After the completion of last night’s game – I scanned the game photos for a proper few for the nightly recap. While looking through them I found yet another gem from the silly face arsenal of Joonas Rask.
When it comes to silly faces in the game of hockey – no one is even in the same league as Joonas Rask.
As you might recall – we covered the many silly faces of Rask awhile back. With this new addition in mind, and a need for a smile following last night’s loss, I can’t help but show off the fine work of Scott Paulus, Sara Stathas, and Jeff Hanisch from this season as they have managed to capture some amazing photos – and amazing photos of Milwaukee Admirals players making silly faces. Today, let’s admire their photographic work of Rask and friends!
Colton Sissons has been outstanding in his first professional hockey season – but can he make you a Belieber? (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Welp, it is an off day and it is Sunday fun day – especially following the past two games where the Milwaukee Admirals put up 14 goals on the Rockford IceHogs. Rather than focus on more f the brawling and hits associated with the two games – let’s have some fun.
Earlier this season I received a “Player Bios” media kit that was complete with player questionnaires. I’ve neglected to really go back to it and highlight some of the gems associated with it – but I will today. Not all players on the team answered the questionnaires but enough of them filled in a question that I always find fun to ask…
And those were the guys who provided answers for that question. Any players who have musical tastes similar to you? What song would you listen to before a game? …oh, right. Fair is fair.
Pekka Rinne’s return to the city of Milwaukee might have been brief, but he provided us all with reminders of just how classy he is both on and off the ice. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Pekka Rinne’s return to the ice was fantastic news for the Nashville Predators organization. The Predators have missed their rock in net for up to four months after an infection related to his off-season hip surgery. They’ve been hanging outside of the playoff picture this season and Rinne’s return offers hope that there still could be a late surge for playoff hockey.
“It’s pretty straight forward,” said Pekka Rinne when asked of his goals upon returning to Nashville. “It’s making the playoffs.”
Having followed this story since essentially late-October, the speculation train traveled miles and miles through when he would return to the rink. In time for the Olympics? Just prior to the Olympics? During the Olympics? After? Not at all? It was all a mystery and for good reason. There really wasn’t a baseline for an athlete such as Pekka Rinne experiencing an E. Coli infection. It was that uncertainty that made this a waiting game for all involved. Priority #1, his health.
It may have taken massive patience on his part but he finally started ramping up his recovery process at the start of February. That was merely a trial run for the practice session he would take part in two weeks later. The more he practiced the more the rumor mill swirled over the possibilities of his possible conditioning stint. Then it became a reality on Wednesday of last week. He was coming back to the Admirals.
What truly made this a special moment was that Rinne wasn’t just getting the chance to hit the ice for a game for the first time in four months – it was that he was able to make his return where his career in North America all started, Milwaukee. The time that he spent in this city was instrumental in his development. Not only on the ice, where he spent three-seasons with the Admirals, but off of the ice. He was adapting to life in a new country. He needed to learn a new language, had to figure out how to do day-to-day tasks such as paying the bills, and didn’t find himself in a car of his own until his final season in the AHL.
During last season’s 35th Anniversary campaign he was selected as the top Admiral of all-time. His work in net over three-seasons saw him play 145 games, post 81 wins, a 2.54 GAA, 0.911 SV%, and record a total of 10 shutouts. He also played in 24 playoff games for the Ads where he won 12 games, had a 2.76 GAA, 0.907 SV%, and 4 shutouts.
The frenzy involved with his arrival to the city and return to game action saw the likes of myself and a few other local media types, here’s looking at you Fox 6, turn up for morning skate on Friday. In fact, Jeremy Gover and Robby Stanley made the drive up to Milwaukee all the way from Nashville to take part in the festivities.
The game that would follow was nothing short of special. The Admirals routed the Iowa Wild to the tune of 9-1. While most admitted that there wasn’t much in the way of “work” for Rinne to do in the game, it was what was happening outside of the rink that was really moving to me.
When the Admirals step out of the tunnel for pre-game skate, there is typically a minor acknowledgement on the part of the fans to salute their team the very first chance they get. Still, plenty are walking through the gates and many more are circling the complex. For Rinne’s return on Friday night, there was almost a tension brewing in the building as the scoreboard clock was counting down to the pre-game skate siren. Fans along the Admirals tunnel were all peering in to get their first glance of him. Then, high fives to as many fans as he could reach, and Rinne stepped onto the ice to a great reception.
That was just the pre-game skate. When his name was mentioned by Milwaukee Admirals radio play-by-play man Aaron Sims during his keys to the game – another pop.
First time anyone had ever cheered a “Key to the Game”. The applause coming from “Key 3: Pekka Rinne”
When he was introduced by name, by former-Admirals Roundtable editor-in-chief Ryan Miller I might add, the crowd was on their feet letting him know they (1) missed him (2) were excited for him (3) couldn’t wait to see what he can do. The fans then stayed for the three stars of the game and gave Rinne another incredibly warm ovation. It was something that was clearly not lost on him at all.
“That felt great,” smiled Rinne. “I really appreciate it. For sure, it made me feel welcome and made me feel great. I had three really good years here and I thought that I always had a good relationship with the fans. And I really appreciate their response.”
The attendance for Friday’s game was 6,492. So how would things go with a Sunday crowd of 15,021?
In truth, every single aspect felt the same on Sunday except for the game – which produced a few less goals than the prior night. He wasn’t forced to handle many shots in that game either, but the amount of blocked shots and skipping pucks, all while the Rochester Americans crashed the net, meant his focus had to be perfect the entire game. It was.
The only goals he had allowed during the weekend came from mistakes.
