Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - A Work in Progress

 

The suddenness and sadness that comes with the end of the Allen Americans season always hits me very hard. From watching the players linger on the ice after the loss on Sunday to the tears shed in the locker room knowing this group that has given their all to this team, will disperse quickly. What is certain is this team will be gone. Some will return next season, some will retire, some will go to Europe and some will not be invited back, but the team I wrote about almost every morning, talked to at practice and watched every game will no longer exist. 

 

- Everything will happen very quickly this week. Tonight is the end of season party with fans (7:00 pm at Northside Drafthouse). Player physicals, exit interviews, and locker clean out will all get done this week and the players will start to head home. Some will stay longer than others, some will stay because they need medical procedures, but it will get lonely quickly in the locker room.  

The day has arrived for the blog to say goodbye to the 2023-24 season and go into the summer hiatus. One year ago (May 16, 2023) when I wrote my thank you blog after Allen lost in the second round of the playoffs to Idaho the title was, "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - A New Era in Allen." This year the apt title is Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - A Work in Progress." Chad Costello, in his second season as coach and general manager, had to deal with a record number of injuries, little help from Allen's affiliate and a new ownership/management group. The season ended too soon but to make it from last place in the division earlier in the season to third place and into the playoffs was a big accomplishment.   

 

- Thanks to Chad Costello and his staff for always taking the time to talk to me, share information and educate me. A special thanks to coach Costello and coach Gens for allowing me to stop by the coaches office after every game and every practice to ask questions, talk about the team and observe them work. It is this openness and trust that has allowed the blog to have information you can't find anywhere else. Thanks also to the players who have never said no to a single request I have made of them for a chat, an interview or a question. 

 

- A special thanks to team president Jonny Mydra for his support this season. He reaches out all of the time to share information and helps publicize the blog. Jonny both seeks and listens to feedback. He is available early in the morning when I am writing the blog and late at night when I am planning the blog. It is nice to know the president of the team supports and reads the blog and lets you know it is appreciated. His surprise presentation to me of a framed Allen Americans jersey acknowledging by 2500th blog was extra special. 

 

- While many ECHL teams will declare the season a success if they make the playoffs that is not the culture or expectation in Allen. Here are a couple of Costello quotes about one year apart that capture that sentiment:

May 18, 2022 - "I have high expectations. Here in Allen, it is championship or fail and that expectation will not change. That is something coach Martinson has left. Looking forward, I will strive to keep that expectation in Allen".....Chad Costello

May 5, 2023 and April 28, 2024 - "I feel the same way now as when I took this job, it is championship or fail. That is the culture in Allen and that is how I feel going into the playoffs every season. That is the expectation. It doesn't mean if we don't win the championship the season is a failure. But it means we will die trying to win the championship and are in no way are we satisfied with what we have accomplished thus far.".....Chad Costello

 

- When the final chapter of the 2023-24 season is written given some time to reflect, from my perspective  it will be seen as a big success. Two years ago Chad Costello was plucked out of the locker room and promoted to the coach's room into a job he didn't even apply for. I am sure Chad would be the first to say he grew and learned a lot this season under some trying situations. It was his leadership that brought the team from last place to the Kelly Cup playoffs in his first two seasons. The foundation Costello has built and the experience he has gained this season will make the Allen Americans expectation of championship more likely in 2024-25.  

   

- My utmost thanks go to you, the readers of the blog. As most everyone knows the blog is a labor of love for me, not a business. The only reason for its existence is to share stats and information about the Allen Americans with an insider's perspective. Information that is hard to get elsewhere. From a meager start in 2012, the blog has reached 2,591,224 unique page views as of this morning. The blog reaches people all over the US and Canada as well as the hockey hotbeds in Europe. It proves fans of the Allen Americans are all over the world.

