Minor League Silly Season Begins

The St. Louis Blues shook up the AHL landscape a bit on Friday when it was learned that they were going to opt out of their final two years in Peoria and move their AHL team elsewhere for the 2013-14 season.

According to the rumors, the Blues will sell their franchise in Peoria to the Vancouver Canucks, who will then leave their current affiliate in Chicago for another site, rumored to be Abbotsford, BC-- which is currently home of the Calgary Flames affiliate-- the Heat. Then the Blues would move to the old Canucks affiliate, the Chicago Wolves-- who will run and operate the team for the Blues. As for the Flames-- they've been rumored to go to Utica for their AHL affiliation.

Confused enough?? Good-- that's the life of the minor league Silly Season when it comes to affiliations and where teams want to have their prospects. There are quite a few NHL teams that actually own their AHL affiliate, so when they pick a spot-- they better enjoy it for a while because odds are they'll be there for the long haul. Even so, for fans in cities where they connect close to the minor league team-- it's a stressful part of the year not knowing how many of the guys who are there this year will be playing there next year.

That's just a testament to the die-hard nature of minor league fans, who stick by their city for whomever could be their affiliate. The Norfolk Admirals were the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate last season, won the Calder Cup, then this season-- the Bolts moved out of town and the Anaheim Ducks are the new affiliate there, but the fans have continued to come (5,119 in 2011-12; 5,403 to date for 2012-13) even with the new faces that have shown up. Conversely, the Bolts new affiliate in Syracuse have maintained the attendance, as well (5,246 in 2011-12; 5,388 to date in 2012-13).

It doesn't mean it's not as hard for the fans emotionally in terms of letting go of a group of players or affiliates or the team themselves. The Peoria Rivermen name has been around the city since the 1984-85 season in different leagues. For fans of the identity are probably hoping for the best that an ECHL or other minor league team will come through for the city to keep the Rivermen name a mainstay in the area.

Regardless of how the parent teams act, many players are as connected to their minor league city through doing community work at schools, health care facilities, and other ventures that allowed the players to reach out and connect to the community. You can bet some of those guys are just a shook up as the fans.

Yet, that's the nature of the business. You have to make sure you take care of your minor league team's travel, budget, and all that stuff-- on top of managing prospect development and the NHL side of things, too. Sometimes dollars don't add up and you have to move around the US and/or Canada to find the right spot....or the right spot for right now.

Skinner Playing Hooky, Not Hockey

With the AHL in full-swing with training camp, one noticeable absentee is Jeff Skinner. The young forward said last week he wouldn't be reporting to the AHL's Charlotte Checkers camp for one reason or another. Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said that the decision for Skinner not to report was mutual between the club and the player, but it makes you wonder if this is a small alarm in what it could be like to deal with Skinner in the future.

Other players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle have reported to their AHL assignments (as well as Taylor Hall when he gets healthy again), same goes for Braden Holtby, Adam Henrique, and Brayden Schenn. Why does Skinner feel that he should be above the others and not actually continue to play at the higher level that the AHL is going to bring to the table this season??

Sure, the fact that Skinner has a Calder Trophy and been in the NHL full-time since he was drafted could be the reason he doesn't feel the need to be in the AHL at all because he feels he's above that. He's entitled to that thought, though it probably leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the Hurricanes management who actually gave Skinner a six-year contract extension, just short of $35M over the contract term.

Even though this AHL assignment could be above him, you almost would wish that he would continually want to play in order to keep his profile up. The Hurricanes were very aggressive this past summer with many offensive acquisitions (Jordan Staal and Alex Semin), so Skinner playing in any form probably wouldn't be the worst for him or the Hurricanes. Especially with how competitive it'll be for the top-six spots in Raleigh, Skinner could actually slip down the chart should be come out of the gates slow and then have the critics on his case for not taking the assignment in the first place.

Not only that, but it makes Skinner look like a prima donna when it comes to playing the game and not going for something that could only be good for him. The Washington Caps fans know about this an even made an animated GIF about it, too. If he doesn't actually pick-up his game when the NHL comes back into our lives, then we know that he made a terrible mistake by not actually taking this assignment. More over, it could sully his name when it comes to his standing in the Hurricanes book. While they say the decision was "mutual" the fact that Rutherford didn't want to overly argue with his young star could be a reason, hoping he would smarten up and actually take the assignment in stride.

There's still a chance that young Skinner would take the assignment and show up in Charlotte at some point in the AHL season, though he'd be a little behind. Considering the odds of him going overseas at this point are a bit lower than they were a month ago, the AHL could be the only outlet if the NHL is going to drag this lockout further. Skinner would probably be wise to head there (or somewhere) sooner rather than later.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Rick St. Croix

When it comes to AGMs, the expansion side of things help get some guys a chance to show their talent, but also get lost in the shuffle of other young goalies the organization may think are better. This week's goalie had the experience of the latter, but still was able to actually make something out of all of the curves thrown his way. This week, the profile of Rick St. Croix. 

Starting in the 1970-71 season, St. Croix started a crazed junior career-- playing for the Kenora Muskies in the 1970-71 and 1971-72 season for a total of 66 games, while also playing for the Winnipeg Jets of the Western Canadian Junior League for three games in the 1971-72 season. 

In the 1972-73 season, St. Croix started with the OHL's Oshawa Generals, where he would play three seasons and a total of 117 games. St. Croix would get Second All-Star team honors in the 1972-73 season, as well as being drafted in the 4th Round of the 1975 Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. 

The 1975-76 season and 1976-77 season, St. Croix played in the IHL for the Flint Generals for a total of 95 games over the two seasons, while getting one game in the AHL with the Springfield Indians which was a win. The 1977-78 season saw St. Croix get a promotion to the AHL's Maine Mariners, where he would go 22-14-2 in 40 games, then 1-3 in four playoff games, while also playing in seven games with the Flyers-- totalling a 2-4-1 record. The 1978-79 season, St. Croix bounced between two AHL teams, the Maine Mariners for 22 games (10-9-3) and the Philadelphia Firebirds for nine games (4-4-1); as well as a two game stint for the Flyers (0-1-1). 

It was a big season for St. Croix in the 1979-80 season, where he would go 25-14-7 for the Maine Mariners and despite a 1-4 playoff record, would garner First All-Star Team honors and won the Hap Holmes Memorial Award for Fewest Goals-Against with teammate Robbie Moore. St. Croix would also play in a game for the Flyers, a win. 

In the 1980-81 season, the Flyers promote St. Croix to the main squad where he would split time with Pete Peeters and Phil Myre. That first season, St. Croix played in 27 games compiling a 13-7-6 record, while during the 1981-82 season-- he went 13-9-6 in 29 games. St. Croix's tenure with the Flyers would come to an end at the mid-point of the 1982-83 season, playing in 16 games (9-5-2) before being shipped out.

