Absurd Goalie Monday: Guy Hebert

When it comes to going from NCAA to the pros, it's always a tough route if you stay in college all four years. It's even harder when you play at a Division II school and hope for the best. However, with a little luck and the expansion era-- this week's AGM was able to not only get out of the shadows; but also become a franchise face for a team. This week, the profile of Guy Hebert.

Starting off a a little college in Clinton, New York-- Hebert started his long trek with Hamilton College starting in the 1985-86 season, going 4-12-2 in 18 games. However, the 1986-87 season was far kinder with Hebert compiling a 12-5-0 record in 18 games, which got the attention of the St. Louis Blues-- who drafted Hebert in the eighth round of the 1987 Draft. Hebert then went 5-3-0 in nine games during the 1987-88 season, before finishing out his college career with an 18-7-0 record in 25 games.

Hebert went on his way to the Peoria Rivermen of the IHL in the 1989-90 season, getting limited time by seeing only 30 games and finishing with a 7-13-7 record. The same went for the 1990-91 season, where Hebert went 24-10-1 record in 36 games-- sharing the James Norris Trophy for fewest goals-against with former AGM Pat Jablonski. That record helped Hebert into the 1991-92 season, where he would go 20-9-0 in 29 games with Peoria, but also getting the call up to the Blues, where he'd go 5-5-1 in 13 appearances. The 1992-93 season allowed Hebert to get a chance as a full-time back-up in St. Louis behind Curtis Joseph, where Hebert would go 8-8-2 in 24 appearances.

Even with his performance, Hebert was left unprotected in the Expansion Draft, where he would be picked up by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. In the first year of the franchise, Hebert held his own finishing with a 20-27-3 record in the 1993-94 season, while in the shortened 1994-95 season; Hebert went 12-20-4 in 39 games. The franchise and Hebert fortunes started to turn in the 1995-96 season, with Hebert going 28-23-5 in 59 games; while in the 1996-97 season, Hebert compiled a 29-25-12 record in 67 games, helping the Mighty Ducks to their first playoff berth, in which he went 4-4 in nine games. It was a tough 1997-98 season for Hebert, who only played 46 games with a 13-24-6 record before having to miss out on the season after a shoulder injury.

Coming back in the 1998-99 season, Hebert was able to get into 69 games and finish with a 31-29-9 record with six shutouts, while going 0-3 in four playoff games in Anaheim. In another marathon season in the 1999-2000 season, Hebert played in 68 games and finished with a 28-31-9 record. The 2000-01 season seemed to be a swan song for the long time Mighty Duck, as he would only play in 41 games in Anaheim, going 12-23-4 before being placed on waivers at the trade deadline.

The New York Rangers picked up Hebert off waiver, playing him in 13 games and finishing with a 5-7-1 record before he would hang up the pads for good.

Hebert's career also had some international experience, as he played on the 1996 World Cup of Hockey team for the Americans, winning one game in which they won the title; while Hebert also played in the 1994 World Championship and going 4-2-0 in six games, including being the winning goalie when the US beat Russia, which was the first time they did so since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" game in the Olympics.

From a small-time college, to back-up on the Blues, to being a huge building block for a franchise's existence; Hebert ran the gamut of experiences. You'll very rarely see these accomplishments from a Division II player making it this big in the NHL, but that's why people scour the ranks to see that diamond in the rough-- which St. Louis found, but Anaheim reaped the benefits of him.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Tom Askey

With a small trend of hockey players going in the music direction, this week's AGM follows that kind of ideal. While he didn't have the best college career, has small sip of tea in the NHL, his minor league durability made him endearing to many people. Now, without hockey-- he's on the music scene. This week, the profile of Tom Askey.

Askey played with the Wheatfield Blades of the Empire Junior League before he would move onto the college ranks. Askey would start for The Ohio State Buckeyes in his freshman season in 1992-93, but wouldn't fair well-- putting up a 2-19-0 record in 25 games. That didn't deter the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, who picked Askey in the 1993 NHL Draft in the eighth round. The 1993-94 season wasn't any better at OSU, as Askey would go 3-19-4 in 27 games; while in the 1994-95 season, Askey posted a 4-19-2 record in 26 games. Askey would improve his record for his senior season in 1995-96 and by more than one win-- 8-11-4 in 26 games, getting him CCHA Second Team All-Star honors.

Askey moved along to the pro ranks in the 1996-97 season, playing with the Baltimore Bandits of the AHL and getting in 40 games and finishing with a 17-18-2 record. Also, Askey was called by USA Hockey to play in the World Championships, winning his only game he played in.

The Bandits would move to Cincinnati and become the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, where Askey would spend most of the 1997-98 season, going 10-16-4 in 32 games; but then being called up to Anaheim late in the season-- appearing in seven games with an 0-1-2 record. For the 1998-99 season, Askey was back in Cincinnati, where he would play 53 games and put up a 21-22-3 record, then an 0-3 record in the playoffs. Askey also went to Anaheim for one playoff games in the 1998 playoffs; a loss.

The 1999-2000 season had Askey IHL bound, splitting his time between the Kansas City Blades for 13 games (3-5-3) and the Houston Aeros for 13 games (4-7-1), as well.

