Welcome back everyone to Robby’s Rants from the Road! Check in throughout the 2007-08 season as I give fans, families, and friends of the Sundogs an insider’s look at our team.
Wednesday, April 23
8:03pm – Hi everyone, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve put something up here, but for me things have been pretty hectic taking on the new job with FSN-Arizona and missing a few road trips along the way with the Dogs. We’re on the plane right now headed from Phoenix to San Antonio, and the ensuing bus ride to Laredo. It’ll take about two hours and change to get to the hotel, which means we won’t get to bed until around 3AM. Tomorrow is an off-day for the boys, with the exception for a team dinner right next to the hotel. Landry, Barts and I will probably take a left turn out of the hotel and go shopping for some good knock-off merchandise around the hotel to sell to our friends back in PV. The border into Nuevo Laredo is a right turn out of the hotel. I’m not kidding. You can walk into Mexico from the hotel, and you can see it from the back deck of our rooms. The La Posada hotel is gorgeous. Think of a 180-degree turn from the Big Texan, but don’t make a 180-degree turn across the border or you may not get back in. Anyways, enough of that. Marco, E, Grapes, George and I had dinner at Chili’s in the airport, while Steve Rymsha, aka “Rymmer”, Barts, Landry and Leebs had dinner two tables away from us. Marco Emond is catching the Colorado/Texas game from his hand-held gadget, I think it’s the “I-touch” or something. The boys are relaxed so far on the trip, and Urquhart is leading the peanut gallery a few seats behind me on the plane. Between Leavy and “Urk”, we have not only the two leading scorers in the playoffs, but we also have the two biggest mouths in the playoffs. Leavy doesn’t stop cracking jokes and Urk doesn’t stop chirping people….ever! He just goes and goes and goes with the mouth. He has a comment for everything, but when you’ve scored in 18 straight games and 19 of your last 21, I guess you’re allowed a little leeway to flap your gums so much. Eric is wearing the brightest orange shirt in humanity, and we’re making fun of it when he’s not around, which is funny. Coach Marco, Adam Wood, aka “Woody”, Sudsy and Schlem look like serial killers with their playoff beards growing in so much. Dusty still looks like he’s 10 because he cannot grow a beard. It’s pretty funny. When we land, we have the one and only Gilbert coming to pick us up. He’s the funniest bus driver in the entire world, I swear. The stories with this guy are beyond belief, and most of them I cannot even talk about on the rants. He will make us laugh beyond belief when we arrive in San Antonio. I don’t know where to begin with Gilbert and the stories….I guess I can tell one. When we were on a long roady during the regular season, he said if we win three straight games, the toupee would come off his head. And after a big win in Oklahoma City…BAM! Right in front of the bus, he ripped it right off and the boys were howling. That’s about as much as I can tell you with him. Not many of his words are for kids to listen to, and he will talk about anything.
As many of you may know by now, I’ve resigned my position with the Sundogs, effective at the end of this playoff run, which I hope and pray has five more wins in it. I’ve been getting quite a few emails asking about it, and I wanted to clear it up for those of you who’ve asked. I try to make the rants about the boys and our travels on the road and hopefully make you laugh a bit, and that’s because I’m not real comfortable talking about myself on the blog. Now, I’d like to take a quick moment to thank all of you for your emails you’ve sent over the past few seasons. They have covered the gamut, from big wins to devastating losses to stories about horrendous hotels we’ve stayed in to bus and plane rides we’ve had to telling me how great I am and telling me how much I suck and want the other team to win. I’ve never taken any of the bad ones personally, and I must say I’ve had some memorable ones. My job as a broadcaster is to bring you all the action that you’re not there to witness. Whether the boys are playing like gangbusters or playing like a pee-wee team, I’m supposed to make you a part of the action. Some people like it, some don’t, but I will say this….it’s has been one hell of an experience to bring it to you. I’ve met many of our regular fans, and have come to know many of you by name. Some of you I know by faces and families, and some of you stop me occasionally around the arena. I appreciate all of your words, questions, comments and handshakes. I love interacting with the fans and will miss you a ton. Ok….enough mushy stuff. I’m not good at that anyways. The email address will stay alive, and I hope to remain a part of the team and contribute in some way next season, whether I send updates from the world of FSN or whether I may fill in for a game or two or just make an appearance on the air with whoever the new broadcaster is. Little did I know that when I signed a contract to work for the Arizona Sundogs that I would hit the jackpot in my career. The minor leagues serve the same purpose for most of us who don’t put the jersey on and try to score goals, and the Sundogs have been a blessing for my career. I’ve moved into the world of television and I’m more prepared than I ever thought I would be for this career move. Two years of Sundogs games will leave me dying for more when October comes around and the puck is dropped on the 2008-2009 season. This organization has treated better than I ever have been treated in my entire life. From Brent Thiessen being the easiest guy in the world to work with and work for, to Marco being the leader, friend and mentor to me that he’s been, to Shane being there to drink a few beers and talk about hockey to being a pain in my ass with the weekly notes, I’ve been so lucky to be a part of this. Shawn and Eric have this franchise headed to the top year in and year out. When I worked for the Coyotes two seasons ago, I thought I had it all, and then I came to the Sundogs. While it was a step down in the level of play, it was a huge step forward in my life and career. Plain and simple……this organization gets it! They know how to treat the players, the know how to put on a good show for the fans, and they sure as hell know how to take care of their staff. Ok…now that’s enough of the mushy stuff, I promise. Please stay in touch with me on the email if you’d like. I will continue to answer each and every one. Let’s get back to the matter at hand now – hockey. One year ago, we were in an eerily similar position against the Scorpions. The boys led the series 3-2, and had two chances to win one game and move on. You remember how that turned out. It was awful. This year, it’s a different round of the playoffs, and the Scorpions are nothing more than a long-forgotten distant memory. Marco just reminded me of that at dinner. The Bucks are a damn-good team, and it certainly will not be easy, but I’ve got faith in this team, and I know you do too. Cross the fingers and toes on Friday that the boys can pull one off in Laredo. Let’s go one game at a time here. The magic number is five, and this city will party like it never has, and you will never forget it. I’ll try my best to write some more on this trip, but I cannot make any promises. Enjoy the weekend…hopefully our trip will be cut short!
