Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Crunch last gathered as a team on March 12 in the Upstate Medical University Arena.
The Crunch was just hours removed from beating the Utica Comets the night before. Syracuse was supposed to practice the next morning, but the workout was canceled because of the pending coronavirus pandemic.
At the time, coach Ben Groulx told his players he didn’t think the delay would be long.
“I told them that I was anticipating that we would be stopped for two weeks and probably will come back and that we’ve got to be ready,” Groulx said.
Groulx was off by more than 40 weeks. But Monday, at last, the Crunch was back together again.
The AHL wound up postponing the remainder of the 2019-20 season and has delayed the start of this year’s abbreviated schedule to Feb. 5. The Crunch opened training camp Monday with its first practice at Cicero Twin Rinks. The team was split into two groups and skated on separate rinks simultaneously.
Normally, Groulx and his staff would start the year with a lot of chalk talk. Monday, Groulx thought that it was important to lead off the initial team meeting with a reminder of how lucky everyone was just to be playing again.
“I think we’re privileged to be on the ice because we all know what this pandemic that’s everywhere in the world and all the sacrifices, all the pain the world’s going through, I think being here for all the hockey players and coaches...we feel that we’re blessed,” Groulx said. “We talked about it this morning with the players, how privileged we are. For us, wearing a mask and following a protocol, I think it’s nothing compared to what other people are going through.”
The transition was a little different for the players since many had already been skating with their NHL parent clubs. Still, the chance for another step closer to normalcy was appreciated.
“It feels pretty normal on the ice. I thought it was maybe a little bit weirder in Tampa (preseason) because we hadn’t practiced in a while. But now we’ve been practicing for three weeks, probably. So I think it’s pretty much back to normal,” said Syracuse forward Alex Barre-Boulet.
“I think Tampa was more of a like, ‘Oh, finally we’re on the ice with some guys.’ But being back in Syracuse here at Cicero rink, it’s a little cold,” said Syracuse forward Daniel Walcott. “It’s kind of like bringing back the fond memories of coming practicing here and you’ve got to battle through dressing in the cold. It was fun.”
Very little will feel the same about this season. The Crunch is sharing an affiliation with the Florida Panthers, who opted not to field an AHL team. The Panthers normally have a farm team in Springfield, and this year Geordie Kinnear, that team’s head coach, will work as an assistant with the Crunch.
Syracuse is scheduled to play 32 games, less than half its normal total. Those games will be against just three opponents: Rochester, Utica and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Other AHL teams are free to schedule more or fewer contests, depending upon their preference.
It’s doubtful there will be fans at Crunch home games. Divisional standings will matter little and there might not be a postseason. The traditional AHL balance between player development and winning will be heavily tipped toward the former.
“We’ve got to try to win the game, as many games as we can. Obviously, we’re still pretty young so we’ve got to work on the things we need to go back to Tampa,” Barre-Boulet said.
“From the outside (perspective) the competitive season is out the door. But from the inside here, the players, we’re here, some guys it’s their contract year, myself included,” Walcott said. “You want to go and put your best foot forward and compete and win games. The more you win, the more you look good.”
Groulx said he spent much of his off-season at his home in Montreal. He and the staff returned to Syracuse in September to watch Tampa Bay tear through the playoffs together and develop scouting reports and game plans that they might be able to use at the AHL level.
Then they just had to wait out the indecision about whether there would be an AHL season in which they could be applied.
“I remember when (Crunch GM Stacy Roest) called me and said, ‘Ben, we’re going to play.’ I was like a kid in a candy store,” Groulx said. “That’s how I felt. I was like, ‘Finally. When is it?’”
That time arrived Monday when Groulx and the Crunch appreciated the basics of the sport like they never had before.
“Well, I know how to skate still. That’s the good news,” he said. “My skates are still sharp. It was fun. I was very pleased with this day today. Everybody was in a great mood. Everybody was happy to be back.”
Lindsay Kramer is a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and syracuse.com. Got a comment or idea for a story? He can be reached via email at LKramer@Syracuse.com.