From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Friday, June 24, 2005
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

The calendar officially flipped to summer this week, although in Houston it’s been over 90 for 24 consecutive days. That means it’s time for “SummerScribes”, aeros.com’s every-other-Friday look around the hockey world. Keep reading for news, trivia (with a great prize) and e-mails.

One vacancy filled, another one coming?

This morning, the AHL’s Toronto Marlies named former Hartford/Carolina coach Paul Maurice as their head coach for the inaugural season in Ontario. The Marlies played as the Maple Leafs in St. John’s for the last 14 seasons.

Maurice will replace Doug Shedden, whose contract was not renewed. Shedden has already landed in Finland.

It seems a great hire for all involved. Maurice did a lot with what was given to him in Carolina, leading a team with a .555 winning percentage to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002. Ironically, the Hurricanes beat the Maple Leafs for the Eastern Conference crown. And since it’s been rumored that the new Marlies head coach was going to be selected with an eye on him eventually taking over for Pat Quinn in Toronto, it’s a super move for Maurice as well.

Maurice jumped right from juniors to the NHL at age 28, and was the longest tenured head coach in the league when fired in December 2003.

An opening appears imminent in Norfolk, meanwhile, as new Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon has labeled the Admirals’ Trent Yawney as a frontrunner for his team’s vacant head coaching position.

Yawney, a junior teammate of Aeros head coach Todd McLellan who also played in Chicago for parts of six seasons and was an assistant for one campaign, has made the playoffs in all five seasons in Norfolk. Working without an assistant coach, Yawney has developed many of the Hawks promising young players like Tyler Arnason.

There are still vacancies in Bridgeport (Greg Cronin went to Northeastern, and assistant Dave Baseggio, a former Aero, has several players’ votes for the job), Hartford (didn’t renew Ryan McGill’s contract), Hershey (new affiliation with Washington, and Tim Army, who coached the Caps’ prospects in Portland last year, has gone to Providence College), Manchester (Bruce Boudreau surprisingly fired due to lack of playoff success), Omaha (Calgary’s first season in quite some time with its own team) and Portland (with the new affiliation with the Ducks, Brad Shaw is in the running, but he’s said he’d like a job in the NHL).

Strike Force tryouts tonight

Tryouts for Strike Force, the Aeros’ entertainment team, are tonight at 7 p.m. at Kicks Indoor at 611 Shepherd Drive. It’s not too late to sign up! Registration begins at 6.

All members must hold a full-time job or be a full-time student. You must be at least 18, today. NO EXCEPTIONS.

HAC already looking forward to the fall

The Aeros Charities department is going for major wins this season by hosting benefits to raise money for various charities. The first will be a Roarin’ 20’s Poker night in early October. If poker isn’t your game, join us for our Fall Golf Tournament to be held in November. Our players will trade in their hockey sticks for golf clubs to benefit our local children in need.

If you would like to attend either event or make a monetary donation, please contact Pam Rosebrook at 713.974.PUCK. Or, check the website frequently as we’ll be updating our information as the events draw near.

Ticket renewal deadline almost here!

A friendly reminder to season ticketholders that the June 30 renewal guarantee is less than a week away! If you haven’t yet renewed, you can fax your invoice to 713.361.7900. As always, call your Aeros representative at 713.974.PUCK with any questions.

Better yet – pay 50 percent of your invoice by June 30, and receive 50 percent off parking in the covered Toyota Tundra Garage.

Reserve your seat for $12!

Do you have $12? For a limited time, you can reserve a season ticket for just $12! Full payment is due later in the summer. Call 713.974.PUCK for more information.

Former Rampage player Brendan Walsh hangs them up

Brendan Walsh, who played for San Antonio in 2002-03 and was in the Wild organization with Cleveland and Jackson in 2000-01, announced his retirement this week to join former Bridgeport head coach Greg Cronin at Northeastern. Walsh played for Aeros head coach Todd McLellan for 10 games in Cleveland.

Walsh racked up 21 penalty minutes and three fighting majors against Houston in less than 72 hours in April 2003.

Walsh, a native of Dorchester, Mass., was voted the Providence Bruins’ fan favorite in 2004-05.

Aeros 1, who are you?

Driving to work on the Gulf Freeway earlier this week, the Scribe passed a white van/SUV, with the license plate Aeros 1. If that’s you (or you know who it is), drop us a note at qanda@aeros.com so we can say thanks for the free “pub”.