The Flyers sent St. Croix to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Michel Larocque in January of 1983. St. Croix finished the season with the Leafs, appearing in 17 games and finishing with a 4-9-2 record. The 1983-84 season saw St. Croix start off with the Leafs for 20 games (5-10-0) before being send to the AHL and the St. Catherines Saints for the final eight games of their season (7-1-0) and three playoff appearances (1-1). It was another split season for St. Croix in the 1984-85 season, playing in 11 games with the Leafs (2-9-0) and then in another 18 games with the Saints (6-10-1). 

With no NHL chances, St. Croix went to the IHL for the 1985-86 season for the Fort Wayne Komets where he would go 25-13-0 in 42 games, then 3-4 in the playoffs. St. Croix would share the James Norris Memorial Trophy with Pokey Reddick for Fewest Goals Against. After that year, St. Croix would retire.

Not out of work for long, St. Croix moved onto coaching starting in the 1987-88 season with the Winnipeg Jets for a couple seasons and would get a Stanley Cup ring as he was the goalie coach for the Dallas Stars when they won the Cup in 1999. St. Croix is now an assistant coach with the St. John's Ice Caps and has two sons in hockey: Michael (Edmonton Oil Kings/New York Rangers) and Chris (Calgary Flames draftee/European player), as well as two daughters. On top of all of that, he also has his own goaltending school to help aide the youth of the goaltending. 

Getting lost in the shuffle didn't seem to fade the spirits of St. Croix. He was able to take his experiences and start to pass it along to the next generation of goalies and be a teacher to them so they could learn the deeper intricacies of the position outside of just playing the game. 

Better Know A Minor League: Central Hockey League

With the impending lockout doom-- DOOOOOOOM-- it's probably for the best that the actual NHL fans actually get acquainted with some other leagues out there. Yes, that's right, folks-- there's other hockey leagues out there besides the NHL. Crazy, I know. So, here we go. 

When it comes to mergers, the Central Hockey League is one of the tops there is for have leagues want to merge into their league. It started with the Western Professional Hockey League merging with the CHL in 2001 and then the second-incarnation of the IHL merging with the CHL in 2010; the Central Hockey League is a league that went from the South-Central US and has grown far and wide to the Midwest and Southwest.

Though the CHL only has ten teams, it's all in eight states-- Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, South Dakota, Arizona, Colorado, and Missouri. While they like to tout themselves as another "AA" league like the ECHL, only three NHL teams have affiliations with any team whatsoever; and most of them are due to proximity to the NHL's home-base. Luckily, the CHL has an 11th team coming into the league next season, which is a second team in Missouri.

In the realm of Southern hockey, the CHL has been solid with keeping their teams mostly in the Texas area, but going as far out as Macon, Georgia to the east and Youngstown, Ohio to the North and East. However, in recent years, the CHL has been in a flux of teams coming and going. Many teams have dropped down into the US Junior ranks, while others have used it as a stepping stone to move into the ECHL. In fact, last year's Ray Miron President's Cup champion-- the Fort Wayne Komets-- will be in the ECHL this season.

The CHL is also a case study about a league that tries to get too far out of their comfort zone and have struggles because of it. Though they did have their little bubble, they allowed other teams which were much too far out of their range-- thinking it could be a good idea. That ultimately led to those teams failing and leading to much more travel costs and maybe leading to failure of other teams as well. It seems that the league has gotten to a point where they have been able to keep things around a close area, with only South Dakota not being connected to any other state that's in the league.

With all of that said, the CHL has a very dedicated fan base and provides a competitive game for those in attendance with many former college hockey players and former AHL and ECHL players bringing up the talent level. It also provides fans with decent road-trip options should they want to follow their team around the loop. While you may not see many of these guys in the NHL when all is said and done, the bond the players create with the area is something that probably holds more value to fans than whether or not they make it or not.

Better Know A Minor League: The ECHL

With the impending lockout doom-- DOOOOOOOM-- it's probably for the best that the actual NHL fans actually get acquainted with some other leagues out there. Yes, that's right, folks-- there's other hockey leagues out there besides the NHL. Crazy, I know. So, here we go. 

A crazy thing about the ECHL is that the league is just that-- the ECHL. The letters don't stand for anything anymore, especially with the acquisiton of another league. In any case, this league was started out of the ashes of the All-American Hockey League at the end of the 1987-88 season. The ECHL was known then as the East Coast Hockey League, as the teams were predominately on the East Coast-- oddly enough. The first season, the ECHL had five teams and within five years had 19.

The ECHL soon expanded to more southern locales like Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana by the 1995-96 season, moving to New Orleans and Peoria in the 1997-98 season, while in the 2001-02 season, the league would see their peak at 29 teams under the East Coast Hockey League name. The name change to just letters would be in the 2003-04 season, when the West Coast Hockey League disbanded and joined up with the ECHL, creating a 31-team league for that season, spread out across the US-- including Alaska. There have been trying times for the ECHL, but for the 2012-13 season-- the league will have 23 teams, two new expansion teams in Orlando and San Francisco, and picked up Fort Wayne and Evansville from the Central Hockey League.

One of the biggest thing you'll see about the ECHL is how much they love when the alumni makes it to the NHL. Calling themselves the "Premier 'AA' Hockey League," the ECHL keeps a running total on the amount of alumni who have made it to at least one game in the NHL, which is at 490 after the 2011-12 season and 234 in the last seven years.

An interesting sidebar to the AA moniker is that not many teams use their ECHL affiliate. I pointed something out in April of this year how very few teams actually put their ECHL teams to good use. However, some teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets did just that with Allen York coming onto their roster and making a splash by coming directly from the ECHL to the NHL, bypassing the AHL entirely. Even though the honing of the player's skill happens in the AHL, the ECHL takes plenty of claim for their development-- rightfully or not is another story all together.

The ECHL is also the league that the Johnstown Chiefs used to play in before the team folded and moved to Greenville and became the Road Warriors. The Chiefs played in the same arena that the infamous movie "Slap Shot" was filmed in and the team was named after the fictional one. The Chiefs were one of the founding members of the ECHL, but the longest tenured team now is the Wheeling Nailers, who started in the 1991-92 season and moved from Winston-Salem, North Carolina where they were called the Thunderbirds.

With five divisions, two sides of the country, and untapped resources in Alaska; the ECHL is a very fun, spread out, and pretty talented league-- even if it does have some lifers in it. With a less corporate atmosphere, the ECHL is allow to have a lot of gimmick games and be able to show personality where other leagues may not want to. In a time were it'd be nice to have personality, the ECHL definitely helps fill some of that void.

