National Ice Hockey Association (NIHA)

[dallasstar03]

Hello everyone!

This will be my first foray into the world of CCSLC, so please, add some constructive criticism if you like. As you may have already seen, I am creating a fictional hockey league known as the NIHA (National Ice Hockey Association). I will explain the entire history of the league, from its founding to now. And unfortunately, because my art skills are equivalent to a (insert random self-insult about why I can't draw here), so if you all can suggest graphic design programs to create logos, it would be an excellent help. But without further ado, we jump back to a cold winter day in Montreal, Quebec, in November 1920...

Prologue: In A Deep, Deep Hole

Aging retired entrepreneur and former hockey player, William Dubois, was in a true low point in his lifetime. His independent hockey team, the Montreal Royals, had disbanded in September of that year due to Dubois (who was their starting right winger and financial moderator) wanting to place the club into a startup league. Dubois was able to afford the required fee to transfer the club to the league, but the league ran into financial problems and was forced to disband, taking all of the Royals' funds with it. His entrepreneur career was not working as well, as he sold hockey equipment. The hockey scene, while popular with adults taking on professional careers, junior teams were much less common in the late 1910s and early 1920s. This caused his business to be shut down.

As Dubois was trying to forget all of these unpleasant memories, he figured that a trip to see his American acquaintance Edward "Eddie" Marshall would allow him to put all of his problems behind him. So he scraped together his little remaining cash, and boarded one of the first commercial flights in history.

Little did he know that what he did after that trip would make history.

Okay, then! Let me know what you think. Like I said before, constructive criticism is welcomed. Grammar mistakes, misspelled words, errors with my facts-if it's a mistake, tell me!

Cheers!

-dallasstar03

[Uglybus]

There is already a PHL on the boards. I'd suggest changing the name so people don't get confused.

[TheRoyalsFan20]

Think this has a lot of potential. Can't wait

[dallasstar03]

Thanks for the feedback!

The new name will go into effect when the next chapter is up, and the new name is

"drumroll"

The NIHA (Nationwide Ice Hockey Association)! I hope you guys like the new name.

[TheRoyalsFan20]

Sounds good. So this is going to be like a concept league with teams and uniforms right? Just wondering.

[dallasstar03]

Thanks for all the feedback-especially from TheRoyalsFan20. Speaking of his recent comment, it will have teams. Logos and uniforms will be added later, as my graphic design skills are awful. But without further ado, here is Chapter 1 of NIHA history!

Chapter 1: Founding

When William Dubois arrived at Eddie Marshall's home, the two friends began to have a meeting about Dubois' recent financial troubles. Marshall was a financial agent, and did most of his work for Dubois. Their meeting turned from money, to The Great War, to its effect on sports, to sports itself, and then to hockey. When the topic was brought up, Marshall was reminded of a proposal he had. He then presented the proposal to his friend. The plan was as follows: twelve teams, with six in both America and Canada. Marshall, like Dubois, was an avid hockey fan and player, and wanted this league to be his first major entrance into professional sports. Dubois was initially skeptical about the proposal due to his previous attempt at getting his franchise into another startup league, but Marshall finally persuaded him to join. So, on November 28, 1920, the NIHA was officially created. Marshall sent sixteen team applications to sixteen different towns and cities, but because it wouldn't be until June of 1921 when he received his twelfth application, the league's inaugural season was not until 1921-22.

And that is all for tonight! I will say something right here and now: all management will be fictional, but the players will be real NHL players. This is subject to change, so tell me what you prefer-fiction or fact.

And that's all! See you with the team names and cities tomorrow night!

-dallasstar03

[dallasstar03]

Hello again and welcome to the new chapter! I want to change the topic title to the new name, but I can't figure out how. If someone can tell me, it would be awesome. Now onto the second chapter.

