Crunch Chronicles

On Episode 10 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Vance Lederman. Lederman is the Chief Financial Officer for the Syracuse Crunch and has been with the organization since the very beginning of the franchise.

A childhood friend of Crunch owner Howard Dolgon, Lederman was involved during the process of bringing the Crunch to Syracuse in the leadup to the 1994-95 AHL season. Over the years, he has become one of the beloved members of the organization and is a staple in the Syracuse community.  

On the show, Vance discusses the process of building an AHL franchise, getting through the pandemic, what continues to motivate him and more.

On Episode 9 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Brent Tully. Tully played three seasons for the Syracuse Crunch at the very start of the Crunch franchise. A fourth-round draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks organization, Tully's rookie season coincided with the first season for the Crunch in 1994.

The Peterborough, Ontario native dressed in 63 games for the Crunch during the 1994-95 season and tallied nine points to go with 106 penalty minutes. He established career-highs in points (16), assists (13) and PIM (114) over 52 games during the 1995-96 season. His Crunch career came to an end following the 1996-97 season, during which he had six points in 26 games. He totaled 141 games in a Crunch sweater over the course of his three seasons. 

After his time in Syracuse, Tully played the rest of his career in Germany from 1997 to 2002, retiring following one season with Frankfurt.

On the show, Tully discusses his experience with the Crunch, what it was like to grow up as a young adult in Syracuse and more.

On Episode 8 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by John Badduke. Badduke played three seasons for the Syracuse Crunch at the very start of the Crunch franchise. He was a member of the Vancouver Canucks organization and a part of the original Crunch team in 1994.

Badduke became an instant fan favorite with the Crunch as the team's original enforcer. In the Crunch's inaugural season, Badduke logged 334 penalty minutes in 44 games played; that ranks as the second-most PIM in a single season in franchise history. He followed that with 245 penalty minutes in 1995-96 and he ranks fourth all-time in franchise history with 649 PIM in his 114 career Crunch games.

Badduke had his jersey raised to the arena rafters after winning a fan vote in the 1998-99 season. He has been a fixture at Crunch milestone nights, including the team's 25th anniversary night during the 2018-19 season.

On the show, Badduke discusses his experience with the Crunch, the penalty box incident and more.

On Episode 7 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Brian Loney. Loney played three seasons for the Syracuse Crunch at the very start of the Crunch franchise. He was a member of the Vancouver Canucks organization and a part of the original Crunch team in 1994.

Loney played in the very first Crunch game on September 30, 1994 and totaled 191 games for the Crunch from 1994 to 1997. He ranks 11th all-time in franchise history with 149 points (76g, 74a) in those 191 games while his 76 goals rank sixth. He netted 34 goals in just 48 games during the 1995-96 season before adding 11 points in 14 playoff games to help the Crunch advanced to the Conference Finals in just their second season.

After his three seasons in Syracuse, Loney played the vast majority of the remainder of his career in Europe, spending time in Germany, Finland and Italy.

On the show, Loney discusses his experience with the Crunch, what the buildup was like before the very first Crunch game and what it meant to return during the team's 25th anniversary celebration.

On Episode 6 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Joey Mormina. Mormina played three seasons for the Syracuse Crunch at the end of his career. He joined the organization starting with the 2013-14 season and totaled 140 games with the Crunch through the 2015-16 season. In that time, Mormina served as an assistant captain and produced 36 points and 180 PIM.

Mormina totaled 670 career AHL games during his 11-year playing career. He played for Manchers, Albany, Adirondack, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Rochester and Syracuse during. In 2012-13, he captained the Penguins to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Crunch in five games. Following his retirement, Mormina began coaching and he spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Hartford Wolf Pack.

On the show, Mormina discusses what brought him to the Crunch organization, playing at Upstate Medical University Arena as a member of both the Crunch and as an opponent and his life after hockey.

On Episode 5 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Ross Colton. Colton played parts of three seasons for the Syracuse Crunch starting as a rookie in 2018-19. In his first pro season, the New Jersey native played in 66 games and added 31 points to help the Crunch win the North Division. He followed that up by being named an alternate captain in his second season (2019-20) while he tallied 42 points in 62 games before the AHL season was cut short due to Covid. He started the 2020-21 season with the Crunch, appearing in three games, before he earned his call up to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

As an NHL rookie, Colton chipped in 12 points in 30 regular season games. He then added six more points during the Lightning's run to their second straight Stanley Cup. Colton's playoff moment came in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final; he scored the lone goal in the Lightning's 1-0 cup-clinching win over the Montreal Canadiens. He became just the seventh rookie in NHL history to score a cup-clinching goal. He signed a new two-year contract extension with the Lightning during the offseason.

