Albany River Rats Information & Albany River Rats Links at HealthHaven.com

[edit] History

[edit] Season-by-season results

[edit] Team records

[edit] Current roster

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Season-by-season results

[edit] Team records

[edit] Current roster

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] 2009 Bus Crash

[edit] Affiliates

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Playoffs

[edit] Single season

[edit] Career

[edit] 2009 Bus Crash

[edit] Affiliates

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Playoffs

[edit] Single season

[edit] Career

Albany River Rats
Albany River Rats
City	Albany, New York
League	American Hockey League
Conference	Eastern Conference
Division	East Division
Founded	1990
Home arena	Times Union Center
Colors	Red, black, white
Owner(s)	Walter Robb
Head coach	Jeff Daniels
Media	WROW-AM 590; Times Union; WRGB (CBS6); WTEN; WNYT; WXXA-TV (Fox23)
Affiliates	Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) (2006–present); Colorado Avalanche (NHL) (2006–2007); New Jersey Devils (NHL) (1990–2006); Florida Everblades (ECHL)
Franchise history
1990 to 1993	Capital District Islanders
1993 to present	Albany River Rats
Championships
Regular season titles	2 1994–95, 1995–96
Division Championships	4 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98
Calder Cups	1 1994–95

The Albany River Rats are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center.

The team was founded as the Capital District Islanders (playing at Houston Field House on campus at RPI located across the Hudson River in Troy, New York) in 1990 but changed their name when the New Jersey Devils sold their old affiliate the Utica Devils to become linked with this team.

In 1998, Walter Robb purchased the franchise from original owner Al Lawrence, allowing the franchise to remain in Albany. Garen Szablewski has served as CEO and President of the River Rats for 15 years since 1994.

The Rats' glory days came in the mid to late 1990s making seven consecutive playoff appearances, won 2 division titles, and took home the AHL's Calder Cup in 1995. Also in 1995, their parent club, the New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup.

However, wins have declined since the 1997–98 season, the last time Albany won a playoff series. The River Rats finished last in each of the 6 seasons between 2000–01 and 2005–06. A new affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes beginning in the 2006–07 season brought hope of a return to AHL glory not seen in Albany since the late '90s.

On March 22, 2006, the Devils announced that they were cutting ties with the River Rats after the 2005–06 AHL season, as the parent club announced the purchase of the Lowell Lock Monsters. Despite the move, the River Rats were not relocated.¹ In April 2006, The Carolina Hurricanes signed a one year agreement (with the option to renew for two additional) with the River Rats to be their farm affiliate.² Later on, Carolina was joined by the Colorado Avalanche in a one-year partnership agreement. On February 22, 2007, the Carolina Hurricanes and Albany River Rats announced that their affiliation agreement had been extended through the 2008–09 season. ³

On April 24, 2008, the River Rats lost 2–3 to the Philadelphia Phantoms in the longest game played in AHL history. The Phantoms Ryan Potulny scored 2:58 into the fifth overtime. Albany gave up 101 shots on goal, and goaltender Michael Leighton made 98 saves.

This market was previously served by:

Albany Choppers of the IHL (1990–91)

On February 19, 2009, five people were seriously injured when a bus carrying the team home from a game in Lowell struck a guard rail and rolled on its side on Interstate 90 in western Massachusetts. Nicolas Blanchard, Joe Jensen, Jonathan Paiement, Casey Borer, and the River Rats radio color commentator John Hennessy were taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield with "serious" injuries.^[1]

New Jersey Devils (1993–2006)
Colorado Avalanche (2006–2007)
Carolina Hurricanes (2006–present)

Season	Games	Won	Lost	Tied	OTL	SOL	Points	Goals for	Goals against	Standing
1993–94	80	38	34	8	—	—	84	312	315	3rd, North
1994–95	80	46	17	17	—	—	109	293	219	1st, North
1995–96	80	54	19	7	—	—	115	322	218	1st, Central
1996–97	80	38	28	9	5	—	90	269	231	3rd, Empire State
1997–98	80	43	20	11	6	—	103	290	223	1st, Empire State
1998–99	80	46	26	6	2	—	100	275	230	2nd, Empire State
1999–00	80	30	40	7	3	—	70	225	250	4th, Empire State
2000–01	80	30	40	6	4	—	70	216	262	6th, Mid-Atlantic
2001–02	80	14	42	12	12	—	52	172	271	4th, East
2002–03	80	25	37	11	7	—	68	197	235	5th, East
2003–04	80	21	39	11	9	—	62	182	257	7th, East
2004–05	80	29	38	—	6	7	71	198	248	7th, East
2005–06	80	25	48	—	4	3	57	206	278	7th, Atlantic
2006–07	80	37	36	—	4	3	81	246	258	4th, East
2007–08	80	43	30	—	3	4	93	213	198	3rd, East
2008–09	80	33	40	—	3	4	73	219	258	7th, East

