Alex Thomas of the Hartford Wolf Pack

The play-by-play voice of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas joins the Rob Dibble Show to discuss their upcoming playoff matchup with the Providence Bruins!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Alex Thomas is the voice of theHarford wolf Pack and I wanted to ask
you about the rivalry, Alex,between Harford and Providence. And I know
the NHL teams, the Bruins andthe Rangers hate each other, So do
these teams hate each other as muchas the parent teams. My first year
was twenty one to twenty two,and one of the interviews I did for

(00:21):
a Providence game was with Christiano JesusInto and one of the things he told
me that had stuck with me forthree years was they don't like us,
and we don't like that. Msthat simple, and anytime these guys have
played against each other, you've seenthat these two teams do not like each
other. Especially last year when theyplayed it felt like eight times in a
span of thirteen games, that rivalryreally ignited. Then you had the playoff

(00:44):
series last year, which everybody thoughtProvince is going to win, and obviously
they didn't. There's a real chippiness. These two teams don't like each other.
Even in Game seventy two, whenboth teams had seeding locked up a
couple of weeks ago, it wasphysical, they they got into it.
This is this is a real rivalry, and it's one that's gone back.
Really is the second Hartford stept inin the American Hockey League. So I
expect this to have that real,physical, shippy playoff style hockey. It's

(01:07):
going to be entertaining again. Thesetwo teams, they're not friendly. Game
one, Game two Wednesday Friday,both those games will be in Providence.
Those are seven five puck drops.And then Game three, which will happen
no matter what, that will bein Hartford Wednesday, seven o'clock puck drops
May eighth, and then unless wesweep Providence, game four will be back

(01:29):
here in Hartford seven o'clock and Gamefive, if necessary, Sunday, back
at Providence. In this five gameseries, take us back a couple of
steps. Dibbs was at the finalhome game for the regular season, got
back to the studio and won't shutup about that game and how it was
so needed to even get into theplayoffs, and then going to Charlotte on
a three game set, taking gamethree. Just take us through that little

(01:53):
run to where you guys are rightnow. It's you know what, It
goes back to March eighth, whenwhen they beat Providence seven to four,
and it was the third straight win. And then they lost thirteen in the
next fourteen games, and there wasoutside noise about a lot of panic and
will this team even make the playoffs? And then yeah, you had those
home games where they won three straightat home. They had the game when

(02:15):
Luis Deming scored the goal and hepost twelve. If they clinched, they
had that game. The last homegame against Wilsbury scrant was they won late.
And you know, those games areso important because it gave this team
such a confidence and made them feelgood going into the postseason. Look,
this is a good hockey team.They just ran into a tough month in
March, and that's going to happensometimes. But those games are huge to
this team. And what really standsout to me is losing Game one in

(02:38):
Charlotte last Thursday on a short handedgoal with less than four minutes left in
the game could have been devastating.He could have been the final blow in
the best of three series. Youknow, over the last three years there
has been twenty one best of threeseries in the American Hockey League. Nineteen
times the team that's one game onehas gone on to win the series.
I'm not great at math, butI'll tell you that didn't bode well game

(03:00):
one for the Wolfpack. So thefact that they were able to win Games
two and three the way they did, I think that all all this just
shows the resiliency the leadership of thisgroup, and I think it bodes really
well for them going into this postseasonseriesly and a really good Providence team that's
looking for some revenge. Telling toAlex Thomas, he is the voice of
the Hartford wolf Pack, and Iknow when I was in the major leagues
in Cincinnati, I bought tickets,actually bought the owners tickets for the Cincinnati

(03:23):
Cyclones because I love minor league hockeyso much. Described minor league hockey for
people who don't understand, these guysare fighting to try to get to the
NHL, but every game is hugein the development of their career. So
you get to see it. Youget to see guys go up and down,
but you get to see these guysdevelop. What's it like for you
to call the Wolfpack games. It'sa lot of fun. I mean for

