An In-Depth Look at Allen's Affiliation Agreement and Relationship with the Minnesota Wild

You often hear ECHL fans complain about Affiliation Agreements when their favorite team loses players to the AHL. Why does this seem like a one way street is a sentiment often expressed. There is no doubt relationships vary depending on which NHL team an ECHL team affiliates with. Today I want to talk about Allen's Affiliation Agreement with the Minnesota Wild. I am by no means an expert on this topic but I spend enough time with Steve Martinson to develop my own opinion on how things have worked with Allen and the Minnesota/Iowa Wild.


- If you looked at Allen's Affiliation Agreement with the Minnesota Wild you would be struck by the fact that most of the agreement, which is a 10 page document, is boilerplate language included in all ECHL Affiliation Agreements. There are a few sections that contain several options to pick from and others that require specific language. Some of the major sections include:

1. Contract Term (current agreement is one year)
2. Assignment of Players
3. Assignment Period
4. Assigned Player Cost
5. Financial Obligation of Parties (includes equipment, travel, moving costs, fine payments, CBA related costs, training camps)


- The formal Affiliation Agreement sets the parameters, roles and responsibilities but what makes it work is relationships and Steve Martinson has an outstanding relationship with the Wild. Martinson and Minnesota Assistant General Manager who is the General Manager for Iowa Wild, Tom Kurvers, both grew up in Minnesota, trained in the summers together and have been friends for many years. When Bill Guerin was hired as the General Manager in Minnesota he invited Martinson and assistant coach Jason Deitsch to attend the Traverse City Prospects Tournament along with the Wild staff.


-  Coach Martinson worked with the Wild in the off season which resulted in AHL contracts for Olivier Archambault and Alex Breton. He also was able to get slots in the Traverse City tournament, Minnesota Wild training camp and the Iowa Wild training camp which is a big help when recruiting players. Martinson has always been known as a coach that loans players to the AHL. His recruiting pitch was, "I can get you to the Iowa camp and it is up to you to show them you belong." Josh Atkinson and Matt Register were able to make the Iowa Wild team out of training camp.


- The Wild were very generous with slots at their training camps. Two Allen players were at the Traverse City tournament, five at the Wild NHL camp and 10 attended the Iowa Wild training camp. The Wild pickup all expenses for Allen players to attend these camps so it is a big financial commitment. This was by far the most players Allen ever sent to their affiliate's camps. 


- The Wild also committed to sending more contract players to Allen this season. This is a big financial benefit to Allen because contracted players salary is paid by the Wild. The Americans reimburse the Wild $525 per week ($75 per day) for the time contracted players are assigned to Allen. This can be a big savings in managing the salary cap as only $525 counts against the cap. Some players, if under a NHL contract, are making over $100,000 per year with bonus and salary. The minimum AHL salary is $50,000 so it is expensive to have contract players in Allen. Here are the Wild contracted players that have spent time in Allen this season with games played for the Americans. This list will grow as the season progresses and the Wild get injured players, who have been out long term, back in the lineup.

37 - Jack Sadek
37 - Alex Breton
31 - Tyler Sheehy
26 - Olivier Archambault
26 - Stepan Falkovsky
23 - Nick Boka
4 - Dereck Baribeau
2 - Dmitry Sokolov

Total games - 186


- I know it can be frustrating for Allen fans when Wild contract players are recalled (Sheehy, Baribeau) or Allen contracted players are loaned (Ottenbreit), as recently happened. However, that is the nature of an affiliation. I can assure you these moves don't take place without a conversation with Steve Martinson. As a matter of fact, it is a strength of the relationship that the Wild come to Allen when they need a player to be loaned. If they wanted to do so, Iowa could go to another ECHL team and find a free agent that is better than the player from Allen. Instead, they give the opportunity to an Allen player. Here are the Allen contracted players that have been loaned to Iowa this season listed by games played. I don't include Josh Atkinson's 37 games, even though he was an Allen contracted player at the beginning of the season, because he recently signed a Standard Player Contract (SPC) with Iowa.

