Justice Served? I Think Not!

Hello fellow Jackalope fans!  It's been a while since I last posted due to me being swamped with school work, and a lot has happened when it comes to the Jacks over the last few days.  On the eve of opening day in the CHL, we have learned the punishments handed out by the CHL after the MacMillan/Van Drunen incident that took place in the Jacks second exhibition game against the Colorado Eagles.

  Before I give my opinion on the ruling of Duane Lewis, lets first talk about what exactly happened at the BEC this past Saturday night in Loveland, Colorado.  In the third period of the Jacks/Eagles exhibition game between the Jacks and Eagles (which the Jacks were leading by a score of 3-1) seven "fights" broke out in less than a two minute span.  After all of this crap happened, Brad MacMillan of the Colorado Eagles (who had apparently been trying to instigate fights all night) decided to take it upon himself to sucker punch an unsuspecting Dave Van Drunen who crumpled to the ice in a pool of his own blood.  A line brawl ensued immediately after this "incident" with several non-fighter Jackalopes on the ice against the Colorado Eagle goons.  In my mind, there is no denying that this was premeditated due to the circumstances being too "perfect" for the Eagles to carry out these actions.  Needless to say, Eagle player George Bradley was literally on top of a slumped over Kenny Bernard on the ice delivering vicious uppercuts to a defenseless Bernard and even (at one point) drove a nasty elbow right in the middle of Bernard's back.

  Apparently Jackalope owner Rick Gasser had decided he had seen enough and instructed his team to leave the ice and head to the locker room.  Both Gasser and Gillis should be commended for getting their team the hell out of that place considering it was pretty evident what the Eagle's intentions were.  The Jacks forfeited the exhibition game, even though the Jacks still won in my book, and Van Drunen ended up having to stay in Colorado to have surgery on his severely injured face.  Van Drunen, because of MacMillan's vicious, deliberate sucker punch suffered from a broken nose, several facial lacerations, and a broken jaw.  He had to have several plates as well as eighteen screws inserted in his face to "fix the damage," so to speak.  Come to find out Van Drunen (the best defensive defenseman in the entire CHL) will miss at least two months due to the actions of the coward known as Brad MacMillan.  Anyway, fans from both teams have waited for a few days now, wondering what punishments would be dealt by CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis when it came to this incident.  By the way, on a bit of a side note, this incident was so severe that it actually made the national news.  To get back to my point, though, about Duane Lewis' ruling, we finally found out today what punishments were handed out to the Jackalopes and Eagles.

  Odessa coach Paul Gillis was suspended for three games due to the forfeiture of the game as well as supposed public comments made.  I was very shocked to see Gillis suspended at all, considering I felt he should have been commended for protecting his players from the violent acts of the Colorado Eagles during a meaningless game.  I guess I was wrong.  The Jacks were also fined an undisclosed amount of money. 

 Now lets move on to what the Eagles received, shall we?  Many unbiased fans, as well as Jackalope fans and Jackalope owner Rick Gasser were hoping that MacMillan would be banned from the CHL for good.  Boy were we wrong.  MacMillan received a 22 game suspension, and while that may seem like a hefty penalty to some, I would argue that it's not fair that MacMillan will be able to come back and play very shortly after Van Drunen is physically able to.  The coward should have been banned from the CHL, plain and simple.  Now lets move on to the other Eagle punishments.  They were also fined an undisclosed amount of money, but the aforementioned George Bradley received a five game suspension.  I won't complain too much about that suspension, because I was actually a little surprised to see that the CHL actually had the balls to do anything to Bradley.  However, Mario Joly (a former Jackalope and now a Colorado Eagle) was the first (and only) player from either bench to leave the bench during this altercation.  According to the CHL rule book, Mario Joly should have been automatically suspended for a minimum six games.  But, when Duane Lewis revealed his ruling this afternoon, it turns out that Joly only received a four game suspension.  Are you kidding me?  If this isn't blatantly bending the rules, then I don't know what is.