On Friday, the Admirals forgot to send a player into the penalty box to serve a Mike Liambas boarding major – and were caught with four-players on the ice as a result. Dean Evason admitted to the mistake as they tried getting a player to the box following Joonas Rask’s shorthanded goal. They failed to get a man in the box and, therefore, needed to wait until the next whistle before a player could join the ice. The next whistle came after the Wild’s lone goal of the game was scored – a Zach Miskovic shot that fluttered through traffic and in.
Sunday, the Admirals were caught up in the moment of Charles-Olivier Roussel’s opening goal – defensemen were aggressively skating up after the Admirals lost the faceoff draw – and Jamie Tardif was off to the races for a breakaway.
The goal from the Wild in the grand scheme of Friday’s game, 9-1 Ads win, didn’t mean too much. The goal from Rochester is one that he could have made huge stop to bail out a mental lapse from the team in front of him and he couldn’t. Of the two goals allowed, both from mistakes out of his control, it is the second one that could give him a cringe, sigh, repeat memory of his return – which could have ended with a shutout victory. And, I suppose, some could argue for him possibly heading back to Nashville after back-to-back shutouts had those mistakes not been made.
Conditioning was the name of this assignment and in the two games he logged 121:28 minutes in net. It never looked like fatigue was a factor to his performance. Credit that to an Admirals defense that took much pressure off of him with two of their most structured defensive games of the season. Still, it should be a major plus for Rinne, as he returns to the Nashville Predators, that he knocked the rust off, experienced what you simply can’t simulate in practice, and skated off from both games looking and feeling good.
“It was great,” said Rinne. “I couldn’t be happier. It’s been a long time since playing games. It was a great opportunity for me to come down here in Milwaukee. It kind of went both ways. I feel like I was able to help the team a little bit and they helped me to get some game action. It was a great opportunity for me. Really happy that I came.”
My last snippet worth mentioning, and what truly sums up Pekka Rinne’s return to Milwaukee for me, was what happened as he skated off of the Bradley Center ice. I didn’t see it happen in person but the squadron of fans seated around the Admirals tunnel alerted me to it. In typical Rinne style, he skated off after being announced as the game’s second star and handed his goalie stick to a kid. That’s the type of person he is. Absolute class.
There is a good chance that he makes his return to the Nashville Predators net tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. When asked if that is something he felt he could do he said, “I’m ready to go. Absolutely. 100%.” Should that happen, I feel an equally warm response will be given in Nashville as it was in Milwaukee. For a man that carries himself with such class and professionalism. He deserves nothing less every time he takes to the ice.
Did you get to attend any of the games this weekend? How do you feel Pekka Rinne will play in his return to the NHL after this stint with the Admirals?
In his fourth professional season of hockey, goaltender Scott Darling has found a home with his seventh pro-team – the Milwaukee Admirals. (Photo Credit: Mark Newman)
Prior to this season, 25-year old goaltender Scott Darling had only ever played one game at the American Hockey League (AHL) level. During a spell of injuries within the Nashville Predators system he has had the opportunity to play with the Milwaukee Admirals. Ever since his call up from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), on October 24, 2013, he has quickly taken this opportunity at the AHL level and polished up his resume in the process.
“It’s been going well,” said Scott Darling. “This year it’s been crazy with injuries, goalie movements, Nashville, and everything. So, every time I get to play I’m just happy to play. That’s really all I can do. Trying to make the most of my time in the net.”
Darling was born in raised not too far from where he currently plays. He is from Lemont, Illinois where his family and friends are only a two-hour drive away from Milwaukee. According to him, this is the closest he has been to home in ten-years since moving out in the seventh grade to pursue a dream of playing professional hockey.
“I could go home any day that I want,” smiled Darling. “My mom, my grandparents, aunts, and cousins they come to almost all home games. And the games in Chicago, too. It has been a treat for my whole family.”
His career between the pipes started at the age of 5-years old while playing youth hockey. The team he played for would trade off who played in net and cycled through the skaters in every game. This meant a new goalie would play in every game. After performing far better in net than as a forward – the coaches kept him in goal. That would turn out to be a very natural fit for Scott Darling considering the role that his father played for his love of the sport.
“My dad was a hockey player,” said Darling. “He played goalie. So when I was a little kid I watched him play men’s league. He played college, club, men’s league my whole childhood. That’s how I got started.”
The road began with time between the North Iowa Outlaws of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and the Capital District Selects of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL). It was after this time when he had done enough to catch the attention of the National Hockey League (NHL) and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. The next step was a productive stint with the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League (USHL) where he played more games in a season, 42, than he ever did previously.
Darling was then able to play for the highly successful University of Maine hockey program. In two-seasons he played 54 games, won 25 games, had a 2.93 GAA, and a 0.895 SV%. The reason why he didn’t stick around their program for the full four-years comes with a negative reputation the he was slowly building for himself.
“I was a bit of a wild child when I was in my late teens and early-twenties,” Darling said. “That’s kind of what caused me to leave Maine after my sophomore year instead of going for four-years. Then Phoenix sent me to their [ECHL] team which, at the time, was in Las Vegas. Which, for a guy who likes to have fun, Las Vegas is not a good place to be.”
It was during this spell, in his professional playing career, that he had played for six different teams, in four different leagues, over three-seasons.
“I used to like to go out to bars, liked to party, and do everything a normal 21-year old likes do do,” cited Darling. “It wasn’t good for my hockey career. I got in trouble a few times. When you get labeled as a wild card people don’t want to pay you money to be a hockey player. You’re a liability. So that definitely slowed down the start of my career.”
