Sports stats



AHL American Hockey League

Q&A with AHL President Dave Andrews

October 7, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews recently answered fans' questions in a Q&A session on theahl.com, responding on a number of topics ranging from expansion to the league's plans in 2004-05.

The AHL's 68th season gets underway on Wednesday night, when 28 teams begin down the road to the Calder Cup 2004 championship.

------------------------------

Q: Has there been any talk about what will go on if the 2004 lockout happens? Will the AHL still be playing? – Marcus from Hamilton, Ont.

Q: Will the AHL be able to play next year with the NHL out on strike? And I feel the NHL must go on strike to bring the costs involved back to earth. Hockey can not continue to go on as it has. The players and owners have to fix this for the fans. I can't afford to see the Flyers, but thank goodness for the Phantoms. – Bill from Holmes, Pa.

Q: I know I am looking ahead and asking this question based on speculation. If a new labor agreement can not be hammered out in the NHL by September 2004, and there is a lockout or strike, would the AHL have to shut down since most of the players here are NHL-signed players? Or do you have a contingency plan to operate with replacement players from lower leagues? – Harold from Stratford, Conn.

Q: With the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement about to expire, and the possibility of a new hockey league about to begin play in 2004, what are the AHL's thoughts and direction for next year and the future? I am a new fan of the AHL, having followed the Chicago Wolves during their time in the IHL and now the AHL, and I am concerned that the quality of players that the AHL will be able to retain would be affected. – Steve from Chicago, Ill.

DA: This topic has been on everyone's minds for a while now. The AHL intends to compete with a full complement of teams in 2004-2005. We are hopeful that a labor disruption in the NHL will be avoided, and it is encouraging to know that negotiations are underway between the NHL and the NHLPA. However, should there be a disruption of play in the NHL, it is our expectation that AHL clubs will operate with essentially the same player supply as is currently the case, meaning the 700 players considered to be the development base for 30 NHL clubs.

Players assigned to the American Hockey League by NHL clubs become members of the Professional Hockey Players Association, with whom we have our own Collective Bargaining Agreement. Our player base will continue to be those players assigned to AHL clubs by NHL clubs. It is in the best interest of the players and the NHL clubs to take advantage of a continued opportunity for prospects to develop, and consequently I do not expect a disruption in our player supply. In any circumstance I can assure you that our clubs will operate with the best players available outside of the NHL.

Q: Does the AHL have a labor agreement like the NHL? And if so, when does it expire? And once it does expire do you see a lockout or strike which could happen in the NHL happening in the AHL? – Joseph from Windsor, Conn.

DA: The AHL has a Collective Bargaining Agreement with its players which runs through the 2004-2005 season. Our relationship with our players' association has been very positive and productive over the past several years, and we continue to work together to establish the best possible working relationship and competitive environment for our players. I would anticipate that we will open negotiations for a new CBA early next season, and based upon the foundation which currently exists I would not anticipate a labor disruption of any type in the AHL in the foreseeable future.

Q: I have been an AHL fan since the Newmarket Saints were around, and it is good to see the league back in the Toronto area. My question is: What is the league's position on the new World Hockey Association that is being planned for 2004-05? Do you see it affecting your current markets, or are you planning to work with the league similar to your partnership with the NHL? – Bob from Toronto, Ont.

DA: First, Bob, we are looking forward enthusiastically to the launch of the Toronto Roadrunners. The Ricoh Coliseum will be a tremendous facility in which to watch AHL hockey, and with the Edmonton Oilers as the Roadrunners affiliate one can be certain of a competitive and highly skilled team. The rivalries with the Hamilton Bulldogs and St. John's Maple Leafs will be outstanding.

With respect to the WHA, I am unaware of any actual teams other than those "WHA2" clubs which splintered off from the Atlantic Coast League last spring. While there has been media coverage of an intended WHA revival, it takes committed investors and available building leases to establish a solid foundation for a league, and to date I am not aware that these elements are in place. (Thanks also to Dave from Chalfont, Pa., for your similar question.)

