To Me, Manny’s "Legacy" Is In Springfield
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 9, 2009 12:09 PM EST
165 comments
Having grown up in first the suburbs of New Haven, Conn., then Western Massachusetts, the AHL circuit is no mystery to me. I remember watching the old New Haven Nighthawks as a young boy — I even had a player tap the glass after warmups and give me a stick once — then moving to Springfield area and watching the Springfield Indians, who eventually became the Falcons.
I wasn't a season ticket holder, but I wasn't an infrequent attendee either. There were stretches where I'd attend a game a week or more, and I'd say my love of hockey truly blossomed in the Springfield Civic Center, watching the Falcons — then a shared farm team for the Whalers and Winnipeg Jets — including a young, fiery goalie: Manny Legace.
In 2004, Legace was voted the starting goalie for the Falcons' 10th Anniversary Team, having compiled a 53-45-15 record over parts of four seasons in Springfield. For a franchise that has struggled since becoming the Falcons — the Indians franchise relocated to Worcester and became the IceCats, with Springfield immediately awarded an expansion franchise named the Falcons — Legace is one of very few bright spots.
But for better or for worse, my memory of Legace comes from one unfortunate sequence of events in the 1997 AHL playoffs.
The Falcons held a 2-0 lead in the AHL's Southern Conference Finals, having stunned the favored Bears twice in Hershey, and were returning to Springfield for Game 3, with yours truly in attendance. The Falcons led 3-1 late, but the Bears pulled within one midway through the third and then scored a controversial goal in the final minute when Legace was interfered with outside the crease. Dennis LaRue — now an NHL referee — allowed the goal to stand.
But LaRue wasn't done. The Falcons netted the apparent game-winner with seconds remaining in the third, only to have it overturned by Larue on an in-the-crease violation (Sabres fans remember this now-defunct rule). When the Bears scored less than three minutes into overtime, Legace — plainly put — lost it. If my memory serves me right — and the only documented online account is from the Bears’ Web site, and comes across to me as revisionist history — the Bears were also in the crease on the game-winner, but LaRue allowed the goal to stand.
Legace burst from his crease toward Larue, irate that the same call that had been made on the Falcons no-goal was not made on the overtime tally. Again, the Bears’ site isn't as I remember things. Their account:
He charged after LaRue and hit him with his stick resulting in a ten game suspension for the Springfield goalie.
Legace did indeed make a beeline for LaRue, but the way I remember it was Legace, in a fury, lost his edge and took the official’s legs out from under him. Who knows if, in my own deliriousness at the blown calls at the end of regulation, that I remember things incorrectly.
One thing is for certain: Legace was indeed suspended 10 games, and the Falcons faltered without him. Springfield won Game 4 with backup Sylvain Daigle in net, taking a 3-1 series lead. But the Bears stunned the Falcons with three straight victories, ending Springfield’s season.
For all practical purposes, that was the end of Legace's time in Springfield. He spent the majority of the 1997-98 season with the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL, with Jets’ second-round pick Scott Langkow getting the starting gig in Springfield. Legace was then dealt to the Kings July 31, 1998, just a month after the Whalers relocated to Raleigh and became the Hurricanes. He got in 17 games with the Kings that season, but didn't make his mark until joining the Red Wings as their full-time backup in 2000-01, eventually taking over the No. 1 job.
But despite Legace’s success in Detroit, and later in St. Louis, his name still takes me back to 1997, back to a time when hockey ensnared me and LaRue infuriated me.
Welcome to Raleigh, Manny. I’m looking forward to more memories — hopefully happy ones.
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I'm sure Tripp knows him
he knows everyone and all of their “wants”.
After all he was a goalie in case you’ve never heard.
When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
Actually, I’m pretty sure they are friends, or at least friendly. They either played against each other in college or were room mates or something of the sort. I remember Tripp talking about it a couple years ago.
