CHL

Most athletes have no doubt heard these three words spoken after a loss or even muttered them personally, complete with a heavy sigh, then soldiered on the next week. However, Denver fans seem to have a hard time grasping the concept.

Even after two Super Bowls, two Stanley Cups, a National League crown and countless trips to the playoffs over the last 22 years, one very unsatisfying pattern has emerged when it comes to a majority of the Denver fan base – fair weather-itis.

The 2009 Broncos season is the perfect example of how quick Denver fans are to drop a team. With a new coach in place, a new quarterback and a stacked offense it was exciting to see so many fans excited for the season ahead and when the team posted an early record of 6-0, fans were emerging from the woodwork everywhere.

Week eight would be sure to change that.

Yes, the Broncos went on to go 8-8 on the season, losing eight of the last ten games. Yes, the Broncos blew their shot at a wild card spot but guess what? It could have been worse. Looking back at the season, the games Denver won were big and exciting and even the games they lost were, at the very least, entertaining. The losses to Baltimore and Kansas City at the end of year were worthy of a good laugh.

The number of fans that lost sight of the fact that professional sports are supposed to be fun to watch was apparent. It's OK to laugh at, and therefore enjoy, being a fan of Denver teams.

Now understandably watching a winning team is more fun than watching a team that loses, but think about how much more adrenaline-pumping and heart-pounding a win would be if you were there through the rough times.

Take the Colorado Eagles for example. True, they are not a big-name team but the fans in Northern Colorado are there through thick and thin. The Eagles were looking for a back-to-back championship but the 2007-08 President’s Cup series ended in heartache after the Arizona Sundogs swept the Eagles.

However, the biggest surprise was not what happened on the ice but what happened in the seats.

Every seat was occupied as the final buzzer sounded in Game Four and every fan not only celebrated the Eagles’ season but also gave a standing ovation to the Sundogs for their well-deserved victory.

Fans everywhere can take a note from Eagles’ fans. Putting a “W” in the win column is always nice, but it doesn’t have to happen to enjoy a season and enjoy being a Colorado fan.

The Central Hockey League's Mississippi RiverKings played the Tulsa Oilers last night at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., after coming off a brutal road schedule. After three games in three days and four games in the past five days, RiverKings brought a five-game winning streak to town, hoping to extend it to six.

But, not surprisingly, the team just seemed to be too tired.

Just one second into the game, RiverKings Adam Smyth and Tulsa's Thomas Harrison broke out a fight. Each player received a five-minute penalty for fighting major.

After 12:22 into the game, Tulsa's Jake Riddle scored the first goal of the night. It was a power play goal assisted by Travis Banga and Troy Riddle.  

At 16:33 into the first period, Tulsa managed to slid the puck past the Mississippi goaltender once again, and this time it was Tulsa's Riddle assisted by Aaron Davis and Derek Eastman.

Mississippi came back at 17:48 into the first period for their first goal of the game scored by Nathan Schwartzbauer and assisted by Ryan Held and Darrell Stoddard.

As the second period began, Mississippi fans were hoping for a comeback. But as Tulsa's Davis dunked in the Oilers third goal of the game just 2:16 into the second period, RiverKings fans began to panic.

They did again, when at 10:16 into the second, Tulsa scored. This time by Derek Merlini who was assisted by TJ Caig and Jeff Gumaer.

Mississippi scored their third goal of the game at 11:23 into the second period. The goal was scored by Stephen Margeson and assisted by Stoddard and Held.

But at 15:35 into the second period, Tulsa was allowed a penalty shot that was taken and scored  by Marty Standish, which put the score at 5-2.

And to make it worse for the RiverKings, just 5:08 into the third period, Tulsa's Gumaer scored assisted by Caig and Davis.

Mississippi followed up with a power play goal by Kevin Truelson assisted by Stoddard and Derek Landmesser 12:45 into the third period.

But then, 16:51 into the third period, Tulsa scored again. This time by Riddle and assisted by Davis.

The RiverKings are coming back to Mississippi to play at their home arena in Southaven, Miss., Tuesday, Feb. 2.

And hopefully, after a few days rest, they will be able to get a much longer winning streak going.

Visit the Mississippi RiverKings official Web site or the fan site for more information.

The Mississippi RiverKings traveled to Wichita, Kansas to play the Thunder on January 29, 2010. Mississippi RiverKings' Kevin Truelson scoring the first goal of the game at 4:15 into the first period. Ryan Held and Derek Landmesser each earned an assist on the goal.