Q: Would you ever consider using any former AHL cities like Halifax or Cape Breton to bring the team total to 30 teams? – Colin from Binghamton, N.Y.

Q: With the departure of the Saint John Flames after a 10-year run, does the AHL plan to return a franchise to Atlantic Canada? – Mark from Meriden, Conn.

DA: As a native of Nova Scotia I am very disappointed that the AHL no longer has a presence in that province, particularly in light of the success which we once enjoyed in Cape Breton, and the history which the league has in Halifax. The fact remains however that the ownership of AHL teams in those markets elected to relocate for various reasons, mostly economic. These cities now have teams in the Canadian Major Junior League and we wish those teams and their fans nothing but success.

Q: There has been expansion since you have been in charge. How many teams do you believe AHL can support? What other cities would the league be looking towards in the future? – Caitlyn from Feasterville, Pa.

Q: Do you foresee 30 teams in the near future in our league, and are there cities already in mind? -- John from Reeders, Pa.

Q: What cities are being considered for the next two expansion spots in the AHL that would bring league membership to 30 teams? – Ian from San Diego, Calif.

DA: In time the AHL will support 30 teams. In all likelihood it will take us a few years to get there. There are two key aspects to successfully reaching a 30 team league. Firstly we need 30 NHL teams who are positioned to operate a full affiliation agreement in the AHL, which at the moment is not the case, and we will need to identify two additional cities which can provide strong ownership and a first class facility which we feel can be successful. One of those markets is likely to be Des Moines, Iowa, and we are considering a number of other potential sites at the moment. But I would not say that growing the AHL to 30 teams is our highest priority at the moment.

Q: Is the AHL looking to expand to any more markets? If so, is Louisville on that list? As the 16th largest city in the nation, and with only one pro team (AAA baseball), I would think this to be a prime market for expansion. Our past record (AHL Panthers) with fan attendance was above the mark of most others and the support was good. We really would love to see pro hockey return to Louisville. Thank you. – Jason from Louisville, Ky.

DA: Thanks for writing, Jason. I too am of the opinion that Louisville could be a terrific member of the AHL. It is a wonderful city, and the fan support for the Panthers was relatively strong. The difficulty which we face in Louisville is that Freedom Hall is a very busy building, and the available dates are simply not conducive to attracting sufficient numbers of fans to support a franchise at the AHL level. As you know, weekend and holiday dates are crucial to our fan base which consists of families, youth groups, etc. We simply did not have sufficient quality dates in Louisville to make it work.

Q: Do you ever see the East Coast Hockey League and the AHL merging? – Tim from Philadelphia, Pa.

DA: No, I don't. We have a very close working relationship between the AHL and the ECHL, and our respective member clubs have affiliation agreements. The relationship with respect to player development is a very positive one, and at the management level we work very well together in our current structures.

Q: Is there any substance to the possibility of the AHL acquiring or absorbing one or more of the lower level leagues (ECHL, CHL or UHL) and possibly rebranding them into something like the AHL2, perhaps with separate but complimenting West and East coast entities that would only play against each other in a hockey third division continental championship of sorts? – James from Saugus, Mass.

DA: Thanks for your question. While it sounds intriguing to have an AHL2 concept, at this point I do not think that any of the leagues mentioned would see sufficient advantages to an arrangement of that nature to warrant pursuing it.

Q: Has the league over-expanded? Travel now seems to be a dilemma for some clubs because of this. – Scott from Troy, N.Y.

DA: The expansion of the AHL was seen by our ownership and that of our new members as a very positive step. While we did add to our travel costs and the accompanying logistical challenges, we successfully created one League across North America at the highest level of hockey outside of the NHL. We strengthened our base at a time when the business of pro hockey at this level was unstable. The growth of our league was a positive for our fans and our players, and quite frankly provided the economic stimulus to ensure the long term viability of the AHL in many of our cities.

