Hockey has been a part of Cleveland, Ohio history for decades. The first professional team to hit the ice was the Cleveland Indians in 1929. Cleveland was also the home to an NHL team, the Barons, for a very short run of two seasons. When the Barons moved to Minnesota to become the North Stars, Cleveland would not see professional hockey again till 1992 when the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League would begin play. The Lumberjacks lasted in Cleveland till 2001, when the IHL ceased to be. 2002 would mark the return of the American Hockey League to Cleveland. The Cleveland Barons (AHL) would be in town till 2006, when the team would relocate to Worchester, Massachusetts and become the Worchester Sharks.

Enter Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA franchise and founder of Quicken Loans, who saw an opportunity when the Barons did not renew their lease with the arena. On May 16th, 2006, Dan Gilbert announces his purchase of the dormant franchise Utah Grizzlies and their relocation to Cleveland. The Avalanche would announce on December 17th that the yet to be named franchise would enter into a five year affiliate agreement with the club. With a parent club in place and things starting to shape up for the new AHL club in Cleveland, the team would need a name. Dan Gilbert would go on to announce on January 25th, 2007 that his new team would be called the Lake Erie Monsters. The name plays homage to local folk lore about a creature that resides in Lake Erie and bears a striking similarity to the Loch Ness Monster.

Opening night for the new team would come on October 6th, 2007, against the Grand Rapid Griffins. The Lake Erie Monsters however would not notch their first victory until October 20th against the Syracuse Crunch. Being a new franchise, that means franchise firsts. The team’s first goal was scored by Matt Hussey in the opening night loss against the Griffins. The teams first shut out came on the night of November 17th, 2007 by goaltender Jason Bacashihua. The first hat trick came two nights later against the Toronto Marlies by Chris Stewart. During that inaugural season another record was set for the team that has yet to be matched, and that would be most penalty minutes. That record holder is defenseman Mitch Love. The 2007 – 2008 season would close out with the Monsters having a record of 21-46-6-7, having them finish 6th in the north division.

Now entering their sixth season in Cleveland, the Lake Erie Monsters have enjoyed a growing fan base and plenty of exciting hockey. The 2012-2013 season looks to be a promising one and with the chance of a lock out looming perhaps even more hockey fans can catch a game or two in Cleveland.

I believe most of us have resigned ourselves to the idea that there will be a lockout this season. While it is disappointing that the owners cannot see eye to eye with the players, I do believe we will have hockey at some point this season. The question is, once hockey does start, how will the Avalanche be affected?

A shorter season will surely be easier on their bodies, and should minimize the amounts of injuries. However, it will be interesting to see if fewer games in the schedule helps or hinders this team. On one hand, it could be prove to be a strong motivation to play their best every single night, and force the team to really take every game with a “do or die” mentality. On the other hand, the margin for error will be much slimmer. If the season is shortened, the team cannot afford to go on a major losing streak. The team cannot have any mediocre months.

I think that this season, particularly if it is shortened, is going to require the veteran players to step up. This may be a young team, but 12 players have been in the playoffs at least twice. 13 players have played more than 10 playoff games. While these numbers may seem underwhelming in contrast to other teams, there is still enough experience here to push the team into the playoffs. Players like John Mitchell, Steve Downie, and Jamie McGinn have all played with teams that have met the third rounf in the playoffs in the past three years. While their overall experience has still been limited, they need to take this opportunity to step up and guide their teammates.

However, the biggest X factor has got to be Coach Joe Sacco. He needs to figure out a way to make sure this team remains focused, and never feels satisfied with a couple of wins in a row. If Sacco relies too much on the leadership and experience of players in the room, it will be a wayward season.

I do not want to see the Avs in this position next year.

Here is another addition to LAKE ERIE MONSTERS WEEK AT GET HIGHER (LEMWAGH). We now discuss the ancient tale of Bessie, the Lake Erie Monster.

Official Monsters logo.

It is 1793. The United States of America is 17 years old. Lake Erie is bordered by the Province of Canada (an area which, in 74 years, will be called the province of Ontario), two young states, New York, and Pennsylvania, a Northwest Territory (an area that will become the state of Ohio in 10 years), and Michigan Territory (which will be named Michigan State in 44 years).

