Sports stats



AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

All-Star festivities underway in Grand Rapids

February 2, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


The AHL's Grand Event: The Griffins stand in the hockey spotlight this week, as they and the city of Grand Rapids prepare to host the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic at Van Andel Arena. The two-day event, featuring Griffins All-Stars Jiri Hudler, Travis Richards and Nathan Robinson, will consist of the AHL All-Star Skills Competition this Sunday, Feb. 8, followed by the AHL All-Star Game on Monday, Feb. 9. Several social functions surround the on-ice festivities, including next Monday's Hockey Hall of Fame luncheon with keynote speaker Scotty Bowman. In addition, numerous community events involving Griffins players and Willie O'Ree, the first black player to skate in the NHL, precede the official all-star events and are already underway. A complete list of this week's AHL All-Star events accompanies this release. For more information, visit griffinshockey.com/all-star.

In Person or On the Tube: Combo tickets for both the AHL All-Star Skills Competition and the All-Star Game are still available for $27-$37 at all Tickets PLUS outlets (222-4000) and The Zone at Van Andel Arena. For those unable to attend, WXSP and Fox Sports Net Detroit are among the 21 networks televising the event to 100 million homes across the U.S. and Canada. WXSP will carry Monday's All-Star Game live at 7 p.m., while FSND will provide tape-delayed broadcasts of both the skills competition (Feb. 9 at 2 a.m. and 1 p.m.) and the game (Feb. 10 at 12:30 a.m. and noon).

But First, a Few Matters to Attend To: Before entering the all-star break, the Griffins have some work to do against West Division rivals this week. A home-and-home series with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks on Wednesday in Grand Rapids and Saturday in Cincinnati will bookend another highly-anticipated clash against the Chicago Wolves this Friday at Van Andel Arena. The red-hot Wolves, winners of six straight games, stand only five points behind the first-place Griffins in the division race, adding greater intrigue to an already spicy rivalry.

You're Still the One: The Griffins had an 11-game unbeaten streak (7-0-4-0), the second-longest in franchise history, snapped in a 1-0 loss at Utah on Friday. They rebounded with a 5-2 win over the Grizzlies on Saturday, making them 8-1-4-0 in their last 13 games and keeping them atop the AHL with 28 wins (tied) and 64 points.

Wanted: Underpants and Report Cards: When the Mighty Ducks visit on Wednesday, the Griffins and Clear Channel Radio are asking fans to bring a new, unopened package of men's or women's underpants to the game. All collections will be donated to Catholic Social Services, and the generous fans will receive a voucher for a free small soft drink and regular hot dog. All students should bring their "A" game on Friday when the Wolves come to town. Students who present their most recent report card to a grading station on the concourse will be rewarded a prize for each "A," thanks to companies such as Supercuts, Applebee's, Meijer, Max & Erma's and Sara Lee.

Milestones: With his goal on Saturday at Utah, Michel Picard became the first player to reach 150 goals in a Griffins uniform...On Friday, Hugo Boisvert became the seventh Griffin to log 200 regular season appearances....Marc Lamothe is one win shy of 50 as a Griffin, something only Mike Fountain (55) has reached.

Home Sweet Home: Grand Rapids has not lost at home since New Year's Eve, posting a 5-0-3-0 mark at Van Andel Arena during January. The eight-game unbeaten streak on home ice is two shy of the franchise record (10-0-0), set during the 2000-01 season. No AHL team has lost fewer times before the home folk this season than the Griffins, who sport a 13-5-6-0 record in friendly confines.

Defense Never Rests: Over the last seven games, the Griffins' defense has surrendered just nine goals (1.24 GAA), helping Grand Rapids climb to third in the AHL rankings for goals allowed per game (2.02).

Record Breaker: Marc Lamothe, who has already assumed the Griffins' all-time lead in minutes played (5392:55) and saves (2,238) this season, is pursuing team records for shutouts (nine, tied with Mike Fountain), games played (93, two behind Gordon) and wins (49, six behind Fountain).

Rolling on the Road: Thanks to his 27-save effort in a Saturday's win at Utah, Joey MacDonald's incredible AHL road numbers now stand at 8-1-2, 2.17 GAA, 0.933% (this season) and 19-3-2, 2.09 GAA, 0.928% (career).