However, when Askey signed with the Rochester Americans in the summer of 2000, he seemed to find a home, as he would go 15-8-4 in the 2000-01 season and 0-1 in the playoffs; but also won the Hap Holmes Trophy with Mika Noronen for fewst goals-against. That was enough for the Americans' parent club-- the Buffalo Sabres-- to sign him in the summer of 2001. Askey would stay in Rochester for the 2001-02 season, playing in 34 games and having a 16-15-4 record. The 2002-03 season saw future Sabres come into Rochester, most notably Ryan Miller-- which would cut Askey's workload more-so, only getting in 16 games that year with a 3-8-4 record. Askey would see more time in 2003-04, playing in 21 games with a 10-8-3 record then a 2-0 record in the playoffs, then following that with a 2004-05 season with a 10-6-2 record in 20 games.

With no gigs in North America, Askey went on a European vacation in 2005-06 season, playing first with HIFK Helsinki and going 9-5-5 in 21 games, then getting moved to Jokerit Helsinki; going 8-6-2 in 16 games. Askey also dabbled in the Swiss league that season; playing for HC Fribourg-Gotteron for six games with a 4-2 record, but then going 0-4 in the playoffs.

Askey would return to North America to play for the United Hockey League's Kalamazoo Wings for 2006-07 campaign, where he would get into 45 games, finishing with a 27-15-2 record, but having a 0-1 record in three playoff games.

One more shot for Askey, as he went over to Italy, first, playing with HC Alleghe for 11 games before moving all the way over to England to play for the Nottingham Panthers, where he would play 31 games; helping them win the Challenge Cup as champions of the Elite League.

After his playing career was done, Askey moved back to Kalamazoo and is actually working on some original music. While he doesn't have a record out yet, he does have some of his work on his MySpace page.

It was a bit of a travel for Askey and while the success didn't really outweigh the unsuccessful side of things, he seemed to still keep strumming along and rolling with the punches. And while he has another career with no guarantee of staying power, he's in it for the love of the art-form rather than the paycheck.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Steve Shields

As we sit here looking at the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA Finals, we look at one former Michigan goalie jumpstarted Michigan's 21 straight tournament appearances, and made it to two Frozen Fours, but never got to the final game. Then he was able to make it into the show and had a steady career, including three fights with fellow goalies (Steve Passmore, Sean Burke, and Garth Snow). Even so, he's been coast-to-coast and took his technological skills in his new career. This week, a look at Steve Shields.

Shields started off with the North Bay Trappers and St. Mary Trappers of Junior A leagues in Ontario before committing to the University of Michigan. Starting in the 1990-91 campaign, Shields would jump into starter's role, playing in 37 games with a 26-6-3 record, which was enough for him to get drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1991 Draft. In his sophomore campaign in 1991-92, Shields went 27-7-2 in 37 games with a 2.84 GAA, helping Michigan to the Frozen Four, but losing in OT in their match-up. During his Junior year, Shields was more than capable to carry the 39 game workload, going 30-6-2 with two shutouts and a 2.22 GAA, getting the Wolverines to the Frozen Four again, but failing to advance past the four. Shields was named CCHA First Team All-Star and NCAA-West Second Team All-Star squad. For his senior season, Shields went 28-6-1 in 36 games while helping Michigan to the CCHA championship, their first ever. Shields again took home CCHA First Team All-Star and NCAA-West Second Team All-Star honors. Shields would leave school with the NCAA record for most wins (111), but it was broken by another Wolverine, Marty Turco (127).

After college, Shields would start his pro career in both Rochester of the AHL and South Carolina of the ECHL. While in Rochester, Shields played 13 games, sporting a 3-8-0 record; while in South Carolina he went 11-5-2 in 21 games, with two shutouts. The 1995-96 season would see Shields step up in Rochester, going 20-17-2 in 43 games; while also getting two games up in Buffalo, going 1-0-0. In the playoffs, Rochester and Shields would dominate, as he would go 15-3, as Rochester won the Calder Cup. Shields would start off the 1996-97 season with Rochester, playing 23 games with a 14-6-2 record before getting the recall from Buffalo to end the season, where he would go 3-8-2 in 13 regular season games, but then go 4-6 in 10 playoff games. Shields would be up with the Sabres for the 1997-98 season, playing in 16 games with a 3-6-4 record, while spending a game in Rochester, which was a losing effort.

During the 1998 Entry Draft, Shields and a pick were traded to the San Jose Sharks for former AGM Kay Whitmore and a pick. The 1998-99 season saw Shields play behind Mike Vernon, playing 37 games with a solid 15-11-8 record, 2.22 GAA and .921 save percentage. That performance allowed the Sharks to get rid of Vernon in the 1999-2000 season and Shields took the starting role, playing in 67 games, with a 27-30-8 then going 5-7 in the playoffs. The 2000-01 season was one of injury for Shields, as he would go down to an ankle injury early-- opening the door for Evgeni Nabokov to take over the starting role. Shields got his time in, playing 21 games and going 6-8-5 before going down with an injury with his shoulder ligaments. With Nabokov gaining stardom and the wealth of prospect goalies in their system, Shields would be the odd-man out.

