45 replies to this topic

[Miracle on Vanrick]

Justin Cohn is hearing rumblings posted off his twitter account

Quote

I’m hearing #CHLprohockey is losing another team. That would be nine in like 15 months, if it’s true. Crazy.

[Miracle on Vanrick]

It would be fascinating when the dust settles on this league to learn how it just completely crumbled in the span of 3-4 years. This league is taking on the face of the old IHL in the late years before the ultimate collapse. Just nuts.

[minor life]

It wont be Bloomington. Arizona has been on the ropes for years.

[Mr Ricochet]

minor life, on 03 July 2012 - 09:53 AM, said:

It wont be Bloomington. Arizona has been on the ropes for years.

If Bloomington isn't the rumored team they have to be high on, if not first, the list of teams least likely to finish the season............... Terrible what's happening to the CHL. A solid professional league that treats its players and fans well.

[Drake8]

I think Bloomington is the weakest team in the league, but they have already started signing players and they have hired a coach. I have not heard any news out of Arizona though, due to their location they are always a threat to go. However if they could regain what they had in years past they would fit well in the ECHL. This is the ECHL slappy in me talking but I really hope the ECHL grabs Wichita, Tulsa, Allen, Missouri, Quad City and maybe even Arizona if/when the CHL falls.

Edited by Drake8, 03 July 2012 - 12:03 PM.

[artie fufkin]

It's been awful quiet in QC lately.

Edited by artie fufkin, 03 July 2012 - 12:19 PM.

[Drake8]

Good point haven't heard anything from QC. Really the only teams announcing promotions/signings are tulsa and Missouri. Allen wichita bloomington and RC have announced a couple things via twitter. Denver Arizona QC and Texas are VERY quiet right now. And of course as I am typing this Arizona announces on twitter they have signed former port Huron ice hawk mikael Bedard. Guess that means they are in for next year.

Edited by Drake8, 03 July 2012 - 12:46 PM.

[artie fufkin]

Drake8, on 03 July 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

Good point haven't heard anything from QC. Really the only teams announcing promotions/signings are tulsa and Missouri. Allen wichita bloomington and RC have announced a couple things via twitter. Denver Arizona QC and Texas are VERY quiet right now.

Arizona just announced a signing. Probably can cross them off.

[Mr Ricochet]

artie fufkin, on 03 July 2012 - 12:16 PM, said:

It's been awful quiet in QC lately.

How so Artie?

[thunderfan24]

QC is now the only team to not announce a signing I believe. The only one I can't remember announcing someone in Rapid City and I doubt they are the rumored team. I wouldn't be surprised if QC is gone by the end of the week. If that happens how can Bloomington stay in a league with no one within 6 hours. They already have enough trouble. NOT GOOD.

[Miracle on Vanrick]

Sounds as though QC is the team on the brink...

The next week or so should be awfully interesting.

[Mr Ricochet]

thunderfan24, on 03 July 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

QC is now the only team to not announce a signing I believe. The only one I can't remember announcing someone in Rapid City and I doubt they are the rumored team. I wouldn't be surprised if QC is gone by the end of the week. If that happens how can Bloomington stay in a league with no one within 6 hours. They already have enough trouble. NOT GOOD.

Did not know this...........If this happens it's another blow to the groin of QC fans. UHL-AHL-IHL2-CHL!!! Tough for any fan/city to deal with that kind of turnover.

[Drake8]

IF Quad City folds and im still not sold on the idea they will do you guys think they move to the USHL? If they leave they would probably have 3 options the USHL ECHL or no more hockey. If they leave the CHL I think the possibility of joining the E would be slim. They do fit right in the USHL. I honestly cant see a pretty nice building like that belng vacant for too long.

[Mr Ricochet]

Drake8, on 03 July 2012 - 02:47 PM, said:

IF Quad City folds and im still not sold on the idea they will do you guys think they move to the USHL? If they leave they would probably have 3 options the USHL ECHL or no more hockey. If they leave the CHL I think the possibility of joining the E would be slim. They do fit right in the USHL. I honestly cant see a pretty nice building like that belng vacant for too long.

Never mistake that the USHL doesn't drool over QC and the Mark. A list of just the teams deeply established in Iowa are Dubuque, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Sioux City and then you have Chicago and Green Bay. That is a lot of teams within 50-250 miles! So the geography will show the reasons the USHL covets the city.