League Leaders: Six Griffins currently rank among the AHL's best in various categories: Marc Lamothe - 1.90 GAA (6th) and 16 wins (T2nd); Joey MacDonald - 2.10 GAA (11th); Hugo Boisvert - Two shorthanded goals (T5th); Kevin Miller - Six game-winning goals (T2nd) and two shorthanded goals (T5th); and Nathan Robinson - 40 points (T12th), 21 goals (T4th), 10 power play goals (3rd), and six game-winning goals (T2nd).

Home-Work: February's nine games at Van Andel Arena, along with January's eight home contests, comprise the busiest two-month stretch at home in franchise history. Grand Rapids will be at home for every Friday in February, only the second time that has occurred during a month (Nov. 2000).

Tough to Beat: Marc Lamothe, the reigning AHL goaltender of the year, has surrendered more than two goals in just four of his last 26 appearances, dating back to Nov. 13. He has been the goaltender of record for five of the Griffins'six shutout defeats this season (accounting for nearly half of his 11 losses), including a pair of 1-0 decisions to division cellar-dweller Utah.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 39-for-231, 16.9% (6th)
* Penalty Killing: 213-for-244, 87.3% (T7th)
* Penalty Minutes: 15.94 avg. (25th)
* Goals For: 2.61 avg. (12th)
* Goals Against: 2.02 avg. (3rd)
* Shots For: 26.65 avg. (23rd)
* Shots Against: 27.69 avg. (9th)
* Attendance: 6,492 avg. (9th)

Red Wings Update: The Griffins are in the second season of a five-year affiliation with the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings stand in first place in the NHL's Central Division (29-15-8-2), following Saturday's 4-4 tie with Carolina. They'll visit Nashville tomorrow at 8 p.m. (FSN).

This Week's Scouting Report

Wed., Feb. 4 vs. Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (18-20-7-1) - Van Andel Arena - 7 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 7 at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks - Cincinnati Gardens - 7:35 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 6:40 p.m. (Wed.) and 7:10 p.m. (Sat.). Season Series: 4-2-0-0 Overall, 1-1-0-0 Home, 3-1-0-0 Road. Seventh and eighth of 10 meetings overall, third of five in Grand Rapids, fifth and final in Cincinnati. All-Time Series: 14-4-2-0 Overall, 6-1-2-0 Home, 8-3-0-0 Road. Cincinnati Affiliation: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Head Coach: Brad Shaw (2nd season). Quack Me Up: The Griffins have won the last three meetings by a combined 9-1 margin...Grand Rapids has won three straight and seven of its last eight visits to the Cincinnati Gardens...Three of the Ducks' top five scorers - Ferris State alum Chris Kunitz, Chris Armstrong and Casey Hankinson - are currently with parent Anaheim...Cincy's 89.0 penalty killing percentage ranks second in the AHL.

Fri., Feb. 6 vs. Chicago Wolves (25-14-6-3) - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m.

TV: None locally. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season Series: 4-2-0-0 Overall, 2-0-0-0 Home. Seventh of 10 meetings overall, third of five in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: AHL: 14-9-2-1 Overall, 7-3-2-0 Home. Total: 29-16-4-1 Overall, 14-5-4-0 Home. Chicago Affiliation: Atlanta Thrashers. Head Coach: John Anderson (7th season). Huffin' and Puffin': Dating back to the 2003 playoffs, the Griffins have won eight of the last 10 against their fiercest rival, including a pair of overtime wins this season...The Wolves are 12-2-3-1 in their last 18 outings...Since a 4-3 OT loss at Van Andel Arena on Jan. 16, Chicago has won four straight on the road.

This Week's Games:
Wed., Feb. 4 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM
Fri., Feb. 6 Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS 7:30 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM

Sat., Feb. 7 GRIFFINS at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 7:35 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic at Van Andel Arena
Sun., Feb. 8 AHL All-Star Skills Competition 7 p.m. Fox Sports Net Detroit (delay) Mon., Feb. 9 AHL All-Star Game 7 p.m. WXSP (live) / FSND (delay)

Last Week's Results:
Fri., Jan. 30 GRIFFINS 0 at Utah Grizzlies 1 27-13-8-0, 62 pts. (1st, West Division)
Sat., Jan. 31 GRIFFINS 5 at Utah Grizzlies 2 28-13-8-0, 64 pts. (1st)

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from February 2, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Grand Rapids Griffins Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central