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GRINDER TURNED SNIPERCam Cunning was a fourth-liner at the start of the season, but he’s worked his way up to the top line.PAGE 3

MAKING STRIDESIt’s been a career year for defenceman Gord Baldwin, but the coaching staff believes he has even more to offer.PAGE 4

AMERICAN INVASIONHeat play-by-play man Dave Sheldon breaks down the fi rst-round series between Abbotsford and the Rochester Americans.PAGE 18

MAY 2010John Morrow photo

FACE A B B O T S F O R D ’ S P R O H O C K E Y T E A M

A10 A B B O T S F O R D N E W S Tuesday, April 20, 2010

FACEA B B O T S F O R D ’ S P R O H O C K E Y T E A M

A B B O T S F O R D N E W S Tuesday, April 20, 2010 A11

As the Vancouver Canucks’ top farm club, the Manitoba Moose are always a huge draw when they visit the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. Photographer John Van Putten captured the intensity of the North Division rivalry during a recent game between the Heat and Moose on March 29.

The visitors from Winnipeg won that game 5-2, but the Heat bounced back with a 2-1 victory the following evening, and they ended up fending off the Moose in the race for third place in the division. Both teams are currently participating in the AHL playoffs.

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John Van Putten photos

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Continued on A9

John Van Putten photo

DanKINVIGABBOTSFORD NEWS

Back in September, if you’d predicted that Cam Cunning would be one of

the Abbotsford Heat’s leading goal-scorers and be skating on the top line come play-off time, no one would have bought it.

Not even Cunning himself. Cunning – in his own mind and in

the minds of others – was viewed as a fourth-line grinder with limited offensive upside. Built like a cannonball, the 6’1”, 213-pound left winger was better known for putting opponents into the glass than

putting the puck into the net. But heading into the Heat’s fi rst-round

Calder Cup playoff series against the Rochester Americans, Cunning will be counted on for scoring as much as check-ing. During the 2009-10 regular season, he established new career highs in goals (19), assists (19), points (38) and plus-minus (+4) while suiting up for 69 games. The fi fth-year pro’s point total was nearly double his previous personal best of 21.

“When I looked around our locker room

(at the start of the year), I never would have predicted that,” Cunning admitted with a chuckle. “Scoring has never really been my game. But it’s kind of nice it’s worked out that way, and I’ve got to keep building on that.”

Cunning, who missed some time with a shoulder injury back in October, has been particularly productive in the second half of the season – 14 of his 19 goals have come since the calendar fl ipped to 2010.

His emergence has been crucial for a

Heat team that appeared to have plenty of scoring depth last fall, but has seen those resources dry up over the course of the campaign.

Kyle Greentree, the AHL’s second-lead-ing goal-scorer in 2008-09, was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in the preseason. Carsen Germyn and Kris Chucko were con-cussed in the early going. Jamie Lundmark was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mikael Backlund was called up by the Calgary Flames in January, and

HARD-WORKING CAM CUNNING HAS EARNED HIS PROMOTION

From grinder to sniper



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Considering his lanky 6’5” frame, huge strides are pretty much a given

for Abbotsford Heat defenceman Gord Baldwin.

But this season, in particular, saying that Baldwin’s made huge strides is accurate in both the literal and metaphorical sense.

In his third season as a pro, the towering blueliner turned in a career year, establish-ing new personal bests in goals (4), assists (20), points (24) and plus-minus (+7) while playing 67 games. Baldwin hadn’t mus-tered more than six points in either of his fi rst two AHL campaigns.

“I’m happy with how things went this year,” Baldwin said, refl ecting on his de-velopment arc prior to his team’s playoff opener against the Rochester Americans last Thursday. “It’s about experience. I’m in my third year, and I had to build on the past two years. You take a little bit from every season.”

Baldwin’s development this season rep-resents a taste of what the parent club Cal-

gary Flames envisioned when they picked the Winnipeg-born defenceman in the third round of the 2005 NHL entry draft.

When Baldwin turned pro in 2007, he brought with him an impressive winning pedigree from the junior level. Baldwin was a key cog on the Medicine Hat Tigers team that won the Western Hockey League championship in 2006-07, and fi nished second to the Vancouver Gi-ants at the Memo-rial Cup. Current Heat goalie Matt Keetley was a teammate of Baldwin’s on that memorable Tigers team.

