State of the Game, Part 1

Monday night the President made his required State of the Union Address before Congress. The governor already made his speech in Albany. The local officials give their status reports whenever the Chamber of Commerce invites them to speak. It’s about time we had such an assessment of the game locally and I’m gonna do it!

My fellow hockey fans, the state of our great game is OK! Sure, it could be better, but it’s OK.
Let’s start at the top. There’s still no pro hockey being played in the Mohawk Valley. I know that there are semi-pro teams cropping up from time to time and any hockey is better than the NBA, but it’s not even the UHL (may that league rest in peace). The AHL remains alive and a short distance drive, with teams in Syacuse, Binghamton, Rochester and Albany. The AHL has changed a great deal since the Devils played their last game in 1993. There are now 29 teams in the league, as opposed to 16 AHL clubs in ’93. The only current AHL who’s team played against Utica are; Providence, Hamilton, Binghamton, Rochester and Springfield. Because we haven’t had an AHL team call our community home for 15 years, there are probably thousands of hockey fans who have forgotten or have never experienced just how good the AHL is. It’s the second best pro league on our planet, the direct fuel pump to the NHL. The speed of the game is amazing. The hitting is huge and the quality of the goaltending is great. After the Friday, Jan. 25th AHL game at the Aud, we would love to see a team come back, but that may never happen again.
Then, what about the lower levels of pro hockey…you know, the old United Hockey League? Well, the UHL no longer exists. It is now called the International Hockey League. OK, I know this is confusing, but…here’s what’s happened. In the days of the Utica Devils, there were two top level minor league teams – the International League and the American League. The IHL focused mostly in the west and the AHL in the east. Both leagues were staffed with direct player development contracts with NHL teams. In 2001 the AHL and IHL merged and when the dust settled, there was one league, the AHL, with teams all over the place; Iowa, Texas, Minnesota and Winnipeg. Manatoba. Meanwhile, the UHL decided to go back to its roots and rename itself (the third name in the league’s history) the International Hockey League. The new IHL is basically centered where the Colonial Hockey League started…the upper Midwest.
So, where could we go? The East Coast Hockey League. That would be a kick for us since the ECHL was spawned by the old Atlantic Coast Hockey League, who’s first league champion was Bill Horton’s Mohawk Valley Stars. The current version of the ECHL is a notch below the AHL and a notch above the IHL. The ECHL is a 25 team league that flung out farther than the AHL. There are ECHL teams in Florida, Texas, California, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Florida, Mississippi, British Columbia, Alaska and Las Vegas (a state of its own). There are also ECHL teams in Johnstown, PA and Elmira. 22 of the league’s 25 teams have working agreements with NHL teams and their AHL affiliates. But, the big strike against us…the Aud would be the second smallest venue in the league. Only Johnstown seats fewer fans and most are in the 7,000 range. It would be great, but unlikely.
What does that leave us with? There have been rumors through these proless years of bringing Junior Hockey to town and that would be, I think, our best chance at seeing great hockey in our hometown. The best would be the Ontario Hockey League, a 20 team junior league with teams in the US at Plymouth, Michigan, Saginaw, Michigan and Erie, Pa. The Aud’s seating capacity would fit right in with that of other buildings in the league. The quality of the game is great! These are young kids whose future is still promising. The OHL alumni list contains many names you’ll find at the Hall of Fame in Toronto, ie; Gretzky, Rocket Richard, Cournoyer, Orr, Yzerman. I could go on for a while. An OHL team would be a dream come true for local hockey fans. But right now, it’s just a dream.
So, what’s left? Good college hockey. Let’s start at the top…Colgate. The Raiders have produced NHLers like Bruce Gardiner, Steve Poapst, Milke Milbury and Andy McDonald…who brought the Stanley Cup to Colgate last summer. Colgate vs Cornell is one of the greatest rivalries in college hockey. In fact, that rivalry gets renewed Saturday, Feb. 2nd. Colgate is not a long drive from any point in the Mohawk Valley. We are also blessed with three Division III teams. Gary Heenan’s Utica College Pioneers are the example of how to grow a college team. Starting their first two seasons right around .500, UC broke through in the tough ECAC West and broke into the national rankings. Former Clinton High School star Sean McKevitt plays for UC. Hamilton College has a great history of college hockey. You can see it at Russell Sage rink, one of the oldest college hockey rinks in the country. Phil Grady’s team play an aggressive game and anytime his club gets on the ice with UC…it’s worth the price of admission. Down on Route 20 Morrisville State College seeks to keep their junior college success going on the Division III level. It hasn’t been easy. But the Mustangs do feature more local players than UC and Hamilton combined. And if local players are what you crave, MVCC has what you’re looking for. The Hawks, who play at the Aud, are led by Clinton’s Nick Snyder and his high school teammates Ken Lane, Jordan Anderson, Derek Lacelle and Mark Waters. Add to them New Hartford’s Bill Colp, Eric Ellseneck, Andy Mosher, Jim Karl and Wayne Rich. Add to that roster former Proctor stars Mike Mason, Kyle Tolman and Jim Caswell.
But the best we have to offer in hockey comes from the high school ranks and we’ll look at that in Part 2 on Thusday.