Professional Hockey

Awesome National Anthem From Boston To Start Your Day Off Right

Back in the day, before there were 800 channels on television that all went around the clock every day all year long, television stations would actually have a beginning and an end to their programming day. On the air at 6:00 a.m., off sometime shortly after midnight, with a few hours of static duri ... 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 >>

Aeros Soar into All-Star Break

The no doubt about it leader of the Houston Aeros is Jon DiSalvatore, the 30-year-old captain in his third season with the team. He's the go-to-go guy for information after the game. He's the unquestioned locker room leader. He's the team's leading scorer, and he's the one constant on a squad tha ... More >>

Aeros Searching for Clues and Consistency As Mid-Season Arrives

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 to be the least of their problems. The Aeros opened the season fine, ... 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 >>

6 College Football Coaching Changes: From Shadiest to Slimiest

UH's departed skipper makes the cut​From status-seeking coaches to wheeling-and-dealing athletic directors, the post-season shake-up of college football head coaches has been a bit curious. The top (lowest?) six moves are ranked here on a scale of shady to slimy ("mildly shady" being a 1 whi ... 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 Star in New TV Series (Up North)

The NHL's Minnesota Wild is the subject of a Hard Knocks-type show on its minor-league system, and that means the Houston Aeros will be front and center. Becoming Wild will include episodes on the Aeros' Calder Cup run and coach Mike Yeo, who went from heading the Aeros to the Wild. Who wouldn't w ... More >>

NHL Hockey in Reliant Stadium? In September?

Hockey in Reliant Stadium? In September? A disaster in the making?​The word on the street yesterday was that the NHL is coming to Houston. Not to play real hockey, of course. And not for the season. But just for a preseason game. At Reliant Stadium. In September. I like hockey. I wa ... More >>

For Vancouver: The Top 10 Sports Riots

twitpic/Chris WaltsNot bad, Vancouver, but you got some work to do​Oh, behave, Vancouver. Last night, a number of poor sports, distraught by the Canucks' loss to the Boston Bruins in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, went all kung fu on the British Columbia city. By past standards, Van ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Twilight vs. Harry Potter And 9 Other Geek Throwdowns

Still the only crossover I'd pay to see.​Anyone watch the MTV Movie Awards? Anyone? I didn't think so, mostly because I suspect the majority of Hair Balls/Art Attack readers are over the age of 12. And while I have no intention of revisiting the whole "'Music?"Television line of jokes, I did ... More >>

Top 5 Sporting Events in Memorial Day History

Ernie Banks' immortal words used to mean something each Memorial Day.​A month from now (hell, even a second after it concludes), nobody is going to remember and/or care about the Houston Astros' Memorial Day clash with the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field. Overall, it's a pretty lame sports day ... More >>

The Aeros Prepare For Liftoff

tr> aeros.comThe new boss is ready to get started​The Houston Aeros are opening up season number 17 on Saturday when they visit the expansion Oklahoma City Barons.The Aeros are coming off of a disappointing season where they missed the playoffs the year after making the Western Conference Finals, ... More >>

Mike Yeo And The Other New Aeros Coaches Have A Houston Connection

Mike Yeo is behind the bench for the Aeros this year​Come the start of this AHL hockey season, the fans of the Houston Aeros will see lots of familiar faces on the ice as, even though last season was rather disappointing, many of the players will be returning. But where the fans will not be seeing ... 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 >>

Game Time: Whaler Fan Fest -- Houston Oiler Fans May Know How I Feel

Hartford Whalers: They live on as a dessert​"Somewhere along the line, we will see you in another place in another time. God bless all of you fans. Remember one thing, you may have lost the NHL, but you have not lost the memories." -- Chuck Kaiton, the voice of the Hartford Whalers after the Whal ... More >>

Houston Aeros Enduring An Off-Season Of Changes

Off-season full of changes​It may be hockey's off-season, but as with all of the other sports, there is no such thing as a true off-season. Coaches are fired and hired. Players are cut and traded and signed as free agents. There's a draft. There are various player camps.  At this time l ... More >>

Mike Yeo: Aeros New Coach Looks Forward To Return To Houston

Mike Yeo keeps his equilibrium​In response to their disappointing season, the Houston Aeros front office cleaned house, relieving head coach Kevin Constantine and his staff of their coaching duties.The new head coach was named last month, and to those of you who have been following the team since ... More >>

Farewell, Kevin Constantine

​The Houston Aeros parted ways with head coach Kevin Constantine last week as the parent organization, the Minnesota Wild, chose not to renew Constantine's contract with the team. He took the Aeros into the playoffs in two of his three seasons as head coach, and this past season, he coached a ... More >>

Aeros End Up At .500, With Plenty Of Changes On the Way

Photo by Jason Villanueva/Houston Aeros​The season's all over for the Houston Aeros, and a season that started with a defeat in Winnipeg ended with a loss in San Antonio. In between, the wins and losses evened out and the Aeros finished the season with a 34-34-7-5 record (80 points), good enough ... More >>

Game Time: Olympic Hockey, You Had Me At Hello, Eh?

