Former Tiger Shark Kirk DeWaele is now with the Charlotte Checkers, so in part, going and playing a round of "Where's Wally?" was a large part of attending. He did not react at all to my Tiger Sharks jersey. How soon they all forget. ::sigh::

This game, played on January 9, 2007, feature a fight between Florida's Bill Kinkel and Charlotte's Hugh Jessiman, right off the opening face off, and a really palty preformance by the Blades for the first part of the game.

Florida managed only six shots on goal during the first period and only had 2 shots on goal during a full 5-minute power play with Ryan Constant off for boarding - an action that took Brent McDonald off the ice for a while. I was pretty sure we'd lost him for the game, but he did return in the third period.

That finally put us into the double digits in shots, with the Blades managing only 11 to Charlotte's 27 through two.

Thank God for David Shantz or the Blades never would have been in this game. As it was, the scored twice in the third to tie the game up and take it into overtime.

Shantz is nearly unbeatable in the shootout, and he denied five Charlotte tries. Chris Lee tallied on Chris Holt to give the Blades the shoot-out win.



All the action, including fight shots can be found in my Yahoo Photo Album.

Enjoy!

Former Tallahassee Tiger Shark center Ben Guite was called up to the Colorado Avalanche yesterday. He played 68 games with the ECHL Tiger Sharks in the 2000-01 season, the Sharks final season before the relocation to Macon.

After spending last season with the Bruins organization, the 28-year old native of Montreal, Quebec, signed as a free agent with the Avalanche in July.

Guite played one game with the NHL Bruins last season. He has spent most of his career in the AHL, playing with Bridgeport, Cincinnati and Providence.

Currently ranking second in scoring with the Albany River Rats, Guite has 25 points (8 g, 17 a) in 33 games played. He has registered points in 12 of his last 13 games, and ran his career-best point streak to 8 games in December.

Guite played four season with the University of Maine, including winning a Frozen Four championship in 1999 with the team. He served as an assistant captain last year win Providence and has been serving as co-captain this season on the Rats with former Everblade Keith Aucoin on call ups to Carolina.

In a related move, the Avalanche reassigned forward Brad Richardson to Albany. Richardson had 9 points (5 g, 4a) in 36 games with Colorado this season.

The Avalanche take on Tampa Bay at the Pepsi Center tomorrow night. Colorado is fourth (19-18-2, 40 points) in the Northwest Division while Tampa Bay is fourth (18-20-2, 38 points) in the Southeast Division. Colorado broke a three-game losing streak Monday with a 5-3 win on the road over the Nashville Predators.

In moves elsewhere, the Phoenix Coyotes acquired 23-year-old centerman Alexei Kaigorodov from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Mike Comrie. Ottawa's second choice (47th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Kaigorodov made his NHL debut on October 14. He has 1 assists in six games with the Sens this season. He appeared in 12 games with Magnitogorski, in Russia earlier this season, netting 5 points (1g, 4a).

Comrie had 20 points (7g, 13a) in 24 games with the Coyotes this season. He was one of several unrestricted free agents (along with Ladislav Nagy and Shane Doan) that the Coyotes were considering trades on following the lifting of the holiday roster freeze.

Meanwhile the ECHL Florida Everblades traded defenseman Niko Tuomi to the Pensacola Ice Pilots for forward Adam Taylor. Taylor, a Florida Panthers prospect is on his third ECHL team this season, having been traded from the Victoria Salmon Kings to Pensacola earlier in the year.

“Adam is a player that will make an immediate impact on our club.” Everblades head coach Gerry Fleming said in a press release. “He's a solid player that we feel will contribute right away for us. At the same time it was tough having to move Niko. He’s a good player that played hard every night and we wish him nothing but the best.”

“Adam was somebody we tried to sign at the beginning of the year but we couldn't work something out with Victoria. I think his heart was not with Victoria or Pensacola so the Ice Pilots agreed to trade his rights,” said team president Craig Brush in a Naples Daily News article. The Everblades are the Panthers ECHL affiliate, so the move makes good sense for Taylor, who will now be working within the Panthers developmental program.

