Feb. 28, 2008
The trade deadline has come and gone and unlike last year’s hoopla surrounding Peter Forsberg, Nashville flew quietly under the radar as a flurry of other NHL teams scrambled to make last minute deals before the clock ticked to 5 p.m. Hope you were able to tune into this week’s episode of Admirals Center Ice, where Cliff, Aaron Sims and myself speculated about what moves might be made and how those trades would affect the Milwaukee Admirals. Some of our AHL team opponents will feel the heat from parent club trades, such as the Chicago Wolves who said "so long" to the Windy City to hit the ice with the NHL's Washington Capitals. For more information on what trades were made before the looming deadline, check out: http://www.nhl.com/deadline/2008/completed_deals.html.And now let's chat about Rockford... I'd like a name and number for the person who slated the Ads and Hogs to meet 4 times in a matter of 2 weeks. Did the AHL think that heavy hitters like Kris Vertseeg, Ryan Stokes, Alex Henry, Nolan Yonkman and Kelsey Wilson were going to sit on their hands and play a few friendly games of hockey? As I am writing this blog, a fight between Kelsey Wilson and Bryan Bickell already broke out. Speaking of Kelsey Wilson, we had a chance to talk to him on Center Ice, and after Cliff stopped drooling over Wilson’s girlfriend, we were able to talk about the Admirals/Rockford series. It will be interesting to see how tonight’s game turns out... and no matter what the final score is, I am sure we'll have something interesting to talk about during next Monday’s live broadcast of Center Ice at GameTime Pub across from the Bradley Center.
Hope to see you all at GameTime on Monday! We'll be giving away Admirals tickets and an autographed stick from one of your Milwaukee Admirals! WSSP will be on hand giving out T-shirts as well! For more information, check out our myspace page at: www.myspace.com/admiralscenterice!
Thanks for supporting Admirals Center Ice, GO ADMIRALS!
-Stephanie
February 15, 2008
Hello Hockey Fans!Before I recap the last few weeks of Center Ice, I just want to say thanks to all the fans for their birthday wishes at Thursday night’s game! Jeez, 24 years old… that’s a whole lot of Admirals hockey! I’ve been watching the Admirals since before I can remember; it was always something that I did with my family. But it wasn’t until the 1994-1995 season that I started watching the game with a more critical eye and started following individual players and stats. My favorite player was Gino Cavallini, he’s the guy that really got me into the sport. Since then, I’ve played the sport and coached for several years. I still remember watching him, and it sure doesn’t feel like it’s been 13 years! How the game has changed since then! Former Ads play-by-play man Kyle Schultz always talked about “Old Time Hockey”, and let me tell you, the old IHL was the epitome of that phrase! It’s been fun growing up with the team and seeing it evolve into the successful NHL farm-club it has become!
Okay, okay, enough walking down memory lane, let’s get on with the show (or at least the recap of it!). We’re you able to join us down at Gametime Pub Monday? We had a nice turn out, and the fans were loud! We had Kevin Ulanski and Matt Ellison on hand talking to us about this year’s team. I was excited to talk to Ellison; he’s really stepped it up in the past month or so, and will be a critical part of our rally to make the playoffs. He plays a solid game, and is not afraid to step up to an opponent if he feels a teammate was wronged. Matt has an incredibly strong presence on the ice, so I was quite surprised when I met him and realized that he’s a really soft spoken guy! All in all, we had two great interviews and had a lot of fun at our remote live broadcast!
Remember, you can reach us here at Center Ice by emailing us at centerice@sportsradio1250.com or visiting our myspace page at www.myspace.com/admiralscenterice. Thanks for supporting the show!
-Stephanie
January 12, 2008
Here we are hockey fans, the first Center Ice blog of 2008! It sure doesn’t feel like we are approaching the midway point of the season. Feels like only yesterday that I was sitting at the Mullet Center (no folks, that is not a lame excuse at a hockey pun, it really is the name of the rink) with my backside frozen to the metal bleachers, getting my first glimpse of the 2007-2008 roster. It sure doesn’t feel like January already.Here at Center Ice, we decided that with the New Year here, it was time for a new format. Monday night debuted the new show, which now puts more emphasis on fan interaction. This is your show Admirals fans! Don’t worry, we’ll still catch up with the coaches and players and you’ll still get the first look at our Palermo’s picks. But, we want to hear from you! Cliff and I will now be posing a weekly question to the audience, and we want to get your take on it!
