Erie Otters 2023-24 Off-Season Thread (Part One)

[tjziel]

You guys might have found a hidden gem in Charlie Burns.

 

[Mata]

You guys might have found a hidden gem in Charlie Burns.

Was just going to post...

Is this for real or is it a fluke? If he is for real, he could be a game changer not just for this season but also looking into next...

Congrats on your first OHL Shutout Charlie Burns!!!

 

[HockeyPops]

Not so hidden if you were hanging out in the Soo over the last few years.

 

[NOA]

Not so hidden if you were hanging out in the Soo over the last few years.

Crazy how Erie can invest real resources on goalies (Gibbons/Lalonde) and they can’t play but Erie finds more success in picking up the scraps like Murdaca, Murphy, and now potentially Burns?

Good story so far. Let’s hope he can give them some level of competent goalie play so the boys can keep their confidence when/if BG returns

 

[onetimeshot]

Way to go Charlie Burns!

 

[OttersFan]

I will eat everything I said about the Burns pick up. Two wins is two wins. We needed that if we want to keep pace and not drop below 8th.

He’s been refreshing. Benny looks to be out long term and not day to day as they think.

 

[three dog night]

Congratulations to Burns and his shutout today

 

[NOA]

I will eat everything I said about the Burns pick up. Two wins is two wins. We needed that if we want to keep pace and not drop below 8th.

He’s been refreshing. Benny looks to be out long term and not day to day as they think.

It’s fair if anyone hates any move DB makes with his track record..

But I for one liked that they didn’t burn (ha, no pun intended) real assets for what would just be a backup (can’t predict a starter getting hurt). But they needed to just add another body, another option to the room for this scenario and thankfully they did or else who knows where they would be. I can’t stress enough how important it can be for the overall team vibe and confidence when you have trust in your goalie..

 

[7D442]

It’s fair if anyone hates any move DB makes with his track record..

But I for one liked that they didn’t burn (ha, no pun intended) real assets for what would just be a backup (can’t predict a starter getting hurt). But they needed to just add another body, another option to the room for this scenario and thankfully they did or else who knows where they would be. I can’t stress enough how important it can be for the overall team vibe and confidence when you have trust in your goalie..

Let’s just hope Burns is able to stay w us -because I’m not so sure what the contract w his prior team says

IE- is he even able to stay here longer? We certainly need him with Benny being hurt.

 

[HockeyPops]

He probably isn't even on an A card until his 11th start. You don't have to worry about that yet.

 

[Awagner3018]

Hey All, My wife has a dream to do all the OHL arenas. We are making the trip down to erie for the generals game on the 17th. Any recommendations on places to eat local joints or bars? I don't think i can survive another cracker barrel dinner. Also best area to sit?

thanks

 

[Guy In Burlington]

Hey All, My wife has a dream to do all the OHL arenas. We are making the trip down to erie for the generals game on the 17th. Any recommendations on places to eat local joints or bars? I don't think i can survive another cracker barrel dinner. Also best area to sit?

thanks

I’ve only been to Erie once but we hit a place called The Big Bar for pre-game lunch and liked it. Very close to the rink.

On another note, Misiak and Molnar and Bressette did the gloves-off handshake after a goal today again. I gotta say, that’s some funny stuff.

 

[OttersFan]

Hey All, My wife has a dream to do all the OHL arenas. We are making the trip down to erie for the generals game on the 17th. Any recommendations on places to eat local joints or bars? I don't think i can survive another cracker barrel dinner. Also best area to sit?

thanks

Cornerstone Bar and Grill is pretty good. It’s a local restaurant and the owner always comes around to check on how things are going. It’s relatively cheap and not far from the rink. It’s more of a restaurant feel, but has a bar.

Plymouth Tavern is cheap, good food, and a larger bar. It’s walkable to the arena if need be.

Park Tavern has the best wings in Erie in my opinion. It’s a bar and has a pool table. It’s pricier of the three, but so worth it. It’s a further away from the arena, but only a 15 minute drive.

Best place to sit is almost anywhere. There’s really not a bad seat. Oshawa shoots twice near the 101, 122 sections. Section 110 has the net above the glass if you’re looking for a “straight on” view of all the action. The Oshawa tunnel is next to section 122.

 

[Mata]

Hey All, My wife has a dream to do all the OHL arenas. We are making the trip down to erie for the generals game on the 17th. Any recommendations on places to eat local joints or bars? I don't think i can survive another cracker barrel dinner. Also best area to sit?

thanks

Flagship Food Hall is close to the arena. You have Triple D's, Dina's, Ippa Pizza, Noodle Love and a couple others.

