Windsor Spitfires 2018-19 Thread (Part 8)

[Teflon]

Perhaps this is nitpicking but I'd like to see ticket offers extend to the entire arena. The ones I see normally are for the one end of the rink; why not allow tickets to be purchased anywhere?

Because the STH will lose their minds!!

 

[OHLTG]

Because the STH will lose their minds!!

I'm a STH and I'd be fine with it. Like I've said on here before, I'm a STH because of my surroundings and less stress on me. I'd hope STH would want more butts in the stands and, realistically, nobody knows HOW people got the tickets to begin with. For all we know, the people sitting next to you could have gotten them for free.

 

[GBFP]

CHL is a failing "business" that is going to get demolished by NCAA Hockey the next decade. If I was a CHL owner I'd be looking to sell and hope there was a former pro player who made big money who would be interested with money to burn and a fit of nostalgia.

Ticket prices are high, but teams are not making crazy profit - far from it. They NEED to charge these prices. NHL really needs to start subsidizing the CHL a helluva lot more - it's still their main feeder system. NFL, NBA and MLB use College (or even HS in case of MLB) as their amateur feeder system. MLB also has 5 minor league levels - is that what the NHL wants instead? Or do they raise their draft age to 20 and just hope the NCAA takes over bigly?

 

[windsor7]

Because the STH will lose their minds!!

agreed
and if I had to guess where the tix are it be in the end zone probably in row p and above.

 

[windsor7]

I'm a STH and I'd be fine with it. Like I've said on here before, I'm a STH because of my surroundings and less stress on me. I'd hope STH would want more butts in the stands and, realistically, nobody knows HOW people got the tickets to begin with. For all we know, the people sitting next to you could have gotten them for free.

just because u r a season tix holder doesn't mean u speak for all sth.

 

[Teflon]

Mikey’s headed back to Ottawa in the morning.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

CHL is a failing "business" that is going to get demolished by NCAA Hockey the next decade. If I was a CHL owner I'd be looking to sell and hope there was a former pro player who made big money who would be interested with money to burn and a fit of nostalgia.

Ticket prices are high, but teams are not making crazy profit - far from it. They NEED to charge these prices. NHL really needs to start subsidizing the CHL a helluva lot more - it's still their main feeder system. NFL, NBA and MLB use College (or even HS in case of MLB) as their amateur feeder system. MLB also has 5 minor league levels - is that what the NHL wants instead? Or do they raise their draft age to 20 and just hope the NCAA takes over bigly?

The problem is if the CHL owner is looking to sell any prospective buyer will probably know why. Most franchises would sell for more than what the owner originally bought it for but.... any prospective buyer would want to see a larger return in the future. As you said it's a failing business so there probably aren't many buyers out there.

The MLB feeder system is slowly moving towards beyond the USA in other words last year 27% of MLB were foreign born.

NFL/NBA biggest feeder system is obviously the NCAA and even that might be changing with being able to start drafting high school player soon maybe within the next 3-4 years.

The problem is the CHL is a prospectors market one year you may get a few CHL players in the top 10. This year for example it looks like you may get 4 guys from the USDP and a couple europeans. There isn't any certainty with the NHL subsidizing the CHL beyond what they already do. Of course a lot of this is up to the commissioner of the OHL/CHL who has been around probably too long now.

 

[punch1943]

Just saw this tweet a couple of minutes ago..Still crying

Spits just robocalled me trying to pay for all my playoff tickets now so I won’t have to wait in line later in the playoffs
AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[windsor7]

Just saw this tweet a couple of minutes ago..Still crying

Spits just robocalled me trying to pay for all my playoff tickets now so I won’t have to wait in line later in the playoffs
AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

But u get a chance to win a boka Jersey. Hahahaha.
Fans will be running to buy. Lol

 

[OHL 17]

Are they trying to drop a hint, by giving away Boka's jersey?

 

[member 71782]

There's lots to be fixed across the OHL/CHL to increase attendance but unfortunately they won't be willing to fix things.

The product has become watered down and over priced and there base of support supports one style of game while the fans they are looking to attract will never see the product they want because of how watered down it has become.

The changes to trading draft picks is a start, but they should really reduce it to 3 years instead of 4.