Better Know A Minor League: The AHL

With the impending lockout doom-- DOOOOOOOM-- it's probably for the best that the actual NHL fans actually get acquainted with some other leagues out there. Yes, that's right, folks-- there's other hockey leagues out there besides the NHL. Crazy, I know. So, here we go. 

The AHL is the direct feeder system when it comes to the NHL and you'll see a lot of fans actually paying close attention to their AHL teams to see who is ready coming up through the pipeline of the team. Because of that, and a by-law, I believe; there are 30 teams-- one for each NHL team. They span from Newfoundland to British Columbia in Canada and in 16 States. Because of that 12 of the 30 AHL teams are owned by their parent clubs.

One of those teams that are independent is also the longest standing team in the AHL-- the Hershey Bears, who are now the affiliate of the Washington Capitals. They have the most Calder Cup championships with 11; the last coming in 2010. It should be noted that the Connecticut Whale have the longest lineage dating back to the Providence Reds in the 1936-37 season-- the first year of the AHL, but the Bears have stayed in the same town with the same name since 1938.

For the most part, the AHL was a predominantly Northeast region of the US league with spattering of Quebec and Ontario thrown in. However, with the "absorption" of six IHL teams and some ECHL moving upward into the AHL game; the league has expansion into the Midwest, Texas, and Western Canada. How west?? The Abbotsford Heat are the furthest team west and the closest team to them is the Oklahoma City Barons which is 2,100 miles away, while the Heat are 4,378 miles away from the St. John's IceCaps, the furthest team East.

There's not much else to be said about the nuances when it comes to the AHL. It's a talented league where you can see a lot of the good young prospects who couldn't get the fast-track to the AHL with some of the career AHLers who may have never gotten the chance. The pace of the game is almost on par with the NHL product and it's something where you could actually enjoy the entertainment value, as well as the hockey, for a solid price at the box office.

Should there be a lockout, you'll probably see a lot of the younger NHLers to be sent to the AHL to make sure they keep playing-- thus it would be a great idea to see a better talent on the ice. Even if there isn't a lockout and you have an AHL team in your area-- even if it's not the same as your parent club-- check it out to experience just one game of the next highest league in the North American hockey pipeline.

Long Line Change: Visors and Turris and Relocation, Oh My

Long Ling Change is the gimmick done to talk about the stories that have been tackled in the past, which makes me not add anything more that what's already been added from the others on the 'net or not enough to actually make a separate post for.

The Eternal Visor Debate

After Chris Pronger got stabbed in the eye and Andrew Ladd hit between eyes; the visor debate got woken up again. And honestly, it's not that much a debate. Across the board, it seems people want the players to have visors mandatory with a grandfather clause to help out those guys who already don't wear them and don't feel right to wear them for one reason or another.

The NHL has been trying to do this for year, the NHLPA doesn't seem that ready to move forward with this plan, though. In the end, with all the players moving up from junior or college already having mandatory visors or cages-- why wouldn't they want to keep it on, if nothing else but to be able to keep your vision for well beyond their playing career.

Kyle Turris and His Plight

Kyle Turris is still holding out from the Phoenix Coyotes and now it's getting really real. It seems that Turris' agent is saying that because the Coyotes are owner by the NHL, they aren't willing to move him along because of one reason or another, while 29 teams are pissed off because of the unwillingness to move them.

Of course, Turris at one point demanded a boatload of money (upwards of $4 or $5 Million) while not really doing anything while with the Coyotes. He's not a regular on the team, he didn't contribute much to the team, and while a fresh-start could do him good-- you can't blame the Coyotes/NHL for not giving him what he wants money wise.

The Turris Camp can say it was never about the money, but if they thought that-- why ask for that kind of money at all, just keep demanding to be traded until you got it. Don't even talk facts and figures-- just say you want out, which would tell them that no amount of money will want him to stay.

Minor League Realignment

It seems that the western NHL teams were very vocal about having their affiliates half-way across the country, especially when it comes to an surprise injury, making a player fly across the country in short time.

Most of the AHL teams are in the Central and Eastern Time Zone, with Abbotsford being the only team in the Pacific Time Zone, which is good for the Flames since it's not TOO far from home-base, but at the same time-- having Los Angeles have to pull guys from Manchester, New Hampshire; not the most ideal situation, of course.

While the idea of ECHL teams being the primary affiliate for these Western teams, which is something that has been used in the past, is one that's a good decision-- this is how it happens when you make the AHL the monopoly for a "AAA" situation in hockey. When the AHL and IHL had the split of the affiliated teams-- it was a little better for some teams, but then it seems the IHL collapsed on itself because of the distances between the teams.

It's definitely a cause for concern for Western Conference teams, but at the same time-- the Kings and the Sharks OWN THEIR AHL FRANCHISES, so they could actually move them as they want them and all of that-- but that cost of travel would be killer as well. If you do some kind of Western AHL situation-- it could work out, but whether the AHL or NHL teams want to risk it, that's the real question.

Affiliates Moving On Up

There seems to be an interesting trend that is coming to light recently. While games have been taken away from some NHL fans due to European travels and outdoor games; they have seemingly had some kind of reprive in the former of future players in their organization.

Starting tonight (December 30th), the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be one of three teams that will take the ice of their parent club. The Baby Pens will take on the Hershey Bears (the Washington Capitals AHL affiliate) at the Consol Energy Center, mostly as a lead-up to the main event on Saturday between the parent clubs. There's also a NCAA game there. However, me looking between the lines as I do-- this could be a way to give another game of revenue that is going to be missed from the arena due to the outdoor game on New Year's.

Subsequently, two other teams in the AHL will be doing the same thing. The Houston Aeros will be playing at the Xcel Energy Center on February 12th (NOTE: Thanks to Ms. Conduct from The Third Intermission for correcting this saying it's on the 13th, because a double hitter was a goofy idea) against the Peoria Rivermen as part of a day/night double-hitter, as the Wild play that night against the Blues (another NHL/AHL affiliation tilt). A few days later on the 18th, the Abbotsford Heat will be playing at the ScotiaBank Saddledome against the Oklahoma City Oil Barons in a mini-Battle of Alberta game, as the Barons are the Edmonton Oilers affiliate.

While this might seem just like a reasoning to get fans in the area more away of their AHL talent, the Wild played two games in Helsinki to open the season, one being a home game; while the Flames are playing in the Heritage Classic. It may seem like a long-shot opinion, but these AHL teams coming into the parent city could be a ploy to actually regain that lost home date in the arena and generate some more bucks.