Growing up I was a huge Pittsburgh Penguins fan because I loved watching Mario Lemiuex and Jaromir Jagr on the ice. But when Milwaukee began their affiliation with Nashville during the 1998-1999 season, I found myself following the Predators with a closer eye, especially as you started to see former Admirals players earning a spot on the parent club’s bench. To this day, I love watching Jordin Tootoo drive someone into the boards and seeing Alex Radulov’s wicked slap shot whiz pass the heads of unsuspecting goaltenders. Players like Shea Weber, Dan Hamhuis, and Jerred Smithson all spent time here at the Bradley Center, and it has been a real treat seeing them make an impact in the NHL. Milwaukee should be very proud of the talent they’ve produced since the affiliation started, and for me, it has been a blast to watch!
Remember to tune into Center Ice each and every Monday at 6:00pm on 1250 WSSP and let your voice be heard! You can email us anytime at centerice@sportsradio1250.com or call during the show at 799-1250 or 866-999-1250. Either way, we’d love to hear from you!
Make sure to visit the new Center Ice MySpace page as well! You can find it at www.myspace.com/admiralscenterice. There, you will find pictures of us at the studio and at GameTime for our remote live broadcasts, the dates of our GameTime appearances, upcoming guests and topics, as well as my weekly blog! You can also message Cliff and I on our MySpace page with your thoughts on weekly question!
Until next Monday, take care and go Admirals!
-Stephanie
December 10, 2007
All right, so they had a bad road trip, too much turkey perhaps? Nonetheless, Admirals Center Ice packed another punch this week when host Cliff Saunders and Wojo broadcasted live from Blain’s Farm and Fleet in Oak Creek for the 2007 Children’s Hospital Toy Drive. Thanks to all the fans who came down and donated to the cause!The show had a superb lineup this week, featuring guests Aaron Sims, Nashville Predators D-man Kevin Klein (no, not the actor as Cliff said) and #16 Cal O’Reilly. Cliff commented on the amount of O’Reilly jerseys he sees at the games, crowning Cal “the player all the girls go ga-ga for” (something tells me ol’ Cal was blushing at that point!).
Remember to mark your calendars, grab a group of friends, and head down to Gametime pub for our second live broadcast of Center Ice next Monday from 6-7pm. We had a nice turn out last month, so let’s pack the pub again Monday night! And remember to come out to the Bradley Center Sunday afternoon to welcome back our team as they take on the Grand Rapids Griffins at 4pm. Hope to see you at the game and at the broadcast!
Have a great weekend hockey fans!
-Stephanie
November 15, 2007
Hey there hockey fans!
Hope you were able to join special guest Mike Woj and myself on this week’s edition of Center Ice! We had an impressive line-up of guests, including head coach Lane Lambert, Admirals play-by-play man Aaron Sims, and Admirals forward Oliver Setzinger. As always, Lane and Aaron had quite a few positive comments for the team, especially the rookies. We’re a solid month and a half into the season and the rookies have made quite an impression on the coaching staff and fans alike. The European players also got rave reviews from our two guests. Speaking of European players boasting the “wow” factor, we got a chance to talk with Admirals center, Oliver Setzinger.
I have the privilege of interviewing great guests on Center Ice, but I must say that the Oliver Setzinger interview was one of the most touching to date. Each question we asked was followed up with a great story. We’ve seen Oliver’s name on the
That about wraps it up for the November 12th edition of Center Ice, hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! But don’t just sit there and listen… participate! We take phone calls throughout the entire show, so call us at the studio at 866-799-1250 or email us centerice@sportsradio1250.com. You can email us all week and we’ll address your questions and comments on the show.
