Crunch Chronicles

On Episode 40 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Gary Agnew. 

Agnew, the third head coach in franchise history, spent six seasons in that position with the Crunch, starting in the 2000-01 season. He was the first head coach for the Crunch during their affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets, helping the team get off the ground in their first NHL season. Agnew led the Crunch to at least a 0.500 record in five of his six seasons, and he guided the team to the playoffs four times.

After helping the Crunch make the playoffs in his first season (2000-01), Agnew helmed the team to their first division championship in 2001-02 with a 39-23-5 (13 ties) record. They advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals before falling to eventual Calder Cup champion Chicago in seven games. Agnew's final season with the team saw the Crunch post a franchise record 47 wins (47-25-5-3) in 2005-06. 

Agnew finished his six-year tenure with the Crunch with a 220-177-33-7 and 43 ties record. His 220 wins stood as the Crunch's franchise record until Ben Groulx surpassed him near the end of the 2021-22 season. Agnew was promoted onto the coaching staff with the Blue Jackets following the 2005-06 season.

He remains active in coaching and is in his sixth season with the Vancouver Canucks organization as an assistant coach for their AHL affiliate as of the 2022-23 season.

On the show, Agnew discusses his time in Syracuse, his continued connection to the community, and much more.

On Episode 39 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Brent Walton. 

Walton played in just 19 games for the Crunch over the span of two seasons. He joined the Crunch at the end of the 2005-06 season, appearing in six games following his career at Western Michigan. He did not record a point in those six games, but he remained with the organization for the 2006-07 season on an AHL contract with Syracuse. He saw action in 13 Crunch games that year without a point. Walton spent a majority of that season with the ECHL's Dayton Bombers and helped them reach the Kelly Cup Final.

After the season, Walton went to Europe and played the rest of his career in Germany, Denmark and Wales for the next nine years. He retired following the 2015-16 season. 

In the aftermath of his playing career, Walton created and hosts the 2 Ales and Hockey Tales with Wally podcast. He has well over 200 episodes, including a chat with Crunch COO Jim Sarosy. His podcast has been ranked as the top hockey podcast in various European countries. 

On the show, Walton discusses his podcast, his brief stints in Syracuse and much more.

On Episode 38 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Mike Blunden. Blunden played four seasons for the Crunch, spanning two different affiliations.

Blunden's first stint in Syracuse came when he was acquired by the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2008-09 season. He finished that season with the Crunch, producing 21 points in 39 games. After starting the 2009-10 season with the Blue Jackets, Blunden was sent back to the Crunch around Christmas, ultimately playing in 25 games with 16 points. He spent one more season in the Columbus organization before being traded to Montreal. 

After splitting the next three seasons between Montreal and AHL-Hamilton, Blunden returned to the Crunch organization for his second stint when he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of the 2014-15 season. He produced 22 points in 33 games in 2014-15 season before tearing his ACL. The Lightning re-signed Blunden for the 2015-16 season and he rewarded them with 38 points in 49 Crunch games; he also saw action in 20 regular season and seven playoff games for the Lightning. 

Blunden went on to captain Ottawa's AHL team--first in Binghamton then in Belleville--before finishing his playing career in Europe. He joined the Lightning's hockey operations staff as a pro scout ahead of the 2022-23 season.

In total, Blunden netted 97 points in 146 career Crunch games.

On the show, Blunden discusses his time in Syracuse, his new role with the Lightning and much more.

On Episode 37 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Cameron Gaunce. Gaunce spent two seasons with the club, beginning with the 2018-19 campaign.

Gaunce joined the organization when he signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018. The defenseman had a prolific season with the Crunch in 2018-19, producing a career high 46 points (10g, 36a) in 59 games. That ranked sixth on the team in scoring and put him tied for seventh overall among defensemen in the AHL. He quarterbacked the Crunch's power play that ranked fifth in the league. The veteran helped the Crunch ring in their 25th season by capturing the North Division during the regular season. He also skated in two games for the Lightning. 

Gaunce returned for his second season in the organization in 2019-20 and he was having another strong year before the season was cut short due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had 32 points in 52 games prior to the mid-March shutdown. 

In total, Gaunce finished with 78 points (14g, 64a) in 111 career Crunch games. He ranks ninth all time in franchise history in scoring among defensemen.

Gaunce has continued his career after leaving Syracuse, and he enters his third season with the Ontario Reign in 2022-23. He helped the Reign to the third-best record in the league in 2021-22.

On the show, Gaunce discusses his time in Syracuse, being a positive voice in the community and much more.

On Episode 36 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Scott "Wild Thing" Walker to kick off Season 2 of the show. Walker spent two seasons with the Crunch from 1994 to 1996.

