FHL Elmira

Nightsquad

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Was just curious as to thoughts from anyone who hails from Elmira Corning area. I know there was mixed reaction to the FHL launch in the Elmira area. It's unfortunate the Enforcers couldn't get a win in their weekend series debut at home but the turnout has to be encouraging that people were willing to give the product a try. The paper did a great write up and the writer made some very good arguments on why people should give the team a fair shake. As an outsider I have to say having a good community guy like Robbie Nichols and his wife involved is a good thing. He is a good booster, builder, and having a team you can call your own free from the ever increasing revolving door of "feeder" league hockey might just carry some greater appeal. Congratulations on a successful weekend in Elmira, if they can continue half as good on an average night I don't see why this can't develop into a perfect fit.

Legare: Pro hockey gets a fresh start in Elmira
 

Cyclones Rock

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Mahfouz was a great player to get. He can play. He can fight. He is nutz.

Perfect for the FHL.
 

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Robbie gave away free tickets when he was the Jackasses GM to be honest. I'm sure thats going on at the baseball field. Nobody was going to the Pioneers games the last decade and I can't imagine seeing college summer league kids was an upgrade.

Ive seen highlights on the news and thr crowds look as empty as the last few years of the Jackals despite how much the broadcaster and suxh hype up the ticket sales and game play.

Haven't gone, have no plans to, hope it fails honestly. Way too much fighting and not enough skill. A 6 team league, seeing the same 5 teams 12 times or so, no thanks.

Atleast the UHL had skill to justify the brawls. The ECHL barely had hitting or fighting but this has too much. They talked up how good of a team they'd have and they can only beat Port Huron. Every team probably makes the playoffs so what does it matter.
 

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We already had a non feeder team. The ONLY way it will ever get interesting is if they are like the Jackals, bring back the same core for like 4 years and guys become part of the community. I just don't see that happening. This league lacks the skill for teams to be complacent enough. They also had a good coach. The coach now looks like when they brought in Kris Waltze fresh off from playing. The Jackals although about a .500 team year one made the playoffs, that core then took off and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals or farther(2 finals appearances)for the next 3 years.

They could do that I guess, but with a 5 team league its not that big of an achievement. That's another thing, the UHL at the time was atleat stable. This league isn't known for having any form of stabiility. Watertown looks like a rec rink, haven't seen port huron but I assume not considering they used to be UHL/CHL. Danville and Carolina have like actual arenas, they look too big for this league in terms of seats to fill. Even Elmira has too many for this league. Unless this league sees a Franke family willing to prop it up like the IHL 2.0 I struggle seeing it lasting long term.
 

Dingo44

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We already had a non feeder team. The ONLY way it will ever get interesting is if they are like the Jackals, bring back the same core for like 4 years and guys become part of the community. I just don't see that happening. This league lacks the skill for teams to be complacent enough. They also had a good coach. The coach now looks like when they brought in Kris Waltze fresh off from playing. The Jackals although about a .500 team year one made the playoffs, that core then took off and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals or farther(2 finals appearances)for the next 3 years.

They could do that I guess, but with a 5 team league its not that big of an achievement. That's another thing, the UHL at the time was atleat stable. This league isn't known for having any form of stabiility. Watertown looks like a rec rink, haven't seen port huron but I assume not considering they used to be UHL/CHL. Danville and Carolina have like actual arenas, they look too big for this league in terms of seats to fill. Even Elmira has too many for this league. Unless this league sees a Franke family willing to prop it up like the IHL 2.0 I struggle seeing it lasting long term.

I've been to about 6 Thunderbirds this season already and they're pretty full - drawing almost 3000. I'm going to the Port Huron - Birds game in Michigan on the 27th - looking forward to that experience.
 

JMCx4

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... Atleast the UHL had skill to justify the brawls. The ECHL barely had hitting or fighting but this has too much. They talked up how good of a team they'd have and they can only beat Port Huron. Every team probably makes the playoffs so what does it matter.
Actually, just the top four teams enter the playoffs in the FHL. Maybe because that's all the League offices are confident will make it through the regular season without folding.

