During the season, Checkers broadcaster Jason Shaya checks in each week with his 10 Thoughts - a series of observations about the team and the hockey world in general.
1) Checkers owner Michael Kahn had glowing praise for head coach Mike Vellucci during a radio interview this past weekend. He called Vellucci the MVP of the team, citing his ability to get the most out of his players each and every night. Kahn noted the remarkable improvements in a number of areas but cautioned that the playoffs are a whole different season and a new and tougher level of hockey was to come.
2) Going from one owner to another, Hurricanes majority owner Tom Dundon had this to say at today’s end of year press conference in Carolina: "We may have 19 new players next year and we may have zero. That’s unlikely, but it is going to be greater than zero, I can tell you that." When Carolina is done gathering information and the decisions are made on how to move forward, next year’s Hurricanes team will not look like the one we just saw this season.
3) Allow me nominate a candidate for most valuable player for the Checkers this year: goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. He’s tied for the most wins in the league for a reason. Never before have I seen such a remarkable turnaround in a career as Alex displayed, especially from January forward. The team will go as he goes.
4) While I'm on the goalie subject, we should mention Callum Booth. With Sunday's win under his belt, he looks like he's making progress at an exponential pace. If all things stay as they are, he will be a full-time AHL goalie next season. The kid turned heads in his last two games.
5) This weekend should see the return of Andrew Miller, Alex Nedeljkovic and Lucas Wallmark from injury. Also, Roland McKeown, Valentin Zykov, Nic Roy and Haydn Fleury are all returning from Carolina. That is seven players in the lineup that didn't play in the last Checkers game.
6) I was looking at the league statistics today and I saw that former Charlotte Checkers and Hurricanes winger Chris Terry is tied for the league lead in points (70) and goals (32). Terry is averaging well over a point per game and, at age 29, is now finishing up with the highest point total of his career. I don't know what the future holds for Chris but I'd have to imagine putting on a Checkers sweater again would be warmly welcomed by both sides.
7) Donald White was honored for working 1,000 games before the last Checkers home game on Sunday afternoon. For those of you who don't know Don, he, along with Steve Latin, is an essential part of the organization as the team’s equipment manager. Donny works countless hours doing some of the most difficult tasks every single day, all while trying to make sure all 20 player dressed are ready to play 76 games a season. I've worked with Donny since our days here in the ECHL and, along with Derek Wilkinson, I consider him one of my closest friends in this business. Congratulations to a great guy who is both universally feared and loved.
8) Our next game takes place in Providence on Friday night and that game could very well determine where the Checkers will place in the division. I am guessing the matchup comes down to Lehigh Valley or Wilkes-Barre Scranton so no matter where you finish, the task to move on will be incredibly difficult. Join us on the Checkers app and ESPN 730 at 6:50 PM for our pregame show.
Now a few thoughts on the tragic accident involving the Humboldt Broncos hockey team.
9) Tyler Bieber turned 29 years old in February. This season was his first as a hockey play-by-play broadcaster. He didn't do it for the money. In fact, it interfered with his volunteer coaching duties which he deeply enjoyed. His mother said Tyler woke up every morning at 5:30 AM to get to work but that was only the beginning of a very long day. He volunteered with high school kids and was in the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor program. Tyler was an active member of his community trying to help kids find their path in life. Along with 14 others, Bieber lost his life in a tragic bus accident on a Saskatchewan highway on Friday night and this tragedy has turned the hockey world upside down. No parents should have to utter the words of Tyler's mom, Marlyn Hay, about their own child: "He was a great kid, and so passionate about everything he did. I’ll miss him a lot."
10) I know what it's like to be on a bus at night, driving through winter roads and worrying about something happening. It's a constant fear of mine that has never allowed me even one single moment of sleep on a bus in 13 years. At the conclusion of each broadcast, I always ask for fans to pray for the team’s safe arrival in the next city and now I ask for your continued prayers for the souls of those on the Humboldt Broncos who lost their lives on Friday night, their teammates who survived and their families who are dealing with indescribable grief.