Q: With so many teams in the northeastern U.S., do you envision franchises relocating to bridge with the more western clubs? – David from Taunton, Mass.

DA: I sincerely hope not. Our objective is to operate 28 teams successfully in our current locations, and in time to grow the league to 30 teams. The location of any new teams will be less of a priority than their potential for success in a particular city.

Q: I am originally from Rochester, and I still follow the Americans. Are there any plans in the near future to come out to the west coast? – Andy from Victoriaville, Calif.

DA: Not at the moment, and probably not in the foreseeable future, but thanks for your continuing support. You can still follow your Amerks and the rest of the AHL on theahl.com, and our new real-time scoreboard and statistics will make it even easier.

Q: Mr. Andrews, is there any chance of a scheduling format whereby every team would play at least one game at every other team's venue? It just seems that this overload of divisional play blocks historical rivalries (Springfield-Rochester being the most notable) from their continuation. Thank you. – Dan from Westfield, Mass.

DA: Every year our members debate the scheduling format at great length. There are a number of considerations which are very important to the success of our teams. There is no question that rivalries are a critical component in building fan interest. Protecting traditional rivalries is a core element in arriving at a schedule format. Travel considerations also play a significant role, both from a logistical viewpoint and financially.

Ensuring that there is sufficient divisional and conference weighting to each team's schedule is important from a fairness perspective. The concept of playing every team is an attractive one for many of our fans, but with 28 teams and the geography which we cover it is simply not workable. Each year our schedule format is a compromise of sorts, and it is not arrived at without a great deal of debate and consideration. (Thanks also to Leonard from Trumbull, Conn.; Mike from Westbrook, Maine; John from Oak Park, Ill. and Randy from Manchester, N.H. for your similar questions.)

Q: Are you encouraging your teams to televise road games, at least, even if they are hesitant to televise home games due to possible reductions in attendance? – Dean from Wenonah, N.J.

DA: While the AHL would like to take credit for the 150-200 games which are televised live each year across the league, the fact of the matter is that each of our clubs handle their own regional and local television agreements. The AHL does have a national television contract with Rogers Sportsnet in Canada, negotiates television coverage for the All-Star Classic in both the U.S. and Canada, and manages distribution of Inside the AHL to regional networks. We certainly encourage our teams and their regional networks to televise AHL games, but it is a very crowded television landscape at the moment, and we are not at the top of the hockey ladder in terms of television interest. (Thanks to Joe from Hartford, Conn., for your similar question.)

Q: Has the AHL looked into a TV subscription package like NHL's Center Ice? Thanks for your time. – Dan from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

DA: We do not really have sufficient inventory of games to create a subscription package that would work. You will however be able to catch our All-Star Classic on NHL Center Ice.

Q: Why has the AHL avoided Hartford for an All-Star Game? – Joey from Vernon, Conn.

DA: The All-Star Classic was positioned to be in Hartford a few years ago, but the bid had to be withdrawn due to a construction project at the Hartford Civic Center. The sites for the AHL's All-Star Classic are determined based on bids by potential host teams, and I am hopeful that we will be able to have the event in Hartford in the future.

Q: I know it is hard to schedule the season. Why is it that the players and various staff members (coaches, trainers and equipment people) of the All-Star teams do not have a day for travel before and after the event? – Theresa from Philadelphia, Pa.

DA: In some years we have been able to provide a wide open travel day at both ends of the All-Star Classic. However, with a television slot that requires a Sunday/Monday event, we would need to cancel an entire Saturday night slate of games in order to create the travel day in front of the Classic. In fairness we have not had any complaints from players in this regard. They understand the challenges and seem to really appreciate the opportunity to participate.

Q: Is the AHL considering using a second referee during the AHL games? – Bob from Forty Fort, Pa.

DA: Thanks for your question, Bob. At this time, we are not considering a utilizing a two-referee system.