20 - Matt Register
12 - Turner Ottenbreit
4 - Les Lancaster

Total Games - 36


- Iowa coach Tim Army has helped Steve Martinson by calling players Martinson was recruiting. It is a big help when a player gets a call from Allen's AHL affiliate's head coach talking about opportunities. This doesn't happen with many affiliations.


- The Wild have given Martinson access to all of their scouting reports which is also a great help in recruiting. Martinson told me this is the first affiliation he has had with access to this information.


- Allen has had more visits this season from the Minnesota Wild Player Development Staff and others than in any other season.


- The bottom line, my opinion is the affiliation with Iowa is very strong and will only get better. Is it perfect, no. I think the biggest issue for coach Martinson is when he loans a player, especially when shorthanded, and they sit out in Iowa.


- I would expect you will see more players assigned to Allen by Iowa, you may see more Allen players signed by Iowa and Iowa will give Allen help when it really counts, at playoff time.



DID YOU KNOW: Have you ever wondered if coach Martinson is required to play contracted players assigned by Iowa.  The affiliate agreement says this about playing contracted players assigned to Allen. "All players shall be given fair and equal consideration for playing time as determined at the sole discretion of the ECHL member's head coach." 

  
 

Gutsy Shorthanded Performance Earns a Point, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Video Highlights, All-Star Game Selections and More

A gutsy performance by a depleted Allen team earned the Americans one point last night in a 4-3 overtime loss to Wichita before a crowd of 2212 at INTRUST Bank Arena. Playing short three forwards, Allen came back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to tie the score 3-3 with 54 seconds remaining in the game and the goalie pulled. While it would have been great to get the overtime victory, it was a huge effort by the team to come away with a point. Wichita scored the game winning goal in overtime while on a 4-on-3 power play after the Americans were given a tripping penalty. Allen continues to led the ECHL in points with 55, one more than the South Carolina Stingrays.


- Allen was playing shorthanded because the flu bug has been going through the locker room. Last week it was Falkovsky, Guptill stayed home because he was sick and last night Asuchak and Brittain couldn't play. Hopefully more players aren't stricken.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Olivier Archambault (12), Jordan Topping (16) and Les Lancaster (2).


- Here is the complete game recap issued by the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/shorthanded-americans-earn-a-tough-point-in-4-3-ot-loss/


- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-wins-in-ot-over-allen.html


- Here are the video highlights with all of the goals and some outstanding saves by both goalies.

- When I asked coach Martinson his thoughts after the game these were his comments:

"Playing three players/forwards short is difficult. 13 is a bad number, playing with 14 allows players a lot more rest."

"It was a really greasy point the team earned tonight"

"I will look forward to playing them again with a full lineup"

"VanWormer didn't have a point but was an unsung hero. He blocked two shots while we were shorthanded and then we went down and scored a goal." 



OTHER COMMENTS

- The ECHL press release announcing Steve Martinson would be the coach of the Western Conference at the upcoming (January 22) ECHL All-Star game came out yesterday. Here is the press release announcing all of the coaches and other details about the All-Star game:  https://www.echl.com/news/2020/1/coaches-named-for-2020-warrior-echl-all-star-classic-presented-by-toyota


- The players and coaches for the All-Star game have now been announced with Tyler Sheehy and Steve Martinson being selected. There are more announcements to come with the trainer and equipment manager press release coming out this afternoon, broadcasters tomorrow and game officials on Friday. While Allen trainer, Jordan Dutton, is in his first year, so realistically is not in the running for selection to All-Star game, equipment manager Tim Abbott has over 20 years of experience along with three Stanley Cup rings and two Calder Cup rings. Tim is a perfectionist and if you spend time around the locker room or equipment room it is obvious how dedicated he his to this team. It would be nice to see Tim honored. Tommy Daniels is one of the best play by play broadcasters at any level of hockey and the winner of the ECHL Broadcaster of the Year Award in 2016. Tommy is certainly deserving but there are many great play by play broadcasters in the ECHL. With the All-Star game being broadcast live on the NHL Network it will be a big honor no matter who is selected to broadcast the game.             