 Finally, Eagles assistant coach (who was the acting head coach during the exhibition games) only received a three game suspension, which was the same that Gillis received.  I couldn't disagree with this more.  Not only that, but while Gillis has to serve his three game suspension during the first three regular season games, Greg Pankewicz will serve his three game suspension when the Eagle come to the ECC to play the Jacks in our barn.  What is the CHL doing here?  It seems to me that the CHL is once again trying to protect a member of their "crown jewel" from being verbally assaulted by the great Jackalope fans.  Oh well, maybe this bullshit ruling by Duane Lewis (as well as the cheap shot by MacMillan) will be the much needed spark to finally aid the Jacks in bringing the President's Cup to the Permian Basin.

  Was justice served?  I think not.  Feel free to comment on what you think about this incident as comments are always welcomed and encouraged.  With all of this said, the Jacks take on the Missouri Mavericks tomorrow night in Independence, Missouri where I'm predicting a 6-2 Jackalopes win.  I'm going to go ahead and wrap things up here, but check The Enforcer in the coming days to see how the Jacks did this weekend, as well as anything else pertaining to the Jacks as well as Van Drunen's condition.


Until next time Jackalope fans all I have to say is GO JACKS GO!!! and shame on you Duane Lewis!

Bootland Assigned as Training Camp Looms



Hello fellow Jackalope fans!  It's a beautiful night here in the Permian Basin, and we have quite a bit of Jackalope related news to get caught up on.  First, remember in my last post when I mentioned that there might be another big addition that the Jacks would make?  Well, it was announced today on the Jack's website that Darryl Bootland has been sent to the Odessa Jackalopes from the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  This is a HUGE addition for the Jacks, as not only does Bootland have a bunch of AHL experience, but he has quite a bit of NHL experience as well.  Bootland is a 6'2" 200 pound right winger, that is (from what I have seen) a heck of an enforcer that can score too.  All around, he seems to be a great player that is sure to become an instant leader on the team, and an instant fan favorite of the fans.  He is a veteran, which brings the Jacks to the maximum number of six veterans allowed not counting goalies, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he gets called up to the Sound Tigers throughout the CHL season.  That's how good this guy is.  If you would like to read the full article from the Jackalopes website about the big addition of Darryl Bootland, click on this link: http://www.jackalopes.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=485:09story12&catid=69:newstory&Itemid=119. 



Training camp around the corner!



 Moving on, Jackalopes training camp starts in (can you believe it) four days, which is on Monday, at Music City Mall.  The Jacks will then head to Colorado for a couple of exhibition games against the Colorado Eagles on October 7th and 9th which will feature two of the CHL's powerhouses going head to head, and then the regular season begins on October 15th when the Jacks travel to Independence, Missouri to take on Scott Hillman and his Mavericks.  Hockey is almost here, folks, so you better get ready to watch a Jackalopes team that could very well be the best that Odessa has ever seen.  So, please, whether you're from Odessa, Midland or any of the surrounding cities and towns, please prepare to get some tickets to come on out to the ECC to watch one hell of a team bulldoze through the CHL in 2010-2011! 

Speaking of the Jackalopes' training camp, the Jacks have announced their training camp roster which can be viewed here:  http://www.jackalopes.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=484:09story11&catid=69:newstory&Itemid=119.  Five more players have been invited to camp, none of which I really know much about, and to be totally blunt I doubt if we see any of them make the team this season.  But, you never know, if one of those five guys comes in to camp, works their ass off, and shows that he is capable of contributing to the team, then Gillis could very well give them a shot.  I guess we will find out soon enough who makes the Jacks regular season roster, but with all of the talent and depth that has been signed, I can assure you that camp will be very, very competitive to say the least.  The Jacks currently have 25 players coming to camp, with the addition of Bootland, and if I'm not mistaken, I believe nineteen players are allowed to be on the team's regular season roster, with one of those players being a healthy scratch.  So, that means six players will have to be cut, and like I already said, I expect camp to be very competitive, and I sure wouldn't want to be in Gillis' or Cressman's shoes when they have to make the tough decisions on who to cut from the team.  Also, it was mentioned on the Jack's website that more players could be added to the training camp roster at a later date, so keep checking The Enforcer for more updates when it comes to Jackalope related news in the coming days. 

Finally, I plan on giving my proposed forward lines and defensive pairings within the next week or so, as well as CHL standings predictions, so keep your eyes peeled for that.  With all of this said, I'm going to go ahead and wrap things up here and get some much needed shuteye.  Be sure to check out the blog every day as you never know when Jackalope related news will be announced, and you better believe that you'll get my brutally honest opinion every time news pertaining to the Jackalopes is revealed.