Then came the summer of 2013 where he was given the opportunity to work with Nashville Predators goaltending coach Mitch Korn. Darling was working on his own training program in Boston prior to the Predators development camp. With a month between his own training regimen and the start of camp, Korn offered Darling an opportunity to join him in Nashville ahead of the camp where he would be able to work with him. In that time he was able to train with the likes of Carter Hutton – as well as current Admiral teammate Vinny Saponari – and Matt Hendricks and Kevin Klein. Never having had the luxury of a full-time goaltending coach during the course of the season, this was the beginning of a new era for Darling having the likes of Mitch Korn and Ben Vanderklok around to monitor and assist him on a daily basis.
“[Ben Vanderklok] is great,” smiled Darling. “I really like to talk goaltending so it is nice to have someone to talk goaltending with. He is very knowledgeable. I know he follows the game a lot just like I do. I’m a big goalie geek. I could tell you every goalie for every team in every league and how they’re doing and where they played. And he is kind of the same way.”
The next big day for Darling came in the form of a pre-season contest for the Predators against the Florida Panthers. The game finished 6-3 in the Panthers favor but the larger picture there was that he had accomplished, even if it were an exhibition game, a taste of life in the NHL for the first time in his career.
His next stop within the Predators organization was a brief one. He was with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL for one game, an 18-save 4-2 win over his former Wheeling Nailers, before getting called up to the Milwaukee Admirals five days later. With the injuries within Nashville’s organization causing a shuffle around from top to bottom – the chance for Darling to play in extended amounts at the AHL level for the first time was there. It was a chance he took and took instantly.
In his second start with the Admirals he recorded a 32-save shutout over the Iowa Wild. In the month of December he took the bulk of games in net and continued to earn himself more playing time in net. He took home CCM/AHL Player of the Week honors for the final week of December but, one-better, took home CCM/AHL Goalie of the Month honors for his efforts: 8 games played, 6 wins, 1.12 GAA, 0.964 SV%, and 2 shutouts.
“He has come a long way,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “We signed him as our fifth guy to play in Cincinnati – which is where he started. Obviously, he caught a break with injuries and made the best of it. He was great for us early. Gave us opportunities to win. Won the Player of the Month. He just did everything that we’ve asked of him. He is very professional. Has a ton of skill. Competes in practice. Competes in games. And he has given us an opportunity to win. Not a lot of times when your top goalie, or top two goalies on your hockey team, gets hurt do you have a guy to fill in as good as he has. He’s been very impressive to us.”
Sadly following his AHL award winning month of December, Darling picked up a lower-body injury in January that sidelined him for a month. In that time he stayed close to the team, worked out, and continued his development at the AHL level. After three games with the Cyclones of the ECHL, where he won two of his three starts, he was brought back up to the Admirals where he was instantly plugged back into the net. In the weekend back with the team he made two starts, three appearances in net, didn’t get a win, registered a 1.67 GAA, and 0.938 SV%. He also earned a 29-save shutout in a shootout defeat against the Grand Rapids Griffins where he was on equal footing with Petr Mrazek the entire game.
One wonders, with him clearly trending upward at the age of 25-years old, what the future has in store for Scott Darling?
“I’ve been playing pro for four-years this is, I think, my fourteenth pro team,” joked Darling. “So it’s like I expect everything to happen. Plan for the best. Prepare for the worst. And just see what happens.”
It’s clear that in his first season getting guidance from the likes of Korn and Vanderklok that Darling has made major strides this season. He has never competed at this level of professional hockey for this long before in his career. Rather than be overwhelmed by the pace or competition factor that the AHL could present – he has stepped up from the word go and continues to be one of the better surprises to the Admirals during the 2013-14 season. Only time will tell where his story takes him next – and if he’ll be the man in net this season as the Admirals look to enter the playoffs for a twelfth consecutive season.
Full Interview (2/25/14), myself and Scott Darling:
What have you thought of Scott Darling this season? What has impressed you the most?
Dean Evason likes to refer to Miikka Salomaki’s game as a bull in a china shop. That comes with great reason. He’s a force to be reckoned with every game. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
In his first season of professional hockey in North America – Mikka Salomaki has fit into the Milwaukee Admirals from the opening puck drop. His style of play is perfectly tuned for the high-tempo atmosphere that the North American game presents. And he has taken to it all rather well.
“I like this style here,” said Miikka Salomaki. “It’s good for me I think.”
Through 50-games for the Admirals this season, Salomaki leads the team in scoring and assists: 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists). He’s a player that has been tasked to do a great deal in only his first season in North America – but he has delivered with a relentless work output when his name is called.
“We’ve talked a lot about Mikka being a big part of our success early in the season,” commented Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “When you can get a guy like that, a rookie, to come in and play first or second line minutes, power-play, penalty kill, he’s played in the middle, he’s played left wing… he’s mature beyond his years on the ice.”
A lot of Salomaki’s high workmanlike attitude can come from his time playing with Oulun Kärpät of the SM-liiga in Finland for three seasons. He would have only been 17-years old in his first full-season of professional hockey. In that first campaign of work with Kärpät he produced 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) and was also a positive player on the ice, +2, through 40 games at Finland’s highest playing level. He had to work extremely hard to earn his minutes then – and he continues doing it today.
In the 2011 NHL Draft, Salomaki was chosen by the Nashville Predators organization in the second round (52nd overall). He played one more professional season with Kärpät before making the leap to North America this season. While those of you who watch him on the ice might think, “it doesn’t look like he’s missed a beat,” the story off the ice has been the real story of development for Salomaki.
When I first spoke with him at the start of the year I felt like I was talking to the middle school version of myself: a kid who looked afraid to speak publicly. My reasons? Confidence. Salomaki’s reasons? Language barrier.
I don’t think we can ever give enough credit to some of the young talented hockey players who come over from Europe to North America. While the main focus for most at a player of his age, 20-years old, is on development and what it takes to make that next leap up to the NHL – players like Salomaki are working hard on learning a second language, adapting to life in a new country, and -like the rest of their teammates- still trying to work hard on the day job. The language barrier was something that made Salomaki quite shy – even to his head coach.
