Syracuse Speaks

In this episode, recorded April 27th and 28th, 2021, Alex ends up having to preempt her own episode when news breaks right before she had the chance to put the episode together. In a flurry a moves, the Florida Panthers rather dramatically changed the look of Syracuse's roster by recalling defenseman Brady Keeper and goaltender Sam Montembeault to their taxi squad. In a corresponding move, Florida...

In this episode, recorded April 13th and 14th, 2021, Alex begins the podcast by discussing the most recent Crunch news and notes, including Syracuse owner Howard Dolgon's affirmation that the Crunch will not be participating in the AHL's 2021 postseason. She takes a look at how COVID has - and is - affecting the team and its schedule.  She then dissects Syracuse's most recent game vs. divisio...

In this episode, recorded March 18th and 23rd, 2021, Alex welcomes writer Hardev Lad onto the podcast. Hardev is the current Crunch contributor for Raw Charge , a SB Nation blog that covers the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. Raw Charge has reported on the Crunch since 2012-13, when Alex herself was their main Syracuse contributor, and has featured continuous coverage of the team since that seas...

In this episode, recorded March 9th, 2021, Alex spends the time conversing with Patrick Williams . Patrick has been covering the American Hockey League for many years, and is just about one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to the league. Alex and Patrick cover a lot of ground throughout the course of their 45-minute conversation, including a spin around the AHL as a whole, COVID prot...

In this episode, recorded Monday, February 22nd and Tuesday, February 23rd, Alex starts off with a little housekeeping. She covers the complications that are contributing to the team's current 1-3-1 record: the recalls of Ross Colton , Alex Barre-Boulet , and Riley Stillman; the injuries to Daniel Walcott , Henry Bowlby,  and Aleksi Heponiemi; the complications of joining the players from two...

In this episode, recorded February 9th and 10, 2021, Alex discuses the Crunch's return to regularly season AHL action this past week. In the first part of the episode, she breaks down some of the highlights of Syracuse's win over the Utica Comets from February 6th, including: The surprise emotional impact of having hockey back; Gabriel Fortier 's first - and second - pro goal; Samuel Montembeault...

In this episode, recorded January 26th, 2021, Alex does some housekeeping before welcoming guest Patrick Williams ! Patrick writes for the NHL.com and has various other projects in the works, including his Around the A podcast . Throughout the course of the episode, Alex and Patrick discuss anything and everything about the "new normal" in the AHL and how it's affecting teams like Syracuse. 

In this episode, recorded January 12th and 13th, 2021, Alex starts by celebrating the return of the podcast from holiday break. She then breaks down the latest Crunch news, starting with the biggest and most obvious: Crunch hockey is back, and, boy, is it weird! Throughout the podcast, Alex dives into the following: Syracuse's new AHL division and the three teams the Crunch will reportedly be play...

In this episode, recorded November 17th, 2020, Alex spends some time briefly hyping up her latest article for The Sin Bin, a gift guide to the Crunch's garage sale . If you missed it, please go check it out, and maybe check off some gifts for your loved ones in the process! She then goes on to discuss the next jersey in her game-worn jersey collection. This jersey, worn by former Syracuse forward...

In this episode, recorded November 3rd and 4th, 2020, Alex begins by discussing the AHL's new return to play date of February 5th, 2021. She covers the potential obstacles to this date, the specific complications Syracuse faces, and the reaction of Crunch owner Howard Dolgon to the new date. Dolgon, who had originally expressed doubts as to whether the Crunch could play without fans in the stands,...

On this episode, recorded October 20 and 21, 2020, Alex starts off by recounting the Lightning organization's free agency so far, including: What's going on with the Lightning's RFAs: Ross Colton , Ben Thomas , Mitchell Stephens , Gemel Smith , Alex Volkov , Dominik Masin , and Mathieu Joseph The AHL/ECHL goalie roster: Newly-signed Chris Gibson , returnee Spencer Martin , and ECHL'er Clint Windso...

On this episode, recorded October 7th, 2020, Alex actually has news to discuss! Over the course of the podcast, she covers the following topics: some of the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2020 NHL Draft picks: Jack Finley , Gage Goncalves , Maxim Groshev , Eamon Powell , Jaydon Dureau , and Nick Capone the signing of two of the organization's restricted free agents: Mitchell Stephens and Gemel Smith the NH...