The captain of Felicity, a sloop (basically a sailboat with a single mast), is out shooting ducks on the lake. He is in the Ohio region, and is enjoying his day on the lake. The presence of Felicity startles a creature, which, in turn, startles the captain. The creature, a sea monster, is black with a snake-like body. It’s length exceeds 17 feet.

It’s 1817 now. The United States of America is 41 years old. Lake Erie is surrounded by the Province of Canada, the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the Michigan Territory.

An unamed schooner, (a boat with two or more masts, wherein the front mast is the same height or shorter than the rear mast), is sailing in the Lake Erie. Crew members report seeing a dark serpent. The serpent, they claim, is 30 or 40 feet long. A few months later, the crew of another schooner report spotting a similar creature. Now though, the creature is copper colored, and at least 60 feet long. Frightened, the crew shoots at it with muskets. However, the creature is seemingly unaffected.

Near the end of the year, two French brothers, named Dusseau, encounter a huge monster on the beach. The monster thrashes about, and writhes, as if it will soon die. Between 20-30 feet in length, the monster looks like a large, skinny fish. Yet, this “fish” has arms. Terrified, the brothers run away to report their discovery. When they return, the creature is gone. In it’s place? Disturbed sand and many large, silver scales.

More and more sightings were reported, and the creature was named Bessie, the Lake Erie Monster. Many think of Bessie as the Loch Ness Monster’s (Nessie’s) cousin. While the description varies, the general consensus is a dark creature, with a large head, arms, and fins all attached to a snake-like body. The creature is between 20-50 feet long. Scientists are skeptical of the creature’s existence, saying that Lake Erie is too young (12,000 years old) to be the home of any sort of prehistoric creature’s relation. Instead, they insist that the lake’s largest occupants are Sturgeon fish. These fish can grow up to 10 feet in length, and weigh 300 lbs.

Believers can visit http://www.monstertracker.com/ to learn more about Bessie, or to share their own experiences.

Yesterday, I began perusing my newly purchased THN Hockey Yearbook. I was enjoying myself quite a bit, until I got to the Avalanche profile page. Nevermind the fact that the writers of THN predict the Avs will finish 14th in the Western Conference (last year they said the Capitals would win the Cup, remember?). The thing that really ticked me off was the projected lineup. While everyone seems to screw up the defensive pairings, the forward lines were an abysmal attempt at feigning knowledge of the team. Here are the top 4 lines:

Gabriel Landeskog-Paul Stastny-Steve Downie

David Jones-Matt Duchene-P.A. Parenteau

Chuck Kobasew-Ryan O’Reilly-Jamie McGinn

Cody McLeod-John Mitchell-Milan Hejduk

First off, David Jones was not just the unlucky RW to be slotted in on the left. No, whomever put this magazine together actually believes Jones is a LW, as he is also listed as a LW in the “Expanded Roster” section. Gee, he only scored 47 goals from the right side. Guess he’s a natural on the left. Jamie McGinn, on the otherhand, is listed as a LW, and inexplicably placed on the right side.

Now, let’s consider the lines that worked last year. Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O’Reilly played 80 games together. The two games Landeskog played in without O’Reilly by his side were spent on Matt Duchene’s line. While Landeskog is an excellent player, and could most likely play very well on a line with Paul Stastny, it is a mistake to seperate him from O’Reilly, with whom he has an electric chemistry. Landeskog also boosts O’Reilly’s offensive totals, making O’Reilly a greater offensive threat. Downie and Hejduk each spent the most time on O’Reilly’s right wing, so I imagine they will each be fighting to earn that spot next season. The other line that worked extremely well last year was the line of McGinn-Stastny-Jones. Did they struggle in the final 8 games of last season? Yes. Did everyone else join the suckfest? Absolutely. McGinn and Jones are both players who employ a “shoot first” mentality, something that works extremely well when you have a playmaker like Paul Stastny in the middle. While O’Reilly and Duchene are also strong play-making centers, Stastny is certainly the best of the three in that aspect. When Kobasew was signed to the team last season, the team constantly touted his 3 20+goal seasons. #17 did not have a massive scoring breakthrough, and showed that he works best on the Avs fourth line. While he is a strong enough player to move up on the lineup if injuries occur, he should start off on the fourth line right wing. (Which is quite a bit different than being Ryan O’Reilly’s left winger, I think all Avalanche fans would agree.)

