• 7 - Indy, Cincinnati, Savannah
• 6 - Florida, Maine
• 5 - Toledo, Kalamazoo
• 4 - Jacksonville, Wichita, Norfolk, Orlando, Greenville  
• 3 - Rapid City, Fort Wayne, 
• 2 - Worcester, Allen, Trois Riviéres, Tulsa, Idaho
• 1 - Kansas City, Reading, South Carolina, Atlanta, Adirondack, Iowa
• 0 - Newfoundland, Utah, Wheeling  

 

- These awards will be presented as part of the ECHL summer meetings which takes place in Las Vegas at the end of June. The ECHL Board Governors always have a meeting during the week and in the past rule changes and ownership/franchise changes have come out the BOG meeting. I haven't heard what is on the BOG agenda, but it will be worthwhile to track what they discuss, decide and announce.

 

- Atlanta announced several changes this week. Coach Jeff Pyle is stepping down but will remain with the Gladiators as director of hockey operations. Long time Atlanta player and captain, Derek Nesbitt, who retired last season and was an assistant coach this season, has been named head coach. Atlanta also announced they will be affiliating with Nashville in 2023-24. Here are the details on all of these moves: https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/atlanta-gladiators-name-derek-nesbitt-head-coach-among-other-changes/article_34dcee18-0499-11ee-a060-9f34a0203f56.html     

 

- A couple of former Allen players are on the move. Vincent Arseneau was part of two championship teams in Allen and has been playing in the AHL full time since 2018-19. Arseneau was just traded from the Abbotsford Canucks to the Providence Bruins. Here is the press release:  https://www.providencebruins.com/news/detail/providence-bruins-acquire-vincent-arsenau-from-abbotsford-canucks

 

- Brett Skinner was an offensive defenseman who started the 2012-13 season with Allen. Coach Martinson knew when he signed Skinner he would not be in Allen very long because he was too good for the CHL. The hope was Skinner could help Allen get off to a good start. The strategy worked as Skinner lasted 28 games and had 37 points (7G, 30A). He was loaned to the AHL (Grand Rapids) and never returned. Allen won 22 of the 28 games Skinner was with the Americans on the way to its first championship. Skinner became a coach after retiring in 2017 and was just named as the head coach of the USHL's Fargo Force. FYI, Hank Crone, Grant Hebert and Ty Farmer all played for the Fargo Force. Here is the press release on Skinner's selection: https://fargoforce.com/news/2023/5/31/general-force-announce-brett-skinner-as-head-coach.aspx  

 

- If you have been tracking ECHL players heading to Europe there are some big names already on the list. 

• Newfoundland has lost three players including its all-time leading scorer, Zach O'Brien who has signed in Slovakia. He is an elite player at the ECHL level who has averaged 1.35 point per game in his 205 games with the Growlers. 
• Wichita's leading scorer this season, Michal Stinil has signed in Austria. He was Wichita's leader by 16 points. He had 79 points (31G, 48A) and a points per game average of 1.22. 
• Toledo's Gordie Green has signed in Austria. Green was Toledo's second leading scorer during the regular season. He is #1 in points per game in the playoffs (1.38). He had 18 points (9G, 9A) in 13 games before the Walleye were eliminated in the Western Conference finals. 
• Reading's Max Newton has signed in Slovakia. The rookie was Reading's second leading scorer and the ECHL's third leading rookie scorer with 72 points (34G, 38A). 
  

While no Allen Americans have signed in Europe it is likely just a matter of time. There has never been an off season when zero Allen players have signed in Europe. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Florida goalie Cam Johnson had his fourth shutout of the playoffs last night. He also had four shutouts last season when Florida won the Kelly Cup. With eight career shutouts, Johnson is now tied with one other goalie for career playoff shutouts (8) and that is Riley Gill. Johnson still has a long way to go to catch Gill's ECHL all-time records of 90 playoff games, 53 playoff wins, and 11 finals series wins.

 

 

Year-End Question and Answer Interview with Allen Coach and General Manager Chad Costello

 

- I had a chance to sit down with coach and general manager Chad Costello to get his thoughts on the just completed 2022-23 season and his plans for the 2023-24 season. Costello will be starting the second year of the three-year contract he signed when he was hired a year ago. To say it was a challenging year would be a gross understatement. The obstacles Chad had to overcome from the day he moved from the locker room to the coach's room to the final game of the season were off the charts. Over and over again he had to deal with major issues on and off the ice. It is a tribute to Chad and the team how they stuck together as a family and overcame all of the obstacles to make it to the final eight teams in the playoffs. A job well done!