 

- Tommy Daniels deserves the credit or blame for the blog as I had never given it a thought until he encouraged me to write about the team because I attended so many practices. Tommy has been a great help over the years. Ironically, I was his last between periods guest this season, after the second period on Sunday. I was talking to Tommy and Maurice Fitzgerald about the game and the season and at the end of the discussion they congratulated my on my 2500 blog milestone. Tommy asked me about the very first blog I had published. When I started the blog the intended audience was Allen fans where I live, a resort style active adult retirement community called Heritage Ranch. It was an inauspicious beginning and it is obvious when looking back I had no idea what I was doing. I thought you might get a laugh from blog #1 and #2. FYI, yes I was that close to a pride of lions on a safari in Zimbabwe!

Blog #1 - Welcome to the Heritage Ranch Allen Americans Fan Club blog. This is a work in progress and hopefully both the content and design will improve over time. I wanted to get the site going as training camp gets underway. It was great to see all of the returning and new players at camp today along with Stars players Ericksson, Fistric, Daley, Robidas, & Bachman. Nice to see Jarret Lukin finally wearing his favorite number #32, so long #40 & #7.

Blog #2 - The Lions  are Ready for Hockey After a Lazy Summer

 

- It is quite an undertaking to write about the team seven days a week during the season and it does indeed take a village to make it all possible. It seems like as the years go by more and more blog readers help me out with information, ideas for stories, ask questions and let me know they appreciate the work I do. It is hard to put into words my appreciation whether you read the blog every day or are a casual fan that stumbles across my daily musings. It has been my pleasure to meet many of you and your words of encouragement in person, comments at the end of each blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, message boards, in email and texts have been very satisfying and inspiring. Thanks to you, the readers!

 

 - During the off season I will still publish a blog on an as needed basis as new information becomes available. I plan on sitting down with coach Costello sometime this week for a Q & A on the 2023-24 season and recruiting for the 2024-25 season. I also have a bucket list of stories to choose from when I get the itch to write over the summer. Everything from the obstacles Costello faced this season, the story of affiliations, it's time to put Riley Gill and Chad Costello in the ECHL Hall of Fame, meet the CUTX Event Center staff, Allen Americans connections to 3ICE and Ashley Costello's role as a hockey wife and hockey mom are all in that bucket list.

 

- If you are on Facebook or Twitter, you can see whenever there is a new post on the blog by liking my page on Facebook at "Allen Americans Blog" or following me on X/Twitter at @allenamericans1.  If you are not on social media, make sure you bookmark Allen Americans Blog and check in periodically.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: I always end the last blog of the season with this list. Lots of memories good and bad when you look at the games on this list. If you consider only one team has the pleasure of winning the last game of the season each year, Allen fans are fortunate to have had that experience four times and they all happened at home. Here is the date of the last game played in each season of the Allen Americans  franchise along with the results.

• May 4, 2010: 4-3 loss at Rapid City in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
• May 8, 2011: 5-3 loss at Bossier-Shreveport in the CHL Berry Conference finals
• April 10, 2012: 4-2 loss at Texas Brahmas in the CHL Berry Conference semi-finals 
• May 11, 2013: 4-3 OT home win over Wichita in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
• May 10, 2014: 5-2 home win over Denver in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
• June 14, 2015: 6-1 home win over South Carolina in the Kelly Cup finals
• June 9, 2016: 4-2  home win over Wheeling Nailers in the Kelly Cup finals 
• May 9, 2017: 4-3  home loss to Colorado, Mountain Division finals
• April 25, 2018: 4-1 loss at Idaho, Mountain Division semi-finals
• April 6, 2019: 4-1 loss at Wichita, out of playoffs
• March 7, 2020: 4-2 home loss to Tulsa, no playoffs, season canceled
• June 22, 2021: 3-2 OT loss at Fort Wayne, Western Conference finals
• April 30, 2022: 6-3 home loss to Rapid City, Mountain Division semi-finals
• May 14, 2023: 6-0 loss at Idaho, Mountain Division finals
• April 28, 2024: 5-3 home loss to Idaho, Mountain Division semi-finals