Future of Dave Andrews (leading AHL) UPD announces retirement 6/30/20

LadyStanley

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31 Thoughts: How different will Maple Leafs look in 2018–19? - Sportsnet.ca

From Friedman's 31 thoughts
There are AHL meetings beginning May 7 and one of the decisions is whether or not commissioner Dave Andrews stays beyond June 2019. Andrews took over for Hall of Fame Builder Jack Butterfield in 1994 and he’s been a year away from retirement for the last three or four or five years, depending on who you talk to. He laughed at that characterization, joking, “I’m sure there are a few guys circling.”

As for the future?

“I’m not sure right now, to be brutally frank,” he said Tuesday. “I may extend, may not. Up until very recently I was not considering extending, but now I’m talking about it. I’m in good shape, enjoying the work, still have something on the fastball. I still have the passion and energy for it…. I’ll make a decision before that meeting.”

(And a few more things not quoted above)

I think the owners have been pretty satisfied with his work. It may come down to his passion for the game/league vs energy and other interests/family.
 

JMCx4

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Sep 3, 2017
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League's official news release ...
AHL extends President Andrews’ contract through 2020
May 31, 2018

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League’s Board of Governors is pleased to announce that David Andrews has agreed to terms on a contract extension that will see him continue to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Hockey League through June 2020. ...
 

wildcat48

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I'm betting that Chris Nikolis is the next AHL President. They don't need a hockey person because the majority of the teams are now owned by the NHL. They need someone with business experience and marketing experience to lead the league as NHL teams continue to own their own franchise.
 

Centrum Hockey

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I'm betting that Chris Nikolis is the next AHL President. They don't need a hockey person because the majority of the teams are now owned by the NHL. They need someone with business experience and marketing experience to lead the league as NHL teams continue to own their own franchise.
Do you think the NHL will push for the AHL to move to NY closer to them there is little reason be in New England anymore.
 

Centrum Hockey

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I don't know After Hartford Bridgeport and Springfield Inevitably Move .The league office and providence will be the only ties to the region maybe the new President would want the AHL league office closer to the NHL's in nyc.
 

Barclay Donaldson

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I don't know After Hartford Bridgeport and Springfield Inevitably Move .The league office and providence will be the only ties to the region maybe the new President would want the AHL league office closer to the NHL's in nyc.

I don't think any of their moves are inevitable. Hartford to MSG is only 2 1/2 hours with traffic. Bridgeport to Long Island is about 90 minutes to 2 hours. Those are some of the easiest callups in the NHL. There's no other arenas closer that could house them. Albany is marginally farther away from MSG than Hartford is.

Springfield is a different story. The AHL league offices are a 10 minute walk from MassMutual Center. The Panthers like their affiliate in Springfield since its an easy bus trip to every single divisional partner, and a bus trip to every single conference game except for Charlotte. That's a lot less time their prospects spend at their airport, on the bus, and more time spent on the ice, in the weight room, and sleeping in their own beds. Tampa and Vancouver keep their affiliates very far away geographically in Syracuse and Utica respectively for the same reasons. And Vancouver has an easy market and arena down the road in Abbotsford they can use. As for callups, every day there's 3 hour non-stop flights 20 minutes away at Bradley International to Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
 

Centrum Hockey

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I don't think any of their moves are inevitable. Hartford to MSG is only 2 1/2 hours with traffic. Bridgeport to Long Island is about 90 minutes to 2 hours. Those are some of the easiest callups in the NHL. There's no other arenas closer that could house them. Albany is marginally farther away from MSG than Hartford is.

Springfield is a different story. The AHL league offices are a 10 minute walk from MassMutual Center. The Panthers like their affiliate in Springfield since its an easy bus trip to every single divisional partner, and a bus trip to every single conference game except for Charlotte. That's a lot less time their prospects spend at their airport, on the bus, and more time spent on the ice, in the weight room, and sleeping in their own beds. Tampa and Vancouver keep their affiliates very far away geographically in Syracuse and Utica respectively for the same reasons. And Vancouver has an easy market and arena down the road in Abbotsford they can use. As for callups, every day there's 3 hour non-stop flights 20 minutes away at Bradley International to Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
The NYI and NYR seem to always be on the fence on whether they will look elsewhere or not.Florida liking Springfield seems strange to me since they supposedly thought it was a bad market when the pirates moved there.
 

Barclay Donaldson

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The NYI and NYR seem to always be on the fence whether they will look elsewhere or not Florida liking Springfield seems strange to me since they supposedly thought it was a bad market when the pirates moved there.

NYR and NYI have had plenty of potential options. NYR refused to help with the potential Kingsbridge National Ice Center in the Bronx. A 5,000 seater just up the road in prime time Rangers territory would've been as good as they were gonna get. Long Island has had 3-4 proposed sports complexes with 4,000-5,000 seat arenas, but they've all fell by the wayside. I don't see anything that would suggest either are actively looking to change.

As for Springfield-Florida, the Thunderbirds have local, diverse, and competent ownership, something Springfield hadn't seen since the Indians. It was a bad market, but not permanently poisoned. Thunderbirds attendance has reached and is on track to surpass the Falcons' best attendance in their late 90s heyday with players like Danny Brière, Khabibulin, Legace, and Doan. Florida has come out and said they like having their players in Springfield for the easy travel and the reasons I have listed. I believe they like the team being in the northeast. I don't believe their professed feelings for Springfield. I think they don't really care what city their prospects are in as long as their travel is good, their players are treated well, and can easily be called up. Springfield fits the bill. But, so do no less than 5 other markets.
 

