The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Erne enjoying a whirlwind new year
I must have sweat off a good five pounds during a white-knuckle, two-hour drive from New Haven to Hartford in Saturday afternoon’s snowstorm. While not the safest or most enjoyable way to lose weight, it’s certainly effective. Only wish I’d brought along an extra stick of Old Spice and a change of shirts. My apologies to colleagues in the XL Center’s press box.
• Let’s do a quick recap of the past eight days for North Branford’s Adam Erne, shall we?
On New Year’s Day, Tampa Bay Lightning by general manager Steve Yzerman called to say Erne was being called up to the big club. He flew from Syracuse to Tampa to make his NHL debut on Tuesday, with another home game two days later. By Friday evening he was in Philadelphia preparing for his first road game the next afternoon.
Today, he’s in Pittsburgh preparing to play against Sidney Crosby and the defending Stanley Cup champions.
If the rest of 2017 is anything like the first week, Erne’s head may explode from sensory overload.
“It’s been a crazy week,” Erne said Friday, not long after the Lightning’s charter jet landed in Philadelphia. “But it’s pretty much everything I thought it would be. It’s a lot of things going on in a little bit of time, but it’s really exciting for me and everyone who’s been with me along the way.”
Erne’s been preparing for this moment his whole life. By the time he was 16, he’d already played for amateur teams based in Los Angeles, Indiana and Quebec. At 18, he was drafted by Tampa Bay in the second round. Now 21, after a season and a half with Syracuse of the AHL, he’s gotten his first taste of the NHL.
How long Erne sticks in Tampa Bay is up to him. Injuries forced the Lightning to recall several rookies to fill the gaps, including former Quinnipiac star Matthew Peca. So far, so good.
Jon Cooper, the Lightning coach, said before the road trip that Erne and Peca hadn’t given him any reason to take them out of the lineup. On Tuesday, Peca scored his first career goal.
“We’re good friends,” Erne said of Peca. “We played together a lot in Syracuse and became really close over the last two seasons. It’s nice to be able to enjoy this experience with him. It was great to see him get his first goal. I was really happy for him. Hopefully, I’m not too far behind.”
• After beating the Redskins last weekend, the Giants receivers caught flak for jetting down to Miami, where they spent an afternoon lounging around a boat with Justin Bieber. This was an issue for some. Fashion choices aside — work boots on a boat? Don’t they issue mandatory Sperry’s to everyone deplaning at Miami International Airport? — we’re not sure why this is such a big deal.
Coach Bob McAdoo dismissed any notion of a scandal earlier this week with a perfect retort. “It was their day off. They can do what they want.” He’s absolutely right.
We believe it all bodes well for the Giants on a couple of levels.
First, knowing the big man is on his side will go a long way to ensure Odell Beckham Jr.’s head is in the right place today. Had McAdoo said anything else, that might not have been the case.
Beating the Packers in Green Bay is no easy task. But you can bet the team desperately wants to avoid spoon-feeding the New York media a salacious story angle — the Post and the Daily News already have Monday morning back page mock ups based upon “The Hangover.”
Consider it added motivation for the Giants to, you know, not lose.
• It doesn’t really matter what happens in the AFC, does it? No one else has the talent or coaching to beat the Patriots, especially in New England. Pencil them in for the Super Bowl. Dallas, too.
• Tom Brady is the NFL’s MVP, and, with all due respect to Aaron Rodgers, it’s really not even close.
• Yale men’s basketball won its 20th straight home game on Saturday, tied for fifth-longest streak in the nation. Kansas owns the longest home win streak with 50, getting there after a dubious victory over rival Kansas State, when a Jayhawks’ player literally ran from half court into the paint without dribbling for the winning layup at the buzzer.
The original copy of basketball’s rules, written in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, is on display at Kansas’ home arena. Referees might want to check it out next time they’re calling games there.
• One of Chris Berman’s last jobs before joining ESPN in 1979 was as public address announcer for Yale basketball. His joy of pronouncing interesting surnames was evident back then, when his signature call was booming out the name of star point guard Larry Zigerelli.
Berman’s always had a special place for Yale his heart, having attended games here since he was a kid and occasionally popping in to Ingalls Rink over the years despite his busy ESPN schedule. Now that Berman is semi-retired, methinks we’ll see him a lot more at Yale athletic events.
• Dave Wallace, recently retired after a long career as a major league pitching coach, and sportswriter Leigh Montville will speak at the West Haven Twilight League’s annual Hot Stove luncheon on Jan. 28 at West River Hall in West Haven.
Wallace played for Frank Vieira at the University of New Haven before a successful 20-year coaching career that included a World Series title with the Red Sox in 2003. Montville, a New Haven native, is a best-selling author best known for his time at the Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated.
Southern Connecticut State baseball coach Tim Shea is also being honored. Tickets are $30 each and include a catered lunch. Call Vin DiLauro at 203-671-0325.