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It's a Good Time to Appreciate the Crunch in Our War Memorial

Mark Bialczak

  It's not unusual to hear folks complain about the Onondaga County War Memorial.

Too old.

Too small.

Too uncomfortable.

Not enough bells and whistles, this place opened in 1951,  compared to the brighter buildings that house teams that skate in the American Hockey League. And when Syracuse Crunch owner Howard Dolgon successfully pulled off another of his marketing brainstorms earlier this season when nearly 31,000 people buzzed about the Carrier Dome as his squad skated to a 2-1 victory over the rival Utica Comets, it was fairly easy for me to believe that I'd be down in the dumps when my dear wife Karen and I scratched our live hockey itch with back-to-back Crunch games after Christmas.

Credit Mark Bialczak
Crunch action from up high in the Carrier Dome

I was wrong.

The War Memorial was hopping.

With almost 6,000 fans there each night, a couple hundred shy of capacity a pretty darn solid showing on that holiday week, it was loud and it was intimate and it was, in fact, fun.

Of course, the fiery atmosphere was helped by the fact that the Crunch beat the Albany Devils both nights, for the team's ninth and 10th wins in a row. The first victory came by the count of 3-2 and was exciting indeed as goalie Kristers Gudlevskis had to ward off the Devils' third-period rush to make goals by Mike Angelides, Mike Blunden and Vladdy Namestikov stand up. Gudlevskis didn't stand on his head, but wow, he was sharp. Six nights later, the game was even better, as Joey Mormina had to score his first goal of the season with 90 seconds left to tie the game 2-2 and then Namestikov deftly notched the game winner in overtime.

The Crunch didn't win its next game, on the road. But the Syracuse squad is fourth in the conference standings, with 14 more wins than losses. The other goalie on the roster right now, Andrei Vasilevskiy, has even better statistics and has been gaining more ice time than Gudlevskis lately. The playoffs look inevitable. Our affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, just two seasons removed from making the Calder Cup championship series, has enough exciting and talented players to make the old joint jump. And, by the way, take a look at the NHL standings, if you haven't bothered, and you'll see the parent Lightning -- the squad that shuttles players up and down to the Crunch depending on injury and need -- in first place in the Atlantic Conference and among the top four in the whole league.

At the Onondaga County War Memorial, there's more than hockey on display

  So if you haven't taken the trip to the old hockey arena on State Street and decide that the next several months are time for a look-see, make sure to gaze up and take in the banners of glory past. Watch the guy in the black wig with Hanson on the back of his hockey jersey running around the stands cheering on the team. He's paying homage to the old Paul Newman movie "Slapshot," some of which was shot right here. Stroll the exhibit hall and really take in the War Memorial portion of the building. 

It's ours, you know. Unless something bigger, newer and better indeed comes along as Howard Dolgon and folks dream their dreams.
 

Mark Bialczak has lived in Central New York for 30 years. He's well known for writing about music and entertainment. In 2013, he started his own blog, markbialczak.com, to comment about the many and various things that cross his mind daily.