The Everblades loaned defenseman Chris Lee to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL, and received forward Jonathan Lehun from Rochester. He'd been called up to the Americans over the Christmas break.

I got an e-mail that former Panthers prospect David Lemanowicz has signed with the Elmira Jackals of the UHL. This is probably not as odd as it might otherwise be as Brent Cullaton is playing for the Jackals and the two played together in Laredo of the CeHL.

Both had also played for the old ECHL Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, but not at the same time.

I just strikes me as a bit amusing when names resurface like that.

A 9th round (218th overall) draft pick of the Florida Panthers in the 1995 NHL entry draft, he has also played with the old AHL Carolina Monarchs, the AHL Beast of New Haven, and the Austin Ice Bats (then with the Western Professional Hockey League) and the Memphis Riverkings of the Central Hockey League.

During the stint with Memphis he played for former Tiger Sharks netminder Mark Richards, who was coaching the team at that time. Richards never played with Manny. In fact, he left the Sharks the year that Manny arrived because Florida was assigning two goalies to the Tiger Sharks, the other being Aaron MacDonald.

The Riverkings were Leafs affilated at the time he played there, he had been working as a practice goalie for the Maple Leafs when they learned they needed someone in Memphis, so they signed him and shipped him south.

And yes, all those interconnections in the hockey world strike me as amusing as well.

Manny also made a very brief stop in Port Huron and played for the then Florida affiliated Port Huron Border Cats where he got into a bit of trouble during a game in Flint, Michigan. Manny only played 3 games with the B-Cats before the league suspended him, and the Panthers moved him over up to the Carolina Monarchs.

Richards also played one game for the Monarchs the year Manny was there. In fact, I think he replaced Manny in net during one game.

In any case, Manny began this season playing in Europe. He played 15 games for Wojas Podhale Nowy Targ in Poland, posting a record of (7-6-2) before returning to the USA to sign with the Jackals.

Elmira needs the netmind help as goalie Kris Tebbs has played 12 consecutive games and could probably really do with a night off.

Manny took a break after his stint with Austin to play two years of college hockey with the University of Toronto, his hometown. Elmira is currently 12-8 on the season, good for 4th in the 10 team United Hockey League. They trail league leading Muskegeon by 14 points.

The Jackals are a home this weekend, hosting the Fort Wayne Komets for a two game series on Friday and Saturday.

At the end of the 1997-98 season the Florida Panthers fled the Miami Arena for their new litterbox in Sunrise. In what would prove to be one of their more brilliant ideas (sarcasm intended), they purchased the ECHL Louisville RiverFrogs and moved them into the Miami Arena to become the ECHL Miami Matadors. In the meantime, they tried to work a lease, and failed, for the Freedom Arena in Louisville to house an AHL team. The Louisville Panthers would not show up for another season, and would only last two. The Mats were dead on the ice by Christmas.

Oh sure...they played out the season. The ECHL requires bonds to be posted to carry a team to the end of the season if they should go bankrupt. But honestly, by the end of the season the entire fan count consisted of Eric and Thomas, Evan, Erin, myself, and the two skanky girls that could never understand why none of the players would go out with them.

Joe Sloboda, then general manager of the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, came up to me at one game and said, "If the Civic Center ever looked this empty, I'd resign."

He actually did resign prior to the end of the season, but it was for other issues.

I only got counted as a Mats fan because I was a season ticket holder and a warm body who actually attended the games. For the most part I wore my Tiger Sharks gear and Manny, the Matadors' mascot, would come over by me during the Sharks game and we'd "fight". He'd try to punch me and I'd try to get my little stuffed shark to bite him. He always made up afterwards by kissing my hand.

I can't say the crowd loved it. There wasn't a crowd!

Some of the youngsters from the neighborhood became regulars at the games. All between the ages of 8 and 12, they were let in for free. They could never have attended a sporting event if they had to pay for it. I would give them five dollars at each of the games so they could buy refreshments. Aside from the occasional drive by shootings, that was probably the most excitement they'd had in their brief lives.

