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AHL Utica Comets

Comets Corner: the Devils Return

January 16, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release


To those watching them, certain games in the AHL are always more important than others.  Sometimes it's because of an established rivalry between NHL affiliates. Sometimes there's a rivalry based on proximity.  Sometimes it's due to extended history between the two teams in past playoff series.

For the fans of the Utica Comets, however, tomorrow evening's game against the Albany Devils is more important than most for an entirely different reason. Sure, proximity is a small factor here, with Albany located just 90 minutes down the Thruway. But for hockey fans in the Mohawk Valley, the Devils franchise represents what Utica once had and lost.  The Devils are Utica's "˜Ghost of Christmas Past'.

Flashback to the late 1980's and early 1990's and hockey was alive in the Mohawk Valley, with the Utica Devils entertaining fans at The AUD.  With NHL superstars to be Martin Brodeur, Bill Guerin and Bobby Holik spending a portion of their career in Utica, the Devils bred talent to the NHL, while still achieving success on their own, with playoff appearances in four of six seasons.

Fast forward to 1993 and, as tends to happen in the AHL, a shuffle of movement between affiliations left Utica on the outside looking in, without a team. All in all, five changes were made. The Utica franchise was purchased and moved to Canada in an affiliation with the Calgary Flames to become the team known today as the Abbotsford Heat. The Devils, however, didn't move too far and wound up in, you guessed it, Albany.

The Albany franchise, renamed the River Rats upon their arrival in the Capital District, had some extreme success in its early years. The Rats won a Calder Cup Championship in 1995 and reached the Conference Finals in both 1997 and 1998. The Utica market, while filled with teams in the United Hockey League, never quite recaptured the luster from when the Devils and the AHL were in town. That is, however, until seven months ago and the inception of the Comets.

With Utica's void now filled, Comets fans had one team circled on the schedule from day one. Even though Syracuse, Rochester and Binghamton have each brought large crowds into The AUD, Albany has always been the target.  The Comets and Devils met twice during October, with Albany coming out on top in both meetings, including in Utica's franchise home opener. While Frank Corrado ignited a boisterous crowd with a third period power-play goal, the Devils got the last laugh with a 4-1 victory.

Comets First Home Goal

This is what makes tomorrow's game that extra bit special for this area. Look past where these two teams are in the standings and that Utica has lost five in a row, because most Comets fans clearly have. The AUD is less than 70 tickets away from being sold out and we're still a day away from the opening faceoff.

When the puck drops tomorrow evening, it will be business as usual for the players, but the buzz in the building will be something different. Utica's fans will have that extra degree of ravenous in them, which is certainly saying something. The AUD's faithful are ready to settle a grudge that's been 20 years in the making.

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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.

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