While that's not a bad thing at all, it does seem to have a trickle down effect. Since these AHL teams are going to play in another arena, the fans at the AHL level lose a game because of it-- which isn't the best way to keep fans around. Even the most loyal of fan has to be peeved at something like. Houston is in the top-five of AHL average attendance (5,766), which has to sting a bit for their fans considering that driving to Minnesota probably isn't an option at all. In the case of the Penguins, whom are sixth (5,750), they could drive there to make up for it and see the new arena, but who knows the means some fans may have, especially with the holiday season being as it is. The Abbotsford Heat are in the bottom-five in attendance (3,382), so it could actually give them a boost when you think about it.

Even so, it's kind of a rough situation to try and pull off. It's good in some aspect, like fans who may not be as close to their prospects actually getting a live look at them, bringing in some exposure to them, and the players who get to experience what it feels like to be in The Show atmosphere if they haven't gotten a taste yet. However, it's definitely bad when fans have to lose a game at home because of one situation to another. And who knows what could happen if the ECHL team wants to play in the AHL arena and so on. The trickle-down theory could be in effect.....but doubtful, just my hypothesis.

In the end, it's all about the parent club getting some revenue in order to maybe keep the affiliate around and be able to generate interest in the home fan base for the minor league team. It definitely should peak the interest in those who aren't going to pay the NHL prices to see some good hockey in their NHL barn. Who knows if this trend will continue for teams that lose a home game or for teams who just want to get an extra date in their barn. As of yet, the other teams who participated in the overseas Premiere games (Boston, Carolina, Columbus, Phoenix, or San Jose) have yet to announce their AHL affiliate playing in their arena

Sorry So Souray

As you know by now, the Edmonton Oilers assigned troubled defenseman Sheldon Souray to the Hershey Bears of the AHL, the affiliate of the Washington Capitals. The Capitals shipped their troubled player by the name of Michael Nylander to the Flordia Panthers AHL affiliate Rochester Americans a couple weeks ago. This could be karma for those crazy Caps....or something.

In any case, the thought of Souray in the AHL is a little bit of an interesting scenario. While we all know of his public blow-up against the Edmonton Oilers, is there going to be a backlash if he doesn't think he's properly used in Hershey?? Is there going to be a case where he poisons another franchise's youth with his tales of mistrust and telling the kids to maybe be on their guard when dealing with front office people?? While I doubt that'll happen, the fact is that he's going to be in a better place than he would be in Edmonton.

Even so, the addition of Souray is going to create less time for some of the younger guys in the Bears line-up to grow and develop and all that fun stuff. That could create some kind of tension, especially if he's there for an extended amount of time-- which could be a good possibility considering the fact that his contract is a good amount against the salary cap. But, if that creates a logjam on the blue line in Hershey, when do the Caps say that's enough and convince the Oilers to take him back??

But, since Souray is going to the land of Chocolate, here's some possible tips for Souray on his adventures in the AHL, the first time since 1998:

-DO enjoy the time in the small community of Hershey and enjoy the relax style they have there.

-DON'T say that you're richer than the chocolate while driving around the tram at the Hershey's Chocolate Plant tour.

-DO decide to venture around the area. There's Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania; while Washington, DC and Baltimore are only a couple hours away. Plus, York is the home of the barbell.....so that's something.

-If you do go to Baltimore-- DON'T mock and talk bad about people on Edmondson Avenue. While it may sound like Edmonton, there's very high odds you could get shot.

-DO play like you want to get back into the NHL and DO show you're a team player.

-DON'T run down Reese's Cups because then you'll be hated throughout the world.

Alright-- so that's that. Now, we get to see what happens with Souray and how he's able to cope with being sent down. Obviously, he's taken his lumps and has a lot to prove to be in the good graces of the NHL executives to take a flier on him-- but Hershey could be the best place to put him-- being TWO-TIME, TWO-TIME defending Calder Cup champions.

Friday Five: Pre-Season Antics

It's another Friday and another gimmick from yours truly. This week, we're going to take a look at the lunacy that is the pre-season....oooo, it's crazy. Like I said earlier this week; not a fan of the pre-season and can't get up for it. Especially now, with people getting hysterical about players performing amazingly in the pre-season-- which leads us to this question:

1. What do you think with some of these rookies tearing up the exhibition games thus far??

Two words: Brandon Bochenski. It's great to hear stories like Magnus Paajarvi (SVENSSON!!) and Matt Hendricks with a hat-trick in their first pre-season game, but at the same time-- it's the pre-season. These kind of hysterics is what makes me hate the pre-season. While it can be a prelude to things to come, but at the same time-- could be a beginning of the end for their 15 minutes of fame.

2. So, does the same go with the likes of Carey Price and Dan Ellis for letting up all those goals??

That's also true, especially in the case of Price. While it could be a backlash to the Habs getting rid of Halak, but he is right to say the fans needed to chill out a bit. As far as Dan Ellis, it could all go back to maybe his focus (or lack thereof). If Ellis's focus is still in question by the end of the pre-season, it could be a long month for him and could get him to lose his spot in one fashion or another, maybe to the lovely city of Norfolk to retool. It's far too soon to throw them under the bus, at least until the first month is over.

3. How about these neutral sites games, like in Winnipeg and Rochester??

The Winnipeg game seems to be tradition and almost is a bit of a tease for those fans who are clamoring for the NHL. With all the speculation, it's something for fans to show how much they'd support NHL hockey. It didn't hurt that they had the Cup champs going there with hometown boy Jonathan Toews there, but still the 14,000+ showed for a meaningless game; they'd be out there to support whomever.

As far as places like Rochester and other minor league cities, that's the perfect display for exhibition games. It's mostly because of the fact that many of these pre-season games have the guys who will play in those cities during the season, but the sprinkle of possible NHLers playing in that game would be an added attraction. If anything, I believe that the pre-season games should be played in the affiliate cities until the last home game in the pre-season schedule so that the home fans can see the roster before the real season starts-- like an advanced screening for a movie or something.

4. Should there be any concern for all the injuries happening??

You're bound to get injuries, but the broken finger for Chris Drury and broken leg for Filip Kuba are a little disheartening, but it gives the chance for other to step up their game and maybe prove their worth to the NHL brass and maybe be the part of the shuttle crew going to and from the NHL this season. The only good thing about injuries is that it gives some other players a chance with the top group, while the downside is that it completely screws up some depth charts and maybe some cap scenarios here and there. That said, once we start seeing a slue of groin and other muscle ailments is when you have to wonder about over and under conditioning issues.

5. The Canadian Hockey League all started this week. How does that make you feel??

Considering that I'm in the same city as the WHL offices and the WHL champion Calgary Hitmen, it's a good time for me. Plus, it's good, affordable hockey for people to go out and enjoy. Plus, it's like a pre-pre-season game, all season, because these are the players of the future and plenty of reason to keep an eye on these youngsters. Especially those who have been drafted, many people can track them as they grow and develop. It's good for everyone to have real hockey action before the NHL starts, just to wet your appetite.