During the trade deadline of 2001 and days before his shoulder injury-- Shields and Jeff Friesen were traded to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for Teemu Selanne. While he didn't play with the Ducks in 2000-01, he came back for the 2001-02 season playing along J-S Giguere, but wouldn't fare well, going 9-20-2 in 33 games.

During the 2002 Draft, Shields was traded to the Boston Bruins for a third-round pick, where he would be a part of a carousel of goalies, but would get the most game-time out of five keepers to play that year with a 12-13-9 record in 36 games.

Before the start of the 2003-04 season, Shields would be traded to the Florida Panthers for future considerations. Shields would only play 16 games behind Roberto Luongo with a 3-6-1 record.

Shields didn't play anywhere during the lockout season of 2004-05, but would return after the season started in 2005-06-- signing with the Atlanta Thrashers. Shields would go 1-2-1 in five games and would have played four games in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, finishing with a 2-2-0 record.

One more kick in the can for Shields in the 2006-07 season, signing as a free agent with the AHL's Houston Aeros, but would only play one game in relief, letting up three goals on nine shots in that appearance. After that, Shields would hang-up the pads.

After his pro career was over, Shields would continue to play in the Northeast with amateur teams as a forward. Currently, Shields has gotten his hands into the technology and coaching segment, helping to start up iCoach.com, a remote coaching site for a mass of teams and coaches.

While there was a lot of promise, Shields never got a good shake with solid teams to solidify what he could have done with some teams. When he got on later in his career, he got stuck behind other goalies who had a step up on him in the system or was on a team that was in a rebuild and didn't have the parts to help him out. That said, the college career from Shields was one that will be remember and could be credited to jumpstarting that program again.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Allan Bester

In a time where size is everything when it comes to goaltending, this week's AGM showed that you didn't have be big to play big. Yet, as the script goes, playing on a subpar team shows how much work one has to do, and if you hold you're own-- you have to rely on others to pick up the slack, as well. However, if nothing else-- he played for one of the better named teams in the IHL to end his career. This week, the profile of Allan Bester

Bester busted on the scene during the 1981-82 season, where he would play Junior "A" hockey with the Hamilton Kitty B's before getting a call-up to the OHL's Brantford Alexanders, where he had 19 games under his belt with a 4-11-0 record to end out his rookie year in the OHL. The 1982-83 season provided solid footing for Bester, who had a 29-21-3 record for the Alexanders and 3-3 record in the playoffs, allowing him to capture OHL First Team All-Star honors. That summer, Bester was 48th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1983 Draft.

Bester would see plenty of time in the show, as he would start off the season with the Maple Leafs, playing in 32 games, with an 11-16-4 record in the 1983-84 season, but would be sent back to the OHL. While back with the Alexanders for 23 games, Bester sported a 12-9-1 record, but 0-1 playoff record.

Bester would start out the 1984-85 season in style, getting his first win as a shutout, but would only play 15 games with the Leafs during the year, going 3-9-1. The rest of the time, Bester played with the AHL's St. Catherines Saints, going 9-18-1 in 30 games. Bester stayed in St. Catherines for the 1985-86 season, where he would be the starter and put together a solid 23-23-3 season for the Saints, then helping the team get to the Calder Cup Division Finals, but losing in seven games. Bester did get a one-game call-up to Toronto, but didn't factor in the decision.

While he started out with the now Newmarket Saints in the 1986-87 season (1-0-0), Bester would have a long ride in Toronto, playing in 36 games that season going 10-14-3 and appearing relief in a playoff game. Bester would back up Ken Wregget for the 1987-88 season, playing 30 games while going 8-12-5, as well as seeing five games in the playoffs, going 2-3 in the process. The play of Bester and Wregget's struggles allowed Bester to get the starting role in the 1988-89 season, playing in 43 games with a 17-20-3 record, but it was not enough to get into the playoffs. Despite some injuries in the 1989-90 season, Bester's 20-16-0 record allowed the Leafs to get to the .500 mark for the first time in a decade. However, Bester went 0-3 in four playoff games that year, as well as 2-1-1 in five games with Newmarket while conditioning to return. The 1990-91 season saw Bester start with the Maple Leafs, but after going 0-2-0 in three games-- he got sent down to Newmarket, where he would play 19 games there with a 7-8-4 record. Bester would get called-up for three more Leafs games and would finish 0-4-0 on the season before he would be moved.

At the trade deadline, Bester was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for a sixth round pick in the 1991 Draft. Bester would play three games to end out the 1990-91 season with the Wings, going 0-3-0. While Bester would start with the Wings in the 1991-92 season, he would only see one appearance in relief, then spending most of his time with the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL, playing in 22 games going 13-8-0 and would have a huge playoff performance, going 14-5 in 19 games, helping Adirondack win the Calder Cup. Bester would win the Jack Butterfield Trophy for Playoff MVP. Bester was back in Adirondack for the 1992-93 season as the starter, playing in 41 games with a record of 16-15-5 record, then going 7-3 in 10 playoff games.