Alright, apologies for the rant today. It just made me irrationally irate, reading such a poorly constructed lineup.

Everyone, I promised you that this week would be LAKE ERIE MONSTERS WEEK AT GET HIGHER (LEMWAGH), and to kick things off, we have a post written by brand new GH contributor Todd Mathias! Todd will be helping me by bringing you Monsters information 1-2 a week. -Sarah

The American Hockey League (AHL) can be a very fluid league. It’s one where you get the chance to see future National Hockey League (NHL) players develop and become the stars of tomorrow. Being a feeder league for the NHL, the AHL is a place where faces can change at the drop of a hat. Your parent club has an injury and the player can be on a flight that day up to the show. While it is great to see guys get a chance at their dreams, it leaves holes at the lower level. This process is something one has to accept as a fan of an AHL team. The benefits though are that you do see some great hockey and again great talents as the season progresses.

Goal¬tending

This year the Lake Erie Monsters will have a totally new look in net. Cédrick Desjardins and Trevor Cann are both moving on, Desjardins to the Canadiens organization and Cann having not received a qualifying offer at the end of his contract term. There will be four goaltenders fighting for the two spots in Cleveland this year. Calvin Pickard, who played two games for the Monsters at the end of last season, is looking to make the jump into the AHL. Finnish tender Sami Aittokallio will also be poised to move to North America after playing in Finland. The Colorado Avalanche also have two goalies fresh from college. Kent Patterson comes from the University of Minnesota and Kieran Millan from Boston University. These two are very competent goaltenders but from everything I’ve seen they will be starting with the Denver Cutthroats of the CHL. Training camp will be very competitive though and there could be a surprise or two when all is said and done.

Forwards

The Lake Erie Monsters corps of forwards is once again on the younger side of things. With the loss of veterans like Greg Mauldin and Ryan Stoa, the influx of players such as Paul Carey, Michael Sgarbossa, and a healthy Joey Hishon will have to step into the AHL ready to go. Again this year one gets the feeling that it will be a scoring by committee type team where each goal will be a hard fought one. Fan favorite Patrick Bordeleau will also be returning this year and will hope to improve on his AHL career high 4 goals while being a welcomed presence on the ice. Another player that will be returning this year is David Van Der Gulik. After splitting part of last season with the Avalanche, and receiving an extension this offseason Van Der Gulik will be looking to keep on pace for another solid season.

Defense

Defense for the Lake Erie Monsters this season will have some familiarity, with Cameron Gaunce, Tyson Barrie, and Stefan Elliott at least starting the season here in the AHL. All three cut their teeth in the AHL and are well on their way to breaking into the Avalanche roster eventually. One new face to look for will be Duncan Siemens. Duncan brings with him size and a physicality that will have to adapt to playing in a league with men as it will be his first full season out of the WHL. Some veteran signings will also bolster the defensive end of the Monsters. Sean Sullivan and Thomas Pöck will bring more size to the team as well as 512 combined games of AHL experience.

A. This looks delicious. B. The fact that there has been at least one Lake Erie Monsters Cake means that you fans are out there. One of you wants to be my contributor! I just know it! Photo: Cupid Cupcakery/Flickr.

Today, the Lake Erie Monsters announced their schedule for the 2012-2013 season. Considering the fact that an NHL lockout appears imminent, I’ll be clinging to this schedule as if it contains my lifesource. Here is the official article, with links to the full schedule inside.

Does anyone else notice how COMPLETELY AWESOME the special features are for this team? There are nights where you can skate on the ice postgame! And autograph sessions with the entire team! During day games on weekends there are balloon artists. If you are lucky, you can get the free giveaway of a goalie glove styled oven mitt. I have always wanted a goalie glove styled oven mitt, I just didn’t realize until now. Plus, on Friday nights you can buy hot dogs and sodas for  $1 each. (I am a vegetarian, but hello, I could buy five sodas for five bucks if I feel really thirsty!)

