4 replies to this topic

[Itlan]

Mentioned repeatedly in an article on SLAM! Sports, I have never heard the term before.

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From what I can gather, is it referring to players that are traded mid-season?

[Itlan]

Some more googling....

Across the American Hockey League, as winter morphed into spring, coaches and general mangers brought in players for 1-on-1 meetings to tell them they would be healthy scratches in the playoffs and would only see ice time if someone was injured.

Welcome to the world of the black aces.

Because teams can only dress 18 skaters and two goalies in the playoffs, there are players on each team who are out of luck - elite players who suddenly find themselves on the sidelines. Instead of donning the sweater and hitting the ice on game day, it's a suit and tie and a seat in the upper deck.

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Appears to be referring to players who are healthy scratches in the playoffs.

Q: Why is the squad called black aces? Where did the term originate?

A: Good question…I’ve heard it called taxi squad, emergency squad and black aces. I really don’t know where the term comes from, it is just something we call it. You can call it any of those.

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[GLOVESAVE35]

Appears to be referring to players who are healthy scratches in the playoffs.

And the regular season too.

[Itlan]

More explanation.... <link>

An explanation of the origins of the name....

Eddie Shore, an Honored Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, was owner of the AHL Springfield Indians. Shore bought the Indians in 1940 after his playing days with the Boston Bruins. He started to to call the players who were working their way back into the line-up of his club, his 'Black Aces.' These were players who were coming off of injuries or were being punished. They had run out of luck as far as Shore was concerned.

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The Black Aces were a squad of black hockey players in the 1940s.... which confused me... I thought "Jackman part black??"
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