They get no respect

A quick shoutout to the summer interns around the Aeros office in all departments: Brian Kaplan, Megan Branch, Kelly Lee, Clint Pettijohn, Cliff Owens, Daniel Johnson, Carolyn Pickett, Lorraine Becker and Courtney Legrange.

You may get a phone call from one of them, or see them at an event. Please smile and say hello to them, the life of an intern is not glamorous! In all seriousness, it’s people like this that make the rest of our jobs much easier, so thanks.

And, did you know...As an intern, the Scribe once had to wear a bird suit? Wonder if any of the interns are eyeing Chilly.

Street Fleet hooks up with Freedom 5k & Family/Youth Walk

The next Aeros Street Fleet is just a couple of weeks away, as we go to Sugar Land on Independence Day from 8-10 a.m. The appearance is in partnership with the Freedom 5K Race. Keep reading for more info.

Thanks to all who made the Street Fleet in Pearland a success. Check aeros.com for a complete schedule. The Aeros will be out and about in the Houston area each weekend in July.

Sugar Land’s annual patriotic race is moving to a new location. This year’s Freedom 5k Race and Family/Youth Walk is relocating to the City of Sugar Land’s beautiful Lost Creek Park. The new 3.1 mile route begins on Lost Creek Blvd. and winds its way down shady Edgewater Blvd. The last mile of the route utilizes the Oyster Creek trail system meandering through the woods and along the creek, finishing at Lost Creek Park.

The 5k race begins at 7:30 am with the Family/Youth walk beginning at 8:30 am. Awards will be presented to the top three male and female 5k finishers in seven different age categories, plus overall male/female and overall male/female masters. Ribbons will be awarded to all Family/Youth walk participants with special awards for a new category - patriotism.

To receive an entry form by mail, call FCCA Parks and Recreation office at 281-634-9555 or stop by the office, Finish Line Sports and other area locations to pick up a form.

Tom Lynn Q&A coming soon

Check aeros.com in the coming weeks to find out how to submit a question to the upcoming Q&A session with Aeros general manager Tom Lynn. We’ll wait to see how things shake out a bit in the NHL before he answers questions.

Send us your vacation pictures

Are you headed on vacation this summer? Snap a picture of you and your friends wearing Aeros gear and send it to us at qanda@aeros.com. We’ll post selected pictures in future editions of SummerScribes.

We want to see Aeros t-shirts atop the Empire State Building, in Mexico City, any other fun places you’re set to go on vacation. Show us where you are “Being a Fan”.

Watch it, you won’t be disappointed

It may be because three of the eight teams to begin the College World Series were from Texas, but the state is abuzz with CWS talk. Now that the NBA Finals are over (do we need to increase the size of nets in hockey, or basketball?), do yourself a favor and check out some of the final series this weekend. The drama has been at the highest level – walkoff home runs, teams rallying from seven runs down.

Best yet – there’s only one Texas team left. The Aeros front office couldn’t have handled a final series with more than one.

The Deuce is Loose on the Isle – Best of luck and safe travels to Aeros broadcaster Ken Double, who leaves next week for a month of concert touring in Australia.

Junior Reporter Trivia Contest
by Michael McHugh

PRIZE FOR THE FIRST TO ANSWER CORRECTLY: Four passes to Six Flags Astroworld!

Hopefully you enjoyed reading about your favorite players this past season. It was fun to learn something about the guys other than the usual hockey information. Here are this month's questions.

1. This player's name came up most often as the funniest guy in the locker room.
2. This Aero would like to be stranded on a deserted island with Pamela Anderson.
3. This Aero likes to cook.
4. This Aero had the nickname "earmuffs".
Good luck!

Mail bag time

Scribe,
I’m new to Houston. When does the schedule get announced?
--Jenn from Houston (via Peoria)

Jenn,
Welcome to H-town! Hot enough for you yet? Just wait until August. The AHL schedule generally gets announced in late July/early August. Still awhile to go, but we’ll likely get announcements like divisional alignments and the frequency we play different teams before then. You’d better be rooting for the Aeros when the Rivermen are in town?

Scribe,
What about the shootout? Tag-up offsides? Goalie equipment?
--Roger from Baytown

Roger,
Thanks for the email. The AHL’s Board of Governors meets next week. The league voted many of the new rules in last year as permanent fixtures, although they will likely be up for review. The league will probably wait to see what the NHL decides to do with many of the rules. Goalie equipment manufacturers, however, have already begin making smaller pads.

Drop us a note at qanda@aeros.com if you have a question or comment for the Scribe. We’re also taking nominations for a catch phrase/send-off line. For now, we’ll see you in two weeks!


---HOUSTON AEROS, BE A FAN---