Sodboy13

With a 66-game schedule, they'd play two teams 16 times, and two teams 17 times.

The Anaheim faithful couldn't even fill the lower bowl for Teemu Selanne jersey retirement night.

of Anaheim.

The AHL as you know it died in 2001.

Yeah, the talk all has been that the AHL West would basically function as its own league until the playoffs, as the ECHL West does now. So in a 5-team league, that means playing each opponent 18 times in a season, and always one team unable to play, which probably leads to a lot of scheduling of games on less desirable nights. It also probably bones alignments in the Midwest and Texas, though to what extent, I'm not certain. There's still a lot to shake out here.

One unrelated thing that has to happen - I mean has to - is that Peoria either goes back up to the ECHL or drops to juniors like Bloomington did. The SPHL is running a 9-team league with 8 southern teams and Peoria. Take the hint, Rivs.

Yep. Oilers can't put an AHL team in Bakersfield because there usn't a franchise available, despite the fact that they own the OKC franchise that has formally announced they're ceasing operations. Replace team and city names, repeat ad nauseum. Yeesh.

By the way, Barons jerseys are $60 at the team shop now. They have one which inverts the orange and blue on the current Oilers' home that I rather fancy.

Ooh, it is about 20,000-plus, isn't it?

Anyway, after going through HFBoards' AHL thread last night and barely avoiding a brain bleed, it looks like the Ducks are aiming to plop a team in San Diego. So you've got the Oilers in Bakersfield, the Kings in Ontario (CA), the Sharks maybe icing the AHL team in the SAP Center as well, someone possibly angling for Stockton, and Calgary and Vancouver with old-footprint franchises they could pack up and move. It seems like Fresno, Long Beach, and Abbotsford (Canucks only) could also be markets to consider, if only because they have the facilities. But if the AHL sets up a 5-team league that only plays itself in California, it's gonna be an ugly disaster that probably will also manage to screw the ECHL at the same time.

Greensboro seems very not interested in hockey. I don't think the Generals faired well, and they thoroughly rejected the just-passing-through Hurricanes.

I don't mind losing Oklahoma City as long as the Old AHL back east is undisturbed.

The Charlotte Checkers are moving from the Bobcats' arena to some old dump called the "Bojangles Coliseum," which could only exist in Charlotte, one would have to think. Here's another team you could move out west; make the Hurricanes affiliate with someone up the coast. You're never going to get Charlotte that into hockey.

The Checkers are in their 22nd season, and are drawing 5,100 a game, which is right around league average, about 1,500 more per game than Milwaukee, and more than many of the precious northeast post-industrial craphole teams. Save your blumpkins for the parent club, where they're deserved and accurate.

Well, Eugene Melnyk's still broke, so have fun building that, taxpayers!

Ask the UHL. They've got loads of experience on the subject!

The timber rattlers will be having a design a bp jersey contest

I think it's about time they did an entire rebrand. Their entire identity seems a bit stale. I don't mind the logos, but maybe a better color palette would freshen things up a bit. The maroon and black just seems really dull, IMO.

"Appleton Foxes" has a nice ring to it.

...and here's what was originally proposed and not used:

This last one is a scan of an official MLS logosheet from 1996.

Well, that's certainly... German.

Fantastic little OITGDNHL story from Uncle Bob, on just how slapdash and last-minute the Florida/Anaheim expansion/Bruce McNall-engineered dick-waving contest was:

http://www.tsn.ca/mckenzie-no-one-should-be-caught-off-guard-by-expansion-1.154730

Morin for Vermette. Bang, done, good night.

New York Post Hockey Coot Larry Brokks, who does tend to know people who know things, says the Coyotes' latest financial savior appears to be falling through, leaving IceArizona with their team bought on payday loans. Here We Go Again.

http://nypost.com/2014/12/06/devils-need-a-nosedive/

Late-arriving crowd, maybe. I'll check in again in the third.

Update: Nnnnnnnnnope!

AHL games I've been to in Rosemont, Milwaukee, and Rockford have all observed whistle courtesy, too.

Well, mumps can be transmitted by saliva, so maybe he went ATM with Wildwing.

If you think the NHL has become *more* laughable than it was in 2004, you have not been paying attention at all.

A 32-team NHL could work just fine. A Las Vegas NHL team can be successful. A Las Vegas NHL team owned by the Maloofs, however, will have Mr. Fucik on loop for the duration.

I think Thrashers-Panthers was a game a few years ago where the only available Center Ice feed was the Jumbotron with the radio call.

David Shoalts digs deep on the Coyotes' finances, and finds real numbers that are, well, about what you'd expect:

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/arizona-coyotes-owners-pan-for-gold-in-river-of-red-ink/article21489565/?service=mobile

Jam your wang in the 6-hole for Snapchats.