“I loved it in Medicine Hat,” Baldwin said. “It was one of the best times of my life, and I met some really good friends there. I can same thing since turning pro – I’ve met

some great people, and some of my best friends are on this (Heat) team.”

Talk to Heat head coach Jim Playfair about Baldwin, and he’ll espouse admira-tion for the blueliner’s skill at making the fi rst pass out of the defensive zone, and for

his ability to handle increased minutes over the course of the season.

But in the same breath, Playfair says Baldwin still has “a long way to go” before he becomes a truly elite AHLer, a player capable

of challenging for a permanent spot at the NHL level. The Heat bench boss often wax-es eloquent to the media about his affi nity for players who are “hard to play against,” and he says Baldwin doesn’t fi t that profi le consistently enough.

“His identity is going to be as a physi-

cal, puck-moving defenceman, and I think he’s got to stick with that mindset,” Playfair said.

“I don’t think the offence is ever going to be a question for Gord. He’s always going to get 20 to 25 points, just based on his natural ability. It’s his physical contributions that have to be more consistent for him to become a solid pro. He’s got to be tougher to play against on a more consistent basis. When he does that, he’ll be a well-rounded player.”

Mention Playfair’s hard-player-to-play-against refrain to Baldwin, and he grins.

“He’s been on me all season about it,” Baldwin said with a wry chuckle. “Pretty much all the time. He’s telling me to be physical, to be confi dent, and to be a leader on and off the ice.”

Each of those elements, on their own, seem reasonably accessible. The dif-fi culty comes in putting them together, in the high-speed environment that is AHL hockey. Such is the learning curve for

DanKINVIGABBOTSFORD NEWS

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Abbotsford Heat defenceman Gord Baldwin fends off a check from a Hamilton Bulldogs opponent.

John Morrow photo

young defencemen.“It’s tough for a lot of people to get

out of their comfort zone,” Baldwin noted. “At times, I worry about getting out of position, so I don’t do certain things.

“It’s about putting everything to-gether.”

The Heat were red-hot as they em-barked on their playoff journey, having gone 5-0-1 in their last six games of the regular season, and Baldwin said they’re riding a wave of momentum.

“It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be hard work, and we’re ready to go,” he said. “The way this team has progressed, we’ve really put ourselves in a good position. Guys are excited,

we’re loose be-cause we’ve been winning games

lately, and I think we’ve gotten better as the season’s gone on.”

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Talking playoffs, YouTubeIn each edition of the Abbotsford News’s FACEOFF magazine, Ab-

botsford Heat head coach Jim Playfair sits down with beat reporter Dan Kinvig to give fans the inside scoop on the team.

For future editions of FACEOFF, fans are invited to pose their own questions to Playfair. Submit your questions for consideration via e-mail to [email protected], and please include “Behind the bench” in the subject line.

We caught up with Playfair in early April as the Heat were winding down the regular season.

Q Your team is preparing for the Calder Cup playoffs. From your vantage point, what does it mean to this fi rst-year franchise to make the post-season?

A “For the organization to get to the playoffs is very, very important. The ownership put a lot of time, effort and energy bringing professional hockey to Abbotsford, so for me, it’s very nice that they’re able to enjoy the fruits of

their labour and be there at the most exciting time of the season. Opening night (back in October) was a very re-warding night for them, and to get into the playoffs in their inaugural season, it sets them up well.”

Q The vast majority of the Heat’s schedule this season consisted of back-to-back games against the same team. Do you think that might give you any advantage heading into a playoff series?

A “I don’t really think so. The playoffs are strictly based on your ability to prepare your team and prepare your players, and get them believe in a consistent way to play. Then when the game’s over, you reload, get your rest, and get back into it again.”

Q Your stick-snapping incident against the Hamilton Bulldogs on March 27 became quite the media

sensation. Two days afterward, you mentioned that Paul Coffey had texted you to say he thought they made sticks tougher in the old days. Did you hear from any other high-profi le hockey people?

A “I talked to Cam Neely, I talked to Paul Coffey again about it, and some former players that I’d coached and some management people in the league. Basically, it’s a game of emo-tion. When your players are engaged and sense that the leader of the team has high expectations and emotion, I think what happens is, that becomes infectious. Basically, I argued a call that I felt wasn’t right, and now it’s time to move on. That was a point where we all realized we needed to get back to fi nding ways to win hockey games.“But I defi nitely got a lot of e-mail and voicemail traffi c after that, mostly based on the sense of humour of it. Without YouTube, it’s nothing. It’s not on CNN, it’s not on Jay Leno. But

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YouTube certainly took it to another level, and that’s how it became such a big deal.”