    Not even a second later, RiverKings' Darrell Stoddard ( No. 87) and the Thunder's JR Bria began to fight. Both players earned a 5:00 penalty for Fighting Major.

Then, at 7:36 into the first period, former RiverKing Ryan Campbell scored to tie it 1-1. Also, former RiverKing Steve Makway and the Thunder's Mark Adamek earned assists.

Just 0:02 into the second period, David Simoes and Brett Beauchamp   both got 5:00 penalties for fighting major. Then, at 3:45 into the second period, RiverKings Nathan Schwartzbauer (No. 8) managed to shoot the puck passed former RiverKings goaltender Ian Keserich to make the score 1-2. Glenn Detulleo (No. 11) and Bobby Chaumont (No. 21) each earned assists for the goal.  

At 11:28 into the third period, RiverKing David Simoes and former RiverKing Steve Makway went at it. Both players received 5:00 penalties for fighting major.

The Mississippi RiverKings are now on a five-game winning streak and are scheduled to play the Tulsa Oilers tomorrow, Jan. 30. Visit the Mississippi RiverKings website for more information. 

The four teams involved in the 2009 Memorial Cup competition, held in Rimouski, have now all played their first match of the first round.

Two days ago, the competition began with the host team Rimouski Oceanic versus the Kelowna Rockets. Kelowna completely dominated a major portion of the game and easily won by the score of 4-1. Oceanic goaltender Maxim Gougeon had to make many saves to avoid a worse result on the scoreboard; he stopped 38 of the 42 shots he faced.

Yesterday, the Drummondville Voltigeurs faced the Windsor Spitfires in a very disputed match that required an overtime period to declare a winner.

During the extra minutes, Drummondville's Maxime Frenette pounced on a loose puck at the side of Windsor's net and sent in a quick backhanded shot that bested goaltender Andrew Engelage. Drummondville's goaltender, Marco Cousineau, was also excellent in this duel that ended by the score of 3-2.

Windsor was looking good and had a one goal lead on Drummondville at the start of the third period. The OHL team had an impressive 45-0-1 record this season with a lead after two frames, but despite this awesome mark, they could not hold off Drummondville.

With less than six minutes to play, Philippe Lefebvre beat Engelgage with a very ordinary shot to tie the score at two apiece and force an OT. Windsor's goaltender may well have nightmares due to this incident.

Windsor will now face the Oceanic while the Rockets and the Voltigeurs will battle to keep their perfect records intact.

Pictures: Kelowna Rockets and Drummondville Voltigeurs, Canadian Press

The Central Hockey League has had its share of dramatic moments. From the possible hockey strike to the emotional tribute to fallen Colorado Eagles player Les Borsheim all the way to the slugfest for possession of the top spot in the league, the CHL is no stranger to controversy.

Which is why I'm trumping their so called power rankings and unveiling my own rankings.

#16) Amarillo Gorillas (17-5-12, 10 pts)

Team Points Leader: Sam Ftorek, RW, 21 points

Team Penalties Leader: Gordon Bell, C, 35 minutes

Up Next: @ New Mexico (DH) 12/6 & 12/7, @ Odessa 12/9, @ Colorado 12/12

#15) Rocky Mountain Rage (5-10-1, 11 pts)

Team Points Leader: Colt King, LW, 16 points

Team Penalties Leader: Rob Chappell, 50 minutes

Up Next: @ Rapid City 12/3, @ Colorado 12/6, vs. Arizona (DH) 12/10 & 12/12

#14) Tulsa Oilers (5-10-2, 12 pts)

Team Points Leader: Michel Beausoleil, RW, 27 points

Team Penalties Leader: Dennis Sicard, F, 65 minutes

Up Next: @ Odessa 12/5, vs. OK City 12/6, @ Odessa 12/12, @ OK City 12/13

#13) Corpus Christi Ice Rays (6-8-1, 13 pts)

Team Points Leader: Justin Quenneville, C, 21 points

Team Penalties Leader: TJ Reynolds, D, 69 minutes

Up Next: vs. Arizona 12/4, @ Rio Grande Valley 12/5, @ Odessa 12/6, vs. Laredo 12/11

#12) Rapid City Rush (4-6-5, 13 pts)

Team Points Leader: Rich Hansen, F, 27 points

Team Penalties Leader: Kyle Sheen, F, 45 minutes

Up Next: vs. Rocky Mountain 12/3, vs. Mississippi (DH) 12/5 & 12/6, vs. Colorado 12/10

#11) Wichita Thunder (6-11-1, 13 pts)