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And that's that for this week. Once again, if you have any questions or recommendations for the F5, email me at will at Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com and you too can have you name in parenthesis and what not. Plus, you can say-- "I did my part and now I can sit back and reap the rewards."

Niche Connection

As many of you may (or may not) know, as much as I'm into hockey; I'm also into the other oft-bashed sport-- NASCAR. In fact, myself and Todd "Wilson" Butts used to do a NASCAR internet radio show called "Pit Stop Radio" from 2001 until 2005. Todd has moved onto Wilson's Race Report and far surpassed the fame I have, but that's neither here nor there.

The thing that I've notice is how closely the two sports intertwine and intermingle in terms of promotional events. Also, these are sports that have their niche markets and have tried to expand out to the more mainstream across the country and even in other continents. Granted, NASCAR has seen a bit more success when expanding into the mainstream; even though they have plenty of detractors for one reason or another. Notwithstanding, there's a decent amount of parallel with the sports on the surface.

When you look deeper, you can see a lot more parallels when it comes to the two, especially when it comes to the minor leagues and their promotional activities. Before we get to that, we have to start out with one of the first cross-promotional items between the two sports. It happened in 1997, the first year for the Carolina Hurricanes. To get their name out there to the masses after the move from Hartford, the team bought space on the back deck-lid and bumper of Jeff Burton's #99 Exide Ford. They call NASCAR the fastest billboards on Earth and it seemed to get some word out there for the masses.

While the Burton thing seemed to be just a one-year deal, the NASCAR community would welcome some more NHL logos in 2004, when Jeremy Mayfield had the 2004 NHL All-Star Game logo on his #19 Dodge Dealers Dodge for the Budweiser Shootout, seen in the picture above. This is when Dodge was the official car of the NHL and they took the chance to get the word out for the All-Star Game during Daytona's Speedweeks. Since then, there has no out and out sponsorship of a team or event.

That said, the likes of Regan Smith (formerly of the #01 DEI Chevy) have used the Carolina Hurricanes logo as a design on his helmet. Also, Martin Truex, Jr. of the #56 NAPA Toyota is an avid Philadelphia Flyers fan since he grew up in Mid-South New Jersey and has seemingly pulled Kevin Harvick (seen here with Flyers forward Jeff Carter), driver of the #29 Shell Chevy in with him to the Flyers fandom. Both Truex and Harvick followed the Flyers through their playoff run last season. Harvick also admitted to watching the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL, which is his hometown team. With NASCAR going into Canada, the Montreal Canadiens embraces driver David Reutimann of the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota and owner Michael Waltrip by presenting them jerseys of the team.

Conversely, there's plenty of hockey teams that incorporate NASCAR into their game-day and jersey schemes. The Charlotte Checkers, where most of the NASCAR teams have their headquarters, often have a NASCAR theme night during the year and the name goes along with the motif of the city prior to hockey. The old UHL has had many NASCAR nights with the checker pattern, as seen here with the Danbury Trashers and many other lower minor leagues and junior teams have done such ideas, as seen by this interesting Tri-City Americans' (WHL) jersey during their NASCAR night. Truex ties into this with being at Syracuse Crunch's NASCAR night in March of 2010.

One of the bigger tie-ins happened earlier in the summer with the SPHL announcing that the Ryan Newman Foundation would be a partner with the league and incorporate special nights with all eight SPHL teams for trips to NASCAR events. Ryan Newman is the driver of the #39 US Army Chevy and his foundation educates and supports animal welfare. Newman and his wife are hockey fans and thought that this would be a nice tie-in to the area that the SPHL targets.

While they seem miles apart in terms of philosophy, the fans of each sport and the sports themselves are somewhat on par. The fans, most of them are avid and very knowledgeable of the ins and outs of the game, while those who are new to the sport often pick it up fairly quickly and embed themselves quickly. The sports are both quick, high tempo, and often have strategy to them when the game or race is on the line. Of course, hockey can turn in all directions and NASCAR is usually all-left, that's neither here nor there. The point is that while it seems like these two "niche" sports wouldn't be in the same ballpark as each other, they are closer than some would like to admit.

Hockey Team Identity Project: Florida Everblades

When The Girl and I were talking about doing this, the idea was trying to get an idea on why names were the way they were. While most in this project have been "Name the Team" contests, sometimes they seem to link into the location one way or another. This team is one of them, as the location of the ECHL's Florida Everblades is close enough to the Florida Everglades where the pun is solid and fitting.

"With the team being in proximity of the Everglades, the name formed along those lines," said Kevin Reiter, Broadcaster and Public Relations Manager for the Everblades. "It came from similar situations like the old Kentucky Thoroughblades."

It may be an odd off-take, but it's something that is catchy and has obviously worked for the team, as the brand is one of the more noticeable when it comes down to it. In fact, only the Wheeling Nailers (1988) and South Carolina Stingrays (1993) have been in the ECHL longer than the Everblades, who have been in the league since 1998. The 'Blades have even used the same logo and color scheme throughout their entire tenure.

"The blue and green colors come originally from our affiliation and ownership being the current Carolina Hurricanes and old Harford Whalers. When our team was first introduced we played off the Whalers blue and green colors," Reiter informed me. And I must say, the blue and green combination is underused and a sharp look for most teams who do use it.

The jersey schemes they have used are very interesting. They currently use something similar to their parent Hurricanes, with the piping around the shoulder yoke, as well as alligator teeth along the hem. In the past they have done something similar to the Montreal Canadiens' scheme with the stripe across the middle, as well as template like the Nike Swift Olympic jerseys that many countries have used in the past, but with teeth under the arms. Even so, the colors and logo stay the same. At the start, they obviously used something like the Whalers used to use in the template.

I think the amazing thing, especially with the changing landscape of minor league hockey; the 'Blades never really compromised for their brand; logo and colors. Sure, their jersey schemes have changed through the years, but the basic principle of their identity has stayed in tact and really should be the blueprint for most minor league teams when trying to be successful.

Thanks to Kevin Reiter for the information on the 'Blades. Visit FloridaEverblades.com for all things to do with the 'Blades.

Hockey Team Identity Project: Reading Royals

For this installment of the Hockey Team Identity Project that Captain Hammer (with a great history lesson on the Wheeling Nailers) and I are undertaking, I went to a particularly interesting case in terms of marketing and branding. For the Reading Royals, they prove that building the brand is something that is much more efficient than aligning with the parent team.