Tuesday, January 29th
10:57am – It’s game day in New Mexico and it’s also time to dish out a few prizes here for the “give Mark Kolanos a nickname” contest. We received over 1,200 votes and I got about 25-30 suggestions. Mark and I narrowed them down while at
San Antonio airport a few weeks back to the final six, and we have a winner. His nickname, as selected by you, the Sundog faithful, is “K-O”. “K-O” got over 400 votes and is the winner. I had three emails hit my inbox that had “K-O” as a suggestion. The three winners are: Sean Tessman - son of Sherilee, who is a loyal fan, Bonnie Ruddock – one of our regulars who I see frequently, and Zane & Cody Hardman – I’m not sure which of you selected the name, but you’ll get one prize for the two of you. I have one REALLY BIG picture of Mark that I’ll have him sign when we get back home, and I need to get a few others. Each of you will get signed pucks from Mark as well. I’m having a hard time narrowing it down as to who gets the big picture. The Hardmans and Bonnie each sent in “K-O” as their only submission, while Sean sent in a bunch, and “K-O” was among them. You guys can battle this out over email I guess. But thanks to those of you who voted and those who emailed me suggestions for KO’s nickname. It was a lot of fun to do something like this and Mark got a kick out of it as well. To the winners: please drop me an email to arrange to get your stuff.
Sunday, January 6th
8:39am (in Texas) – We’re on a flight from Amarillo headed to San Antonio (with a stop in Dallas) to catch our bus to Rio Grande Valley. The boys have had two tough games on this road trip in New Mexico and Amarillo. The Dogs are on a five-game losing streak, which is the longest of the season. It sucks. Last night was a tough game in Amarillo, but they pulled out a point, which made it a bit easier to swallow, but three games remain on the trip and hopefully the misery will end. After the game Friday night in Rio Rancho, it took us almost five hours to get to Amarillo and we arrived around 5am after the time change coming into Texas. Amarillo is a neat town in the northern Texas panhandle. I went with George and Grapes to the arena to load in the locker room. We got to bed about 7:30am after it was all said and done. We stay at a place called the Big Texan in Amarillo, and I know I ranted about this last season. This was our first trip here this season, and each time I get to the Big Texan I ask myself “What is it that I’m doing with my career again?” Now, I may get my fired or get my wrist slapped for saying this, but I’m just being brutally honest. I took pictures of the hotel after our lunch to try to demonstrate what this experience is like, because it really is an experience. The boys didn’t skate on game day yesterday because of the late arrival and Marco wanted to boys to get enough rest. After a team lunch at Johnny Carino’s I grabbed Grapes, Lee and Landry and asked them to take a tour of the hotel and take a few pics for the rants. Our first stop was at the pool, which is in the shape of the state of Texas. I couldn’t get to a good enough angle to get a shot of it, but I can’t imagine it’s like being at the Delano on South Beach in the middle of May with cocktail servers in bikinis walking around the pool. Behind the pool is the “horse hotel”. We proceeded to put our shirts over our noses and took a venture in. There are 20 stalls in the “hotel”, but there was only one horse in there at the time we went. I told Lee to stop for a funny picture, and he grabs a shovel and goes to the pile of poop in the stall next to the horse. The picture tells the whole story.