Tripp was briefly up with the Springfield Falcons when Legace was there.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 9, 2009 3:51 PM EST up reply actions
TT will remember how they were like brothers or something….“It’s a goalie thing”
Oh God…
A
For a storm to suck this hard, it must be a black hole
We are so in trouble. If we thought Staal crush was bad, wait til we have to hear about Tripp and Manny taking locker room showers together in the good old days….AAARRGGGHHHHH
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
Even if he doesn’t, Manny appears to be press-savvy enough that he’ll pretend he does:
Sure, I remember you, Tripp. In the shower, you were the guy who always bent over when you dropped your soap… Never forget a guy like that.
(too much?!)
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
must be the fumes from the chemicals in the fish tank getting to her. YOu need to go out now and buy a minnow named Manny =)
Hey – hadn’t thought of this. We just went out and got a Cam Ward Shrimp. What does that tell you?
I think I told you all last week Camshrimp molted and hid behind the filter intake until its shell had hardened. It’s back out amongst it’s tank mates now. Foreshadowing #30’s exposed and unprotected flesh in Columbus? Coincidence?
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
OFF TOPIC; BUT NEED HELP RE: NHL WAIVER WIRE
I wonder if somebody has a URL or link to the real-time NHL waiver wires. I assume there is some place or some sports service where that information is tracked. I have looked on Google and Yahoo, but I haven’t been able to locate. It is Hurricanes related because I predict Rutherford is hoping to find some scoring help via waivers.
There is no official waiver wire … everything you find out is either second-hand or the team confirms that a player has been placed on waivers.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 9, 2009 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
Waiver Wire
Thanks. I assumed it was like the NFL where the teams announce when a player has been waived. How do the other teams get notice that a player has been waived?
I think it’s circulated through the league, but not released to the media.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 9, 2009 12:39 PM EST up reply actions
Waiver Wire
Thank you very much for the information. It has saved me hours of weeding through Google for a public waiver wire when I was too uninformed to realize it didn’t exist in a public domain.
Andy Strickland, IMO one of the few reliable HockeyBuzz.com writers, is saying Legace is expected to start Wed. vs. L.A.
Legace Starting
If Legace starts on Wednesday, it would speak volumes about a lack of confidence in Leighton, I think.
Leights never really gets a chance to prove whether he can play well or not. And sadly I don’t think he will now either.
I agree.....
Leights played how many days after his kid was born?
Perhaps he shouldn’t have played then but if not then, when?
When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
Mo's thoughts:
ice_chip10 minutes ago Maurice says starter in goal for LA Kings still to be decided.
I have always been a fan of Legace’s so I am pleased that JR went with him (there’s something about a goalie who is just slightly taller than I am that just baffles me). I think the time in the AHL may have shown him the error of his ways (so to speak) and I would expect a very tough fought battle between Legace and Leights for the starting spot while Cam is on the shelf.
I decided to check out practice today since I’m off and knew Legace would be there. He’s tiny but appeared to be pretty talkative and seemed upbeat. Definitely knew 17 and 18, talked to 17 a decent amount.
Way cool. I hear he knew Gleason too (from the Kings?) via lgc_com.
If there was ever a guy with something to prove….
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
Manny was already in Detroit when Gleason was drafted …so not from playing together. Maybe Legace still practiced with some Kings guys in the offseason or something.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 9, 2009 1:04 PM EST up reply actions
Turns out it was AWard and Whitney from the RedWings and before. We are an old folks home aren’t we? Kind of our NHL Senior Tour. (that’s for you Paladin)
From Chip A – again.
“In Detroit we had a good team and he was one of the big reasons why,” said Whitney, who played for the Wings in 2003-2004. "We had Curtis Joseph and (Dominik) Hasek both out and he carried the load for three months and he did a good job. “He plays the puck well. He’s competitive, he’s fast. He’s streaky.”
Okay – except the streaky part.
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
According to the audio, no decision has been made by Maurice as to who will start Wednesday. No new news on Cam (Mo has not spoken to him).
Manny seems upbeat and excited to be back in the big time.
I put it on the other post, but Aaron Portsline reported that Cam was released from the hospital around noon. Caniacgirl is researching charter flights scheduled from Columbus to RDU. We were thinking a few welcome home signs might be appreciated.
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
Ok so this flight thing is much harder than I thought it would be.