 

Q: What are your thoughts on the series loss to Idaho?

A: I liked our chances going into the series. I thought with a full lineup and how healthy we were we could give them a run. We were the better team in game one of the series but ended up losing 5-4. If that game had gone our way, it is a different series, but we lost. We handed them two or three goals and we should have won that game. Game two was canceled because of the tragic shooting in Allen and to be honest I still haven't really processed that with the impact on the families and the Allen area. I think I was protecting myself in not letting that in but will be thinking a lot about that this summer.

When the series shifted to Idaho for four games, I knew it would be a tough task. We hadn't beaten them all year. I had confidence we could beat them, and our goal was to get the series back to Allen. Trailing 0-2 in the series we knew we had to turn the series physical. It was very clear we had to be a much more physical team to be successful. With our penalty kill being so good I thought it would be a good idea to go after them a little more, within the rules. We didn't want to hurt anyone, but we wanted to hit, finish our checks and play more north-south with speed. The team bought in, and it worked with the 7-2 win in game three.

What we noticed is the way the games were being officiated it was very difficult to keep playing that way. We were taking penalties; we were short players and it slowly added up to what I consider is a terrible way to go out of the playoffs.

I wish we could have made Idaho earn it a little more, but at the same time our players were very tired. They did not give up. The scores may have looked like that, but they did not give up.

In the final game I thought we were playing well until we were called for several questionable penalties that resulted in six minutes of 5-on-3 time for them. At one point the penalties were 9-1 against us. I have never seen that before. I wish they would have given us a fair opportunity to win that game but in my eyes they did not. What can we learn from that experience? We need to adjust to the officiating.

 

Q: Is there anything you learned this season in dealing with the referees that will change your approach next season?

A: I wanted to be known as a coach that stood up for the players every time. Out of respect for Idaho and respect for the game and the series and given what the score was at in the last game, I opted not to stick up for the players with the referees and it haunts me to this day. After telling the players all season I would stand up for them and have their back every single time, I did not do that in the last game. I didn't want to be ejected out of respect for the game of hockey where you shake hands at the end of the series. I wanted to show respect for Idaho because they had a great season and they beat us.

As a coach and general manager will I look at how I treat referees and the league and officials differently, absolutely, I will look at everything. However, I will not stop standing up for the players. I would say for the most part I am respectful with the referees and talk to them kindly. In reflecting on the entire season, I will look at it as more of a process. If you continually fight for every single call it is exhausting. Maybe picking your battles is a better approach. That is something I have learned this season because otherwise it wears on you to be upset on every penalty.

I will say in the last game in Idaho, it wasn't just all of the questionable penalties, it was the way we were being treated. The referees are in a position of power and the way they talked to our players was disrespectful.

 

Q: Despite the ending you have to be pleased with the season overall?

A: I truly thought we would win the whole thing. Even when we went down 2-0 in Idaho, I thought that if we could just get the series back to Allen we would win. I am thrilled from where we started, we were able to get to the division finals. I learned so much because we had so many injuries early in the season and rather than find replacement players, I tried to find players to fill in until injured players returned. That didn't work as we lost at an incredible rate. What I learned is you have to try and win every single game. You can't have the approach of let's just get through this week or this month until the players return. You have to find good replacements right away and figure it out later when the injured players are healthy and return. I tried to buy time for injured players to get back and that is not how it works. You have to replace injured or suspended players right away or you are going to lose hockey games.

 

Q: How many future consideration trades do you have to settle before the June 20 deadline?

A: Two, Savannah owes us a defenseman and we owe a player to Norfolk.

 

Q: Did you do exit interviews with the players and what do you cover in exit interviews?

A: Yes, we did do exit interviews. The first question is always their summer plans, where they are going to be. Second question was what they liked about the season and what things did they wish went differently. It included everything from what happened on the ice to what happened off the ice from housing to the coaching staff and whatever else was on their mind. The third question was whether they would like to return or not and if we would like them to return or not. We also went over our plan to win the whole thing next year. We will be in contact with all of them during the summer. I can't sign players until June 23.

