PORTLAND, Maine — It took 87 shots, 19 goals and five rounds in a shootout for the AHL Canadian All Stars to complete a 10-9 come-from-behind “squeaker” over PlanetUSA at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Portland Pirate’s rookie center and hometown favorite Tyler Ennis found Hershey’s Alexandre Giroux in front of the net, resulting in the tying goal with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Ennis had a goal and two assists and was selected as the game’s most valuable player.
“This was my first time (as an all star),” Ennis said. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to react. It was an honor to win it in front of my home crowd.”
It was a typical All-Star game, void of any checking, penalties, fighting or anything else resembling a regular season game. The puck only spent enough time in the neutral zone to get from one blue line to the other. And there were more odd-man rushes than you might see in an entire season.
The Canadian team took a 1-0 lead just 47 seconds into the game; a lead that lasted all of 25 seconds. PlanetUSA led 5-3 after the first period and 7-5 after two. They extended their lead to 10-7 and then things got a little more serious. Team Canada tightened up on defense and scored three unanswered goals that led to the shootout win.
“Once you get near the end and (the game) is close, you don’t want to lose,” Canadian Captain Nolan Baumgartner said.
Ken Daneyko
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be an honorary captain and I appreciate (AHL President) Dave Andrews giving me the call,” Daneyko said in a Pro Hockey News interview. “Part of my career started here way back when, and I have fond memories. It was a big part of my nurturing and development that led to a fairly long career in New Jersey.”
Byron Dafoe
“It’s definitely an honor and a real meaning to the title (of honorary captain),” Dafoe said. “It’s really special being able to come back here to Portland. I have great memories of coming here from Baltimore and winning a cup in the first year. Coming back to the city, the franchise and the people here feels special.”
Both Daneyko and Dafoe noted how different the game is today compared to when they started their careers.
“The skill level across the board has gone up,” Daneyko said. “There were only a few guys who had great skating and puck-handling skills like Gretzky and Lemieux, but now the talent level has really risen.”
“I think size and strength makes a big difference,” Dafoe added. “The kids are so much bigger and so much stronger, yet still just as fast if not faster. The game has become faster and much more skills-oriented. It’s more of a business now and these guys are focused and want to do a good job every night.”
One of the reasons for the increase on the skills side is the influx of players from outside North America. Nine of the 25 PlanetUSA players were born on the other side of the globe.
“You want to have the best players in the world in your league and these players bring a high skill level to the game,” Daneyko said. “That’s why overall the league is more skilled. I’d like to see a happy medium that includes toughness because the fans like that aspect of the game.”
“You’ve definitely got the best players in the world,” Dafoe added. “It’s definitely good for the game. It also brings a different element. European players are a little more skilled and gifted, but not as gritty as (North) American players, so you get a good mix which always makes the game more interesting.”
Ivan Vishnevskiy
“The two days were lots of fun,” Vishnevskiy said. “I met lots of new guys at the skills competition and at the game and I really enjoyed it.”
Vishnevskiy was selected to the start the game.
“I found out I was starting when I was in Texas,” Vishnevskiy said. “It’s pretty exciting because it was the fan’s vote and that means something for me.”
The game was not without its humorous moments. Early in the first period, PlanetUSA Rochester Red Wings’ goaltender Alexander Salak made three great saves in the span of a few seconds. As the puck went down the ice, Salak waved to the crowd with his glove hand. Later in the period, he skated far out of the net, caught a shot, and then punted the puck to the other end of the ice.
Anton Khudobin
Khudobin has his own humorous moment. He poked Hartford Wolf Pack center Corey Locke with his goal stick as Locke skated by the net. Locke took the stick away and put it on the ice behind the goal.
Khudobin played his first all star game with the Texas Wildcatters in the ECHL, but his second was just as memorable.
“This was lots of fun actually,” Khudobin said. “I liked the skills competition with the breakaways. I saw some of my Russian friends and I met lots of other guys here. I saw 17 shots in one period in the ECHL game and 23 here, but it is good experience for me and I enjoyed it.”
The league will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, but the site for the all star game hasn’t been announced yet.
“We’ve got two or three sites we’re looking at,” AHL President Dave Andrews said. “We want to hold it in a city that has some historic significance to the league.”
The format will also change back to a format that is more familiar to the fans and will make more players and coaches happy.
“Next year we’re going to play an east-west format and wear throwback uniforms especially designed for the event,” Andrews said. “The decision to go east-west will make a lot of our players and coaches happy. We’ve had a lot of pressure to go in that direction for a long time.”
Some background information for this article was provided by the AHL. For all the stories and game statistics, visit the AHL web site at:
www.theahl.com
Contact the writer at: mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com
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