Before the 1993-94 season, Bester signed with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, but would be immediate assigned to the San Diego Gulls of the IHL, where he would play 46 games, finishing with a record of 22-14-6, then a 4-4 record in eight playoff games. Bester was back with the Gulls for the 1994-95 season, playing 58 games for a 28-23-5 record, but only 2-2 in four playoff games.

With no NHL contract, Bester signed with the Orlando Solar Bears of the IHL for the 1995-96 season, where he would spend 51 games playing in two stints-- compiling a 32-16-2 record. With his stellar play in the early going, the Dallas Stars signed Bester in January of 1996, where Bester would play 10 games with a 4-5-1 record, before returning to the Solar Bears for the playoff, going 11-12 in 23 games, as they would lose in the Turner Cup Finals. Bester was back in Orlando for the 1996-97 season, being a workhorse for the Solar Bears in playing 61 games with a stellar 37-13-3 record, then going 4-4 in 10 playoff games. One last kick in the can for Bester in the 1997-98 season, but he would only play 26 games for the Solar Bears due to an ankle injury, going 13-8-1, then 1-0 in two playoff games. After that season, Bester hung up the pads for good.

Post-retirement, Bester stayed in Orlando and at last check was the regional sales manager of the Holiday Inn Florida Region. Bester also played in many Oldtimers games, as well as playing for the Leafs Alumni during the 2000 All-Star Weekend.

While he didn't have the best teams in front of him during his NHL career, he made the most out of his opportunities and displayed them when he got later on into his career in the minors. While he was able to get more playing time while in the minors, he probably would have liked to be in direct contact with a NHL team rather than in independent minor league team, even with the great numbers he put up.

Ducks Fly Together

The Anaheim Ducks unveiled their third jerseys today and I have to say, this is what their jerseys should have looked like from the name change, rather than the dull wordmark they have on their jerseys right now.

However, while it is a sharp looking design, and very orange, there's a couple things that bother me about the whole thing. First, it's the whole ordeal of the "alternate" jersey being the same color as the home jersey. Makes no sense in my eyes to do that; but whatever floats their boat. The second issue is the unnecessary piping, which is my biggest peeve, outside of the front numbers. The piping around the shoulder yoke and to outline the pattern on the sleeves and underneath the arms is not needed and the jersey would improve without it, I'm sure.

That said, I do like how much more orange it is (just look at the socks) rather than what they've had before. Also, the shoulder patch brings back the old Mighty Ducks logo; almost combining the two eras of the team like so much Jan Rubes from the movies. It's definitely passable in terms of enjoyability, but not without it's faults, that much I know.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Mike Torchia

The Memorial Cup has ended with the Windsor Spitfires winning back-to-back championships. However, the Memorial Cup is a breeding ground for AGMs, especially since most of them have won the Hap Emms Trophy for Top Goalie-- Mark Fitzpatrick, Darren Pang, Eric Fichaud-- and who knows if Martin Jones will join the list of AGMs, but let's hope not. In any case, this week's AGM follows that mold. A great goalie in the juniors, but thanks to some complications; never made it to NHL stardom. This week, it's time to profile Mike Torchia as the AGM.

Torchia started out with the Toronto Red Wings in the Toronto Midget League during the 1987-88 season, playing 40 games, recording five shutouts and a 2.33 GAA average. From that, Torchia went onto the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers, where he backed up Gus Morschauser; where Torchia got 30 games in with a 14-9-4 record in the 1988-89 season. Torchia also got two games in the playoffs, going 0-2. With Morschauser getting traded at the start of the 1989-90 season, Torchia got more time with 40 games to his credit and a 25-11-2 record. Torchia also navigated the Rangers to the OHL finals, but lost to Oshawa in seven games, despite a 11-6 record. Kitchener got in since the OHL was hosting the 1990 Memorial Cup, where Torchia really shined. Despite a 3-2 record, including a Finals loss to the same Oshawa team that beat them in the OHL playoffs; Torchia got the Hap Emms Trophy for Top Goalie in the Memorial Cup and named to the Memorial Cup All-Star team.

The 1990-91 season was something to build off of, but it seems Torchia couldn't get off the number 25, as he went a second straight year with 25 wins (25-24-7), but Torchia wouldn't help in the playoffs going 2-4. Even so, Torchia got First Team All-Star from the OHL in that season, as well as being picked 74th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the NHL Entry Draft. The 1991-92 season brought about almost the same record, with Torchia going 25-24-3 in 55 games. Torchia helped the Rangers get through the first round of the playoffs, but couldn't get through Sault St. Marie in the second round.

Torchia kept in the amateur ranks by playing for the Canadian National Team to start the 1992-93 season, winning all five of his games with a 2.20 GAA; but he didn't stay long there before he moved to the pros with the Stars' farm team; the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL. Torchia was a big fish, getting the starting role over Jeff Levy and going 19-17-9 in his first pro season, despite a 3.80 GAA and .892 save percentage. He eased into his role for the 1993-94 season, improving his record with a 23-12-2, though his GAA (3.68) and save percentage (.889) were still not at where he wanted to be. The 1994-95 season saw Torchia back in Kalamazoo (19-14-5), but the Dallas Stars brought him up towards the end of the season in order to see what he could do. In six games with the Stars, Torchia went 3-2-1 and looked like he could fight for the back-up spot in training camp.