 

Q: What are your thoughts as you build your team for 2022-23?

A: I hope to have a core group of 10-12 players back and work with our affiliate to increase the number of players assigned. If we can get the assigned players number up to just five it will be a big help in getting some good players but will also be a big help with the salary cap, which will help in recruiting. Our number one priority is defense. Our goal will be to find that 50-point defenseman that can control the game offensively and defend. The way we play and guys that want to return we won't have any trouble with forwards that can find the back of the net. We do need to get faster, bigger and younger, no doubt about it. We can learn from Idaho who has a lot of players that can play different styles. Their leading scorers play very hard defensively, play fast and are big hockey bodies. In the playoff series their heaviness, hard work and grit outmatched our skill.

 

Q: How do you see Ottawa/Belleville fitting into your plans next season?

A: They have a plan and hopefully we will be part of that plan. The great thing is we built a good relationship with them this season. We would have had more players assigned, but they had an unusually large number if players injured. They visited Allen during the playoffs and the group included Ryan Bowness who is an assistant general manager for Ottawa and in that role is the general manager for Belleville. Bowness was very complimentary when he visited and thought the product in Allen was very good. The crowd that night was packed, the atmosphere was great, he liked our locker room, he liked our staff, he liked our pregame board, our meetings and he liked how Mandolese played. He seemed pretty impressed at what we have at this level.

 

Q: How do you plan to use you four veteran spots next season?

A: I plan on using all four spots. Veterans are a big key to success. They have to be good in the locker room and productive on the ice. We will look at our returning vets but also players around the league that become veterans after this season that will become free agents. There will be a lot of tough decisions with the veterans. With Hargrove now a vet we have five from last season ( Asuchak, Combs, Fournier, Hargrove, Saucerman,).

 

Q: How will your 3ICE season be different this season. It was a great networking and recruiting source last season. Do you expect the same this season?

A: I am really excited about it. There are a lot of new faces this year. Last season there were a lot of older retired guys. This year the lineups are very active players that are playing right now with a lot of them from Europe. I am excited to see them and expect to take a shot at a few of them. I am also excited to play because you never know when your last opportunity to play something like this will come along.

Personally, I am playing for a specific reason. My dad wanted me to play 3ICE one more time. If it wasn't for that I may not have done it because I have a lot of stuff I need to work on. The season is shorter this season. It will be only four weeks (five if you make the finals) and the games are on Wednesday, so it works good with my coaching/general manager job. I will be hands-on in watching every single game and following all the players to see who might fit in. One cool thing is the week in Grand Rapids (July 12). All the players from Allen that are playing 3ICE will be in Grand Rapids (each week only half the teams play) plus myself so I will try and fight a few of those guys. haha

 

Q: What are you most looking forward to this summer away from hockey?

A:  I have to go home to Iowa and see my dad's stuff, clean up his life and his business. Not to get too personal, but I put that part of my life to the side during the season. I had to do that for the players, the job and my protection. It is now time to face the music so to speak, walk the streets we used to walk together and go over the memories with my siblings. All of the stuff I put to the side I am excited to face. I don't know if I was scared to face them or I was just too busy but it is obvious to me and my family I buried those feelings and I am now excited to face them and see where I sit with the thought of my dad not being here anymore.

I am also excited to hang out with Ashley and the kids. It is weird because when I was a player I thought now that I am a coach I will have more time but that was a false reality. The fact is during the season you have the same schedule as the players plus all the thing you have to do other than playing the game.

We are not the type of family that flies somewhere like the beach for a week. Too many activities in the summer for that. I am sure we will take weekend trips with the family to Colorado and/or the Ozarks.

 

The Story of the ECHL Athletic Trainer of the Year - Allen's Own Jordan Dutton

 

 

 

The Allen Americans added to their treasure trove of 2023 post season awards this week when the ECHL announced Jordan Dutton had been selected in a vote of his peers around the league as the Athletic Trainer of the Year. Jordan adds his name to the long list of post season recognition for the Americans. Allen has more postseason awards than any other team in the league. Here is the list:

• Jordan Dutton - Athletic Trainer of the Year
• Hank Crone - Most Valuable Player
• Hank Crone - Rookie of the Year
• Hank Crone - Scoring Champion
• Hank Crone - All Rookie Team
• Hank Crone - All ECHL Team
• Liam Finlay - All Rookie Team
• Jack Combs - All ECHL Team 

 

- To win an award that is voted on by your peers in always a special honor and for Jordan, who has been around the Allen Americans since he was 17 it is especially satisfying. He is the first trainer in Allen franchise history to be selected Athletic Trainer of the Year. Here is what coach Costello had to say about Jordan being honored, "This is very well deserved, both the staff and the players love him. His work ethic is great and  his personality is great. We look at him as a big part of the team. I am very proud and happy for him.

