Forget the Bitterness, Amerks fans

Anyone who loves hockey would have appreciated Sunday's Rochester Amerks game against the Albany River Rats. Rochester's goaltender, in his first AHL start, shut out the opposition stopping all 28 shots. There was a bloody fight and four Amerks shots made their way into the net.

The problem? Total shots outweighed total attendance.

In the ocean of blue seats only a few fans floated around in each section. It was surprising the camera men found enough couples in the stands for the, "Kiss cam." The AHL Web site lists Amerks attendance at over 3,000 per game....after being there a few times...hmm, 1000 at best.


It isn't easy to ask people to watch a team who has won only 4 out of 23 games. It's tough to call upon fans to forget being stabbed in the back by ownership. But it is time for the people of Rochester to forgive the Rochester Americans.

Rochester is a hockey city. Kids have skates strapped on before the umbilical cord is cut.

Rochestarians remember when the packed stands of the War Memorial (now Blue Cross Arena) would go wild when the gloves dropped. When you could go deaf from a two-on-one save by the Amerks goaltender. When a goal meant pure madness.

Well, we've learned you can't reach pandemonium with 600 people in a 10,000 seat arena.

The reason this city can't forgive and forget: resentment. Fans are angry with the Amerks for letting the Buffalo Sabers slip away as their parent club. The 28-year relationship was beautiful for Rochestarians. Watch a player like Ryan Miller for 12 bucks, then see him on TV in net for your favorite NHL team a year later.

Now, future Florida Panthers players roam the ice at Blue Cross. If you gave them three, Rochestarians couldn't name five players on the Florida Panthers. Heck, people in Florida couldn't name five players on the Florida Panthers.

But, regardless of their record, regardless of the parent club, Rochester must keep the Amerks alive. The city is already slipping faster than J.P. Losman's trade value. If the Amerks are run out of town because fans can't forgive, the city will lose much of its minor league, mid-size allure.

But most importantly, future generations of children will grow up without going to an Amerks game.

I remember sitting in the stands with my father on the night Jody Gage's jersey rose to the rafters. Who knows what the score was, but talking about everything from my day at school to the Amerks' dump-and-chase strategy meant everything. The only disappointment was watching the final seconds tick off the clock.

There are more important things than the Amerks' Calder Cup chances. Maintaining the city's hockey tradition, passing down passion for the sport and allowing the next generation of Rochestarians to have the same experience.