AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Open Season Saturday Against Cleveland

Published on October 10, 2002 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Turn It On Again: The Grand Rapids Griffins will commence their seventh season and second campaign as a member of the American Hockey League this Saturday, Oct. 12, when they host the Cleveland Barons at 7:30 p.m. Should the game sell out as expected (approximately 500 tickets remain), it will mark the seventh consecutive season that the Griffins debut before a capacity crowd (10,834) at Van Andel Arena.

Get This Party Started: Saturday's Opening Night celebration is presented by Nextel and Meijer. All fans will receive a white Griffins T-shirt to be worn during the pre-game show. A special ceremony will celebrate the debut of the new affiliation between the Detroit Red Wings and the Griffins, who will raise their third consecutive division championship banner. The national anthem will be performed by Alto Reed, saxophone player from Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band and occasional anthem performer at Joe Louis Arena.

A Season to Remember: In 2001-02, the Griffins won the West Division, finished second in the Western Conference and placed fourth in the American Hockey League with a 42-27-11-0 record (95 points)...They lost to eventual Calder Cup champion Chicago three games to two in the Western Conference quarterfinals...Grand Rapids led the Western Conference and placed second in the AHL with 42 wins and 24 home wins during the regular season...With a 2-1 win at Utah on April 5, the Griffins reached the 40-win, 90-point milestone for the third consecutive season. Hartford is the only other AHL team to boast the same accomplishment. Simply the Best: During the last three seasons (1999-02), the Griffins posted more wins (146), points (319) and division titles (3) than any other Triple-A hockey team.

What's New?: For 2002-03, the Griffins have a new affiliation (Detroit Red Wings instead of Ottawa Senators), a new coaching staff (Danton Cole and Todd Nelson replace Bruce Cassidy and Gene Reilly), a new division (Central, formerly West) and new red-accented uniforms, including a special third uniform (honoring their NHL affiliate) that will be worn during Friday night home games.

For Starters: History will be on the Griffins' side when they begin the season on Saturday night. Grand Rapids is 5-1 all-time in season openers, with the lone blemish coming last year in a 3-0 home loss to Utah. The Griffins are 4-2 all-time in home openers.

At the Helm: Griffins General Manager Bob McNamara begins his seventh season with the club, while new Head Coach Danton Cole assumes the reins from Bruce Cassidy, now head coach of the NHL's Washington Capitals. His assistant is another former Griffins great, Todd Nelson, who served Cole as a player/assistant coach for the 2001-02 Colonial Cup champion Muskegon Fury (UHL). In addition, left wing Derek King is a player/assistant coach.

Detroit Red Wings Affiliation: Following a three-year relationship with the Ottawa Senators, the Griffins this season embark on a new five-year affiliation (2002-07) with the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit posted an NHL-best 51-17-10-4 record last season en route to its third Stanley Cup in the last six years and its tenth overall.

Tuneup Tales: The Griffins went 0-2 in two preseason road games, losing 4-2 at Milwaukee on Oct. 4 and 3-2 at Chicago on Oct. 5. Michel Picard led all Griffins with two points (1-1-2).

Say Yes to Michigan: Several Griffins players and coaches have significant Michigan connections: 2002 Hobey Baker finalist Rob Collins attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids, while Pontiac-born Danton Cole and right wings Bryan Adams and Rustyn Dolyny all starred at Michigan State University.

Where Are They Now?: Players and coaches from last year's Griffins team have scattered throughout North America and Europe:
* Berlin Capitals (Germany) - John Gruden
* Binghamton Senators (AHL) - Assistant Coach Gene Reilly, Chris Bala, Wade Brookbank, Ilja Demidov, Ray Emery, Alexandre Giroux, David Hymovitz, Chris Kelly, Simon Lajeunesse, Josh Langfeld, Steve Martins, Joe Murphy, Jason Spezza, Jeff Ulmer, Julien Vauclair
* Fort Wayne Komets (UHL) - Colin Chaulk
* Missouri River Otters (UHL) - Dustin Whitecotton
* Ottawa Senators (NHL) -Toni Dahlman, Joel Kwiatkowski, Martin Prusek, Petr Schastlivy
* Portland Pirates (AHL) - Jason Doig
* Sheffield Steelers (England) - Chris Szysky
* Washington Capitals (NHL) - Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, Kip Miller

Motor City Exports: Twelve of Grand Rapids' 22 players are under contract to the Detroit Red Wings: Bryan Adams, Paul Ballantyne, Ryan Barnes, Patrick Boileau, Ed Campbell, Danny Groulx, Derek King, Tomas Kopecky, Marc Lamothe, Joey MacDonald, Mark Mowers and Michel Picard.

Back in the Fold: Six current Griffins were members of last year's squad that claimed the team's third consecutive division title: Hugo Boisvert, Sheldon Brookbank, Rob Collins, Travis Richards, Tim Skarperud and Dave Van Drunen. In addition, Head Coach Danton Cole played (1996-00) and served as an assistant coach (1999-01) for the team, while assistant Todd Nelson (1996-98; 99-00; 01-02) and players Michel Picard (1996-00) and Derek King (1999-01) all skated previously for Grand Rapids.