Chapter 2: Early Seasons

The twelve franchises for the NIHA's inaugural season were the Montreal Royals (named after William Dubois' previous club), Winnipeg Reds, Hamilton Sticks, Halifax Eagles, Rochester Liberty, Toronto Eagles (now the Skyhawks), Ottawa Capitals, Philadelphia Wings, New York Stars, Syracuse Cuses, Detroit Racers, and Quebec Cap'ns. Only five franchises are still active in the present day, however, being Philadelphia, Rochester (now in New York City), Winnipeg, Montreal, and Toronto. These teams are known as the Surviving Five, because they survived through major events like the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and others. The franchises were split into two divisions: the East and West. The 48-game season ran from November to March, when after which the Union Cup was awarded to the team with the greatest overall record. The Union Cup was designed by Eddie Marshall's wife, Lucinda Marchall. The cup had a 7-inch wide bowl on top of a single wooden shaft, about 20 inches tall. The first champions, the Ottawa Capitals, who had a stellar 38-10 record, had their name engraved inside the bowl. Their second championship, as well as the Wings' first, were also engraved inside the bowl. Now, the team name, season, and rosters are engraved onto circular pieces of nickel. The current cup is 28 inches tall, with 90-plus championship engravings being added. In short, the league had excellent success for a while-much longer than expected. This streak lasted for twelve seasons before its first major problem occurred in the 1932-33 season. The problem? The Great Depression. The solution? Unfortunately, nothing.

And that's all for tonight! Looks like the league's running into some issues...(dunn DUNNN DUUUUUUUUUN)

-dallasstar03

[CanucksBrad]

1920 seems a little early for a team from Winnipeg to travel as far East as New York and Halifax for 24 road games a season.

[Spanna65]

A design or two would be nice.

[dallasstar03]

I will post a chapter later, but a few words in response to some comments:

1920 seems a little early for a team from Winnipeg to travel as far East as New York and Halifax for 24 road games a season. -CanucksBrad

I will address this in the next chapter, so hang in there.

​A design or two would be nice. -Spanna65

Like I have mentioned, my art skills are very poor, so i will do logo and uniform designs LATER. I will try and get a league logo in there, though, which i'm sure you will like.

Thanks for the tips!

-dallasstar03

[Uglybus]

You can edit the title by editing the first post.

[dallasstar03]

New chapter time! But before I begin, I want to thank Uglybus. He gave me the suggestion to change the name, and it has steadily improved its audience. Hopefully this topic can get more viewers. But onto Chapter 3!

Chapter 3: Depression

When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, many professional sports leagues suffered from it, and the NIHA was no exception. Before it was even Christmas time, 5 franchises folded-over a third of the whole league, leaving seven teams when the New Year rang in. To keep the divisions balanced, Eddie Marshall used the lost money from the teams to form a new team in Kenora, Ontario, called the Kenora 33's. In addition to balancing the divisions, it also partially reduced travel time for the Winnipeg Reds, who were the league's westernmost team at the time. It wasn't a permanent fix, but it had to do. The season fortunately ended without any major issues, but it got worse. For six seasons (1933-34 to 1938-39) three more teams collapsed, and at one point, the league had to be suspended in the middle of the 1937-38 season, resulting in the Union Cup not being awarded. This was the only time in league history that it was not awarded. Eventually, before the 1939-40 season, the league came to an agreement that all teams that did not have 'enough money' (It is unknown what Marshall meant by that) would suspend for that season. Sure enough, only five teams remained for that season. But a new idea was being processed in the league front offices...

And that's all for tonight! See you tomorrow evening for more history!

-dallasstar03

[T-ROY]

You can post some concepts, too

[dallasstar03]

Sorry guys, no chapter tonight-I had a loooooooooooooot of stuff to do. Fortunately, Jj... has offered to design uniforms for me, so thanks a million to him!

See you tomorrow!

-dallasstar03

[dallasstar03]

Hey everyone!

Welcome to the fourth chapter of this long saga!

Chapter 4: Expansion

In the aftermath of the Great Depression in the 1940s, the NIHA front office was in deep discussion of expanding to twelve teams as opposed to five. However, no one had the money to pay for and own a new team at the time. Because of that, the subject was put on hold until further notice. Finally in the 1958 offseason, a report claimed that three eager buyers in Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore were looking to own a franchise. The three businessmen were given franchises, and for the 1960-61 season, the Detroit Adrenaline Racers, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths, and Baltimore Lobsters entered the league. This was only one-quarter of the expansion teams planned to be added, so further expansion plans were made in 1962 for teams in westward cities-Chicago and Milwaukee. The franchises for those cities began play for the 1965-66 season. Three more teams were added in Buffalo, Minneapolis, and Boston for 1969-70. Before any more teams were added though, tragedy struck the league when league President Eddie Marshall passed away on July 31, 1971. Out of respect for him, players wore patches with the number 20 (in honor of 1920, when the league was founded).