On this episode, recorded September 23rd, 2020, Alex discusses the next jersey in her collection: a St. Patrick's Day jersey worn by forward Mark Rycroft during the 2007-2008 Crunch season.  A bit of context: On March 16th, 2008, the Crunch would don St. Patrick's Day jerseys and would claw to an overtime victory against in-state rivals Binghamton, winning in overtime 4-3. At the time, fans w...

On this episode, recorded September 15th, 2020, Alex starts off by examining the case of the EIHL, otherwise known as the Elite Hockey League over in the UK. The EIHL recently made the decision to suspend their 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex mades direct comparisons between their league and the AHL, using the Cardiff Devils and their press release as her focal point. Unfortunate...

On this episode, recorded August 25, 2020, Alex starts a new series for her podcast that will discuss her collection of game worn jerseys. She kicks it off with her memories of former Syracuse Crunch captain Dan Smith , a defenseman who played for the team from 2007-2009 when the Crunch was affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets. This episode takes the listener through her decade-old bond with...

On this episode, recorded August 10, 2020, Alexandra takes a figurative spin around the news surrounding the AHL, it's potential return for the 2020-21 season, and what specifically that return might look like in Syracuse. She attempts to bring some certainty to the following questions: Why is it too soon to assume the AHL will actually start on December 4th, 2020? What obstacles are potentially i...

On this episode, recorded July 13, 2020, Alexandra starts off with some housekeeping as she discusses her move to The Sin Bin and what she imagines her coverage will look like going forward. She then dives into what's going on with Syracuse Crunch and its organization: -She covers what is known about the team's roster for next season, including where the Lightning has their work cut out for them d...

In this episode, Alex tries to wrap her head around the world of hockey and the world in general. She discusses what's known, what's still a mystery, and what the future may hold.  Thanks for listening! Stay safe, and fill your heart with love. 

This week, Alex determines that brackets meant to ferret out the best player to ever pull on a jersey in the American Hockey League are bananas. Why? Because generally they end up being based on players' NHL futures, not their AHL past. Frivolous topic of conversation? Absolutely! Come join in the fun, we all probably need something frivolous right now. 

In this episode, Alex highlights all of the amazing initiatives and programs the Syracuse Crunch has put together during this pause in the AHL's season. She also puts a spotlight on ideas and articles worth considering, media personalities that have been doing some great work lately, and the AHL itself as it works hard to keep fans connected.  Let's shine a little light in the world! 

This week, Alex starts off by outlining her thinking and her concerns about what the AHL and the NHL should do with the remainder of the season and the playoffs. Hint: It’s rather unpopular, and it doesn’t involve playing hockey. She then goes on to discuss this week’s prompt: “What’s your favorite sports movie?” Her answer might surprise you since it isn’t Miracle (!). It’s a little film from 200...

This week, Alex discusses her virtual tryout contract with the Syracuse Crunch. She praises the Crunch’s efforts to be there for their fans and keep them involved in the sport during this weird, difficult time. She then moves onto her prompt of the week: “Share a time when you didn’t get along with a teammate.” Since she doesn’t actually play for the team - VTO’s aside - she switched it up to...

This week, Alex discusses the postponement of the AHL season and what the Syracuse Crunch is doing to help stay present in the minds of the fans. She then takes an elementary  writing prompt and brings it into the podcasting world: Tell about a time a big game was won . The game she chose? The practically-forgotten game four of the Calder Cup final in 2013.

This week, Alex spends a good chunk of the podcast reviewing Crunch at Your Service, the Syracuse Crunch’s most recent charity fundraising endeavor, which took place on Monday, March 2nd at Turning Stone Resort and Casino. It consisted of Tampa Bay Lightning prospects and organizational players acting goofy, performing tasks, and just generally being “at the service” of Crunch fans and sponsors fo...

This week, Alex starts off by pondering some more on her current discomfort with the Syracuse Crunch roster. Although no conclusions were gained, she feels closer than ever before to an answer. She then dives into the NHL trade deadline and does some quick math (Basically: Cameron Gaunce + Mitchell Stephens > Anthony Greco). She ends the pod with a summary of Syracuse’s most recent jersey tribu...