To start it off, the Royals are the reincarnation of the Columbus Chill, who voluntarily suspended operations to make way for the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the 2001-02 season, Reading was the spot for them, with the Royals name coming down from a Name-the-Team contest; but it was a solid choice. The name went in line with the affiliations they had, the Los Angeles Kings and Manchester Monarchs-- why not have the Royals as the three jewel in the crown, so to speak. The Royals went into the color scheme of having black, purple, and silver, again going along with the affiliation scheme.


The affiliation between the two went very well, but in 2008; the Kings went to the Ontario (Calif.) Reign as their top ECHL affiliate, but used Reading as a secondary affiliate. The Toronto Maple Leafs came in to become the primary affiliate for the Royals. In 2009-10, the Boston Bruins came in to be the secondary affiliate to the the Royals.

With two teams that don't have the same color scheme of as what you have now, what's a team to do?? The Royals decided to keep the name, logo, and colors they had always had, which was different from the teams they were affiliated with. Why, you may ask?? For that answer, I went to the Royals General Manager, Gordon Kaye for some insight.

"If you were to change the colors or name, you'd be throwing away seven years of brand away along with it," said Kaye. "People in Reading know the black, purple, and silver and equate it to the Royals. There's no reason to to force yourself into rebuilding what is already a good, vibrant brand when people in the area are already familiar with it."

That's not to say they didn't think about changing things around.

"We spent a lot time thinking about maybe going in a different direction, but in the end; we didn't want to lose the brand equity we had built up already. People know the name, know the logo, know the colors-- we aren't going to throw that away," explained Kaye.


This piece gave an inside look at how things go down and the process that happens should a parent affiliation decide to leave the minor league club. While you may think that some teams change just for the sake of change; it's good to know that the fans and the brand that has been instilled in the community were taken into consideration. The old adage hold true in this instance-- you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Thanks to Royals GM Gordon Kaye for taking time out and provide information about the Royals history and the process that went along with it. Go to RoyalsHockey.com for more info about the Royals.

The Hockey Team Identity Project: Grand Rapids Griffins

With this installment of the HTIP, I've decided to go to a team who has kept the same identity though a merger/takeover, but only accented their look a bit when they got an affiliate who's colors were somewhat different to the team's original identity. This time, we're looking at the Grand Rapids Griffins and how they were able to blend in the theme of a parent club without compromising the original identity.

The Griffins' owners were awarded an expansion franchise by the IHL in fall of 1995. The team then went with a "Name-the-Team" contest, which drew thousands of entries. The name Griffins were on multiple entries and thus the name was born. The griffin is a mythological creature with the body of a lion, but head and wings of an eagle. When I asked Senior Director of Public Relations Randy Cleves about it, he said that the ownership thought the griffin's traits of being fierce, tough, aggressive, smart, and a bit of a smart-alec transferred very well to the identity of a hockey team.

The Griffins then had to turn to a logo, which was made by Sean Michael Edwards Design, which is based out New York. Edwards' design depicted the spirit of the team name properly with logo' giving it a fierce look while giving the elements of the mythological creature a modern feel to it. The original colors of the Griffins were navy, green, gold, silver, with red accents to the logo. That was the scheme that was used when the team entered the league in 1996, up until the end of the 2001-02 season, as seen below.

For the 2002-03 season, the Griffins dropped the green accents are added more red to them, as they had an affiliate with the Detroit Red Wings. The Griffins even started to incorporate the parent's team identity with an alternate jersey what was like the Red Wings, but with a whited-out alternate and primary Griffins' logo and jersey to match that of the Red Wings. Even so, the Griffins kept their identity from day-to-day, even though the red in the pants stand out from the rest of the navy motif they have for themselves; seen below.

While they may have changed a bit, it wasn't as drastic as many others that have come over from the IHL, though the Chicago Wolves have pretty much stayed the same, as have the Manitoba Moose. Either way, the unique name that ties into a solid mentality; plus a color scheme that gives the team their own identity while blending in the parent affiliation makes for a solid identity and one that people won't confuse for another.

Thanks again to Randy Cleves, Senior Director of Public Relations for the Griffins for the information. Check out GriffinsHockey.com for more info about the Griffins.

The Hockey Team Identity Project: Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Like was put forth by The Girl in her look at the Tri-City Americans yesterday, the key for this project is to get more inside the name of some of the unique team names. If anything, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers encompass that in that they have a very unique name and identity. In fact, so much so; many people think the location of the team is Bridgeport Sound, much like Owen Sound of the OHL. However, the city of Bridgeport is it's own entity, yet the name does have to do with a sound.

For this, I went to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and got a great response from the Sound Tigers' Marketing Assistant, Mr. Tom Morris. The insight he provide from the team's name and how the color palette today came about.

When it came to the name, it's broken up in two bits. First, the Sound part of it has to do with the Long Island Sound. "The Sound, as it’s commonly referred to around here, is a huge part of the city’s economy and serves as the link to Long Island. We have been affiliated with the NHL’s New York Islanders from day one, so this stresses the link between the two organizations." Morris continued with the Tigers side, "Tigers are the key attraction at Bridgeport’s Beardsley Zoo and are also symbolic of the Barnum and Bailey Circus, which began in Bridgeport. P.T. Barnum is an iconic figure here and even served as mayor of Bridgeport at one point."

So, the name serves a very historical and symbolic pattern to the team and area. It's very apropos when including the Sound and having the symbolism that links Long Island and Connecticut, much like the Islanders connect to the Sound Tigers. While I'm sure I had some kind of idea of the Long Island Sound being a part of it, now that I definitely know about it-- makes it that much more awesome of a name.

Many of you may or may not know that the Sound Tigers were the first team on BroadcastMonsters.com and the old BCM Hockey Network that the Face Off Hockey Show is apart of and still is, though under the new All-In Broadcasting incarnation. When the team first started, their jerseys and color scheme was very unique and while they were connected with the Islanders, didn't have much of an Islanders trace to it, as shown below.


(Photo from "OneTigerFan" Flickr account via Google Image Search)

However, that's when the Sound Tigers were working as an ownership independent of the parent team. Morris went on to talk about why the team changed from that motif to a the color scheme closer to the Islanders.

"The change in colors came when the Islanders owner (Charles Wang) purchased our team, as well. The idea was to emphasize the affiliation to the benefit of both organizations, building the Islanders fan base in Connecticut and cross-selling the minor league team to die-hard Islanders fans who want to keep up with the team’s prospects. We tweaked our colors last year ahead of the Islanders upcoming change to new vintage-themed uniforms."

That change you can see on this photo below this text.

With all of this, the Sound Tigers seem like the perfect fit to this project. The name is something that many people may seem silly, but when you dig deeper into it, the meaning of name is a perfect fit to not only the affiliation, but the town as well. These are the connects that will mean much more than having most fan voting systems to pick names.

