Hockey fans at the Delta Center tonight will notice a few dramatic differences from the last time they saw Robert Dome.
For example:- The 17-year-old will be in a uniform when the puck drops instead of wearing a suit in the stands.
- The words "Utah" and "Grizzlies" will be conspicuously missing from that uniform.
- And most of all, he'll actually play.
The transformed teenager will get his first shot at playing against his former squad when his new team, the Long Beach Ice Dogs, take on Utah at 7 o'clock.
Just last week, the Grizzlies released Dome from his contract so that he could join the Ice Dogs. Dome hadn't even dressed for a Grizzly game since the end of last year's regular season. So far he's done quite well with Long Beach, though, as he's notched four assists in two games.
The Ice Dogs will let him play as long as he shows he deserves it, which is something he wasn't able to do with the Grizzlies, according to Utah coach Butch Goring.
"I'm going to give him an opportunity to play and to show what Robert Dome can do. But the rest is up to him," said Long Beach coach/general manager John Van Boxmeer. "He still has to show the ability to help our hockey team win. My job is to give him an opportunity to play. It's up to him to take advantage of that opportunity."
Tonight's game will already be the fifth showdown between the Grizzlies (8-1-1) and Ice Dogs (4-4-3). Utah has come out on top in all four games so far, with two of the contests being decided in shootouts.
This will be the Grizzlies' final home game for a while, too. After tonight, they begin a tough eight-game road trip in Kansas City for a pair of games on Wednesday and Friday. The trip also includes stops in Houston, Detroit, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Long Beach and San Antonio. The Grizzlies don't return to the Delta Center until Nov. 15 against Las Vegas.