Not a lot going on at the farm right now. The biggest game for us to play right now is drunken goalie charades, in which we spin a fan around until he or she passes out, and then try to divine who will be starting in goal for the Wolf*Pack based on the fan’s position on the floor. At the moment, it seems to be a tie between Vitali Yeremeyev (indicated by the fan not actually falling to the floor, but rather standing motionless even though unconscious) and the shocking return of J.F. Labbe (fan falls to floor dramatically and refuses to get back up until the fall has been suitably acknowledged by applause).

I have to talk about the departure of Derek Armstrong from the Wolf*Pack, though. First, let me say that although I was and am an Army fan, I was also one of those who were emphatically pointing him towards the door at the end of the season (see "Cleaning House"). Its kind of like pushing my students out the door after graduation each year – its not that I don’t like them and wouldn’t enjoy having them around, but… they’ve learned everything they can in my classroom, and its time for them to move on to new challenges.

Army was such a central part of the Wolf*Pack over the past three years, it is hard to imagine the team without him. He was team MVP all three years he played in Hartford, in addition to MVP of our Calder Cup team and MVP of the entire AHL this year to go along with his first scoring title. Army has been one of the two alternate captains the last three years and was the one tapped to wear the "C" when Kenny was out. He was well known in the area for his volunteer works in the schools, in which he took his role very seriously. Army danced, blew bubbles, and clowned for the fans every night during warmups, and always made a point of greeting each of us with a huge grin when he recognized us in the stands – but yet he played with every ounce of energy and skill when the puck was dropped. For many people, he made the game worthwhile, even if it was a loss for the team.

So why was I drawing him a map out of the arena? Army is 28, and only played a handful of games up with the Rangers during his tenure in Hartford. Its was clear that he was never going to be called up for more than a game or two with this organization, but he was not a Kenny Gernander or Terry Virtue, content to mentor the up and coming kids at the AHL level. At the same time, Rangers management stated a desire to create a younger, hungrier team for MSG – and clearly, Army was not on the short list of those slated for that team. Army himself had decided that he wanted to go to Europe last summer, and had been lured back to the fold with a one year contract that made sense for a man with a wife and new-born baby. But that year was now up, and since Army was never going to get the call to New York… there was really nothing left for him to do in Hartford now. We would miss his skills and his love of the game, but there were kids waiting to take his place who might have a future with the Rangers, and that is the real purpose of a farm team.

Army has signed with a team in Switerzland now, and Brad Smyth is considering an offer from the same team. Brad had filed for arbitration, but it would surprise no one if he followed his childhood friend and linemate abroad. Here’s the odd part though – Army signed for $150,000 with Bern. This is a pretty significant decrease in salary from this past season, in which he made $200,000 under the Rangers for the Wolf*Pack. At the end of this season, Army was rewarded for his MVP season and scoring title with a $30,000 offer. No, you didn’t read that wrong, they offered him a REDUCTION in his salary by $170,000. In a recent interview with the Hartford Courant, Army said "I'm a little disappointed after all we did in Hartford the last few years. I had offers from Toronto and Boston, but I had to work out a trade and the Rangers wouldn't do anything. If they didn't want me, I wish they would have released me."

Let’s have an update on some of the other Wolf*Pack players whose plans for this coming fall were still unclear last time we checked in. Tony Tuzzolino just signed with the Bruins after rejecting a Rangers offer, and it is expected that he will divide his time between Providence and Boston. Chris Kenady has been recently sighted out and about in Hartford, so perhaps he is still planning on being here in the fall. Jeff Toms and Jeff Dawe also filed for arbitration along with Brad Smyth, and I hope they both leave in disgust as well. No word on Drew Bannister, but Vitali Yeremeyev did sign for another year with the Rangers, much to my horror.

So anyway, its time for me to go back to my drink, it’s my turn to play the role of the goalie. Wish me luck, I’ll be trying to do my best impersonation of Johan Holmqvist in hopes of bringing him back for this fall.

- Heather

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