Much thanks once again to Tom Morris, the Marketing Assistant for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. For more information, head to SoundTigers.com for all things Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Baltimore Hockey History: The Last Baltimore Hockey Team....For Now

Two years after the Skipjacks left for Portland, Maine; Bob Teck and Alan Gertner thought it would be time to bring some kind of hockey back to the area, because they had thought it was for the best. These two pump millions of dollars to get the Bandits off the ground. They also had the backing of the Disney Corporation, who designed the raccoon logo and jerseys that were worn on-ice (As an aside, anyone with a lead on where to get one of these jerseys-- let me know). With that kind of clout and the mentality that they would be able to provide a good atmosphere for the fans, there was a positive vibe for the team to come through the struggles and actually make Baltimore more than a hockey footnote.

The ideology was superb to start. Teck said that with over 30 area high schools having teams and kids playing in the streets, it was the right time in order to expand the landscape of popularity. The ownership team learned, also, from the mistakes of the past. An article done by current NFL Network contributer Jason LaCanfora about the new team showed what the Bandits team had learned from what the Skipjacks could not.

The Baltimore Bandits will market extensively and promote the sport. The Skipjacks did little in those areas to boost the team. Bob Leffler, whose ad agency handled the Skipjacks, now works for the Bandits. He said the new ownership is consumed with making hockey work.

"Gertec is putting together a massive marketing campaign," Leffler said. "They are dedicated to spending $1 million to advertising. The last time we had that kind of financial support was with the Blast [of the Major Indoor Soccer League] in the mid-'80s. They were drawing 11,000 fans a game then."

Bandits merchandise has been in stores since mid-July, the team already has begun advertising on Orioles radio broadcasts and it is negotiating with three local radio stations for broadcast rights. It will focus its campaign on television and billboard advertising in the coming months.

You could see that these guys were waiting for the money to start rolling in for this team. You have to spend money to make money, right?? Right??

In any case, there was a big buzz around the new team. The purple, silver, and black was ready to hit the ice and maybe erase the entire loss of the Skipjacks, even though the Jacks were beloved for the past decade. The Bandits had a backing from a major corporation and seemed to be primed to be a big success.

The first season on ice, there were ups and downs, but the fans seemed to turn out at the start. I, myself, along with Papa Stan Wazz were partial season ticket holders because it was a little bit closer than traveling to Landover to watch the Capitals play. The team had their finesse guys, but also the bruisers. The likes of Jeremy Stevenson and Peter Leboutillier had over 200 PIMs on the season, while Dwayne Norris, Mike Maneluk, Slava Butsayev, and Steven King were lighting up the score sheet. The likes of Darren Van Impe and J-F Jomphe were chartering between the AHL and NHL, as Denny Lambert became a folk hero as he moved down to Baltimore after his Anaheim dreams didn't pan out. Another folk hero was Mike O'Neill, who set an AHL record for playing 74 games in a season in the 1995-96 season.

While the Bandits finished with a 33-36-9 record and third in the Southern Division. They made the playoffs, although everyone but two teams made the playoffs. They were able to upset the Hershey Bears 3-games-to-2 in the first round and lost in seven games to the other underdog Syracuse Crunch, who finished last in their division. The on-ice product seemed to be there, but it's off-ice where things started to go horribly wrong.

Three-quarters through the season, the ownership trust of Teck and Gertner was in trouble. They had unpaid debt to a number of groups. The team owed their parent team, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, $500,000, as well; they owed the AHL $100,000 of the $1 million franchise fee. The duo of Teck and Gertner decided to hand over the team, not even out of their first year, to Mike Caggiano; a Northern Virginia businessman, who went to school in Baltimore and owned the Potomac Cannons baseball team to some success. Teck and Gertner made more bad decisions than good, but when it comes to an expansion team-- you have to make good decisions through and through; especially in an uneasy market. Caggiano gave his confidence that the team would stay in the city and would be on even ground after management and financial re-structuring.

The second season had as much turmoil on the ice as they were off the ice. On the ice, there was a coaching change as Walt Kyle was replaced with Moe Mantha as Kyle went to Anaheim. There were a lot of changes with the likes of O'Neill, Norris, Butsayev, and the other notable gone to other pastures. Craig Reichert, Mike LeClerc, and David Sacco held up the offense and they had five guys with over 20 goals on the season, including Bob Wren, Sean Pronger, and Igor Nikulin added with Reichert and LeClerc. The goaltending of Mike Bales and Tom Askey couldn't fulfill the workload that O'Neill had left, which led to struggles from the team. Even with all of that, the Bandits finished up with a 30-37-10 record, but lost in the first round as the Philadelphia Phantoms dominated the Bandits in a three-game sweep.

Things were much worse off the ice, as debt continued to pile-up. After the 1995-96 season, the Bandits were $1.6 million in debt, but it rose to $3.7 million after the 1996-97 season, including owing the AHL more than $500,000 in franchise costs, their billboard people over $30,000, the audio/visual team over $3,000, and their jersey people $5,000 for lettering the jerseys. Caggiano realized he was over his head and looked to sell the team. Some of the shareholders tried to stop any sale because they though insider debt would be recouped, but that didn't seem to be the case. The team was eventually sold to the owners of the Cincinnati Gardens and the team became the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. In the state-of-the-franchise report, Caggiano said that they did all they could in order to save the franchise.

Even more over, the Bandits were having issues with the schedule. They often were bumped by the owners of the building to give preference to the Baltimore Spirit indoor soccer team over any Bandits games that could take place. That brought the attendance and general interest down because of it. Caggiano went against the city council many times trying to lobby for a new arena for the team, as the Baltimore Arena lacked what a professional team needed. Caggiano also went as far as going to the AHL and trying to relocate the Bandits' playoff games to Hershey, Pennsylvania because of the Spirit locking up dates in the Baltimore Arena. It did not happen, but it was an interesting proposition. Of course, that left a bad taste in the mouth of the city council, thus support dwindled; which helped along the demise.

It only took two seasons for this team to go into the crapper and really was one of the first of the rotating teams the AHL had gone through. The Bandits were one of the many teams to not last long in their area and relocate-- along with the Kentucky Thoroughblades, Carolina Monarchs, PEI Senators, and Cornwall Aces to name a few. While there is still shuffling today, it's not as wide-spread it seems.

The ownership to start had a lot of promise for the team. They did all they could to make hockey a mainstay in the Baltimore landscape, but there could have been a lot of sidetracking with he Ravens coming into the NFL and the poorly processed marketing campaigns. While the sport on the grassroots level has become popular through time, the actual professional game has never and may never take off as it should or could in the Baltimore area. Especially with the popularity of the Capitals, the time could never be better for hockey in the area. Yet, with the lack of a new arena and support from outside interests-- the time-frame will close shut before anything tangible and realistically comes to be.