After that?

Contraction. Get the league down to 16 teams. Will help to centralize the high end talent when there are fewer markets.

Balance the schedule, everyone would play each other 4 times (with a 16 team league that would cut the number of games to 60 for those who push the education perspective it becomes more attractive). The league could continue to be split into two conferences or simply eliminate the conferences and rank everyone 1 - 16 for playoffs with the top 8 making the playoffs. This should provide better match ups in the playoffs with a better likelihood that the best teams are moving onto the championships.

Institute a draft lottery similar to the NHL to minimize the chance a team will look to tank. When last place no longer guarantees you the first pick everyone has more to play for.

Cut the draft from 15 rounds to 10. There are a lot of players who will never have a chance to play in the league that are drafted simply to fill 15 rounds. Keep the focus on the top players, on fewer teams and the level of play will pic up significantly. There is the argument some will have about late round gems, sign them as FAs. That same argument can also be applied to the NHL which only has 7 rounds. How many rounds do you increase the draft by until you no longer have late round gems to worry about? Teams already sign undrafted FAs so cutting the draft won't make much difference.

Eliminate the U18 draft. Nice experiment but doesn't appear to be working or adding much to OHL teams. I know the reasoning is to keep kids playing midget level hockey but with JR. A, B, C, Tier 2 etc they have options if they have the talent.

Cut the import draft to a single round but increase the number of imports a team can carry to 3. This allows even more high end talent into the league and when you can increase the level of talent you increase your ability to keep attracting even more high end talent. Keeps the "warm bodies" to a minimum within the league.

Eliminate the import tag from OA imports. While you still won't see many OA imports if a player has come over to play as a 17 and the opportunity to play an OA year comes along the player/team should not be punished for keeping the best players possible. Keep the number of OAs the same but an OA import would not count as an import player. The only stipulation is they would have had to play at least one full season in the league to qualify.

Start targeting players at 14. Obviously not to draft but the CHL as a whole needs to come together and put their product/development model out there to the kids as soon as possible in a way that makes dense. Development camps across the US etc for top level potential prospects with league follow up for 14/15 year olds before their draft year that involves all teams from the CHL and its various leagues. Make sure it doesn't interfere with their NCAA eligibility so that you can attract them to it but when you can provide events that put the highest level of kids together in their respective age groups and the kids can see how that level of play improves their development opportunities and the potential to help their pro aspirations you increase interest in the league(s).

Increase the talent and you can increase the level of competition, attractiveness to players and attendance. Ticket prices are an issue right now but the bigger issue is not simply the price of tickets but the quality of product available for the price of tickets. If you have a good product that people want to see ticket prices become less of an issue.

Why do so many players come out of the GTA? The talent is centralized amongst a few teams and if players want to improve their chances of making it beyond minor midget they find ways to play there. The OHL/CHL needs to build off of that model.

 

[punch1943]

There's lots to be fixed across the OHL/CHL to increase attendance but unfortunately they won't be willing to fix things.

The product has become watered down and over priced and there base of support supports one style of game while the fans they are looking to attract will never see the product they want because of how watered down it has become.

The changes to trading draft picks is a start, but they should really reduce it to 3 years instead of 4.

After that?

Contraction. Get the league down to 16 teams. Will help to centralize the high end talent when there are fewer markets.

Balance the schedule, everyone would play each other 4 times (with a 16 team league that would cut the number of games to 60 for those who push the education perspective it becomes more attractive). The league could continue to be split into two conferences or simply eliminate the conferences and rank everyone 1 - 16 for playoffs with the top 8 making the playoffs. This should provide better match ups in the playoffs with a better likelihood that the best teams are moving onto the championships.

Institute a draft lottery similar to the NHL to minimize the chance a team will look to tank. When last place no longer guarantees you the first pick everyone has more to play for.

Cut the draft from 15 rounds to 10. There are a lot of players who will never have a chance to play in the league that are drafted simply to fill 15 rounds. Keep the focus on the top players, on fewer teams and the level of play will pic up significantly. There is the argument some will have about late round gems, sign them as FAs. That same argument can also be applied to the NHL which only has 7 rounds. How many rounds do you increase the draft by until you no longer have late round gems to worry about? Teams already sign undrafted FAs so cutting the draft won't make much difference.

