Today in the “A”: Odds & Ends, Part 1

Some odds and ends from an overfilled AHL notebook:

Falcons excited about upcoming season

There is one quote from Fran Sypek’s article that sums it up well:

“Columbus really stepped up,” Landon said. “There were some areas we felt that needed to be addressed and they did that.”

In the year plus since the Jackets were announced as Springfield’s parent club, Landon has been unwavering in his gratitude to and respect for the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s not just Bruce Landon’s opinion either. On any typical day this summer, there has been an air of excitement about the upcoming season. The people in that office who know hockey and who understand business are profoundly aware of the committment that the Jackets have shown to the Falcons during this off season.

We are all excited about the upcoming season!

Rochester adds four to coaching staff

While this is not of major significance to either the Falcons (Rochester plays in the Western Conference) or the Jackets (the parent Buffalo Sabres play in the Eastern Conference), I find this an important item.

Terry Pegula has made a huge investment in the Sabres organization, from top to bottom. That includes buying the team, the signing of Ville Leino as well as the re-signing of some core players. Pegula also bought the AHL Americans, reuniting them with the Sabres in a combination that had western New York hockey crazy for nearly 30 years.

What Pegula is doing now is establishing a strong foundation for his teams. As a fan, it will be interesting to see how this transpires over the next season or two. The burning question becomes: If you spend the money, will they win?

Bulldogs, Marlies to play outdoor game

Remember the first Winter Classic? The novelty of the outdoor game, the snow in Buffalo? What was at the outset a great idea, taking the game back to it’s roots (sort of…a frozen pond in the middle of nowhere is still quite different than a sheet at a state of the art stadium with tens of thousands of spectators) and a huge cash cow for the league.

After watching the Yankees-Red Sox series the past few nights and seeing the endless commercials on NESN for “Frozen Fenway 2012”, I’m leaning towards “enough, already”. The Boston doubleheader will be part of Hockey Day in Boston. The Bruins will have a rematch with the Canucks indoors at the TD Garden at 1PM. The double dip kicks off at 4PM with UMass taking on Vermont. The finale will be UNH vs. Maine at 7:30. Two great Hockey East games, no doubt. But did they really need to be played outdoors at Fenway Park?

Before this turns into a full fledged rant about the outdoor contests, Ryan Lambert of Puck Daddy offered his opinion on the subject. In his column Lambert also mentions an upcoming outdoor game in Mexico. Yes, that Mexico.

Talking Points