Question of the week: What about the Norfolk Admirals?
by Cassie McClellan on Oct 27, 2011 9:00 AM EDT
in Question of the Week
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PrintAs many know, I try to make a trip to Norfolk once a month to see how the Admirals are doing. I enjoy attending these games and would like to go more often, but even though I live in Virginia, it's still a three-hour drive one way to get to Norfolk from where I live.
And it's always a struggle to figure out what I should write. As I only see them in one-game snap shots, I know that doing any kind of an evaluation isn't really comprehensive. A player may be having a fantastic game when I'm there, or having an off night. Since I don't attend games on a more regular basis, I can't really gauge improvement or non-improvement.
As for what I write about my visits, I'm really just guessing about what people may want to hear. Doing a game recap, I feel, serves no real purpose. Sure, you'll get to read about how I thought a game went, but that doesn't really help people out if they just want a status report on certain players.
So I need everyone to help me out here. I asked my fellow writers this question, but I definitely want to hear back from our readers on this. I'm writing this stuff for you, after all, and I'm very interested to hear about what you want when it comes to Norfolk.
So the question of the week is this: Are you interested in what's going on with the Norfolk Admirals? Why or why not?
Clark Brooks - Staff Writer / Ridiculously Inconsistent Trickle of Consciousness
I am not. Oddly enough, I understand exactly how the minor league system works in baseball, but hockey isn't the same and I've never been able to really figure it out. I'll glance at stats from time to time and seek out individual names, but as an entity, no, I'm not really interested in the Admirals.
Matt Amos - Staff Writer / Don't Trade Vinny
At the moment? No. Down the road? Yes.
As I've mentioned on several other outlets, I've been wrapped up in the St. Louis Cardinals improbable run, and haven't yet shifted full gear to hockey yet. I'll get there.
Dani Toth - Staff Writer / Benched Whale, Lightning Hockey Blog
I am not interested enough to watch their games (can you even watch their games online?) or anything, although I am interested in individual prospects and how they are doing with the Ads. I get most of my updates from @BoltProspects and the awesome site they run.
John Fontana - Managing Editor / Raw Charge
While I'm interested in the successes and the failings of the Norfolk Admirals, I can't say I am following them explicitly. There are some interesting talents on the Ads this season like Cory Conacher, Carter Ashton, Richard Panik, Dustin Tokarski, Radko Gudas and plenty of others.
But I don't actively chase coverage, or look at the AHL standings. It's not disinterest in players developing, it's more of growing up a Lightning fan for so long and seeing so little emphasis put on the minor league system (by both the team and local media). If you look at the Tampa Bay Rays coverage in Major League Baseball, how well the minor league system is stocked and is performing is almost always at a forefront because of the importance of the team getting talent from within. In hockey, that kind of development is not stressed.
If you missed it, check out last week's question, So far in this young season, which player(s) have impressed you the most? And which player(s) have been the biggest disappointment so far?
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This is not a very flattering reflection on covering the system.
Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.
Not a lot of people who enjoy major league sports care about the minors. The fans in the minor leagues for any sport are an entirely different breed. They tend to pay attention to the big club only because they’ll take players away from their team.
"You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone." -Herb Brooks
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on Oct 27, 2011 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m personally very interested. I follow the games and the stats. A friend and I are even making a trip up there to go to a few games. But I think being as interested as I am is unusual among Lightning fans. It could be lack of exposure though. I like knowing about the Admirals because I like thinking ahead to what kind of talent the Lightning could be tapping into down the line. My interest in the Admirals really took off due to seeing the guys at prospect camp, rookie camp and training camp. I think the first hand viewing of the players went along way to making me want to keep tabs on them.
by thegrlonthewall on Oct 27, 2011 9:18 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I like knowing about the Admirals because I like thinking ahead to what kind of talent the Lightning could be tapping into down the line.
Exactly how I feel.
In fact, the Bolts have to be enjoying the performance of Radko Gudas (3rd round 2010) and Mark Barberio (6th round 2008) on the Ads blue line. Barberio leads all AHL Dmen with 1-9-10 in 8 games and Gudas ranks 6th with 5 points. Also, Carter Ashton is off to a great start with 7-4-11 in 8 games. Can’t wait to see Ashton playing for the Bolts next season.
Following the Lightning all the way from Brasil!
by Rafael Amarante on Oct 27, 2011 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Carter Ashton scored another one against the Providence Bruins. He has now 8 goals in 9 games.