“He’s a pretty shy guy,” said Evason. “So, early on we weren’t sure what we were going to get. Just speaking to him and what have you. But – as soon as he puts pads on – he is a different guy.”
One thing that definitely helps with situations like this is (A) the game speaks for itself and (B) there’s always plenty of Euros in the mix when it comes to the game of hockey. Salomaki has fellow Finns such as Joonas Rask, Joonas Jarvinen, and even Hannu Toivonen to speak to off the ice to allow him to better communicate and get settled in North America.
“It’s good help because my English is not so good,” said Salomaki. “When I came here [my English] was awful. Of course it is good help. I can ask something in Finnish if I don’t know something. But it is getting better all the time – my English. It’s good.”
From that first moment speaking with him to this interview – I can see a huge change in the way he’s taken to socializing in English. He looks really comfortable. He gets to hang out with his fellow Euros a fair bit, but the entire team has taken to him – shy or not.
“He has been more confident,” said Evason of Salomaki’s off ice behavior. “Obviously the language is coming. It’s nice to have a couple of Finnish guys on our team. Probably makes him comfortable but yet they don’t stick together – they’re not click-y. He’s a very well liked guy. Yeah, he doesn’t turn purple anymore when you talk to him. It’s more a pink now.”
There’s probably a great reason why Salomaki is so liked by his teammates and coaches without even having to talk up much: his work ethic. Game after game, shift after shift, Salomaki looks relentless when his name and number is called to hit the ice. He skates fast. He hit hard. And never, and I mean never, shies away from going to the dirty areas. With the language barrier being an issue for him – he’s generated many facewashing scrums all down to his hard plays to the net and boards all season long. It was this playing style that contributed to his head coach referring to him as, “a bull in a china shop.”
“That has always been my style,” said Salomaki of his aggressive style of play. “I just play like that. I’ve always played like that. I just can’t play different ways because that’s just me.”
It’s been clear very early on from my side that the coaching staff absolutely adores his relentless style of play. He doesn’t take a shift off and it is often hard for me to detect where some of the weaknesses are in his game despite being a 20-year old in his first year playing outside of his native Finland. In speaking with head coach Dean Evason he explained to me the areas that he best needs to improve concern being detailed with his game and being able to look after his energy levels.
“You never want to take the ‘bull in a china shop’ away from him because he is going full bore all the time,” said Evason. “What we’ve seen, certainly at our level, is we get into the three-in-three nights and on that third night he doesn’t got a lot of gas. Which, clearly, you want. You want a guy to put it out there every single night – but eventually he’s going to have to find a way to conserve energy in different areas. For now, we are really happy with the way he plays the game each and every night.”
With guys like Taylor Beck, Colton Sissons, and Simon Moser getting the attention of Nashville this season – one wonders when the call might be coming for Salomaki. The truth is – it’s been discussed a few times this season.
“He was in the conversation when Moser got called up, when Beck got called up,” said Evason. “Anytime there is a winger – he is always in the conversation. If the situation warrants, and he plays the way he has been, he’ll get an opportunity.”
So Smashville, future warning, prepare your china shops. As for now, Salomaki continues to grow on and off the ice in the city of Milwaukee – a place that has quickly grown on him.
“I like it really much,” said Salomaki of Milwaukee. “Its not so big. In Finland we don’t really have such big cities like in here. But, I like it. It feels like home already.”
What have you made of Miikka Salomaki’s performance this season? Can he can make it to the NHL this season?
The voice of the Milwaukee Admirals Aaron Sims and the voice of REO Speedwagon Kevin Cronin. In other words, a couple of rockstars.
This afternoon I had the chance to chat with the voice of the Milwaukee Admirals, Aaron Sims. He’s been a busy, busy man these past few days. From Wednesday all the way to the shootout on Sunday he has called game action for the Admirals and Predators. Here’s our conversation on his first look at the NHL and the Admirals season.
Roundtable: Describe the situation last Thursday. Did you hear about Pete Weber before getting a call up for Nashville’s radio play-by-play spot or was it thrown at you all at once?
Aaron Sims: Pete went to the hospital. They called me and told me that that’s what happened. He had left the locker room in St. Paul by ambulance. Bob Kohl, the director of broadcasting for the Nashville Predators, gave me a call around 10am and explained what happened. And asked if I could be ready to make it up to St. Paul just in case. They didn’t know if that would happen. They kind of, at the time, thought Pete would be discharged after a quick once over to make sure everything was fine and then get rid of him from the hospital to the rink. If that happened, then I would watch a game for free. If not, that would be the case – that I would step in. They would move Willy Daunic to the TV side to fill in for Pete.
I called my wife and told her what was up. And then about eight minutes later Bob called again and said that Pete was indeed going to stay in the hospital for at least the night. And they needed me to come up. By this time it is around 10:30am and he asked if I could catch the 11:56am flight from Milwaukee to St. Paul. Now, I hadn’t showered yet. It was one of the few days that I had actually gotten up fairly early. I was sitting online getting ready to start my day and run some errands. I was going to run my suits to the dry cleaners. But they called and said they needed me. So, I did my best to freshen up the suits as best I could, jumped on the plane, landed in St. Paul around 1pm, got to the hotel about 1:30pm, and that was it. Then I just kind of sat around the rest of the afternoon doing some prep for the night. I went to the rink at about 4pm. They had a bus that went underneath towards the locker room so I went over there and the only player on the bus was Carter Hutton. It was me, Willy Daunic, Terry Crisp, and the first person that I actually saw when I got on the bus was Mitch Korn – we talked briefly. Then Lane Lambert got on the bus and we just kind of had our “how are you’s” and stuff. Got to the rink. Got my pass. And went and sat upstairs.