However, before he could get into Dallas, his rights were sold to the Washington Capitals. One thing that always haunted Torchia was his weight. Torchia had a bigger frame and it always seemed to be a stumbling block for him when it came to conditioning. Because of that, Torchia didn't get a back-up job for the 1995-96 season and would spend his season with five different teams, including being traded to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks-- though he would not suit up for the Ducks or the Caps in that season. Torchia would play with the Michigan K-Wings (1-0-0) and the Orlando Solar Bears (3-1-1) in the IHL, the Baltimore Bandits (2-1-1) and Portland Pirates (2-6-2) of the AHL, and the Hampton Roads Admirals (2-2-0) of the ECHL. Torchia still couldn't crack a NHL line-up in the 1996-97 season, making him play in the IHL with the Fort Wayne Komets going 20-31-3 on the season, while stepping in for a playoff game for the Baltimore Bandits. Torchia continued in the IHL for the 1997-98 season, playing for the Milwaukee Admirals for most of the season (13-14-1) and then moving to the San Antonio Dragons (0-2-0), with a stint in the ECHL with the Peoria Rivermen, going 4-1-0.

Torchia had no opportunities in North America in the 1998-99 season, so he moved to Europe, where he would head to Italy with HC Asiago, playing 43 games; but having an inflated GAA of over four goals a game. It was enough for the goalie to come back to North America to play first in the UHL in the 1999-2000 season with the Mohawk Valley Prowlers (8-9-4) and then with the Birmingham Bulls (4-10-0) of the ECHL. The highlight of the season for Torchia was that in October of 1999, he scored a goal on an empty-net; becoming one of the handful of goalies to do so.

Again without a North American gig, Torchia went back to Europe, this time to Britain, where he would suit up for the Sheffield Steelers. His numbers would get better, playing 23 games with a 2.06 GAA and .923 save percentage in the 2000-01 season. Torchia would stay in in Britain for the 2001-02 season, but this time with the Manchester Storm, with respectable numbers-- 2.82 GAA and .916 save percentage. Torchia would only play three games for the Storm in 2002-03, but spent most his time with the lower level Guildford Flames.

Torchia would return to North American in the 2003-04 season to play in the OHA Senior League with the Cambridge Hornets. In three seasons (through 2005-06), Torchia would go 14-11-1 before hanging up the skates for good. He now is the color commentator for Rogers TV's coverage of the Kitchener Rangers, as well as working for Hometown Hockey Training and Development.

While Torchia did have his glory, the conditioning side of things that is all so important in the game nowadays is what did him in. Though many would thing a bigger goalie would be the best way to go in order to get more wins, the ability to get a job would be a hard sell if you can't get side-to-side and match the speed of the game in front of you. Even so, Torchia does have all his personal accolades to look back on and set himself up for commentating his old team now.

Baltimore Hockey History: The Last Baltimore Hockey Team....For Now

Two years after the Skipjacks left for Portland, Maine; Bob Teck and Alan Gertner thought it would be time to bring some kind of hockey back to the area, because they had thought it was for the best. These two pump millions of dollars to get the Bandits off the ground. They also had the backing of the Disney Corporation, who designed the raccoon logo and jerseys that were worn on-ice (As an aside, anyone with a lead on where to get one of these jerseys-- let me know). With that kind of clout and the mentality that they would be able to provide a good atmosphere for the fans, there was a positive vibe for the team to come through the struggles and actually make Baltimore more than a hockey footnote.

The ideology was superb to start. Teck said that with over 30 area high schools having teams and kids playing in the streets, it was the right time in order to expand the landscape of popularity. The ownership team learned, also, from the mistakes of the past. An article done by current NFL Network contributer Jason LaCanfora about the new team showed what the Bandits team had learned from what the Skipjacks could not.

The Baltimore Bandits will market extensively and promote the sport. The Skipjacks did little in those areas to boost the team. Bob Leffler, whose ad agency handled the Skipjacks, now works for the Bandits. He said the new ownership is consumed with making hockey work.

"Gertec is putting together a massive marketing campaign," Leffler said. "They are dedicated to spending $1 million to advertising. The last time we had that kind of financial support was with the Blast [of the Major Indoor Soccer League] in the mid-'80s. They were drawing 11,000 fans a game then."

Bandits merchandise has been in stores since mid-July, the team already has begun advertising on Orioles radio broadcasts and it is negotiating with three local radio stations for broadcast rights. It will focus its campaign on television and billboard advertising in the coming months.

You could see that these guys were waiting for the money to start rolling in for this team. You have to spend money to make money, right?? Right??

In any case, there was a big buzz around the new team. The purple, silver, and black was ready to hit the ice and maybe erase the entire loss of the Skipjacks, even though the Jacks were beloved for the past decade. The Bandits had a backing from a major corporation and seemed to be primed to be a big success.

