Central Hockey League - The Slow Spin Down the Bowl Continues
- Thread starter CrazyEddie20
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I'm guessing four, five or six of the CHL teams (Wichita,Missouri, Rapid, Allen, and possibly Tulsa and / or Quad City) join and a few of the ECHL teams get shoved out (Alaska plus a few other west coast teams). Alaska joins the NAHL, and the Cali ECHL teams join the AHL. At the end, the "Slow spin down the bowl continues" thread enjoys a slow spin down the bowl along with a few other ECHL teams.
Al?
RLR
No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
I'll believe it when I see it. Not saying I'd be shocked, as it seemed obvious for a while that the ECzhL would eventually gobble up a few of their remaining choice teams, but just always believed that the CHL would keep hobbling along no matter what until proven otherwise.
The CHL has hobbled along since 1992, I'm not horribly worried about seeing hockey in Wichita. 5,000 a night takes care of that. The 3,000 ECHL a night teams can roll their eyes all they want, butts in seats are the truest test that teams need to meet. Given that the Thunder's owners own three teams that all draw over 4,000 a night, I'm not too worried about the ability to keep enough teams in the league to keep all three alive, the IHL lasted long enough with Fort Wayne propping up the league to jump to the CHL, then to the ECHL.
Its clear that the ECHL will end up being the ECHL once again, with the E, as in the East, being the main focus of the league. The whole dream of a 30 / 30 / 30 league lineup has been a pipe dream at best. The western NHL teams will end up being the end of the 30/30/30 dream.
Once the NHL parents move their AHL affiliations west, more than likely next season, the dream ends. The CHL has the markets in the midwest that the ECHL can't provide, especially if OKC ends up losing their NHL parent and end up back in the CHL or ECHL. If the ECHL loses the California ECHL teams, I would laugh at the conference lineups with only four western teams and Alaska. Every "Midwestern" ECHL team would rather bail than make two or three trips way out west.
You do the maff:
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=zOZ01sv2DGic.kVqCa65_4w2c
How do the Western ECHL teams stay viable without the California teams?
Al?
RLR
Tao Jersey Jones
Registered User
ECHL/CHL merger deserves it own thread? No?
Maybe a spin down the bowl for the weaker/newer (less established) teams, but certainly not the stronger teams?
Also lends credence to AHL West or at least more midwest and Southwest. Maybe not by next season.
Just sayin'
Maybe a spin down the bowl for the weaker/newer (less established) teams, but certainly not the stronger teams?
Also lends credence to AHL West or at least more midwest and Southwest. Maybe not by next season.
Just sayin'
GindyDraws
I will not disable my Adblock, HF
Well, Denver folded, so we are down to 8. Mile High Sports is stating that the CHL has a revised schedule to be released in a few days. I don't buy it.
Also, never got around to asking, but Arizona even come close to half their goal with that dumpster gimmick?
Seriously, this is the last year.
Also, never got around to asking, but Arizona even come close to half their goal with that dumpster gimmick?
Seriously, this is the last year.
Darryl Wolski @darrylwolski
Arizona Sundogs have ceased operation as well .... players have been notified #chl
Arizona Sundogs have ceased operation as well .... players have been notified #chl
...can the CHL even make it to 2015?
No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
Sheesh, bad couple days for the CHL. Wonder if the "merger" talks have some backing to it, and it's akin to the NHL/WHA merger making it clear that a few teams from the junior league weren't going to be let in, so the more troubled franchises cut their losses.
hkymnky
Registered User
- Feb 17, 2010
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Just came across this interesting and well written article that seems to suggest that there may be one more team to fold before the start of the season. Could it be Brampton?
LadyStanley
Registered User
http://www.9news.com/story/sports/2...roats-chl-hockey-suspend-operations/14341273/
Story on Denver suspending operations
Story on Denver suspending operations
mk80
Registered User
- Jul 30, 2012
- 8,046
- 8,593
It does seem interesting, Brampton has huge travel costs, and as the league shrinks why put up the money associated with the travel, plus all the hassel of getting the team across the boarder for every game, combined with at best mediocre attendance.
For now the CHL better hope that Arizona and Brampton remain in tact rather than drop to 6 or worse 7 teams.
I'm also curious does anyone have any information regarding the CHL's lawsuit against the ECHL?
For now the CHL better hope that Arizona and Brampton remain in tact rather than drop to 6 or worse 7 teams.
I'm also curious does anyone have any information regarding the CHL's lawsuit against the ECHL?
battfan888
Podcaster
Maddog
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- Dec 17, 2008
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No. One boarder on another site has claimed to have seen the court documents but hasn't given any proof or actual information from the documents. Funny since court documents are a public record and anyone can view a copy of them. A search of AZ's courts reveals no lawsuit against the ECHL.
As you probably know by now, Arizona is gone for this season. Seven teams. Repeat of the old UHL imploding.
Here is the court case. A lot of the documents are only the screenshot of the first page.
http://courts.dallascounty.org/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=4810277
GindyDraws
I will not disable my Adblock, HF
That link goes nowhere for me.
But I did read the lawsuit on the blog, which refers to the Western Professional Hockey League, a Texas-based league (with Louisiana and New Mexico teams) that lasted for three years and was absorbed by the CHL itself, resulting in the most amount of teams it ever had.