(03:44):
me, it's a dream come trueto be calling professional hockey games. It's
something I've always wanted to do,and I've been really lucky to do it
in a great hockey market here nowfor three years. And it's even more
fun when when you get into thepostseason and this place is going to be
rocking for Game three. I can'twait. You know, we were down
for three really good atmospheres in Charlotteand I can't wait for Game three here
at Hard for next week. Youknow, in terms of every game just

(04:06):
being so important to the development,you're right. I mean, you know,
look no further than this year,where you know, you had somebody
like Johnny Broddinsky last year who wasso good for the Wolf back down the
stretch. To me, he wasthe second half MVP in this league last
year. He gets called up bythe Rangers earlier this season and then he
doesn't come back. You know,he's a big part of what New York's
run this year now of the secondround. I mean, Matt Rempey saw

(04:28):
him developed last year, and peopleforget last year Matt Redpey didn't play a
playoff game here and he was notone of the twelve forwards that was in
the lineup, and you watch hisdevelopment as a player, and now he's
playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs withthe New York Rangers. So it's a
lot of fun to see those guysdevelop the work that they put in both
on and off the ice, behindthe scenes. Really get a feel for
what it's like for players who aretrying to take that next step in their

(04:50):
career and how important every day,not just the games are. It's really
cool to see. And it's evencooler when you get to see guys get
rewarded. And I've been lucky overmy three years here, We've seen a
lot of guys and we've seen coaches, I mean Chris Noblock right here too,
and now he's coaching Edmonton and theTelly Cup playoffs and they have a
chance to move on tomorrow night.So it's really rewarding to see that.

(05:11):
I love it. I hate whenwe get to the off season, so
you know the fact that the team'sone now two years in a row,
and then we're moving on to thesecond round of the playoffs. It just
makes it all that much more fun. It really is something to say about
the organization. I mean, withthe President's Cup win for the Rangers and
how great of a run they've beenon with so many Wolfpack players that all
of the Hartford fans know and love. And then you just mentioned coach Noblock.
I was going to bring him upas well, because in terim head

(05:33):
coach Steve Smith is seamlessly kept thisthing moving. I mean, we're in
the playoffs. Last year had agreat run. All these guys, like
you said, going up and down, coaches changes. It's easy for Hartford
wolf Pack in particular to not havethe run that they have had in the
last month. But how has coachSmith been able to really keep it together

(05:54):
and keep this momentum going. Itseems very seamless from last season. Well,
look, I like to say thatI'm a hockey nerd and somebody who
knows so much about the game,but I will never know as much as
Steve Smid has forgotten about this sport. And he's somebody who's done it all.
He's been a player, He's wonStanley Cups. He's played with some

(06:14):
of the best players of all time, on teams with with guys like Wayne
Gretzky. He's been an assistant coachfor over a decade uh and in multiple
different organizations. He's been an assistantcoach here for a few years now,
he's a head coach here. He'sgot every experience as a player that you
could want. You know, ifyou're a veteran player, you know,
trying to take the next step intoyour career, get that next contract,

(06:34):
he's been there. If you're ayoung player trying to break in from the
American League to the NHL, he'sbeen there. If you're looking to lean
on somebody that that's won before,he's been there. And the guy's won
three Stanley Cups. I mean there'syou know, very few people in the
world that can say that. Sohe's got all these experiences that I think
have really helped him this year.And and it's you know, it's never
an easy adjustment to go from anassistant coach or an internet head coach.

