Championships aren't won in the first two months of a season, but piling up victories in the early going never hurts. Perhaps that noted philosopher, Bull Durham's Nuke LaLoosh, had the proper perspective: "Winning...you know, it's like, better than losing." The Griffins certainly grasp the concept, as they've jumped out to the best start in the franchise's 10 seasons.


How do you define success for a professional sports franchise? No matter your measuring stick, the Griffins have met or exceeded most expectations over the first quarter of the 2005-06 season. Let us count the ways:




No Substitute For Victory

At 16-4-0-2, Greg Ireland's squad is off to the most prolific start in franchise history. Only three teams - Houston, Hamilton and Iowa - have managed wins over Grand Rapids in the season's first 22 games, giving the Griffins first place in the North Division and second place overall in the AHL.

Victories compiled while leaves are falling may not be as meaningful as those earned in May and June, but it's the Griffins' method of winning that has sparked the most hope and enthusiasm for what lies ahead:

The Griffins' awesome firepower has kept them in every game. Scoring is up a mind-boggling 56% over last season, putting them on pace for a team-record 323 goals;
Their depth has enabled them to withstand player losses to injury and callup and prevail in difficult circumstances. The Griffins have lost as many as two straight games just once this season, and they won all five games they played in a six-day span from Nov. 18-23, equaling a record feat accomplished in 2000-01;
The team's determination has already fueled 11 come-from-behind wins;
Grand Rapids' superior conditioning has resulted in dominant third periods - the Griffins have outscored their foes 39-15 over the final 20 minutes.




Broken Records

Jiri Hudler authored a breathtaking scoring run to start the season, posting a personal-best 14-game point streak that was the second-longest in the team's 10 seasons. He accumulated 13 goals and 27 points during the stretch, by far the most productive start by any Griffins player in history. Hudler also started the season with a six-game goal streak, tying the team mark held by Kip Miller and Pavol Demitra.

Between the pipes, the three-headed monster of Drew MacIntyre, Jimmy Howard and Joey MacDonald has given team management the best stable of goaltenders in the AHL. Each has already earned at least three wins this season, and all three backstopped Grand Rapids to a win during the weekend of Nov. 18-20, marking the first time in team history that three different Griffins goalies earned victories in a span of three nights.

Other record performances this season include:

Grand Rapids’ four power play goals in the Oct. 8 opener versus Milwaukee tied a single-game mark set twice before;
On Oct. 12 at Cleveland, Derek Meech performed a feat accomplished by only one other defenseman (Karel Rachunek), notching four points (1-3—4) in a game;
Nate DiCasmirro’s goal just 13 seconds into the Nov. 15 win over Manitoba marked the fastest in franchise history;
The Griffins' second-ranked power play unit scored a goal in 11 consecutive games (Oct. 15-Nov. 15), crushing the previous franchise record of nine straight set in 2002-03;
Grand Rapids’ five goals in the third period on Nov. 19 at Cleveland equaled a franchise mark for a single frame.




The Envelope, Please…

Two 21-year-old Griffins forwards have already earned CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week honors, giving them an inside track for spots in the 2006 RBK Hockey AHL All-Star Classic in Winnipeg.

Valtteri Filppula took the hardware on Nov. 20, after guiding the Griffins to four come-from-behind wins in a six-day span. He recorded five goals, six assists, 11 points and a plus-nine rating, contributing at least one goal and two points in all four contests.

On Oct. 17, Jiri Hudler became the first Griffin in two seasons to win the award, after tallying four goals, six points and a plus-four rating in three games. He authored at least one goal and two points in each outing.




The More, The Merrier

The Griffins have welcomed two capacity crowds of 10,834 through their first 10 home games, with another huge night on tap for Dec. 3. The sellout on Nov. 5 versus Syracuse was the team's first in November since 1999 and the earliest date for its second sellout of the season since 1997.

Tremendous AHL hockey, Chris Osgood, Kip and Pedro - all have given fans reason to flock to Van Andel Arena this season.




We Knew You When

Three players slated to spend the year in Grand Rapids have already made their marks with the Detroit Red Wings this season. Brett Lebda and Jimmy Howard remain with the parent club, while Kyle Quincey made his NHL debut last week.