Our friends at the Section 303 blog made the trek to Las Vegas for the NHL awards show, where several folks in the Predators organization are nominated for awards.  Among them, David Poile is nominated for GM of the year.

Here’s something about David Poile — He is amazingly generous with his time.  Not only that, but he usually gives very thoughtful answers to whatever questions we send his way.  As a member of the media, that’s priceless.  I have had the good fortune to talk to him on several occasions, and have nothing but great things to say about the man.

Anyway…..back to the point….he gave an interview to the folks from Section 303, and he may have let a proverbial cat out of a proverbial bag a little bit early.

Read the full interview for sure…..but here’s the part that caught everyone’s eyes:

303: Please squash the rumor that, if you re-sign him, Marcel Goc is the so-called “replacement” for Matthew Lombardi.
DP: We’ve talked to Goc about a contract and we just re-signed Cal O’Reilly. I mean I think, in my own mind, if Lombardi came back, I could certainly see him more easily playing the wing than at center. I think this falls under “let’s get some quality over the quantity” and then we’ll figure it out. We’re short a top six forward so if we get Lombardi back maybe he starts on the fourth line and works his way up.

I haven’t seen any numbers for the contract, and the signing isn’t on capgeek.com yet….but mazel tov to the Preds, and mazel tov to Cal!

And mazel tov to Section 303.  Great interview.  That’s the kind stuff that John Glennon could only dream about.

Refreshing your memory, Aaron Sims had a great blog post about the coaching vacancies in the division.  Here is a cherry-picked quote from that post.

Some names that you’ll hear for any (or all) of these jobs: Ian Herbers, Paul Jerrard, Troy Ward, Brad Berry, Todd Richards, Brad Lauer, Cory Clouston and others.

Herbie, we know.  Brad Lauer we remember.  Todd Richards is recently employed.  So let’s take a look at some of those other coaches and learn about their stories.  Today, we’ll get to know Troy Ward.

1.  If you like your coaches to have a ton of NHL playing experience, you won’t find that with Ward.  Not much of a playing career….But he’s been coaching longer than Gabriel Bourque has been alive.  He has coached at the college, AHL, NHL, and ECHL level.  He is also the driving force behind the hockey camp known as Hockey & Sons, where you and your blue chip prospect can both go to skills camp together.  (It’s actually looks pretty awesome…check out the camp video if you click over to that site.)

2.  Troy has ties to Wisconsin.  He was an assistant coach for the Badgers under Mike Eaves for three seasons.  He coached players like Robbie Earl, Joe Pavelski, Jake Dowell, Adam Burish, and Rene Bourque.  But his tenure at Madison ended in a peculiar fashion, as he was fired by Eaves in the summer of 2005.  The two went way back long before the Badgers, and it sounds like there were some hurt feelings when it all went down.

Some quotes from Eaves on the decision:

“In my mind, I’m relieving (Ward) of his duties and asking him to go and find where his passion is.  It’s a reflection of where (Ward) is in his life because he’s in between.  He’s in between trying to figure out if he wants to be a businessman, if he wants to be a head coach. Where is the best place he can reach his maximum? 

“Every year, in the summertime, alumni hear about Troy looking for different jobs and say, Gee, what’s going on?’ And then the players hear about it and there’s always questions.  Every summer we were looking at different options. This is now time for him to figure out what he wants to do.

“Hopefully in two or three years — whatever time period you want to take — he’ll be able to say, Thanks, I needed that at that time. I didn’t want it, but I needed it,’ “

It’s a weird stance….Eaves walks the line between ‘you need to do this for yourself’ and ‘I’m tired of dealing with your popularity every summer’.  Ward stands by the fact that he never would have done (and never did) anything to hurt the program while he was employed there, and he felt he was blindsided.  Nevertheless, he landed on his feet.

Since his exodus, Ward has assisted with Milwaukee Admirals radio broadcasts (another local connection) was a head coach in the ECHL, an assistant coach and assistant GM with the Houston Aeros, and an assistant coach with the Abbotsford Heat last season.

And remember when Tony Hrkac came out of retirement to play the stretch drive with the Aeros?  Troy Ward made that call.

3.  Versatility.  He really has worked in every aspect of the industry.  Whether it’s the business side, roster management side, media relations side, or on-ice-product side, Ward has worn many different hats over his career.