Anyway, I know I said Denver "folded", and they are referring to suspending operations, but many teams that suspend operations tend to not come back, and in a market where you are in a league that is in horrible shape and another minor league team is a few miles away in another league that is a more healthy league (not saying the ECHL is fit, because they used to push near 30 teams when they were hanging around the East Coast, but compared to the CHL...).
As for Arizona, I'm not surprised, although the Prescott Valley Snail News has yet to confirm or deny this. The team has slogged for years with bad attendence in spite of having a decent product (and a Miron Cup championship). Even if they were in the ECHL, where they would have closer rivals like Ontario and Utah, it would be a losing effort.
And, if you had to bloodlet one more franchise, it'd have to be Brampton. I've said this numerous times, but Brampton had an OHL team for many years (the now-North Bay Batallion) and they did not support the team at all, and the franchise struggled in both revenue and on-ice performance. If you fail to support a team in a league where most of your rivals are a short drive or, at worst, a quick plane flight away, then how in the hell would you bother putting a team in a league where you have to worry about work visas and long-range travel plans.
I didn't know that they don't want to discuss "merger" talks because I feel the ECHL would rather let the CHL die and then offer franchise expansion to the remaining CHL markets. I'd prefer it if they gave a discounted amount for some of the teams, because at least five (Wichita, Tulsa, Allen, Missouri, and Rapid City) would be good markets as the ECHL might have to settle for the mountain states as their boundry if they wind up losing California from this whole "AHL Pacific Division" nonsense. Coupled with a return of Peoria and a possible return of Oklahoma City if the AHL fails there, the ECHL might wind up becoming a more dominant league if they do things right.
LadyStanley
Registered User
http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche...throats-sit-out-2014-15-chl-season?source=rss
DP on Cutthroats suspension
http://pvtrib.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=61622
Story on Arizona's suspension
DP on Cutthroats suspension
http://pvtrib.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=61622
Story on Arizona's suspension
LadyStanley
Registered User
Official announcements
http://centralhockeyleague.com/news/?article_id=11184
Denver
http://centralhockeyleague.com/news/?article_id=11186
Arizona
http://centralhockeyleague.com/news/?article_id=11184
Denver
http://centralhockeyleague.com/news/?article_id=11186
Arizona
mk80
Registered User
- Jul 30, 2012
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Well 7 teams now unless Brampton does call it before the season starts. I believe the CHL is finally sunk. I feel sorry for the franchises that are soldiering on and will be good expansion candidates for the ECHL.
Interestingly enough the Sundogs had an ad for a 40% off clearance sale in their team store on their website.
Well one thing is certain about the season, it looks like Allen, Witchita, Tulsa, Missouri, Rapid City, and Quad City will make the playoffs this year.
Interestingly enough the Sundogs had an ad for a 40% off clearance sale in their team store on their website.
Well one thing is certain about the season, it looks like Allen, Witchita, Tulsa, Missouri, Rapid City, and Quad City will make the playoffs this year.
Last edited:
hkymnky
Registered User
- Feb 17, 2010
- 139
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Funny story about the WPHL. The league was founding in 1996 (just four years after the current incarnation of the CHL) and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Entertainment. Their business plan was simple: convince cities to build arenas (with Global Entertainment as the arena managers) and use the promise of a professional hockey team as primary tenant to seal the deal. This worked well enough until some of the WPHL ownership groups started going broke and/or losing interest and teams began to fold. In 2001 the WPHL and CHL entered into a "joint operating agreement" in which the WPHL would control the combined league's operations. Citation.
As you may recall it wasn't until last year that the team owners purchased the CHLfrom Global Entertainment. So technically up until then the CHL was really the WPHL doing business as the CHL...and hence why the WPHL is the name given in the law suit.
Based on the article I linked earlier it definitely sounds like the ECHL/CHL "merger" is going to be a lot like the ECHL/WCHL "merger". Which is to say...not a merger at all. Most likely the ECHL will simply offer expansion franchises to the remaining CHL teams (of their choice), and those that are willing to pay will make the jump.
The ECHL is definitely looking to be the big winner in all of this...even with the possible loss of its California foothold. A 30/30/30 system is looking more like a reality, and the ECHL will soon stand alone North America's AA hockey league.
Now if only they could come up with a better name
The WCHL teams did not have to pay any admission fee to the ECHL. The merger was basically the WCHL ceasing to exist and the ECHL taking on all the teams for free. Since there were some strong markets out west, it worked out for a time. Ultimately, the ECHL will come out of this about even if the ECHL/CHL merger and the West Coast AHL thing happens. We'll see if everything falls into place. There are a lot of moving parts that would have to happen to get there.
paul-laus
Registered User
- Jun 20, 2007
- 474
- 65
It's time to put ol' yeller down now but sadly, I think we all know the CHL will keep on trucking with some pathetically constructed seven team conference and Brampton out on an island. Like the old prize fighter that just won't call it a career or the cockroach struggling through a nuclear genocide, the egos involved just can't let go even when the 10 team minimum to keep the league afloat now seems like a distant memory. A new low for this league has now reached epic proportions....
