ADIRONDACK PHANTOMS - AHL
Glens Falls' recently-returned professional hockey team, the Adirondack Phantoms, enjoyed an equally as miserable second season as their first one the year prior. With only 72 points amassed after 80 games, the Phantoms finished 20 points out of a playoff spot. Not only did Adirondack fail to win games, they failed to score goals, with an anemic total of 197 the second-lowest in the entire league. Worse news than their on-ice performance was the announcing of a new arena to be built in Allentown, Pennsylvania that hopes to house the Phantoms in time for the 2013-2014 season. Were this to come to pass, it would mark a short and bitter end to the return of professional hockey in Glens Falls. The season, however, did have one bright spot, albeit not related to their play on the ice. Local rivals Albany had one more win than Adirondack, yet still finished with two fewer points, landing in last place in the East Division. In addition to the better-than-nothing prize of finishing ahead of Albany in the standings, Adirondack also recorded higher attendance than Albany, both in overall numbers and as a percentage of capacity, though this will do little to improve Phantoms' fans glum thoughts when thinking about the previous season or the ones to come.
ALBANY DEVILS - AHL
The Albany Devils, formerly the Albany River Rats, had a pretty miserable 2010-2011 season, continuing a downward trend seen in the last couple of seasons. After having made the playoffs as recently as 2008, participating in a game that last five overtimes, Albany hockey is looking bleak. Attendance is mediocre for a market its size, its players are not performing, and its coaching/managerial staff look clueless. The Devils finished with 70 points, good enough for dead last in the entire league.
BINGHAMTON SENATORS - AHL
Despite only taking the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs, and after having missed the playoffs for the last five seasons, the Binghamton Senators managed to put their gears in overdrive to breeze through the playoffs and claim the franchise's first-ever Calder Cup Trophy after defeating the Houston Aeros in six games. This remarkable turnaround that culminated in the city of Binghamton's first sports championship in 30 years had much to do with first-year head coach Kurt Kleinendorst, the former coach of the United States U-18 team that took gold at the IIHF World Championship in 2010. The Senators were a bit average in the regular season (though this was an improvement upon the previous several years), but the playoffs were a different story: Binghamton set an AHL record for most road playoff wins with 10, finishing with an overall record of 15-4; Having fallen behind to the Manchester Monarchs in the first-round series three games to one, the Senators went on to win the next three games in a row - with all of their wins of the series coming in overtime. The Calder Cup is quite the cherry on top for Binghamton, and gives the city and its fans great cause to celebrate and be optimistic.
BUFFALO SABRES - NHL
In the Fall of 2010, the Buffalo Sabres welcomed a new owner and a new jersey - or rather, an old jersey that became the new one. The familiar buffalo-with-crossing-sabres logo seemed to rejuvenate a team that just ran out of steam in the previous season. The fate of the 2010-2011 Sabres was constantly in doubt, as the race for a playoff spot was always competitive. But Buffalo finished strong, going 16-4-4 to finish the season and secure the seventh seed. Facing the number two ranked Philadelphia Flyers, the Sabres more than held their own and actually surprised many pundits by taking a 3-2 series lead behind the stellar play of goalkeeper Ryan Miller. With Game Six in Buffalo, the Sabres had a golden opportunity to eliminate the Flyers and move on. But their optimist was not to last, as they blew the lead in Game Six and went on to get spanked in Game Seven in Philadelphia. Though disappointing to have lost in such a way, Sabres fans can take comfort in the strong play at the end of the season from their team, as well as the stable new ownership that should end for a long time the question of whether the team would leave Buffalo.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS - NHL
The 2010-2011 New York Islanders' season is one that probably most fans would like to forget. Injuries to star players Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit hampered the team for several months, as the Islanders missed the playoffs by a wide margin for the fourth straight year. The Islanders almost set a franchise record after losing 15 games in a row, after having changed coaches after ten games in a row had already been lost. On top of their atrocious play on the ice, the Islanders' attendance was once again the worst in the NHL, at only 68% of capacity and a barely 11,000 average. Negotiations with local officials on a new arena achieved little to no progress, as well.
NEW YORK RANGERS - NHL
The Rangers celebrated their 85th anniversary by making the playoffs in 2010-2011, having missed the cutoff the year before. The season was up and down, as the Rangers sent three players to the All-Star game but still were forced to win or go home on the final day of the season. They defeated the New Jersey Devils, thereby earning a playoff date with the Washington Capitals. Two of the games were decided in overtime, with the second being especially difficult to bear for New York: Washington overcame a 3-0 deficit at Madison Square Garden to rally for a 4-3 win in double overtime that extended their series lead to three games to one. Though defeated by the Capitals, the Rangers have much to look forward to going into next season.
ROCHESTER AMERICANS - AHL
Having lost in seven games in the first round of the playoffs the previous season, the Rochester Americans followed up in 2010-2011 by being absolutely abysmal. Their 72 points and 31 wins tied those of the equally-terrible Adirondack Phantoms, definitely becoming one of the worst seasons in the franchise's otherwise proud 55-year history. The "Amerks", as they are affectionately called, have much to do in the offseason to improve upon their prior year's work.
SYRACUSE CRUNCH - AHL
The Syracuse Crunch continued a worrying several-year trend of decreasing points in the East Division of the AHL, as they finished with only 77 points. Thus, the bottom four teams of that division were all from New York, with only Binghamton making the playoffs. Having last reached the playoffs in the 2007-2008 season, Syracuse saw their points total lower for a third consecutive year. One lone highlight of the year would be Ryan Palmieri, who recorded a hat-trick on March 19 and would go on to record Rookie of the Month honors.
No comments:
Post a Comment