Team Points Leader: Jason Duda, LW, 20 points

Team Penalties Leader: Jason Tessier, D, 34 minutes

Up Next: Bossier-Shreveport (Home and Home) 12/4 & 12/6, @ Oklahoma City (DH) 12/9 & 12/12

#10) New Mexico Scorpions (7-11-1, 15 pts)

Team Points Leader: Craig Macdonald, RW, 25 points

Team Penalties Leader: Aaron MacInnis, D, 45 minutes

Up Next: vs. Amarillo (DH) 12/5 & 12/6, @ Laredo 12/10 @ Rio Grande Valley (DH) 12/12 & 12/13

#9) Arizona Sundogs- Defending CHL Champions (8-11-1, 17 pts)

Team Points Leader: Joel Irving, F, 23 points

Team Penalties Leader: Karl Sellan, LW, 173 minutes (YIKES!)

Up Next: @ Corpus Christi 12/4, @ Laredo 12/5, @ Rio Grande Valley 12/6, @ Rocky Mountain (DH) 12/10 & 12/12

#8) Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (8-5-2, 18 pts)

Team Points Leader: Trevor Weisberger, LW, 19 points

Team Penalties Leader: Ryan Shmyr, F, 38 minutes

Up Next: @ Laredo 12/4, vs. Corpus Christi 12/5, vs. Arizona 12/6, @ Texas 12/9

#7) Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (10-5-2, 22 pts)

Team Points Leader: Kevin Cooper, F, 18 points

Team Penalties Leader: Neil Clark, F, 80 minutes (WTF?!)

Up Next: vs. Wichita 12/4, @ Texas 12/5, @ Wichita 12/6, @ Rapid City (DH) 12/12 & 12/13

#6) Mississippi River Kings (11-8-0, 22 pts)

Team Points Leader: Louis Dumont, C, 21 points

Team Penalties Leader: David Simoes, D, 86 minutes

Up Next: @ Rapid City (DH) 12/5 & 12/6, vs. Texas (DH) 12/12 & 12/13

#5) Texas Brahmas (11-6-1, 23 pts)

Team Points Leader: Scott Sheppard, F, 19 points

Team Penalties Leader: Lance Galbraith, F, 44 (IA) & Justin Kinnunen, D, 39 minutes

Up Next: vs. Bossier-Shreveport 12/5, vs. Laredo 12/6, vs. Rio Grande Valley 12/9, @ Mississippi (DH) 12/12 & 12/13

#4) Laredo Bucks (12-5-0, 24 pts)

Team Points Leader: Jeff Bes, C, 31 points

Team Penalties Leader: Rick Kozak, F, 45 minutes

Up Next: vs. Rio Grande Valley 12/4, vs. Arizona 12/5, @ Texas 12/6, vs. New Mexico 12/10

#3) Odessa Jackalopes (12-5-2, 26 pts)

Team Points Leader: Sebastien Thinel, F, 28 points

Team Penalties Leader: Mario Joly, D, 88 minutes

Up Next: vs. Tulsa 12/5, vs. Corpus Christi 12/6, vs. Amarillo 12/9, vs. Tulsa 12/12

#2) Oklahoma City Blazers (14-2-2, 30 pts)

Team Points Leader: Bill Vandermeer, RW, 17 points

Team Penalties Leader: Justin Sawyer, D, 68 minutes

The Blazers may be #1 in the Coaches Poll, but they're the owners of two overtime losses. They are 8-1-2 at home and 6-1-0 on the road, but they're penalty kill unit has given up 54 goals so far this season. With a showdown for first place outright on the horizon against the Colorado Eagles, the Blazers will have to continue the pressure all the way to the end of the year.

Up Next: @ Tulsa 12/6, vs. Wichita (DH) 12/9 & 12/12, vs. Tulsa 12/13, @ Colorado 12/17

#1) Colorado Eagles (15-3-0, 30 pts)

Team Points Leader: Riley Nelson, C, 27 points

Team Penalties Leader: Greg Pankewicz, RW, 68 minutes (No Surprise)

The Eagles were on a roll to start the season, but suffered their first loss on a road trip to Mississippi, followed by their second loss against Tulsa in a double header during Veterans Week. After getting shutout in Rapid City's official home opener a few days ago, the Eagles plan to bounce back on Saturday when their in-state foes Rocky Mountain come to town for another round of slap and slug hockey.

Up Next: vs. Rocky Mountain 12/6, @ Rapid City 12/10, vs. Amarillo 12/12, vs. Arizona 12/13

No one ever writes about the semi pro teams. In this sports world where everyone is focused on the controversy brewing in the BCS and the insanity in the pros, last night put all of that on hold. Last night wasn't about the college ranks or the pro ranks. It was about the men and women who put their asses on the line to give us the right to fall on it in front of a sellout crowd.

