Condors Blogs

Sorry grif (bartls blog)

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 | The Many Faces of Bartl | No Comments

I have gotten so much flak for my dig at Mike Griffith last week… it’s funny, because he deserved it after jokingly calling me out in the newspaper (see linked article in my blog), which everybody also thought he was really being serious.  and he wasn’t.  i also paid him a very nice compliment, but nobody seemed to notice that.  i guess people read what they want to read.

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Justin Pogge’s recall by Anaheim, though short-lived, is a very sharp reminder of what we may be dealing with all season.  the guys that are here in Bakersfield are talented, and without that AHL affiliate to lean on, i’m guaranteeing in this blog right now that that won’t be the only time that a player goes directly from us to the Ducks.  one of these times, we might actually be able to turn on the tube and watch that Condor skate in the show. 

anyway, he’s back now, and i’m sure he’ll start at least one of the games this weekend.  people out here are very familiar with Pogge, since he played in the ‘Dub’ (Western Hockey League, or W, for short) and has represented the Motherland in the World Juniors.  and when you post 3 shutouts, a 1.00 GAA, win Tournament Best Goalie and MVP awards while leading Canada to Gold, people tend to remember your name up here.

but if you think Pogge’s all business, watch this.

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The Condors pulled out a great road win on Wednesday night, and they got exactly what they needed out of Timo in the first period.  Victoria came out hard, and the Condors rookie bailed them out with some nice saves, and looked very relaxed in keeping it 0-0 until Bakersfield could get a break.  he also didn’t panic after they tied it up, and the team was able to keep pushing to regain the lead.

but Timo wasn’t the only rookie who looked good that night.  Adam Naglich looked very good, and i thought PL Lessard looked pretty comfortable in his first professional game as well.  Dan Sexton was noticeable too (what else is new?).  the youth will have to continue to produce if this team is to go anywhere this season. they have no choice, since every line has plenty of it.

this team has proven early this season that they can play very strong and dictate the tempo of a hockey game.  but much is yet to be done.  we have yet to see what Aubin and Goulet can do, really.  they’ve shown flashes of brilliance at times, but still have just one assist between them in three games.  when they do start scoring - and trust me, they will - look out!

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Congratulations to Sasha Pokulok, who tied his career mark for goals in a season after only three games, when he fired home an empty-netter from about 125 feet away on Wednesday to seal the 3-1 win.  Pokulok was a 1st round draft pick for a reason, and injuries have plagued him.  he was looking for a fresh start in Condorstown and i think he’s getting it.  he’s also getting an opportunity from Marty Raymond to be THE guy back on the blueline, and i think he’s responding early in the season.  if he keeps playing, and producing, this way, people will take notice.

if there’s one thing that California has been providing to people throughout the years, it’s a fresh start.  keep it up, Sasha.

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Tsk, tsk, tsk, Blue Crew.  your post-All Star Game fade and dismantling in the playoffs was very disappointing.  i guess there’s always next year! 

off-season agenda: 1. Pitching; 2. Pitching; 3. Replace Russel Martin; 4. teach Broxton a changeup; 5. teach James Loney how to pull the ball.

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Getting ready for this King of Pop jersey night has really thrown me into a time warp in looking back at music and videos from the 80’s.  that’s right in my wheelhouse… i grew up (for better or for worse) with MTV and watched it constantly.  instead of MTV now i have YouTube, where the 80’s live on… not that i really like 80’s music, actually it’s quite the contrary.  but its still funny to go watch those videos and remember what it was like back then.

this week i came across this gem.  for whatever reasons i’m sure you can imagine, 12 year-old Bartl was a huge Samantha Fox fan.  the accent was sweet, too.  just thought i’d share it with you.

for whatever its worth, and barring the fact that he grew to become freakish years later, the Thriller album was amazing for kids and music in general during that era.  its hard to imagine what music, MTV, pop-culture or American culture in general would be like without Michael Jackson and that album and the amazing success it was.  that a person like that, with his music and his image becoming an overwhelming global success without the instantaneous communication that exists today with the internet and cell phones and satellite networks speaks to the power that he wielded. 

and i think that’s the point of the tribute night, not necessarily to him and the life that he lived, but the accomplishments and contributions he made that just can’t be ignored, no matter what your music tastes are.

Kevin Bartl is the VP of Communications and the “Voice of the Condors” in his 7th season with the team.  His blog comes out every Monday, or whenever else he gets around to it.

Its been 5 days since ive tweeted (bartls blog)

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 | The Many Faces of Bartl | No Comments

The start of hockey season means many things, but mostly for me, it’s just busy season.  in fact, i’ve been so busy since the start of training camp that i haven’t even had time to tweet anything since Saturday morning.  and really, is there any quicker means of communicating even the most trivial of subject matter than the tweet?

i submit no.

anyway, i digress.  Saturday’s game was nice.  i suppose with the preseason, one of the things you really just want to see is more positives than negatives.  and i think the only real negative i saw in that game was an inability to put the game away and score some more goals.  i don’t want to harp on a team that has never played together before putting up five goals against a tough rival, but that game could very easily have been 7-2 after the second period.  and i don’t think that’s an exaggeration.

but other than that, it was all good.  i don’t think i’ve ever seen a Condors team move the puck like they did - crisp passing, setting up one-timers three passes in advance, tic-tac-toes out of the zone and in alone, using the boards for banking outlet passes to forwards on the rush… Marty doesn’t like the term run and gun, but this team could turn into that on undisciplined nights.

Marty Raymond has said that this team might not have as much firepower as last year’s, but that he expects the back end to be stronger.  i’d have to say i agree with that, but with a disclaimer: they’re still young.  the truth is that the “Twin Towers” as Marty calls them - Eric Regan and John de Gray - although they played last season in the AHL the whole year, and have size and skill to boot, they are still just second-year players.  Sasha Pokulok is in his 4th year and Shaun Fisher his 9th, but those are the only two guys who have been around.  there are also four rookie d-men on this team, so take away Pokulok and Fisher and there are 2 1/2 years pro in total among the other six blueliners here (Bickel played only 21 games last season, so technically still a rookie).

the team in general is very young, with Ianiero the only forward that has more than three years experience in the pros.  think about that.  think about that in relation to your own job.  what if you had 20 co-workers, and only one of them was old enough to remember voting in 2000?  weird.