A little upscale and you have Oliver's, Pier 6 Oyster Bar, Shoreline Bar and Grille. Casual dining if open would be the sloppy duck Saloon, and Smugglers Wharf.

As others have said, the east end of the arena would allow you to see the offensive zone twice. Any section in the 200s start usually with row P and then the 100s start with Row A and go up from there.

Typically section 121 or 221 are pretty open, but 120/220 are at the blue line and will likely have seats.

 

[Eerie]

This might be over at the first intermission

 

[Mata]

This might be over at the first intermission

Yeah, giving up 2 goals on 6 shots is not the way to start every game in net.

 

[Dhockey16]

Went back and looked through old rosters and I'm pretty sure Burns is the first left-handed goalie in franchise history. Seems like a good pickup. Not sure if there's something personal going on or what but as far as I can tell Gibbons is just bad. Like, can't win-a-game-deflate-the-teams-energy bad. Assuming Misiak walks they need to find a European goalie that'll come play here. Hopefully they're already working on that. They had everything set for Alexei Kolosov to cross the pond but then covid happened. Somebody in the front office must have contacts in Europe, hopefully they can find a kid to come over and play 2-3 years.

 

[Guy In Burlington]

Why does the goalie have to be European?

Goalie wise, I see next year looking very much like Butler’s 2008-09 Battalion team. Heading into that season they had great talent up front (Hodgson/Duchene/Grachev), a serviceable blue line that included current Otters assistant Ken Peroff, and in net they had a highly touted but young, relatively untested kid in net in Patrick Killeen.

Next year, the Otters are going to look just like that. I’m using Burns as the goalie in this example, not Gibbons. But Gibbons fits too.

So at the deadline Butler decided he liked his goalie(s) but maybe not enough to squander a chance at a championship. So he picked up Thomas McCollum from Guelph (Red Wings first rounder) and they went to the final, eventually getting pigeon tossed by Windsor. But they made the dance.

I have a hunch this is how things shake out next year. Except it won’t be McCollum, he’ll be 35 years old.

 

[DCruickshank]

Bringing Owen Sound fan club down for March double header...4 years since our last trip...50 fans...question, is the arena a cash free facility or do they accept cash and debit at concessions??

 

[OttersFan]

Bringing Owen Sound fan club down for March double header...4 years since our last trip...50 fans...question, is the arena a cash free facility or do they accept cash and debit at concessions??

It is cashless. They will only accept cards at the concessions.

No cowbells are allowed into the arena either.

 

[DCruickshank]

It is cashless. They will only accept cards at the concessions.

No cowbells are allowed into the arena either.

What about plastic horns...the type you blow into??

 

[eriefan101]

Went back and looked through old rosters and I'm pretty sure Burns is the first left-handed goalie in franchise history. Seems like a good pickup. Not sure if there's something personal going on or what but as far as I can tell Gibbons is just bad. Like, can't win-a-game-deflate-the-teams-energy bad. Assuming Misiak walks they need to find a European goalie that'll come play here. Hopefully they're already working on that. They had everything set for Alexei Kolosov to cross the pond but then covid happened. Somebody in the front office must have contacts in Europe, hopefully they can find a kid to come over and play 2-3 years.

Yes, Gibbons has yet to win a game. But if you take a look at a guy like Carey Terrance, who lets be honest has severely under performed since coming back from Word Juniors and has only 1 goal, he sat for 30-35 days and has been out of game action for that long and is taking him awhile to get back into things. Gibbons has had to do that between pretty much every single one of his starts aside from the last 2. And on top of that has had to play both Kitchener and London ONLY. Burns has played 20 somrthing games this year with consistent action, Gibbons has played 7 with near a month in between each. Maybe he just hasn’t been developed properly?? He was fantastic in London yesterday aside from the one mistake (which yes I know was very costly) but the more he plays the more those mistake are going to diminish.

 

[OttersFan]

What about plastic horns...the type you blow into??

Not allowed. A fan was escorted out for bringing one in.

 

[DCruickshank]

Not allowed. A fan was escorted out for bringing one in.

Thanks

 

[Guy In Burlington]

Not allowed. A fan was escorted out for bringing one in.

They threw out a fan rather than just confiscate the horn? I mean I’m happy they didn’t let the horn in but that’s surprising.