It wasn’t a bang, but an easy fizzle, that saw the end put to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ chase for the Calder Cup in the Eastern Conference Final last spring. A slow letting of air from the tires, and, no ways about it, a disappointing end to a dynamic run. But for one player in particular, it wasn’t so much a fizzle at all. For Nicolas Aube-Kubel, it ended with a stutter step.
Maybe we should take a step back. There’s a whole season that happens before the playoffs even hit, and his was an unequivocal good one.