Thanks for tuning in, talk to you next week! Stephanie
November 6th, 2007
Hey there hockey fans! Another week, another edition of Milwaukee Admirals Center Ice! Hope you were all able to tune into last week’s show, because it was a special pre-game edition leading up to the 7:00pm puck drop at the Wells Fargo Arena, as the Admirals took on the Iowa Stars. Normally we have a coach and player on the show to bring us up to speed on what’s happening on the ice, but since it was a game day, we had a chance to speak with Admiral’s play-by-play announcer Aaron Sims. Aaron always has an interesting perspective on the game, since he is our eyes and ears while the team is on the road. From our conversation, I could sense Sims’ excitement about this year’s team. Each year we see somewhat of a turnover in the roster. Sometimes players move up to the NHL, and sometimes players switch systems or even leagues. Although movements such as these are common in the minor league system, I can’t recall a time where we had so many new faces on the bench. Of course, we have the returning players such as Alex Henry (our newly named captain), Rich Peverley, and Cal O’Reilly. Also donning an Admirals uniform are some NHL vets, such as Matt Ellison and Josh Langfield. And of course, who can deny the strong European presence of newcomers such as Antti Pihlstrom, Oliver Setzinger, and Janne Niskala. New faces aren’t only on the bench, but also behind the bench. Lane Lambert and Brad Lauer take over the helm and proved thus far that the Admirals are a strong contender for hockey in June.Normally I like to break down our interviews so that folks that missed the show don’t have to miss the great guests we had on. Since we were unable to have a player or coach on the show due to the Iowa game, I’d like to take a couple minutes to candidly discuss the things that have impressed me thus far this season. Since Charlie Larson probably wouldn’t appreciate the full (and quite long) list of things I like about this team, I’ll limit it to the top 3 things I like about this year’s squad:
3) Goaltending: Admirals fans were pleasantly surprised to see fan-favorite Pekka Rinne return to Milwaukee for a 3rd straight year just before the season started. Although Pekka is in Milwaukee now, he is extremely talented and fans better get there Pekka fix before he is sent back to Nashville on a one-way ticket. To back him up this year, Milwaukee acquired former Hershey Bears netminder Maxime Daigneault. Since Milwaukee normally doesn’t face teams in the Eastern Conference, most Admirals fans may not be familiar with the youngster. He had an impressive career with Hershey, going 23-6 in 33 games. As a fan, you hate to hold your breath when the backup goaltender starts a game, but with these 2 on the roster, I’m always confident in a win.
2) Cal O’Reilly: Every game, I bring my trusty clipboard and make notes. I jot down things I like, things I don’t like… you get my drift. No matter who we play, no matter how the game turns out, I always have CAL O’REILLY written in capital letters with a star next to his name. Cal came out of the Ontario Hockey League at the tail end of the 2005-06 season. I knew he was a highly skilled player after reading up on his career in the juniors, but he struck me as a shy and timid player. Last season, he kicked it up a notch, ending the season with an impressive 18 goals and 47 assists. This season, however, he looks like a completely different player. He is playing at a whole different level, and when he is on the ice, smart plays are made and goals are scored that sometimes, I need to see a replay to believe. Some of the goals scored this season on his passes should be featured on Sportscenter’s Top Ten plays of the Week, because they are just that good. He’s like a quiet storm, sneaking up on opponents without much fanfare but getting the job done with more style and more pizzazz than I’ve seen in a long time.
1) Prospects from across the pond: Sure we’ve had European players on the team in the past, but this year, we almost needed our own airbus to bring them over the Atlantic because there were so many! All right, so that may be pushing it, but the Admirals saw a lot of new faces in the form of European Predators prospects. Players from Germany to Sweden, from Finland to Slovakia (oh, and don’t forget about Austria), the Admirals are playing a whole new style of hockey. Players like Richard Stehlik and Andreas Thuresson were stars in their previous league, oh yeah, and for your information, Alexander Sulzer was a member of the 2006 German Olympic hockey team. How’s that for a superstar in the making? Europe plays a little bit different style of hockey, but that style of hockey seems to meshing quite well with Admirals players and Admirals fans alike.