R: One thing I definitely do not want to lose in all of this is Pete Weber. I had the chance to meet him last season with you and Charlie Larson of the Admirals in Chicago last season. He is an incredibly nice guy. Talk about your relationship with Pete Weber:
Aaron: Unbelievably giving. A couple of year’s ago he had called me and asked me if, when they decided they were going to simulcast their TV and radio and decided they were going to split that up, and Pete called me up and asked me if I would do that and to send something in. At the time, I didn’t get that and that’s fine. Tom Callahan did – and he’s fantastic. From then on, if I needed anything Pete was more than giving. So it was pretty neat.
Pete knows so many people. He’s been in the game for so long. And he has always been nice to me. He has been on our radio show here in Milwaukee. I’ve been on his down in Nashville. Just really giving. We started texting here and there – just goofy things to one-another. So, it sucks how I got up. If there is a nice guy list and he’s not at the top of the list – that’s a stupid list. He is fantastic. He has always been supportive. I’m so happy that he is healthy and hopefully he will be able to come back once the Predators resume.
R: Were you able to talk or speak to Pete while you were up in Minneosta?
Aaron: No. He went in and I texted him when I got there. I wasn’t expecting anything back, right? You figure recovery from a procedure like that. But, within a minute and a half, he texted me back and said, “Thanks. Good luck!” So, that was pretty nice.
R: Just like when I talk Colton Sissons, what was it like experiencing the NHL level?
Aaron: It’s the best! It really is. The play is so great. The buildings are great. It was awesome. For me, the waiting, the anticipation, I guess once I got the call, I kind of figured once the game got going I’d be fine. I knew all the Predators because that’s the team we’re with. I know the majority of the guys personally and I know their numbers and all of that stuff. And then I am from Minnesota so, if the Preds aren’t on, I’m probably at least glancing at a Wild game. So, I know all of those guys and they were all in Houston or Iowa this year.
It was a pretty, as far as players and all of that, it was pretty easy to call. I worked with Stu Grimson and Stu held my hand and was just fantastic. There was an engineer there to make sure everything was good and then guys back at the station – they had to remind me a few times – the big thing for me was the format. They do things a little differently with their pre-game and intermissions and all of that – so I just had to get used to all of that. Once we did that – it was good.
There was a lot of people congratulating me, patting me on the back, and, to get to call a game up there, it was.. I joked to Stu up there during an intermission – he had asked ‘how things were going’ and I said, “Stu, the water is cleaner and the air is a little cleaner.” It was fun. That was the single best night of my professional life. For thirty-three years that has been my dream. When I was 8-years old I decided I wanted to be an NHL announcer for the Minnesota North Stars. And I came pretty close on Thursday night.
R: You typically work a one-man operation with the Admirals. How was it operating with a color-guy such as Stu Grimson?
Aaron: Yeah, it was quite different. Stu made it easy. He knows neutral zone and breakouts and stuff like that. When there’s no pressure he knows that there is nothing going on – when the puck is in a safe area – he knows that he can take it. If there was something, he would wave his hand and I would see it out of the corner of my eye and we were good. So I think, for our first time working together, there weren’t many times that we stepped on one-another. I think that went pretty well.
R: I thought it went real well. You two had a natural chemistry together.
Aaron: I was pretty quiet. We had never worked together. We shook hands once but I don’t think he remembers because he meets so many people. We didn’t know each other. So we had kind of a script just in case say the glass broke or say there was another pink ice delay like in Rockford. We would have a couple of topics to go with. So, we kind of scripted a few things as a ‘just in case’ deal. I kind of just let him take it. He knows what’s going on. He’s been around those guys for so long. I don’t know what he expected, because I was very quiet, but once we got going I think it went ok.
R: It didn’t really come across the airwaves, but were there nerves on your part being in this situation?
Aaron: Not once we got going. I got on the plane and I had time to think about it. I was thinking that this is what I’ve always wanted. I knew that this was going to be the best thing that I’ve ever done. The first time that I’ll do this and it’ll be the most special – and it happened to be in my hometown. That made it all the more special. It’s a building that I’ve been in. I’ve seen concerts and watched games. That made it great.
The nerves, I think I was most anxious about the format and just when I come in, their out-cues, and things like that. In Milwaukee you have to say, “Sports Radio 1250 WSSP,” up there it was, “The Fifth Third Bank Nashville Predators Radio Network.” Out-cues had to be right each time. You had to make sure you hit the sponsor reads. Thankfully, Stu took care of the majority of those.
The nerves went away. The old saying: once the puck drops. And I know the players will say the same thing, too. Once they get that first hit or take that first shot, whatever it might be, the nerves go away at that point.
R: Wednesday in Milwaukee. Thursday in Minnesota. Friday in Milwaukee. Saturday in Nashville. And then Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee. How exhausted were you once that shootout ended? It even had to go all the way to a shootout for your final game in the stretch.
Aaron: I was pretty beat, but that’s ok. I just have to stay awake and keep the energy going. It’s not often that I sit down during a broadcast but I honestly admit that I sat down during half of the broadcast on Sunday afternoon. And I don’t normally do that. Just to try and keep the full sound of my voice, try to keep that as energetic as possible, because.. I don’t know if people could tell, maybe they could maybe they couldn’t, but I am hypersensitive and I thought my voice was sounding tired. So I decided that maybe if I sat down this would help the situation.
The tough thing was, after that, we had to tape a couple of segments for the radio show and then, because of our crazy travel that morning, my car was still at the airport in Milwaukee. I didn’t get home until about 6:30pm. That was obviously a little later than I hoped it to be but it was still ok. Had some dinner. Normally I go to be around midnight. I went to bed around 9:30pm that night.
