About 2 months ago as I entered Mile One for an Ice Caps game after having my ticket verified I looked up and saw Glenn Stanford there in the foyer greeting fans as they entered. I stopped to chat with Glenn as I have known him for 20 years now, as he was with the Maple Leafs organization in their inaugural campaign in St. John's and I was a member of that team. I have met a lot of people during my years in the game, from NHL Hall of Fame players to Coaches and General managers and I have to say that I have yet to meet anyone in the game who I could put on an even playing field with him. His dedication, commitment, passion and integrity for not only this team & game, but for the city & province are unequalled as far as my opinion goes.
In saying that, as we chatted briefly about the first season and how great the return of professional hockey has been to not only this city, but to all of NL. I am a season ticket holder and I told Glenn what a great product they have put on the ice and how enjoyable it is to come down here kids and watch such a talented team. I then thought about my first year here and the amazing run that we went on and we were both thinking the same thing as we almost simultaneously said to each other, "what a story this would be", first year back in the AHL, amazing fan attendance as they broke records all year long and oddly enough even though it is a completely different product on the ice now than 20 years ago the similarities between that 1st St. John's Maple Leafs team and the Ice Caps would make quite a story if they're play continued to be as strong as it was in the regular season.
I can honestly say that it was not until last night as I sat there and watched the Ice Caps win their first round match-up that I realized how true this actually. I was in total awe at the crowd and atmosphere in the building as the Ice Caps rallied on several occasions to come back and win in OT and advance to the 2nd round. If you remember the 1st year we faced Cape Breton in the opening round, the big game that set the tempo for us as a group was the OT win in Cape Breton. We beat a veteran laden team in a very hostile environment and battled back late in the 3rd period to force OT and eventually win. That game we became not only a team but a very close knit bunch of fellas who were focused and determined to silence the critics.
We had a rookie goalie in net for us, Felix Potvin who was as calm and cool as one could get when he was on his game and watching Pasquale in net last net I was amazed at how similar these two are in the net although the jury is still out on whether Pasquale can throw them like the Cat could, he was never one to shy away from a confrontation or two.
On D, we had a veteran group of players back there that were as solid as any team in the AHL at that point, there was Hunt, Esau, Ferner, Serowik, Berehowsky, Quenneville, Bell, Crowley and last but not least, the monkey Guy Lehoux! I watched the Ice Caps D closely last evening and even though the league has now implemented a veteran rule, they have a lot of depth back there and in my opinion are the back bone of this team and believe that as long as they stay healthy they will be very difficult to beat.
Up front, the 91-92 Maple Leafs were a power house of young talent with the like of Perreault, McKim, Johnston, Cimetta, Manderville, Eastwood, the list could go on forever. I believe off of that team every single forward from that year went on to play at least 100 games in the NHL but one, and that of course would be me but that year and playoff run felt like you were part of one anyways because of the players you were surrounded by. We were very similar to this years Ice Caps team which has a great mix of veteran talent in King, Murray, Jaffrey, Cormier that have all tasted the NHL and some pretty awesome young forwards such as Klingberg and Pasquale and the list goes on and on about the potential players that could eventually be NHL regulars for years to come. We had our junior players join us at seasons end just as Scheifele has done and as well as several Canadian & U.S Olympians and even though some great talented players were forced out of the line up and some guys with tons of NHL experience as well were on the sidelines there was connection between this bunch of players that I never had the chance of experiencing again and I have had several players from that team tell me the exact same thing. We were a special group that was doing special things no matter who was called on that night and we see the same thing with the Ice Caps with guys like Clark & Redmond forced to the sidelines with an over crowding of players and their Captain out for the season.
The comparisons don't stop there either, the coaching staff for the Ice Caps also matches up very closely with our 91 Maple Leafs. We had a young guy by the name of Marc Crawford who was only 30 years old guiding a bunch of ex NHL veterans. Coach McCambridge reminds me of him as well, young, ambitious and probably mature beyond his years behind the bench and how can you leave out the Ice Caps faithful. We had tried whiteouts before back in the old Memorial Stadium but nothing like what I witnessed last night. It was an atmosphere in the building that I haven't seen at Mile One since I have been retired from the game. Even though it isn't fair to compare both atmospheres as the close confines of Memorial were something that legends are built of and was rocking every night and especially in the Calder Cup run that we went on. The electricity in the city is a buzz and the downtown district must be loving it because we all know what happens when a St. John's team is winning, the Street is singing!!
If last nights epic OT win is any indication of what is yet to come it is going to be a crazy spring in the Capital city this year and I can't wait to see how it unfolds! Best of luck to Coach MacCambridge and the rest of the Ice Caps, if nothing else you can take comfort in the fact that not only do you have an arena full of fans cheering your every move, but you have city and a province!! Embrace this playoff run and give it all you have because you have a chance to be a part of something special that will follow you for the rest of your lives!
Just think about all of this for a minute and how similar these 2 teams are even though there is 20 years difference, it would be an amazing story and ride to be a part of don't you think? Just do us all one big favour......win 1 home game every round PLEASE!!!!