Cups Runneth Over: A number of Griffins players and coaches have won major North American championships, including Head Coach Danton Cole (NCAA with Michigan State in 1986, Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 1995, head coach for UHL Colonial Cup champion Muskegon in 2002), assistant Todd Nelson (AHL Calder Cup with Portland in 1994, Colonial Cup as player/assistant for Muskegon in 2002), Bryan Adams (Calder Cup with Chicago in 2002, Turner Cup with Orlando in 2001), Hugo Boisvert (Turner Cup with Orlando in 2001), Rustyn Dolyny (Colonial Cup with Muskegon in 2002) and Tim Skarperud (NCAA with North Dakota in 2000).

Family Tradition: Defenseman Sheldon Brookbank is the brother of former Griffins blueliner Wade Brookbank, who led the Griffins and ranked fourth in the AHL with 337 penalty minutes last season.

Bygones: Right wing Bryan Adams has lifted cups at the culmination of the last two seasons, each time at the Griffins' expense. His 2001-02 Chicago Wolves won the AHL Calder Cup, defeating Grand Rapids in the Western Conference quarterfinals, while his 2000-01 Orlando Solar Bears claimed the final IHL Turner Cup after beating the Griffins in the Eastern Conference finals.

Kings of the Mountain: Three Griffins led their 2001-02 teams in scoring: Rob Collins (CCHA Ferris State - 15-33-48), Michel Picard (DEL Mannheim - 24-28-52) and Nathan Robinson (OHL Belleville - 47-63-110).

International Flavor: In stark contrast to recent seasons, the Griffins' roster includes only two players who were born overseas: Gregor Baumgartner (Austria) and Tomas Kopecky (Czech Republic).

Do You Feel a Draft?: Ten of the Griffins' 22 players were once selected in the NHL Entry Draft, from Derek King (#13 overall by the New York Islanders in 1985) to Paul Ballantyne (#196 overall by Detroit in 2000).

NHL Experience: Eight Griffins have combined to play 1,105 games combined in the National Hockey League: Derek King (830), Michel Picard (166), Mark Mowers (85), Bryan Adams (11), Patrick Boileau (7), Travis Richards (3), Marc Lamothe (2) and Dave Van Drunen (1).

Veteran Roll-Call: Excluding goaltenders, AHL clubs may not dress more than six skaters with more than 260 games of experience in the NHL, AHL, IHL or Europe. The Griffins currently have five designated veterans, including Ed Campbell, Derek King, Mark Mowers, Michel Picard and Travis Richards. Patrick Boileau, who has played more than 450 games in the AHL (459), qualifies as an exempt player and does not count against the veteran limit.

Take Me to Your Leaders: Several current Griffins rank among the franchise's all-time statistical leaders:
* Travis Richards: 458 games played (1st), 47 goals (7th), 132 assists (2nd), 179 points (2nd), a plus-91 rating (1st), 362 penalty minutes (6th), 21 power play goals (T1st), two shorthanded goals (T9th) and 767 shots (1st).
* Michael Picard: 211 games played (4th), 109 goals (1st), 133 assists (1st), 242 points (1st), a plus-49 rating (5th), 21 power play goals (T1st), four shorthanded goals (5th), 19 game-winning goals (1st) and 641 shots (2nd).
* Derek King: 51 goals (T3rd), 81 assists (4th), 132 points (4th), a plus-58 rating (3rd), 17 power play goals (T3rd), three shorthanded goals (T6th), seven game-winning goals (T6th) and 401 shots (7th).
* Dave Van Drunen: Plus-35 rating (8th).

One For the Ages: The average age of the Griffins is 25 years, from Derek King (35 years, eight months) to Paul Ballantyne (20 years, three months).

Tickets On Sale Now: Tickets for all regular season games at Van Andel Arena are currently on sale. Fans can visit either location of The Zone (Van Andel Arena store or Rivertown Crossings Mall kiosk) or any Tickets PLUS location (including Meijer stores), call 222-4000/800-585-3737 or visit www.griffinshockey.com. Full-season ticket packages, mini-plans and group tickets for all Griffins games are currently available by calling 800-2-HOCKEY.

This Week's Scouting Report

Sat., Oct. 12 vs. Cleveland Barons - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m.
TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 7:10 p.m.
Season Series: First of six meetings overall, first of three in Grand Rapids.
All-Time Series: 2-2-0-0 Overall, 1-1-0-0 Home.
Cleveland Affiliation: San Jose Sharks.
Head Coach: Roy Sommer (2nd season).
Spy Glass: The Barons finished last of four teams in the Central Division last season, missing the playoffs after a 29-40-7-4 season...Center Jeff Nelson, who notched 89 points (34-55-89) for the Griffins during their inaugural 1996-97 season, now plays for the Barons...Cleveland must replace four of its top five scorers, including Mike Craig, Ryan Kraft, Joel Prpic and Jonathan Cheechoo...Chad Wiseman, third on the team with 50 points (21-29-50) last year, returns, as does goalie Seamus Kotyk (3.73 GAA in 24 games).

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from October 10, 2002


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