Bears Placed in East
Published on July 14, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
The busy summer continues here on HERSHEYPARK Drive with the news last week that the Bears will find themselves in a new division and a new conference for the upcoming 2003-04 season. The AHL approved last week at league meetings in Hilton Head, S.C. a revamped four division format with seven teams in each division. HERSHEY will now be part of the Eastern Conference in the newly formed East Division, but the gang's still all here as far as the old South Division goes. Philadelphia, Wilkes Barre/Scranton, and Norfolk all make the switch as well, and there are three new divisional foes to contend with. Albany, entering its 11th season in the league, will be a part of the East Division, along with Bridgeport and Binghamton. I have to think this is a positive for fans who like to make the road trips, because there will definitely be more games within a relatively short drive next season. It's also a division that will feature three new coaches among the seven teams. Bridgeport named Greg Cronin its new coach when Steve Stirling got the call to be the New York Islanders bench boss, Wilkes Barre/Scranton will have a new coach in place after Glenn Patrick was let go, and our own Paul Fixter, who took over for Mike Foligno. The AHL announced also at the same time of the realignment that a new playoff format will be in place for the 2004 postseason. At the conclusion of the 2003-04 regular season, the top five teams in each of the four divisions will qualify for the Calder Cup 2004 Playoffs. In each division, the fourth-place team will face the fifth-place team in a best-of-three qualifying round (4 vs. 5). Each subsequent round will be a best-of-seven. In the division semifinals, the first-place team will face the qualifying winner (1 vs. 4 or 5) and the second-place team will face the third-place team (2 vs. 3) from each division. The division finals will match the semifinal winners within each division, with those winners advancing to their respective conference final. Conference final winners will advance to the Calder Cup 2004 Finals. The new format cuts a lot of travel time and cost off of the old system, with the first two rounds for any team guaranteed to be within the same divisional footprint, and it certainly adds meaning to divisional games during the regular season.
Other AHL news on this Monday: The Buffalo Sabres have announced the re-signing of two important cogs to the Rochester Americans machine. Left Wing Jason Botterill and center Chris Taylor are under contract now for the 2003-04 season. Botterill returns for his second season with Rochester/Buffalo, finishing second in the AHL last year with 37 goals. Taylor will be entering his fifth season in the Sabres organization, winning the Amerks' scoring title last season with 67 points in 61 games.
The Calder Cup Champion Houston Aeros are under new ownership. The AHL Board of Governors approved the sale of the Aeros to Minnesota Sports & Entertainment, the ownership group of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. Houston has been affiliated with the Wild since May of 2001. The Aeros will play the 2003-04 season in a new downtown Houston arena with the NBA's Houston Rockets.
There has been a lot of rumor flying (and a lot of e mail in my mailbox) about Patrick Roy coming out of retirement now that the Avalanche have signed Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne. Forget it. The Rocky Mountain News has reported that Roy officially filed his retirement papers late last week with the NHL, which means he could not return from retirement until the 2004-05 season. As training camp approaches, ex Bear David Aebischer along with Phil Sauve will be competing for the top spot in Denver. A lot of the news media are reporting in Colorado that it will be an open competition for the goaltending job, and that Phil could get a chance to start if he has a good camp. Best of luck to both, and whoever gets the nod, they will have a front row seat for the Greatest Show on Ice when the Colorado offense gets things going at Pepsi Center.
Special mailbag this week, I want to share an e mail I got last week from a Bears fan a long way from home.
Mr. Walton-
I am writing you this email from Afghanistan, where I have spent 10 out of the last 15 months running around the hills in search of all the "evil doers" (as our Commander in Chief puts it). I want to thank you for these weekly updates, not only from the standpoint as a Bears fan (since 1974), but as a true hockey fan. I feel that your informative insight and candid views are by far some of the best in the world of professional hockey today. I can tell you, from this hockey starved land, that I have gleaned more insight into the upcoming season over here by reading your newsletters than I would have by just working at my office in DC and waiting for opening night. Again, I know it might not sound like much, but I just wanted to say Thank You, these newsletters mean alot and definitely give me something great to look forward to each week. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to meet you sometime this season at the Giant Center when I bring my daughter up for our annual Bears game (that we missed last year as I was deployed here). Take care and best wishes from a lifelong Bears fan (all the way from Kabul)
Keep the newsletters coming, I only have two more weeks to go!
V/R-
CW2 Wayne Shewell
US Army
Wayne, thanks for taking the time to write, and I can say on behalf of all Bears faithful, we are thankful for the men and women like yourself fighting to maintain our freedom. Hope to see you at GIANT Center in the fall!
Other mailbags this week, Chris from Denver wrote in asking about Phil Sauve, and what should fans in Denver expect in training camp. That's an easy one. Phil will work hard and compete with David Aebischer for the starting job. Phil's a great guy off the ice, and should do a very solid job for Tony Granato's club.
John in York chimed in this week asking about the schedule, and what teams might be on it. There's a good chance this week we'll know at least the 03-04 opponents. The AHL schedule grid (the schedule matrix, if you prefer) should be released soon, so the Bears will at least know who they will play, but the actual schedule is still probably a few weeks away. Keep an eye on hersheybears.com and theahl.com for the latest schedule news.
Finally, Laurie in Lebanon wrote this week asking about Bruce Richardson. Laurie wanted to make sure that Bruce will be back this fall. Oh yes, Laurie, don't worry about that. Bruce is under contract for next season, and will definitely be around. I talked to Bruce a couple of weeks ago on the phone from Montreal, and he's working hard and already excited for the start of the season.
A quick plug before I go, the 2003-04 HERSHEY Bears Media Guide is about 70 percent done, and should be available at GIANT Center in time for the home opener on Saturday, October 18th. The book is 256 pages, jammed with pictures, player profiles, Bears records and history, and a whole lot more. It's a must for all you Bears diehards. Dave Sottile, Don Scott, and myself have compiled a ton of records, photos, and information, including about every logo from every team the Bears have ever played. You'll be able to pick up yours at the rink starting Opening Night, or you can order by mail when the time comes.
Take care, see ya next week!
American Hockey League Stories from July 14, 2003
- Predators Add Simon and Farrell - Milwaukee Admirals
- 2002 First-Round Pick Koreis Signs with Coyotes - Springfield Falcons
- Former AHL scoring champion Domenic Pittis to return to the Rochester Americans - Rochester Americans
- Phantoms re-sign Ben Stafford - Adirondack Phantoms
- AHL announces award winners - AHL
- Florida Panthers to Hold Training Camp in Alamo City - San Antonio Rampage
- Capitals Sign Podkonicky, Stroshein - Portland Pirates
- Bears Placed in East - Hershey Bears
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.