- Talk about playing without key forwards, last night was over the top. Allen was missing Sheehy (43 points), Guptill (30 points), Pollock (28 points), Asuchak (23 points) and Brittain (15 points). These five players represent 51% of the forwards point production this season. (current roster plus those in AHL). It is hard to win games when 51% of your point production by forwards is out of the lineup.


- Here are the current Mountain Division point standings with games played in parenthesis:

55 - Allen (38)
45 - Idaho (37)
42 - Utah (34)
41 - Rapid City (34)
38 - Wichita (38)
34 - Kansas City (34)
33 - Tulsa (37)


- I remember during Allen's four championship seasons they would invariable run into a rough patch this time of the season but seemed to find a way to get one point in games they should have lost. Allen is definitely in one of those rough patches having won only four of their last 10 games but they have earned one point in three others. The Americans record in the last 10 games is 4-2-3-1. 



DID YOU KNOW: Allen has gone beyond regulation time in 41% (15 of 37) of their games this season: Here is Allen's record in those 15 games:

Overtime - 7-6
Shootouts - 1-1

The Americans won their first five overtime games but since then have lost six of eight including their last three.

Allen vs Wichita Preview, Tyler Sheehy Named to All-Star Team and the Best Moment of the Decade

It is another busy week for the Allen Americans as they are in Wichita tonight to take on the Thunder. The Americans then return home to play four games in five days, Friday and Saturday against Kalamazoo followed by Monday and Tuesday against Utah. It is hard to believe by a week from today Allen's regular season will be almost 60% completed.


- The game tonight against Wichita will be the seventh of 12 times Allen will play the Thunder this season. The Americans record in the first six meetings was 4-0-2-0. The teams have split the two games they have played in Wichita this season with both going to overtime. The final score in both games was 3-2.


- In the six head to head matchups between Allen and Wichita the Americans lead in goals (26-14) and shots (218-187). The Americans have scored a power play goal in all six games going 6-24 (25%). Wichita's power play is 3-21 (14.3%) against Allen.


- Only one of the six prior games was the typical high penalty affair Allen and Wichita fans are used to seeing. In a game on December 10 which Allen won 5-1 the teams combined for 68 penalty minutes which included eight fighting majors and four double minor penalties for roughing. In the other five games against the Thunder the combined penalty minutes ranged from 14 to 20.


- If you compare road (Allen) and home (Wichita) season long special teams percentages these teams are very close. Wichita has the edge on the power play (16.9% vs 16.0%) and Allen has the edge on the penalty kill (79.7% vs 74.3%).


- Scoring first is always important. In the two games Allen lost to Wichita they gave up the first goal. The Americans record when scoring first is 16-2-1-0. Wichita's record is 13-3-3-0.


- Allen is ranked #4 in the league in average goals scored per game (3.86). Wichita is ranked #22 (2.84).


- Alex Guptill did not make the trip to Wichita, he stayed home because of an illness. With Guptill out sick, Tyler Sheehy in Iowa and Brett Pollock in San Diego the Americans will be missing their #1, #3 and #4 leading scorers tonight. 


OTHER COMMENTS

- Yesterday the ECHL announced the players for the upcoming All-Star game which will take place in Wichita on January 22. Tyler Sheehy will represent the Allen Americans unless he is still in Iowa. There is a good chance he will be back in Allen in time to attend the All-Star game. Former Allen defenseman, Mike Brodzinski was also selected to the All-Star team representing the Orlando Solar Bears. Here is the press release with a list of all of All-Stars and other details about the game:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/rosters-set-for-2020-warrior-echl-all-star-classic


- Here is the ECHL Today with a short preview of the four games on tap in the ECHL tonight: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/echl-today-jan-7


- With a win tonight Steve Martinson will pass John Brophy for second on the all time wins list for professional coaches.