R: What did you do on Monday? Get to soak in some good ol’ nothingness?
Aaron: Woke up at about, 8:30am. And just kind of hung out. Sat on the computer. Flippin’ channels. I have a guitar lesson that I didn’t practice too much for so I played some guitar yesterday. That was about it. Not a heck of a lot yesterday – which was just fine!
R: Were you able to see a lot of the outpour of support from, not just current Admirals, but past Admirals players? Guys like Michael Latta and Andreas Thuresson all seemed to be tuning in for your broadcast. I know Anthony Bitetto was another guy who was listening in just for you.
Aaron: Yeah. That’s awfully nice. I really appreciate that. I like to say that ‘so and so’ is in my top five Admirals of all-time. I think they all are in my top five favorites. We’ve probably had two-hundred people in here since I’ve been here and they’re all ranked near the top. There are some good kids that have come through here. And I certainly appreciate all of that. Especially all of the guys that have left and don’t have an allegiance to this organization anymore. That was quite flattering.
They’ve been great to me over the years. They’ve never said ‘no’ to an interview. They’ve never said ‘no’ to being on the radio show. It can probably be a little challenging at times to keep a smile on and do it, because, on a day off like a Monday when we do our radio show, they’d rather be doing something else at 6:15pm. But they always do it. So, for them to take a little more time and, even if they heard it or just say nice job, that meant the world to me.
R: With this first taste of the NHL, just like the players, does it have you thinking about any future work in the NHL or will Milwaukee always be your home?
Aaron: You know what – it’s funny. The dream gets altered as you get older and life happens. My wife and I are extremely happy, we love our house, and we love our neighborhood. With the Admirals, I can’t imagine working with better people. So I don’t know. You can’t say never. I can say that the dream was always to be in the NHL.
But I’ve told people all the time that I have the thirty-first best job in world. There are thirty teams in the NHL and then Milwaukee. But, honestly, I might have the “1-A” best job in the world. I get treated so well by these guys. It’s a great place to be. I’m not far from my family. But, we’ll see. That being said I did not grow up when I was 8-years old listening to Al Shaver call North Stars games.. I didn’t grow up thinking: man, if I could do Triple-A hockey that would be the best thing in the world. You always think you want to be in the NHL. You want to be at the top level. Players want to play with the best players and I think broadcasters want to call the games with the best players. I’m close right now I think. I’ve been here nine-seasons and I love it here. If I was here the rest of my life I’d be more than happy – I’d be ecstatic.
R: And I think you would probably get a bobblehead out of it!
Aaron: Yeah, we’ll see. I got the bottle opener so that was pretty special. The bottle opener was pretty good.
R: I remember having one of those with the battery either dead or dying and your voice getting distorted, It was very amusing to hear.
Aaron: One third of the batch came over with batteries that weren’t the best so we had to kind of weed them out. When they gave them out they ended up giving out extra batteries with them. There was one time where we played the bad ones. We played about seven of them at one time and that sound is, of those seven playing at the same time, that sound is what I’d imagine the decent into hell would sound like. It was something else.
R: How would you assess the Admirals season to this point?
Aaron: I think for the most part they’ve done pretty well. The team got off to that great start and ever since then it has kind of been, one up – one back, one up – one back. The good thing is that the lows haven’t been to low. Unfortunately the highs haven’t been very high. There hasn’t been this five, six, seven game winning slash point streak for this team – outside of the beginning of the season.
It would be great to get on a stretch like that once again. Guys like Sissons and Salomaki are playing beyond their years, beyond their experience. Moser has been great. Taylor Beck, since December, has been phenomenal. For the most part defensemen have been solid. There have been some breakdowns here and there but that’s why we’re in the AHL.
Goaltending has been good – across the board. I’m sure Magnus would love to have a better record than he does. It’d be great to get him healthy again. Scott Darling was been a fantastic addition and surprise to the team. And Mazanec as been very good too.
I’d like to say the team can figure out a way to get on a roll here in the near future. They just need to keep playing with some consistency, crash the net, and not have those lulls – and figure out a way to get ready at the start of a game. We saw, in the two games this last week against Hamilton and Utica, the team came out flat. At this time of year, you could say that would be easy to do. But this is a team that came off of a couple of days of rest and should be ready to go.
I’d like to think that the break came at a good time. Some bumps and bruises can be healed up a little bit. The mind can be refreshed. And really we have twenty-nine games to go. In year’s past we would have said there were thirty-five games or thirty-seven games left. It is a shorter sprint to the finish line this year and hopefully these guys are up for it.
R: I had actually talked with Kevin Henderson about plans during the break and he said some guys are looking to get some sun. I see players like Forsberg and Hellberg have taken to Florida for a mental health break. All in all, stuff like that is probably pretty good for the team.
Aaron: Yeah, league wide that’s happening and they should. Even in Nashville, I talked to Michael Del Zotto on the post-game show and he mentioned that he’s going to Cabo. So guys are getting away and they should. It’s a long season and there aren’t many breaks. When you finally get a couple free days take advantage of it. I hope that they are. And I hope they come back ready and refreshed and we can have a push like we did at the end of last season.
R: Who has been the most outstanding player up to the AHL All Star break? No need to single out any one player either. I’m torn between Sissons and Salomaki if I had to choose.
Aaron: There is no doubt that those two have been really good. Taylor Beck. There is a long list of guys that I think have been really good. I think Jarvinen has been pretty good. Joe Piskula has been very good I think. There are quite a few. I think Tousignant has been outstanding. Tousignant has brought exactly what this team thought he would deliver and maybe a little more. I think that has been a great addition to for this club. Saponari coming up from Cincinnati – he has also done a great job too – and he has proven that he can be a regular at this level. So there have been quite a few guys that I think have been outstanding. Certainly Miikka and Sissons would be at the top.