Add that NHL owners and GM's own parts of USHL teams and the league sent 7 kids in the 1st round of the NHL draft this year, 28 overall (more than the QMJHL!!) and a total of 45 who played in the league at one time and the power of the league is substantial.

Who knows though. IF QC falls in the CHL the fan base will be so turned off by so many franchises and leagues coming and going in the last 6-7 years, it's anyone's guess what will become of QC hockey.

But be sure the USHL always has their tentacles close by.

[Hans]

I think we're seeing that this is the downside of the business model that was used to grow the WPHL (dba the CHL) over the past 15 years -- once they ran out of cities to talk into paying them to build arenas AND give their teams leases, the league became unsustainable on its own. It astounds me that better long-term planning wasn't done years ago to prepare for exactly this eventuality -- especially once Global started to be kicked out of every arena management contract they landed in ICC-built arenas...

I guess experience is the truest teacher -- sadly, that comes at the expense of fans who were developed in these unconventional markets.

[Mr Ricochet]

Hans, on 05 July 2012 - 08:35 PM, said:

I think we're seeing that this is the downside of the business model that was used to grow the WPHL (dba the CHL) over the past 15 years -- once they ran out of cities to talk into paying them to build arenas AND give their teams leases, the league became unsustainable on its own. It astounds me that better long-term planning wasn't done years ago to prepare for exactly this eventuality -- especially once Global started to be kicked out of every arena management contract they landed in ICC-built arenas...

I guess experience is the truest teacher -- sadly, that comes at the expense of fans who were developed in these unconventional markets.

Ole Hans is in the house!! Hello Hans.............

Interested to hear your thoughts on the demise of AA hockey, other than the IHL2 of course. I think hindsight shows that was a Frankenstein destined for failure. From your above post it seems like you see the CHL model flawed from the start as they built the arenas on the cities dime and then ran them. Ok, why can't that be sustained without building more arenas?.......... The buildings are there and the fan bases made.

How much does the economy come into play? How much do rising costs play into the picture? As far as the CHL a geography thing? Did/do the lack of official affiliations hurt? ......Can the CHL continue as is, will they have to restructure somehow. If not will they go single A or go junior?

[Hans]

The buildings are there, the fan bases _were_ there, but as we see, they weren't sustainable fan bases -- initial numbers weren't sustained in most ICC-built arena markets, and as I mentioned earlier, most of the markets that Global got money from for managing their ICC-built arena actually kicked them out before the end of the initial contracts (if I recall correctly). Most ICC-built arena markets were, IMO, sacrificial lambs -- ICC got the money for the arena, but the owners who were talked into owning the teams seem to have believed rosy projections of attendance that proved unsustainable with economic downturn, etc. That was my point.

I have no idea whether the league itself will restructure -- that will partly depend on how many owners are willing to stay on board, and whether some of them would jump to the ECHL, or attempt to form their own single-A circuit, or attempt to join the SPHL or something like that. I think "the league" is desperately attempting to continue to exist, now that the league can't just be used as a loss-leader for the arena-construction business. It's a multi-party situation, and thus very hard to predict.

JMO, of course.

[jtm84]

This sounds a little cryptic from Justin Cohn:

"Y’all figure out which #chlprohockey team is flying away yet?"

FLYING away...

https://twitter.com/...473850326663168

[Mr Ricochet]

jtm84, on 07 July 2012 - 06:20 AM, said:

This sounds a little cryptic from Justin Cohn:

"Y’all figure out which #chlprohockey team is flying away yet?"

FLYING away...

https://twitter.com/...473850326663168

If I didn't know Cohn pretty well I'd guess he's dancin on someone's grave

[JR1]

Mr Ricochet, on 07 July 2012 - 06:26 AM, said:

jtm84, on 07 July 2012 - 06:20 AM, said:

This sounds a little cryptic from Justin Cohn:

"Y’all figure out which #chlprohockey team is flying away yet?"

FLYING away...

https://twitter.com/...473850326663168

If I didn't know Cohn pretty well I'd guess he's dancin on someone's grave

One of many reasons why I severely dislike Twitter........ No one thinks things out (or proof reads) before hitting send for everyone to see....