The first season on ice, there were ups and downs, but the fans seemed to turn out at the start. I, myself, along with Papa Stan Wazz were partial season ticket holders because it was a little bit closer than traveling to Landover to watch the Capitals play. The team had their finesse guys, but also the bruisers. The likes of Jeremy Stevenson and Peter Leboutillier had over 200 PIMs on the season, while Dwayne Norris, Mike Maneluk, Slava Butsayev, and Steven King were lighting up the score sheet. The likes of Darren Van Impe and J-F Jomphe were chartering between the AHL and NHL, as Denny Lambert became a folk hero as he moved down to Baltimore after his Anaheim dreams didn't pan out. Another folk hero was Mike O'Neill, who set an AHL record for playing 74 games in a season in the 1995-96 season.

While the Bandits finished with a 33-36-9 record and third in the Southern Division. They made the playoffs, although everyone but two teams made the playoffs. They were able to upset the Hershey Bears 3-games-to-2 in the first round and lost in seven games to the other underdog Syracuse Crunch, who finished last in their division. The on-ice product seemed to be there, but it's off-ice where things started to go horribly wrong.

Three-quarters through the season, the ownership trust of Teck and Gertner was in trouble. They had unpaid debt to a number of groups. The team owed their parent team, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, $500,000, as well; they owed the AHL $100,000 of the $1 million franchise fee. The duo of Teck and Gertner decided to hand over the team, not even out of their first year, to Mike Caggiano; a Northern Virginia businessman, who went to school in Baltimore and owned the Potomac Cannons baseball team to some success. Teck and Gertner made more bad decisions than good, but when it comes to an expansion team-- you have to make good decisions through and through; especially in an uneasy market. Caggiano gave his confidence that the team would stay in the city and would be on even ground after management and financial re-structuring.

The second season had as much turmoil on the ice as they were off the ice. On the ice, there was a coaching change as Walt Kyle was replaced with Moe Mantha as Kyle went to Anaheim. There were a lot of changes with the likes of O'Neill, Norris, Butsayev, and the other notable gone to other pastures. Craig Reichert, Mike LeClerc, and David Sacco held up the offense and they had five guys with over 20 goals on the season, including Bob Wren, Sean Pronger, and Igor Nikulin added with Reichert and LeClerc. The goaltending of Mike Bales and Tom Askey couldn't fulfill the workload that O'Neill had left, which led to struggles from the team. Even with all of that, the Bandits finished up with a 30-37-10 record, but lost in the first round as the Philadelphia Phantoms dominated the Bandits in a three-game sweep.

Things were much worse off the ice, as debt continued to pile-up. After the 1995-96 season, the Bandits were $1.6 million in debt, but it rose to $3.7 million after the 1996-97 season, including owing the AHL more than $500,000 in franchise costs, their billboard people over $30,000, the audio/visual team over $3,000, and their jersey people $5,000 for lettering the jerseys. Caggiano realized he was over his head and looked to sell the team. Some of the shareholders tried to stop any sale because they though insider debt would be recouped, but that didn't seem to be the case. The team was eventually sold to the owners of the Cincinnati Gardens and the team became the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. In the state-of-the-franchise report, Caggiano said that they did all they could in order to save the franchise.

Even more over, the Bandits were having issues with the schedule. They often were bumped by the owners of the building to give preference to the Baltimore Spirit indoor soccer team over any Bandits games that could take place. That brought the attendance and general interest down because of it. Caggiano went against the city council many times trying to lobby for a new arena for the team, as the Baltimore Arena lacked what a professional team needed. Caggiano also went as far as going to the AHL and trying to relocate the Bandits' playoff games to Hershey, Pennsylvania because of the Spirit locking up dates in the Baltimore Arena. It did not happen, but it was an interesting proposition. Of course, that left a bad taste in the mouth of the city council, thus support dwindled; which helped along the demise.

It only took two seasons for this team to go into the crapper and really was one of the first of the rotating teams the AHL had gone through. The Bandits were one of the many teams to not last long in their area and relocate-- along with the Kentucky Thoroughblades, Carolina Monarchs, PEI Senators, and Cornwall Aces to name a few. While there is still shuffling today, it's not as wide-spread it seems.

The ownership to start had a lot of promise for the team. They did all they could to make hockey a mainstay in the Baltimore landscape, but there could have been a lot of sidetracking with he Ravens coming into the NFL and the poorly processed marketing campaigns. While the sport on the grassroots level has become popular through time, the actual professional game has never and may never take off as it should or could in the Baltimore area. Especially with the popularity of the Capitals, the time could never be better for hockey in the area. Yet, with the lack of a new arena and support from outside interests-- the time-frame will close shut before anything tangible and realistically comes to be.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Dominic Roussel

While we all know these AGMs are tales of goalies who names are kept in the back of our mind for one reason or another, and this one is no different. That said, there's much more to this story than meets-the-eye, as it is a tale of family mistrust and could be listed as the start of the troubles with the Flyers' goaltending. This is the tale of Dominic Roussel.

