Chasing the Calder Cup
Which Griffins players have won a cup before? What is a Clear Day roster? And what’s this whole “crossover” business about? We address these questions and more as the Griffins move closer to clinching their ninth playoff berth in 11 seasons.
The American Hockey League will award its 71st Calder Cup in June at the conclusion of a grueling playoff that mirrors the NHL’s Stanley Cup gauntlet: 16 teams, four best-of-seven rounds, 16 wins needed to claim the grail.
Last season, the Griffins fell one round short of competing for the cup, losing to the Milwaukee Admirals in the Western Conference Finals. While their invitation for the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs has not been secured yet, Grand Rapids has been doing all it can to make it a reality, posting the league’s seventh-best record since Jan. 1.
The top four teams in each of the AHL’s four divisions (North, West, Atlantic, East) will receive a playoff berth, with one possible exception. Since, at six teams, the North has one fewer competitor than the other three divisions, a crossover rule is effect in the Western Conference this year. Quite simply, if the fifth-place team in the West finishes with more points than the fourth-place team in the North Division, it will cross over and compete in the North Division playoffs.
The Griffins currently find themselves in the crossover hot seat, sitting fourth in the North with 75 points, locked in a three-way battle for two playoff spots against West Division foes Iowa (74 pts.) and Peoria (73). Still, Grand Rapids has its sights aimed higher, as it resides just six points behind both Rochester and Hamilton in the North, with four huge clashes with the Bulldogs still on tap.
Right now, odds seem favorable for a playoff rematch with first-place Manitoba, whom the Griffins beat in the memorable seven-game North Division Finals last spring. If the postseason began today, these two rivals would lock horns once again.
2007 Calder Cup Playoff Format
- Division Semifinals – Best of Seven - Within each division, the first-place team plays the fourth-place team, while the second-place team faces the third-place team.
- Division Finals – Best of Seven
- Conference Finals – Best of Seven - The winners of the North and West Divisions will play for the Western Conference title, while the champions of the Atlantic and East Divisions will face off for the Eastern Conference crown.
- Calder Cup Finals – Best of Seven
Griffins Playoff Trivia
1) Which player has scored the most goals and points in Griffins playoff history?
2) Who is the only current Griffin among the franchise’s top 10 playoff scorers?
3) Who are the only three Griffins goalies to earn a shutout in the postseason?
4) The Griffins set a franchise playoff record for goals in a 10-1 road win on May 19, 2000. Whom did they beat?
5) Which current or former head coach owns the best playoff winning percentage in Griffins history?
6) Grand Rapids is 4-1 in playoff games that require multiple overtimes, having won their last three such affairs. When was their only loss?
7) How many members of the opposing team in question 6 later played for the Griffins?
8) Which two former Griffins scored four goals in a playoff game?
9) The Griffins staged the biggest comeback in their playoff history in Game 7 of the 2006 North Division Finals versus Manitoba, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to claim a 5-4 win on a goal with just 2:06 remaining. Who scored the goal?
10) Which current Detroit Red Wing set a Griffins playoff record in the aforementioned game by assisting on all five goals?
Answers:
1) Derek King, with 16 goals and 41 points in 46 games (2000-04)
2) #8 Darryl Bootland, with 18 points (8-10—18) in 35 games (2003-06)
3) Jani Hurme, Mike Fountain and Marc Lamothe
4) The Cincinnati Cyclones in Game 3 of the IHL Eastern Conference Finals
5) Guy Charron at 0.588 (10-7 in 2000)
6) May 3, 2001, the infamous 4-3 triple overtime loss to Orlando in Game 1 of the IHL Eastern Conference Finals at Van Andel Arena. Lasting 111:12, it was the second-longest game in IHL history and the longest in Griffins history.
7) Six - Bryan Adams, Hugo Boisvert, Wade Brookbank, David Gove, Wes Mason and current Griffin Ben Simon
8) Yves Sarault (May 19, 2000 at Cincinnati) and Derek King (April 21, 2001 vs. Cleveland)
9) Darryl Bootland
10) Jiri Hudler
Tell Me What It Takes
The list of Griffins players and coaches who’ve won championships at the professional, collegiate and junior levels in North America is long and distinguished.