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Did you see this???  Not bad, for a 9-year old.

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you wouldn’t know it just from looking at him, but Californian scribe Mike Griffith (who covers the Condors) is a tremendous baker.  his chocolate chip cookies are to die for.  same with his strawberry pie and snickerdoodles. 

but he is not a very good hockey player. 

needless to say, i’d like to exhult my power of the media in his 30-and-over league team changing their logo.  for a year i’ve been referring to his “Da Bears” team as the Fighting Hamsters, because their logo was just so cute and cuddly-looking.  but to my astonishment they showed up last Sunday wearing jerseys that sported a newer, meaner looking bear on the front.  now i understand the feeling of power that those in the media feel, seeing their investigative, hard-hitting journalism yield results.

and by the way, Grif, i’ll have you know that i was writing this blog entry instead of working on that Condors Media Guide that i’ve made you wait for all summer.  don’t worry, it’s almost done!

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Do i need to predict the Phillies in six games?  or will the Dodgers embarrass me again by completely going against my publicly-stated prediction.  i went to Game 1 last week against the Cards, that was cool.  i’m proud to say they are 3-0 in the postseason with me in the stands, and my personal winning streak at Dodger games stands at 9.

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speaking of predictions by people that don’t know they aren’t experts… at least i never claimed to be an expert.  how about these NFL studio analysts on Sundays?  all they do, and i mean ALL THEY DO for a living, is breakdown football games.  there are MVP’s on there, Super Bowl champion coaches, Hall of Famers even, and then you watch their predictions on the games for that day and they show their records on the screen and half of them are under .500.  that pretty much means they have NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.  and we’re listening to them!  how dumb are we???

my idea for an NFL Countdown Show would feature one television studio anchor and three Vegas mob bosses.  they would get the best ratings on television.  because somehow they know exactly what they’re doing.

Kevin Bartl is the Vice President of Communications and the Voice of the Condors, in his 7th season with the team.  His blog comes out every Monday, or whenever he gets around to it.

Training Camp Begins (Jivin with Jason)

Friday, October 2nd, 2009 | Jivin' with Jason | No Comments

Hey Condors Fans,

Hockey has indeed returned! The NHL is playing meaningful games, hockey was the front page of Yahoo! Sports and most importantly, yours (and my) Condors have hit the ice with their first practice of this year’s Training Camp.

It was good after all this preparation and speaking to these guys on the phone to actually see them step onto the ice, pass the puck around and take some shots on goal.

From what I can see and what I have been told, we’re going to have a solid team this year. An NHL scout I know from my time working with the Islanders texted me the other day to tell me that he’s particularly impressed with the players assigned to us from Anaheim.

With nine players from Anaheim that means there will definitely be some cuts, especially on the forward side—we have 17 in Camp. So, try not to get too attached to a player just yet, because he may not be here to begin the season, which of course is a shame because all of these guys have been great so far off the ice.

Speaking of our guys being good off the ice, we had our first player appearance on Wednesday night. Now that I’ve taken over some of the Community Relations duties, after the departure of Brian Marsh, I’ll have the privilege of getting our team and the players out into the community.

Following a short but successful event at Ridgeview Community Church, where Baby Cal entertained the Youth Group kids, Stephane Goulet, Mathieu Aubin and Alex Monahan visited the Tilted Kilt for the California Brain Injury Association (CALBIA) “Tilt Your Kilt Benefit Dinner.” CALBIA does some great work, so check out their website.

Goulet, Aubin and Monahan represented the team well and were well received by the attendees of the dinner. Aubin and Monahan proceeded to take part in some Wii Golf that was set up at the restaurant. They went toe-toe with a South African in town visiting his family. Our boys had some skills, but were no match for the South African Wii master.

I’ve had the opportunity to speak to most of the team and they’re all genuinely excited not just about being here but about the team. Besides asking questions about Bakersfield, the second most frequent topic during the rides to and from the airport and arena has been how good this team looks.

The early line combinations from this morning’s practice probably don’t mean much, but here they are anyway for those curious to get a head start on the lineup. I’ve also put in parenthesis what league they played in last season.

Stephane Goulet (AHL/ECHL)-Adam Naglich (NCAA)-Mathieu Aubin (AHL/ECHL)

Sal Peralta (CIS)-MacGregor Sharp (AHL/NCAA)–Nick Kemp (NCAA)

Logan MacMillan (QMJHL)-Christer Andersson (SWE)-Andrew Ianiero (ECHL)

Erick Lizon (CHL)- Matthew Myers (UK)-Travis Granbois (IHL)

Bobby Bolt (ECHL)-Shawn Weller (AHL/ECHL)-Alex Monahan (QMJHL/ECHL)

Notes and Quotes from Day 1 of Training Camp (check out a video from Day 1):

- Almost everybody has arrived at camp. Not on the ice this morning were F Maxime Macenauer, G JP Levasseur, D John de Gray and D Eric Regan, who are all en route after participating in AHL camps.

- Stephane Goulet and Matheiu Aubin reunited on the ice for the first time in nearly four years. While in the QMJHL, the two were good friends off the ice, but rivals on the ice. They have been playing hockey against each other for more than 12 years, and have skated on the same team only a few times in All-Star games. This will be their first time together during the regular season.

-  Welsh-born Matthew Myers is trying to adjust to a variety of things, including the time zone, nomenclature and weather.

“The level of hockey here is very similar to the British Elite League,” said Myers. “The top lines in Great Britain are comparable to the top lines on our team in Bakersfield. The biggest difference is that the third and fourth lines here are better.”

- Speedster Alex Monahan is sporting some fairly baggy breezers, but they don’t seem to be hindering his skating at all. He has elected to not Velcro them around his leg to create some more flexibility.

