JMCx4
Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Maybe the QMJHL should try St. John's again.
Maybe the QMJHL should try St. John's again.
Fredericton or bust, University of New Brunswick be damned.Maybe the QMJHL should try St. John's again.
Getting off the island for travel + the expense is always an issue. I can't see the QMJHL wanting to test out St. John's again.Maybe the QMJHL should try St. John's again.
Wild, looks like it was the same ownership group that failed in the CEBL not long ago
Fredericton or bust, University of New Brunswick be damned.
Where would they play? City would have to build a venue.Fredericton or bust, University of New Brunswick be damned.
I dunno, but I'd like to talk about it before the mods delete it for rambling.Where would they play? City would have to build a venue.
I’m in Fredericton and I’d love for this to happen, I just don’t think UNB lets anyone into their rink. It’s not happening but as someone who prefers watching grown men play I’d rather an ECHL team but I’ll watch any high level hockey, I’ve had season tickets for 2 AUS teams and a Jr.A team over the years so if anything else moved to town I’d be on a list for season tickets. I know tons of people who wish the city had built a 4,000 seat rink with an additional ice surface instead of 2 - 1,500 seat 2 ice facility’s but I can say as someone who plays hockey in the city that we still don’t have enough ice to go around so I think they made the right call but I think that closed the door on anyone else moving to Freddy and UNB remains king.I dunno, but I'd like to talk about it before the mods delete it for rambling.
Ask yourself: "Where's the money in that?" A question that DS&E's Dean MacDonald - and previous St. John's hockey team owners - should have asked themselves before they skated headlong into the end boards.Geography is the main issue for so many of these markets, but the fans are there. How about a "Maritimes" pro league? Could probably do 10 teams or so. Perhaps much more depending on how far into Quebec and the NE states you go.
Geography is the main issue for so many of these markets, but the fans are there. How about a "Maritimes" pro league? Could probably do 10 teams or so. Perhaps much more depending on how far into Quebec and the NE states you go.
I’m in Fredericton and I’d love for this to happen, I just don’t think UNB lets anyone into their rink. It’s not happening but as someone who prefers watching grown men play I’d rather an ECHL team but I’ll watch any high level hockey, I’ve had season tickets for 2 AUS teams and a Jr.A team over the years so if anything else moved to town I’d be on a list for season tickets. I know tons of people who wish the city had built a 4,000 seat rink with an additional ice surface instead of 2 - 1,500 seat 2 ice facility’s but I can say as someone who plays hockey in the city that we still don’t have enough ice to go around so I think they made the right call but I think that closed the door on anyone else moving to Freddy and UNB remains king.
Oh 100%, I worded that kind of funny but I meant I’d rather an ECHL team than a Q team.I think UNB would beat any ECHL team, personally. They are certainly better coached.
So I understand that the "official" reason the Growlers folded was the ECHL board of governors voted to terminate their membership in the league.
But what was the "unofficial" reason? Did the owners just run out of money and/or walk away? Did they have venue lease issues (which IIRC was one of the reasons behind the downfall of the CEBL Growlers basketball team)? Or was it something else entirely?
Folding a team always sucks but it looks bush to do it when the season is on. Big black eye for the ECHL. How did the league not just keep it running until the season ended?
As for Trois-Rivieres, I would imagine that the city, the owners and the league were quite motivated to keep that team afloat given that they just built a nice new rink in that city.
Geography is the main issue for so many of these markets, but the fans are there. How about a "Maritimes" pro league? Could probably do 10 teams or so. Perhaps much more depending on how far into Quebec and the NE states you go.
Part of me thinks that St. John's' best hope is to land a Q team and make it so that they play the first quarter of the season on the road, the middle half of the season at home with visiting teams knocking their season series out on consecutive games, and then the final quarter of the season on the road again.
Not ideal or likely, but possibly the only functional way for them to minimize operating costs.
SOLUTION? ... Stand up a 6-team juniors or senior league who all play @ Mary Brown's Centre, engaging in some sort of a round-robin scheme to stretch over several months. Would there be enough affordable long-term lodging - or maybe billeting - around St. John's to make this scheme work?St John's has had AHL, QMJHL, and now ECHL teams fail. I don't think people understand just how remote it is. ...
St John's is not financially viable in any hockey league.
St John's has had AHL, QMJHL, and now ECHL teams fail. I don't think people understand just how remote it is.
St John's is not financially viable in any hockey league.
NoSOLUTION? ... Stand up a 6-team juniors or senior league who all play @ Mary Brown's Centre, engaging in some sort of a round-robin scheme to stretch over several months. Would there be enough affordable long-term lodging - or maybe billeting - around St. John's to make this scheme work?
Its worth noting the Ice Caps did not “financially fail”. They were moved off the island closer to their NHL partner team. Financially, the AHL Ice Caps were doing fine…. as were the AHL Maple Leafs that came before them.
I do wonder if Danny Williams makes another play for an AHL organization in this city. I’ve heard rumours again to never rule it out.