4.  Everyone loves him.  Ok, that may be overstating things a bit, but I was able to find some ringing endorsements from people who had previously worked with him.

Aaron Sims speaks highly of Ward, having worked with him in the radio booth.

“Personally, I love the guy.  He’s been waiting for a head job forever. He’s very easy to talk to and so honest about everything. He really is like Lane (Lambert) in so many ways.

“Troy was awesome on broadcasts.  He was able to communicate what and why things happened in a small amount of time.  He explained everything great and was precise and concise.”

Ward spent three years with the Aeros organization, so I reached out to a couple of the folks from The Third Intermission blog, for their memories of Ward.

First, Andrew Ferraro, who also writes for the Chron…

“Troy helped many players to career years, many of them complimenting the coaching staff with improving their attention to detail and responsibility in the role they should have.  Corey Locke, Mitch Love, Max Noreau, Joel Ward, Cal Clutterbuck and Erik Reitz are all guys that would be very complimentary of Ward.”

That’s 525 games of NHL experience among that group.  And then there’s Locke, who led the AHL in points this year, before being a Calder Cup champion.

Here’s our friend Ms. Conduct…

“Love love LOVE that man. Extremely nice. Great teacher. Wonderful with the media. Even keeled. I felt like he was the good cop/positive guy a lot of times in relation to (Coach Kevin) Constantine’s bad cop/taskmaster.  But he seems quite bright, a good people person, so I don’t see that nice guy thing getting in the way of getting what he wants out of the guys. I would wager he’s more of what people would call a ‘player’s coach’ and that seems to be the kind of guy players respond to more these days.”

The guy has been working in the AHL for the last four years, so there isn’t really an adjustment that needs to be made there.  He brings so much experience with him to the table, and I think he would make an AHL team very happy, should they elect to make him their head coach this year.

There’s another name we can cross off our list.

Former Admirals assistant coach Todd Richards has signed on to be an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, joining Scott Arniel behind the bench.

So congrats to our friend Todd on another NHL gig.

MONDAY MORNING UPDATE:  This is awesome.  I published this piece on Sunday night, and Monday morning, we’re hearing reports that Cronin will be coaching with the Maple Leafs this year……

Sooooooooooo, he probably won’t be the Admirals coach.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it isn’t likely.

Nevertheless — he has an interesting story.  So I’ll keep the story up here.

I received a couple of emails after the last post, asking who exactly Greg Cronin was.  So here’s a quick profile piece on him.  I do not have any confirmation or knowledge that he has interviewed for the Admirals job, but he was referenced in a blog post by Aaron Sims as a guy who may be available.

Cronin has coached at the collegiate, under-18 junior, AHL, and NHL levels.  He has been an assistant with Colby College, U of Maine, Colorado College, and the New York Islanders.  He has been the head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and most recently, Northeastern University.

He had turned the NU hockey program around once he started coaching his own recruits.  The Huskies had just 3 wins his first year, but then sported a 25-12-4 record in his fourth season as head coach.  The current star goalie of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins, Brad Thiessen, spent three seasons at NU under Cronin….and he won 35 games for the Penguins last season.

So Cronin had made NU a player in a tough conference that includes Boston U, Boston College, Maine, and Vermont, among others in the H-East conference.

Cronin was suspended in February by the school, along with an assistant.

Northeastern University has discovered potential NCAA violations with respect to the recruitment of prospective student-athletes in the sport of men’s ice hockey. The possible violations relate to telephone and text message legislation and were revealed during the course of routine internal compliance monitoring.

They were reinstated a few weeks later, and here is his first session with the media after reinstatement.  He says pretty much everything he’s supposed to say, and remained professional.

And then at the end of April, we had a case of the good and bad parts of social media and blog reporting.  A report surfaces via twitter, crediting an anonymous source, and only the anonymous source.  You can read the fallout here.  But the story was that Cronin was leaving NU to take a coaching position in the AHL.  I haven’t come across any other reports to confirm the initial one.

But I have come across some links and quotes that may help give you a little bit of an idea of what he may bring to the table in Milwaukee.

On Roberto Luongo when he was a prospect… “I knew Roberto was going to be really good,’’ said Cronin. “The problem with Roberto at that time was he was so bowlegged, you could drive a truck through his legs. He wasn’t really that athletic.

