Minor League Hockey

Hockey 101: The Houston Aeros Primer

The Houston Aeros: Playing Like Winners, Even If They Weren't

Coach Kevin Constantine Talks NHL, AHL, Injuries and Subtleties

Coach Kevin Constantine Explains the Difference Between a Good Fight and a Bad Fight in Hockey

Aeros Win Two in Overtime, Thanks to Nolan Schaefer, Maxim Noreau, Jon Awe and Alec Baldwin

Petr Kalus Scores Two for the Aeros, Taking Down the Springfield Falcons

Aeros Lifeless on Friday, but Finish Strong Sunday

Barry Brust Blocks Beaucoup Shots, Aeros Beat the Moose Again

Lost Weekend: Aeros Lose to Marlies and Bulldogs

Another Lost Weekend: San Antonio Rampage Take Two from Houston Aeros

Aeros Win. Bikinis to Come.

Aeros Win, as Does Britany

Houston Aeros Overcome Three-Goal Deficit to Take Down Chicago Wolves

Houston Aeros Beat Peoria Rivermen and Leapfrog San Antonio Rampage in Rankings

Houston Aeros Best Chicago Wolves But Fall to Peoria Rivermen and Milwaukee Admirals

Aeros-IceHogs: Season Over

Some Love For Mitch

Photo by Fred Trask When I first saw Mitch Love play this season, the first thing I thought of was The Pretenders' "Thin Line Between Love and Hate." Because while his teammates and most of the fans were going to love him, just about everybody else would hate him. And it's not because he's not a n ... More >>

Memo Re: Slap Shot Remake

TO: President, Universal Pictures FROM: Script Department RE: Slap Shot Remake We received a copy of Peter Steinfeld's (21) first draft for the planned Slap Shot remake. Before we pass it on to the director currently attached to this project (Dean Parisot, Fun With Dick and Jane), we though ... More >>

Kurtis Foster: One of the Team

We press guys walked into the Houston Aeros locker room on Saturday night and saw a happy bunch of guys. Sure, they had just defeated the Iowa Chops. And sure, the team had just won its sixth straight game. The win was a thriller, a 2-1 Aeros win in the shootout that featured some of the team's m ... More >>

Kurtis Foster: One of the Team

We press guys walked into the Houston Aeros locker room on Saturday night and saw a happy bunch of guys. Sure, they had just defeated the Iowa Chops. And sure, the team had just won its sixth straight game. The win was a thriller, a 2-1 Aeros win in the shootout that featured some of the team's m ... More >>

Memo Re: Slap Shot Remake

TO: President, Universal Pictures FROM: Script Department RE: Slap Shot Remake We received a copy of Peter Steinfeld's (21) first draft for the planned Slap Shot remake. Before we pass it on to the director currently attached to this project (Dean Parisot, Fun With Dick and Jane), we though ... More >>

Some Love For Mitch

Photo by Fred Trask When I first saw Mitch Love play this season, the first thing I thought of was The Pretenders' "Thin Line Between Love and Hate." Because while his teammates and most of the fans were going to love him, just about everybody else would hate him. And it's not because he's not a n ... More >>

Harvard and the Boogeyman

Will it be the Aeros' brawler or brainiac who gets to the NHL?

With Her Gloves Off

Pound for pound, Jackie Kallen's just tough

Will the Aeros Be Recognizable As the Same Team Next Season?

When the Houston Aeros season gets underway come October, you truly are going to need a scorecard to tell apart the players. Because while it may be a way of life in the minor leagues to have roster changes during the off season, the Aeros, who made it into the AHL's Calder Cup Semi-Finals last sea ... More >>

Catching Up With The Aeros' Play-By-Play Guy

​There are some strange ways to spend a honeymoon. Houston Aeros play-by-play voice Joe O'Donnell spent a part of his in Houston, interviewing for the Aeros job.Then he got out of the city just before Hurricane Ike hit, returning with a brand new job with the Aeros as Houston recovered from the ... More >>