Clearly, my excitement for all of these things indicates I really just need hockey back. I’d prefer it in my beloved Pepsi Center, but I guess Cleveland will have to do. (Except, you know. I won’t actually be in Cleveland.)

Due to the fact the Monsters may be the only team keeping our hockey-fan-madness at bay at what should be the start of the season, I am declaring this week LAKE ERIE MONSTERS WEEK AT GET HIGHER (LEMWAGH). I’ll write up some features on the Avs AHL affiliate. After this week, I’ll be hosting DENVER CUTTHROATS WEEK ON GET HIGHER (DCWOGH), for the local-therefore-easier-to-watch ECHL Avs affiliate.

Today, the Avaanche were the featured team on NHL.com, for the “30 in 30″ preview the league does leading up to every season. (Which is really cruel, when you think about it. If the season actually starts on time, Harry Potter worked his best magic yet. So really, they’re just getting us all pumped up for nothing.)

Anyways, these features come with about four articles:

Here is a potential line-up projection: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=639827

(While I believe the forwards look pretty accurate, I think they screwed up 3/4 defensive pairings. First off, Jan Hejda and Ryan O’Byrne are D partners. Clearly, NHL.com does not remember the -16 start Hejda and Johnson got off to when they were paired together. Erik Johnson seems to work best with Shane O’Brien, a player who might not score a lot of points but still presses offensively. With O’Brien, EJ is thrust into more offensive situations. They do need to work on their giveaway totals, but overall, this is the strongest pairing Johnson was in all season. Ryan Wilson and Stefan Elliott just work together. They played together for the first 5-10 games of Elliott’s career, and those were the games in which Elliott looked the most relaxed and produced the most points.)

Next up, a list of the top 10 Avalanche prospects: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=639854

(I agree with this list. I would probably change the order a little bit, putting Barrie first, but at the end of the day, all 10 of these players show a lot of promise. I can’t wait to see them in the Burgundy and Blue.)

Our next story is about Duchene needing to rebound: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=639831

(Gee, you think, NHL.com? I thought we wanted our third overall pick in 2009 to earn 28 points and only play in 58 games…oh wait how about he plays in about 80 and scores about 70-80 points? That sounds better, doesn’t it?)

The final article discusses the top six questions the Avalanche face this season:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=639855

For the record, here are my six questions:

1) Can Milan Hejduk regain his scoring form? Or will the captain once again find himself relegated to the fourth line? (Especially if he ends up playing on his off-wing?)

2) Will P.A. Parenteau prove that he can truly be a successful player-that he is more than a couple of strong seasons?

3) How will the penalty kill fare? (Also, will the Avalanche find themselves with such a severe deficit between time shorthanded and time with the man-advantage?)

4) Can Erik Johnson push himself past 30 points?

5) Will Ryan Wilson return to the form he showed before he sustained his concussion last year? Or will his physical style of play be limited like it was in the second half of the season?

6) What kind of sustained success will Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie have when they play in Colorado for a full season?

EJ Hradek predicted that the Avalanche will make the playoffs this season. The Hockey News predicted that the Avalanche will finish 14th in the Western Conference. While I myself have concerns, at the end of the day, I fall back on positive thinking.

Despite the skeptical look on my face, I HAVE FAITH. DON’T LET ME DOWN BOYS.

You may remember this picture from Heard’s twitter, when he and fellow Avalanche pick, Joseph Blandisi, had their new helmets. (Heard is on the right.)

Edit: Apparently my original post has disappeared from the interwebs. Thus, this is a recreation.

Today the Colorado Avalanche announced that they have signed 2012 draft pick Mitchell Heard to an entry-level contract. Heard is 20 years old, making him one of the older players to be drafted into the NHL. Due to this, he will be able to start the season with the Lake Erie Monsters this season, instead of spending more time with his junior team.