TCG
In saying that, as we chatted briefly about the first season and how great the return of professional hockey has been to not only this city, but to all of NL. I am a season ticket holder and I told Glenn what a great product they have put on the ice and how enjoyable it is to come down here kids and watch such a talented team. I then thought about my first year here and the amazing run that we went on and we were both thinking the same thing as we almost simultaneously said to each other, "what a story this would be", first year back in the AHL, amazing fan attendance as they broke records all year long and oddly enough even though it is a completely different product on the ice now than 20 years ago the similarities between that 1st St. John's Maple Leafs team and the Ice Caps would make quite a story if they're play continued to be as strong as it was in the regular season.
I can honestly say that it was not until last night as I sat there and watched the Ice Caps win their first round match-up that I realized how true this actually. I was in total awe at the crowd and atmosphere in the building as the Ice Caps rallied on several occasions to come back and win in OT and advance to the 2nd round. If you remember the 1st year we faced Cape Breton in the opening round, the big game that set the tempo for us as a group was the OT win in Cape Breton. We beat a veteran laden team in a very hostile environment and battled back late in the 3rd period to force OT and eventually win. That game we became not only a team but a very close knit bunch of fellas who were focused and determined to silence the critics.
We had a rookie goalie in net for us, Felix Potvin who was as calm and cool as one could get when he was on his game and watching Pasquale in net last net I was amazed at how similar these two are in the net although the jury is still out on whether Pasquale can throw them like the Cat could, he was never one to shy away from a confrontation or two.
On D, we had a veteran group of players back there that were as solid as any team in the AHL at that point, there was Hunt, Esau, Ferner, Serowik, Berehowsky, Quenneville, Bell, Crowley and last but not least, the monkey Guy Lehoux! I watched the Ice Caps D closely last evening and even though the league has now implemented a veteran rule, they have a lot of depth back there and in my opinion are the back bone of this team and believe that as long as they stay healthy they will be very difficult to beat.
Up front, the 91-92 Maple Leafs were a power house of young talent with the like of Perreault, McKim, Johnston, Cimetta, Manderville, Eastwood, the list could go on forever. I believe off of that team every single forward from that year went on to play at least 100 games in the NHL but one, and that of course would be me but that year and playoff run felt like you were part of one anyways because of the players you were surrounded by. We were very similar to this years Ice Caps team which has a great mix of veteran talent in King, Murray, Jaffrey, Cormier that have all tasted the NHL and some pretty awesome young forwards such as Klingberg and Pasquale and the list goes on and on about the potential players that could eventually be NHL regulars for years to come. We had our junior players join us at seasons end just as Scheifele has done and as well as several Canadian & U.S Olympians and even though some great talented players were forced out of the line up and some guys with tons of NHL experience as well were on the sidelines there was connection between this bunch of players that I never had the chance of experiencing again and I have had several players from that team tell me the exact same thing. We were a special group that was doing special things no matter who was called on that night and we see the same thing with the Ice Caps with guys like Clark & Redmond forced to the sidelines with an over crowding of players and their Captain out for the season.
The comparisons don't stop there either, the coaching staff for the Ice Caps also matches up very closely with our 91 Maple Leafs. We had a young guy by the name of Marc Crawford who was only 30 years old guiding a bunch of ex NHL veterans. Coach McCambridge reminds me of him as well, young, ambitious and probably mature beyond his years behind the bench and how can you leave out the Ice Caps faithful. We had tried whiteouts before back in the old Memorial Stadium but nothing like what I witnessed last night. It was an atmosphere in the building that I haven't seen at Mile One since I have been retired from the game. Even though it isn't fair to compare both atmospheres as the close confines of Memorial were something that legends are built of and was rocking every night and especially in the Calder Cup run that we went on. The electricity in the city is a buzz and the downtown district must be loving it because we all know what happens when a St. John's team is winning, the Street is singing!!
If last nights epic OT win is any indication of what is yet to come it is going to be a crazy spring in the Capital city this year and I can't wait to see how it unfolds! Best of luck to Coach MacCambridge and the rest of the Ice Caps, if nothing else you can take comfort in the fact that not only do you have an arena full of fans cheering your every move, but you have city and a province!! Embrace this playoff run and give it all you have because you have a chance to be a part of something special that will follow you for the rest of your lives!
Just think about all of this for a minute and how similar these 2 teams are even though there is 20 years difference, it would be an amazing story and ride to be a part of don't you think? Just do us all one big favour......win 1 home game every round PLEASE!!!!
TCG
THAT MUST HAVE FELT GOOD!! ITS SEEMS THAT WHEN SOMEONE LIKE STANFORD OR YOURSELF WHO WAS PLAYING 20 YEARS AGO AND EXPERIENCED IT ARE THE BEST KIND OF PEOPLE TO HAVE AROUND THE GROUP LIKE CAPS!! YOU LEARN HOW THE GAME HAS CHANGED WHILE STILL INSTALLING THE MORALES AND RESPECT THAT EVERY PLAYER NEEDS TO BE SUCESSFUL! YOUR A GREAT INSIRATION TO ME AND MANY OTHERS TODD!!
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