Philipp Grubauer, the only member of the Caps Organization to attend an All Star Game this year (though Tomas Kundratek was named to a roster, too). Photo Credit: M. Richter
‘Tis the season of the All Star, where honors and awards for the few mean a long-weekend off for the rest. Today, Caps Outsider celebrates the sacrifice (and achievement) of those named to the 2013 AHL & ECHL All Star Rosters.
The ECHL held their classic Tuesday and Wedesday in Colorado (they lost to Colorado 10-5 in the skill, and won the game 7-3). The AHL festivities will get underway on Sunday in Providence.
Hershey
Unlike last year’s 3-man crew, Hershey will be sending a single representative to this year’s AHL All Star Classic: Forward Jeff Taffe (6th overall scorer in the AHL with 38 points, including an assist tonight on Hershey’s only goal against the St. John’s Ice Caps). Defenseman Tomas Kundratek was on the original list of attendees, but he had other plans this weekend (like playing with the Caps).
Reading
Due to fortuitous timing, goaltender Philipp Grubauer was allowed to return to the ECHL for their All Star Game (Brandon Anderson temporarily jumped up to fill the void in Hershey during Grubauer’s absence). He was the only player to represent the Royals, though Denny Urban had originally been named to the starting lineup as well (he’s also currently in the AHL, on a tryout-that-seems-to-be-permanent with the Worcester Sharks).
Grubauer stopped 14 of 16 shots, allowing 2 goals during his twenty minute turn in net for the All Stars. In contrast to the AHL and NHL formats, the ECHL ices a single All Star team that takes on a home team – in this case, the Colorado Eagles.
In a notable twist, the MVP award went to the goaltender brought on by the South Carolina Stingrays to replace Grubauer when the Caps changed their affiliation – Ryan Zapolski.