1:25am – The boys pulled off a HUGE win tonight in Rio Rancho, one that vaulted them back into first place in the division, a place they have resided for most of the season. Leebs came through with a two-on-one goal with an assist from Landry, who made a great outlet pass to Leebs to get the rush going. It was three-on-three overtime hockey and there was just over a minute left in OT, which was awesome to watch on a regulation size ice rink. The win tied up the season series between the Scorps and the Dogs at three apiece. Now, I started this rant in my post-game wrap and now I have the chance to finish it because, well, this is Robby’s Rants. Marco pulled off a trade that wasn’t too popular at the time when he sent Greener to
Wichita for Tyler Liebel. Thus far, Leebs has three goals and five assists for eight points in 11 games played as a Sundog. He also has six fights, and he’d have more if he didn’t need to give his fists a few games rest to actually play hockey rather than fight. The flood of emails that hit my inbox as well as the Sundogs inbox was quite an experience for me. I remember about a year ago how people were happy to have a hockey team in their town and I remember how many people were amazed that these guys were as nice and approachable as they were, how they were great to talk to after games, at appearances and in public when they ran into them. People were telling me what a great organization the Sundogs were and how they were looking forward to a championship team coming to town. It was awesome. A year later, some of the SAME people are telling me how bad of a coach Marco is and “how dare he trade Chris Greene?” Someone even went as far as asking Marco if he’s looking forward to hitting the unemployment line because in short time that’s where he’ll be. Keep in mind I’m talking strictly about the Chris Greene trade here and not about any other aspect of our team or organization. It’s been almost a month now, and I see Marco as the head coach and general manager of a first-place team that is going to contend for the President’s Cup in two short months. I fully understand that Greener was a fan favorite and an original Sundog. He’s a good buddy of mine, and I want nothing more for him than to succeed with his new team. This was a business decision Coach had to make in order to improve the Sundogs as a team. If you see Marco and ask him what his goal is as the Head Coach/GM of the Sundogs it’s quite simple – to hold the President’s Cup over his head. He didn’t say “Geez, let me see….how I can anger the Sundog fans? Maybe I should trade Greener! Yeah, that’s it!” NO!!! He made what was an unpopular decision at the time to make this team better, and guess what? I haven’t received ONE email since!!! NOT ONE!!! We wish Greener nothing but success with the Thunder and we want the best for him, but can you really argue the results of what Tyler Liebel has brought to the table since donning a Sundogs jersey? I don’t think so.
Thanks! I had to get that off my chest. I’ve been saving it for a while. Now, please feel free to email me your comments, as I’d love a good sports debate any day of the week. I’m off the rest of the weekend from Sundogs duty, as my gig with the NFL on Fox has taken up the rest of the week with Super Bowl preparations and the game itself on Sunday. You’ll enjoy my fill-in, Kevin McGlue, who does a very nice job. He’ll be doing the game at Amarillo and at
Odessa this weekend, and I shall return to full-time Sundogs duty on Tuesday from Augie’s for the coaches show. We haven’t been there in quite a while and I’m looking forward to seeing the normal crew so we can talk some hockey. One quick story from this brief road trip. I took Big E to Wal-Mart today to stock up the bus for the trip home, and I had to stop him from buying snacks. The boys have enough candy and Gatorade for about the next three bus rides. He also bought four gossip magazines, so he and Karl can tell the rest of us what Britney’s been up to. I cannot wait hear the riveting news!! This is all I have for now. I’ll talk to you again from Colorado, when the boys will have two tough games in
Rocky
Mountain and
Loveland . By the way, keep the emails coming, they’ve been awesome. It’ll take me a few days to answer anything that comes in before Super Sunday….so please bare with me. Enjoy the weekend, and by the way….you’ll enjoy Rob McVicar, the new Sundogs goalie.
Lee Svangstu, #23, shovels manure at
the Big Texan's Horse Hotel (1/6).
Then, we walked into the gift shop, where there are rattlesnakes in there for decoration, and I really mean that. Hopefully Shane will post the picture I took. The gift shop is next to the Big Texan Steak House. This is the place where you get a 72-ounce steak for free if you eat it in an hour along with the salad, shrimp cocktail and bread. They have a special table that is raised in the dining room for those who take the challenge. I heard that five people did it in the last week. I’m not ever going to try to find out. There’s also a bar in there, and limos outside to drive those that had too much to drink. It’s a nice policy and I’m sure it saves lives, which is awesome, however the limos only run to the truck stop. I don’t know why, and I didn’t ask why. The limos are those with the horns on the back and they have their own little horns in the front. I took a pic of that as well for your viewing pleasure. Can you imagine rolling up to the club in THAT? I’m sure you’d be the envy of all your friends and family.
Big Texan Limos parked in front of the
hotel (1/6).
In the rooms, they still have the saloon doors to enter the bathroom as well as the murals of cowboys all over the place. The rooms are outdoors, so once you step outside the room, you’re looking right at either the highway or the horse hotel. There are no shades or blinds for the windows, but rather wooden doors that lock. It’s not the greatest set-up that a team could have, and I’m being really generous in saying that. The rooms are decorated with different colors and there’s a HUGE cowboy on the highways with his finger pointed at the hotel and it says “72-oz steak for FREE here”. This is our team hotel…yes, the Big Texan. I’m sure in a few years we’re going to see behind-the-scenes footage of various hockey teams at the Big Texan and it’s going to air on some prank show. That’s the type of place the Big Texan is, and we actually had a few fans make the trek out to the panhandle and witnessed it first-hand. If you ask them, they will tell you. Anyways, after the OT loss last night, we went to the Texas Roadhouse and grabbed a bite to eat. The players sat on their own, as it wasn’t a team meal. The whole staff sat at one table and Big E ordered about 5 appetizers, which almost filled us up before dinner. We cracked a few jokes and had a few laughs to shake off what was a bad night on the ice. We went back to the “hotel” and I went right to bed. We had a 6:15am bus to the airport, and now we’re off to RGV, where we’re set up with normal accommodations. By the way, I have a prank story. At home a few weeks ago, Sudsy decided to go into my closet at my place and get the extra bars of soap I had up top, and open the boxes and put them into the inside pockets of all my suits. When we played Laredo last weekend, I was feeling around my coat and thought “What the hell is in my pocket?” It was a bar of soap that accompanied me to the game. See, he was smart about it though. He took the bars of soap out of the boxes and lined up the empty ones just as neatly as I had them, and I didn’t notice a thing. I was in a rush to get to the arena and didn’t feel it at first. The stuff was stacked just as I had it. At lunch, the boys usually have ice cream before we get out of there. So I grabbed our server and told her to bring out a few scoops of butter with chocolate sauce on top and “give to the guy with the bed-head”. Sudsy obviously hadn’t combed his hair before lunch, and obviously, he slept on the right side of his head. She gives it to him, and he takes a spoonful and makes a funny face. Then, he tells Viss to try it, who’s sitting next to him, and he eats an even bigger spoonful and spit it into the napkin. Sorry, Viss, that wasn’t intended for you, but double victims are always a pleasure. Kinda like what happened at our first pre-game meal on the road this season, when we got Sully and Kolanos at the same time. As they say in the locker room…cha-ching!