In other Jackalope related news

• A big congrats to Jackalope netminder Joel Martin for getting invited to attend the Islander's training camp.  The guy definitely deserves the exposure at the higher levels as he is one helluva goalie, and there is a reason why he was named the CHL's Most Outstanding Goalie last season.  I wish him all the luck in the world, but the selfish side of me really hopes that he will be in between the pipes for the Jacks come October 15 in Independence.
• Also, a big congrats to Jean Bourbeau who is apparently really impressing the big dogs up in Bridgeport.  He has a contract with the Sound Tigers for the second season in a row, and there seems to be a real possibility that he could be staying up in the AHL for quite a while.  Again, we wish Bourbs all the luck in the world up in Bridgeport, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings to see him back in a Jackalope sweater some time this season.  You can read the full article about Bourbeau impressing the folks up in Bridgeport at this website:  http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/hockey/article/Bourbeau-may-have-what-it-takes-for-role-with-678554.php
• Finally, the Jackalopes concessions "taste test" for season ticket holders will be held tomorrow evening at the ECC where season ticket holders will be able to pick up their season tickets, as well as mingle with members of the 2010-2011 team.  I'm probably not going to be able to make it tomorrow, as school has really been kicking my butt here lately, so I will have to pick up my tickets some time next week, which sucks.  Fans interested in becoming season ticket holders are also invited to attend the event, which starts at 6:00 PM, so if you want to become a season ticket holder for one of the best teams in the entire Central Hockey League, then head out to the Jack Shack tomorrow evening for the annual "Taste Test Event."

Until next time Jackalope fans all I have to say is GO JACKS GO!!! and I'm counting down the days until October 15th!

Corupe and Schutte Join Jacks

Hello fellow Jackalope fans!  It is a pleasant, sunny day here in the Permian Basin, and the Jacks have announced that forward Kenny Corupe and defenseman Michael Schutte have signed to play with the Jacks for the 2010-2011 CHL season.

 Both signings seem like very solid signings, and I can't wait to see the final training camp roster, which should be fully revealed within the next week.  So far, I have liked just about every signing announced, and I would be willing to bet that there are at least one or two more significant signings that should be announced very soon.  Don't hold me accountable for that educated guess, though, as those are just rumors that I have heard that can't be taken seriously until officially announced.  With all of this being said, lets go ahead and discuss the signings of Corupe and Schutte.



Photo Property of campcorupe.com



  We will start with Corupe first.  Some of you may remember Kenny Corupe from the 2001-2002 Odessa Jackalopes Governors Cup Championship team.  He averaged a little over a point per game then, and finished the regular season with 18 goals and 32 assists for 50 points total.  I personally don't remember too much about Corupe, as I was just a casual fan during that season, but according to some folks who remember him well, he is a great, speedy forward that is a veteran as well.  He has played his entire career (except for his lone season in the CHL with the Jacks) in either the AHL, ECHL, or overseas, which are all technically higher leagues than the CHL.  He has had great success everywhere he has been, and I think he will fit in nicely with this loaded Odessa Jackalopes team.  Since he is a veteran, that now brings the Jacks total veterans signed for the upcoming season to 5 total out of 6 possible, but another veteran signing could be announced very soon, so be sure to check out The Enforcer for any updates in the coming days.

 Now lets go ahead and talk a little about Michael Schutte.  Schutte is a defenseman that will bring a little size to the blueline since he is 6'2" and about 200 pounds, and he can score a little too.  He has spent the majority of his career in the AHL, has played a little in the ECHL as well as in Germany, and seems to be an all-around very solid defenseman.  Even though he will not technically count as a vet, he is definitely a veteran player as he has plenty of experience in several different leagues, and hopefully he will be one of the key pieces to help bring the Presidents Cup to Odessa for the first time in franchise history.

  Now that I have talked about both Corupe and Schutte, and given a little bit of a history about each of them, I would like to say welcome to the Odessa Jackalopes to both guys.  With all of this said, I am going to go ahead and wrap things us here, but be sure to check The Enforcer frequently as there may be updates pertaining to the Jacks throughout the next week or so.

Until next time Jackalope fans all I have to say is GO JACKS GO!!! and it's now just a little over two weeks until the 2010-2011 CHL season begins!