Q Speaking of YouTube, your footage has more than 1.5 mil-lion hits, and counting. Going forward, do you think all the publicity is good for your career, bad for your career, or a non-factor?

A “I don’t put much stock in it, really, based on how it got out there. It was a show of emotion, and I think most professional coaches in the world… deep down we all have that type of intensity and that type of emotion. Otherwise we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in – there’s just 29 teams in the American League and 30 in the National League. So if you don’t have that type of deep-down passion to try to be success-ful and show your emotion, then it’s tough to be successful. “I don’t know how it would affect me going forward one way or the other going forward. But it’s over and done with, and that’s it.”



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Pumped for playoffsContinued from A3

Riley Armstrong was traded for defenceman Andy Delmore at the NHL deadline.

To top it all off, leading scorer Jason Jaffray has been recently sidelined with a lower body injury. In his absence, the unit of Cunning, Garth Murray and David Van der Gulik has emerged as the team’s No. 1 line.

“This is the fi rst time I’ve really got to play big minutes, and it’s been nice,” Cunning said. “If you mess up, that’s not it for the night. You get another chance to go back out there, and that’s really helped me.”

Cunning’s rise up the Heat depth chart was partially due to attrition, but Abbotsford coach Jim Playfair insists that the 24-year-old Powell River, B.C. product also earned the opportuni-ty. When Playfair gets talking about Cunning, in fact, he sounds a bit like a proud papa.

“He’s the kind of player where the more confi dence the coach shows in him, the more he believes in himself,” Playfair said. “He’s a great skater and he’s got a great work ethic. We (the coaching staff) can really see when he’s on his game and when he struggles, and he has the ability to work himself out of some tough shifts just by getting back to his work ethic.

“He’s become a good, smart hockey player for us. I’m proud of him.”

Asked whether Cunning might have been

a bit underrated within the Calgary Flames organization heading into this season, Playfair said that wasn’t the case. Rather, it was a situation where Cunning improved rapidly and earned increased responsibilities.

“I think his professional career had been a little bit spotty up until this year, and I think at this point he’s found a level of game that he’s consistent at and solid at,” Playfair said. “He’s had more consistency in his work ethic and his team game.”

Playfair put Cunning on a line with Murray early in the season, and he believes that the Heat captain’s infl uence was instrumental in the younger player’s development. Cunning concurs.

“He’s really helped me out throughout the year,” Cunning said of Murray. “We’re very similar players – we’re not too fancy, we just keep it simple. We’re on the same page that way.”

The Heat’s fi rst-round series against Roch-ester represents Cunning’s fi rst taste of AHL playoff hockey since 2007, and he’s relishing the opportunity.

“We’ve got a lot of new guys in here, and they’re really excited about it as well,” he said. “We’ve done well against (Rochester) this year, and we’ve just got to really be on our game and dictate the play.”

John Van Putten photo



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Q You’re from Glens Falls, New York. What’s something you can get there that you can’t get anywhere else?

A “It’s a small town, and they have the American Hockey League back there for the fi rst time in a couple years. (The Adirondack Phantoms moved to Glens Falls from Philadelphia in the 2009 off-season). Ten years ago or so, we had Detroit’s farm team, the Adirondack Red Wings. I used to enjoy that as a kid, going to games. In the summertime, I like fi shing and I play a lot of golf.”

Q You’re on loan to the Heat from the Anaheim Ducks organization, along with Mark Mitera and Logan McMillan. What was it like adjusting to a new team on the fl y?

A “It was different at fi rst, for all of us. I started the season with Ottawa and got traded to Anaheim. When I got there I found out they didn’t have an AHL team, and I wasn’t even sure where I’d end up. They just explained to me that I was being sent to the ECHL, and that it wasn’t a punishment. It was just the situation.

“All of us tried to make the best of it while we were down there (with the Bakersfi eld Condors), and fortunately for us, we got a chance to come play here (with the Heat). The coaches have given us all a great opportunity to play, and I’m grateful that the Calgary Flames and Abbotsford have given us that opportunity.”