Walker was a member of the original Crunch team in 1994-95. As a defenseman that season, Walker compiled 334 penalty minutes, which still stands as the second-most ever in a single season in franchise history. He also added 52 points that season, leading all Crunch defensemen. At the end of the year, Walker was called up to Vancouver, where he played in 11 games and changed from a defenseman to a right wing, the position he would play for the remainder of his career. 

The Ontario native spent most of the 1995-96 season with the Canucks, but he ended the year with the Crunch after being demoted near the trade deadline. He took that move in stride, rattling off 15 points in the final 15 games of the regular season and then adding 17 more during the Calder Cup Playoffs as the Crunch advanced to the Conference Finals.

The way he finished the 1995-96 season launched Walker into a full-time NHL role for the remainder of his career. He played in 829 career NHL games with Vancouver, Nashville, Carolina and Washington before retiring in 2010.  

Since retiring, Walker has transitioned into coaching; after spending the second half of the 2021-22 season with the Canucks, he returned to a head coach position with the Guelph Storm in the OHL ahead of the 2022-23 season.

On the show, Walker discusses his time in Syracuse, the attitude he brought to the Crunch when he returned in 1995-96, the "Wild Thing" and much more.

In preparation for Season 2 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale takes the listeners back through some of the best moments from Season 1 of the show.

We hear from Pat Maroon, Carter Verhaeghe, Ross Colton, Vance Lederman, John Badduke, Zenon Konopka, Bobby Mac and Yanni Gourde.

After that, we get a taste of what's to come on Season 2 of Crunch Chronicles, which kicks off Monday, October 3.

On the final episode of Season 1 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Ben Groulx. The focus of this final episode of the season is a reflection on the 2021-22 Crunch season, with the conversation taking place on exit day, less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the Crunch's run in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Groulx just completed his sixth season as head coach of the Crunch, and near the end of the season he passed Gary Agnew to become the all-time winningest coach in franchise history. He has led the Crunch to the playoffs all four years that the league has held postseason play during his tenure.

Season 2 of Crunch Chronicles will return in September, and it will revert back to it's traditional format of chatting with a Crunch alumni.

On Episode 33 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Eric Neilson. Neilson spent three memorable seasons with the Crunch at the start of the team's affiliation with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Neilson was a member of the original team that won a Calder Cup in Norfolk in 2012 before the Lightning's affiliation moved to Syracuse ahead of the 2012-13 season. He was a key part of the group that help the new affiliate immediately connect with the Syracuse community, both on and off the ice. He played in 39 games for the Crunch that season, amassing 135 penalty minutes and scoring one goal. Although he did not appear in any playoff games during the Crunch's run to the 2013 Calder Cup Finals, his infectious personality was a big part of that group's run. 

He would remain with the Crunch for two more seasons, through the 2014-15 season. In total, Neilson played in 94 Crunch games during his tenure in Syracuse and registered 297 penalty minutes in that time. He also chipped in with five points.

Neilson's presence off the ice was as important as his role on the ice. He was named the Crunch's Man of the Year in each of his three seasons, and he was awarded the prestigious Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as the AHL's community man of the year. He remains the only Crunch player to ever win the award.  

Neilson's playing career ended in 2016-17 and he then moved into coaching before the pandemic shifted his focus.

On the show, Neilson discusses his memories in Syracuse, moments with P.C. Labrie, why he was so invested in the community and much more.

On Episode 32 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Trevor Frischmon. Frischmon spent four seasons with the Crunch at the end of the team's affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Frischmon began his pro career on a two-way AHL contract with the Crunch, and he split his rookie season with the Crunch and ECHL Dayton Bombers. He played in 33 games for the Crunch, adding seven assists in 2006-07. He also dressed in 24 games with the Bombers during the regular season, and then he helped Dayton make a run to the Kelly Cup Finals during the 2007 Kelly Cup Playoffs. 

The Minnesota native followed that up by returning to the Crunch in 2007-08 and carving out a role on one of the top teams in franchise history. He added 16 points in 59 games for the Crunch during the regular season to help them surge to their historic finish at the end of the regular season. In the playoffs, Frischmon became etched in Crunch history by scoring the series-clinching, overtime game-winning goal in Game 6 of their series with the Manitoba Moose. 

He closed out his tenure with the Crunch playing two more seasons through the 2009-10 season. In total, he appeared in 247 games for the Crunch, which ranks 11th in franchise history. He produced 73 points (17g, 56a) in that time. He earned his one NHL recall with Columbus during the 2009-10 season, playing three games for the Blue Jackets.

On the show, Frischmon discusses his time as a player with the Crunch, that memorable 2007-08 team, his series clinching goal, and much more.

On Episode 31 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Tampa Bay Lightning Director of Skill Development Mike Ellis. 

On the show, Ellis discusses the road which led him to his current role with the Lightning, his philosophies on skill development and working with current players, watching players develop into NHL regulars and much more.