Q: My question concerns the "diving" penalty which really upsets, angers and confuses many fans when it is called along with another penalty. Why aren't the referees instructed to call one or the other, and not just disguise the diving penalty by tagging on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty? Many feel the penalties shouldn't be called both ways. It is either a penalty or it is diving. Thanks for answering. – Joe from Epsom, N.H.

DA: Thanks for the question. I tend to agree with you, but others don't share our view. Our rule book and rule interpretation directives mirror the NHL in order to provide the player with the same playing environment at both levels, and they say that diving and hooking or holding are not necessarily exclusive of each other. Last season, 385 players moved up to play in the NHL at some point, so you can see the importance of playing with the same rules in both leagues.

Q: Nowadays, nearly every AHL arena has a video scoreboard. Why can't instant replay be implemented in the arenas that already have video scoreboards? – Matt from Rochester, N.Y.

DA: Instant replay goes far deeper in terms of technology than the camera angles required of a video scoreboard. If one is going to determine games based upon video replays, the camera positions must be exactly correct, and the systems must be consistent across the league. We are not in a position to implement that technology yet.

Q: There was an article in the local paper here about a new type of goal net being tested which is equipped with sensors so that when the puck passes by a post into the net the whole net will light up showing that a goal has been scored and eliminating the need for goal judges. Have you heard about this new gadget and if so does the AHL intend on trying them out in the league. – Brent from Ottawa, Ont.

DA: As a matter of fact, these nets were tested in a preseason game in Rochester just last weekend. I have not yet seen the reports, but the nets will not be in use during the regular season.

Q: Last year, the league decided that they were going to require safety netting to be installed in all the AHL arenas. What has been the feedback from the teams, fans, and arenas over the past season? – Seth, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

DA: The feedback has generally been very supportive. There are a couple of buildings, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton being one, where the pitch of the seats behind the net is very steep and consequently the fans are closer to the netting and find it to be more intrusive. I can share with you my sense of relief every time I am at a game and see a slap shot rocket up over the glass in an area with families, only to see the netting catch the shot. I think that the netting was the right thing to do, and commend the NHL on setting the standard.

Q: Mr. Andrews, besides having our great sellout streak in Wilkes-Barre, is there any other reason we are the only game in town four years in a row on opening night? – Ed from Plymouth, Pa.

DA: Thanks for the question, Ed. The Penguins have actually requested the opportunity to open our season as an exclusive for the past four years. It is a badge of honor, I think. Good luck on Wednesday and congratulations on the tremendous fan support in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Q: How are officials selected/scheduled to games? Is there a schedule set at the start of the season, or is it just whoever is in the area at the time of the game? – John from Hamilton, Ont.

DA: Referees assignments are established by the NHL in conjunction with our office, while linesmen are assigned by the AHL. The assignments are usually established in three-week intervals during the regular season. With 1,120 games and 3,360 officials assignments to schedule, it is a very big job. We generally work our linesmen on a regional basis, which is why you would see the same linesmen far more regularly than the referees.

Q: Why is it that the top five teams make the playoffs? It is unfair if a 6th-place team in one division has more than the 5th-place team in the other. I like last year's playoff system. – Christopher from Albany, N.Y.

DA: We think that the new alignment and playoff format is very fair. While we have discussed the possibility of crossovers, the general consensus has been that all of our teams know what it takes to make the playoffs at the start of the year (finish in the top five in the division). With an unbalanced schedule, the crossover concept really doesn't assure that the qualifying process is more fair, as the two teams in question would not have played the same opponents.

Q: Hi. Any thoughts of bringing in the shootout to decide tie games? I know the NHL does not like it (except Brett Hull), but with the current emphasis on defense, there are a lot of boring 1-0 and 2-1 games that could give the losing team (road team?) an incentive to tie the game in regulation to win it in the shootout. – John from Schaumburg, Ill.

DA: The shootout has been discussed from time to time during my tenure with the AHL, but it has never garnered much support amongst our general managers. The view has generally been that the game is a team game and shouldn't be decided by an individual skills competition. I think that the real issue is that with a game as physical as hockey, which is played with such emotion it is difficult to justify determining a winner through a breakaway competition after paying such a physical price for 60 minutes (or 65 minutes).

