Andy Chiodo (oh, I should’ve warned you that was coming. Seriously, if that made you lose your dinner, turn away for a minute.)
Andy Chiodo was 2-5 all-time against the Sound Tigers (three losses in overtime, so 2-2-3 by modern reckoning), all with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, in the regular season. His goals-against average was 2.66, which looks better now than it did when posted, which was mostly a different era; his save percentage against Bridgeport — smacked by the not-from-a-different-era part, a 7-0 pasting he took in his last game against the Sound Tigers on Jan. 21, 2006 — was only .890.
Of course, the reason your dinner is now all over your keyboard* is because, in four days late in April 2004, Chiodo went from underdog third goalie to bona fide cult hero (Who Caron? Marc-Andre-future-Stanley-Cup-champion what?). His goals-against average in those three playoff games, which included two extended overtime tilts? 0.87. His save percentage? .961 (73/76).
Those numbers likely stand forever, as (hat tip: Elite Prospects) the Ottawa 67s have named a retired Chiodo their goalie coach.
Bridgeport hasn’t won a playoff series since the Islanders draft pick turned Islanders farm-system eliminator; it has won, in fact, five playoff games** since Chiodo took over in Game 5 that Thursday night at Harbor Yard. I joked on Twitter that there probably isn’t a Curse of Andy Chiodo. But hey.
…
Florida announced that Harry Zolnierczyk will join them for camp on a tryout.
Sacred Heart’s hockey newcomers include Hamden’s Mike Lee, though he’ll have to sit out the season as a transfer from Vermont.
And (thanks, Stan) RIP, Richard Anderson.
*-Or phone or telepathic e-reader or whatever crazy device you’re using now. I compiled most of the first three paragraphs when Chiodo returned to the AHL in 2009 with Binghamton, but he never played against Bridgeport that year. It’s been sitting at the bottom of my blog cut file ever since, below a Charles Wang quote that proved less useful than I’d expected and my one and only John Tavares story.
**-5-21!