- The eldest statesman at this year’s Training Camp goes to returning Condor Shaun Fisher who is 30 years and 3 months young. The youngest player in camp is German netminder Timo Pielmeier, who is just three months past his 20th birthday.

“It was a good skate today,” said Fisher after practice. “I was a little winded, but I felt good out there.”

That’s no surprise at all considering the blueline was understaffed today with only five on the ice.

- Happy Birthday to Marty Raymond, whose birthday is today and MacGregor Sharp, who turned 24 on Thursday.

Cheers,
Jason

Jason Lockhart is entering his first season as the Condors Community & Media Relations Manager. He can be reached at jlockhart@bakersfieldcondors.com

Its A Great Day For Hockey (stat of the day)

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

All off-season long, get your Condors fix by feasting upon a random Condors historical note, stat, or accomplishment every weekday!

October 3: No more Stat of the Day - hockey season is here already!  Thanks for checking in all summer long.  See everyone on Opening Night on the 16th!!!!!
October 2: Two players in camp this season have played for former San Diego Gulls coach and Bako rival Steve Martinson - Erick Lizon (Rockford) and Shawn Weller (Elmira).
October 1: Scott Hay is the only Condors goalie to ever record a point in the playoffs, with one assist in 2001-02.
September 30: In all three of the Condors 40-win seasons, they had a losing record early in the campaign (2002-03: 3-4-0; 2005-06: 3-5-3; 2006-07: 0-2).
September 29: During the 2002-03 season, none of the top 19 scorers on the team had a ‘minus’ rating.  The team had a combined +315 rating.
September 28: In 2006-07, the Condors tied a five-year old team record by winning 7 straight road games.
September 25: The Condors are 14-14 on home ice in the playoffs in team history.
September 24: The Condors have had at least one crowd over 8,000 in five straight seasons.
September 23: Jason Ralph holds the Condors record for shorthanded goals in a season, with 5 during the 2002-03 season.  He led the WCHL that season.
September 22: Shaun Fisher holds the Condors record for points by a d-man in a single playoff season, at 10 (1g-9a), set in 2005-06.
September 21: The first Californian to play for the Condors (not including the Fog) was Dean Wilson, a San Diego native who played one game for the Inaugural Condors squad in 1998-99.
September 18: Marty Raymond has coached 42 playoff games for the Condors in the last five years.  In the previous nine years, the Condors played only 26 playoff games.
September 17: The first penalty shot ever faced by the organization was in 1995-96, when Fog G Lee Schill stopped Jamie Adams of the Reno Renegades.  Three seasons later, Adams would be a member of the Bakersfield Condors Inaugural Season.
September 16: Jamie Hodson holds the Condors record for consecutive shutout minutes, at 184:11 - it included back-to-back shutouts for Hodson (in 2006-07), the only Condors goalie to perform that feat.
September 15: The Condors record for penalty minutes by a goalie in a season is 32, by Scott Hay in 2001-02.  By the way… just for comparison Ron Hextall once recorded three-straight 100 PIM seasons tending goal for the Philadelphia Flyers. 
September 14: The least amount of assists for a player who led the Condors in goals is 18, for Mark Derlago in 2007-08.
September 11: The Fog played two games in both 1996-97 and 1997-98 against two touring Russian teams, which counted in the WCHL standings.  They went 3-0-1 in those contests, against the Red Army and CKA-Amur clubs.
September 10: The Condors record for shots on goal in a playoff season is 49, by Sean Venedam in 2005-06.
September 9: The Bakersfield Fog penalty minute leader was Wade Welte, who had 710 PIM in three seasons, and still ranks 4th all-time in club history.
September 8: Of the 384 players in Condors/Fog history, 308 of them (80.2%) skated with the team during only one season.
September 4: Of all the Condors opponents (5 or more games played) in history, they own the best winning percentage against the Utah Grizzlies, at .724 (21-8-0).
September 3: Paul Willett and Todd Griffith are the only two Condors to have repeat appearances in an All-Star Game.
September 2: 13 players have represented the Condors/Fog in All-Star Games in club history.
September 1: Jay Neal, who scored the first goal in Condors history, also took the first penalty in Condors history, going off for interference at 4:39 of the first period on Oct. 23, 1998 vs. Idaho.
August 31: The Condors most common active opponent in club history is the Alaska (Anchorage) Aces.  The two clubs have met 125 times, with the Condors holding a 53-57-15 record.
August 28: The top 5 most penalized defensemen in club history are: Glen Mears, Rob Milliken, Kevin Barrett, Scotty Balan and David Kudelka.  “Club history” includes the Bakersfield Fog, from 1995-1998.
August 27: Kevin St. Pierre won 8 WCHL Goaltender of the Week awards in 2002-03 - almost 1/3 of all the GOTW awards handed out in the league that season.
August 26: The first team captain in Condors history was D Briane Thompson.
August 25: 14 players have recorded 30 or more goals in a season for the Condors/Fog, three of which occurred last season.
August 24: Steve Dowhy recorded the first game winning goal in team history, on Nov. 11, 1998, a 4-3 win over the Colorado Gold Kings.
August 21: Since Nov. 17, 2003, Condors goaltenders have allowed just one penalty shot goal in 11 tries.  Opponents, however had scored on four of the first five penalty shots against Bakersfield in team history.
August 20: The Condors set a team record in 1999-2000 when they went 11-0-0 to begin the season, including three shootout wins.
August 19: In 2002-03, rookie D Jonas Lennartsson had just two goals and 16 points all season (tied for 14th on the team), but in the playoffs he led the Condors with three points (1g-2a) in five games.
August 18: In 1995-96, the first season of the Bakersfield Fog, Brent Convery played 25 minutes in one game, allowing 6 goals on 20 shots to officially have the highest goals against average in club history, at 14.44.  Jeff Pietrasiak is at 14.43, after giving up 5 goals in 21 minutes for the 2007-08 Condors.