Season	1st round	2nd round	3rd round	Finals
1993–94	L, 1-4, PORT	—	—	—
1994–95	W, 4-0, ADIR	W, 4-2, PROV	--	W, 4-0, FRED
1995–96	L, 1-3, CORN	—	—	—
1996–97	W, 3-1, ADIR	W, 4-3, ROCH	L, 1-4, HAM	—
1997–98	W, 3-0, ADIR	W, 4-0, HAM	L, 2-4, PHIL	—
1998–99	L, 3-2, HAM	—	—	—
1999–00	L, 3-2, ROCH	—	—	—
2000–01	Out of playoffs
2001–02	Out of playoffs
2002–03	Out of playoffs
2003–04	Out of playoffs
2004–05	Out of playoffs
2005–06	Out of playoffs
2006–07	L, 1-4, HER	—	—	—
2007–08	L, 3-4 PHIL	—	—	—
2008–09	Out of playoffs

Goals: 46

Jeff Williams (1998-99)

Assists: 63

Keith Aucoin (2006-07)

Points: 99

Keith Aucoin (2006-07)

Penalty Minutes: 348

Matt Ruchty (1994-95)

GAA: 2.10

Michael Leighton (2007-08)

SV%: .931

Michael Leighton (2007-08)

Career goals: 155

Steve Brule

Career assists: 214

Steve Brule

Career points: 369

Steve Brule

Career penalty minutes: 1197

Rob Skrlac

Career goaltending wins: 77

Peter Sidorkiewicz

Career shutouts: 8

Peter Sidorkiewicz

Career games: 423

Jiri Bicek

As of July 9, 2009. Data taken from AHL website.^[2]

Goaltenders
#	Player	Catches	Date of birth	Place of birth
31	Mike Murphy	R	January 15, 1989	Inverary, ON, Canada
35	Justin Peters	L	August 30, 1986	Blyth, ON, Canada

Defensemen
#	Player	Shoots	Date of birth	Place of birth
2	Jamie McBain	R	February 25th, 1988	Edina, MN, USA
3	Benn Olson	L	April 29, 1987	Port McNeil, BC, Canada
4	Zack Fitzgerald	L	May 16, 1985	Two Harbors, MN, USA
7	Brett Carson	R	November 29, 1985	Regina, SK, Canada
27	Jonathan Paiement	L	March 7th, 1985	Montreal, QC, Canada
28	Casey Borer	L	July 28, 1985	Minneapolis, MN, USA
33	Bryan Rodney	R	April 22, 1984	London, ON, Canada
34	Brett Bellemore	R	June 25, 1988	Windsor, ON, Canada

Forwards
#	Player	Position	Shoots	Date of birth	Place of birth
8	Nick Dodge	C	R	May 1, 1986	Oakville, ON, Canada
9	Drayson Bowman	LW	L	March 8th, 1989	Grand Rapids, MI, USA
10	Mike Angelidis	C	L	June 27, 1985	Unionville, ON, Canada
11	Zach Boychuk	C	L	October 4, 1989	Airdrie, AB, Canada
12	Steven Goertzen	RW	R	May 26, 1984	Stony Plain, AB, Canada
14	Matthew Pistilli	RW	R	October 7, 1988	Montreal, QC, Canada
15	Stefan Chaput	C	L	March 11, 1988	Montreal, QC, Canada
17	Jerome Samson	RW	R	September 4, 1987	Greenfield Park, QC, Canada
22	Harrison Reed	RW	R	January 18, 1988	Newmarket, ON, Canada
23	Brandon Sutter	C	R	February 14, 1989	Huntington, NY, USA
24	Pat Dwyer	RW	R	June 22, 1983	Great Falls, MT, USA
25	Chris Terry	C	L	April 7, 1989	Brampton, ON, CAN
26	Nicolas Blanchard	LW	L	May 31, 1987	Granby, QC, Canada
36	Brad Herauf	LW	L	August 24, 1982	Regina, SK, Canada

^ The Canadian Press (2009-02-19). "Three seriously injured as bus carrying AHL team crashes". The Sports Network. http://www.tsn.ca/ahl/story/?id=267762&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_main. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
^ [1]

^1 "What's next for the River Rats?". Capital News 9. 2006-03-22. http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/?ArID=172983&SecID=33. Retrieved 2006-03-23.
^2 "River Rats announce new affiliation, lease". theahl.com. 2006-04-04. http://theahl.com/news/league/index.html?article_id=6566. Retrieved 2006-04-17.
^3 "River Rats to remain Carolina’s top farm club through 2008-09". Carolina Hurricanes. 2007-02-22. http://www.carolinahurricanes.com/news/news.asp?articleid=1719. Retrieved 2007-03-06.

[0] The Canadian Press (2009-02-19). "Three seriously injured as bus carrying AHL team crashes". The Sports Network. http://www.tsn.ca/ahl/story/?id=267762&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_main. Retrieved 2009-02-19.

[1] [1]

1

2

[1]

[2]

Staff member

Head coach

Jeff Daniels

Assistant coach

Geordie Kinnear

Head trainer

Brian Maddox