The only one I can find that would be a possibility if Cam was in fact released around noon is this flight that was supposed to leave at 10:43 but instead left at 12:09. It should arrive in Raleigh at 2:10.
It’s not listed in the regular schedule of flights which makes me think it’s a charter. :shrugs:
Interesting. However since the original post only said he was released this morning, which Portzline tweeted at around noon, it’s possible he was released a lot earlier this morning and he only heard about it later. I’m going with the early departure and arrival by 8am this morning. Hospitals like to get their patients out early.
This is seriously weird that we can track all this information. And that we want to.
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
There were quite a few flights that left/arrived earlier in the day. I’m thinking they probably tried to get him in and out as soon as possible to maybe cut down on the amount of people around at the time.
This is pure speculation on my part, but I wanted to see if it made sense to anyone else. If this was a straight cut (stitches only-no surgery) I don’t think the risk of infection (the reason cited for keeping him the extra day) would be any greater than normal. You keep it clean and so on at home. I’m thinking they did in fact have to do something more invasive and possibly inserted a drain which they often do after surgery. That may explain why he stayed an extra day.
My buddy works at the airport and sent me a text – “just saw ward, looks like he was in pain” I got that text at 8 am this morning.
I feel mute today…. does that make me moot?
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Nov 9, 2009 3:23 PM EST up reply actions
Chip Alexander has this on Canes Now
It’s too good of a team to be struggling," Legace said today after his first practice. "You look at the team, you look at the way they played last year, it’s just bounces. You see some highlights and just weird stuff is happening.
“But if they keep working as hard as they did out there today, it’s going to turn. That’s all it takes is hard work … to make your own luck again.”
With Cam Ward out at least three of four weeks, Canes coach Paul Maurice said he pleased to be able to add a veteran such as Legace, rather than say calling up Justin Peters from Albany (AHL), but he didn’t proclaim Legace the No. 1 guy ahead of Michael Leighton.
“He’s a proven winner,” Maurice said. "He’s stopped a lot of pucks and is a veteran guy. We just thought it would be a difficult situation to bring a goalie out of the minor leagues from our system — we didn’t necessarily want to put him through that.
>"It’s always a competition. You are going to see him play. We’ll make decisions on what games those are going to be. … We’ve got a lot of hockey here in the next month or so before we expect Cam’s return. There’s going to be enough net for both guys, but clearly if either one of them gets on any kind of roll we’ll run ’em."
So does that last line from Mo look familiar or what?
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
The Legace signing: what does it mean?
Luke DeCock just put up some observations on this as well
Nothing really new, but just his take on it.
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
LTD comes through for us once again
Caption: Manny Legace between the pipes at the RBC Center
(Who could have seen this coming 48 hours ago?)
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
Wait ‘til you see him standing beside Barrasso. Back to work now but I’ll have more pictures this evening. He looked a little rusty but good, and was welcomed enthusiastically, lots of taps to him and from him during the drills.
Sisu
by LTD on Nov 9, 2009 2:23 PM EST up reply actions
I’m going to be there Friday and really want him and Albe standing next to each other.
I say he’s way smaller than what he’s listed at (5’10").
In the TTS video, AWard said that he has to move alot since he’s only 5-9…..(oops – blabber mouth – I thought that was a secret)
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
Yeah – and when they’ll give him a jersey number. He’s not on the Canes’ roster even.
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
how funny would that be, some canes stickers sprinkled between, let’s say some of those stickers you get with the guitar hero game, and maybe a couple of odd disney characters….LMAO!
I like the Disney characters option. And he’s just quirky enough that it wouldn’t even be that weird. LOL
I don’t even think Handy Manny could fix the mess that is our season. I think Mister Lopar must be running this team ( yes I have a toddler…)
And the fans are the cat, Fluffy … looking around cautiously, waiting for stuff to crash on top of them.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 9, 2009 2:31 PM EST up reply actions
Another double-take moment capturd by LTD at practice today:
Via Twit Pic (if it turns into an x just clikc on this link)
Would this be “Denial” or “Acceptance”? Sure ain’t “Anger” or “Depression”.
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
In all fairness I do have seven or eight pictures of them not smiling that preceded that one.
