[Off-topic]Where has my AHL gone?

In a dual move a couple days ago, the AHL announced two new teams. One was fairly expected - the (re)addition of Binghampton, as a Ottawa farm club.

The other one, well, I can't even say. It just might signal a completely new era in minor-league hockey, IMHO - especially for the east - and is certainly an announcement I never thought I'd live to see.

Take a peak for youself - [theahl.com]

Oh, and the Western Conference AHL final is Houston/Chicago... geez

-Fred

Triple-A hockey, Fred...much like baseball's top level minor league (IL) that has been nationwide for awhile. Although baseball atleast splits it up into two separate eastern and western entities during the regular season before the winners meet in the finals.

The AHL absorbed those western castoffs from the IHL when their league fell apart after last season. The result? Regular season games that see Hartford traveling to Manitoba and Hershey out to Utah... not exactly the bus league you remember for sure, huh?

And now, San Antonio...go figure.

FWIW - Judy and I saw Houston play last week-end and they were pretty good (well - maybe part of it was the fact that Hershey played REALLY bad). We actually met one of their players at a bar after the game only to learn that he was a BU guy. My hopes are with them. Bring on BU at Lynah!

Grady wrote:

Regular season games that see Hartford traveling to Manitoba and Hershey out to Utah... not exactly the bus league you remember for sure, huh?

Yeah, that was pretty much my point - there's not anything wrong with it, it's actually interesting and kinda cool, but it's just becoming so different from what I remember. Guess I've never been quick to deal with change.

And it just sorta seems different become absorbing homeless, already-existing teams, and actually expanding out west/down south. It's just sorta a different. I mean, geez, that'd be like having a college hockey team in Alaba... oh, nevermind

I guess the only thing I'm kinda worried about/interested in is what this means for the small eastern city. Take a team like Lowell or Portland or Hamilton or a bunch others, and now they suddenly have the door open to move to Seattle or New Orleans or Portland (edit: the big one) and San Fran-freakin'-sisco, I have a hunch we *may* see a slow but steady exodus - then again. Maybe not.

Of course, this would be either an incredible opportunity for the UHL or a great opportunity for the a new NEHL ) . Interesting things to come, I think.

-Fred, DeltaOne81 '03