Q I also wanted to ask you about the Jim Playfair stick-snapping incident. In the famous YouTube video, you’re seated directly to Playfair’s left, and you seem to be having a bit of a chuckle. What was going through your mind at that moment?

A “I didn’t really know what to do, to be honest. I didn’t want (Playfair) to think I was laughing at him. We kind of joke around about it now that it’s over, but at the time, I really didn’t know what to make of it, and that was the reaction that I was giving. I guess I showed it more openly than I wanted to.”

Q Playfair told the media a couple days later that your mom had apparently given you some grief about it. What happened there?

A “My mom, and all my buddies actually, were like, ‘How can you be making those kind of faces?’ I was a little nervous to go to the rink after, because I didn’t want (Playfair) to think I was laughing at him, because I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. I just really didn’t know what to do. So yeah, my mom was giving me a little bit of grief about it, but we (Weller and Playfair) have had a pretty good chuckle about it.”

Q Which song on your iPod do you hope your teammates never fi nd out about?

A “Miley Cyrus, Party in the U.S.A.”

Q In terms of trash talk in hockey, what’s the best line you’ve ever heard on the ice?

A “If a guy asks you to fi ght, you say, ‘Why would I fi ght you? You’ve been fi ghting the puck all game!’”

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Abbotsford Community

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rst community kitchen,

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Abbotsford police

investigate after a

house and car were

shot up Monday. A6

The B.C. government

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B.C. still allows drivers

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– for now. A17-18

JOHN MORROW Abbotsford News

Local Special Olympics power lifter Matt MacKay gets his game face on during the dead lift competition at Abbey Arts Centre on Saturday.

A B B O T S F O R D

abbynews.comOnline all the time. In print Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday

New weapons developed

for blueberry battles

Is there still good reason for farmers to use controversial cannons? A4

Uplifting

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in Abby

Thousands of athletes,

volunteers and coaches

came to Abbotsford on

the weekend to share in

the spirit of friendship and

competition as the BC

Special Olympics Summer

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Organizers and athletes

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This was the biggest

Games in the history of

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A25

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thought OF THE DAY“ If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?”

Schools will be on guard for an expected second round of swine flu this fallScout’s honour

Clayton Hodges gets a loving lick from Scout. The dog is the motivation behind his efforts to help pets.

After adopt-ing Scout, an abandoned and traumatized pup, 14-year-old Clayton Hodges

has become a dedicated volunteer and fundraiser for the SPCA. He and many others are currently raising money for the annual Paws for a

Cause Walk, with the Abbotsford version of the event to be held

in Mill Lake Park on Sept. 13. A5

District working with health region on prevention and protocol A4

13 AND COUNTING

SATURDAYAUGUST 22, 2009

Victoria Duf eld is the rst

of 13 performers on stage in

the Envision Coffee House

Series. A15

IT’S A SET-UP

BAN TO BE LIFTED

BOARDING HOUSES HAVE ROLE

Arts A15 Sports A23 Letters A9Viewpoint A8Classifieds A30

Two local volleyballers

lead Team BC into the

Canada Games. A23

Sprinkling and car washing can resume on Aug. 25. A4

The city recognizes value in this type of affordable housing.

A13

Abbotsford News

A B B O T S F O R Dabbynews.com

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Schools will be for an expected round of swine flScout’s honour

Clayton Hodges gets a loving lick from Scout. The dog is the motivation behind his efforts to h

After adopt-AAing Scout, an abandoned and

traumatized pup, 14-year-old Clayton Hodges

has become a dedicated volunteer and fundraiser for the SPCA. He and many others are currently raising money for the annual Paws for a

Cause Walk, with the Abbotsford version of the event to be held

in Mill Lake Park on Sept. 13. A5

District working with health region on prevent

A B B O T S F O R Dabbynews.com

Online all the time. In

LIFE IN A CRAZY WORLD

TEACHER CHARGED

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Karen Assels will be competing in the pool at the Special Olympics Summer Games this week. A32

Dad and daughters talk about then and now A17

Instructor at Catholic high school faces exploitation allegations. A11

FATAL SHOOTINGPolice say the death of a man Tuesday night is not related to gangs and drugs. A13

The changing face of Abbotsford

JOHN VAN PUTTEN The Abbotsford News

In a scene that illustrates the significant changes in this city over the past few decades, a farm tractor on Sumas Prairie is juxtaposed against a background of residential development, which is spreading over Sumas Mountain.