August 17: Glen Mears is the all-time leader for defensemen in games, points, assists and penalty minutes in club history, which includes the Bakersfield Fog.
August 14: Craig Martin is the only Condor to ever lead the league in penalty minutes, when he had 403 in 2000-01.  He was acquired in mid-season from Phoenix.
August 13: In 2000-01, Paul Rosebush scored four shorthanded goals, the most ’shorties’ in a season without scoring a power play goal in team history.
August 12: Chad Painchaud led the Condors in +/- in the 2009 playoffs, with a +6, twice as high as the next closest player.
August 11: From the Condors Inaugural 1998-99 season, only one player remained in professional hockey through last season: G Konstantin Simchuk suited up for Novosibirsk Siber in the Russian KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) in 2008-09.
August 10: The Condors are 6-5-0 in Opening Night history.
August 7: Five players in Condors history have been named ECHL or WCHL ”Player or Rookie of the Month”: Steve Dowhy (March, 1997), Jamie Cooke (February, 2000), Connor James (Rookie-October, 2004), Yutaka Fukufuji (Rookie-January, 2005) and Mark Derlago (February 2009).
August 6: In 1999-2000, Briane Thompson set the franchise record for most points in a season by a defenseman with 59.
August 5: Dan Currie scored a franchise record 19 power play goals during the 1999-2000 season.
August 4: Jay Neal scored the first goal in Condors history on October 23, 1998 at 3:05 of the first period in a 4-3 win over Idaho at Centennial Garden.
August 3: On August 24, 1998, Glen Mears and Jay Neal were introduced as the first players signed in Condors history.
July 31: The Condors record for goals in a playoff game is 6, accomplished four times, most recently this past season against Vegas.
July 30: 2008-09 was the first season a Condors goalie failed to record a shutout.
July 29: The most a Condors team has ever played an opponent in one season is 16 times, against the Fresno Falcons in 2002-03.  The Condors went an amazing 13-2-1 in the season series.
July 28: Kevin St. Pierre holds the Condors record for consecutive wins, at 10, from Nov. 8 - Dec. 6, 2002.  He won the WCHL Goaltender of the Week three times during that stretch.
July 27: From March 6 - 15, 1997, a span of 10 days, five hat tricks were recorded by Fog players, including a 4-goal game and a 5-goal game.  Moreover, a 4-goal game also occurred a week earlier on Feb. 28 and another hat trick a week later, on March 22 (accounting for 7 hat tricks in 23 days).
July 24: Steve Dowhy recorded 50 or more assists in a season four times, and is the only player in club history to have more than 70 assists in a season, with 73 for the Fog in 1996-97.
July 23: The first hat trick in Condors history was on Dec. 2, 1998, when Jamie Adams scored three goals in a 5-4 win over the Phoenix Mustangs on home ice.
July 22: The only Condors goalie to record a playoff shutout is Rejean Beachemin, in 2007.
July 21: Condors broadcaster Erik Anderson suited up for one game with the team in 1999-00 in Idaho, due to a shortened roster.  He took one minor penalty in the game.
July 20: Only 2 players have had double-digit shorthanded goals in their Condors career: Jamie Cooke (13) and Paul Rosebush (11).
July 17: The two highest single game crowds in Condors history were both against the Idaho Steelheads.
July 16: Andrew Ianiero played in every game for the second straight season in 08-09.  The Condors have had a player play all 72 games in seven of the last nine seasons.
July 15: It took Paul Willett only 59 games to become the Condors 1st (and only) player to reach 100 points, in 1999-00.  He missed 10 games that season and still ended up with 107 points.
July 14: Chris Felix has the record for being the oldest player to skate for the Condors, finishing his Condors career on April 6, 2002 at the age of 37 years and 314 days.
July 13: There have been 50 goaltenders in club history.
July 10: The Condors will play their 1,000 game in club history (Fog + Condors) on Nov. 14 in Alaska, their 14th game of the season.
July 9: The Condors longest home winning streak in the playoffs is two games, done three times.
July 8: In 2002-03, Kevin St. Pierre became the only Condors goalie to be named to either a 1st or 2nd Team All-Star.  He was 36-12-7 and led the WCHL with a 2.14 GAA and .929 save %.
July 7: The club record for assists in a season by a goaltender is 6, by Lee Schill for the Fog in 96-97.  Scott Hay owns the Condors record with 2 (01-02).
July 6: The Condors all-time largest playoff crowd is 7,219 against Fresno on April 13, 2007.
July 2: The highest penalty minute total by a Condors leading scorer is 259, by Paul Willett in 1999-00.
July 1: The lowest penalty minute total by a Condors leading scorer is 34, by Kevin Reihl in 2003-04.
June 30: 13 players have accumulated 300+ penalty minutes in their Condors career.  Paul Rosebush, Glen Mears, Paul Willett, Scotty Balan and Jason Ralph are the Top 5.
June 29: The Condors record for team shutouts in a season is five, in 2001-02.  Scott Hay had four, Luciano Caravaggio had one.
June 26: Countdown to the Draft Stat - Eleven Condors played for the team in 2008-09 that were drafted by an NHL club.
June 25: Countdown to the Draft Stat - More Condors have been drafted by the LA Kings than any other NHL club (7).  Buffalo, Montreal, Chicago are tied for 2nd (4).
June 24: Countdown to the Draft Stat - 4 NHL teams have never had a draft pick play for the Condors: Carolina (though 2 players came from Hartford, their former incarnation), Minnesota, Nashville and Pittsburgh
June 23: Countdown to the Draft Stat - 3 former Condors were selected by the Islanders (who own the first pick this season): Shawn Byram, Brian Collins and Tyler Scott.
June 22: Countdown to the Draft Stat - the highest draft pick to play for the Condors is Alexander Kharlamov, 15th overall in 1994 by Washington.  Kharlamov played 6 games (0g-2a) in 99-00.
June 19: The Condors best playoff game record is in Game 5’s, where they hold a 5-2 record.  However, when winning Game 5, they have gone on to win just two of the five series.
June 18: In 2002-03, both Jason Ralph and Jonas Lennartsson were in a race for the team +/- record and league lead.  Ralph finished first in the WCHL with a +39, Lennartsson second at +38.  Glen Mears had a +41 for the Fog in 1996-97.