- I saw a lot of dialogue on social media recently with fans discussing the moment of the decade for the Allen Americans. That question is an easy choice for me and it gives me an excuse to post the best championship video ever:

  


DID YOU KNOW:  How does the Mountain Division fare in the overall ECHL standings? Here is how each team ranks based on winning percentage with their winning percentage in parenthesis:

#2 - Allen (.730)
#7 - Utah (.618)
#9 - Idaho (.608)
#10 - Rapid City (.603)
#16 - Kansas City (.500)
#18 - Wichita (.486)
#22 - Tulsa (.446)

Midseason Assessment, The Past, Present and Future, The Stats Leaders, Martinson's Journey to #1 and More

I thought today, as the Allen Americans have just passed the halfway point of the season, would be a good time to take stock of what this team has accomplished thus far. It is important to note a half a  season does not a season make and a lot can happen between now and playoff time. After the worst season in team history last season coach and general manager Steve Martinson has shown why he is the second winningest pro coach in history.


- Martinson took a different tact in recruitment this summer by signing more players than usual with proven AHL experience knowing full well there would be risk of losing them to AHL teams if the players got off to a good start. Once the season began, Martinson wasn't hesitant to move high end players even though the team was off to an excellent start.


- The results so far speak for themselves. Allen is #1 in the ECHL in points (54) and #2 in winning percentage (.730). The Americans have a nine point lead in the Mountain Division standings.


- Martinson has achieved these results while having to constantly shuffle the lineup because of injuries and players being called up or loaned to AHL teams. Allen has already used 34 different players including five different goalies. Of the 34 players used, 10 have already been recalled/loaned to AHL teams and that number does not include Josh Atkinson, Matt Register and Jake Doty who Martinson signed in the off season. All three have spent the entire season thus far in the AHL.


- Despite loaning more players to the AHL than any other ECHL team, Allen is on record pace for points. At their current pace the Americans would finish the season with 106 points. That would be a 50 point improvement over last season which would be the second biggest year over year points improvement in ECHL history.


- To show just how good this season has started here are the point totals for each season since Allen joined the ECHL:

2019-20:  106 points (projected based on current pace)
2018-19:   56 points
2017-18:   78 points
2016-17:   104 points
2015-16:   89 points
2014-15:   106 points


- A major reason Allen has done so well is their depth. Here is the post from my ECHL Stats page this morning which makes this point:

19 ECHL players have 15+ goals. Four teams have more than one. Here are the teams with more than one 15+ goal scorer:

5 - Allen Americans
2 - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
2 - Newfoundland Growlers
2 - Rapid City Rush

Eight teams have one 15+ goal scorer and 14 teams have none.


- Another huge change from prior seasons is penalty minutes. Allen has been much more disciplined this season especially in major and misconduct penalties. Here are the stats comparing this season to the prior two seasons:

League Rank in PIMS
#20: 2019-20
#1:   2018-19
#1:   2017-18

Average Penalty Minutes Per Game
11.81 - 2019-20
24.39 - 2018-19
19.60 - 2017-18

Minor Penalties
333 - 2019-20 (projected)
423 - 2018-19
383 - 2017-18

Major Penalties (mostly fighting majors)
25 - 2019-20 (projected)
49 - 2018-19
57 - 2017-18

10 Minute & Game Misconducts, Match Penalties
6 -   2019-20 (projected)
60 - 2018-19
36 - 2017-18


- Here are the Allen players currently in the top three in the ECHL in various statistical categories:

Tyler Sheehy - #1 in points (43)
Gabe Gagne - #3 in goals (18)
Tyler Sheehy - #2 in assists (28)
Jake Paterson - #3 in wins (13)
Zach Sawchenko - #1 in save percentage (.930)
Tyler Sheehy - #1 in rookie points (43)
Tyler Sheehy - #2 in rookie goals (15)
Tyler Sheehy - #1 in rookie assists (28)
Tyler Sheehy - #1 rookie power play assists (8)
Tyler Sheehy - #2 rookie power play points
Jack Sadek - #1 rookie plus/minus (+19)
Stepan Falkovsky - #2 defensemen shooting % (17.1%)
Jack Sadek - #2 defensemen plus/minus (+19)
Brett Pollock - #1 assist streak (10 games)
Turner Ottenbreit - #2 consecutive games with a penalty (8)


- Allen has the fourth best team shooting percentage in the ECHL at 11.6% and the fourth best team save percentage at .912. The Americans are the only team in the league in the top four in both categories.