The good news for the FHL (so far) is that all six teams are actually keeping pace on # of games played. Not unusual in the past at this point in a season for the League standings to show one or two teams having completed far fewer matches than the rest. Signs of hope?
 
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Oh boy, sounds like the Enforcers might be in some trouble due to an off the ice incident Sunday night. Theres no real details yet, investigation is on going. All thats knowsn is a man was in the ICU due to the incident. I don't trust the authorities, they can pay some funny money to get what they want.
 

CANADIENSFAN90

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Thanks.

That press conference was so disorganized though. That lawyer was unhinged when he started talking about being mad at social media chatter and making some kind of verbal threat about maybe not having the team be here if people think they are thugs. They'll be okay for atleast the rest of the month but it will be interesting to see if theres gunna be a lawsuit or two. Just with how they were acting at the press conference I smell a cover up attempt. They were being defiant and acting like nothing has happened and in the same report the news outlet was updating on the victim. This looks bad in so many ways.
 

CrazyEddie20

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The victim of the beating probably won't be able to sustain any legal claims against the organization, but that said, the team has a huge PR problem.

They chose the "Enforcers" name and everything that it implies, and now it would appear that their players like to fight off the ice as well. This isn't the first time an idiot has gotten in a bar fight and won't be the last, but when your team's name implies that they like to fight, and then they fight off the ice, well... not good.
 

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The victim of the beating probably won't be able to sustain any legal claims against the organization, but that said, the team has a huge PR problem.

They chose the "Enforcers" name and everything that it implies, and now it would appear that their players like to fight off the ice as well. This isn't the first time an idiot has gotten in a bar fight and won't be the last, but when your team's name implies that they like to fight, and then they fight off the ice, well... not good.

Certainly not, the Jackals the first few seasons had a couple of rumbles at the bar that sponsored the team and even ran a prpmotion that if they scored 5 goals during the game everyone 21+ got a free drink that night. It was a drinks only bar which was another problem.

What about defamation? That lawyer sure backed them in a corner with his whole ICU statement.Taking a shot at people's free speech may not be an offense but it's a PR nightmare. The cherry on top was threatening that the team may not be here.

The medical field is not mine but I did hear on the news that this kid wasn't breathing when he was brought to the hospital but he is now and is off a ventilator but he can't remember anything and is struggling with a simple task like counting to 3. People have said the victim has a fractured skull. I don't know what that entails and i'm not sure he would be up two days after. No doubt he likely suffered a concussion and some brain damage to say the least. I'm sure other teams have had fights with a result like this but i'm not sure if i've ever seen a PR attempt botched so badly.
 

thebus88

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Thanks.

That press conference was so disorganized though. That lawyer was unhinged when he started talking about being mad at social media chatter and making some kind of verbal threat about maybe not having the team be here if people think they are thugs. They'll be okay for atleast the rest of the month but it will be interesting to see if theres gunna be a lawsuit or two. Just with how they were acting at the press conference I smell a cover up attempt. They were being defiant and acting like nothing has happened and in the same report the news outlet was updating on the victim. This looks bad in so many ways.

HAHA

I just want to chime in here and add that I think everybody should go watch that clip of the 2 guys talking about it. 3rd video in that link. f***'in hilarious. Nichols wasn't bad, but even he seemed like he couldn't believe what the lawyer was saying.

The "everybody goes to ICU" stuff and the THREATS of the team leaving/people getting what they want, were straight out of Chappelle Show or Monty Python.
 

CrazyEddie20

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Certainly not, the Jackals the first few seasons had a couple of rumbles at the bar that sponsored the team and even ran a prpmotion that if they scored 5 goals during the game everyone 21+ got a free drink that night. It was a drinks only bar which was another problem.

What about defamation? That lawyer sure backed them in a corner with his whole ICU statement.Taking a shot at people's free speech may not be an offense but it's a PR nightmare. The cherry on top was threatening that the team may not be here.

The medical field is not mine but I did hear on the news that this kid wasn't breathing when he was brought to the hospital but he is now and is off a ventilator but he can't remember anything and is struggling with a simple task like counting to 3. People have said the victim has a fractured skull. I don't know what that entails and i'm not sure he would be up two days after. No doubt he likely suffered a concussion and some brain damage to say the least. I'm sure other teams have had fights with a result like this but i'm not sure if i've ever seen a PR attempt botched so badly.