We have one other thing to touch on before we land in San Antonio. Kolanos and I sat down at Amarillo airport and narrowed down the list of nicknames to six. Check the front page of our team website and send in your vote for your favorite. The winner gets a really big, personalized signed picture of Mark, plus an autographed puck. We had some really funny suggestions along with some good ones, and I’ll pass a few along here and some names. Ed Castro recommended “Klobbers”. Where did you get that? We laughed out loud when we read it. Randy and Shelly Berryman/Read sent a bunch, including “Mork”. We got a good chuckle out of that. Lue, whose last name I don’t know but she’s a real sweetheart, sent in this gem: “Kola Clown, because he always seems to have that cute koala type look in a clown way” and also had this to offer: “Mark the Cuddly Koala because he looks like a kid a grandma such as myself can just snatch up and cuddle like a koala bear.” His reaction was priceless when we read that. We also had “Kolabear” from someone, and “Ark” from Barbara Poulson. Steve & Jennifer Spears, loyal fans of the Dogs, sent in a few including “Kolers” and “Kolesy”. Lauren Pellin sent “Spot”. What??? “See spot score, see Spot steal the puck”. Funny. Sherilee Tessman came up with “MkNasty” and “Markola” among others. Sherilee is one of the lovely ladies at the Prescott DMV who take care of the boys when they change their licenses. Bonnie Ruddock along with Zane and Becky Hardman had “K-O”, kinda like “T-O” from the Dallas Cowboys. That made the final list. You’ll both get pictures and pucks if you win. Pete and Cheryl West had "Kosmo" and this beauty for Lappy: “Slap Happy Lappy”. Very clever. This was a lot of fun and the emails we received were great.
When we land in a few minutes, we have about a 2 ½ to 3-hour bus ride to the hotel in RGV, and we’re off the rest of the day. Sudsy and I plan to watch the NFL playoffs on TV as well as “60 minutes” tonight, because the Roger Clemens interview will air tonight. We’re both huge baseball and football fans and we’re the only ones on the team who are remotely interested in watching. We’ll stop at a lunch location with a few places to choose along the way. The boys will practice tomorrow and then the game is Tuesday against the Killer Bees. A win would do wonders for the rest of this trip, as we’ll have two more “off” days before we hit Laredo. If the boys pull one out in Rio, I’m sure the pranks will be flowing once again. Happy New Years to all of you and thanks for the rocking atmosphere on New Years Eve. It was the biggest home crowd in Sundogs history, and it was awesome!!! And before I leave, I have Leavy and Karl sound asleep on the plane to my right, a great chance to prank them, but I won’t. Big E is reading the “National Enquirer” while sitting next to Marco. I didn’t know people actually bought that magazine. I thought it was just for decoration at Safeway. Lappy is sleeping behind me and Dusty looks like he can’t wait to land. Grapes fell asleep with a full cup of soda two inches from his lap. We’re landing in a few minutes and I have to shut down. Ciao!
Thursday, December 13th
11:43am – We have yet another broken pane of glass at a morning skate. Big Lee Svangstu chopped at the glass and SMASH! Here’s a pic. The boys didn’t celebrate like they did last time. It’s business as usual today. We’re off to Johnny Carino’s after the morning skate to have some lunch, then it’s back to our hotel on the beach for a quick nap, and then the puck drops at 7PM tonight. I’ll add more on the rest of the trip. Sorry for my laziness. I haven’t been with the team on the three off-days.
Lee Svangstu breaks a pane of glass
during morning skate at the American
Bank Center (12/13).
Thursday, December 6th
8:58pm – We just finished dinner at a place called Santa Fe Steakhouse. It was me, E, Marco, Grapes and George. It’s our normal contingent. All but three guys boarded an optional bus to dinner. I’m going to roll them under the bus right now……..it was Viss, Sudsy and Schlemmer. Viss and Sudsy are addicted to video games and pizza. It’s their favorite pastime. They stayed in their rooms…and ate pizza and played video games. I’m not sure about Schlemmer. The rest of the boys had options…the bus was making 2 stops….one at Chili’s, and another at a steak and seafood place. When we stopped at Chili’s, all the boys got off and filed in. The five of us stayed on the bus and had our steak. Marco said it was the best steak he’s had….in three days. We ate at Outback last night…not a good experience. Tomorrow we have a morning skate followed by the pre-game meal. Guess where?!?!? OG!! It’s right along the way from the arena to the hotel. The mood is very upbeat today, and the boys had a hard practice at Dodge Arena. On the bus after practice, we reminisced about the first-ever game in franchise history, and I must say this is a special place for those of us who were lucky to be here. I’m fortunate enough to be one of those people. I interviewed Barts on the bus for one of my intermission reports Friday, and we talked about the goal he scored….probably the most special….the first goal in franchise history. That puck, as well as the puck that was being used as the final buzzer sounded are in a glass case in Marco’s office with the little plaque under it stating that special moment. It was a 6-3 Sundogs win…one that I’ll never forget.
