Utica Comets relocating to Abbotsford, Binghamton Devils to Utica

[royals119]

and again, I ask the question, Royals, how attune were you to the inner workings of the AHL, from the late 70s until 2015.....

the Pacific Division had been in the background for at least 20 years before it was executed in 2014, which is why both Manchester and Worcester disappeared in 2014, because of the decision made by LA AND SJ (remember Worcester was in the initial discussions with SJ about extending their contract before breaking off those discussions.

it was also stated had it been not approved in 2014..... it would've been done by the end of the decade

As I already said, I started following minor league hockey (Royals directly, AHL indirectly) in 2001. I closely followed the news of a potential Pacific division in the years leading up to 2014, since the Royals were affiliated with the Kings and Monarchs, and Dean Lombardi was one of the more publically vocal proponents of the idea while GM of the Kings. I'm not sure about "inner workings", as probably only league employees, team owners and employees, and maybe some reporters would be privy to that.

Also, really has nothing to do with your assertion that the Pacific division was shown favoritism in regard to scheduling. You seem to be forgetting, the eastern teams didn't want the reduced schedule, the western teams did. They agreed to a compromise. If the eastern teams had wanted to play less games, they clearly could have done that.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

As I already said, I started following minor league hockey (Royals directly, AHL indirectly) in 2001. I closely followed the news of a potential Pacific division in the years leading up to 2014, since the Royals were affiliated with the Kings and Monarchs, and Dean Lombardi was one of the more publically vocal proponents of the idea while GM of the Kings. I'm not sure about "inner workings", as probably only league employees, team owners and employees, and maybe some reporters would be privy to that.

Also, really has nothing to do with your assertion that the Pacific division was shown favoritism in regard to scheduling. You seem to be forgetting, the eastern teams didn't want the reduced schedule, the western teams did. They agreed to a compromise. If the eastern teams had wanted to play less games, they clearly could have done that.

no the deal was to create the Pacific Division, the addendum was added to change that to 68.....

2) no team from 1936 on, Royals, has played every other team in the AHL whether the league mandated it with the master schedule, that's has been a point of contention no matter which fanbase or organization is discussed, even since 2001..... the only time a midwest or western team came to New England since the expansion to 27 was Manitoba, not the other 5 that were added that year.... Both teams have to reciprocate that relationship.....

the ECHL does better than that since Portland joined there in 2018...

the way we were told if you wanted to modify the subset of teams you play is tell that organization you need to see it that got passed to the league.... but that's what the point of contention was every time the AHL Set the master schedule release those who wanted a better mix never got that.....unless you hosted the All Star Classic

 

[LadyStanley]

Using same name.as parent

 

[Ernie]

I thought it was lame that they used the same name.

But then I found out 6 other AHL teams use the same name as their parent club.

Still think it's lame.

 

[StreetHawk]

I thought it was lame that they used the same name.

But then I found out 6 other AHL teams use the same name as their parent club.

Still think it's lame.

Given that the distance between the 2 arenas is around an hour it seems too close to be using the same name.

 

[Spydey629]

I thought it was lame that they used the same name.

But then I found out 6 other AHL teams use the same name as their parent club.

Still think it's lame.

But unlike most of those teams, the Baby Canucks have a better logo than the parent club.

 

[kaiser matias]

Given that the distance between the 2 arenas is around an hour it seems too close to be using the same name.

It's roughly the same distance that Boston and Providence are (according to Google maps), and they share the same name for NHL and AHL.

Don't disagree that it's a lazy name though.

 

[CanadianCoyote]

But unlike most of those teams, the Baby Canucks have a better logo than the parent club.

Eeeeh, disagree. I've never, ever liked Johnny Canuck as a logo for the NHL Canucks. Works well at the WHL or AHL level, so I'm glad Abbotsford is using it, but I think Johnny stands out too much in the NHL logo sphere.

Closest there is to him is the Pens logo, and even then, that logo's been around as the primary for most of the club's history unlike Johnny. The Orca is a perfectly good NHL logo, despite how much certain Canucks fans hate it.

 

[Spydey629]

Eeeeh, disagree. I've never, ever liked Johnny Canuck as a logo for the NHL Canucks. Works well at the WHL or AHL level, so I'm glad Abbotsford is using it, but I think Johnny stands out too much in the NHL logo sphere.

Closest there is to him is the Pens logo, and even then, that logo's been around as the primary for most of the club's history unlike Johnny. The Orca is a perfectly good NHL logo, despite how much certain Canucks fans hate it.

Maybe my being a Pens fans is my draw to it then. That said, I want to use your own argument.... there is such a limited range in NHL logos. Everyone is round, or a stylized team initial. Johnny Canuck breaks that mold and is a caricature of who Johnny Canuck was supposed to be.

 

[Lunatik]

Forced their way in? The pacific teams had some kind of blackmail over the other owners? The board of governors called security to have them removed from a meeting, but they chained themselves to the chairs and refused to leave? Maybe YOU didn't want them, and one or two of the AHL owners didn't, but the majority of the AHL board saw the advantages of bringing in a pacific division.

The Flames, Oilers, Kings, Ducks and Sharks did force the shorter schedule, they were willing to start their own league if the AHL didn't agree to their terms.

 

[royals119]

Playoff brackets have been released. Just another reminder for anyone who thinks the league is going to do something logical, or even, they really aren't. The one thing that is "equal" is that two teams from each division are going to miss the playoffs. It does make for a convoluted first round when you need to get down to four teams for the semi's and you have unbalanced divisions. I wonder if there was a proposal where two western teams had a bye and the other five played a neutral site round robin tournament to decide the other two slots in the semi's?