June 17: The Condors record for game-winning goals in a season is 8, by Paul Willett in 1999-2000.
June 16: Ryan Munce owns the Condors single-game saves record, stopping 63 of 64 shots in a 2-1 shootout win over Long Beach on Jan. 6, 2006.  He added four more saves in the shootout.
June 15: The 1999-2000 Condors hold the team record with 2,343 penalty minutes.  Five players had more than 200 PIM that season.
June 12: The fewest road losses by a Condors team in a season was 7, when the 2006-07 Condors went 20-7-9 (t-4th fewest in ECHL history).
June 11: Yutaka Fukufuji is the only ECHL goaltender to play in every playoff game for his team in the last two seasons.
June 10: The Condors are 9-5 all-time in home openers (this season’s is Oct. 16).  They were 6-2 in home openers in the West Coast Hockey League and 3-3 in the ECHL.
June 9: The most common name in Condors history is Jason, with 13 of them suiting up for the Condors/Fog.  There have also been 2 Jays and 1 J.J.  Running close behind, there have been 9 Kevins, 9 Ryans and 8 Davids.
June 8: The Bakersfield Fog played their final regular season game on Mar. 28, 1998, a 4-3 shootout loss in Phoenix against the Mustangs.
June 5: The Bakersfield Fog played their first regular season game on Oct. 25, 1995, a 5-3 victory over the Reno Renegades on home ice at the Bakersfield Convention Center in front of 1,473 fans.
June 4: The last player alphabetically in Condors history is Peter Zurba, a LW that had 7g-7a and 133 PIM in 28 games in the 1998-99 season.
June 3: The lowest penalty minute total to ever lead the team was 140, by D Ryan Coole in 2004-05
June 2: The last time Bakersfield had two hat tricks in one game, Steve Dowhy and Wade Welte both turned the trick in an 11-7 victory over the Alaska Gold Kings for the Fog on March 14, 1997.
June 1: Kam White’s 55 penalty minutes in the 2007 Kelly Cup Playoffs is a Condors record.  the all-time Bakersfield record is 58, set by Wade Welte with the Fog in 1997. (FYI - 137 days until Opening Night!)
May 29: The Condors have played in 414 one-goal games in their history, with a record of 191-112-111, for a .595 win percentage.  They went 15-13-8 last season.  The Condors have a .598 win pct. in one-goal games in ECHL play (75-43-45).
May 28: The last Condor to score on a penalty shot was Dennis Shiryaev, against Trevor Koenig of the Gulls on Nov. 6, 2004.  The team scored on five of the first six penalty shots in (recorded) team history, but since then, nine consecutive Condors penalty shots have been denied.
May 27: Only twice in 11 years have the Condors failed to feature a scorer among the Top 15 in the league: 2003-04 and 2004-05.  2008-09 was the fourth time they have had at least two in the Top 15 (Bonk & Derlago).
May 26: The Condors rookie playoff goal record is 4, by Alexandre Bolduc in 2006.  Connor James and Brett Lutes had 3 in 2005 to set the old record.  That year, the two rookies combined for 6 goals, matching the total by the rest of the team in their five-game elimination at the hands of the Aces.
May 22: The least amount of goals to lead the team in a single season is 22, done in 2004-05 by both Lars Peder Nagel and Paul Rosebush.
May 21: The Condors record for highest +/- in a playoff season is +11, by D Shaun Fisher in 2005-06.
May 20: The Condors have had a losing record on home ice only twice (03-04, 07-08) in 11 years.  The team record for home win % is .708, set in 02-03 (23-8-5) and equaled in 05-06 (24-9-3).
May 19: Including the Fog years, nobody has more career Game-Winning Goals as Paul Rosebush, with 20.
May 18: From March 8, 2005 until Feb. 12, 2008, the Condors went 153 straight weeks (just under three full years) without an ECHL Player of the Week winner.  In the following 56 weeks (just over one full year) there were five winners.
May 15: In honor of the final four teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the following are Condors drafted by either of those clubs:
Chicago - Scott Balan (106th, 2000), Kevin St. Jacques (112th, 1991), Jared Walker (223rd, 2004), Jason Kostadine (251st, 2002)
Detroit - Guy Dupuis (47th, 1988), Jason Firth (208th, 1991)
Pittsburgh - none
Carolina - none
May 14: The highest point total for a Condor who only played one season with the team is 80, by Christian Skoryna in 2002-03.  Jason Firth (75pts in 2001-02) and Tim Konsorada (68pts in 2007-08) are 2nd and 3rd.
May 13: The highest career Goals Against Average for a Fog goalie who appeared in five or more games belongs to Craig Crowe, who had a 6.43 GAA in five games in 1996-97.  The highest for a Condor is Danny Taylor, who had a 4.33 in 17 games in 2006-07.
May 12: The first and the last Condors playoff OT game-winners came on the same date.  Paul Willett scored on April 18, 2002 against San Diego for a 5-4 win and Mark Derlago scored on April 18, 2009 for a 4-3 win over Las Vegas.
May 11: 382 players have suited up in the regular season for the Condors/Fog in the organization’s history.  Of that total, only 35 (9.1%) have played in 100 or more games, while 121 (31.7%) played in just 10 or less games.
May 9 (bonus stat for Saturday): The player acquired late in the season, who recorded the most points while appearing in 15 or less games is Aaron Brand, who had 4g-10a-14pts in just 10 games in 2001-02.  Martin Frechette is 2nd with 12pts in 15gms in 2007-08.  Ryan Foster (11pts in 2001-02) is 3rd.
May 8: Number of Condors suspended for 50 games due to testing positive for a banned substance: 0 (that’s for you, Manny!)
May 7: Dave Bonk (247 shots in 60gm) and Chad Painchaud (226 shots in 57gm) both had a chance at cracking the team’s Top 5 single season shot totals list, would they have not missed so many games.  Guy Dupuis owns the team record, with 290 shots in 2004-05.  Jamie Cooke (275), Kevin Truelson (272), Sean Venedam (267) and Cooke again (259) put up the five highest shot totals in team history.
May 6: The highest number ever worn by a goalie is #45, by Rick Plester in 1999-00.  Also, as a bonus stat, the lowest number NEVER to be worn by a Condors player is #40.
May 5: The three teams the Condors have shutout the most (Fresno-7, Col/AK Gold Kings-4, Long Beach-4) are all defunct
May 4: Paul Willett owns the Condors career playoff penalty minute record, at 63 PIM (in 16 games)