 

- The story of Jordan's journey with the Allen Americans starts before the team had ever played a game. He was a 17 year old still in high school at Plano Senior High. He went to a team autograph event at Dodie's in October of 2009. During the event the Allen staff handed out cards for attendees to express interest in tickets or employment opportunities. He checked employment opportunities and talked to one of the employees at the event and told him he wanted to become an athletic trainer when he was older and he told me I needed to talk to Allen's trainer, Brent Woodside", (who is now the athletic trainer for the AHL Colorado Eagles).

Jordan circa 2010

 

 

- As Jordan told me, "I talked to Woodside and told him I wanted to be an athletic trainer. He said he could use someone to help fill water bottles and setup before games and I said absolutely. We talked several times over the next couple of weeks and he invited me to come and help him work the first game. I still remember it like yesterday, a preseason game (October 9, 2009) in the Community Rink against the Texas Brahmas. That was the start and from that I would work games filling up water bottles, setting up the benches, helping the visitors and helping the equipment guy at the time. It all grew from that random fan event at Dodie's."

 

- From that team autograph event on 2009 Jordan has been a part of the Allen Americans family ever since. He always stayed in contact with the team as he made his way through college and helped out whenever his schedule and timing worked out. He has worked with almost every trainer in Allen franchise history which makes his Athletic Trainer of the Year honor so special, because he learned from all of the prior trainers.

 

 - Here is a recap from the ECHL press release of Jordan's Allen Americans journey from that 17 year old high school kid to a master's degree in athletic training to the ECHL Athletic Trainer of the Year. All this and he is a fun guy to be around:

 

- Dutton began working as a student athletic trainer for the Americans in 2009, and during his time in Allen, he has been a part of championship teams in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He received his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2017 from the University of North Texas, where he worked with the football and men’s basketball teams. Dutton then moved on to Texas Tech University, receiving a master’s degree in athletic training. While at Texas Tech, he worked with the Red Raiders’ baseball team, which earned the Big 12 championship in 2019 and advanced to the College World Series. He returned to the Americans for the 2019-20 season, and recently concluded his fourth season as the team’s head athletic trainer.

 

- After my crow eating event on Thursday I had a chance to ask Jordan a few questions about his time in Allen and his selection as Trainer of the Year:

  Question: What is your best memory of your time with the Allen Americans?

  Answer: There are so many! There are a lot of road trips on Big Red (bus) that bring up many crazy memories. My first championship with the team was the 2014 Presidents' Cup in the CHL. That was great fun for me and there were a lot of great guys on that team. I wasn't as involved in the first Kelly Cup (2015) because of school, but the second Kelly Cup in 2016 I was a lot more involved so got to know the guys and that was an amazing championship. That was the year I got to meet Costy, Gens, Steffes and Gill who are still involved with the team.

Locker Room Celebration - 2014 CHL Championship

 

 

Jordan Celebrating 2016 Kelly Cup

  Question: Have you heard from a lot of people from the past?

  Answer:  That has been the best and will be the most memorable part of being recognized as Trainer of the Year. Over the last few days, I have heard from so many people from the past. Former players in Allen and around the league, former coaches, equipment managers, trainers and that has been very special. 

 Question: Where do you see yourself three years from now?

 Answer: I like where I am at! Allen has always been home to me and I like what has been built here. I have really enjoyed working with Costy and Tony (equipment manager) and the people upstairs. I feel like I have been part of taking the next step and I want to be part of it going forward. I really don't see myself anywhere else. This is home, my family is here and I can't imagine myself anywhere else for the foreseeable future.      

Question: What do you like to do away from hockey. Any plans for the summer?

Answer: I enjoy spending time with my family who live in Justin, Texas, near Fort Worth. My interests include photography, hiking and hanging out with my dog, Waylon. I will be getting away this summer for sure. I plan to visit Montana (Bozeman and Three Forks). I will visit Yellowstone National Park for a week and spend a few days in Glacier National Park taking in all of the spectacular views. I will be doing some country musical festivals and will attend the Cheyenne Frontier Days. I am a big fan of country music and rodeo. 