City of Abbotsford Taking The Heat-- Literally

It's been quite the adventurous week for the Abbotsford Heat. First, head coach Jim Playfair's little flip-out goes viral and makes him the craziest coach since Robbie Ftorek threw a bench on the ice. Now, there comes news about a bigger problem for the Heat than a crazy coach and horrific name.

The Vancouver Province reports that the City of Abbotsford has guaranteed the Heat $5.7M in annual expenses, regardless of the fan support. With all the troubles the area is having in terms of road repairs (city said the budget is $18M short) and crime-rate (tops in Canadian cities with populations between 100k and 500k), the money is being spent to keep the team afloat in an area that hasn't been proven to support a professional team. With the $82M arena being built on taxpayer money, it's a shock more people aren't coming out to see what their taxes are actually going towards. For the 7,000 seat capacity arena, the Heat are only filling an average of 3,900 of that this season, their first in the AHL since moving from Moline, Illinois. Even down the line, there's a guarantee for the Heat should they not be able to meet expectations next season, with $2M being set aside already for it. The City Manager has said that it's a necessity in order to keep AHL hockey in the city.

That brings up the interesting conundrum of how much is too much when trying to keep a team afloat. Most cities don't give guarantees, which is why there's no Quebec or Winnipeg NHL teams anymore, so said Vince Dimanno, president of the Abbotsford Ratepayers Association. But even with hockey being Canada's game and being very embraced throughout the country-- is there a chance that it's not for everywhere??

The fundamental flaw for the Heat is that their the furthest West team in the AHL. They are 1,387 miles West of Winnipeg, home of the Moose, and 2,305 miles Northwest of San Antonio, home of the Rampage. And those are the closest teams to them. With a league where the teams are very populated in the Northeast of the US; the travel cost alone put the team in the hole. Couple that with the lack of attendance, which could be related to the lack of promotion the team has been getting; and you have yourself a huge recipe for disaster.

Yet, even with all that; should a city really put their finances into a fledgling hockey team, just to keep them here and make them not look too foolish for their blunder in reasoning. I mean, they built a huge arena just for this team and they don't want to let that go to waste....like a some Midwestern US locations that have an expensive arena with no tenant. The next biggest arena in Abbotsford is only 400 seats, which shows you the big gap between teams in the area. If a city had to go all out in order to build an arena and attract a team there when there wasn't too much of an outcry (as far as I know) for a pro club-- then the mistake was happening from the word go. Especially when you have Chilliwack 23 miles West of the city and they have a WHL team there, who isn't shabby and will provide just as exciting hockey.

There was plenty of questions when it came to the move from Illinois to Abbotsford, but it's just another in a long line of questionable things when it comes to minor league placement for the Calgary Flames. Whether or not this will end in disaster after a couple of years like it has in the past, it remains to be seen. It may not happen, especially when the city itself is funding the team to stay-- which is saving the Flames' asses in terms of keeping a team afloat.

30 and 30

Today, two new AHL affiliations with NHL clubs were announced. The announcing of these affiliations give the NHL and AHL 30 teams in the leagues, with every team having a direct affiliate without having to split-off of another team.

First, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced they wouldn't be with the Syracuse Crunch any longer and move their affiliation to Springfield and the Falcons. The deal is for one year with a one-year option following it. The Falcons were abandoned by the Edmonton Oilers after the Oilers announced they would be moving their affiliate to Oklahoma City. The Jackets will be responsible for all hockey operations, which means coaching, front office, the whole shebang. Of course, the one-year deal could mean that the Springfield team could be relocated after one or two years-- but it remains to be seen.

So, with the Syracuse Crunch not having a NHL team and the Anaheim Ducks not having an AHL affiliate; it was a match made in heaven. The Ducks announced a multi-year deal in affiliation with the Crunch. The Ducks will just have to stock the Crunch with players, as the Crunch are an independently owned franchise, the longest in the AHL.

What was one thought as far-fetched is now reality with every NHL team having an AHL affiliate and don't have to worry about the whole split affiliation and players not getting the time they should or what-have-you. It also gives me a chance to update my list on distance of affiliation.

And that's what's up with that. This all starts in 2010-11.

Going the Distance

With the announcements of the Carolina Hurricanes having their AHL affiliate move to Charlotte from Albany and the Edmonton Oilers moving their AHL affiliate to Oklahoma City from Springfield, MA; it made me think about the distance between the NHL clubs and their AHL affiliate clubs.

So, with the wonders of free-time on my hands, Wikipedia, and MapQuest (aka SeanQuest), I decided to make a little chart about how far it is from the NHL arena to the AHL arena. This is based on the 2010-11 season, hence Charlotte and OKC being in the mix and the Penguins using their new arena, as well. Also, as of now-- the Anaheim Ducks have no AHL affiliate, thus the "Parts Unknown" gimmick.

ENJOY!! And, click to enlarge....wocka, wocka.

The thing that really stands out is not only is Toronto absurdly close to Toronto, but that the likes of the Kings and Sharks have their affiliates so far away. Granted, there's not many AHL teams beyond east Texas, but you'd think they'd move their guys closer. I guess that's why you see some of their call-ups come from the ECHL teams based in California over the AHL, especially in a bind.

Just food for thought with the silly season of minor league hockey coming around.

Flags + Fire Reference = Flames Affiliate

The Abbotsford Heat, formerly the Quad City Flames and Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, are going to playing next season as the Calgary Flames affiliate. This past week, they put out their new identity which is something that was a change from the usual take the Flames jersey, paste a Flames-esque logo on the jersey, and play. Parts of that is true, but still.


As you see from the new set, the logo itself at the top is kind of....meh. Of course, the assumption that the Flames would bring back the old Atlanta Flames "A" for the jersey would have actually made sense and move some merchandise for those who love that logo and look for the Flames. In fact, looking at the logo-- it almost looks like it's a logo from a lacrosse team.

The jerseys are pretty much the Flames jerseys, but with the yellow in the Flames template being replaced with silver and the Alberta flag being replaced with the British Columbia flag, which make sense since the Heat will actually play in BC. I mean, I guess the scheme works, but you have to wonder....when has heat ever been silver?? I mean, I think heat, I think red, orange, yellow, and black as the aftermath. Maybe that's just me-- I'm old school like that.

As a whole, it's something we've come to expect from the Flames when it comes to their franchise affiliate and having something to do with the Flames name. It's been very rare that the Flames have had an affiliate without the matching named. I would have loved to see the flaming "A" on the jersey with like a Flames' template motif, minus the black on it-- just to see how it could hold up, but it is not to be. Once they take the ice, it'll be easier to judge, but now we have just take from this hope for the best later.