The Junior Condors (bartls blog)

Monday, September 28th, 2009 | The Many Faces of Bartl | No Comments

I went to the Junior Condors game on Saturday night, it was their home opener.  they lost 3-1, but played hard, and the crowd was into it.  i estimated there were close to 300 people there, and in the Ice Sports Center 300 people can really make some noise.  after the JC goal, fans (most of which were lined around the rink on the glass, not in the stands) pounded away on the glass, making for what i imagine was a pretty cool moment for these kids.

i came away from the game with a few thoughts, starting with seeing Paul Willett, Paul Rosebush and Scott Hay behind the bench as coaches.  Willett i’ve seen before, and Hay, too, in his brief stint last season.  but it was neat to think about those three guys back there, as former Condors players that have stepped back from the game and back behind the bench to make that transition.  we all can remember (most of us, anyway) watching those guys play, and what they brought to the ice, and it just seems right that they are working with young players today.

second, was that the game was fast, i think even faster than i expected.  the level of play is pretty good, and i think that it’s going to serve as a great lesson to local players in the in-house leagues, Dragons, etc., that even to reach the college level is a major accomplishment.  i think without having something in between youth leagues and the pros, kids don’t really have a standard to compare themselves too.  there are a lot of local kids on this team, the best in the city, and they have had their hands full in the games they’ve played.  it’s best not to get too far ahead of yourself, or over-estimate your kid’s level of play. 

the players in the Western States Hockey League are hoping to gain college (D-III to D-I) scholarships or to advance to a higher junior league.  those that do are going to be in a small percentage group, which shrinks with each successive advancement, whether it’s the in-house to the Dragons, Dragons to the Junior Condors, JC’s to the college level, college to the minor pros.  its good perspective on just how good the players are that suit up for the Condors.

so i wish the JC’s luck this season.  i’m not going to be able to see many of their games this year, once our season starts, so i was glad i got the chance to make it out to the home opener.

and i didn’t win chuck-a-puck.  that game is not as easy as it looks!

*   *   *   *   *

This article is over a year old, but i found it this week after someone told me how ridiculous i was. i was actually shocked to read in the article that up to 1/3 of Americans have the sun-sneeze gene, since i’m the only one i know who has ever attributed themselves to having it.  anyway, if you don’t feel like reading the article, it basically says that some people (myself included), when emerging from indoors or darkness, when they look up at the bright sunlight, sneeze.  i’ve had this as long as i can remember, and it’s weird.  and people have told me i’m full of it when i try to explain it to them.

but anyway, it happens.  just trying to impart some random knowledge on you.

Kevin Bartl is the VP of Communications and the Voice of the Condors, entering his 7th season with the team.  His blog comes out every Monday, or whenever else he gets around to it.

Talk Is Not Cheap (Jivin with Jason)

Friday, September 25th, 2009 | Jivin' with Jason | No Comments

Hey Condorstown,

I am writing this blog from the not-so-comfort of my home, just about an hour after having my Wisdom Teeth pulled. I am attempting to eat some mashed potatoes, while struggling—due to the local anesthetics–to do the little things like drinking a glass of water and most importantly…talking.

I got out of surgery, and even in my daze wanted to know how it went, if I said anything funny and what’s going to be the next move?

However, rule number one after getting teeth pulled is NO TALKING!

That’s like telling someone they can’t open their eyes or a bird that he can’t fly. I CAN’T TALK?! That’s madness.

Despite the doctor’s orders, I still proceeded to blurt out unintelligible words thanks to the anesthetics. I’m still having much difficulty talking as I write this.

I decided to give up on talking much and leaned to writing on post-it notes. But even that wasn’t good enough. When you think of something in the moment, you want to say it immediately, and obviously I can’t write that fast.

After leaving the doctor’s office, thankfully my friend Roxy was there to take me home as I stumbled across the parking lot, still drugged up on who knows what. Still, it was frustrating even in the car when she was on the speakerphone with a friend of hers. I couldn’t just interject during the conversation at will, I had to write down my side remarks, which just doesn’t have the same effect.

This long overdue procedure as made me appreciate even more the privilege of not only being able to speak, but to have that be part of my profession.

As I get in front of that mic on Opening Night on October 16, and get set to begin my first professional broadcast, I’m confident I will think back to this moment and smile realizing that I shouldn’t take this for granted. None of us should, because we’re fortunate enough to be able to communicate our thoughts so freely.
Cheers,
Jason

Jason Lockhart is entering his first season as the Condors Media Relations/Broadcasting Assistant. He can be reached at jlockhart@bakersfieldcondors.com

He Shoots, He Scores! (Jivin with Jason)

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 | Jivin' with Jason, Uncategorized | No Comments

Fans of the Condors,

In case you haven’t checked out the CondorsTV video of the ice going down at Rabobank Arena, it’s down. That means hockey season is basically here.

For me it became even more of a reality that it was here because I followed in the footsteps of my colleague Kevin Bartl and joined a men’s league team at the Bakersfield Ice Sports Center. We’re in different leagues, so there won’t be any intra-office on-ice scuffling amongst the Condors office members this season.

I had a played a few pick-up games since I had arrived here in Bakersfield, but this was my first skate in which the goals mattered and the teams were playing to win. For those who haven’t had the privilege—and I do mean privilege—of suiting up for a competitive game of ice hockey are just plain missing out.