Following the Lightning all the way from Brasil!
by Rafael Amarante on Oct 28, 2011 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I check in on the Admirals
website about once a week to see how everyone is doing. After taking my kids to preseason practice my interest has grown in watching the young talent develop. We have quite a few players into their 30’s, so the future for many of these kids is not far off.
Additionally, Carter Ashton gave my 2 year old a puck after he kept calling his name to say hello. Now all I hear around the house is Carter Ashton. I also remember how gracious Dana Tyrell was when the Bolts returned from game 7 in Boston. I was disappointed to see him sent down but we are pretty deep at the forward position.
For anyone not paying attention, the baby line of Conacher.Carter and Johnson has been lighting it up in Norfolk and who knows, in a year or 2 we may have a ready made line.
Yes, yes, yes.
I was pretty ambivalent, to be completely honest, about the Admirals or any other hockey below the NHL level. Sure it’s important to know the big names, but really: how interesting can it be?
Having spent the first 3 months of 2010 in the Hampton Roads area (includes Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and all smaller burroughs inbetween), my interest sky-rocketed. Seeing potentially future Bolts and/or trade bait really put things into perspective for me. I find this year I miss not paying my $10 and going to see the Ads take on the WBS Penguins (a really, really good rivalry) or the Hershey Bears.
So, Cassie, please: keep up the Admirals series of articles. They are my lifeline to the Baby Bolts.
"The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect"
- Smith in Orwell's 1984
But what do you want to know about them? That’s my question. I can write whatever, but I feel like I’m seriously in the dark as to what people want to know.
"You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone." -Herb Brooks
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on Oct 27, 2011 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions
The short answer is: anything that impresses you on any particular night. Your discernment hasn’t been terrible.
The longer answer: because you’re not necessarily local to the Ads all the time (and therefore not able to see short-term trends), I think other than game recaps (which are great on their own) perhaps focusing on a player (or two) that looks to be eventual NHL material (like Gudas, Carter, or Barberio) and how they’re doing in Cooper’s system.
"The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect"
- Smith in Orwell's 1984
You ought to know exactly what I want to hear about
although I make an effort to find out how my baby goalies are doing so that you aren’t burdened with the entire responsibility. Tik’s been struggling and Janus has been serviceable so far (though I haven’t checked in about a week.)
I do wish the Norfolk Admirals were as active as the Milwaukee Admirals (the Nashville AHL affiliate, and yes it’s confusing) in posting game highlight videos. I nearly tore my hair out this summer trying to get video on Tokarski.
As far as how this reflects on us as a fan base? Well, if the fan base grows, there number of people who are interested in the minors will grow. Until then, it’s important to keep in mind the barriers to good coverage—the biggest one being that the Ads are in Norfolk. It’s not close enough for very many Lightning fans to catch a game. Another is that the AHL online service is actually more expensive than NHL GameCenterLive. And really, it’s kind of important to solidify the fan base for the Lightning before worrying about introducing a whole new set of players to the mix.
R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, Boogaard, Lokomotiv.
Lightning Goalies--0 for 4 on the poke check in October 2011
Part Predator, part Lightning.
I like to know how individual prospects are doing
and progressing. I watch for putting performance ‘face’ with various prospect rankings, but record and wins/losses associated with their record is of little importance to me.
Injuries, who’s hot, who’s not, etc. pique my interest, though.
Sorry Ads.
Very disappointed
The response from the “staff” of this website is pretty disheartening for Admirals’ fans. I’m not alone when I say that the responses are going to provide plenty of ammunition to stay away from this site and talk to others about doing the same. In Norfolk, fans live and die by what’s going on in Tampa—the system, the injuries, trade rumors, etc. “True” fans of the Lightning should be concerned with the same things in Norfolk. Surely it’s ok to not have a game by game or week by week update as the local paper, bloggers, and fan site take care of that, but if that’s going to be the case don’t back it up by saying “We just don’t care.” And by the way, Boltsprospects “coverage” of the Norfolk Admirals sucks. They aren’t local and only quote statistics or “projected” performance. They don’t watch games, they don’t see the players on the ice who aren’t putting pucks in the net. They won’t see Scott Jackson, the BEST and most dependable defenseman make plays in his own end, but will say that he’s way down on the depth chart because he doesn’t contribute. This is the same place that said Kari Ramo was incredible, the future of Tampa goaltending. It also doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a 1st round draft pick is projected to perform well.
I’m not alone when I say—thanks for your responses. Fans in Norfolk will now not have to waste another minute of their lives visiting this website.
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