The south made the ECHL

[Hockey_South]

Check this link out...it shows the ECHL standings back in the late 90's

http://espn.go.com/minorlh/ech/standings/index.html

[HockeyRulez]

Check this link out...it shows the ECHL standings back in the late 90's

http://espn.go.com/minorlh/ech/standings/index.html

The South has also lost so many franchises left and right, technically anyway the West made it the ECHL because before that it was the East Coast Hockey League, now you can't even say it stands for that. I mean the west has been pretty damn stable since its arrival.

[Minor League Man]

Both of you have some good points. When the ECHL outgrew its I-10 roots, the SPHL came in at the right time where so many other leagues had tried and failed...good to see that circuit come back.

Meanwhile, I expected the West to be a failure along the lines of CFL-USA, but it's actually done pretty well (San Diego, Long Beach, and Fresno being the only casualties, with the introduction of such rabid markets as Stockton and Victoria)...

So, where the ECHL moved on, the SPHL has found its niche. Still waiting for the Everblades, Stingrays, and Gladiators to go belly-up and give way to the "S" (though something tells me the Gladiators are gonna be staying a while)