There really is nothing like it in sports.

First, it may be the biggest pain of any sport to suit up for. Football pads don’t hold a candle to the amount of padding you put on for hockey. Say what you want about that making ice hockey a wimpy sport all you want, but there is a reason you wear every inch of that padding. Add the increase in speed, the force of a 100 MPH puck flying at you and the pain of a hockey stick whacking you across the shin and you understand why there’s so much padding.

And like foods such as lobster, where it’s a process to get to get to the meat, having to take some time to put on all your gear makes stepping onto the ice that much sweeter.

Let’s talk about that first step…

It’s the best first step (that you’ll actually remember) that you’ll ever take. You go from a mere mortal that can only walk to a being with speed no one can dare touch on foot.

Those first few strides around the goal line and back to the blueline get your heart pumping and ready for the puck to drop.

As you glide into that first faceoff, eyeing the opposing forward, you realize the whole game is ahead of you. Will you play hero, goat or be a non-factor? You can control only so much, as six opposing players with just as much padding, blades of steel and that wooden, aluminum or composite stick form formidable obstacles.
The speed of the game is unlike any other. It’s up-tempo, in your face and leaves little time for hesitation. Hold onto that puck too long and you’ll have it stripped before you blink.

But what really makes hockey something everyone needs to experience is the exhilaration of scoring a goal.
There’s really nothing like it in pro sports.

The idea of having to shoot a small item with a stick past a heavily-padded goalie makes for an exciting moment if you can achieve it. When that puck bulges the twine or rings off the post and in, it makes it that much sweeter.

Almost everyone’s reaction to such a glorious feat is to raise their arms in celebration. Whether it’s two arms or one arm, you instinctually feel the need to celebrate.

While men’s league game goals do not garner nearly as much celebration as professional game goals, there are times where there is still cause for celebration.

Capping off epic comebacks, overtime winners and championship game goals come to mind. But whether you’re scoring the first goal of your career or the 100th, it never gets old.

So stop by that local garage sale, purchase a pair of skates and stick for $50 and drop by the Bakersfield Ice Sports Center for some stick and puck time. Once you get comfortable enough, join an adult league and before you know it, you too will be scoring your first goal on skates and you’ll never look back.

Cheers,
Jason

Jason Lockhart is entering his first season as the Condors Media Relations/Broadcasting Assistant. He can be reached at jlockhart@bakersfieldcondors.com

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona (bartls blog)

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 | The Many Faces of Bartl | No Comments

It’s a busy week with last-minute planning and arrangements for the start of training camp late next week, that’s why i’m a little late with my blog.  so i’m going to keep it brief.  really brief.

*   *   *   *   *

Tuesday night.  ESPN.  i swear to you, i’m not making this up.  Both SportsCenter and ESPNews featured Spanish League soccer scores, but absolutely ZERO coverage of preseason NHL information.  that means no signings, trades, cuts, scores.  NOTHING.  but they had room to run Spanish League Soccer.  and yes, there were highlights.  of Spanish League Soccer.  scores.  and highlights.  of Spanish League Soccer.

you know, if you repeat it out loud several times, it gets more ridiculous.

*   *   *   *   *

I wonder if signing Shaun Fisher to patrol the backline counts as a returning player.  we’ve gotten a mixed bag of emails from fans about this - some are disappointed that nobody from last season’s team appears likely to play for us this season, and some are excited for some new blood and new talent.  either way, i think Fisher’s signing will remind many of one of the best teams that has ever taken the ice in Condorstown, and to top that off, his performance stood out.  here’s to hoping he can help rekindle some of that success.

*   *   *   *   *

Seriously, is the NHL office noticing that the #1 sports network in the nation is running highlights of Spanish League Soccer and ignoring NHL training camps?  because i would think that’s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately.

*   *   *   *   *

Am i the only Dodgers fan that thinks this team is absolutely dead in the water when they get to the playoffs?  seriously, the pitching staff is a minor disaster right now, the offense has done nothing but slow down since April/May and nobody is afraid of Manny anymore.  oy.

*   *   *   *   *

Dear Gary Bettman,

I have two words for you: Real Madrid.  ESPN viewers last night know the results of their last game, but have no idea that the NHL season opens in a week.  They play in Spain.  Your assistance is requested.  The minor leagues can’t keep hockey alive in the U.S. forever, like we did when you decided to take an entire season off.  Please advise.

Sincerely, Kevin Bartl
Vice President of Communications
Bakersfield Condors Hockey

Kevin Bartl is the VP of Communications and the “Voice of the Condors,” in his 7th season with the team.  His blog comes out every Monday, or whenever he gets around to it.

Give me a break (bartls blog)

Thursday, September 17th, 2009 | The Many Faces of Bartl | No Comments

Funny little things jump out at me as i prepare for the start of the season.  one of the major duties i have at this time of year is making arrangements for players arriving in town for training camp, or heading somewhere else for AHL camp before coming here.  a couple days ago i booked a flight for Stephane Goulet into Rochester, NY, where he’s going to AHL camp before coming here.

nevermind the fact that Quebec City and Rochester are only about 7 hours away driving time, it’s costing over $600 to fly him there and about 6 hours of travel time, if you include getting to the airport early and layover time and all that nonsense.  but then the amusing thing was the $107 in taxes that are tacked onto his flight.

Such as:
$28 for Canadian Airport Improvement fees
$17.30 for U.S.A. transportation tax
$7.94 for Air Travelers Security Charge (what IS this??  i’m going to ask Goulet if he felt more secure on this flight, since we’re paying an extra $7.94 for it!)
$32.52 for the GST (Canadian Good & Services Tax)
$1.58 for the Quebec provincial sales tax (which seemed proportionately low.  that’s only a .26% sales tax!)
$7.52 for the Immigration User Fee
and my personal favorite… $5.37 for U.S. Agricultural Fee.  i guess just in case he brings a bail of wheat with him on the flight.

aren’t taxes great?

