Griffins alumni in pursuit of Stanley Cup and world championship
April 26, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release
Grand Rapids, Mich. - Ten former Grand Rapids Griffins have the opportunity to win the most coveted trophy in sports this spring, as members of National Hockey League teams that are still competing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In addition, seven former Griffins are currently representing their native countries at the 2004 IIHF World Championships in the Czech Republic.
Recent Griffins Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall and Marc Lamothe, whose AHL season ended with Grand Rapids' loss to the Chicago Wolves on Saturday, have since joined the Detroit Red Wings for a reunion with fellow alums Curtis Joseph, Mark Mowers, Jamie Rivers and Jason Williams.
The Red Wings, who claimed the Presidents' Trophy with the NHL's best record during the regular season, are tied 1-1 with the Calgary Flames heading into Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday in Calgary.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit's counterpart as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, have two former Griffins on their roster in Dmitry Afanasenkov and Darren Rumble. The Lightning lead the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 in their conference semifinal series, with Game 3 set for tomorrow in Montreal. Former Griffins head coach Guy Charron, who won 2000 IHL Coach of the Year honors while guiding the club to the Turner Cup finals, is in his second season as an assistant coach for the Canadiens.
A total of 44 current or former Griffins logged ice time in the NHL during the 2003-04 regular season, combining to play 1,486 games while accumulating 149 goals, 263 assists, 412 points, 58 wins and 10 shutouts.
Meanwhile, the United States' Blake Sloan, Russia's Slava Butsayev, Switzerland's Julien Vauclair, Ukraine's Andrei Sryubko, Latvia's Aigars Cipruss and Slovakia's Pavol Demitra and Rastislav Pavlikovsky are currently playing at the World Championships, which began Saturday and continue through the gold medal game on May 9. For the complete tournament schedule, rosters and results, visit iihf.com.
American Hockey League Stories from April 26, 2004
- Admirals beat Ducks in OT to even series 2-2 - Cincinnati RailRaiders
- U.S.A. battles Slovakia to tie at World Championships - Providence Bruins
- Wolves Weekly - Chicago Wolves
- Monarchs Crowned Attendance Kings - Manchester Monarchs
- Bulldogs make special offer - Hamilton Bulldogs
- AHL North Division Semi-Finals Series Tied 1-1 - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Griffins alumni in pursuit of Stanley Cup and world championship - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Pudlick finds scoring touch in time for game five - Portland Pirates
- Moran Climbs All-Time Playoff List - Syracuse Crunch
- Follow the Pack online - Connecticut Whale
- Just 5 Days to Reserve Your Season Tickets - Albany River Rats
- Second round playoff tickets on sale Wednesday, April 28 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Admirals split two games in Philadelphia - Norfolk Admirals
- Phantoms Weekly - Adirondack Phantoms
- Pens move on while Tigers go home, Perrin playing steady in Tampa - Hershey Bears
- Former P-Bruins prominent at World Championships - Providence Bruins
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