Memorial Cup Bids

[HF92]

The one thing I wanted to add when I was talking about Memorial Day weekend is that Frankenmuth and the entire region is the most traveled destination in Michigan during that weekend. Last 2 years they've broken records for the amount of people that have attended.

The Memorial Cup this year starts May 26th, same weekend. It always falls on Memorial day weekend, Starting or ending.

Summer kickoff: 1.1 million Michigan residents to travel for Memorial Day Weekend

AAA Michigan reports slightly more residents are traveling more than 50 miles than last year.

www.mlive.com

Saginaw County parks reported record visitor numbers this year. Here’s why.

A significant milestone was reached this week at county-operated parks,

www.google.com

Where does everyone stay? :S

 

[dirty12]

In regards to an indigenous jersey they were going to wear which was essentially just a tee-pee.

Thanks for that info.

The Soo has built a team in an off-season though @dirty12 We are TRUSTED by the league to do this, unlike the situation in Niagara.

You have it on good authority that (the league trusts) SSM with arguably the least talented forward group in the entire league to build a contender quicker than Niagara with ~1/3 of the draft capital?
Geez, that seems very Fischy!

We went on runs with no 2nd round picks for crying out loud lol

After picking top 4 in 3/4 drafts and the departing GM leaving Dubas overflowing draft cupboard(s) which set the hounds up for years.

The other thing is the Greyhounds were not healthy ONCE this year..not one time did we have the true roster we were supposed to have. Thats a huge factor. Some of those OT games go our way and its a totally different story right now.

Too many teams can use that excuse to be a real reason

On paper, you see the standings but in reality, the team isn't as bad as it looks. I mean outside of Beck...who is better than Barker next year?

Players listed by Pops and more

I also believe that team performance this year is the least important factor in their decision-making.

 

[Kingpin794]

The one thing I wanted to add when I was talking about Memorial Day weekend is that Frankenmuth and the entire region is the most traveled destination in Michigan during that weekend. Last 2 years they've broken records for the amount of people that have attended.

Summer kickoff: 1.1 million Michigan residents to travel for Memorial Day Weekend

AAA Michigan reports slightly more residents are traveling more than 50 miles than last year.

www.mlive.com

Saginaw County parks reported record visitor numbers this year. Here’s why.

A significant milestone was reached this week at county-operated parks,

www.google.com

Where does everyone stay? :S




View attachment 666526

In Saginaw. Like literally 5 minutes down the highway. Or Bay City. Or Midland. You have to let this fascination with Frankemuth go.

 

[HF92]

In Saginaw. Like literally 5 minutes down the highway. Or Bay City. Or Midland. You have to let this fascination with Frankemuth go.

It's the entire region... it says the region and I said Frankenmuth above because it literally is the #1 travel destination in Michigan LOL

They're the two of the busiest areas in Michigan during that weekend. FRANKENMUTH and MIDLAND

 

[Savard18]

In Saginaw. Like literally 5 minutes down the highway. Or Bay City. Or Midland. You have to let this fascination with Frankemuth go.

Except it’s not LITERALLY 5 minutes away but yeah, most of those people are gonna be just staying at their homes in the Bay Area, Flint, Lapeer, Owosso etc.

 

[HF92]

Except it’s not LITERALLY 5 minutes away but yeah, most of those people are gonna be just staying at their homes in the Bay Area, Flint, Lapeer, Owosso etc.

Regardless the points I'm making is that the Soo is better than Saginaw logistically no matter what way you shape it.. it's definitely not 5 minutes

Summer kickoff: 1.1 million Michigan residents to travel for Memorial Day Weekend

AAA Michigan reports slightly more residents are traveling more than 50 miles than last year.

www.mlive.com

That yellow circle is DOW EVENT.

That yellow dash below is GFL.

that's what 5 minutes away from the arena looks like. 5 minute walking distance away lol.

 

[HF92]

You have to let this fascination with Frankemuth go.

This "fascination" is part of your bid.. it's part of the plan so I'm not just gonna let it go lol

 

[Kingpin794]

Except it’s not LITERALLY 5 minutes away but yeah, most of those people are gonna be just staying at their homes in the Bay Area, Flint, Lapeer, Owosso etc.

Tittabawassee Road has several hotels and is 5 minutes away from the arena. The other towns are not but are a short drive away.

 

[Kingpin794]

This "fascination" is part of your bid.. it's part of the plan so I'm not just gonna let it go lol

Well I hope you enjoy your stay in our little slice of Bavaria then since there is no other option for you at all.

 

[dirty12]

The gap is wide between the rosters of Saginaw <--> and the other 3 teams. Saginaw is still winning (6-3-0-1 in their last 10). The best of the other 3 is the Soo (2-6-1-1).