NHL Stanley Cup
Assistant coach Jim Paek (1991 and 1992 Pittsburgh)
AHL Calder Cups
Jonas Johansson (2006 Hershey)
Ben Simon (2002 Chicago)
Dan Smith (1997 Hershey)
Tony Voce (2005 Philadelphia)
IHL Turner Cups
Kip Miller (1995 Denver – Playoff MVP)
Assistant coach Jim Paek (1989 Muskegon, 1999 Houston)
Ben Simon (2001 Orlando)
UHL Colonial Cup
Jon Insana (2005 Muskegon)
NCAA Championship
Tony Voce (2001 Boston College)
CHL Memorial Cup
Adam Keefe (2003 Kitchener)
Evan McGrath (2003 Kitchener)
Derek Meech (2001 Red Deer)
In Their Own Words
Describe the feeling of winning a cup.
“Well, it was my first year in the league, so I didn’t really know the grind that goes into the whole year and how hard it is even to just get in the playoffs. Five times we could have been eliminated, but we battled all those games off and to win it was a great feeling.” – Dan Smith
“That’s a tough question, because it is really hard to describe that feeling, that sensation. You just multiply the greatest feeling you have ever had by a million times. All your dreams come true and all the hard work to win the Stanley pays off. It is light as a feather and just a great feeling.” – Jim Paek
“It is hard to describe. You work so hard for so long and there are many ups and downs during the season. You have to have a lot of luck as a team and hope you do not get too many injuries.” – Jonas Johansson
“The feeling of winning it outstanding, it’s the best feeling I have had. Thank God I got to experience it once because it makes you understand what it feels like and makes you want to get back to it. It took a lot of hard work, and during playoffs we just realized that every player needed to step up and play a little bit harder.” – Kip Miller
What is your most vivid memory of your playoff run?
“I have a couple. Obviously winning that first Stanley cup; scoring a goal in that final game and to top it off, being assisted by Mario Lemieux; then winning the Turner Cup in Houston.” – Jim Paek
“You remember all the players and the guys on your team. Also just how hard it was to win and what guys had to sacrifice. We had a guy who broke his ankle in the second round, but was back for the finals and scored a couple big goals.” – Dan Smith
What adversity or obstacles did your team have to overcome along the way?
“Well you always get banged up since the intensity level picks up so much in the playoffs. I think the biggest difference in playoff hockey is everybody is willing to do the little things, from first line to fourth line and from first defenseman to sixth defenseman. Literally, everybody is willing to sacrifice their body, so you get more bumps and bruises.” – Jon Insana
“Both Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, we were always behind. We always lost the first game in a series. We were down three games to one to Washington in the first round, but we came back and won that, then kept winning. Mario, who was a big key component to our team, was hurt a couple times throughout the playoffs. So those were so big things we had to overcome.” – Jim Paek
What is it going to take for the Griffins to win their first Calder Cup?
“We just have to play hard. If we play hard and within ourselves we will be alright. As soon as we start straying from what we do best we won’t have any success. You never know though. Last year Edmonton had a bunch of guys that just worked hard and you can make it your year by how hard you work.” – Dan Smith
“I think it is just an attitude. We have all the pieces here to have a winning team, so it is just an attitude about having self-sacrifice and doing what it takes to win.” – Jon Insana
At this stage of your career, what would it mean to you to win a Calder Cup?
“It would mean everything. That is why I am here and why we play. I don’t know too many athletes that are not playing to win. That is why we play at this level, because we love to compete and you also love to win when you compete.” – Kip Miller
On a Clear Day
On March 1, two days after the AHL’s trade deadline, the Griffins submitted their Clear Day roster to the league office. According to AHL by-laws, only those players listed on a team’s Clear Day roster are eligible to compete in the remainder of the AHL regular season and in the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs, unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension. Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts after Clear Day, but only once their respective junior or college seasons are complete.
The Griffins’ Clear Day roster consists of goaltenders Jimmy Howard and Stefan Liv; defensemen Jonathan Ericsson, Tom Galvin, Derek Meech, Brad Norton, Kyle Quincey, Dan Smith and Danny Syvret; and forwards Darryl Bootland, Jeff Campbell, Matt Ellis, Valtteri Filppula, Eric Himelfarb, Matt Hussey, Jonas Johansson, Adam Keefe, Evan McGrath, Kip Miller, Ryan Oulahen, Ben Simon and Tony Voce. Defenseman Jon Insana and forward Jamie Tardif are currently in residence.
The Clear Day rosters of all 27 AHL teams can be found at theahl.com.