- What will the second half of the season hold for Allen. It will certainly depend on injuries and players being loaned or recalled to Iowa and also the players reassigned by Iowa to Allen. The Americans are good enough with the current roster to win every game but think how strong Allen would with Matt Register, Turner Ottenbreit, Tyler Sheehy, Brett Pollock, Jake Doty and Zach Sawchenko back in Allen. It is not a stretch to assume all of these players will return to Allen at some point.


- It also is not lost that coach Martinson has a veteran slot in his back pocket should the right vet want to return from Europe before the February 15 deadline or some other vet in the ECHL or AHL becomes available. You never know what lies ahead but Martinson has made all the right moves so far and this season good be very special.
  


DID YOU KNOW:  Steve Martinson has averaged 45 wins per season over his 24 year coaching career. He is now tied for second place all time in professional coaching wins at 1027. Scotty Bowman is #1 with 1244 wins. Averaging 45 wins per season, Martinson would catch Bowman early in the 2025-26 season. My advice is don't bet against Martinson on achieving this milestone.

Jordan Topping Hat Trick Leads Allen to 7-2 Victory Over Wichita, Steve Martinson Moves to Second on All Time Wins List and More

Led by a Jordan Topping hat trick the Allen Americans ended their three game losing streak in style last night with a 7-2 win over the Wichita Thunder before a crowd of 4005 at the Allen Event Center. In the process Allen coach Steve Martinson earned his 1027 career win as a professional coach and tied John Brophy for second place on the all time win time list. Only Scotty Bowman with 1244 wins has more coaching wins than Steve Martinson.


- The Americans had a power play goal and a shorthanded goal in the first 5:23 of the game and never looked back. Wichita was able to cut the score to 2-1 and 3-2 but Allen scored four unanswered goals in the second half of the game to win going away. The seven goals matched the Americans highest goal production of the season.


- Allen improved their record against Wichita this season to 4-0-2-0. The Americans have outscored the Thunder 26-14. The teams meet again in Wichita on Tuesday.  


- Goal scorers for Allen were Jordan Topping (13,14,15), Corey Durocher (7), Gabe Gagne (17, 18) and Alex Guptill (15).


- Video highlights with all of the goals:

STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"That was a lot more fun. We got the puck upstairs and had some traffic in front which led to goals."

"We minimized our turnovers and gave up fewer odd man rushes. We defended harder when we did give up odd man rushes. I thought we turned the corner last night we just didn't win."

"Paterson came out strong tonight and Topping was snapping that puck, he has a wicked wrist shot."

"It is good we responded the way we did tonight and get this turned around right away."

"Dereck Baribeau is being recalled by Iowa."



OTHER COMMENTS


- Allen's strength this season has been their depth. A case in point is the Americans have five players with 15+ goals (Gagne, VanWormer, Sheehy, Guptill, Topping). No other team in the league has more than two.


- With the game last night Allen has passed the halfway point of the season and currently has an 11 point lead in the Mountain Division standings. Allen and Wichita have played the most games (37) in the ECHL while Atlanta has played the fewest (30). Here are the Mountain Division standings by winning percentage:

.730 - Allen
.636 - Utah
.597 - Idaho
.591 - Rapid City
.500 - Kansas City
.486 - Wichita
.458 - Tulsa


- With their next win Allen will match their win total (25) and point total (56) for the entire 2018-19 season. Now that is a turnaround.




