The reality is that the AHL, much like Triple-A baseball is actually two leagues (Eastern and Western). That's probably a good baseline to align your expectations re: the schedule around.
2015-16 Schedule Released
- Thread starter Theoriginalalex
- Start date
UticaHockey
Registered User
Syracuse is a 45 minute drive from Utica. Albany is about 90 minutes. Rochester and Bingo are about 2 hours.
HansH
Unwelcome Spectre
It's amazing how easy it is to shrug off expenses when you're insisting someone else spend THEIR money for you, isn't it?
tigervixxxen
Optimism=Delusional
San Antonio's turned out better than I expected. I knew there would be no eastern conference games and considering how unbalanced some of the ones mentioned here I'm happy to see outside of the 14 games vs. Texas a balanced schedule. 4 games vs each Central division team, 6 games vs. each other Pacific division team.
I think the whole league should play 76.
By the way, why do the western NHL teams feel that playing more than 68 games hurts player development, but the eastern teams seem to be OK with 76?
By the way, why do the western NHL teams feel that playing more than 68 games hurts player development, but the eastern teams seem to be OK with 76?
AdmiralsFan24
Registered User
I'm not shrugging off expenses. Will it be more expensive? Yes. But how much are we talking about here if Hershey plays say Portland, Providence, Utica, Syracuse and Rochester one less time on the road in exchange for a road trip to Chicago, Rockford, Milwaukee, Cleveland and Grand Rapids?
I'm not even saying they have to do it every year. Every 2 or 3 years would be a major improvement.
Theoriginalalex
@3in3hockey
Shouldn't we be actually applauding Chicago (Lake Erie, too) for taking a stand and refusing to play the part-timer jokers in California? As was hinted by a poster here a while ago, some teams wouldn't travel there "out of principle".
Granted, I'm not a Wolves fan who has to endure seeing 9 teams over and over; my team got the best schedule in the league, without a doubt, and sees 16 different opponents.
Granted, I'm not a Wolves fan who has to endure seeing 9 teams over and over; my team got the best schedule in the league, without a doubt, and sees 16 different opponents.
ZekeA
The Pride is Back...
"Snowmobile":
Should the rest of the league come to you for the lost revenue they would not be receiving by not playing those 4 home games~~~!!!!!!!!
Think again...................
"Snowmobile":
Should the rest of the league come to you for the lost revenue they would not be receiving by not playing those 4 home games~~~!!!!!!!!
Think again...................
Have you seen the attendance from some midweek games last season? Teams are losing money on those midweek games that don't need to happen.
Wednesday November 11th San Antonio at Texas
Why does this game need to happen after they played each other on Saturday?
wildcat48
Registered User
I'm actually pretty happy with the Pirates schedule. There is more variety than in year's past, the local market will get a healthy dose of the PBruins which is a good thing for attendance and the travel is not that bad overall. Lots of weekends so its all good.
Tommy Hawk
Registered User
- May 27, 2006
- 4,223
- 104
Even the stodgiest of leagues, Major League Baseball, realized that variety at some level works.
Disengage
Registered User
- Nov 11, 2007
- 931
- 10
Apples to oranges. It's a big difference between the Cubs and White Sox not playing each other and Ontario and St. John's not playing each other.
The ECHL, a step below the AHL, has more inter-conference play than the AHL could dream of.
In fact, it's part of the league membership rules that there is forced travel and inter-conference play:
(http://www.adn.com/article/20150128/amid-expected-ahlechl-shake-aces-here-stay)
And yet, the AHL Board of Governors caved to the pressure of the NHL owned Pacific Five and didn't force travel AND allows them to play less games.
Also, I heard that one of the AHL clubs not playing any Pacific Five teams was given an opportunity to, and politely told the league "Nope, sorry, we're not interested."
210
Registered User
Also, I heard that one of the AHL clubs not playing any Pacific Five teams was given an opportunity to, and politely told the league "Nope, sorry, we're not interested."
It's way more than one.
Frank Booth
Registered User
The five California teams literally pulled down their pants, bent over, and took big steaming dumps on the rest of the league. They should not be shocked at the underwhelming interest in playing them by the other teams.
Theoriginalalex
@3in3hockey
I thought to myself a couple days ago: "I could come up with a better schedule matrix than the league did." So here's my shot at the Western Conference.
- Everyone plays 76
- Everyone plays everyone in the conference
- Pacific teams only make 4-5 trips out of CA, same as they are doing in real life anyway.
- No inter-conference play factored in yet; I'd need to figure out the East too, first.
- Everyone plays 76
- Everyone plays everyone in the conference
- Pacific teams only make 4-5 trips out of CA, same as they are doing in real life anyway.
- No inter-conference play factored in yet; I'd need to figure out the East too, first.
The ECHL, a step below the AHL, has more inter-conference play than the AHL could dream of.
In fact, it's part of the league membership rules that there is forced travel and inter-conference play: (http://www.adn.com/article/20150128/amid-expected-ahlechl-shake-aces-here-stay)
And yet, the AHL Board of Governors caved to the pressure of the NHL owned Pacific Five and didn't force travel AND allows them to play less games.
Also, I heard that one of the AHL clubs not playing any Pacific Five teams was given an opportunity to, and politely told the league "Nope, sorry, we're not interested."
Yup and my bet was that team was the Chicago Wolves....who, right now as we speak, are taking a HUGE amount of crap from the entire hockey community for their schedule. They have been hammered by season ticket holders at an event on sat the 29th and have already had people drop their season tickets with talk of moving their money to milwaukee.
BTV
Registered User
If the Wolves indeed took that stand and refused to play the Prac5, I applaud them for it. They obviously knew what that would mean...when you shave 5 teams off the 14 possible Western opponents you aren't left with much variety. At first glance I'd be a little discouraged by that Chicago schedule as well. But the large majority of us as AHL fans have been disgusted by how the league has catered to the whims of the west coast. So it appears the Chicago Wolves have put their money (quite literally, judging by the ticket backlash) where their mouth is and didn't bend over to invite them to swing by Allstate Arena to grace them with their presence in between practices.
If that is how it played out - good for you Chicago Wolves. May you be the team that gets to knock off whichever well-rested Cali team advances in the playoffs (provided the Rampage or Stars don't take care of them first).
If that is how it played out - good for you Chicago Wolves. May you be the team that gets to knock off whichever well-rested Cali team advances in the playoffs (provided the Rampage or Stars don't take care of them first).
griffs
Registered User
Props to Chicago, Lake Erie, and any other team that refused the PAC5. I wish my team had done the same.
For the central teams to fly out to Cali, they might as well fly to play every team in the league
I thought to myself a couple days ago: "I could come up with a better schedule matrix than the league did." So here's my shot at the Western Conference.
- Everyone plays 76
- Everyone plays everyone in the conference
- Pacific teams only make 4-5 trips out of CA, same as they are doing in real life anyway.
- No inter-conference play factored in yet; I'd need to figure out the East too, first.
Simple when you don't take cost or arena schedule into consideration. I'm with you conceptually, but reality is a but harder.
Avsrule2022
"No more rats"
Question: Would most of you still be hating against the Pacific teams if they were playing the same amount of games as the rest of the league? I have to agree that playing a different amount of games is ridiculous, but I have the feeling that the hate (or whatever you want to call it) would be there regardless. And at that point, it would just be whining about travel.
RowdyFan42
Registered User
Honestly? Yes, but probably not as intense. Maybe. It's the whole "special snowflake" thing they've got going on that has most of us po'ed, methinks.