Defamation requires a published false statement, with knowledge of the statement's falsity by the party making the statement as well as actual damage resulting from the statement. There's nothing like that here.

I've seen some mangled attempts at crisis management before, but this is spectacularly bad. That said, I'd expect nothing better out of the FHL.
 

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Defamation requires a published false statement, with knowledge of the statement's falsity by the party making the statement as well as actual damage resulting from the statement. There's nothing like that here.

I've seen some mangled attempts at crisis management before, but this is spectacularly bad. That said, I'd expect nothing better out of the FHL.

I'm not a laewyer or doctor but he did basically question the whole idea of the ICU saying that everyone that goes to the hospital goes there. By ambulance that could be true, i've never gone there that route personally so I can not say. I have been to the ER though and I know through that experience not only is that false but the ER can be slower than molasses in January. I've had to wait multiple hours the couple of times i've been in my life. Even if this is a fact that all transported by ambulance are admitted to the ICU, he basically balked at the idea of the person going to ICU as a big deal. I guess not being a family member he wouldn't really know the victim's status unless a family member of the victim called the organiation to give an update but by the way the presser transpired they acted like they hoped they wouldn't have to do one and were caught completly off guard.
 

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HAHA

I just want to chime in here and add that I think everybody should go watch that clip of the 2 guys talking about it. 3rd video in that link. ****'in hilarious. Nichols wasn't bad, but even he seemed like he couldn't believe what the lawyer was saying.

The "everybody goes to ICU" stuff and the THREATS of the team leaving/people getting what they want, were straight out of Chappelle Show or Monty Python.

I have seen criticisms of there being a smile while talking during the presser.

I guess I wonder where the team would go. I mean Nichols does live here and owns a baseball team(not positive on the baseball field itself)but it's not like it would be so easy for him to just relocate overnight like the Colts did to Baltimore.

I lovr watching those court shows, I really wish I could see how this guy acts in the courtroom. Jerry Springer is starting up a new show as a judge, I think this guy should be on the pilot episode lol
 

JMCx4

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... I guess I wonder where the team would go. I mean Nichols does live here and owns a baseball team(not positive on the baseball field itself)but it's not like it would be so easy for him to just relocate overnight like the Colts did to Baltimore. ...
Not that I believe any of the press conference rhetoric associated with this Elmira PR debacle, but relocating a franchise in mid-season is already in the FHL's repertoire: Broome County (Binghamton) Barons ---> Cape Cod (Hyannis) Barons in January 2011; Cape Cod (Hyannis) Bluefins ---> New York (no home) Bluefins in December 2012. "easy" never stood in the way of FHL business practices.
 

116JackalsFan

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....and despite all the drama the Enforcers put together another win. Great game tonight in Elmira with Robbie behind the bench and the coach on the ice!
 

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....and despite all the drama the Enforcers put together another win. Great game tonight in Elmira with Robbie behind the bench and the coach on the ice!

Nobody is at these games though. I mean nobody. I see sections with maybe 10 total people. The debt isn't shrinking on that place and I can't imagine the team isn't already in decent debt. They gavew Nichols the option to purchase the place down the road but they'll never forgive the debt and that's why in 3 years it hasn't been sold because NOBODY wants the debt.

Not that I believe any of the press conference rhetoric associated with this Elmira PR debacle, but relocating a franchise in mid-season is already in the FHL's repertoire: Broome County (Binghamton) Barons ---> Cape Cod (Hyannis) Barons in January 2011; Cape Cod (Hyannis) Bluefins ---> New York (no home) Bluefins in December 2012. "easy" never stood in the way of FHL business practices.

No, I hear you. I know it can be done but the only way it would here is if Nichols sold it. With his involvement in the community and living here I doubt he would just move it to a random town looking for a team if he knew he couldn't commit to being around. Although I suppose Williamsport is close enough and they once had FHL

Hilarious, and a real "Only in the FHL" revelation: The guy is a divorce lawyer!

Well, I mean, the divorce of the Enforcers and the city of Elmira couold be in play here. Lol.
 
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