DID YOU KNOW: It goes without saying how fortunate the Allen Americans are to have Steve Martinson, the second most winning coach (1027 games) ever in North America pro hockey, as their coach and general manager. Martinson has 10 championships in his 24 years as a coach including four in seven years at the helm in Allen. His regular season record in Allen is 300-171-24-21. That computes to a winning percentage of .621. He has coached in 17 playoff series with the Americans and has a record of 15-2. Martinson is 5-1 is seven game playoff series including 2-0 in seven game championship finals.  

Kansas City Sweeps Allen, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Allen vs Wichita Preview and More

The Americans played better Friday night but the result was the same with another loss. Allen lost to Kansas City 4-2 before a crowd of 3525 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The loss was the second in a row against the Mavericks, third straight home loss and the fifth loss in the last six games.


- Once again Allen gave up the first goal of the game and could not dig out of that hole. The Americans tied the score but never had a lead in the game. In the two losses to Kansas City, Allen never had a lead.


- Allen was 1-6 on the power play scoring on a 5-on-3 opportunity. The post Tyler Sheehy power play has struggled. In the eight games before Sheehy was recalled by Iowa the Allen power play was 9-35 for a 25% success rate. Of the nine power play goals Tyler had a goal (2) or assist (5) on seven of the nine goals. In the three games since Tyler went to Iowa the power play is 1-11 (9.0%) The lone goal was the 5-on-3 goal last night.


- On a positive note Allen put 48 shots on goal including three breakaways in the first five minutes of the game. They out shot the Mavericks 48-33. Kansas City goalie, Tyler Parsons, was outstanding with a .958 save percentage which included many grade A saves.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Alex Guptill (14) and Jared VanWormer (16). VanWormer's 16 goals ties him for the team lead with Gabe Gagne.


- Here is the game recap issued by Kansas City:  https://www.kcmavericks.com/en/news/mavs-complete-two-game-sweep-of-first-place-allen-with-4-2-win


- Video highlights:

STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"We played a lot better game tonight even though we didn't get the outcome we were looking for."

"It seemed like every time we made mistakes they capitalized. All of our bad mistakes ended up in our net."

"To get that many shots and have that much puck possession with a team that is tired like we are now is a positive. We have had a lot of games and a lot of travel and tomorrow is going to be a tough one since Wichita hasn't played since NYE.

"Their goalie was really good, it reminded me of some games when Sawchenko saved all of our mistakes."

"We need a veteran to step up and grab a game so Paterson will be in goal tomorrow."


ALLEN VS WICHITA PREVIEW

- Allen's record against Wichita this season is 3-0-2-0. Since joining the ECHL the Americans have dominated the Thunder at the AEC with a record 22-6-1-0.


 - Allen has the advantage over Wichita when you compare stats from winning percentage (.722 vs .500) to average goals scored (3.78 vs 2.86) to average goals allowed (3.14 vs 3.61). However, what balances the stat differential is the fact the Americans are playing their third game in three days and fourth game in five days while the Thunder have been resting since NYE. This game will be more about will than skill for Allen.


- Wichita has the worst road power play in the league at 6.6% (4-61). Allen's power play has struggled the last three home games (1-11). If either team can capitalize on the power play it will go a long way to winning the game.


 - Jake Paterson will get the start in goal and will have to be on the top of his game given the Americans have given up 15 goals over the last three games. Jake's save percentage in his last two starts was .864 and .950.


- Allen hasn't scored first during this three game home losing streak. They have a great record when they do score first (15-2-1-0) so a good start tonight will be key.


OTHER COMMENTS

- AHL player update: Tyler Sheehy, Brett Pollock and Jake Doty played last night. Matt Register and Turner Ottenbreit were healthy scratches.


-  The ECHL will announce all of the participants in the upcoming All-Star game next week starting on Monday with a press release on the players selected. Each day thereafter will be a press release announcing the coaches, trainers, equipment managers and broadcasters. We already know Steve Martinson will be named coach of the Western Conference All-Stars as that automatically goes to the coach with the best record. There shouldn't be any suspense on Allen's player selection to the team since it is a showcase for young talent and rookie Tyler Sheehy leads the ECHL in scoring. Will have to wait and see if Allen has any other participants. The All-Star game will be broadcast live on the NHL Network on January 22 at 7:00 pm CST.


