AHL West Part II - ADK, MAN, NOR, OKC, & WOR

[dmband]

If Colorado in the ECHL can make 2 or 3 5 hour flights to Alaska a year, I don't see why a few East coast AHL teams couldn't fly West on occasion. Toronto to San Diego by air is only 10 minutes farther than CO to AK.
I believe 2 or 3 years ago in the E Florida traveled to Alaska.
Not to mention the West teams could reciprocate every other year if they wanted to.
If independent ECHL teams can do it, there is no reason Eastern AHL teams (independent or otherwise) can't.
Except for stubbornness.

Cost structure for remaining east teams have already increased via elimination of the east teams. Those 10 or 15 road games were cheap. Salary cost structure will also increase. How does a eastern team compete for a decent ahl Ufa who is offered cost of living premium, and lesser schedule from a west coast team? If I were a remaining east owner, I wouldn't travel anywhere new unless 100 percent reimbursed.

Effectively this will be two separate leagues like AAA baseball

 

[axecrew]

How is that different than the current AHL schedule?




Exactly, especially from the teams owned by an NHL club.




They're smart, not dumb like people say. I's your older brother mikey and I got passed over. There was something in it for me.

What movie??




It can be easily done if there is a willingness. Heck, they can even bus here. Toronto buses here....




But how do you explain all the AHL teams owned by the NHL teams? They can schedule their trip out to the midwest or cali when the parent club goes out there. Then recalls are still close.

Actually Toronto flies to Chicago. What they do is load their team bus with the gear and the driver then drives from Toronto to Chicago, the players get on a plane and fly in, they reverse the process to go home. Saves them money since they don't have to pay airline for weight of gear and they don't have to charter a bus while out this way.

But hey Tommy....remember the time Hamilton came to Chicago on their team owned bus for a game on like a friday night or something then drove all the way back home only to come back to chicago by bus for a wed night game or something like that? With no games in between.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I'm pretty sure Lake Erie flies to Chicago too. It might be those teams in that third western division that can do more air travel than the rest is what groups them together.

10 games vs division opponents is mind numbing and I watch online. I can't fathom being a season ticket holder and seeing the same 4 teams for the entire season, that's really testing the dedication of a fanbase. I think that really tests the limits of what a competitive sport is.

 

[Lunatik]

I'm pretty sure Lake Erie flies to Chicago too. It might be those teams in that third western division that can do more air travel than the rest is what groups them together.

10 games vs division opponents is mind numbing and I watch online. I can't fathom being a season ticket holder and seeing the same 4 teams for the entire season, that's really testing the dedication of a fanbase. I think that really tests the limits of what a competitive sport is.

I think it depends on the fan, I love it personally. I love rivalries and think they are what makes sport great. The kids coming up hating each other will also make the rivalries better at the NHL level.

Plus with the AHL you might be playing the same jerseys 10 times, but there are so many roster changes with call-ups and injuries only half the guys (if that) will play in every game.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Toronto has done both. Fly in and bus separately or bus in, it just depended on the schedule. Same with Lake Erie. If Lake Erie went to GR first they bus the whole thing. If Toronto goes to LE first they bus the whole thing. Maybe fly home. Depends on stupid schedule.

And speaking of stupid schedule, yes rivalries are great but this isn't a 10 times a year thing, this is 12 times a year every year. No variation to see other conference, at least for the midwest teams.

Everyone talked about the Blackhawks - Canucks rivalry. Guess what? Their meeting in the playoffs is what created the hatred, not that they only played 4 times total during the year.

The number of times played during the year for these rivalries has actually done the opposite. No one wants to see them play. Too many games killed the rivalry. And it is also BS because Chicago had a great rivalry with Grand Rapids yet they moved Grand Rapids to another division and cut the games way down. It didn't affect the hatred to the ice chickens. So if they wanted "rivalries" to pay 12 games against each other why move GR? And it didn't affect it so it proved not playing 12 games but playing 4 to 6 can still have a great rivalry.

Ever wonder why the NHL doesn't have teams playing each other 12 times? There is no need for it.

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

Cost structure for remaining east teams have already increased via elimination of the east teams. Those 10 or 15 road games were cheap. Salary cost structure will also increase. How does a eastern team compete for a decent ahl Ufa who is offered cost of living premium, and lesser schedule from a west coast team? If I were a remaining east owner, I wouldn't travel anywhere new unless 100 percent reimbursed.

Effectively this will be two separate leagues like AAA baseball

If the expansion (LV and SEA NHL teams would want western AHL affiliates) pushes the AHL westward enough that Lake Erie ends up in the East, don't be surprised if the west becomes the IHL and there's a season-ending "AAA Championship".

Is the Turner Cup still around? If so, is it's location known?

For those wondering why Lake Erie would need to be in the east, it's because Cleveland is the westernmost of the AHL's "original six" markets (CLE, PRO, SPR, RCH, SYR, HER) and I highly doubt they would want any of those in the new IHL.

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

I'm pretty sure Lake Erie flies to Chicago too. It might be those teams in that third western division that can do more air travel than the rest is what groups them together.

10 games vs division opponents is mind numbing and I watch online. I can't fathom being a season ticket holder and seeing the same 4 teams for the entire season, that's really testing the dedication of a fanbase. I think that really tests the limits of what a competitive sport is.

Also, in regards to LE, SA, and MIL, they may fly a little more than other teams because they have ownership who are making megabucks from their big league teams and may be more willing to pay the difference between commercial air and charter bus in a borderline situation.

