Comets hit Barons/adieu, Dave: Wednesday notes

Utica completes the final four in the AHL with a 1-0 win over Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference semis. Alexandre Grenier scored with 12:49 left in the game, and Jacob Markstrom (in the company of Johnny Bower in the history books, per the AHL) made 35 saves.

So that’s it for Oklahoma City, off to the Pacific Division next year. A hat tip to a team we never saw, one that helped nurture Mark Arcobello into an NHLer.

The Western Conference Final doesn’t start until Sunday, with Grand Rapids going to Utica. The Eastern Final begins Thursday in Manchester. (Considering that the Monarchs move to California and the Pacific next year and Utica will come east, maybe they should “reseed” based on next year’s alignment? ManchVegas vs. Grand Rapids, Utica vs. Hartford. It’d be different, anyway. Nah, obviously not, but…)

Toronto, a little busy today with other coaching news, announced Tuesday that Gord Dineen won’t be back as head coach:

TEAM Old New
SD-a Jarrod Skalde (4/21)  — 
CHA Jeff Daniels (4/30) — 
ROC Chadd Cassidy (5/1) — 
p-SPR Ray Edwards (reported 5/17) — 
TOR Gord Dineen  (5/19) — 


a-Former Norfolk Admirals, new San Diego Gulls. p-Former Portland Pirates; AZ affiliation moves to Springfield. To keep this manageable, other affiliation-swap coaches are assumed to move with the affiliation until we hear otherwise.

Senators owner Eugene Melnyk got his liver transplant. Great news; even greater if he’s raised awareness and helped others, too.

Did you stay up Tuesday night/Wednesday morning to watch the Blackhawks win in triple overtime? All I could think about after the winning goal was that Andrew Desjardins, one of the more impressive unsung-type Worcester Sharks, made it. Tip of cap, Worcester; not forgotten.

And “The Late Show With David Letterman,” in tonight’s personal-coincidences-aren’t-that-weird moment, debuted the night before I moved into my dorm for freshman year of college. More nights than not, on my dinky little TV, we had on Channel 2 at 11:35. Tonight’s last show ends on the anniversary, dumb-coincidentally, of my graduation. Feels like they’re linked in a lot of ways. Haven’t watched him much the past few years, but I’m waiting out the end of the news to watch one more time. Been quite a run.

Michael Fornabaio