T_Cage
VP of Awesome
- Sep 26, 2006
- 5,483
- 856
((Sorry if this is the wrong thread, it seemed like the best place for it))
Wanted to get some thoughts from some of the more experienced Minor hockey minds..
Despite the alphabet soup of Minor Pro leagues starting and failing (typically in the same areas and for the same reasons), would a Single A hockey model work in a place like Atlantic Canada??
It is a hockey-mad region (lie most of Canada i guess). The AHL had a strong presence here for decades until the league got too far out of our price range, and now junior hockey is thriving in most markets (which could b the biggest pro AND biggest con to this idea).
Pros (IMO):
*Hockey-heavy region
*Not much major competition (the Q would be the stiffest, and UNB hockey in Fredericton....maybe a CFL team if we ever get one)
*Cost-of-living is low, so it would be cheaper for (a) for teams to operate and (b) for players to live.
*Travel would be fairly compact (unless Nfld were added, otherwise it wouldnt be more than a couple hours between most areas)
*A good 'feeder system' of players who might want to stay in the region if they dont latch on at a higher level after their Junior/Uni careers end
* Most Canadian players might prefer staying this side of the border rather than moving to the US, esp with the low salaries of Single A meaning they'd need to get summer/part-time jobs (do the Visas they get for hockey in the US let them work outside the team? I honestly dont know this)
*Being a Canadian league, less expense/hassle with getting Visas for players, since most would be Canadian anyways (ok, this one is kinda weak)
Cons:
*The Q market is already engrained, and competitively priced
*Would fans watch 'lower-grade' hockey, even if it is live? Or stay home and watch HNiC?
*Can enough sponsorships/outside revenue be generated in the region to make it viable without being life-dependent on ticket sales? (I don't see the problem with this, as the number i've seen bandied about is it takes about 1000ish seats to break even in the other 'A' leagues, and if some of my speculations in the 'pros' are right a Maritime league would be even cheaper to run. Also i'm not sure what the total cost of running this level normally. 200-300k?)
Maybe i'm thinking out of left field on this, but i did see a recent proposal on here for an NHL team, which is WAY beyond our grasp...I feel this is more realistic
Wanted to get some thoughts from some of the more experienced Minor hockey minds..
Despite the alphabet soup of Minor Pro leagues starting and failing (typically in the same areas and for the same reasons), would a Single A hockey model work in a place like Atlantic Canada??
It is a hockey-mad region (lie most of Canada i guess). The AHL had a strong presence here for decades until the league got too far out of our price range, and now junior hockey is thriving in most markets (which could b the biggest pro AND biggest con to this idea).
Pros (IMO):
*Hockey-heavy region
*Not much major competition (the Q would be the stiffest, and UNB hockey in Fredericton....maybe a CFL team if we ever get one)
*Cost-of-living is low, so it would be cheaper for (a) for teams to operate and (b) for players to live.
*Travel would be fairly compact (unless Nfld were added, otherwise it wouldnt be more than a couple hours between most areas)
*A good 'feeder system' of players who might want to stay in the region if they dont latch on at a higher level after their Junior/Uni careers end
* Most Canadian players might prefer staying this side of the border rather than moving to the US, esp with the low salaries of Single A meaning they'd need to get summer/part-time jobs (do the Visas they get for hockey in the US let them work outside the team? I honestly dont know this)
*Being a Canadian league, less expense/hassle with getting Visas for players, since most would be Canadian anyways (ok, this one is kinda weak)
Cons:
*The Q market is already engrained, and competitively priced
*Would fans watch 'lower-grade' hockey, even if it is live? Or stay home and watch HNiC?
*Can enough sponsorships/outside revenue be generated in the region to make it viable without being life-dependent on ticket sales? (I don't see the problem with this, as the number i've seen bandied about is it takes about 1000ish seats to break even in the other 'A' leagues, and if some of my speculations in the 'pros' are right a Maritime league would be even cheaper to run. Also i'm not sure what the total cost of running this level normally. 200-300k?)
Maybe i'm thinking out of left field on this, but i did see a recent proposal on here for an NHL team, which is WAY beyond our grasp...I feel this is more realistic