 

[cometshockey]

I guess my point is, if ECHL teams can do it, AHL teams can too. And I wouldn't expect a 5 team West road trip, maybe a 1 ot 2 team weekend trip. Just a once in a while thing. From a fan perspective, it's nice to see different teams once in a while. If a team in the East and a team in the West wanted to make a deal where they travel East one year, and the other team travels West the next year, it's a wash and the fans get to see different teams. It happens in the E where budgets are much tighter than the A.

what is the average salary for a player in the ECHL??? that may play a part in why the echl travels, the players work for peanuts......

 

[Avsrule2022]

what is the average salary for a player in the ECHL??? that may play a part in why the echl travels, the players work for peanuts......

And most AHL players are paid by the NHL club. I'm not saying the AHL doesn't have a higher payroll, but most of the guys don't cost the AHL a thing.

 

[randyc]

AHL Money

IIRC the bottom salary in the AHL is $42,500 versus $450.00 per week in the ECHL.

 

[Avsrule2022]

IIRC the bottom salary in the AHL is $42,500 versus $450.00 per week in the AHL.

Good point.

 

[MM658]

Effectively this will be two separate leagues like AAA baseball

This. ^

And that suits me fine. The Eastern Fifteen get their low-rent bus league. The Western Fifteen get their kids-pretending-to-be-grownups fly-around league. The two champions meet for the Calder Cup. What's not to like? (Except for the fact that a half-dozen cities lost their teams in the process.)

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Also, in regards to LE, SA, and MIL, they may fly a little more than other teams because they have ownership who are making megabucks from their big league teams and may be more willing to pay the difference between commercial air and charter bus in a borderline situation.

LE and SA yes but the owner of the Admirals is not an owner of a big league team. The owner is a minority owner of the Brewers along while LE and SA are owned by the NBA team owners/arena managers.

And most AHL players are paid by the NHL club. I'm not saying the AHL doesn't have a higher payroll, but most of the guys don't cost the AHL a thing.

The (independent) AHL team pays the NHL team an affiliation fee which helps the NHL team cover those salaries. Also, depending on the agreement, the AHL team may be paying for players on an AHL contract. Or recalls from the ECHL that are not on a NHL ELC deal.

The NHL owned AHL team pays all the players salaries.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I think it depends on the fan, I love it personally. I love rivalries and think they are what makes sport great. The kids coming up hating each other will also make the rivalries better at the NHL level.

Plus with the AHL you might be playing the same jerseys 10 times, but there are so many roster changes with call-ups and injuries only half the guys (if that) will play in every game.

Totally understand everyone is different in how they view these things. For me there is a point when over-saturation kills a rivalry. Playing a team seriously every single week just lessens the meaning of each game. What's a "big win" when you play the same team every weekend? When a team plays against each other that much the series tend to trend towards a split. The players may get chippy with each other just because they are sick of playing against the same guy night after night. Plus for them it is literally busing to the same 4 cities for an entire season, that has to be absolutely mind numbing for them. I just don't see how any good comes of that. 10 is too much, 8 is probably the upper limits of competitive interest taking into account the AHL is going to always have to limit travel and playing the other conference to a degree.

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

LE and SA yes but the owner of the Admirals is not an owner of a big league team. The owner is a minority owner of the Brewers along while LE and SA are owned by the NBA team owners/arena managers.

Thanks for clearing that up, I had always assumed that the Admirals were owned by the Brewers majority owner.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Thanks for clearing that up, I had always assumed that the Admirals were owned by the Brewers majority owner.

My understanding is he is not the majority owner. I do know that one of the players is also a part owner of the now one and only Admirals but I could be wrong on both accounts. Don't tell axe I may be wrong.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

My understanding is he is not the majority owner. I do know that one of the players is also a part owner of the now one and only Admirals but I could be wrong on both accounts. Don't tell axe I may be wrong.

Harris Turer (minority owner of the Brewers) is the majority owner of the Admirals. Mark Attanasio (majority owner of the Brewers) is a minority owner of the Admirals. The player that used to own part of the team was Ben Sheets but he gave up his stake a while ago when he left the Brewers.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Joe Sakic finally said something about Colorado's AHL situation

— On whether the Avalanche will be switching its American Hockey League affiliate from Cleveland (Lake Erie) to San Antonio, as is widely expected to happen in a shuffling of affiliations and migration west for the AHL: “Those things are in the works. There is nothing official. There’s a few teams that are trying to get things worked out. . . We have another year (contractually) left in Lake Erie, so we’ll respect that process. As of right now, we’ll be there next season.”

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2015/04/09/more-from-avalanche-gm-joe-sakic-on-the-season-gone-awry-and-the-future/21189/

"As of right now....."

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Joe Sakic finally said something about Colorado's AHL situation



http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/201...on-the-season-gone-awry-and-the-future/21189/

"As of right now....."

There is probably an out if he gets another team to go there...

 

[axecrew]

There is probably an out if he gets another team to go there...

Which is rumored to be Columbus. Won't happen tho because it makes sense and that's not allowed in the AHL.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Which is rumored to be Columbus. Won't happen tho because it makes sense and that's not allowed in the AHL.

Sorry, forgot that for a minute.

 

[Lunatik]

Joe Sakic finally said something about Colorado's AHL situation



http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2015/04/09/more-from-avalanche-gm-joe-sakic-on-the-season-gone-awry-and-the-future/21189/

"As of right now....."

sounds like he's confirming without conforming

 

[GindyDraws]

San Jose Barracuda... nice logo, but doesn't exactly seem original.

 

[ZekeA]

To the fans...............................

To the fans in these cities:
Glens Falls
Manchester
Oklahoma City
Norfolk
Worcester
Hamilton.

I am sorry that your cities are losing your hockey teams very sad.

I have been there I am thankful, & grateful that Ottawa came to my city and brought the AHL back here.....

I understand the void losing hockey means in your cities.............................

 

[randyc]

Thank You

ZekeA, thank you for that. Many emotions in our arena tonight