-Stephanie
October 23rd, 2007
Another week, another edition of Center Ice! We had a great time down at the studio, that’s for sure. We were all still buzzing about the great weekend series against Iowa (doesn’t hurt that we had some great interviews as well!). It amazes me that we are 2 for 2 against the Stars this year, compared to last year when it took the entire season to get that single win against them at the end of March.Not only were Matt and I impressed, but assistant coach Brad Lauer also had some positive words about the team’s performance. In our first interview with Brad, we discussed some of the key components to this weekends big wins. Sounds like the players are really starting to gel and gain confidence in their skills. The forwards are setting up brilliant plays, the defense is doing a great job holding the blue line, and Pekka…well…he’s being Pekka…brilliant as ever.
Our second interview was with Predators Assistant General Manager, Paul Fenton. He really was a pleasure to interview, because he’s been an instrumental part of key acquisitions in the NHL. Can you say Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne? He is also in charge of overseeing the incoming talent to the Nashville organization (feel free to send him a thank you note for Alexander Radulov). Paul isn’t the only Fenton with ties to the NHL, his son P.J. was drafted to the San Jose Sharks in 2005 (which, oddly enough, is the same team Fenton ended his NHL career with in 1992). P.J. is in his final year at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, but don’t be surprised if you see the name “Fenton” on the back of a Sharks jersey any time soon.
Our final sets of interviews were with Admirals #7 Ryan Maki and Admirals President Jon Greenberg. Of course, I had to bring up Ryan’s Harvard degree at the beginning of the interview (not many people answer Matt’s “what would you do if you weren’t a hockey player” question with “financial advisor!). Ryan seems to be enjoying his time here in Milwaukee thus far, and by the looks of it, he is going to have an impressive career in the organization. Jon Greenberg then joined us briefly with an update on upcoming promotions.
Speaking of which, hope to see you all at Wednesday night’s game against Quad Cities. Breast cancer survivor Deanna Favre is going to be at the game signing copies of her book “Don’t Bet Against Me”, as well as Brady Bunch star Christopher Knight. Mark your calendar, program your PDA or stick a post-it on your computer screen that next week, a special edition of Admirals Center Ice will be airing at 6pm on Tuesday. Stay tuned after the show to root your Ads on as they head back to Iowa for rematch against the Stars.
Have a great week everyone, see you at the game!
October 4, 2007
All right fans, dust off those foam fingers and warm up your vocal cords! We are just days away from the opening of the 2007-2008 Milwaukee Admirals season, folks. After a long summer of lemonade and sunburn, I hope you can remember all the words to crowd-pleasing chants such as “a rope, a tree, hang the referee”. You may have spent the summer soaking up the sun at
Admiral’s fans caught a glimpse of the new roster during the 2 home preseason games held last week. Young Nashville prospects Cody Franson, Mike Santorelli, Antti Pihlstrom, and Andreas Thuersson (just to name a few) made their debut in Admirals uniforms during the 2 contests and really gave fans something to cheer about! Up in the stands, it was unanimous that fans were impressed what they saw from the young players. Turns out not only the fans were excited about the prospects, new head coach Lane Lambert and Admirals play-by-play announcer Aaron Sims both are anticipating another successful Admirals season.
On Monday nights “Center Ice” show, we had a chance to talk to both Coach Lambert and Sims about there thoughts on how training camp and preseason went. Both were excited about the new members of the team, but also commented on the strength of returning players such as Kelsey Wilson and Rich Peverley. Speaking of Rich Pevereley, it was a real treat to have him on Monday night’s show. I’ve always admired him because I think he is a true testament as to how hard work in the minor leagues will earn you a spot on a NHL bench. He played 4 successful seasons at St. Lawerence University, and then entered the minor leagues undrafted. He then went on to play in the ECHL for the South Carolina Stingrays and the Reading Royals of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). For those of you who don’t bury your nose in minor league hockey stats like myself, the ECHL is a league below the AHL (or 2 leagues below the NHL). After just 11 games with
Fall is notorious for being “back to school” time, so why not end my first Center Ice blog with a math equation. What do you get when you add talented new prospects plus solid veteran players? I’m pretty sure that equals a pretty darn good chance of hoisting the Calder Cup come June.
Here’s to another great season of Admirals hockey!
-Stephanie Muraro