R: You bring up guys like Saponari and Darling, would those two probably rank among the top surprises of this season so far?
Aaron: I would think so. I think Darling for sure because we thought Pekka would be healthy and we never thought we’d have to see Scott play a lot in Milwaukee – and he just let his play do the talking once he did get in. That’s great. He’s a guy who never had a goaltending coach during the season before and now he does. And I think he is reaping the benefits of that. He’s showing that he can play in the AHL and play well in the AHL. If nothing else… he has earned, this year at least, a one-way AHL deal next year from some team if not a two-way NHL deal… of course he has to finish up strong but, based on what he has done so far, I think somebody has to pay attention. He’s a kid that was recruited and played two-seasons and two-seasons very well at one of the elite programs in North America in the University of Maine. He’s got to be up there for the surprises to the season.
Saponari had good numbers down at Cincinnati, he had good numbers in college, and I think a lot of people sort of knew what to expect from him – but he was sent down basically because of a numbers game. But I think it was a good thing for him because he got to go down and be a more offensive player rather than be inserted on a fourth line here where maybe he would have been a bit lost off the bat. I think he is playing in the right role and he’s getting power-play time and he has earned that.
Those guys are certainly at the top of that list and then I think Roussel is the other guy. They brought in Teddy Ruth who spent his entire professional career down in the AHL. He was also like Roussel – a second round draft pick. But Charles played his way into the lineup. There was an injury. And you can’t take him out. On nights where there are seven healthy defensemen – the Admirals have, on a few occasions, played seven healthy defensemen instead of a forward because Roussel has been that important to them this year.
R: If he comes back for a rehab stint, how special would it be for Pekka Rinne and the fans to see him back in an Admirals uniform?
Aaron: If this is what happens. First thing, Nashville needs to make sure he is healthy. I’m sure Pekka wants to comeback immediately. And if it takes coming to Milwaukee for some training.. for some game action.. then I think he would be all for it. He’s rated the top player of all-time in Milwaukee and it wasn’t just because of the way he played in goal it was because he was as accommodating and as nice to the fans and all of that that a player could be.
Here is a guy who, when healthy, is one of the best goaltenders in the world and there are no errors about him. If he needs to come down and play I’m sure he would welcome that opportunity to come down and play in Milwaukee and get some action and get some shots and work his way back up. He’s a guy that, if he did come down, it wouldn’t be a half-hearted effort. He would be out there trying to shut everybody out. He’d be working on his game certainly but not allowing any goals. He wouldn’t mail anything in. It would be thrilling. I think people would respond to that and it that would sell a few tickets if Pekka was in goal.
R: What do you expect from the second half of the Admirals season when we head towards the playoff push?
Aaron: I think we saw it last year, and there have been guys around these last couple of seasons for these playoff pushes that understand the importance of every game. I think you’re going to see a team that handles this in a very mature way. And I think you’ll see a team that will play closer to sixty-minutes than it has in the past few games. I expect nothing but another playoff push from this team and another playoff appearance from this team.
At the outset, I thought this was a special group. I thought the mix of veterans and young players, the people they had, the coaches staff, I thought it was a special group that could go a long way. Nothing has really changed my thought of that. I look at, Chicago has had Milwaukee’s number this season but all of those games have been one-goal games. The Admirals have played well against Grand Rapids and they’re arguably the best team in the league. They’re not what they were but the Admirals also beat them when they were at their best earlier this season.. Abbotsford is a team like that.. Texas is a team like that.. that the Admirals split with. The Admirals have played and beaten the best teams in the AHL – at least in the Western Conference. I think it is going to be a playoff run and I would like to think a deep playoff run.
For those that haven’t already, follow and wish Aaron Sims a big congratulations on Twitter. Also be sure to tune in on Sports Radio 1250 WSSP for all your Admirals radio coverage.
“Good Guy” Charles-Olivier Roussel scored his first career AHL goal last night. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
For those who follow the Roundtable on Twitter or my personal Instagram you will frequently catch me using the term, Good Guy [insert player name here]. For those who wonder where that comes from, why I use it, and why a guy like Charles-Olivier Roussel is perfectly cast as a frequent Good Guy – allow me to explain.
I am an Internet nerd. Simple as that. It starts with the Good Guy Greg meme (example) and translates into the Admirals when I see random acts of kindness. Mark Van Guilder won’t let Roscoe play table tennis but Joe Piskula will? Good Guy Piskula. …and I still can’t believe in that anti-bullying video run on the jumbotron during games good ol’ Van Guilder tells our loveable mascot he sucks.
So, why does Charles-Olivier Roussel turn up as one of the frequent names on the hashtag Good Guy mentions from the Roundtable? Well…
There are a few faces in this picture that are no longer around these parts. Where did they go and how are they doing? (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Happy Monday, peoples! With yet another off-day in the works I thought I’d just hop in my ol’ TARDIS, take you back to see some familiar faces from last season’s team, and find out what they’re currently doing. Let’s start in order of who played the most games for the Milwaukee Admirals over the course of their playing career down to the least.
Before this post goes anywhere, major credit for this “photo post” goes to Milwaukee Admirals photographer Scott Paulus. Without his outstanding work this post, and quite honestly all photos used in stories for this website, do not happen.
I alluded in the last edition of the Chatterbox that Joonas Rask was the master of making silly faces during his action shots. I said that after spotting a few gems during the last week’s worth of games. Out of curiosity, and general hermit behavior this week while battling a cold, I trekked through every set of game photos to see if last week was just a lucky week or if he does this all the time.
Ladies. Gentleman. Joonas Rask makes silly faces all the time.