Aeros Breaking Out Of Their Funk, Maybe

Photo by Jason Villenanueva/Houston Aeros​Last Wednesday, the Houston Aeros lost a tough 1-0 game to the Lake Erie Monsters at Toyota Center. It was disappointing not only because of the loss, but because it dropped the team below the .500 mark on the young season.Worse, the team appeared to be l ... More >>

Aeros Try To Deal With Roster Shortages

Photo courtesy Jason Villanueva/Houston Aeros​On Sunday, the Houston Aeros went to the dogs, somewhat literally, as the Toyota Center was opened up to allow people to bring their dogs to the game. And while the dogs might have had a good time, it's questionable if the fans did as the Aeros lost ... More >>

Aeros Start To Get Back On Track A Bit

​When last we heard from the Houston Aeros, they were a beat-up, short-handed squad struggling to score goals, win games, and send a complete roster of skaters onto the ice.Things change in a week.The Aeros spent the Thanksgiving holiday flitting about between Canada and New York, and despite the ... More >>

Aeros Keep Struggling At Home

​The Houston Aeros defeated the Rockford IceHogs 4-1 yesterday by using something they've rarely used this season. A scoring touch. And the scoring touch allowed goalie Wade Dubielewicz to relax a bit, which is something that the Houston goalies haven't been able to do often.After Friday's 2-1 l ... More >>

Troy Ward, The Aeros' Man Behind The Scenes

Photo by Jason Villanueva/Houston Aeros​Houston Aeros fans hear his name announced every night. They sometimes see and/or hear him interviewed by Joe O'Donnell during pregame or one of the intermissions. Yet ask most fans about assistant coach/assistant GM Troy Ward, they probably won't be able to ... More >>

The First George Bush Keeps On Mackin'

Photo courtesy Houston Aeros​ We've seen before the playa ways of George Bush the First.Now, via the Houston Aeros' Facebook page, we see there's no quit in this man.Party on, dude.

Aeros' Power Play Rises From The Dead, As Do Their Playoff Hopes

​The Houston Aeros come into tonight's game against the Chicago Wolves with 34 games remaining in the season. The Aeros, with a record of 22-17-6-1 (51 points), still sit on the edge of the playoff race, and if they're going to stand any realistic chance of making the postseason, then winning to ... More >>

Aeros' Wade Dubielewicz Is A Travellin' Man

Photo courtesy Jason Villanueva/Houston Aeros​Houston Aeros goalie Wade Dubielewicz has been all over the place recently. He's been traveling with the Aeros as they criss-cross the country. He's been to Minnesota and California with the parent club Minnesota Wild. Saturday night he backed-up the ... More >>

Aeros Killing Themselves In The Playoff Hunt

Playoffs? You kidding me? PLAYOFFS!?!!?​The weekend was lined up perfectly for the Houston Aeros. They had three games at home. They were facing one of the worst teams in the AHL on Friday and Saturday, and they were facing a Chicago team that, while one of the best in the division, was playing it ... More >>

The Return Of The Aeros' Hrkac Circus (Yes, Dammit, It Rhymes)

​The most shocking moment of the 2008-09 Houston Aeros season involved none of the team's playoff wins, or its battle to stave off elimination in the AHL Western Conference Finals after falling behind three games to none to the Manitoba Moose in the best-of-seven series. Anyone who watched the te ... More >>

Face It, Fans: MLS Is A Minor League

What's that "M" stand for again?​I don't read Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle often. I think of him as a kind of minor league Richard Justice. But I couldn't resist reading him the other day when he did one of my favorite things, piss off soccer fans. Last week, apparently, he made the mis ... More >>

Aeros Would Like To Start Making Plans, But The AHL Doesn't Have A Schedule Yet

LeBron, causing trouble again​The Houston Aeros know who they'll be playing this season. They know the date of their home opener, and they know the dates of five other home games. What they don't actually have yet, as the start of the AHL regular season draws close, is an actual schedule, and with ... More >>

Aeros' Schedule Finally Out, And Season-Ticket Holders Get Ripped Off

Aeros season-ticket holders get screwed​The long wait for Houston Aeros fans is over as the AHL released the league's schedule on Wednesday afternoon. The Aeros season will open on the road on October when they play the first regular season game in the history of the expansion Oklahoma City Barons ... More >>

Aeros At The Quarter Mark Of The Season: Shaking Off A Bad Start?