(06:56):
But you know, his experience here, his his to me, I think
have really helped him. I thinkhe's done a great job with this team.
You know, the way he handledthat stretch when they lost thirteen out
of fourteen games, I thought hedid an excellent job with and helped keep
the team focused and helped keep themon this goal. And there's a real
buy in for this team, youknow, and that's the thing that sticks
out for me, even when thisteam was down one nothing and Charlotte,

(07:16):
the message ever changed. And youknow, this team has bought into their
system, bought into the way they'replaying as and that's the testament to the
job that he's done here. Andyou know, I know he, like
everybody else, is super excited forthis to keep going. And I know
he, just like everybody else,is really enjoying this run and enjoying this
season and enjoying this experience. Talkingto the voice of the Hartford Wolfpack,
Alex Thomas and Alex tell us aboutwho's going to be in goal for Game

(07:40):
one against Providence and who has toplay well for the wolf Pack to move
on. Well, I would bestunned if it wasn't Dylan Grand you know,
I don't know for sure, butthe way he played in Charlotte,
you know, it just kind ofcame to me and we mentioned the phrase
Grand Larsity and that's kind of whatit felt like. Love that. Yeah,

(08:00):
I mean, you know, hehas a nine to fifty five day
percentage. He's he's a big timeplayer in big time games. I mean
he's seven and four now in theplayoffs. But his day percentage is over
nine to forty. He's outstanding.He's been he's been great for this team.
I expect he would start Game one. We don't know that for sure,
but in any series like this,especially at best of five, I
mean, you need your goaltender tobe great. You know, Koran was
great last year against Providence, hewas great against Charlotte last weekend. They're

(08:26):
gonna need him to be great againif they're gonna win this series. And
you know, some of the otherguys I look at you. You get
that rookie Duo Reperard who's from Providence, who's he had a lot of success
this season. He led the teamin goals with twenty five for Offman had
had a great year this year too. I think those are two young guys
are gonna lean on. And youknow, I look at their vet line
that they put together late in theseason for that game on April twelfth when

(08:46):
they clinched the playoff berth against Springfield, Riley Nash between Nick Patan and Alex
bell Zil and his wings, andthat line was terrific. I mean,
you look back at that first round. So he'll scored the overtime goal on
Saturday to keep the season a lotI set up by a really nice player
by Nick Matan, and in Gamethree it's Riley Nashis scores a series winning
goal and then he led the teamwith two goals in the series. So

(09:07):
I think that line is going tobe vital for this team. The young
guns gots like Gofman and Bar They'regoing to be vitally important to this round.
And obviously you need goaltending if you'regoing to win, and Demo Grant's
given them that in his playoff career, and I don't think there's any reason
the doubt that he'll do it againhere in the second round Wednesday Friday again
Game one and two in Providences thisweek Wednesday Friday, Game three, Game

(09:30):
four, Hartford get to the Excel, that is when we are hosting the
Providence Bruins. Tell us a littlebit of the scouting report. Tell us
about Providence. What's something everybody's gotto watch out for. Well, they're
they're a good team. They gotgreat goaltending, right, I mean,
Brandon Buffy's been terrific for them overtwo seasons. Michael dph has been great
for them too, So they're goingto be a team that's not going to

(09:52):
give you a lot. You know, they are a skilled team. Georgia
Murcilov scored thirty goals this year forthem. That that's a really hard feat
to accomplished in this league. We'llsee if they be in life. Cele
plays, but he had a great, a great season for them before getting
hurt late in the year. He'sanother young dynamic piece. Patrick Brown,
who's who's a veteran from the NewEngland areas, had a uh had a
good season for them too when hewas a point per game against Hartford.

(10:15):
So they're a hard team to playagainst. They don't give you a lot,
but they also play a game thatI think they'll a wolf that kind
of match up better with. Youknow, Charlotte's a really quick team.
They're really mobile from their blue line, where Providence is a little more willing
to play a physical game with you, and I think that'll benefit Hartford.
They've matched up quite well in thisseries, and in these two teams I
think play somewhat similar styles. They'vethey've got a lot of similar traits and

(10:39):
I think that's what it makes insuch great rivals. It is what made
this series so tight. I meanthey played ten times as your each team
won five, so these are prettysimilar teams. That usually makes for a
pretty good playoff series and I'm certainlylooking forward to it. Alex, have
a safe bus ride over there.Kick the crap out of Providence, come
back here. We can take theseries. Thank you so much, Thanks

(11:01):
so much, Thanks for having me. Guys,