In front of their 199th sellout crowd in the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado, the Colorado Eagles started their game against heated rivals Tulsa with a ton of fireworks to spare. Just 26 seconds in the first period of the game, Greg Pankewicz took a pass from Kevin Ulanski and Scott Polaski and scored the first of many goals for the Eagles. Aaron Schneekloth nailed a backhander to the top shelf to continue the onslaught for Colorado.

Whatever happened in pregame worked for Colorado as the Eagles didn't let up for a second as Steve Haddon snagged a goal late in the first against Kevin St. Pierre, and then he snagged an assist from the Eagles' fourth goal with just seconds left in the first courtesy of a shot from Brett Hammond giving Haddon his first career back-to-back multi-point games. In between the intermissions, many of the Veterans and current soldiers were honored by the sellout crowd and staff at the Events Center.

Despite the Oilers snagging a pair of goals in the second period, the Eagles' Ultimate Problem Solver Pankewicz made it rain during that period as he recorded a Hat Trick, and Riley Nelson continued his point streak (franchise record of 19 games) by snagging a goal in the third period and extending the lead back to four.

No matter the outcome, both teams managed to keep their heated rivalry from becoming physical out of respect to the camo-covered men and women who made the trip down to attend. In any event, the Eagles won the game 7-3 and stayed around afterwards to continue honoring the veterans who attended the game.

So in retrospect, Aspen Spence fueled the fire for the Eagles during the National Anthem; And the Eagles took that fire and ran with it. Thank you veterans for giving us the right to enjoy a good game. Thank you for the freedom to thank you in the best way possible. This night was for you...and I hope we gave you a night to remember.

For more on last night's Veteran's Day/Eagles Military Appreciation Night Game, jump on over to www.coloradoeagles.com for photos, videos, game recap and Eagles Extras.

When it comes to the development of players for the NHL, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is right at the top.

Most of the players in the CHL are North Americans playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and the Western Hockey League (WHL)—but the import draft held every year allows junior teams to select foreign players (a majority of which are European) to play on their teams in the CHL.

Whether or not the Europeans decide to actually come over and sign with their junior team is a decision for the players and the players alone, but the option has always been there for them.

However, after reading an article from The Hockey News, I learned that the CHL is looking to abolish the import draft. I just can't see why they'd do this.

Not since the 1980 US vs. USSR Olympic game or the 2008 Stanley Cup finals between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, has there been this much excitement in one city. This time it's because of the Bank of Oklahoma or BOK Center in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma.

And the peasants rejoiced...

So what's all the hoopla about the BOK Center. Well, it's the flagship of the City of Tulsa's Vision 2025 proposal.

Vision 2025 was a proposition to increase Tulsa county's sales tax rate in order to fund capital improvements. On September 9, 2003 voters in Tulsa county approved a 13 year one cent increase in the sales tax rate.

The center is the brainchild of renowned architect Cesar Pelli, who is famous for designing the Petronas Twin Towers, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He also designed the World Financial Center complex in downtown Manhatten, NY.

Oh, that's pocket change...

Breaking ground on 31 August 2005, this 550,000 square foot stadium is costing Tulsa $178,000,000.00. And is it worth it?

The arena boasts 18,000 plus seats and luxury boxes called the ONEOK Premium Level. The ONEOK Premium Level consists of 34 private suites, 4 party suites, 20 loge boxes, and 682 club seats. The owners of our premium seating have a private VIP entrance, private elevators, and access to the ONEOK Club Lounge.

The BOK Center is also located diagonal from the Tulsa Convention Center and once completed with its renovations in 2009, will make the area an entertainment and business complex.

Music & Sports, is that all you think of?

Celine Dion, Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, Jeff Dunham. How's that for a lineup? And these are just some of the scheduled events that are happening in October and November at the BOK Center.

Even the circus is coming to town. And don't forget about the sporting events coming to town.

Besides the BOK Center being the new home of Tulsa's Oilers and the 2007 Arena Cup Champion Talons, other teams will play there as well. The Houston Rockets will take on the Orlando Magic in October. And then, in December, Tulsa's Golden Hurricanes will play the OU Sooners in NCAA Basketball.

The Bottom Line...

For more information, you can log onto bokcenter.com or call 918-596-7177 or 1-800-678-7177. You can also email them at info@smgtulsa.com. 

And who knows. This could be the catalyst that brings a pro team to Tulsa.