Eliminate the U18 draft. Nice experiment but doesn't appear to be working or adding much to OHL teams. I know the reasoning is to keep kids playing midget level hockey but with JR. A, B, C, Tier 2 etc they have options if they have the talent.

Cut the import draft to a single round but increase the number of imports a team can carry to 3. This allows even more high end talent into the league and when you can increase the level of talent you increase your ability to keep attracting even more high end talent. Keeps the "warm bodies" to a minimum within the league.

Eliminate the import tag from OA imports. While you still won't see many OA imports if a player has come over to play as a 17 and the opportunity to play an OA year comes along the player/team should not be punished for keeping the best players possible. Keep the number of OAs the same but an OA import would not count as an import player. The only stipulation is they would have had to play at least one full season in the league to qualify.

Start targeting players at 14. Obviously not to draft but the CHL as a whole needs to come together and put their product/development model out there to the kids as soon as possible in a way that makes dense. Development camps across the US etc for top level potential prospects with league follow up for 14/15 year olds before their draft year that involves all teams from the CHL and its various leagues. Make sure it doesn't interfere with their NCAA eligibility so that you can attract them to it but when you can provide events that put the highest level of kids together in their respective age groups and the kids can see how that level of play improves their development opportunities and the potential to help their pro aspirations you increase interest in the league(s).

Increase the talent and you can increase the level of competition, attractiveness to players and attendance. Ticket prices are an issue right now but the bigger issue is not simply the price of tickets but the quality of product available for the price of tickets. If you have a good product that people want to see ticket prices become less of an issue.

Why do so many players come out of the GTA? The talent is centralized amongst a few teams and if players want to improve their chances of making it beyond minor midget they find ways to play there. The OHL/CHL needs to build off of that model.

Aw there you go trying to be logical again.

 

[TheGremlin]

But u get a chance to win a boka Jersey. Hahahaha.
Fans will be running to buy. Lol

Well he is a top 6 forward

 

[windsor7]

Well he is a top 6 forward

To TL? his buddy?

 

[ohloutsider]

So a couple of random thoughts - Spits don't win any this weekend it is all over but the crying. I hope they can win at least 1. Got to be tough losing so many and has to be a mental drain on these kids. Still in my mind still see it is a win win. Short term pain for long term gain. Just hope the scouts are finding the right players.
Also don't think I would have any issue with any player that is drafted ( by position). We need help everywhere so just go with BPA.

Playoff tickets - Fans around me are a mixed bag - some will buy no matter what. Some never buy the first round but most are saying they are not buying this year - they already know the outcome if we get in. Going back to last year game 6 I'm guessing a bit but there was around 1800 fans for that game - you could see similar numbers of Spits fans. If we did get in and did play London you may have more London fans there than Spits fans - Reminds me of Plymouth games.

I see Erie and Windsor in identical scenarios - not sure which one wins the playoff race and even getting in what did you really win?

 

[OHLTG]

You won't win much this season. It'll be reminiscent of the 4-0 sweep against London a while back. I'll go to the playoff games but, if they don't make it, I won't be terribly upset. My only hope is that people don't complain about it because the plan is now in place and there's no reason they can't do damage next season and beyond.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Not trying to start anything but what constitutes long term gain? With everyone talking taking a run in 20-21. Whatever you want to consider last year is up to you. I think most agree this year has been a failure regardless of whether people want to label it the beginning of a rebuild or the continuing of one. Wouldn't we still need to see a large payoff next year for it to constitute long term gain? If they go for it in 20-21 and it doesn't work and the rebuild starts again what is the gain? Long term gain should be something that lasts beyond 1 year shouldn't it? I would say 3-5 years of sustained success would constitute long term gain imo, yes it can be different for everyone. A year of average hockey and selling off at the deadline, followed up by a year of poor hockey shouldn't mean 1 year is long term gain.

 

[OHLTG]

The question then becomes what is "sustained success"? Is it Memorial Cup every season? OHL title? Winning 2-3 playoff rounds? I'm being honest, too. I think if we won 2-3 playoff rounds for a couple or three seasons in a row, but never got to the OHL finals, you'd still have people believing it's not a success. We've seen this proven many times; everyone has a different definition of it.