Nightsquad

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I don't think any of their moves are inevitable. Hartford to MSG is only 2 1/2 hours with traffic. Bridgeport to Long Island is about 90 minutes to 2 hours. Those are some of the easiest callups in the NHL. There's no other arenas closer that could house them. Albany is marginally farther away from MSG than Hartford is.

Springfield is a different story. The AHL league offices are a 10 minute walk from MassMutual Center. The Panthers like their affiliate in Springfield since its an easy bus trip to every single divisional partner, and a bus trip to every single conference game except for Charlotte. That's a lot less time their prospects spend at their airport, on the bus, and more time spent on the ice, in the weight room, and sleeping in their own beds. Tampa and Vancouver keep their affiliates very far away geographically in Syracuse and Utica respectively for the same reasons. And Vancouver has an easy market and arena down the road in Abbotsford they can use. As for callups, every day there's 3 hour non-stop flights 20 minutes away at Bradley International to Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Take Albany for instance, the Rangers could literally send players down from Albany by train, the train ends in Penn station. In other words practically in MSG. Players would need not worry about driving and parking once they got to NYC lol. They could call a player down to the Garden and even send him back up the river after the game lol. Trains leave NYC for Albany after 10pm for the 2.5 hour straight run to Albany, gives players and even fans from Albany the time to catch a train back after the games. According to Google travel by train between Hartford and NYC is around 3 hours, but driving is roughly 2 hours, go figure. I cant imagine though with traffic in southern Connecticut into NYC doesnt come without serious traffic hassles and delay.
 
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Barclay Donaldson

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Take Albany for instance, the Rangers could literally send players down from Albany by train, the train ends in Penn station. In other words practically in MSG. Players would need not worry about driving and parking once they got to NYC lol. They could call a player down to the Garden and even send him back up the river after the game lol. Trains leave NYC for Albany after 10pm for the 2.5 hour straight run to Albany, gives players and even fans from Albany the time to catch a train back after the games. According to Google travel by train between Hartford and NYC is around 3 hours, but driving is roughly 2 hours, go figure. I cant imagine though with traffic in southern Connecticut into NYC doesnt come without serious traffic hassles and delay.

Northeast regional has similar running times and has a stop right in the financial district of Hartford, as well as the suburbs where I assume most of the players live.

Albany isn’t even interested in hockey. There’s been articles coming out asking why they’re one of the only ex-AHL markets without an EC team and they’ve said almost out of dates, they don’t need hockey. I could really only see them opening the door for the Rangers, and even then it would have to be a sweetheart deal.
 

Nightsquad

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Northeast regional has similar running times and has a stop right in the financial district of Hartford, as well as the suburbs where I assume most of the players live.

Albany isn’t even interested in hockey. There’s been articles coming out asking why they’re one of the only ex-AHL markets without an EC team and they’ve said almost out of dates, they don’t need hockey. I could really only see them opening the door for the Rangers, and even then it would have to be a sweetheart deal.

I dont believe they (Albany) are not having no interest in hockey, that was just a statement made by County Executive McCoy, a politician. I do believe they dont NEED hockey to profit, and they certainly wont entertain a low level league. The area already has given the collective yawn when the Devils left, nobody cared. The arena football is drawing very well in Albany and Albany's bread and butter is NCAA events and big name concerts. Hockey regionals are coming back and this summer Albany will host women's international ice hockey during the Aurora games. Hockey is there but like you even agree they want that perfect fit, I feel the Rangers would be well received. For those in that area who enjoy minor league hockey the Adirondack Thunder is just less then an hour trip for most Albany area suburbanites who like hockey.
 

UticaHockey

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I clicked on this thread thinking I would be reading about David Andrews retiring but it turned out to be another thread about Albany. I should have known....
 

RowdyFan42

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I clicked on this thread thinking I would be reading about David Andrews retiring but it turned out to be another thread about Albany. I should have known....
The discussion drift was organic. The question was raised as to whether or not Andrews' replacement might be pressured to move the league's headquarters out of Springfield now that the AHL is a coast-to-coast league. This led to a discussion about the state of minor-league hockey in the Northeast and which cities may or may not be viable markets going forward. Like it or not, Albany has a place in that discussion, even if you take the view that Albany is no longer a viable professional hockey market.

You're more than welcome to change the subject, however, whether it's to another city (though at this point every other possibility is just as tired as Albany) or even back to the original topic.
 
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axecrew

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The discussion drift was organic. The question was raised as to whether or not Andrews' replacement might be pressured to move the league's headquarters out of Springfield now that the AHL is a coast-to-coast league. This led to a discussion about the state of minor-league hockey in the Northeast and which cities may or may not be viable markets going forward. Like it or not, Albany has a place in that discussion, even if you take the view that Albany is no longer a viable professional hockey market.

You're more than welcome to change the subject, however, whether it's to another city (though at this point every other possibility is just as tired as Albany) or even back to the original topic.

So do they possible move it to Chicago? Major market, high visibility, easy to get to from anywhere,centrally located. If they are considering moving at all.
 

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