Minor League Hockey

The Houston Aeros Are No More, R.I.P.

The Houston Aeros lost 7-0 to the Grand Rapids Griffins in Grand Rapids on Saturday night. With the loss the Aeros are done for this season, having lost the deciding game of round one of the AHL Calder Cup playoffs. And with the loss, the Houston Aeros are done in Houston. They are no more. The nex ... More >>

Say Goodbye To The Aeros & Pro Hockey: The Team Is Moving To, Ummm, Iowa

The Houston Aeros, it now seems assured, will not get to celebrate their 20th anniversary of being the only hockey game in town. The Minnesota Star-Tribune, which covers the Aeros' parent team, the Minnesota Wild, reported today that Wild officials have all but ended negotiations with the Toyota Ce ... More >>

Report: Aeros To Des Moines; Their Weird Toyota Center Fight Now Includes Talk Of Missing Office Equipment, Bad Ice & Iffy Wi-Fi

I wrote last week that the Houston Aeros might possibly be in the midst of their last-ever regular season homestand. The team's lease with Toyota Center expires at the end of this season, and negotiations though supposedly on-going throughout the season, have not been fruitful. Michael Russo, the M ... More >>

Top Five Things to Do in Houston Sports This Weekend: Dirt, Clay, Mud and Cheerleaders

TGIF, my children. It's time to rev up the weekend and get yo butt in gear. You may want to lie around on your couch watching the Final Four or spend some time absorbing "culture" at a "museum." I say blow all that crap out of the water with an ass kicking good time like any red blooded American. Ho ... More >>

Houston Aeros Aim For Playoffs

When last we checked in on the Houston Aeros, they had just returned to Toyota Center after a month on the road (having gone 4-7). They went 1-1 on the first two games of a six-game homestand, and they had fallen into 10th place of the AHL's Western Conference. The team was beset by injuries. The te ... More >>

Aeros Return to Toyota Center, Risk Falling Into Irrelevancy

When the Houston Aeros last played a home game at Toyota Center, the New York Giants had yet to defeat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Astros had yet to report to Florida for spring training. When the Aeros last played a home game, they had the fourth-best record in the AHL Western C ... More >>

Meet Chris Clackson, Hockey Player, App Developer

It's been a strange season for the Aeros. They shot off to a quick start, having the best record in the league for the first month or so. Then the injury bug hit the parent club, and key player after key player got the call to join the Wild, leaving the Aeros depleted and relying on young players ... More >>

The Year in Aeros Hockey: To the Top and Back

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 the New Year hit. From that point on, a team which had been strugg ... More >>

Aeros Plan to Take Care of Unfinished Business

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 the Senators were celebrating on their ice. Stunned that their magnificent playoff ... 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 >>

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 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 >>

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' 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 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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' 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 >>

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.

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 >>

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 >>

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 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 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Aeros-IceHogs: Season Over

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

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

Aeros Win, as Does Britany

Aeros Win. Bikinis to Come.

Lost Weekend: Aeros Lose to Marlies and Bulldogs

Barry Brust Blocks Beaucoup Shots, Aeros Beat the Moose Again

Aeros Lifeless on Friday, but Finish Strong Sunday

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

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

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

Coach Kevin Constantine Talks NHL, AHL, Injuries and Subtleties

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

Hockey 101: The Houston Aeros Primer

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