True it's not performance this year but rather projected performance / potential performance next year that is looked at. But I would argue that Saginaw is set up better than any of the other 3 in terms of roster turnover. I worry about Niagara and Kingston graduating too many defensemen and really struggling on the back end. Similarly, I worry about the Soo being able to generate offense after struggling at it this season and graduating significant offense off their roster in Watson and Duarte. Saginaw, on the other hand, graduates a goalie, a forward and a defense and has players positioned to seamlessly take over those roles.

Kingston acquired Uens and the rights to McCarthy at the deadline. They could start off with four good D then add an OA, and a top 19 yr old later.

 

[HockeyPops]

Kingston acquired Uens and the rights to McCarthy at the deadline. They could start off with four good D then add an OA, and a top 19 yr old later.

McCarthy reporting would be a big boost for them, but it's not a done deal. Every team has pieces that might potentially be added at no cost; whether or not it materializes is another matter.

Kingstons's returning D is
Budnick 19
Uens 18
Burns 18
McGowan 18 (25 games played)
Schneider 18 (45 games played)
Ling 18 (6 games played)
Williamson 17 (10 games played)
McCarthy 18 if he reports

There is potential there, but it needs multiple additions on defense to become a contender. But Kingston also needs to figure out the offensive side, scoring at a slower rate than the Soo this season. At least they seem like they will be fine in net with Vaccari.

As I said, I worry about their D to start the season. Even with McCarthy reporting. Which may or may not happen.

 

[saska sault]

Im excited that the Memorial Cup committee will be basing their decision on the vast research of HF boards. Good work folks.

 

[dirty12]

McCarthy reporting would be a big boost for them, but it's not a done deal. Every team has pieces that might potentially be added at no cost; whether or not it materializes is another matter.

Kingstons's returning D is
Budnick 19
Uens 18
Burns 18
McGowan 18 (25 games played)
Schneider 18 (45 games played)
Ling 18 (6 games played)
Williamson 17 (10 games played)
McCarthy 18 if he reports

There is potential there, but it needs multiple additions on defense to become a contender. But Kingston also needs to figure out the offensive side, scoring at a slower rate than the Soo this season. At least they seem like they will be fine in net with Vaccari.

As I said, I worry about their D to start the season. Even with McCarthy reporting. Which may or may not happen.

I worry about the ability to build a real contender for all of the bidders to be honest. I’m not sure any could be big favourites in round 2 For Kingston, Niagara, & Saginaw 2024-25 is more realistic; and SSM 2025-26.
For next year, Guelph & OS appear certain contenders; London very likely in the conversation; Flint returns a lot; and the possibility of Sudbury as a serious buyer of D becoming a legitimate contender. If NB only trades excess OAs for picks to use for adding, they could be a top three team again next year.

 

[SSMHoundsFan]

Im excited that the Memorial Cup committee will be basing their decision on the vast research of HF boards. Good work folks.

Quick we need to comment more to make sure we stand out from the rest!

 

[OMG67]

If you are going strictly on rosters then Saginaw leads the way. Next up I give a slight edge to Kingston and then the Soo, not the far behind. Niagara not as bad as they look but not going to be that strong.
Reputation of Franchise both Soo and Saginaw are tops here with Kingston a solid 3rd. Again Niagara takes up 4th.
Saginaw is leading or tied for 1st in the top 2 categories. Soo tied for first in 1 and second in the other.
The only thing that Kingston has is the city and the history.
Niagara has the City .
Has to be between Saginaw and the Soo to host it. We will soon know.

P.S. I hate auto correct!!

I don’t think Sault and Saginaw are at the same level. The Sault have a long and storied history. Saginaw? Not so much. I put Kingston well ahead of Saginaw in that regard. Having a longer history is important.

Where Kingston lags behind is season tickets and fan support and a lot of that has to do with Springer as the owner. IMO, Springer doesn’t have a stellar reputation. He isn’t horrible but his past ways of running that team don’t help him.

All this to say that Sault has the reputation that far exceeds all the other teams in the aggregate.

If we look at the single biggest plus for each of the three viable teams:

Sault - storied franchise with loads of history
Saginaw - Misa is the most marketable player going into next season. Probably hands down.
Kingston - Great location with a lot of Canadian history and heritage. The tourist aspect is really big.

I think one tie breaker aspect is the lack of Eastern Conference hosts over recent years. This is why I think if Sault and Kingston and neck and neck, it will go to Kingston. Saginaw has Misa though. I think that is huge. This is going to be super close.

 

[OMG67]

I worry about the ability to build a real contender for all of the bidders to be honest. I’m not sure any could be big favourites in round 2 For Kingston, Niagara, & Saginaw 2024-25 is more realistic; and SSM 2025-26.
For next year, Guelph & OS appear certain contenders; London very likely in the conversation; Flint returns a lot; and the possibility of Sudbury as a serious buyer of D becoming a legitimate contender. If NB only trades excess OAs for picks to use for adding, they could be a top three team again next year.

