Welcome to the New Guy

Welcome to the team, Paul McIlveen. The Grizzlies acquired him today from the Cincinnati Cyclones, completing and earlier trade. Sounds like he brings a lot of experience, especially in the play off circuit. He joins the team just in time to start an intense March, at least when compared to February. The Grizz will play double the games: 14 in 27 nights compared to 7 in 26.

Tomorrow at Chili's is Grizzlies Live. Ryley Grantham and Josh Meyers are the chosen players for this round (makes sense since they are the newbies). They each had one point in Saturday's game. You can join them, or listen on 1230 KFAN-2. Points to anyone who is creative and can put a rhyme in there somewhere.

Here is Monday night's tear-jerker story about a little boy and a jersey. It is nice to know that good people are everywhere. (Story and jersey kind of rhyme, more of an off rhyme)

Monday News: It snowed in Utah

Captain Jake Gannon was "loaned" to Peoria of the AHL today. No mention why on either team's site.

Our current standing: 2nd in the conference to Las Vegas. We're only 2 points behind, so if Vegas loses tomorrow and the Grizz win at Vegas on Thursday it's tied! Or we might be ahead because we'll have won more games, but have the same number of points. I always get confused on the standings when things like that happen. Either way, Go Grizzlies!

Tomorrow you can listen or attend the "Grizzlies Live" from Chili's.

Here is to planning ahead: the next home game won't be until February 15th, and it's crazy busy hockey after that--4 games in 5 nights. 3 of those games are promotion nights. You can do anything from getting 2 for 1 tickets, donating food, or taking your dog to a hockey game. Do dogs enjoy hockey? All the pooches and their human handlers will be in one area, lucky for those of us not taking a dog and who don't want to worry about any unpleasant surprises. A pleasant surprise would be the Grizz winning all the games!

Random Grizz alum now in the NHL mention (hmm...maybe I need to come up with a better title than that): Andrew MacDonald took a 10 minute misconduct penalty during the New York Islanders' game against the Ottawa Senators February 5, 2011.

Grizzlies Live - There's more than one stoplight in Gig Harbor

'Tis the season for procrastination! But we're finally getting this up.

Denny was joined by Riley Emmerson and Kevin Deeth for Grizzlies Live on Tuesday.


On Tuesday, the boys stated that they haven't shown anyone that they could play at home. But a couple of games later, they've definitely started to improve on their home record. In discussing the home record, Deeth stated "Anytime you can pick up wins on the road, it builds momentum for the rest of the season." And we feel that's what has finally started happening on home ice.

Adrian and the boys discussed both Stockton and Ontario. Denny asked Kevin Deeth what it was like on the ice during the Stockton game as it seemed like a bit of a riot situation from the press box. Deeth summed it up adequately, "[It was] kind of a circus with the Hunt brothers running around trying to rip your head off. But I just tried to ignore it and play."

Adrian then asked Emmerson his opinion on the Stockton team, who he played with last season. Riley related that he grew up with the Hunt brothers and they were good guys off the ice, but completely different when they laced up the skates. "I remember one game we were playing and Garrett was just screaming at the top of his lungs, trying to get someone to fight him. I skated over to him and said, 'Garrett, play hockey.'"

Denny made the comparison between fan bases and their teams; Utah's fans come late, it takes them a while to get into it, and they don't get stressed until the 3rd period or 4th quarter, which parallels the way the teams play. In making the comparison to Stockton, Adrian stated "It seems like both the team and the fans are still trying to learn hockey and are more into the physical side of play." Riley piped up with a chuckle, "I don't know anyone in Stockton is actually trying to learn it."

Adrian turned to asking the boys about their hometowns, Riley about Abbotsford (but he was born in Burnaby - shout out to RW!) and Kevin about Gig Harbor. Denny quizzed Deeth about a local teen from Gig Harbor who'd stolen a plane recently. Kevin responded, "Well, I don't know everybody and there's more than one stoplight . . ." We laughed.

The boys and Adrian also discussed Kevin Colley and the impact he has on the team. Emmerson relayed, "[Colley] is a very smart coach that relates to the players and how they react just because he used to play and he knows what it's like."

The show ended with another round of ADD: the Game Show which was backed by Atari music . . . Really, that's all we remembered about it - the Atari music.

Next broadcast of Grizzlies Live is January 11 at 7:00pm.

Grizzlies Live: Mendelson is not much help with the right wing.

This week on Grizzlies Live, Adrian Denny was joined by Leigh Mendelson, Brent Gauvreau, and Tim Crowder.

The show aired on 860AM this week, which Denny stated to air conservative, right wing programs. Mendelson piped in with, "Well, I played goaltender, so I don't know how much help I'll be with the right wing." Clever.

Denny and Mendelson discussed the presence of Riley Emmerson on the bench Saturday, both agreeing that it made a difference in the Grizzlies' play. As Riley is a vocal and positive guy, Leigh believed it helped the boys to have encouragement from another player in addition to the coaches.

Discussing the upcoming road games, Mendelson cited needed improvement on the forecheck and not allowing the opposing team out of their own zone. He also characterized Ontario as a dangerous opponent due to the desperation of the hockey club, and commented on Stockton's coaching being a major hindrance to the Grizzlies.

Mendelson then turned to the players, expressing confidence in Igor Gongalsky as a good addition to the team who would bring size, strength and experience as a left winger. The assistant coach also cited Gauvreau for his leadership and professionalism on the bench, and touted Tim Crowder as a player who gets his job done all the time.