​"What---what is this salty discharge?....This is horrible! I care!" -- Jerry Seinfeld, wiping away tearsI have to admit, it was a bit of a strange feeling. As time wound down in the third period of what at the time was a 2-1 Canadian lead over the United States Olympic hockey team, the disappo ... More >>

Dropkick Murphys

Aeros At The Halfway Point: Fingers Crossed For The Playoffs

​The Houston Aeros wrap up the first half of their season tonight, and they open the second half of the season on Sunday. They will be hosting the Rockford IceHogs at the Toyota Center, and in doing so, the Aeros will be facing a team directly in front of them in the playoff chase.For the Aeros t ... More >>

It's Hockey Season? Apparently So, And Here's Your Preview

​As hard as it might be to believe, hockey season starts tonight. And for the Houston Aeros, this season starts in the same place that last season's ended. In Winnipeg, Manitoba.The 2009-10 Aeros are going to be a rather different looking team than what you saw on the ice last year. Krys Kolan ... More >>

Aeros' New Boss Promises A More Aggressive Offense

Hard as it may be to believe, especially with the temps outside and with football just now starting, but within a matter of weeks, players will be reporting to camp for the Houston Aeros. The Aeros have undergone some rather massive changes this off season -- as has the team's parent club the Minnes ... More >>

Some Aeros Miscellania, Including Cheerleaders

Photo Jason Villanueva/Houston Aeros​Just thought I would share a little Houston Aeros hockey news today -- for some reason, I can't get into football yet, but I'm fully up on all hockey. I can't explain it...okay, yes I can. I got to watch the tryouts for the Aeros cheerleaders, the Aero Dynamics ... 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 >>

Never Too Hot For A Hockey Update

Just because it's the off-season in hockey doesn't mean that things aren't happening with the Houston Aeros. Since the end of the season, head coach Kevin Constantine and his coaching staff have been retained by the new management regime of the parent Minnesota Wild. But Aeros general manager Tom Ly ... More >>

The Aeros' Award Winners, Acccording To Us

I thought that, with the Houston Aeros season now over, I would do one of those end-of-season award things. So here goes.  MOST VALUABLE PLAYER:  Krys Kolanos. Kolanos barely played in half of the team's regular season as he was constantly up and down with the Minnesota Wild. But he w ... More >>

Aeros Running Out of Steam, Goalies

For a team that is just two wins away from clinching a playoff spot, the Houston Aeros have played more than their share of bad hockey this season. And last night, with a chance to move ever closer to that playoff spot, the Aeros turned in one of their worst games of the season. "We felt tonight ... More >>

Aeros Running Out of Steam, Goalies

For a team that is just two wins away from clinching a playoff spot, the Houston Aeros have played more than their share of bad hockey this season. And last night, with a chance to move ever closer to that playoff spot, the Aeros turned in one of their worst games of the season. "We felt tonight ... More >>

The Great American Soccer Boom: Not Gonna Happen

Photo by faeryboots Last week, I wrote a post about the Rockets lowering ticket prices, and I made a comment about the Dynamo playing in a minor league. And that is a comment that I stand by, though several of you got upset. And the responses that I got were the same as I always get: soccer is th ... More >>

The Great American Soccer Boom: Not Gonna Happen

Photo by faeryboots Last week, I wrote a post about the Rockets lowering ticket prices, and I made a comment about the Dynamo playing in a minor league. And that is a comment that I stand by, though several of you got upset. And the responses that I got were the same as I always get: soccer is th ... More >>

Don’t Blame Me. I Voted for the Duck.

Aeros Staying in Houston for at Least Five More Seasons

Blood on the Ice and Fans in the Stands

Coach Kevin Constantine Talks NHL, AHL, Injuries and Subtleties

Coach Kevin Constantine Talks Sugar Land, Sharks, Penguins and Aeros

Aeros Start Out Cold. Roman Voloshenko Goes AWOL.

Houston Aeros Face Off Against the Stars and the Rivermen

Is Benoit Pouliot Gonna Be the First to Go?

Hockey 101: The Houston Aeros Primer

Five for Fighting (Not)

Cold Play

Catch some future Stars at the Houston Aeros game

Harvard and the Boogeyman

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

Duck and Cover

The Aeros look to skewer Cincinnati

Luck of the Puck

Sweet irreverence works in Mystery, Alaska

The Year of Living Anxiously

Are We Having Fun Yet? Or is it just the jangly buzz of advanced urban stress syndrome?