They were good kids though, didn't cause any trouble and loved to go back by the bus and try to get autographs, even if it was only on a pocket schedule (those were free). If they were lucky they landed sticks or pucks. They'd be thrilled to death with the smallest things.

Not like the some of the kids at TECO Arena who seem to think the visiting team's goalies should give them a stick and who get bent out of shape when they don't get one.

I suppose I have a few Matadors stories, but this one didn't involve the Mats really, but the Tiger Sharks.

The Sharks could not beat the Mats at the Miami Arena the entire season. The final meeting between the two teams ended with a 3-2 victory for Miami. It was a good game though, and I do have to hand it to guys on the Matadors who just kept plugging way in some of the most depressing circumstances.

After the game I went back by the bus to wait for David. Jan had not played that night as he had a sprained elbow. He had it in a sling. He'd also just gotten married -- quite a heartbreak for some of the Tally girls as he was quite a good-looking fellow.

I chatted with him briefly -- his English was not good, but I did get the run down on this injury and congratulated him on his wedding.

The neighborhood kids came back too. They were talking to the bus driver -- they even thought the team bus driver was some sort of celebrity and a couple of them wanted to grow up to be bus drivers for hockey teams. The guy was always nice to them and they just adored him.

Bru comes out first and he's eating a rice crispy treat that he'd gotten from one of the vending machines in the team lounge.

One of the kids says "Hey Coach, why don't you play? You're a big guy, you'd be really good out there."

Bru snarls at them. I said, "Coach did play. Coach used to play in the NHL." Their eyes went really wide. "Coach played for many years including spending time with the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maples Leafs."

They were looking at Brubaker like he was Christ himself. I pulled out my sharpie to loan to them and they started rooting around in their pockets for schedules.

Bru growled at me like I was some sort of traitor and vanished into the depths of the bus. I suddenly felt sorry for Dave, it was going to be a LONG trip back up to Tally town.

Okay, so they missed Bru's autograph, but the guys started coming out and maybe these guys hadn't playing the NHL, but they were more then happy to sign for them.

This was February 12th, 1999. I remember it because (1) I have a pocket schedule in front of me, and (2) it was right before David's birthday. I'd bought him a card and some chocolates.

Dave and Cully came out together. There's a story there too, but I won't relate it at this point. I'd given Cully his "pictures" the game before but as soon as David spotted me, he came leaping over and tried to tackle me. Happily, it takes more than a 195 pound, exuberant 20-something year old to knock me off my feet.

I finally unstuck him from me and made him stand up properly.

"You played a really good game," I told him. He had. He'd been a checking winger at the start of the season but Bru needed a defenseman so he'd moved him back to the blueline. He made some nice big hits when he'd needed to and never once turned the puck over.

"I sucked."

"No, you didn't. You played a really good game. I was very proud of you." I was. To be honest, I’d been very impressed with the progress he’d made.

"I sucked. It was all my fault. We should have won."

I figured he was unhappy because he hadn't scored. "I thought you played really well. I loved the big hits you were laying out. You did a really good job."

He just short of shrugged. "It's hot out here." It was, kind of, but I had my jersey on and he had a warm up jacket on.

"It's not bad, but you're wearing a jacket."

"Yeah, but it's cold on the bus."

Cully hung out for a little while in the background like he wanted to get a word in edgewise, but I guess we were just being really too cozy while we talked.

The food showed up...subs...and finally he vanished into the bus after it. Dave never even noticed. We talked for about ten minutes while they were loading up the bus.

Finally I told him he needed to get going as there wouldn't be any food left for him if he didn't claim his portion.

I gave him his card and his chocolates. "Hide those," I told him, "Until you guys get underway. And you don't have to share them."

His eyes glowed. "I don't?"

I always tell him to share. "Nope. It's your birthday present."

He grabbed the box and stuffed it under his jacket.

"Be careful," I said, "Bru's in a really foul mood."

He frowned but told me he'd be good. Whatever that meant.

Dave went back up to Quebec for this last season to finish off his degree in criminology. Somehow, I can just picture him breaking and entering!

He's been playing Semi-pro with Louis and the Chiefs.

Damn! I really miss that boy!