Ok…on to your suggestions for a nickname for Mark Kolanos. The suggestions are rolling in, and I must say there are some good ones. I’ve forwarded every email I have gotten so far to Mark, and he reads them on his palm pilot, or whatever he uses. He said he likes what he sees so far. So, here’s the deal……I’m going to up the ante now for our wonderful, lovely fans. Mark and I talked on the bus on the way to dinner, and we’ve decided that, wish Shane’s permission, we’re going to let this ride out a few weeks, and we’re going to narrow down the list of suggestions to six. When we get that far, we’ll put it on our website as our “fan poll” that week. The winning suggestion will get you a signed puck and picture from Mark Kolanos. Please email me your suggestion for his nickname, and Mark will pick the “final six”. I’m going to start pushing this campaign on the radio. He’s the only guy on the team without a nickname, and he desperately needs one. He’s all for this…as long as it’s clean, and as long as you don’t make him feel like a dork with your suggestions.
Funny story from dinner tonight. The waiter comes to our table, and it’s a pretty nice steakhouse, and he asks us if we’d like some wine to start. We politely decline, and begin to order sodas. Eric says, “can I get a diet coke? 1983?” You had to be there, but we all busted out laughing at the same time, and for the rest of dinner, the waiter asked Marco, E and George if they wanted another “’83” when their drinks ran low. Marco and I had chocolate dessert, and E and George split bananas foster that was made table-side. Tomorrow is business as usual, with the bus leaving at 9:30am for the arena. Skate is at 11::00am, and lunch at 12:30pm. The bus leaves at five for the arena, and the puck drops at 7:30pm (6:30 in AZ). After the game, we take off for Laredo, with a practice on Saturday and a game on Sunday. The boys will have three days off, and will gear up for the toughest part of the trip, which is three games in three nights in three different cities. It starts Thursday in Corpus Christi with a night game, then a three-hour bus ride to Austin, another night game, and then about a six-hour trip to Oklahoma City, a place the Sundogs have never played a game. We heard the arena in OKC is one of the best in the league. I’ll get you a report after we play there. It’s going to be a special day for the Sundogs organization, as they have a great group of fans in Oklahoma. Our outstanding receptionist, Sharon Johnson, has a twin sister who teaches school out there, and all the kids will be at the game wearing Sundogs shirts. I know I’m looking forward to meeting our fans in the Midwest. I’m rooming with Kevin Cormier on this trip, and it’s an experience, I must say. He’s addicted to the game of chess. He plays it each night before he goes to sleep. That’s all I have for now. Time to hit McDonald’s for a McFlurry….my second dessert of the night. It’s right next to the hotel…perfect location!!! Some of the boys had lunch there earlier today, while a majority of the team went to Rudy’s BBQ place, a local spot known for their brisket and pork. I’ll try to have a good, funny story for you, but the boys haven’t given me anything yet. Here’s hoping for two more points tomorrow night, just barely north of the border.
1:35pm – We’re at practice at Dodge Arena in Rio Grande Valley and Lappy has just broken a pane of glass with a shot that just missed Zanny’s head. All the boys hooted and hollered as if they just won the President’s Cup while Lappy did mock curls with his stick. It was really funny.
Dan Laperriere breaks a pane of glass
during practice at Dodge Arena (12/6).
Wednesday, December 5th
3:37pm – We’re on the bus after a 5-1 Sundogs win over the Corpus Christi Rayz. All the goals today were scored by rookies. David Schlemko scored twice, and Sean Sullivan, Mark Kolanos, and Jason Visser each scored once. It was a great all-around effort by the boys today, and they saw the results on the scoreboard. As I mentioned in a previous rant, the rides are always good after the team wins. Right now, Lappy is eating a bag of pistachios with George by themselves, and Eric is on his phone. Marco is watching the movie “Superbad” with the rest of the boys. George picked it up yesterday at WalMart. Landry and Redenbach are playing on their portable playstations in the back of the bus, and Barts is laying across the three seats he takes in the very last row. Sean Sullivan is sleeping with his Red Sox hat over his eyes. He had a tough time waking up today for the 11AM start time. Karl is spread out over 2 rows trying to sleep in his suit. Andrew Gallant and Bill Zaniboni are talking to one another during the movie, and Dusty Collins is on the phone for the second straight hour. I don’t think he takes much of a break from that thing. It’s about three hours to Rio Grande Valley for the next game on Friday. We’re in the midst of 7 straight games away from home, and it’s the toughest task for the boys to date. So far, they’ve won two straight on the road, but it only gets tougher. Rio is in a distant second place in the Southeast Divison, and the Laredo Bucks lead the way in the CHL. Those are the next two opponents for the Dogs…..after beating the Rays, who are in third place in the southeast division. When we get to Rio, we’ll check into the hotel and then hop back on the bus to a local shopping center where the boys will all split up and eat wherever they would like. Last night we had a team dinner at the Texas Roadhouse, one of our favorites on the road. Marco and Big E had steak last night while Grapes and I had grilled shrimp. Tonight, the boys will be on their own and can eat and shop if they would like and the bus is optional. If they want to go on their own or hang at the hotel….it’s their choice. This isn’t like an “optional” skate…and I put that in quotes, because some things aren’t really optional. My guess is that Marco, E, Grapes, George and I will go off and do our own thing. I’m sure if there’s a PF Chang’s to be found in Rio Grande Valley, we’ll be there. We had a great Italian dinner in Rocky Mountain last Thursday.