Aeros on the edge of the playoff hunt​The Houston Aeros' Thanksgiving weekend was emblematic of their 2010 season so far -- too many losses, but at the end hope for the future.They lost to the Texas Stars in Austin 5-3 on Wednesday night, lost to the San Antonio Rampage 5-3, in Houston on Friday ... More >>

Aeros Hockey: Fourth Place, No First Place, No Fouth Place (Or Second Place, Maybe)

John RoyalWhat would a hockey game be without a fight, eh?​For one brief shining moment this weekend, the Houston Aeros were tied for first place. They're no longer in first place, not after another brutal travel weekend that found them playing a game in Houston, then Cleveland, then Toronto ... More >>

Aeros Hope the System Will Save Them

John RoyalThe Aeros' Pascal Morency goes for a little spin​This is a tough time for the Houston Aeros. They've been playing playoff caliber hockey since right after Christmas. They've gone 19-10-0-2 since then, and they've made a steady climb up to the top of the AHL West Division standings ... More >>

Jed Ortmeyer: The Houston Aeros' Medical Miracle Man

John RoyalAeros right wing Jed Ortmeyer watches the aciton unfold on the ice​Right wing Jed Ortmeyer joined the Houston Aeros on New Year's Day. The team had already started showing signs of life right after Christmas, but when Ortmeyer came on board, the team soared, going on a January spree ... More >>

Aeros Implode, Fall Behind 2-1 in Playoff Round Two

John RoyalJared Spurgeon briefly gives the Aeros something to celebrate.​The Houston Aeros had plenty of chances to make things right last night. Like taking the early 1-0 lead off of a power play goal. Or, down 4-2 in the third, having the refs confer and change a no-goal call to goal. Or ... More >>

Aeros Take 2-0 Series Lead Over Hamilton

John RoyalThis, amazingly, is not a penalty in the playoffs​Word began circulating through Toyota Center late in the third period of Friday night's game one conference final tilt between the Houston Aeros and Hamilton Bulldogs. And as the word got around, the building seemed to deflate despit ... More >>

Aeros Defeat Bulldogs, Advance to Calder Cup Finals

John RoyalThe Aeros surround Jon DiSalvatore after his game-winning goal.​The Houston Aeros don't believe in doing things the easy way. They battled to make the playoffs, after being near last place toward the end of December. They struggled throughout the playoffs, going to a game seven aga ... More >>

And In The End, The Aeros Lose To The Best Team In The AHL

John RoyalPatrick O'Sullivan feels the weight of the world​In the end, it wasn't about the officiating. Or about whether Binghamton had tested the hockey gods by releasing the victory parade route plans hours before game six had even started. In the end, it probably wasn't even about the Aer ... More >>

Aeros Plan to Take Care of Unfinished Business

John RoyalAeros watch as Binghamton celebrates last season's Calder Cup win​Four months ago the Houston Aeros stood on the Toyota Center ice stunned. Stunned that they'd lost to the Binghamton Senators. Stunned that the AHL Calder Cup, which has been in their grasp, was gone. Stunned that t ... More >>

The Year In Aeros Hockey: To The Top and Back

John RoyalThe Aeros like to hold Miss Aeros Bikini Contests​To wrap up my year in review of the teams I cover, here's a look back at the 25 most significant moments with the Houston Aeros for the year 2011. 1. The Aeros added veterans Jed Ortmeyer and Patrick O'Sullivan to the team just as t ... More >>

Aeros Searching for Clues and Consistency As Mid-Season Arrives

John RoyalMatt Hackett has been one of the team's bright spots.​For a team coached by a man nicknamed "Torch," the Houston Aeros (20-8-2-7, 49 points) have been a pretty lifeless entity the past month. And as the team moves into the second half of the season this weekend, lifelessness appears ... More >>