What do I want to see? Entertaining hockey and at least one playoff series win. Give me a team that scores, that sticks up for each other, and develops players to the point where they can make the next level. If the team wins the OHL title, that's great. If they win the Memorial Cup, that's even better. Will I get upset if they don't do either one for a while? No. I'll be disappointed but I've seen two OHL titles and three Memorial Cups in 10-years; that's not bad.

 

[windsor7]

You won't win much this season. It'll be reminiscent of the 4-0 sweep against London a while back. I'll go to the playoff games but, if they don't make it, I won't be terribly upset. My only hope is that people don't complain about it because the plan is now in place and there's no reason they can't do damage next season and beyond.

And what is the plan?
I dont even think Windsor knows. Lol

 

[windsor7]

The question then becomes what is "sustained success"? Is it Memorial Cup every season? OHL title? Winning 2-3 playoff rounds? I'm being honest, too. I think if we won 2-3 playoff rounds for a couple or three seasons in a row, but never got to the OHL finals, you'd still have people believing it's not a success. We've seen this proven many times; everyone has a different definition of it.

What do I want to see? Entertaining hockey and at least one playoff series win. Give me a team that scores, that sticks up for each other, and develops players to the point where they can make the next level. If the team wins the OHL title, that's great. If they win the Memorial Cup, that's even better. Will I get upset if they don't do either one for a while? No. I'll be disappointed but I've seen two OHL titles and three Memorial Cups in 10-years; that's not bad.

Memories.....

 

[ohloutsider]

Not trying to start anything but what constitutes long term gain? With everyone talking taking a run in 20-21. Whatever you want to consider last year is up to you. I think most agree this year has been a failure regardless of whether people want to label it the beginning of a rebuild or the continuing of one. Wouldn't we still need to see a large payoff next year for it to constitute long term gain? If they go for it in 20-21 and it doesn't work and the rebuild starts again what is the gain? Long term gain should be something that lasts beyond 1 year shouldn't it? I would say 3-5 years of sustained success would constitute long term gain imo, yes it can be different for everyone. A year of average hockey and selling off at the deadline, followed up by a year of poor hockey shouldn't mean 1 year is long term gain.

Razor and not trying to start anything are 2 things you should never see together.
To answer your question - an over 500 season with possibly 1 round of playoffs won - year 2 anything better than year 1. Ya the bar is probably low for me but I just like junior hockey and once Spits are out I still watch playoffs to the end so I get my hockey fix either way.

 

[Cherrydon]

Regarding talent in the CHL/OHL. The USHL had a record 57 players drafted from their 17 teams. In comparison the entire CHL had a total of 78 players out of 60 teams. The gap is closing rapidly. We have to except the fact the U.S. is producing high end talent at a much faster pace. This years NHL draft is no exception. With the USHL basing all their teams in the Midwest region, which happens to be the same priority draft area for the OHL. They are NCAA eligible and have that option after the USHL. We must examine the CHL system as we are slowly going to die on the vine. I love the OHL and want nothing more than maintain it as the premier development league. Overdue for some drastic changes to thwart the constant attack on the CHL from the USHL and the NCAA. They actually changed their import rules a couple of years ago where in theory they can have 6 Canadians on their USHL roster as well as they maintained European goalie selection when the CHL banned it for a few seasons until this year. That's the real reason it was reimplemented this last years import draft. The number of high end U.S. talent is staying home compared to years ago. Time the CHL wakes up before we're overtaken as the premiere development league for budding NHL stars.

 

[OHLTG]

Incze starts tonight... and the lines are moved around again. Cuylle and Foudy with Purboo. Douglas on third line.

 

[TheGremlin]

Incze starts tonight... and the lines are moved around again. Cuylle and Foudy with Purboo. Douglas on third line.

 

[Cherrydon]

Incze starts tonight... and the lines are moved around again. Cuylle and Foudy with Purboo. Douglas on third line.

Where's Boka, that's the first line lol
Funny how TL states publicly how well their playing and their record is not indicative of the play yet he screws with the lines. Maybe we'll see a new power play unit but I won't hold my breath