From rural roots to urban boom, we’re among B.C.’s ‘youngest’ citiesJoe MILLICANAbbotsford News

Who is the typical Abbotsfordian?

Is it the aging conserva-tive who works on a dairy farm all week and attends church on Sunday?

Or is it someone younger, perhaps a couple with no religious affi liation, who moved to B.C.’s fi fth-largest city because they get more bang for their home-buying buck than Metro Vancou-ver?

There is no simple answer, mainly due to the fact Abbotsford’s 137,000-strong population is as diverse as they come.

One thing is certain: Abbotsford and the makeup of its residents has changed dramatically, and the trend shows no sign of slowing.

With a population that has more than doubled since 1981, 86 per cent of Abbotsford’s current resi-dents are below 65 years of age. At 36.6, Abbotsford residents have the lowest average age of cities in the Lower Mainland and Valley, making Abbotsford one of the youngest cities in B.C.

Continued on A4

Abbotsford’s preferred community newspaper,published every

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statsFINAL AHL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGSWESTERN CONFERENCENorth Division W L OTL SL Pts

Hamilton Bulldogs 52 17 3 8 115Rochester Americans 44 33 2 1 91Abbotsford Heat 39 29 5 7 90Manitoba Moose 40 33 5 2 87Toronto Marlies 33 35 6 6 78Lake Erie Monsters 34 37 1 8 77Grand Rapids Griffins 34 39 3 4 75

West Division W L OTL SL Pts

Chicago Wolves 49 24 1 6 105Texas Stars 46 27 3 4 99Rockford IceHogs 44 30 3 3 94Milwaukee Admirals 41 30 2 7 91Peoria Rivermen 38 33 2 7 85San Antonio Rampage 36 32 5 7 84Houston Aeros 34 34 7 5 80

EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic Division W L OTL SL Pts

Worcester Sharks 49 25 3 3 104Portland Pirates 45 24 7 4 101Manchester Monarchs 43 28 3 6 95Lowell Devils 39 31 4 6 88Bridgeport Sound Tigers 38 32 4 6 86Hartford Wolf Pack 36 33 6 5 83Providence Bruins 36 38 5 1 78Springfield Falcons 25 39 12 4 66

East Division W L OTL SL Pts

Hershey Bears 60 17 0 3 123Albany River Rats 43 29 3 5 94Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 41 34 2 3 87Norfolk Admirals 39 35 3 3 84Binghampton Senators 36 35 6 3 81Syracuse Crunch 34 39 4 3 75Adirondack Phantoms 32 41 3 4 71

ABBOTSFORD HEAT LEADING SCORERS

GP G A Pts

Jason Jaffray 72 25 29 54David Van der Gulik 64 16 24 40Cam Cunning 69 19 19 38Colin Stuart 67 17 19 36Mikael Backlund 54 15 17 32Garth Murray 80 9 22 31Keith Seabrook 78 10 18 28Staffan Kronwall 44 5 23 28Brett Sutter 66 9 15 24Gord Baldwin 67 4 20 24Jamie Lundmark 32 9 12 21Riley Armstrong 38 11 8 19Kris Chucko 41 9 9 18Josh Meyers 54 3 15 18Carsen Germyn 21 5 10 15John Negrin 45 5 10 15

GOALIE STATS AVG W L SO

Matt Keetley 2.59 10 7 2David Shantz 2.75 15 10 1Leland Irving 2.76 14 17 1



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1 Cam Cunning has staged a breakthrough season while skating on a line centered by the captain of the Abbotsford Heat. Name that player.

2 Defenceman Gord Baldwin won a Western Hockey League title with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Which other Heat player was also on that team?

3 Cam Cunning hails from a town on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast. Name that town.

4 The Rochester Americans are the Heat’s fi rst-round playoff opponent. Which NHL team are the Americans affi liated with?

5 Shawn Weller is on loan to the Abbotsford Heat. Which NHL team owns his rights?

6 Which team fi nished in fi rst place in the AHL’s North Division?

7 Brett Palin recently returned to the Heat lineup after missing extended time due to a concussion. How many games did he sit out?

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FACE OFF TRIVIA CONTEST RULES:

Conducted by The Abbotsford News and is open to all residents of Canada except the employees, agents, contractors and their immediate families of The Abbotsford News and the Mission Record. The winner must answer a time-limited skill testing question. The winners name and photograph may be used in any advertising or publicity without compensation. The judge’s decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into. No purchase necessary.