It was definitely sad to see the league president pass away in our story, but things are getting...tough in the office.

Find out more tomorrow night!

-dallasstar03

[CanucksBrad]

Honestly, I like the idea, seems you have put some serious thought into it. But if there are no actual concepts posted, I will lose interest it in.

[dallasstar03]

I'm sorry.

 

No, I'm not quitting this topic. I got so wrapped up in schoolwork and various other things (such a s my new comic, find it at adventuresofstick.webcomic.ws) that I never uploaded the other chapters. So I will be writing the rest of the NIHA story right now. Later, I will also add a profile for each team. But let's finish the NIHA saga first!

 

Issues were brewing in the league front office for much of the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons. A Florida-born Seattle resident named Albert Perry was angry at the league for neglecting to add teams in westward areas. He threatened to sue as well. Out of fear, the league acknowledged his request and added four expansion teams in Vancouver (Blizzard), Calgary (Colts), Edmonton (Miners), and his home city Seattle (Warriors) for the 1976-77 season, and allowed Perry to own the Warriors and at most 40% of any other expansion teams. Perry agreed, and became the first head coach of the Warriors as well. With 17 teams in place, the league established new conferences and divisions. The 1976-77 Warriors are notable for setting the NIHA futility record-17-55-2 for 36 points. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, the league experienced a rapid expansion-climbing to 26 teams from 17 in just a 14-year span. When the NIHA entered the 1990s decade, 13 teams were in each conference, mostly in the Western United States. However, in the mid-1990s, the league was about to make one of its most daring moves: Expanding into the Sun Belt. Before this point, the southernmost team in the league was the Los Angeles Ironheads (founded in 1982), but were successful enough to capture a Union Cup championship in 1992, so this prompted the league to consider southward expansion. Their first shot at this was Cliff Hart, a rich man living in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1996, his two teams, the Carolina Red Barons and Tampa Bay Surge took the ice, and performed well in attendance terms. Two years later, in 1998, Darren Ollie, a San Antonio-based steakhouse owner, invested money for teams in Anaheim, Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston. These six teams are what truly brought hockey to the Sun Belt. Ollie also decided to collaborate with Hart to have teams in San Jose and New Orleans, and were ready to play in 2000-01. With 34 teams in action, the league was doing something no one else would dare to do:

 

Hockey.

 

In Atlanta and Miami.

 

These two markets were so unreasonable, that whenever the topic was brought up in league business meetings, executives stars that others laughed hysterically at them. This decision was argued over for so long, it seemed like it would never end. But then, one thing happened:

 

In Game 7 of the 2007 Union Cup Finals in New Orleans, Louisiana, overtime was about to begin. The score was tied at 3, and a man named Samuel Mallard was in attendance. He was an Atlanta native who worked as a scout for the Tampa Bay Surge, looking for good players that could possibly be acquired via trade. Ten minutes into the first overtime period, New Orleans scored, capturing the game, the series, and their first Union Cup. Mallard remembers that the man sitting next to him said that if they could get a team like this, Atlanta and Miami could have hockey teams. This gave Mallard the inspiration he needed, so for the 2008-09 season, the Atlanta Olympians and Florida Crocs began their stories.

 

THE END

 -dallasstar03

[CanucksBrad]

Just a tip, make sure you have some actual concepts to post when you start the thread. Like I said before I really like the idea and the thought put into, but you need to post some actual concepts to keep people interested.

[dallasstar03]

Alright. the team profiles will have very poorly drawn logos and uniforms, by the way

[timberwolf]

Well if you think they're bad, then post them to improve. The whole idea of starting a fictional league on THESE boards is to have identities with them for each season. Words ain't gonna cut it here. I don't mean to come across as harsh or rude, but this is an expectation that needs to be met if you want your thread to be successful.