There’s something I haven’t done yet this season that is overdue….nicknames:
I realized this as I’m typing out full names in the previous paragraph. This is important today, because I need your help……and I’m serious. While at the OG last Friday for our pre-game meal in Boulder, the boys were having a little fun at the expense of #17 Mark Kolanos. He doesn’t have a nickname, and the boys were trying to be a little creative, but were unsuccessful. So after dinner I grabbed Mark and said “I have an idea. Let me put it out to the fans and let them come up with a nickname for you.” He said “sure”. So…..here it is, Sundog Nation…..come up with a nickname for the rookie sensation that is Mark Kolanos. We cannot use “Special K”, because that belongs to his brother Krys. If you think you have a clever nickname for Mark Kolanos, please email it to me, and I’ll bring it to him for approval. If he approves and the boys start calling him by that nickname, I’ll send you a Sundogs puck signed by Mark. Let the fun begin……
#1 Andrew Gallant – “Gally”
#2 David Schlemko – “Schlemmer”
#4 Sean Sullivan – “Sully”
#5 Matt Suderman – “Sudsy”
#6 Dan Laperriere – “Lappy”
#7 Dusty Collins – “Duster”, although his college teammate Bill Zaniboni calls him “Shrek”
#10 Mike Bartlett – “Bart”, singular, not to be confused with our captain “Barts”
#17 Mark Kolanos – TBD by you….the fans!!!
#18 Tyler Redenbach – “Reds”
#19 Chris Greene – “Greener”
#21 Alex Leavitt – “Levvy” – he’s a funny, funny human being.
#24 Jeff Winchester – “Winny”
#26 Rob Lehtinen – “Lets”
#27
Jon Landry – “Lands” or “Dirty” (dirty laundry…get it?)
#28
Karl Sellan – “Sellsey”
#29
Chris Bartolone – “Barts”
#30 Bill Zaniboni – “Zanner” or “Zanny”
#44 Olivier Latendresse – “Ollie” or “Lats”
#55
Jonathan Bernier – “Bernie” or “Joe”
#57 Cedric Bernier – “Bernie” or “Ced” - we only have to distinguish them when they are together – otherwise they are both “Bernie”
#90 Kevin Cormier – “Corms” – another funny human being.
#93 Jason Visser – “Viss”
Dan Welch , our athletic trainer is “Grapes”
George McNichols , our equipment trainer is….. umm…good one….maybe another one for the fans….if you have a nickname for George, we’ll send you something signed by Geroge…lucky you!
Eric Lacroix , our assistant coach/owner is “Big E”
Marco Pietroniro….another good one…he’s the boss man….he doesn’t have a nickname either…please send suggestions. I’ll try to find out what they called him in his playing days.
Hope you enjoy the new batch of guys. They’re a good group, just like we had last season. Lets, Zanny and Duster played college hockey together at Northern Michigan and are almost inseparable on the road. The guys that played here last season obviously know each other and they’ve been very welcoming to the new guys that came aboard. This road trip will go a long way in determining whether the boys are going to be contenders in the long run. If I were a betting man, I’d lay my money on “yes”. I hope to have a good shoe-check, leaner, or some type of prank story for you next time I write. Have a great remainder of the week!!!
Jon Landry, Kevin Cormier and Chris
Bartolone at hotel check-in.
Wednesday, November 21st
1:27pm – It’s game day, and it’s so nice to be at home…time to sleep in our own beds, time to drive our own cars, and time to finish some rants! Last week while in New Mexico, I got an email from former Sundog Defenseman David Lizotte. During the off-season, I received a fan request for a rant from “Lizard”. Well, he’s a few months late, but I guess “better late than never”, right??
Enjoy!
Bonjour Sundogs fans,
This is David Lizotte ranting from Torre Pellice, Italy. I apologize for not writing to you before but we as say, “better latter than never.” I passed last summer in my home town, of Drummondville, Québec, where I was working as a substitute teacher mainly in English and physical education. Last August, I was going around Québec to coach in different hockey schools and I left for a new season in the beginning of September.