Heard (@Heardy15) tweeted “Happiest day of my life, thanks to my family and friends for all the support along the way #onlythebeginning #Avs”. Heard’s agent also tweeted, saying “Congrats to client @Heardy15 for agreeing to terms with the Avs. Passed over in the OHL draft, and went through 2 NHL drafts…#deserving”.

While I don’t think Heard will make the team right out of training camp, I think he has a good shot of making an appearance at some point in the season (although, if the season ends up shortened, I think his chances go down significantly). Heard looks to be a solid player. He is listed as a center, but I would not be surprised to see him spend some time at wing-with his left-handed shot, he could fill the hole at left wing in a couple of years.

It took several hours for the Avalanche to put an official release regarding the signing on their official website.

Photo: Bridget Samuels/Flickr.

The Avalanche announced earlier tonight that they have extended goaltender J.S. Giguere’s contract. Initially scheduled to last until the end of the 2013 season, Giguere and the team agreed to add another year to that deal. In 2012-2013, Jiggy will earn $1.25 million, and he will earn $1.5 million.

I’m glad that the Giguere feels healthy enough, and is enjoying his time in Colorado enough to want to extend his contract. He really provided some solid, outspoken leadership in the lockerroom this year. Especially after losing Adam Foote to retirement, it was good to see an outspoken, cagey veteran who has won the ultimate hockey prize join the room. I think Giguere proved to be the best kind of mentor for Varlamov this year: the type who can carry the team for a few short stretches, play about 30 games, but is still focused on improving the young netminder.

While I’m glad to see the Avalanche commit to Giguere, I am becoming more worried about the state of Ryan O’Reilly’s contractual negotiations. Surely signing him to a new deal (before some other team wises up and gives him a huge offersheet) is more important than extending contracts right now?

Thanks to @NHLPA for posting this picture of Jamie McGinn before the start of the game!

On the third of August, Logan Couture alerted me to the fact that three different Avalanche players would be competing in his charity game in Lucan, Canada. He tweeted “#Avalanche fans should come to Lucan August 11 for my charity game. @JamieMcGinn11 Ryan Wilson and Ryan O’Reilly will all play.”

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. (Gas money from Colorado to Canada gets a bit expensive, and no one else wanted to come and split with me.) Luckily, we got several tweets about the event from O’Reilly, McGinn, and Couture.

Yesterday started off with Jamie McGinn tweeting “Starting to stretch for the big charity game in Lucan today. @LoganCouture and @RyanOReilly_90 with myself tucked on leftWing? #timewilltell”. How cool would a McGinn-O’Reilly-Couture line be? That line could score about 70 goals a season. While I love the line of McGinn-Stastny-Jones, I can see McGinn work well with O’Reilly too. Afterall, they are roommates.

O’Reilly tweeted before the game too, saying “Big charity match tonight in old Lucan. It will be nice to snap it around with @JamieMcGinn11 and Ryan Wilson #greatlads #headsuplondy”. I’m pretty sure that O’Reilly and Landeskog have the best hashtags in hockey. Great lads? Heads up Londy? Alright.

Jamie McGinn ended the night with two tweets (#lucan doing it big!!! Congrats to my boy @LoganCouture on getting his number #77 retired in the Lucan arena #tipurhats) and “Hello #London show us something.. @Ryan_OReilly90″. O’Reilly retweeted his demand that London, Ontario show them something. Sounds like they were getting ready for a good night out with the boys.

Apparently the two teams (Team Irish versus Team Lucan)* played a very fun offensive game, as the final score ended up being 7-6 Team Lucan. It seems fitting that Couture’s team won, as it was his event. Here is his tweet to end the night.

“So proud of what was accomplished tonight in Lucan. Too many ppl to thank. @NHLPA all the players and of course the fans. Thank you all!”

Overall, it’s good to see that players continuing to be involved in charity work through the offseason, and to see how players from across the NHL are willing to help each other out in their individual endeavors.

*I have a feeling that Logan Couture let  his soulmate Jamie McGinn come up with the name “Team Irish”. And that O’Reilly was definitely on this team. It’s nuts how proud these hockey players are of their Irish heritage.