yet another story...
http://www.silive.com/newsflash/index.s ... thispage=1
They're saying 5 people could be jailed over this.
Status of the league
-
SignGuyDino
- Site Admin
- Posts: 1421
- Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2003 3:33 am
- Location: Fletcher, NC
- Contact:
[quote=""djchuckc""]no dasher boards? what about season tickets?[/quote]
Their attendance numbers suggest there weren't many.
Their attendance numbers suggest there weren't many.
Mean Spirited Blogger #24601
Accused of being a Cyber Terrorist by Joe Newman.
This league (NIFL) is like a frickin' cockroach. You could throw a nuclear bomb at it and it would still survive
-tony-o
So I'd rather spend a quarter of an ABA franchise to repair my car, as opposed to spending a franchise and a half to get a new car that might have some planned obsolescence that causes it to break down 5 days after the end of the warranty period.
-Chuck the Writer
Accused of being a Cyber Terrorist by Joe Newman.
This league (NIFL) is like a frickin' cockroach. You could throw a nuclear bomb at it and it would still survive
-tony-o
So I'd rather spend a quarter of an ABA franchise to repair my car, as opposed to spending a franchise and a half to get a new car that might have some planned obsolescence that causes it to break down 5 days after the end of the warranty period.
-Chuck the Writer
-
Shootmaster_44
- Site Admin
- Posts: 799
- Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2003 7:45 am
- Location: Saskatoon, SK
[quote=""djchuckc""]This could have been a good league. Very unfortunate.[/quote]
I agree the concept could have been successful. I do think a league at this level is needed. However, the problem is the farther down you go from the NHL, the lower the calibre of ownership groups and league offices.
I think the first step in creating a league like this is to find an existing league that will cement a relationship with you. Essentially, become someone's minor league. The ideal situation is to truly affiliate yourself with the NHL. Andrew Haines can claim, because the MAHL's link was on the NHL's website, that there was an official relationship between the two. But other than the link being there there was nothing formally between the two. But if you could get the NHL on board, even if they didn't supply the players per se (as the NHL CBA restricts the number of players under contract to a team), but at least gave the teams some scouting advice and became a place for ECHL replacement players, it would be a solid basis to start with. From there you can attract better owners as the league doesn't seem as shaky. The ABA proves that you can find dozens of suckers, but to find quality owners you need a solid footing.
Its too bad that some formal minor hockey structure like the MiLB can't be formed. Though I'd wonder about the state of minor league baseball, if there wasn't MLB's anti-trust exemption to allow for the solid structure. At any rate, the MAHL was a good basic concept, however its execution was poorly conducted.
I agree the concept could have been successful. I do think a league at this level is needed. However, the problem is the farther down you go from the NHL, the lower the calibre of ownership groups and league offices.
I think the first step in creating a league like this is to find an existing league that will cement a relationship with you. Essentially, become someone's minor league. The ideal situation is to truly affiliate yourself with the NHL. Andrew Haines can claim, because the MAHL's link was on the NHL's website, that there was an official relationship between the two. But other than the link being there there was nothing formally between the two. But if you could get the NHL on board, even if they didn't supply the players per se (as the NHL CBA restricts the number of players under contract to a team), but at least gave the teams some scouting advice and became a place for ECHL replacement players, it would be a solid basis to start with. From there you can attract better owners as the league doesn't seem as shaky. The ABA proves that you can find dozens of suckers, but to find quality owners you need a solid footing.
Its too bad that some formal minor hockey structure like the MiLB can't be formed. Though I'd wonder about the state of minor league baseball, if there wasn't MLB's anti-trust exemption to allow for the solid structure. At any rate, the MAHL was a good basic concept, however its execution was poorly conducted.
"A" leagues
Other than the SPHL what other "A" leagues are out there? Perhaps the MAHL teams could become part of that league. Travel would be expensive though. I agree there is a market for this level of hockey, just have to find the niche and the right support mechanism.
Go Tulsa Oilers!
-
Shootmaster_44
- Site Admin
- Posts: 799
- Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2003 7:45 am
- Location: Saskatoon, SK
[quote=""djchuckc""]Other than the SPHL what other "A" leagues are out there? Perhaps the MAHL teams could become part of that league. Travel would be expensive though. I agree there is a market for this level of hockey, just have to find the niche and the right support mechanism.[/quote]
The SPHL is kinda, sorta an A level league. However, it seems that common thought is they are Tier II AA. Basically, a step below the ECHL/CHL overall, but not low enough to drop to A level. However, this is merely conjecture.
The only other A league that existed this past year was the NEHL. But that too folded, check out the thread about it.
The only other league that may or may not fit in the A level is the LNAH in Quebec. However, it is a unique case as many of the players are ECHL (or even AHL caliber) but are paid better in the LNAH, so they play there instead. In fact, there are a few former NHL players who play in that league. So where it stands is questionable.
As was raised in a thread on the ABA's board, what constitutes professional hockey? Since the MAHL didn't pay its players very regularly, are they considered pros? On the other hand is the MAHL less professional than the Western Canadian senior leagues that have some paid and some unpaid players? If the senior leagues are included than I would say there are at least three or four A level leagues in Western Canada. The Wild Goose League (home of Link Gaetz) would be one of them.
The SPHL is kinda, sorta an A level league. However, it seems that common thought is they are Tier II AA. Basically, a step below the ECHL/CHL overall, but not low enough to drop to A level. However, this is merely conjecture.
The only other A league that existed this past year was the NEHL. But that too folded, check out the thread about it.
The only other league that may or may not fit in the A level is the LNAH in Quebec. However, it is a unique case as many of the players are ECHL (or even AHL caliber) but are paid better in the LNAH, so they play there instead. In fact, there are a few former NHL players who play in that league. So where it stands is questionable.
As was raised in a thread on the ABA's board, what constitutes professional hockey? Since the MAHL didn't pay its players very regularly, are they considered pros? On the other hand is the MAHL less professional than the Western Canadian senior leagues that have some paid and some unpaid players? If the senior leagues are included than I would say there are at least three or four A level leagues in Western Canada. The Wild Goose League (home of Link Gaetz) would be one of them.