With every single game he plays Milwaukee Admirals captain Scott Ford extends his record for the most games played for the team during their era in the American Hockey League. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
“It’s been great,” said Admirals captain Scott Ford of his time playing in Milwaukee. “I embraced the city and the city has embraced me. It’s been an unbelievable experience.”
This season marks defenseman Scott Ford’s sixth professional campaign with the Milwaukee Admirals. In that time he has created a legacy of hard work and leadership that very few have matched in the history of the team.
Head Coach Dean Evason on Scott Ford’s importance to the Admirals:
Ford’s hockey playing career started with inspiration from the classic Edmonton Oilers teams of the 80’s and his father – who was a goaltender. His family’s support provided the backdrop on what would be an incredible journey en route to becoming a professional hockey player.
Ford’s inspirations for playing hockey:
His career began with the Merritt Centennials of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). He enjoyed three-seasons of junior “A” hockey: playing in 157 games, scoring 61 points (14 goals, 47 assists), and tallying 320 penalty minutes.
It was his next step that was far greater than playing the game of hockey itself. He left junior hockey to attend Brown University where he could both play the game of hockey and also attend college as a student. By doing so, Scott Ford became the first member of his family to attend college. Alongside his four-year playing career with the ivy league Brown Bears hockey team – he earned a degree in Liberal Arts.
Ford talks about his time at Brown University:
At Brown he played in 118 games, scored 47 points (15 goals, 32 assists), and logged 130 minutes in the penalty box. Upon his graduation in 2004, he would go undrafted and play between the Cleveland Barons of the AHL and Fresno Falcons of the ECHL during the 2004-05 season. The next season he would have two stints in the AHL with two different teams to go along with a second trip down to the ECHL: Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL), Trenton Titans (ECHL), and Providence Bruins (AHL). He would spend the entirety of his 2006-07 season with the Dayton Bombers of the ECHL. In 2007-08, he would play for the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL before a second tenure with the Sound Tigers in the AHL.
Then came the start of a perfect match. Scott Ford and the Milwaukee Admirals organization.
His first game came on October 11, 2008 on the road against the San Antonio Rampage – a 3-1 Admirals win. Since, he has gone on to play more games than any Admiral in the AHL history of the team. With each and every game he re-sets his own record. And with each and every game he is a leader of the team.
Evason will often give Ford the room during intermissions:
His lone season without a letter in front of his jersey was his first with the team in 2008-09. After that, he was an alternate captain from 2009-10 to 2010-11. Ahead of the 2011-12 season he was officially named team captain.
“It’s an honor,” said Ford of being the captain of the Admirals. “I really see it as just a letter on a jersey but I am very fortunate to be bestowed that honor. I’m not the most youthful guy in the locker room by any means, but I’ve been around and it’s just one of those things where I’ve learned from a lot of role model type guys, guys that were captains, and guys that were leaders before me. Whether it be on different teams, when I was young as a junior, college, and even at the professional level I’ve got to learn and watch a lot of good players and great captains. You take a little bit of what they do. I’m not too out of character any time during the day. What you see is what you get. I like to have fun. I’m there to talk to if need be. And I can be stern if need be, too. What you see is what you get and I’m just fortunate to have that honor.”
The next season he made the tough decision to leave Milwaukee in favor of an opportunity to play for the St. Louis Blues organization – where he would go on to play for their AHL affiliate the Peoria Rivermen – and also be named their team captain.
Ford’s decision to move from Milwaukee to the St. Louis Blues organization:
With a bulk load of veteran players in the system, Ford was becoming an odd-man out for the Rivermen. It was in February of last season when the Admirals pulled the trigger on a trade to re-acquire their former captain. The Ads traded forward Jani Lajunen to the Rivermen for Scott Ford. Upon his return to the team he was given the alternate captain’s patch alongside team captain Mike Moore and fellow alternate captain Mark Van Guilder. The return of Ford, paired with stellar performances in net by rookie netminder Magnus Hellberg, jolted the Admirals into a run that saw them earn the eighth and final playoff seed. It was the eleventh consecutive season in which the Admirals played playoff hockey.
Ford talks about Nashville’s impact on Admirals’ team success:
So what it is it about the city of Milwaukee that has been such a great fit for the native of British Columbia, Canada? The explanations from Ford are endless.
Embracing the city:
His relationship with the organization and community:
Socializing in Smallwaukee:
Ford’s relationship with the city of Milwaukee begins with Nolan Yonkman giving him a tour of the city in his first season with the team. Yonkman was given the nickname “The Mayor of Milwaukee” for his knowledge of the city and connections with so many people. When he left the Admirals, Ford filled into his role with the team and players starting calling him the Mayor. After a friendly reminder that the nickname was Yonkman’s – the team quickly called him the Sheriff.
The Origin Story of The Sheriff:
This is Scott Ford’s tenth professional season of hockey. In 614 games and counting worth of ECHL and AHL hockey he has yet of play in the National Hockey League. While he knows and accepts his place within the AHL – so much as playing that one game in the NHL would be a dream come true.
Ford’s NHL dream:
So, what would it take for him to achieve that one game?
Ford:
Evason:
When the curtain falls on his playing career, Ford’s ambitions are vast. He would love nothing more than to stick around the game of hockey – be it in a coaching, scouting, or even broadcasting capacity. Outside of the game, his love of interacting with people and communication can see him continue his path from his degree from Brown University: teaching.
Ford’s future plans:
It’s uncertain whether or not Scott Ford will ever get that one NHL game. What separates him from most is that he already doesn’t take his place as a professional hockey player for granted. What he does for a living is a privilege and he knows that. The more games he gets to play at any level of hockey is one more great day in the life of the Sheriff. Should his body of work ever see the NHL level – few could argue of a more deserving moment for a player beloved by his teammates, coaches, front office, and fans.
Full Scott Ford Interview (18 minutes):
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