- Thanks for all the messages and words of encouragement after I fractured my collarbone and rib this past week. It means a lot to hear from you and will help me get through the three month healing process. Thanks again! 



DID YOU KNOW: I posted this on my ECHL Stats & Information pages on Twitter (@ECHLStats) and Facebook but wanted to post it here because it is so impressive what South Carolina is accomplishing. They lost just their third regulation game of the season last night but only gave up one goal. Florida beat the Stingrays 1-0.

At their current pace the South Carolina Stingrays would finish the season allowing 151 goals, beating the all time ECHL record of 153 they set in 2017-18. Here are the teams with the fewest goals allowed this season:

63 - South Carolina Stingrays
80 - Florida Everblades
85 - Orlando Solar Bears
86 - Utah Grizzlies
87 - Cincinnati Cyclones
94 - Toledo Walleye

FYI,  Allen is ranked #17 having allowed 113 goals so far this season.
    

Barry the Blogger and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week Plus Recap of Loss to KC with Comments and Video Highlights

It has been a while since you have heard from me with some of it planned and some not. I will say I found out since I left for a late season pheasant hunting trip to North Dakota on Christmas Day that rock bottom has a basement. I won't rehash all of the details as I did in a post that took six hours to write on New Year's Day only to accidentally delete it without the ability to recover what I had written.


Here is the five minute version of what happened to me the last 10 days that started with three guys in their 70's with seven back surgeries, four knee replacements and numerous other old guy issues went on their annual late season hunting trip:

- first day hunted from sunrise to sunset and got skunked. Eight inches of old snow made it tough walking through sloughs and field. It was a first.
- day two was better but tough hunting with three pheasant bagged. I managed to fracture a rib (found out when returned home) stretching over the back seat of the truck. First broken bone of my life.
- four inches of new snow and prediction (which came true) of 20 more inches and 50 MPH winds convinced us to cut the trip two days short. Headed back to Minneapolis in a snow storm.
- found out how difficult it is, even if you have flown 1.6 million miles with American Airlines, to move your flight up by two days during Christmas week when the Minneapolis airport has been shutdown. Also found out there is a price at which they will find you a seat.
- arrived home in time to have a bike wreck with my trash bin (don't ask) and fractured my collarbone. That made no broken bones for 72 years followed by a broken rib and clavicle in four days. Who ever called them the golden years never lived through them. By the way the ER at the hospital was packed even at 5:30 am when I arrived. I was the only accident victim as the ER was wallowing in people coughing, hacking and full of crud being tested for flu, strep, etc.
- though I was very uncomfortable I was determined to play injured and attend the NYE Allen Americans game fully loaded with pain meds. Any of you that attended that game can attest it was a disaster that would not turn around a bad week.
- I decided to write about my terrible, horrible week on New Year's morning and with one arm in a sling and reduced to typing with one index finger I set about trying to write a humorous story about the hunting trip, broken bones and the disastrous NYE hockey game. My proofreader and wife, Nancy, even complimented me (a rare occurrence) on the story.
- it seemed only fitting that after the terrible, horrible, no good very bad week, the story I wrote about it would disappear due to some operator error by a one armed, one index finger typist.


- everything started to turn around yesterday as a cancellation allowed me to see my orthopedic surgeon four days earlier than scheduled. Actually had some very good luck as a couple of bone fragments around the clavicle break will act as a bone graft which means I don't need surgery.


- After the good news from the doctor at 3:00 pm I was positive as I headed to the Americans game it would be a good night. That turned out not to be the case as first place Allen lost to sixth place Kansas City 5-3 in a game where the Americans were clearly outworked.