I am now playing for the Valpellice Bulldogs in the Italian league serie A2 and we have a really good start so far in the season. I feel a little bit as if I was still in Prescott Valley while here in Italy. Like Prescott Valley, Torre Pellice, where I live, is a small town surrounded by mountains. So, I wake up every morning in front of nice mountains that I can enjoy while I’m driving to the rink. More important, like PV, we have by far the best fans in the league that support and cheer for us at all times. People live for hockey here which is an enormous exception in Italy. We have generally between 2,000 and 2,600 supporters every game in a rink that can have only 2,440 persons. Not bad for a little town of 4,000 people. Fans and hockey is a lot different overseas. Maybe if Robby makes the request, I can explain to you some of the different in another letter.
On that, I just want to wish to all the Sundogs fans, players and staff a nice and beautiful season. I will be watching from far away and who knows, I may see some of you in the future.
Ciao,
David Lizotte
Tuesday, November 13th
1:16am – The Dogs came up with two huge wins on the road last Friday and Saturday, with the biggest one coming in Loveland, Colorado against the Eagles, 3-2. It was the first time in 12 meetings between the two teams that a road team won a game….and to those of you that follow the Sundogs, you know what a rivalry it has been to this point. Shame the next meeting between the Sundogs and Eagles won’t come until the week before the Super Bowl. The win Saturday night in New Mexico was a good one to set the tone for the next meeting. It also erased some of the horrendous memory of game seven of the playoffs last season. The wins made the bus rides sooooooo much easier. It’s always easier when you win to enjoy the trip to the next city or the trip home. It’s the same at any level of hockey.
I’m fortunate enough to be sitting on the Coyotes charter plane home from San Jose right now, and I can say first-hand that the experience and mood is no different than being on a charter bus with the Sundogs. The Coyotes lost 5-0 tonight to the San Jose Sharks. How did I end up here, you ask? The answer would be “by complete accident”. I hopped a flight from Albuquerque to Oakland Sunday morning to do some production work for the NFL on Fox. It’s a part-time gig that I have when I’m not doing Sundog games. The Coyotes were here for two games against the Sharks, and had Sunday night off. I met up with a few friends from the organization, and was offered the chance to go to the game and ride home with the team. Any hockey fan in their right mind would not turn it down....this is proof I’m in my right mind…..I think. I accepted very graciously and humbly. Now, back to my original point….after suffering a loss, any teams’ spirits would be down. Same here with the big boys in the state of Arizona. The mood is quiet on the plane right now. In the NHL, or at least in the Coyotes case, the plane is divided up into three sections. The executive staff sits up front. The Great One is sitting about five rows ahead of me, and fascination never goes away when you see him in person….I don’t care how many times I’ve seen him in person or how many times I’ve spoken with him. You do know who I’m referring to, right?? His name is Wayne, he wore #99 for the four teams he played for in his career and he’s in the Hockey Hall of Fame. #99 is retired by every team in the NHL, and it will never be worn again. If you’re still wondering, you’re not a fan of the sport of hockey, or you may be living under a rock. Brad Treliving is sitting up front as well. You may remember him as the former President of the CHL. He’s currently the Assistant GM of the Coyotes….he’s also the guy who decides which players move back and forth between the Coyotes and San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. Brad just promoted Tyler Redenbach today to the AHL. “Reds” was the leading scorer for the Dogs with 20 points in 10 games…..thanks Brad…wink wink! Only kidding…while it’s a big loss on the ice for the Sundogs, it’s positive news for the organization that two players have already been promoted 10 games into the season. I’m sitting in the “media” section of the plane, in the middle. Sitting to my right is a lady named Megan, who works for FSN-Arizona and travels with the team. In front of me is Jody Jackson, who is filling in for Todd Walsh as the sideline reporter for the FSN-AZ broadcast. To my left across the aisle is
Rick Braunstein , or “Bronco”, the Director of Team Travel for the Coyotes. He’s a good friend of mine, and is heckling me every time he looks in my direction because it’s my first time on the team charter. The players sit in a section behind us. The seats are all first-class throughout the plane, and the players have two seats facing forward and two facing the opposite direction, and they all have tables to play cards and eat. Each seat reclines into a lounger, with the footrest popping out, and the back reclining all the way back.
OK…this is a break in paragraphs because I just took a walk around the plane and did my intermission bit with the radio tandem of Louie Debrusk and Bob Heethius for the ‘Yotes. “Heeter” and Louie are my old broadcast partners when I was the radio host for the Coyotes for the 2005-2006 season. They are great guys and were very gracious to take time out of their conversation to have some fun with me. Next, I’m going for the TV combo of Dave Strader and Darren Pang. Let’s see what they have to say. I’m taking this one hour and 34-minute flight for all I can right now. Tomorrow night I’m going on a 14-hour jaunt from PV to Odessa and it’s going to be a little different than it is right now. Don’t get me wrong, the way we travel is outstanding for CHL standards, and the way Shawn, Eric and Marco treat us is unmatched. We had a great dinner in Colorado last weekend at a steakhouse called Austin’s, and of course we have our pre-game meals at the OG. Some things don’t, and won’t, change!
