John Anderson is getting a makeover

I love these kinds of things. I watch makeover shows on TV like "What Not to Wear," (even though I find the hosts annoying) and it's amazing the changes people undergo. They feel like a whole new person. So we'll see what happens with Chicago Wolves coach John Anderson.

In hockey, there is a philosophy: "look good, feel good, play good." I've talked to several Gladiators about it, and they definitely believe in it. I'm not sure how it works for coaches since they don't actually play, but perhaps similarly.

I also wonder if other coaches will be jealous of Anderson's new fabulousness. I can tell you precisely what Jeff Pyle would say about it -- "at least he has hair to style." Indeed, Anderson has a good head of hair and I'll be very interested to see what they do with it. They will probably recommend the daily addition of "product" since his hair is fine (like mine), so we'll see if he follows through with that.

Here are some preliminary pictures. Stay tuned.

Edit to add: here's the clip:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=resources&id=5945094

360replays must go

Supposedly this 360replays rig is installed in Philips Arena for "testing." Test failed.

Because this obstruction of my view of the ice surface?


Completely unacceptable. For one game, three games, one minute. I missed the entire first period tonight getting reseated and raising hell.

Really, is this how you would want to watch a game? With rigging in front of the important areas of the ice? When did TV viewers become more important than those in the building?


The rigging will be there for the Tampa game too. You've been warned.

If it gets worse, they'll have to call up Sharrow

If you haven't heard, the Vancouver Canucks have six defensemen out. Yep, six. They've got former Thrasher Mike Weaver playing for them now, and if it gets worse, a guy who would likely get a chance is former Thrashers prospect Jimmy Sharrow. Wow.

Here's who's left in Manitoba. It ain't pretty.

The Chicago Wolves play Manitoba on Sunday. Good timing for them.

Gladiators vs. Stingrays, Feb. 2

This game could be memorable for the Gladiators scoring seven goals, for Mike Hamilton's surprising individual-effort drop-the-shoulder goal, or the first time Chad Denny saw time on the power play (the low-dropping back door left D). But I'll remember it as the game I first used my new recorder and screwed up taping the player I wanted. Oh well, it happens. It was Groundhog Day so we can just do it over, right?

A few photos. Grant McNeill stretches.


Waa-waaaaa.....Patrick McNeill plays a mean air guitar. I asked him how they distinguish between the two McNeills, who are not related, and he said he was PMac, and Grant was GMac. I wish hockey players were more creative.


Pierre-Luc O'Brien. Those are first and last names you don't see together often.


This is Nate Kiser, the guy who gave Myles Stoesz the black eye a few weeks ago. He has exactly as many tattoos as you'd imagine.

And below is Stoesz with his full shield. He had his long-planned dental implant posts put in last week, which involved opening up his bottom jaw, so he has to wear this. His bottom front few teeth were originally knocked out last September.


At the end of the game, Stoesz and Patrick McNeill got into it, which led to McNeill cross checking Stoesz and then a fight erupted. I was already downstairs so it happened in the corner right in front of me. Kiser quickly stepped in for McNeill, who is a skill guy, not a tough one. I asked McNeill about it afterwards, and he said "I've never had a guy with a full face shield come at me before -- I didn't know what to do."

There were two other teams ready to go at it. The near team came all the way from Charleston, home of the Stingrays.

Who is driving Mike Vigilante to distraction?

Tonight at the Gladiators game, captain Mike Vigilante, who is out still recovering from a concussion, barely watched his team's 7-3 victory because he was distracted by a girl. Who is she, you ask?

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Why, she's the daughter of his girlfriend's sister.

Is this the picture of cuteness or what? Four months old and she took his entire attention away. "Forget about the game, I'll play with the kid," he laughed downstairs after the game.

As if the above could not get any cuter, the little darling fell asleep in his arms in the second period. He was stuck there for a while as she slept, but gave her back midway through the third period when it was time for a bottle.

Guess who already asked for a copy of this picture? I think someone's going to make a great dad. He's completely smitten.

Circle Feb. 8 as Brad Schell's return date

I talked to Brad Schell through most of the second period tonight. Between the five interruptions when goals were scored, he said he thinks one more week of practice should get him ready to play for the Gladiators. (For those who need to get back up to speed, he's making a comeback from a back injury suffered in Providence camp). He said the back hurts a little after he practices, but that's because he hasn't used those muscles much.

Schell said he needs to do some 3-on-3 work down low and get more contact in. He said he'll probably start off easy in the first few games, not play so many minutes. Certainly not as many as he was playing last year (like 25). He said he's been doing a lot of bike and skating, but then there's game shape and he's not quite there yet either.

Watching all the goals being scored, I asked him if he could play D. That was a joke, so he laughed. He commented that he had never sat and watched a game in that building before (had never been injured during his time as a Gladiator), so he was seeing all kinds of things on the ice.

Anyway, his visa paperwork is all done, so it's just about how he feels now.

Gwinnett plays Wheeling on Friday and Saturday. If his buddy Lane Manson hadn't retired off the Nailers to go to school, it would be a homecoming for both of them. Schell said Mans is happy at the Univ. of Saskatchewan (where he now plays basketball), and that if he ever misses hockey he can always come back. We caught up on a lot of other people too, and talked Wolves and Thrashers.

Welcome back, Scheller.

AHL may reduce the number of games

The proposal is to go from the current 80-game schedule to a 72-game schedule (Note: the NHL plays 82 games and the ECHL plays 72).

[AHL President Dave] Andrews said, "there is a lot of interest from the NHL general managers for the league to do this. We would look to eliminate the current three games in three nights, and four games in five nights, giving the players more time to practice. This would eliminate some of the stress and fatigue for the players and allow for more instruction to help in their development." According to Andrews, the AHL has reticent to do so without some cost-sharing mechanism in place with the NHL, because of the significant financial impact on the teams. However, Andrews said that it is a top priority of the league, and that he expected something to be worked out at some point in the near future.

It's important to note that three-in-threes and four-in-fives are prohibited in the NHL. But they are not uncommon in the minor leagues, where owners like to capitalize on the more popular weekend dates.

Andrews also confirmed that the next AHL franchise may be in Austin, Texas, a revival of the Oilers dormant franchise. It would be sold to the Dallas Stars.