- For a top team the Americans often struggle getting off to a good start. They gave up an early goal again last night. In 17 of their 35 games this season Allen has given up the first goal. The Americans tied the score 1-1 with six seconds left in the first period. Allen never had a lead in the game and every time the Americans would tie the score the Mavericks would quickly respond with a goal of their own. What came to mind was a quote from coach Martinson after the NYE loss to Idaho,  "We have a lot of guys that can score but you have got to do more than just score."


- Allen was 0-3 on the power play while Kansas City didn't have a power play opportunity. The Americans miss Tyler Sheehy quarterbacking the power play. In the eight games before Sheehy was recalled by Iowa the Allen power play was 9-35 for a 25% success rate. Of the nine power play goals Tyler had a goal (2) or assist (5) on seven of the nine goals. In the two games he has missed Allen is 0-5 on the power play.


- Goals scorers for Allen were Alex Guptill (13), Gabe Gagne (16), Corey Durocher (6)


- Here is the game recap issued by the Kansas City Mavericks:  https://www.kcmavericks.com/en/news/mavs-kick-off-2020-with-5-3-win-over-echl-s-best


- Here are the video highlights:

STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"We didn't play smart enough to win tonight. We have some bad defensive players and when our goalie doesn't save all of the stupid turnovers that result in odd man rushes this is the result."

"We have some guys that don't like what I am saying to them, pout when they aren't on the power play and aren't working hard enough and some of them are our veteran guys. I told them to go look at your shifts to see if you are working hard."

"We have too many guys who are not working hard enough. We have guys that do nothing the whole game but think they have had a good game because they score a goal."

"We have guys cruising on the back check so they can get the puck and be in a good position if our defemsemen gets it. I know what is going on, they are just thinking about offense. Right now we are short guys but there a a few I would like to sit out."

"It doesn't pay to be the bigger team if you don't use it to your advantage and we didn't do that tonight."



REMATCH PREVIEW

- The formula for success tonight is straight forward. A better start, better on the power play, better play defensively and work harder.


- Tonight Allen will be trying to avoid losing three games in a row for the first time this season. They have allowed 11 goals in the last two home games.


- Andrew Shortridge will get his first start since being assigned to Allen earlier this week.


- If you look at the stats it is clear getting a lead is a key for Allen against the Mavericks. Here is a look at Kansas City's record:

9-4-0-0   when leading after first period
11-0-0-0  when leading after the second period
1-8-1-0   when trailing after the first period
0-14-1-0 when trailing after the second period



OTHER COMMENTS

- Tyler Sheehy was named as the ECHL rookie of the month. Based on what Tyler accomplished in December he deserves to be named Player of the Month. Here is the press release:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/1/allen-sheehy-named-howies-hockey-tape-echl-rookie-of-the-month


- With a win tonight Steve Martinson can tie John Brophy for second place on the coaches all-time pro wins list. Here are the top three:

1244 - Scotty Bowman
1027 - John Brophy
1026 - Steve Martinson


- Coach Martinson will coach the Western Conference team at the upcoming ECHL All-Star game on January 22 in Wichita, based on Allen having the best record in the conference. The ECHL should issue a press release with all of the players, coaches, broadcasters etc. next week. You have to expect Allen will be well represented.


- I was asked about the results of the live jersey auction after the NYE game. The price range was $250-$550. Here are the top five:

$550 - Jake Paterson
$500 - Jordan Topping
$500 - Gabe Gagne
$500 - Alex Guptill
$500 - Josh Brittain


- If you haven't seen the story written by Matt Harding, Editor-in-Chief at Team Sin Bin, about the top five stories in the last decade in minor league hockey this is a must read. In addition to the top five Matt includes a few honorable mentions. The Allen Americans dynasty comes in at #3 on the list:  https://thesinbin.net/the-biggest-stories-in-minor-league-hockey-over-the-last-decade/



DID YOU KNOW: It has been quite a decade for the Allen Americans. While Allen missed the playoffs last season their success over the last 10 seasons is unparalleled. Here are the results:

4 - championships
1 - loss in the finals
1 - third round loss
1 - second round loss
2 - first round losses
1 - out of playoffs