Lots to discuss. Lots to discuss…

Of course, mazel tov’s are in order for Rich Peverley for his performance in the Stanley Cup finals.  (There’s a great picture of him with the cup over at Milwaukeeadmirals.com.)  Pevs signed on with the Admirals after 11 games with the Reading Royals in the 05-06 season, and the rest = history.
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Let’s talk a bit about the coaching search.  Aaron Sims has an OUTSTANDING piece on his blog at the Admirals website.  But I’d like to give you the chance to be an armchair GM here.

What are qualities that you’d be looking for if it were up to you to hire the head coach of the Admirals for the 11-12 season?

– Does previous employment with the organization give someone the upperhand (Todd Richards, Brad Lauer)?
– Do you like the idea of promoting from within (Ian Herbers or Jarrod Skalde from Cincy)?
– Does NHL coaching experience matter more, or do you value someone who has been successful developing players at this level?
– Do you think a college coach would be a natural fit (Greg Cronin or Mike Eaves)?  A job at this level seems like it’d be a lot of teaching, without the hassle of recruiting……and in Cronin’s case, it seems like he’d probably prefer a scenario like that right now.)
– How willing would you be to give someone their very first head coaching gig?  (Martin Gelinas, or some other former player)
– Maybe you’d like a guy that’s been coaching longer than some of our players have been alive? (Troy Ward….coaching since the 90-91 season)

What’s important to you?  And of the guys mentioned above (or in Aaron’s article), who would you like to see at the helm of the ship?
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Teemu Laakso re-signed with the Preds, a one year two-way contract.  According to Capgeek, it’ll pay him $675k at the NHL level, and $105k  at the AHL level.

Under contract for ’11-12:  Blum, Franson, Klein, Suter, Boullion.  Shea Weber is a restricted free agent, Shane O’Brien is an unrestricted free agent.  Do you think Laakso has a realistic chance breaking camp with the Preds next season?
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The Preds signed another guy from Finland today — Right wing Juuso Puustinen.  Drafted by the Flames in 2006, he spent a couple of years tearing up the WHL.  Puustinen has spent the last three seasons in the Finnish Elite League, and was 4th in the league in goals scored last year.  He’s 6’1, two years younger than Linus Klasen, and already has some experience playing in North America.  There’s some decent discussion going on about him on the HFboards, and some thoughts from some people that have actually seen him play in Finland.  It’s a two-year deal, and some websites already have him penciled in to play in Milwaukee next year.  Hopefully, we’ll get to see him in action in rookie development camp later this month.

Hockey’s Future said this about Puustinen (take it with your usual Hockey’s Future grain cube of salt).  Have we seen this movie before? (Bold type is my emphasis)

Puustinen possesses decent size and has shown flashes of high end offensive brilliance. His time in the WHL has made him a reliable two way player, but he must improve the physical parts of his game as well as becoming a more consistent scoring threat to reach the next level. While there are some doubts about his physical and defensive play, his creativity and scoring ability is undeniable.

195 shopping days until Christmas……

Or…for the Dad in your life that has it all…bet he doesn’t have goalie pads.  Nothing says happy father’s day quite like gifts from the Admirals garage sale!

I have cut and copied the details from the Admirals website…

Milwaukee, WI –The Milwaukee Admirals will host their annual garage sale on Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15 in the West Atrium of the Bradley Center.

For a complete listing of items for sale, including jerseys, click here.

The garage sale will open on June 14 at 4 pm for season ticket holders who are paid in full for the 2011-12 season and then from 5-8 pm for all season ticket holders. Season ticket holders may pay in full at the door if they wish to get in for the first hour of the sale. On June 15, the sale is open to the general public from 11 am to 7 pm.

The first 250 fans to come to the garage sale will receive a free opening day ticket to SummerFest. Plus, the Admirals will hold an raffle to win this Admirals themed and autographed corn-hole game. Raffle tickets are $10 and the winner will be drawn after the conclusion of the sale.

The sale will feature game-worn jerseys, including the first chance to buy the team’s new black road jerseys, new and game-used sticks, and other game-used equipment such as gloves, pads, and skates all priced significantly lower than retail value. In addition, Admirals merchandise will be available at a discounted rate.

All items at the garage sale are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Fans should enter the sale through Lobby D at the Bradley Center, located at the northwest corner of the building.