Can’t disagree with this. The one factor that may work out is if they know far enough in advance to juggle draft picks and push this year’s forward. Each of the teams will finish relatively low int he standings so they should have a higher 1st rounder to move at the deadline for an elite player like we saw with Sarnia this year. Because they are guaranteed to be int he MEmorial Cup, they can approach the value proposition differently and can focus on being the contender from day one at the end of this regular season. That is a big advantage. Withthe right management, it can be done BECAUSE of the guaranteed spot in the Memorial Cup.

We also need to remember that it is better for the Host to be a league champion but really they only need to be competitive in the Tourney.

But you are right. These four are definitely not near the strongest returning rosters. I think Ottawa returns a solid team but probably needs to do a small reboot To recoup assets. But if they don’t, they should be strong’ish as well.

 

[HF92]

@SSMHoundsFan Uncovered the resolution the city of SSM passed for the 2021 memorial cup and the installation of the "phase 2" suites in the GFL Memorial Gardens.

So it appears had covid not happened we would have suites all the way around the arena today. Have to wonder if this is still a go...they have all the suites sold as there is a waiting list.

Page 45 of this -> https://saultstemarie.ca/Cityweb/me...l-Agendas/2019/2019_09_09_AGENDA.pdf?ext=.pdf

 

[Savard18]

Tittabawassee Road has several hotels and is 5 minutes away from the arena. The other towns are not but are a short drive away.

Oh. I thought you meant from Frankenmuth to dtwn Saginaw.

 

[HockeyPops]

Pretty sure expanding the suites at the GFL was subsequently quashed due to it being cost prohibitive.

 

[SSMHoundsFan]

Pretty sure expanding the suites at the GFL was subsequently quashed due to it being cost prohibitive.

Which is true, the conversation of having them installed may be reinvigorated with a winning bid though

 

[swoopster]

In Saginaw. Like literally 5 minutes down the highway. Or Bay City. Or Midland. You have to let this fascination with Frankemuth go.

You Spinpin are a starry eyed optimist, with the statement 5 minutes from Midland and Bay City... I would get there quicker from Frankenmuth.

So let me ask you, what is your stake in this? Do you work in the organization, on the selection committee, a person of financial interest, or just an enthusiastic Spirit fan?

I see very few other posts on this topic from other Saginaw posters... maybe one other.

Just curious

 

[HF92]

Everyone forgot very quickly how Saginaw finished dead last year and turned the team over quickly with 1 off season... but no other team this year can do it... no way...

I don’t think Sault and Saginaw are at the same level. The Sault have a long and storied history. Saginaw? Not so much. I put Kingston well ahead of Saginaw in that regard. Having a longer history is important.

When Saginaw entered the league we were due for a host... lol

 

[Kingpin794]

You Spinpin are a starry eyed optimist, with the statement 5 minutes from Midland and Bay City... I would get there quicker from Frankenmuth.

So let me ask you, what is your stake in this? Do you work in the organization, on the selection committee, a person of financial interest, or just an enthusiastic Spirit fan?

I see very few other posts on this topic from other Saginaw posters... maybe one other.

Just curious

No stake really. Just people say stupid things and I call them out on it. Nothing more.

 

[donjohnson]

Few things on Frankenmuth...

(1) It is for sure a part of our plan...teams and VIP's will be staying there.
(2) They would not have proposed it if it rooms wouldn't be available. It's normally the Dog Bowl and Hot-Air Balloon Festival. I've heard on pretty good authority that that festival will be temporarily moved for one year if we get the cup.
(3) I would not expect that most fans would be staying in Frankenmuth unless they really wanted to stay there for a double-dip vacation. I would expect fans to be staying in Saginaw by the mall in one of the Marriotts or whatever else is out there. If it was me, I'd stay in Bay City on the water at the DoubleTree. Tons of great shops/restaurants within walking distance and then I'd drive the 15-20min to the games.

Does anyone know what the committee is really looking for on the HFboards...are they just searching up keywords? If so #SaginawHockey #PureMichigan #SoarWithUs #GiveUsTheCup #SooNiagaraKingstonStink.

 

[shot caller]

No stake really. Just people say stupid things and I call them out on it. Nothing more.

Except you’re still refusing to acknowledge everyone calling you out for being less in tune than others on here. You’re refusing to believe the Frankenmuth discussion and that is making you look foolish because too many people have already agreed they are aware the bid shows that Frankenmuth is the base for the events.

I’ll likely get suspended for this and this message will get deleted… it’s happened before discussing an injury… but saginaw’s bid has Frankenmuth as a major component for where their events will be located. I know this because I was told this.
I’ll assume that you’re passionate arguing against this fact will reiterate why you and the rest of us think this is a failure in their overall bid.