On the show, Colton discusses how he grew as a player in Syracuse, his relationship with Crunch head coach Ben Groulx, his dream NHL season and more.

 

We also referenced a story about J.T. Brown. That story can be found here.

On Episode 4 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Eddie Pasquale. Pasquale played two seasons for the Syracuse Crunch in 2017-18 and 2018-19 after he was acquired by the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade on February 1, 2018. Eddie posted a 10-1-3 record with the Crunch after joining the team that season and he helped them advance to the North Division Finals. He returned for a second season in the organization and grabbed the number one goaltender spot, going 27-12-6 in 2018-19. He guided the Crunch to the North Division title in the regular season and earned the Harry 'Hap' Holmes Memorial Award as the Crunch led the AHL in goals against per game.

 

Over the course of two seasons, Pasquale recorded a 37-13-9 record with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. His 37 wins are tied for sixth all time in Crunch history. His 2.20 goals-against average is the best among Crunch goalies who have played a minimum of 25 games and his .921 save percentage ranks fourth among that group.  

 

The Toronto native also made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning during his time in the organization and he went 2-1-0 in three appearances in 2018-19. Following his time in Syracuse, Pasquale has spent the last three seasons in the KHL; he won the KHL's goaltender of the year award in 2020-21.

 

On the show, Pasquale discusses how he enjoyed playing in Syracuse, both as a visitor and as a member of the Crunch, making his NHL debut with the Lightning and his new venture in the KHL.

On Episode 3 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Carter Verhaeghe. Verhaeghe played two seasons for the Syracuse Crunch in 2017-18 and 2018-19 after he was acquired by the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade during the summer of 2017. After forcing his way into the lineup a few weeks in the season, Verhaeghe ended up second on the Crunch with 48 points over 58 games in 2017-18. He followed that with a franchise-record 82 points in 2018-19 to lead the Crunch to the North Division title. He became the first Crunch player to win the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL's top scorer and he also shared the Willie Marshall Award with teammate Alex Barre-Boulet as they led the AHL with 34 goals apiece.

 

After spending two seasons in Syracuse, Verhaeghe earned his spot on the Lightning at the start of the 2019-20 season. He played in 52 games and added 13 points during the regular season before adding two assists during the Lightning's run to the Stanley Cup. He joined the Florida Panthers ahead of the 2020-21 season and posted 36 points in 43 games, leading to a three-year contract extension during the offseason.   

 

On the show, Verhaeghe discusses how his career blossomed in Syracuse, winning a Stanley Cup with the Lightning and what the future looks like with the Florida Panthers.

On Episode 2 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by J.T. Brown. Brown played parts of two seasons for the Syracuse Crunch in 2012-13 and 2013-14 during the first two years of the team's affiliation with the Tampa Bay Lightning. As a rookie in 2012-13, Brown had 28 points in 51 regular season games. He then added nine points in 18 playoff games to help the Crunch earn their first berth in the Calder Cup Finals. He started the 2013-14 season in Syracuse, where he formed a dominant line with Nikita Kucherov and Vlad Namestnikov, before earning his NHL call-up in November. 

 

After leaving Syracuse, Brown played for the Lightning into the 2017-18 season. He was ticketed for a return to the Crunch during that season, but was claimed on waivers by the Anaheim Ducks. He spent his last two seasons (2018-20) in North America playing in the Wild organization, then spent the 2020-21 season in Sweden. After retiring this summer, Brown was hired by the Seattle Kraken as their first television color analyst.  

 

On the show, Brown discusses his new role in Seattle, his experience with the Crunch and his life-changing moment in Syracuse.

On Episode 1 of Crunch Chronicles Lukas Favale is joined by Pat Maroon. Maroon played two seasons for the Syracuse Crunch in 2010-11 and 2011-12 during the Crunch's affiliation with the Anaheim Ducks. He is tied for 24th in franchise history with 122 points (53g, 69a) in 132 games in Syracuse and he helped push the Crunch into the playoffs in 2012. His 74 points that season are the seventh-most in a single season in franchise history and only one player--Carter Verhaeghe in 2018-19--has produced more in a season for the Crunch since then. 

 

Since leaving Syracuse, Maroon has gone on to win three consecutive Stanley Cups. He won with his hometown St. Louis Blues in 2019 and has captured back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Crunch's NHL affiliate Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. He is the first player since the 1980's New York Islander dynasty to win three straight Stanley Cups and only the fourth in NHL history to do so with two different teams. 

 

On the show, Maroon discusses winning three straight Cups, his time in Syracuse and how his career turned around when he joined the Crunch.