Q: Is anything being done to open up the play at the AHL level? – Ray from Cincinnati, Ohio

DA: We think that the game is very wide open and entertaining. Our players are highly skilled, highly motivated, and our teams are very evenly balanced. I am thankful for the quality of our players and competition every time I attend a game. Thanks for writing, Ray.

Q: Any rule changes for 2003-2004 season? I really enjoyed the 2002-2003 season watching the Aeros - I love the AHL!!! – Ben from, Houston, Texas

DA: Thanks for the support and good luck in the new arena! We enjoyed our travels to Houston last season, and it was a terrific Calder Cup Final. The only significant change involves the calling of the "delay of game" rule that was implemented last season. Instead of being an automatic minor penalty when a player shoots the puck over the glass in his own zone, it will be left up to the discretion of the referee to determine intent.

Q: I follow the NHL and AHL with great interest (from Sweden) and have sometimes wondered how the AHL copes with the constant transfers of players between leagues. Can an AHL team refuse to send a player to an NHL team in order to preserve the standard of the AHL? – Frank from Stockholm, Sweden

DA: Thank you for the international interest... We are fortunate to have had several great Swedish players in our League over the years. The transfer of players between the AHL and NHL is a fact of life for us and for our fans. It is the basis on which we are able to provide such a high caliber of player and such intense competition. As players progress they are replaced with new talent, and the benefit is that we are always able to provide an exciting and compelling game for our fans. While it would be nice to maintain a consistent roster night after night, we also take great pride in seeing our stars move up to the NHL.

Q: How important are active booster clubs in helping teams remain financially viable in small markets? – Marlene from Manchester, N.H.

DA: Active booster clubs play a very large role in connecting our clubs and players with their communities. Many of our booster clubs are deeply involved in charitable work, and all of them are active in welcoming and supporting players in their off-ice activities. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated core of fans as are represented by booster clubs across the AHL.

Q: This is now the third year in which there will be two teams with a common nickname (Admirals). Is there a timeline for requiring one of those teams to change their name? If so, what are the criteria for deciding which team has to change? – Todd from Milwaukee, Wisc.

DA: No, there is no timeline for either Milwaukee or Norfolk to change their nickname. We don't see it as a problem, and in their respective communities the Admirals nickname has significant history.

Q: How do feel about Binghamton being back in the league? – Colin from Binghamton, N.Y.

DA: I am thrilled with the success of the Binghamton Senators. The Sens had a wonderful season last year. Fan support was outstanding. We are fortunate to have such a strong base of community support for the AHL in Binghamton. Senator Libous, Tim Smith, Tom Mitchell and the ownership group are to be commended on the work which was done to ensure the return of the AHL to Broome County. The Ottawa Senators certainly did their part as well, with three members of the AHL All-Rookie team in last year's Binghamton lineup.

Q: Mr. Andrews, We are so glad to have our Barons back in town. The organization is young, aggressive and up beat. We're looking for a Calder Cup soon! With so many injuries, do you foresee the time soon that eye visors on the players' helmets will become mandatory? An eye is hard to replace and I remember back in the 40s and 50s when the players were helmetless, and the headgear became law. Thanks for your time. – Pete from Parma, Ohio

DA: Thanks for writing, and for supporting the Barons. I believe that visors will become mandatory sooner rather than later. More and more top players in the NHL and AHL are wearing visors and the injury data is compelling. We do encourage all of our players to wear visors.

I'd like to thank all of you for taking the time to send your questions and comments to us. I'm sorry I didn't get to answer everyone's e-mails this time, but I look forward to doing this again sometime. Tomorrow night, we launch our 68th season in the American Hockey League, and we're all anxious to drop the puck and start down the road to the Calder Cup 2004 championship. Have a great season, and thank you for your support of your AHL club.

Respectfully,

David Andrews

Check out the American Hockey League Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from October 7, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central