 

ELATION! - Jordan and Steffes just before a giant bear hug (2016)

The Story of Eating Crow - A Promise Fulfilled

 

 

 

Love me some crow chili!

 

If you are a regular reader of the blog, you know I have been talking about eating crow for predicting the Allen Americans would not make the playoffs since the team started to turn around its season in January. The topic has made for some good-natured chirping around the locker room for many months and it culminated yesterday when I fulfilled my promise to eat crow. Here is the complete story:

 

- The exact origin of the idiom of "eating crow" in unknown. One version from around 1850 talks about a farmer in New York who had urban borders complain about the food he was serving and challenged him to eat a crow. Another version talks about an American soldier in the War of 1812 hunting for food who accidentally went behind enemy lines and shot a crow. Whatever the origin, eating crow has come to mean the humiliation by admitting you have been proven wrong after taking a strong position. The crow is presumably repulsive to eat the same way being proven wrong might be hard to swallow.

 

- Here is how I got in the crow eating business. I didn't start the season thinking Allen would miss the playoffs, even though others did. Here is the chronology:

 

- This is from the blog post on October 23, 2022, and I was in full support mode. Have to admit Matt may need my eating crow recipe after these predictions:   

My friend Matt Harding from Field Pass Hockey, who I have worked with the past decade, just posted his predictions for ECHL division champions, playoff teams and Kelly Cup champion. Have to say there are more than a few surprises in his predictions:

• You can't call Matt a homer as he lives in Wichita and is a long time Thunder fan but predicts Wichita will miss the playoffs.
• He also gives coach Costello no respect as a first-year coach, predicting Allen will miss the playoffs.
• His Mountain Division champ is Rapid City, with Utah, Idaho and Kansas City making the playoffs.
• Matt's most surprising pick is Fort Wayne to win the Kelly Cup.

In all seriousness, Matt has done a great job covering the ECHL (CHL before that) and knows more about the league than any writer I know. We will see how things turnout in April. As for my predictions, Allen will make the playoffs and Newfoundland will win the Kelly Cup. 

 

- This is from the blog post on November 27. It is my annual Thanksgiving post based on an NHL model that says 80% of playoff teams are decided by Thanksgiving. In my defense, this model is strictly by the standings with no judgement. However, the comment at the end was my judgement and where my crow eggs were hatched.

MOUNTAIN DIVISION

• 1. Idaho (.844)
• 2. Kansas City (.607)
• 3. Wichita (.600)
• 4. Tulsa (.533)

This is another division where every team, but one has a record of .500+. Rapid City and Utah are lurking just behind Tulsa. Utah was the #1 team in the regular season last season and Rapid City was #2, so it is easy to see them moving into a playoff position. Allen is in last place in the division with a .393 points percentage and is the only team out of contention for a playoff spot at this point.  

 

- By the end of December things had gone from bad to worse. The Americans had gone from a points percentage of .393 at Thanksgiving to a low point of .303 and a record of 5-12-1-0. This was my most optimistic (haha) outlook from the blog post on December 27, "It is hard to overstate the importance of the next month if the Allen Americans are going to turn around the poor start to the season. Making the playoffs is unlikely but not impossible." I remember this day very well, using my stats to talk to Chad Costello about the uphill battle to make the playoffs and doubled down on my opinion it would not happen. Chad said to me with complete confidence, "All we have to do is win two out of every three games going forward and we will make the playoffs." He started saying that publicly that day and for the next three months the team accomplished that goal.

 

- It didn't take long before I could see the Americans could make the playoffs because Allen was playing great and the teams ahead of them in the standings were not. The idea of my prediction of Allen missing the playoffs was going to be wrong hit me by the end of January. I started using the eating crow phrase periodically in the blog as the season progressed, but it was always in my mind figuratively not literally. 