Roussel didn't have a great beginning in Midget AAA, going 7-12-3 with the Lac St-Louis Lions in the 1986-87 season. Even with that, he moved into the QMJHL with the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs in the 1987-88 season, in a starting role, no less. With Trois-Rivieres, Roussel went 18-25-4 for his first season, which was good enough for him to get picked in the 3rd round of the 1988 Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. Roussel would start with Trois-Rivieres for the 1988-89 season. Roussel got traded to Shawinigan where he would go 24-15-2 with the Cataractes, in which Roussel also had a 6-4 record in the playoffs, as well. His next season with the Cataractes in 1989-90 saw Roussel's time dwindle for his younger counterpart Andre Boulianne. Roussel only got 37 games in, going 20-14-1 for the year.

Roussel would then turn pro, which is where some of his off-ice problems would come, unbeknownst to him; but more on that later. Roussel went to the Hershey Bears in the AHL to start off his pro career, where he was thrown into starting duties in the 1990-91 season. Roussel performed admirably with a 20-14-7 record in Hershey. For the 1991-92 season, Roussel split time between Hershey (15-11-6) and Philadelphia (7-8-2), paving the way for his eventual leap to the NHL. The 1992-93 season saw Roussel get a big role while in Philadelphia, as they had traded former starter Ron Hextall in the big Eric Lindros trade; but he has set-backs, injuring his groin twice during the season-- missing 14 games total. Roussel actually did get 34 games in playing with Philly, going 13-11-5, while he went 0-3-3 in his games down in Hershey to rehab his injury.

The 1993-94 season saw Roussel overtake former AGM Tommy Soderstrom for the starting position, which could be the cause of much bedlam when it comes to the Flyers' goaltending issues, switching year-in and year-out. Roussel got 60 games in that season and went 29-20-5 in his first test as starter for the Flyers. That derailed a little bit with the shortened 1994-95 season, which saw Ron Hextall come back and overtake Roussel's starting role, limiting Roussel to only 19 games; which he went 11-7-0.

However, after the season, Roussel's agent-- his father Andre-- got into his son's head and on the Flyers' nerves. Roussel's father was holding his son out of training camp in order to get a seven-figure deal; which was impossible, as they were paying starter Hextall $900k for the year. Rather than copy and paste the whole thing, the great Joe Pelletier has a great piece on the turmoil, but I'll leave an excerpt here:

Andre Roussel quickly quit his job with the intention of supporting himself, wife Pauline and other son Stephane, with the fees he would receive as Dominic's agent. However Dominic was certainly no superstar who commanded a 7-figure contract. It would be awfully hard for the three of them to support themselves on the 3-4% agents fee on Roussel's $400,000 contract.

While acting as an agent, Andre formed a company and obtained power of attorney and bought three pieces of property, two in Hull Quebec, and 1 in Montreal. Dominic was also shocked to learn that his parent were the beneficiaries of his life insurance policy, not his wife and kids.

I don't know what it was with the family issues in the mid-to-late 90s, but it seems like fantastic times for all involved, mostly involving the Flyers-- what with the two Lindros incidents and then this Roussel incident. This made the Flyers get Garth Snow via a trade, while Roussel was limited to press box duty. Once Roussel got rid of his father as an agent, he got some playing time in Philadelphia (2-3-2), Hershey (4-4-3), before eventually getting traded to the Winnipeg Jets (2-2-0) for former AGM Tim Cheveldae.

That following summer, Roussel signed back with the Flyers, but he would be with Philadelphia's other team-- the AHL's Phantoms-- for the 1996-97 season. With the Phantoms, Roussel went 18-9-3 backing up Neil Little for the year. Roussel would go international for the 1997-98 season, playing two games for the Rosenheim Star Bulls (0-2-0) of the German League before playing with the Canadian National Team. With the national team, Roussel got in 41 games going 25-12-1 in an attempt to regain his confidence and his good name with NHL teams.

Roussel would get a new life with his rights and Jeff Staples being traded from Philly to the Nashville Predators for a seventh round pick in the summer of 1998. Roussel had a good training camp with the Predators, but would never play a game-- as he was traded to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for Marc Moro and Chris Mason. With Guy Hebert being the man in Anaheim, Roussel was relegated to back-up duty in a scarce role, only getting 18 games in for that 1998-99 season, going 4-5-4. He got more time in 1999-2000, with 20 games under his belt and a slightly better record of 6-5-4, while his 2000-01 season was his worse campaign, going 2-5-2 in 13 games in Anaheim before being put on waivers and claimed by the Edmonton Oilers. Roussel would play eight games with Edmonton, going 1-4-0.

With a less than stellar NHL results, Roussel wasn't offered a NHL contract for the 2001-02 season, so he ventured the Quebec Semi Pro League with the Lasalle Rapides, playing in five games and going 5-5-1. After that season, Roussel went to Germany to play for the Frankfurt Lions in 2002-03. Roussel played 38 games, while posting a .907 save percentage, even with an inflated 3.01 GAA for the Lions. Roussel retired after the 2002-03 season and currently runs his own private goaltending school.

While he does have his financial well-being under control and his creditability back in tact, it shows how having too much trust is something that could be detrimental, even if it is your family. Roussel could never get much of a showing in the NHL, aside from those couple of seasons in the early 90s; and even then he couldn't make a big appeal for the Flyers or any team. With his coaching, maybe he can push along the next wave of goalies and maybe not have them end up on this AGM list.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Mikhail Shtalenkov

In honor of the Russian team being one of the biggest countries to announce their Olympic rosters, we'll profile a former member of the gold medal roster for the Unified Team in 1992 (six of the 15 former Soviet countries) and silver medal in 1998 in Nagano. While he held his own internationally, he could never crack stardom in net coming to North America. We give you this week's AGM, Mikhail Shtalenkov.