Sisu
by LTD on Nov 9, 2009 2:29 PM EST up reply actions
Caption contest.
“Hey Mo, I just saw some post on Canes Country that said we could still make the playoffs!”
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 9, 2009 2:40 PM EST up reply actions
right before this picture, Mo said, Hey did you hear that Puck Daddy still says we could make the playoffs. And the two of them just laughed and laughed…..aaaah good times.
Or PK just asked if Mo remembered what it was like to win. There was trouble recalling what it felt like hence the laughter.
caotion contest 2
“Hey Paul, even I can’t stay mad when Stormy is up to his old hijinx! What zany thing will he do next!”
“Sure, we didn’t get Fedorov, but we got Legace. Take that Ilitch!”
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 9, 2009 2:47 PM EST up reply actions
FYI
ice_chip is reporting that Cam is back in Raleigh.
Sorry to bring that topic over here, but I’m guessing most people will check this topic first when they log in today.
hey
can someone with photoshop skills superimpose a goalie mask over that handy manny? That would be epic!
Tripp mentioned that Joni was battling the flu a few games back (against TOR) so maybe it was precautionary so he doesn’t spread it to the rest of the team.
ice_chip tweeted at 5pm that Joni was out with a cold. Now he tells us! Like there was anything else for us to be thinking about.
ice_chip: Meant to post this earlier but apparently Joni Pitkanen has a cold and was allowed to miss practice. Not the knee again.
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
Because the words are backwards?
I saw that once I had finished and just didn’t feel like re-doing the whole thing.
Yeah, it is no big deal. Just one of those little details that will get your Photoshops to the next level.
Still hilarious, Good job.
To the next level eh? Is there a photoshop contest? Because Jen could seriously sweep the spoof image category. LOL
I used to do PS contests on Fark all the time, so they do exist.
Speaking as someone who has a son who played the position, she might not have been able to find an image of one for the opposite hand. All the websites would feature the standard left glove.
No excuses on the bag though. Even for the little midget, it’s WAY TOO SMALL, (speaking as someone who has an 8-year old son who played the position) it would be more like this:
(Geez!)
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
Thank you. At least someone appreciates my effort. Sheesh. ;)
And the backwards words adds a litlte bit of quirkiness to it that seems to fit the little midget.
You’ll notice I even went blonde, to match legace .. lol
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 9, 2009 4:23 PM EST up reply actions
if anyone wants to give it a crack, start here:
http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/pics/9/1895/8095/how-to-draw-handy-manny-step-5.jpg
Just a blank Manny … the rest is all me.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 9, 2009 4:26 PM EST up reply actions
Coming from you, canescup
this is really funny. Do you think we can put away the 3 goals in 30 secs pattern for the rest of the month?
I was listening to newly minted #34 talk with Mike Maniscalco earlier – he mentioned that his old Whaler jersey was still in some closet at his parents’ house. He’s a good interview. (they don’t have the link up yet – but worth a listen)
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
Oops spelled his name wrong. Y’all know who I’m talking about (dang this lack of an edit button).
Sisu
by LTD on Nov 9, 2009 6:42 PM EST up reply actions
I can hear forslunds call now, manny says no, essa!
by wylde4canes on Nov 9, 2009 5:28 PM EST via mobile reply actions
LOL! I love that one. I don’t know if you did it on purpose or not, but my favorite part may be the fact that he’s barely taller than the net.
It’s perfect. He even admitted he doesn’t watch all the games so chances are he’ll make that face for real his first time playing behind our…Swiss cheese defense.
Maybe he can remind AWard that he used to be good, seein as how they’ve been buddies for decades. Maybe give him a few pointers.
Now Jen – next up: Tripp in the locker room shower with Manny looking worried….(Same expression as above would be fine.
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
I guess the whole best behavior thing is out the window now?! Because if you suggest it, she’ll make that photoshop.
Yeah – that was just when the world was checking in on Cam Ward. now that that’s over, we can go back to normal. Which one of you is doing the Player of the week? (Kings, NYI, MIN edition)
So I'm guessing this would be "bottom"?
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