The team took today off, leaving, whoa, one practice left in the season. They go faster and faster, I tell you.
A score to watch tonight: Arnaud Durandeau’s Halifax team looks to avoid being swept in the second round of the QMJHL playoffs. Don’t know if they’d want to rush last year’s sixth-rounder in here for a few days, but if the Mooseheads lose tonight, it’d at least be an option.
Or, perhaps, they shouldn’t bother, because David Quenneville puts the Sound Tigers on the precipice of weird team history. No Bridgeport team has ever used fewer than 40 players in a regular season (2001-02, 2002-03). This year’s team has played 38 guys, with Quenneville likely to become 39 this weekend. (Caveats: Both of those teams also used two other players in the playoffs, and they each also used one goalie who backed up without playing. Also, those teams played four more games in the regular season.) Three Sound Tigers teams played 41 players, including last year’s.
Elsewhere, Jeremy Colliton’s Rockford IceHogs beat Iowa last night to clinch a playoff spot in his first North American season as a coach. Not a bad start to his coaching career, huh? Led his team back to the top Swedish division last year.
And reports from Over There say Mikko Koskinen is expected to return to North America next season, though they conflict over whether The Mikkster comes back to the Islanders or not. (Hat tip Arthur Staple.)