Tim Crowder and Brent Gauvreau discussed the recent upheaval of the team dynamics, with Tim stating his "linemates are dropping like flies." Tim discussed Paul's recovery which was frustrating, but his older brother was trying to get back on track. Gauvreau agreed with the frustration of injury. Brent found his lower body injury particularly difficult as he was unable to skate or do other training exercises.

With the injuries and callups, Tim was definitely feeling some pressure of his role: "The team is looking to me to put pucks in the net." And so far, Tim's been doing a pretty decent job of this, including contributions on every goal in Friday's game.

Gauvreau also put in his two cents about players traveling to work in Europe, stating it was great experience but warned players to do their research before signing overseas. And as a somewhat related aside, we learned that Tim Crowder has not been to Europe, and Brent Gauvreau has not been to Victoria.

The boys ended the night with some trivia, playing ADD: the Game Show and doing quite well at it.

Next week, Brent picked Riley Emmerson, Brett Parnham, and Kevin Deeth as the Grizzlies Live guests, so we look forward to hearing from them.

Good luck on the road, Grizzlies!

Grizzlies Live - And the answer is . . . True

This week Denny was joined by Assistant Coach Leigh Mendelson, Brock Wilson, and Andrew Engelage for Grizzlies Live.

We learned that Colley likes to look at the Grizzlies at the top of the league standings almost as much as we do. It's awesome to see your team high in the standings, but Mendelson put this in perspective: "By yourself you can look at the standings and smile, but as a team you need to keep a clear mindset each night." We liked that.

Mendelson also addressed the Grizzlies winning road trip, where the boys went 4-0 over the Thanksgiving weekend. He commented on Emmerson's positive influence on the bench, even when Riley is playing grocery stick. Talk also included Brett Parnham and his spectacular week; Brett took full advantage of his top line opportunity to make a big impression in the league.

Denny then turned attention to Brock Wilson's goal. Brock expressed his surprise that he got that goal, since he was trying to center the puck for Parnham. "When Parnham skated over to me after the goal, he let me know it was mine," Wilson said. "I could have sworn he'd gotten it." Andy piped in with his two cents, joking "I think it was just a poor centering attempt that ended up in the net."

Brock also discussed his confidence in the Grizzlies goalies, JP and Andy, as well as his summer work with youth hockey groups. He also shared that his Thanksgiving dinner was from the 7-11. Tasty.

Engelage discussed his roll with Reading in the playoffs last season, along with playing with former Grizzlies Olivier LaBelle and Ryan Cruthers. When asked what he thought of the Royals coming from behind 3-0 to tie the series and lose in Game 7, Andy responded that he felt it was a lack of mental preparation: "I think some of the guys went into the series expecting that we'd win at least one. And you can't really do that and expect to get the win."

Denny and the boys ended the evening with a quiz of Bakersfield or West Valley City, since they've spent more time in Bakersfield than on home ice. Our favorite part? Denny asked the question "The movie The Sandlot was filmed near West Valley City or Bakersfield?" Andrew, missing the Bakersfield option, answered with a confident "True." After a pause, Brock responded with a confused "West Valley City." This is why a goalie needs his defensemen. (Kidding . . .)

Yeah, that's about the face we made too, Squints.

Next Grizzlies Live airs December 7, at 7pm on 1230AM.

Grizzlies Live - Hell yes, we listened!

Yep, we tuned in to Grizzlies Live last night. Good times!

Denny was joined by Matt Clarke, Marcus Carroll, and Matt Sorteberg for the hour show. The broadcaster and the boys discussed the upcoming series against Alaska, Marcus Carroll's linemate Donovan, and the different styles of their netminders Engelage and Lamoureux. We've picked out some random highlights to comment on.

Matt Clarke is vying for Chief Nicknamer. Clarke admitted one of his past times was trying to make different nicknames stick for the boys. His current goal is to get Marcus Carroll dubbed "Baby Marcus," and apparently he had a "good one" for Sorteberg last season, which Sorty pretended not to remember. (Can't blame you, Sorty.) But as nicknames come and go, we're sure Clarke will have his work cut out for him.

Denny and the boys went over the league as well commenting on Condor Tordjman's suspension, and former Grizzly Vandermeer's psychotic moments during a game against Las Vegas. We've commented on these already in previous posts, so we won't go into detail here. Denny, however, was excited to ask the Wrangler's head coach how Vegas managed to NOT score on a 10 minute power play. Ouch . . .

The talk of hullabaloo around the league eventually gravitated toward the professionalism of the Grizzlies, prompting Clarke to state that he believed in the addage: "Look good, feel good, play good" and admitting he liked how he looked in a suit, so the dress code was okay by him. We actually can't believe we don't have a picture of Clarke in a suit, but look at that pose!


They ended by quizzing Sorteberg in which we learned that Sorty did a promo for recycling that they still show in Idaho, Matt estimated Denny as commentating 800 games (it's only 400), and that the Grizzlies' bus driver's name is Paul. Marcus Carroll for the assist on the last question!

Next Grizzlies Live broadcast is on November 30 at 7pm.

3 of 4, and Other News

The Grizzlies had a great opening weekend, getting 3 out of 4 points in Alaska Friday and Saturday. Go Grizzlies!

Be sure to tune in to 1230 AM tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 7:00 for the first edition of Grizzlies Live. Fans are being encouraged to attend and participate, so if you can, head on out to the Ramada at the airport. They will be giving away prizes... and appetizers. You won't hear us complaining about free food.

ECHL.com has a brief spotlight on Coach Kevin Colley.

Don't forget to cast your vote for the ECHL All-Decade Team.

GrizzBlog welcomes two new bloggers this season. Hello Collette and Stephanie!