| | Even the universe can't go on expanding indefinitely, or so astronomers tell us.
On a more human level, what seemed to be the endless expansion of minor-league hockey in the 1990s is showing signs of finally faltering. The Western Professional Hockey League had two teams fold in December, the Abilene Aviators and Waco Wizards, and the Saginaw Gears of the United League were transferred to the Canton, Ohio, area in midmonth.
The loss of the two WPHL teams leaves the number of minor-league franchises currently in business at 109, spread across seven leagues. The minors finished 1998-99 with 108 franchises in the same seven leagues. In 1990-91, the first full season of the '90s, there were only three minor leagues -- the American Hockey League, the International Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League -- and just 36 teams finished the season.
Essentially, any city with a large enough population to support a Denny's Restaurant has minor-league hockey now.
The AHL and IHL, the two high minor leagues, have actually gone from 36 teams in 1997-98 to 32 now, with the IHL losing four cities. The two leagues started the decade with 25 teams between them.
Much of the movement in the minors now is cannibalization. The NHL gobbles up Nashville, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Columbus. The AHL tries Quebec after the IHL abandons it. Fort Wayne and Indianapolis leave the IHL for lower leagues. Adirondack does the same with the AHL.
The key word in the minors in the '90s was "expansion." In the years to come, it may be "consolidation."
Notes from the AHL
It is hard to say whether the Portland Pirates or Syracuse Crunch were the league's most improved team through the holidays. Both were dreadful last season, but Portland has led the New England Division for most of this one, and the Crunch was the AHL's hottest team in December, at one point going 8-1-3 in a 12-game run.
Even though he has been called up twice by parent Vancouver, Syracuse rookie Harold Druken is second in rookie scoring at 12-14-26, and if the voting were held today, he would probably win rookie of the year honors.
|  | | Well -traveled Mike Maneluk, here in a Blackhawks uniform last season, has been hot of late. |
Portland is very dependent on veteran goalie Martin Brochu. He has started 16 of the last 19 games in the Pirates' net. In that span, Portland is 8-4-4 with Brochu, 0-3-0 with rookie Curtis Cruickshank.
What a week Mike Maneluk had just before Christmas. The veteran forward for the Philly Phantoms scored seven goals in a week's time, including two hat tricks.
The Albany River Rats fell to nine games below .500 for the first time in franchise history. It has been one of those seasons for the Rats. For example, they recently pulled into Rochester at about 3 a.m. one morning and got a half of a night's sleep before being rousted from bed at 8 a.m. when the old Hotel Rochester building was imploded not far from where they were trying to sleep.
The jump from the low minors to the high minors can be immense, depending upon the player. The Worcester IceCats brought up ECHL great Jamey Hicks, a former league MVP who was with Birmingham. He had one goal in eight games and was released. Hicks' career totals are two goals in 16 games in the AHL and IHL, 241 goals in 490 games in the Coast and the Colonial (now United) League.
Springfield defenseman Brad Tiley leads the Falcons in scoring with 26 points and is second overall among league defensemen, but his minus-15 rating is one of the AHL's worst.
Hamilton has the league's fourth-worst record, and St. John's has the worst. So, Hamilton goalie Eric Heffler and St. John's veteran Jimmy Waite are tied for the lead in shutouts with four apiece, of course.
Notes from the IHL
Cleveland beat Detroit 4-3 in a shootout in Cleveland in the first Christmas game in the IHL since 1986. The Vipers had at one time tried to get the game changed but wound up flying down and back in the Detroit Pistons' private plane. Attendance at Gund Arena was 5,160.
The Manitoba Moose lost top scorer Lonny Bohonos for six to eight weeks when he broke his left leg in a game Dec. 12. Another key Moose forward, Mike Prokopec, was out with a charley horse at the time. When Prokopec finally came back, he took a shot in the foot and was sidelined for another game.
The Chicago Wolves blew a 3-0 lead and lost 5-3 to Grand Rapids on Dec. 22. Chicago led 3-2 going into the third period, and the defeat was their first in three years when leading after 40 minutes. The Wolves had been 76-0-6 in their previous 82 games when they led after two. Peter Schastlivy's first pro hat trick keyed the Griffins in that victory.
Grand Rapids made up for the loss of Michel Picard when it got NHL veteran Derek King on loan from the St. Louis Blues. King scored twice in his first game down and was 4-1-5 in his first three. King's arrival cost the Griffins defenseman Darren Rumble, who was loaned to the Blues' AHL affiliate in Worcester.
As Cleveland's Jock Callander closes in the the all-time points record, Lumberjacks officials say they won't restrict his ice time to make sure he breaks the mark at home. After an injury-plagued start to the season, Callander has warmed up his pursuit lately of Len Thornson.
And in the department of streaks, Detroit got defenseman Byron Briske on loan from Quebec of the AHL. Briske is in his fourth season as a pro and has never scored a goal. He was 0-3-3 in 26 games with the Citadelles and joined the Vipers with a career mark of 0-24-24 in 209 games, all in the AHL.
Bill Ballou covers professional hockey and baseball for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. | |
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