1 ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

2 ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

3 ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

4 ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

5 ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

6 ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

7 ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

NAME: ________________________________________

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ADDRESS: _____________________________________

________________________________________________

PHONE: _______________________________________

Drop off this page to The Abbotsford News at 34375 Gladys Avenue, Abbotsford. Contest expires May 17, 2010 @ 5 pm.

YOUR ANSWERS...

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It’s here . . . it’s fi nally here! The Calder Cup playoffs are under-

way and the Abbotsford Heat are a part of the festivities.

The fi rst-year Heat are facing one of the most storied franchises in American Hockey League history, the Rochester Americans. Anyone who has watched Don Cherry over the past 30-plus years has heard about Cherry’s time with the Rochester Americans, and their winning tradition over 54 seasons as a member of the AHL.

But times have changed. The Ameri-cans are making their fi rst playoff appear-ance in three seasons and have a lot to prove. Not one player on this roster was with Rochester when they last set foot in the playoffs in 2007.

The Americans are hungry, they are desperate to win, and they have a lot to prove to themselves and their fans, who have tuned out the Amerks in recent sea-sons because of their lack of success on the ice and their turmoil off the ice.

The 2009-10 campaign was a new beginning for the Americans. Head coach Benoit Groulx (pronounced GREW) came in and turned a team that had missed the playoffs by 24 points into an instant suc-

cess. Rochester went 18-3-1 in their fi rst 22 games and held a double-digit lead in the North Division.

Then injuries, promotions and inconsis-tent play began to plague the Rochester team. The Americans fi nished the fi nal 58 games of the season with a record of 26-30-1-1. What had been a 19-point lead over Abbotsford became a one-point advantage at the end of the regular season, but the Americans managed to hang on to second place and home-ice advantage in the fi rst round. The fans had grown discontent once again, the switch had been turned to the ‘off’ position, and the Americans were happy the regular season was over.

Now, with the Florida Panthers out of the playoffs, the Americans get seven players back from the parent club to bring depth back to their line up. The Ameri-cans have their swagger back, but now they have to fi nd a way to put the switch back into the ‘on’ position.

For the Abbotsford Heat, this is a per-fect opponent. Of the three North Division teams the Heat could have faced, Ab-botsford has the best record against the Americans.

Abbotsford is also the Rodney Dan-

gerfi eld of the division . . . they get no respect. The Hamilton Bulldogs had a record-breaking year. Rochester had a great start and now get all of their players back from Florida in time for the playoffs. The Manitoba Moose are the defending Western Conference champions, so Ab-botsford is being lined up as cannon fod-der for the North Division powerhouses to grind up.

But let’s not forget, the Heat have a good team. They are 10-2-1-1 in their past 14 road games. They are 14-6-1-1 in the Eastern time zone this season. They come into the post-season as the hottest team in the AHL, having gone undefeated in regulation over their last six games. They’re ready.

The Heat are also getting healthy bod-ies and familiar faces back in the lineup. Brett Palin, who missed 59 games, and Matt Pelech, who missed 38 games, are both back on the blueline to provide the Heat with their defensive conscience. Both players are stay-at-home, stay-away-from-my-crease, nasty players to play against.

Mikael Backlund and Brett Sutter also return from Calgary in time for their Calder Cup playoff debuts, and both players

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couldn’t be more stoked. They join oth-ers who have held down the fort and contributed in their absence. It has made the Heat a stronger team, a deeper team, and a team that knows they have the sum of parts to go on a long and magical ride in the post-season.

Head coach Jim Playfair will lead this group, and his experience will give the Heat an edge. Playfair has won at this level before, and has kept his team in a playoff position despite losing over 300 man games due to injury this season. He will ensure the team knows that a playoff series cannot be won in one game, but by being true to yourself as a player and focussing shift to shift on the details.

The Heat have made it through the season, and as it is in school, they now take the fi nal exam. How well they stud-ied under Playfair and the coaching staff, and how much they retained through the experiences they have endured as a team, will dictate their fi nal grade.

Dave Sheldon is the director of communications and broadcast for the Abbotsford Heat. He writes a monthly column for FACEOFF magazine.

John Morrow photo


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abbotsford heat face off - issue 9

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