OK….paragraph break again. I grabbed Dave Strader and did about 5 minutes with him. Panger is watching a DVD on his laptop. The plane is descending toward Sky Harbor Airport, and right now I’d love to ask the pilot to take a few extra laps in the air. The food hasn’t stopped flowing by the aisle. I’m not talking about McFlurries or Whattaburgers here…..I’m talking steak, shrimp, cookies, you name it!! When you walk onto the plane, there’s a few salads and sandwiches for everyone to grab on their way to their seats. I haven’t eaten on this flight, because I’m too busy blogging and recording intermission bits. I stopped for a minute to talk with Shane Doan, the Captain of the Coyotes, on the way onto the plane. You’ll never meet a nicer athlete on the face of the earth. He’s the type of guy who will always remember your name and always has a second to say hello. Nick Boynton is sitting next to him, and they’re playing cards with Derek Morris and Mike York. Keith Ballard is across from them at a table with Steve Reinprecht and Josh Gratton. We’re about to land, and Wayne has taken a seat facing the back of the plane and in plain view of me and my laptop. The coaches are watching the DVD of the game, as Marco and Eric sometimes do on the bus. Not much is different from the CHL and NHL in terms of how the team operates, how the mood is after a loss…or a win, and what the coaches do during team travel. Wayne and the gang are eating shrimp, salad and cookies. Well…I guess it is a bit different. Marco, Eric and the gang stopped at Sonic the other night on the way back from Odessa. It was an amazing experience for a night, and hopefully a taste of what the future holds. Thanks for the ride, Wayne!
Friday, November 9th
10:38am – I know I’m super late in getting to my first road rant, simply because it’s only our second road trip of the season. I must first apologize to the loyal readers of this non-sensical column that Brent allows on this website. Some things are going to be a bit different this season with the rants. First, I’m going to try my best to rant less than I did last season. Shane told me the page gets too long and I should write less. Ok Shane, I’ll try. Second, I bought a digital camera this summer just for fun, and will post more photos from the road for your viewing pleasure. I’ll get some shots from various places we travel. Stuff from inside the bus, at team meals (I’ll even try to get a shot of someone being shoe-checked, even though it may be hard), and from the arena. Picture blogs are more fun anyways, right? Ok….first thing first….a few weeks ago, I got an email from former Sundog Michael Vernace, and I copied and pasted some of the text from his email. He’s playing for the Lake Erie Monsters (and playing quite well) of the AHL, the Colorado Avalanche top affiliate. I figured our loyal fans would appreciate this….and it’s word for word…I didn’t edit any of this:
“Robby,
It's Mike Vernace here.... just wanted to see how things were going.... and say hello to Barts, Lappy, Karl, Greener, Landry, Marco and Eric for me. I see the team is doing alright, I like to see that. Could be the best fans I've ever played in front of. Are all the guys back in the same apartment complex? Say hey to Shane for me too.”
In case Sundog Nation was wondering if the guys appreciate you, there’s one answer for you.
I’m sitting alone in the broadcast booth here in Loveland, Colorado at the Budweiser Events Center…home of the Colorado Eagles. It’s a great building, and after just 4+ seasons as a franchise, there are many banners already hanging from the rafters. I don’t think it’ll be long before we see a few banners hanging in Northern Arizona. As I’ve said before, the location of the booth here isn’t the best in the league, although the booth itself is pretty nice. I’m in my own little box with my own power controls and a television. The set-up is nice…I just wish it was at center ice or a blue-line. The trip up here was ok. It took 13 hours and 45 minutes to get here, and we bussed through the night. We left at 11PM Wednesday night and got here at 12:45PM Thursday. We had the big, comfortable sleeper bus that we occasionally use. Bill Zaniboni and Rob Lehtinen sat up front with Marco, Grapes, George, Lappy and me. The rest of the boys were in the back, and the new thing this season is x-box 360. Matt Suderman is the leader of the crew. I saw him walking up to the bus, and he has the x-box in a locked case. He kinda looks like a teenager headed on a long trip with the parents when he carries this thing. They played for about 2-3 hours before shutting down the lights and sleeping. Marco stood and chatted for about 90 minutes with the boys up front before he shut it down for the evening. When we arrived, the boys went to their rooms to relax, and I went with Grapes and George to help unload and set up the locker room. I couldn’t just sit around after sitting for 14 hours. One thing I learned from those guys is how hard they really do work. They get next to no credit, and they work their tails off. I opened up player equipment bags and set up their lockers while they set up sticks, skate sharpeners and a training room. They work a few hours before we get to the arena, and a few hours after we leave. It’s really a tough job, and I have even more respect for them after going through a few hours of their workday.
 
View from the broadcast booth in View to the back of the sleeper bus.
Colorado.
Ok, you wanna know about nonsense, and the insanity on the road has begun. Last night we had dinner at a place called Austin’s, about 10 minutes from the hotel. All the staff sat at one table, and the players were split into two long tables. It should go without saying, someone was shoe-checked. I’m not getting into any names yet, victims or perpetrators…that will come in due time. Mayo isn’t here this season, and he was the biggest shoe-checker of them all. Dusty Collins the inside of his sport coat filled with some lettuce, croutons and a few packets if sugar by someone…and didn’t know it until we got on the bus back to the hotel. Yes, hockey season is back. I’m pretty sure I know who the culprit was, but I’m not venturing any guesses. I’m sending along a few pics for now….I’ll write more on the bus ride from Loveland to Albuquerque. Tonight is a big night for the Dogs…..it’s the 12th time the Eagles and Sundogs will meet, and no team has won in the other’s building. Enjoy the pics I’ve sent. Catch ya later!
Loyal fans at New Mexico (11/10).
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