Shtalenkov started off his career in 1986-87 with Dynamo Moscow over in the Soviet Union, playing the first six seasons with the powerhouse of Russian hockey. Shtalenkov was splitting time with Vladimir Myshkin until the 1988-89 season when Myshkin got more time due to his excelling play, while in the 1989-90 season, Shtalenkov was behind Myshkin and Andrei Karpin. However, but the 1990-91 season, Myshkin had departed and Shtalenkov had regain the trust of the Dynamo team, surpassing Karpin and getting starting gigs. Yet, things came to a change both for Shatalenkov's career, and the landscape of Russian life.

By 1991, the Soviet Union started to crumble and before the end of the year, would be disestablished. Shtalenkov would be getting plenty of time with Dynamo and getting enough exposure to actually get the call for the Unified Team for the 1992 Olympics, getting all of the starts for the team. The team itself consisted of members of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Armenia for the team, but most of them still played within the Russian hockey realm. During the qualifying round, the Unified team only lost to Czechoslovakia, but it would be their only defeat in the tournament. During the medal rounds, the Unified Team knocked off the Finns, the US, and then Canada team on way to the Gold Medal. Shtalenkov only allowed 12 goals in his eight games played and got plenty of exposure by the NHL scouts.

The Olympics were a springboard for Shtalenkov, who went from Dynamo to the Milwaukee Admirals of the IHL for the 1992-93 season. Shtalenkov continued his stellar play, posting a remarkable rookie year and a 26-14-5 record, garnering the Garry F. Longman Trophy for the IHL's Rookie of the Year. With Shtalenkov's stock on the rise, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim decided to draft the now 28-year-old Shtalenkov in the fifth round of the 1993 Entry Draft.

Despite a few call-ups, Shtalenkov spent most of the 1993-94 season with the San Diego Gulls of the IHL, playing in 28 games and posting up a 15-11-2 record. For his 10 games with the Ducks, he had 3-4-1 record with a decent 2.65 GAA in those games. The 1994-95 season was shortened, but Shtalenkov was up for the entire season, putting up a 4-7-1 record in 18 appearances. Success continued to allude Shtalenkov with Anaheim, as he would continue his struggles in the 1995-96 season, despite getting more time in net, he would only put up a 7-16-3 record, though his 3.12 GAA wasn't the best, but could have been worse. Shtalenkov would see less games for the next season, but a respectable record of 7-8-1 and a 2.89 GAA and .904 save percentage. Shtalenkov would get some playoff time in the 1997 playoffs, losing three of the four games he was in, twice replacing Guy Hebert; getting the last two starts of the series. Thanks to his performance in the playoffs, Shtalenkov would get split time with Hebert, seeing 40 games for the season and going 13-18-5 for the 1997-98 season. One of those wins was the first regular season game outside of North America as the Ducks beat the Canucks 3-2 in Toyko. He would also get a call from the Russian Olympic team, this time getting a Silver Medal after going 4-1-0 in his five games played.

During the off-season of the 1998, Shtalenkov was left unprotected in the Expansion Draft and was selected by the Nashville Predators. However, he would never play a game in Nashville, as Shtalenkov and Jim Dowd was traded to Edmonton for Eric Fichaud, Greg de Vries and Drake Berehowsky.

Shtalenkov would get a good amount of time with Bob Essensa in Edmonton, splitting time. In the 34 games with Edmonton, Shtalenkov would go 12-17-3; but he would get dealt to Phoenix at the trade deadline for a Draft Pick. In only four games, Shtalenkov would go 1-2-1 and with both teams, Shtalenkov would have 2.62 GAA. Shtalenkov would get more time in the 1999-2000 season, with Nikolai Khabibulin holding out for Phoenix. Shtalenkov made the most of his starting time going 7-6-2, though four of his losses came in his last four games with Phoenix.

I say last four games because with Trevor Kidd going down to injury, the Coyotes dealt Shtalenkov and a draft pick to the Florida Panthers for Sean Burke and a draft pick. Shtalenkov's tenure in Florida would only last the rest of the season, as he played 15 games for the Panthers, as they traded for Mike Vernon. Shtalenkov would go 8-4-2 in his 15 games with a fantastic 2.31 GAA and .908 save percentage. It couldn't get him a job for the 2000-01 season, so Shtalenkov would go back to Russia and play with his former club, Dynamo Moscow. Shtalenkov played two seasons with Dynamo, 25 games in the 2000-01 season with a 1.95 GAA and 28 games in 2001-02 with a 2.02 GAA. Shtalenkov would retire after the 2001-02 season.

While his international play and Russian league play was fantastic-- it never translated to success in the NHL. Whether it was due to lack of good talent surrounding him or just not being able to pick up the North American game, Shtalenkov did what he could. At least he has the medals from the Olympics to talk for him should anyone question his prowess in net.