Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest news and notes from the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs in today’s AHL Morning Skate.
Playoff Brackets | Today’s Scoreboard | League Stats
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Game 3 – Wednesday, 7:00 ET – AHL Live free-view, SiriusXM 91
(GR leads series, 2-0)
Follow @griffinshockey Follow @SyracuseCrunch Tweet #GRvsSYR
Ben Street scored 7:02 into the second overtime period to lift Grand Rapids to a 6-5 win in a roller-coaster Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals on Saturday night… The Griffins take a 2-0 series lead to Syracuse for Game 3 tomorrow… Grand Rapids is now 9-0 at home this postseason, the same mark Syracuse takes into Game 3… Griffins forward Tomas Nosek leads all scorers in the series with three goals and four points.
2017 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)
Grand Rapids Griffins vs. Syracuse Crunch | Finals Infographic
Game 1 – Fri., June 2 – GRAND RAPIDS 3, Syracuse 2 | Recap/Highlights
Game 2 – Sat., June 3 – GRAND RAPIDS 6, Syracuse 5 (2OT) | Recap/Highlights
Game 3 – Wed., June 7 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
Game 4 – Fri., June 9 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sat., June 10 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 6 – Tue., June 13 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 7 – Wed., June 14 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
Down But Not Out
Since the Calder Cup Finals went to a best-of-seven format in 1944, Grand Rapids is the 43rd team to take a 2-0 lead… Only three teams have come back from 0-2 down to win the Cup:
Reading List
Wings keep options open on re-signing Frk (Detroit News)
Griffins assistant nearly lost his leg playing for Crunch (Syracuse.com)
2013 Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids Griffins: Where are they now? (Grand Rapids Press)
Why conference trophy presentations can be the worst photo op in sports (Syracuse.com)
Predators’ Gaudreau can’t stop scoring big goals (Yahoo! Sports)
About the Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is named for Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL (1917-43) and one of the driving forces behind the formation of the American Hockey League.
While the AHL’s history dates back to the fall of 1936, the Calder Cup trophy was first awarded in 1938 to the Providence Reds for winning the second International-American Hockey League championship. (In 1996, George Parsons of the Syracuse Stars was presented the Calder Cup in a ceremony at the Onondaga County War Memorial; it is believed the Stars never received a trophy for their 1937 championship.)
In 2001, the trophy’s base was changed to include two tiers of plaques, which feature the rosters of each of the last 20 Calder Cup champions; the plaques from the first 60 champions are on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The entire trophy now stands 24 inches tall and weighs 28 pounds. The bowl, made of sterling silver, is 12 inches high and eight inches in diameter; the base is made of Brazilian mahogany.
Alumni Watch
In Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final last night, Nashville defeated Pittsburgh, 4-1, to even the series at two games apiece… 2016 AHL All-Star Frederick Gaudreau became just the second player in NHL history to score each of his first three career goals during the Stanley Cup Final… Gaudreau (3), Jake Guentzel (4) and Pontus Åberg (1) have accounted for eight of the 24 goals scored during the Stanley Cup Final; that trio combined for 77 goals in the AHL in 2016-17… Gaudreau scored three game-winning goals in 66 AHL games with Milwaukee this season; he now has two GWG in the Stanley Cup Final… Twelve of Nashville’s 13 goals in the Final have been scored by Milwaukee Admirals alumni.
On This Date
June 6, 2016 – Oliver Bjorkstrand scores 1:20 into overtime as Lake Erie takes a 3-0 series with a 3-2 win over Hershey in Game 3 of the Calder Cup Finals.
June 6, 2015 – Michael Mersch‘s goal at 4:10 of overtime gives Manchester a 3-2 win over Utica in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals.
June 6, 2009 – Michal Neuvirth makes 28 saves as Hershey shuts out Manitoba, 3-0, to take a 2-1 Finals series lead.
June 6, 2007 – Carey Price stops 33 shots and Hamilton takes a 3-1 series lead with a 6-2 win over Hershey in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals.
June 6, 2004 – The Milwaukee Admirals win their first championship, finishing off a four-game Finals sweep with a 7-2 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
June 6, 2003 – Stephane Veilleux scores the tying goal with 1:46 left in regulation and the winning goal 2:22 into OT as Houston beats Hamilton in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals, 3-2, to tie the series at 2-2.
June 6, 1999 – Providence thumps Rochester, 6-0, to take a 2-0 series lead in the Calder Cup Finals.
Calder Cup Finals on AHL Live
The American Hockey League and NeuLion, Inc., are making video streaming of all seven games of the 2017 Calder Cup Finals available for viewing at no charge from AHL Live via desktop, laptop, mobile device or tablet… To watch free on AHL Live, simply visit ahllive.com from any desktop computer, log in with your AHL Live account (or create a new one), select the Finals All-Access Pass and enter the promo code FINALS17 to access all of the action of the AHL’s championship series featuring the calls of the Griffins’ Bob Kaser and the Crunch’s Dan D’Uva… You can watch on your desktop or laptop through ahllive.com, or download the official AHL Live app from iTunes or Google Play to watch on your mobile device or tablet.
