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.
——————————–
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?
—————————————
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?
—————————-
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.

[/shameless promotion]

So while the Calder Cup Finals are taking Conestoga wagons up to Binghamton (come on….Game 2 was Saturday….game 3 is Wednesday)the Admirals/Predators have signed a few guys to AHL contracts.

Please welcome back center Mark Van Guilder, and defenseman Jeff Foss. And please welcome center Joel Champagne.

I’m thrilled to see MVG back in the fold. I’m sure that we didn’t see Foss’ best in his limited action at the end of the season, so I expect that after some training and some coaching, he’ll be serviceable on the blue line. He’s got the size. We’ll see if he’s got the hockey smarts too (in addition to those RPI book smarts).

That brings us to Joel Champagne. Drafted by Toronto in 2008, but never signed. A 6’4 center, Champagne played last year on the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL, and was the second leading scorer on the squad in the regular season. 24 goals, 58 assists, 68 games. Also was over a point per game in the playoffs this season for his team.

I’ll be interested to see what he’ll bring to the table.  If he can use his size effectively, he may be a pretty good find.

But here’s what I want to know — why did Toronto have drafter’s remorse with him?

Pension Plan Puppets is the On The Forecheck equivalent for the Maple Leafs, and they had this post and this discussion when the Leafs relinquished the rights to Champagne.

It’s an interesting discussion, and it seems to come back to skating ability.

Big guy. Some scoring skills. Not a great skater. Castaway from previous organization.

Maybe this is Hugh Jessiman part deux?

Houston Aeros (2nd place West Division 46-28-6, 98 points) vs. Binghamton Senators (5th place East Division, 42-30-8, 92 points)

The 2011 Calder Cup Finals should produce an electric series on the ice.  Both Houston and Binghamton prefer an offensive-minded blend of hockey which should produce some high scoring contests.  Neither team is overly laced with playoff experience as both clubs missed the AHL playoffs last season and feature rookie goaltenders carrying the load in goal.  Finally, even though Houston and Binghamton did not face each other during the regular season, both teams competed in the considerably stronger division of their respective conferences.

Offensively, Binghamton should have a slight edge with a team unafraid to light up its opponent.  The Senators are stockpiled with several talented prospects capable of scoring big goals. Veteran Ryan Potulny leads all playoff scorers with 14 goals and 25 points, while his wing man Ryan Keller is not far behind (14 assists and 22 points).  However, the Senators biggest strength is their offensive depth.  2010-2011 AHL MVP Corey Locke has 10 points in as many games, while rookie sniper Bobby Butler is second on the team with 10 playoff goals.

The talented Colton Gillies leads a Houston offense that can nearly match Binghamton gun-for-gun.  Veterans Patrick O’Sullivan and Jed Ortmeyer (15 and 11 points respectively) lead the way offensively, but Colton Gilles (team leading seven playoff goals) is the Aeros’ most explosive offensive player.

Where Houston should have an advantage is defensively.  Maxim Noreau (11 points) is one of the AHL’s elite two-way defenders, while Jared Spurgeon (team leading +6 rating) and Marco Scandella represent talented cogs.

Veteran Andre Benoit is the Senators’ go-to defender with 14 playoff points to date to lead all defensemen.  Both Geoff Kinrade and Jared Cowen are talented puck-movers but Binghamton lacks Houston’s depth on the blueline.

In goal Senators feature sensational 19-year-old rookie Robin Lehner (10-2-0, 2.41 G.A.A., .932 S.P.), who has taken over the team’s starting goaltending duties since the Manchester series (where he won three straight games to help Binghamton turn around a seemingly lost matchup).  Though Lehner struggled at times in his first few playoff games, the Swede was sensational against Charlotte in the Eastern Conference finals, making 35 or more saves in his team’s final three wins while allowing just seven goals in the sweep.

If there is a weakness for Houston it is in goal.  Rookie Matt Hackett (12-6-0, 2.56 G.A.A., .898 S.P.) is two-years older than Lehner, but has shown plenty of the inconsistency common for a first-year player.  But Hackett’s biggest strength has been his play in Game 7s so far.  The London, Ontario-native has a pair of wins while allowing just five goals on 54 total shots.

The X-factor in this series might be the fact that Binghamton swept their third round series, while Houston was pushed to the brink by a Hamilton team that nearly turned around a 3-0 deficit in the Western Conference finals.  The Senators faced long series in their first two rounds and desperately needed some rest.  However, the question for Binghamton is whether Lehner lost his playoff momentum during the layoff?  After competing in two straight seven game series, the question for Houston is whether the Aeros have enough left in the tank to eliminate Binghamton?

With their superior offense which should get to Hackett and a much needed rest for Lehner after the third round, I see Binghamton finishing off an improbable run for their first ever Calder Cup championship.  Senators in six games.

So Roundtable:  Which team do you have winning the Calder Cup and in how many games?  What will be the difference in the winning teams’ success?