 

- At some point the thought crossed my mind what if I could actually eat crow if Allen made the playoffs. I did some research and found you could eat crow, though it is not the best game meat, and it was possible to hunt them in Texas in February. I have hunted all variety of birds my entire life from ducks, geese, pheasants and grouse growing up in the Minnesota to quail and doves since moving to Texas. I have been dove hunting in Argentina and goose hunting as far north as Hudson Bay. In my 65 years of bird hunting, I have never hunted crow. My first step was to google Texas crow hunting and one of the first websites I found was called Texas Crow Patrol (TCP) which is a group of guys that help ranchers eradicate crows that are damaging their crops, mostly pecan crops. I sent an email to TCP to try and get some information about crow hunting and struck gold. Bob Irving, a retired CPA, called me back and I got a quick lesson about crows and crow hunting from a real expert. What was more impressive than all of his knowledge was his willingness to help. I shared my idea with Americans assistant coach, Aaron Gens, who is also an avid hunter, and he was all in with the crow hunt. 

 

- Bob is a field rep for several companies including FOXPRO (game calls) and Mossy Oak (hunting apparel) and offered to loan us some of his equipment. After a couple of conversations, I learned his nickname is gadget Bob and he has every crow hunting gadget that exists. They include extra-long barrels to suppress sound which you can see in the photos below. Once Bob learned the details and the back story why we wanted to go crow hunting he graciously offered take us on a hunt. We spent a day in February with Bob hunting in a pecan orchard near Bonham. It was quite an education and a lot of fun even though it was the wrong time of year to hunt crows. The pecan harvest was over by February. In the fall during the pecan harvest crows can congregate by the thousands and do considerable damage to the crop. 

Gens and Janssen - The Crow Hunters.

 

 

- We managed to harvest three crows which I cleaned and put in the freezer for use if Allen made the playoffs. The Americans were in fourth place the day we went hunting but the standings were very tight between second and sixth place. The next step in the process was to figure out the best way to serve the crow. I had lots of suggestions from fans but learned from a lifetime of eating whatever I killed if you have something that is questionable in taste put it in chili and that can help hide the taste. 

 

Our crow hunting coach Bob Irving and Gens

 

- Yesterday, the day finally arrived to fulfill my promise to eat crow. I spent all morning preparing the chili. I decided to make a big batch in case others might want to partake in the crow chili. There were so many questions? I am from Minnesota, and you don't make chili without kidney beans. I have learned from my neighbors that is a no-no in the south. I split the difference and put in half the beans I would normally use. My next problem was not enough crow meat. Problem solved by adding the top of the food chain when it comes to game meat. I took a couple of pheasants out of the freezer to add to the chili. More disguise for the crow. Then I cooked some jalapeno favored bacon (it was hot for this bland favoring Minnesota boy) but again, the bacon bits could help disguise the crow. I think you can see the plan, disguise the crow as much as possible.

 

- I had everything set up in the locker room by 12:30. Spent a few minutes telling everyone how happy I was to be eating crow and to be wrong about the Americans missing the playoffs.  Talked about what an impressive run the team had from last place in December to the final eight in the playoffs. Then it was time to chow done and face the music. It was a lot of fun and to my surprise about half of those in the in attendance tried the Chili. Stick taps to Chad Costello, Aaron Gens, Chris Meriney, Jack Combs and Bob Irving who didn't make me eat crow alone. And of course, the hunters (me, Gens and Irving) had seconds. The feedback from everyone was all positive, the disguise seemed to work. It was mentioned more than once that there are a few Allen fans that should also be eating crow. I had about half a crockpot of crow chili left over, so if there is anyone that predicted Allen wouldn't make the playoffs and wants to eat crow let me know.

 

- I want to thank equipment manager Tony Deyzner for his help in setting up the locker room in the middle of all he has to do as the players are clearing out their stalls and leaving town. Also, thanks to Elisabeth Brown for her help in taking photos and posting them to social media. Finally, I want to thank Bob Irving for sharing his expertise and giving so much of his time to this crazy idea. What started out as a random call about a crazy idea has turned into a real friendship for Aaron and me that will endure in the future. Even better, Bob has been a Dallas Stars fan for many years but had never heard of the Allen Americans. He attended a couple of Allen games with his daughter, Holly, and is now a big fan and supporter. A win-win all in the name of eating crow.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Some facts we learned about crows on our hunt with Bob Irving:

• A group of crows is called a murder.
• One study showed a single crow can eat or damage as much as seven pound of pecans in one year.
• Crows are very social and live in family groups of four to 15.
• Crows are some of the smartest creatures in the animal kingdom capable of making rule-based decisions and creating and using tools.