Chirps from Center Ice

Sorry I am late with this. Weather, travel and work have jumped to the forefront.

By now you have heard that the Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference in the AHL All-Star Classic Monday. Binghamton’s Bobby Butler was named MVP but it really could have gone to either John Curry or Robert Bortuzzo. Bortuzzo had two goals and Curry made a boatload of saves. (Gamesheet / theAHL.com article)

Figured I would include my very unprofessionally done pictures. Here so we’ll do so as soon as you click here:

Real quick post here in between the Skills Competition and the All-Star Classic.

John Curry stole the show last night, winning the top goaltender award. This has some slight significance because it was announced that Hershey’s Braden Holtby tweaked something lower body Saturday afternoon against Charlotte and did not partake in Skills and will not play in the game tonight. Here are the complete results.

Had a good time at the Post Skills Party last night mingling with AHL fans, staffers and writers. That is the highlight of the weekend for me for sure.

I am back in Wilkes-Barre today, jetting it back down I-81 for the game tonight and then likely back home afterwards because of the pending bad weather.

Will do my best on the live-tweet tonight. Probably just goal scorers only as there won’t be any penalties (hopefully).

Go Pens!

Props to @franki2003 for pointing out that Patrick Killeen has been re-assigned to The Nail this afternoon on the AHL Transactions Page.

Also, with Pittsburgh’s last game before the All-Star break coming tomorrow, can we see Dustin Jeffrey back in Wilkes-Barre Wednesday for a rematch vs. the Checkers?

Speaking of those Checkers, Zach Boychuk was recalled to parent Carolina today. Vaya Con Dios.

On the Killeen demotion, I wouldn’t be shocked if it was simply a “paper” transaction, to avoid paying him AHL money for two days. The true answer will be known tomorrow when the Pens practice and Bombulie posts the update on his blog. The ECHL All-Star game is Wednesday in Bakersfield, California. Killeen was selected to play. Keep an eye out on the ECHL.com to see if anyone is named as a replacement for Killeen also. We’ll see.

Go Pens.

I was initially scheduled to go on the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Booster Club trip to Providence, Glens Falls and Hartford this weekend but due to issues outside of my control I will not be able to go on the road trip.

I still plan on watching the games and live tweeting for those who care to follow along, I will just not be in attendance as once scheduled.

We here at Chirps from Center Ice thank you for your understanding.

Go Penguins.

36 games into the season and Wilkes-Barre / Scranton has by far the best winning percentage in professional hockey with a record of 28-8. They have achieved this record because of players they have brought in and front loading the depth chart with players in the NHL which means that guys like Dustin Jeffrey, Eric Tangradi and Nick Johnson stick it out in the minors for at least another season.

Their success can also be attributed to AHL veteran players such as Ryan Craig, Chris Collins and Geoff Walker.

The most dangerous threat on the team in my opinion? Brett Sterling. Nicknamed “The Ticket” by me as in, “ticket to a Calder Cup” Sterling is one of the most lethal scoring threats in the league. A bonafide threat to score everytime he steps on the ice.

Let me preface this piece by stating that this not a nitpicking work directed at any one player. It’s something I have had kicking around my head for a week or so. Moving on…

Sterling only has 10 goals this year thru 30 games played. (He missed 6 games early in the season due to injury) He got to 10 goals in 2009-10 by his 19th game with the Chicago Wolves, this in a year he scored 34 goals in just 55 games. The year before in 2008-09, he got to 10 goals in 26 games. The year before in 2007-08, he got to 10 in 12 games. The year before that one, 10 goals in 14 games. This was the 2006-07 rookie year when he scored 55 goals in the regular season.

Ryan Craig is a guy who has 9 goals this year. Last year with Norfolk, he led the team in goals with 23. By his 20th game last year he had 9 goals.

What am I getting at?

I am getting at when these pure scorers finally find the net, watch out. Sterling especially. In his past four AHL regular seasons he has averaged 35.75 goals a season. That was with the likes of Jason Krog and Darren Haydar. He has in WBS the likes of Dustin Jeffrey, Nick Johnson, Ryan Craig, Eric Tangradi and even Chris Collins. The argument can be made that he isn’t asked to score and WBS plays more of a defensive brand of hockey, but I am not buying into that. You bring Sterling in to score goals, not to forecheck along the walls in the neutral zone. You use the defensive mindset to shut down a team pursuing you in a 3-1, 2-0, 4-3 or a 2-1 game. The reason you are up should be because of players like Sterling, Jeffrey, Wallace, et. al filling up the net with goals.

Again I am not complaining or expecting Sterling or anyone for that matter to score everytime they are on the ice. What I am stating is that once the goals go in they will start piling in and when that happens watch out. It is the ebb and flow of hockey.

Go Pens.

I normally don’t like posting in bunches, but I saw the new rules for the Radio Show and had to blog my thoughts.

In case you haven’t heard, the motto for the Pens this season is “Fans First”. This means the Fans come first. The radio shows have always been a favorite for me. But, Lucky’s Sporthouse is coming up with these ridiculous rules to make it a more “favorable experience” for the fans. Here they are, direct from the WBS Penguins website:

Seating during the Penguins Report Radio Show will be by reservation only.

Fans may call Lucky’s from 2-4pm & 9-11pm Monday thru Wednesday to reserve a seat.

Fans must speak to a manager when reserving their seats.

Seating in the hi-top area will rotate on a weekly basis.

Fans must show ID when arriving to claim reservations.

There will be two seatings based on 7:00pm start time for the radio show:  1st seating will be 5:45 – 2nd seating will be 6:15

Everyone in the party must make a dinner purchase.

Discounts will not be given on happy hour pricing.

Are you kidding me? Reservation only? And you can only call during certain hours AND you can ONLY speak to a manager AND you have to buy dinner with NO discounts? What? OK, so I call Tuesday at 3:05 to talk to a manager. What if the manager is in the bathroom? I have a full time job, I can’t call back in 10 minutes because I have a conference call at 3:15. Are you REALLY going to make me call during a small window to speak to a manager? Really? What if I don’t drive and don’t have an ID card? I can’t go to the radio show apparently. Borderline discriminatory.

EVERYONE has to make a dinner purchase huh? What if I have 3 kids? Do I have to buy them a dinner? Really? Run us through the ringer of calling between a small window, then make me, my 74 year old Aunt Netta, and my 3 kids, all ages 5, 8 and 12 respectively buy dinner too? You should just charge all the fans $15 to get autographs and call it a day.

I am only assuming that if you don’t make reservations you can’t, at the end of the show, get a players autograph and picture. What if I get out of work at WalMart across the street nightly at 8 p.m. and can’t go to the radio show anyway? What if Chris Conner is my favorite player and he’s at the radio show? You’re saying because I didn’t make reservations for a radio show I couldn’t attend anyway because I need this job to put food on my table and pay my bills (and pay for tickets to WBS Penguins games) I can’t get him to sign my t-shirt? What?

Whoever at the the Pens front office OK’d these ridiculous rules was smoking something funny that day. This does not put, “Fans First” by any stretch of the imagination.

Lucky’s, you can have your Radio Show and all that goes with it. You are not going to charge me for listening on the radio, are you? You know what, don’t bother. I’m not going to waste my time even listening.