*   *   *   *   *

If i have to read one more story about this, i’m going to puke. 

enough is enough.  we’re not talking about 10 year olds here, we’re talking about kids on the verge of adulthood.  do i care one bit that you lost 83-0?  NO.  this is sports, it’s competition. it’s FOOTBALL.  

and if i’m on the other team and i’m on the verge of earning a college scholarship - retail value in the range of $50,000 - $200,000 - i’m scoring as many touchdowns, intercepting as many passes, running back as many kickoffs as i can possibly get.  because we’re competing. 

they ran on every play except one in the second half, used a running clock, and played with backups and they still trounced the other squad 83-0.  the other team lost because they weren’t any good, and they will have to deal with that because they are in a COMPETITION. 

think about this: several players on that losing team are going to be in the workforce next year.  they are going to be serving in our armed forces.  they are going to be fighting to earn a paycheck or feed their kids or get into college.  it’s time that they deal with the extremely likely possibility that they are going to have failure in their lives that they will have to deal with. i say, learn what that is like RIGHT NOW.  you’ll be better for it in the end.  and if in 30 years, losing a H.S. football game by 83 points is the most embarassing, most horrible thing that has ever happened to you, you should probably feel pretty thankful.

and if you can’t play football very well, it’s better to learn that now so you have time to brush up on your SAT’s.  you’re going to need it.

*   *   *   *   *

I have a related story, one that leans in the same direction but is a little softer.

i once saw a H.S. hockey game between a school that was pretty good and a school that had just started their program.  it was back home and i was broadcasting the game as our High School Hockey Game of the Week on my college radio station. 

i’ll never forget this game as long as i live. 

the goalie for Albion High School was pretty good; he played for the local junior team in Rochester, but when his high school recruited him for their brand-new program, he said yes.  because it was his school and his friends were going to be playing.

on this day, he faced 107 shots, and lost 5-0.  THAT’S 107 SHOTS, in one game.  and they only lost 5-0.  i’m sure that goaltender did not play much organized hockey after that… maybe some in college, maybe not.  but he was awesome that one game.  i mean awesome.  he’ll probably always remember that one afternoon when he made 102 saves for his high school program, and that record will probably stand forever at that school.  and maybe he helped inspire other local kids to put on the skates and play for his school.  and maybe that school isn’t crappy at hockey anymore.  then again, maybe they are.

my point is, he stood in there, took his licks, and had an unbelieveable moment.  even though he lost the game, and his team got worked over about as badly as possible, he acheived and had a moment of greatness when everything was against him. 

and you know what?  i’m glad Spencerport High School didn’t decide to stop shooting on him that game after they hit 60 shots on goal in the second period.  i’m glad they didn’t let up.  i’m glad they played hard, both teams.  and both teams did play hard, right up until the end of the game.

and that is what sports are all about.

How long until hockey starts? (bartls blog)

Monday, September 14th, 2009 | The Many Faces of Bartl | No Comments

Few television shows can match the pomp and circumstance that ushers in the start of NFL season.  has-been recording artists put together silly jingles and cheesy studio videos with cuts of exciting plays and cheerleaders mixed in with them lip-synching… commercials air repeatedly with the theme of buffoon-overweight-football-fan-guy cheering boisterously or spilling food and drink and generally making men look like idiots… ESPN anchors pull out all their new-and-improved catch phrases to use on the highlights, hoping to be the next Stuart Scott or Chris Berman… and oh yeah, everyone’s an expert.

basically, i’m almost sick of football season already.  NFL season isn’t any good at all until about Week 5, Week 3 at the earliest.  i watched some crappy football over the weekend.  just because the Steeler-Titans game went to OT last week means it was a good game?  hardly.  that Bears game last night was awful, and as for Favre’s 110-yards passing return?  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

i’ll be honest, since calling games for the AF2 a few years back, the NFL is kind of boring.  some teams are creative, sure, but how many times do you watch a team go run-run-pass-punt?  exciting! 

Wake me up in Week 4.

*   *   *   *   *

In case you didn’t notice (and judging from the coverage in the media, you didn’t), NHL training camps opened across North America over the weekend.  there was also a blockbuster trade over the weekend, but you were probably too busy being filled up with useless info for your Fantasy Football team.

i don’t care how much of a pain in the backside he is, Dany Heatley is perfect for San Jose.  and they got a steal with the guys they sent to Ottawa.  Let’s all recall Jonathan Cheechoo as the guy who scored 12 goals last season, not the guy from 2005-06 that scored 56 goals.  because that season almost doesn’t even count in my books.  that was the welcome back season, when they tried to make everything exciting by making more scoring.

the fact is, that with Joe Thornton’s playoff disappearance every season, a 40-year old anchoring their blueline and Patrick Marleau’s i’m-average-i’m-great-i’m-average act getting older every season, San Jose has one, maybe two seasons before the whole project is blown up and restarted anyway without having accomplished anything of substance.  they might as well get Heatley and try to go all out now.

*   *   *   *   *

The Bovine Commandos got off to a great start in the Master’s League over the Ice Sports Center on Sunday, dropping a 7-2 bombshell over the Pylons.  A young (almost) upstart named Mark “the Amish Sniper” Braun led the way with 2g-2a.  i even lit the lamp twice.  i love playing this game more than i like watching it, and i’m not really any good, it’s just fun to play.  if you’re one of those people who has been watching hockey for years, maybe even been coming to Condors games regularly season after season, trust me, the excitement you get from watching is nothing compared to the excitement of doing it yourself or even scoring a goal. 

so don’t waste any more time.  i know guys out there in those leagues who didn’t start playing until their 40’s.  just get out there and play.  go to stick time in the afternoons and just mess around.  sign up for a hockey camp.  start by getting skates and a stick, put on your skates (with the guards on) and walk around your house for an entire evening.  it will get in your blood. 

i still remember my first goal i ever scored on ice skates in a competetive game, and that was 21 years ago.

Kevin Bartl is the VP of Communications and the “Voice of the Condors” entering his seventh season with the team.  His blog comes out every Monday, or whenever else he gets around to it.