Fans should contact Kim Salli at ksalli@milwaukeeadmirals.com with any questions about the sale.

Our friend Dave Boehler of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting that Lane Lambert has been hired as an assistant coach by the Nashville Predators.

The Admirals have scheduled a press conference for tomorrow afternoon.

What to say…..what to say…… I feel like I’m writing a eulogy.

This news is not all that surprising.  Many of us had a feeling this day would happen sometime this summer.  And we can’t be happier for Lane.  We weren’t sure whether he’d be a head coach somewhere (I don’t know if he was in talks for the Florida job before it was filled or not), or whether he would step right into the vacated assistant spot with Nashville.

Why this makes sense:  Lane has helped helped develop so many of the players already contributing on the active Preds roster.  Familiarity has to be an asset.  And it’s not like Lane is coming from a free-wheeling run-and-gun type system.  Lane knows the Predator way better than anybody else outside of the organization.  He will be a great fit.

I know I speak on behalf of Sutty, Jason, and Eric Kent when I type this:  Coach Lambert has been great.  From a media standpoint, we will miss the heck out of him.  We are thankful for the time he has given us, his thoughtful answers, and the look he would always give us when some new guy would come into the locker room and ask a dumb question.  And from a performance standpoint, the way he was able to get the most out of his players was outstanding.  I know fan opinion of the coach varies quite a bit, but I am of the opinion that these were four great years for the organization, and whoever they hire to replace him will have ginormous shoes to fill.

Word is that the next Admiral’s coach will NOT be announced at this press conference tomorrow…and that’ll give us some time to speculate and take wild stabs in the dark about who the candidates are….but that’ll wait for another post.

Best of luck, Coach.

Feel free to leave your best wishes in the comments.  I don’t know if he reads us or not, but he knows we exist, and your wishes may get back to him at some point.

Do you have a favorite Lane Lambert moment?

The Ottawa Senators finished in 13th place in the Eastern Conference this year, just two points ahead of last place Florida.

The Binghamton Senators finished as Calder Cup champions.

The baby Sens scored two power play goals in the third period to come from behind and defeat the Houston Aeros 3-2 Tuesday night in Texas, and win the Calder Cup series 4 games to 2.

So the Calder Cup remains in the hands of the Eastern Conference for the 3rd straight year.

Is it September yet?  I’m ready for training camp.

Remember John Glennon?  Yeah, me neither.

Josh Cooper from the Tennessean reported today that the Preds have re-signed goaltender coach Mitch Korn.  And here’s some analysis from Mr. Cooper as well.

On a professional level, this is great news.  Korn deserves some of the credit of getting Jeremy Smith from where he was in October, to where he finished in May.  And of course, credit for helping Pekka Rinne, Anders Lindback, and Mark Dekanich become the excellent goaltenders that they are today.

(We’ll gloss over Chet Pickard)

On a personal level, it’s great to have him back in the fold, because he’s always been great to talk to.  He’s been generous with his time, and has always had insightful things to say when pressed for comment.

So welcome back, Mitch!  I look forward to seeing you at the Bradley Center on numerous occasions next season.

Mark Matheson has re-signed with the Wolves.  So we can look forward to seeing Mad Dog for another 12 games next season.

Binghamton took a 3-2 series lead over Houston in the Calder Cup finals with a 4-2 victory last night.  The series shifts back to Houston now, where a winner will be crowned Tuesday or Thursday.

But probably the biggest news of all, is that the band Chili Sabotage is seeking a drummer.

Maybe you’ve heard Chili Sabotage announced as a group in attendence at Admirals games.  Maybe you’re Facebook friends with Aaron Sims, and have heard him talk about the group.  Maybe you have no idea what I’m talking about.

In short:  Chili Sabotage is an idea that is so crazy, that it just might work.  Aaron is the charismatic front man, Sutty is the six-string ax man, I’m on keyboards, and John W. Bitter is our manager.

We’re a bit over the top about our awesomeness.  But we’re in it to have fun.

We may have a gig lined up at the end of the summer.  And it has been determined that we need to get a drummer…….now.

So…..if you play drums, or know someone who plays drums…..we want to hear from you.  Send a message to admiralsroundtable (at) g mail, or leave us a message at the Chili Sabotage facebook page.

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