I've stayed out of this discussion because anything I would have said has already been said.
But SM brings up the best point in saying people need to have no agendas; everyone knows that will NEVER happen. Hockey is a business and when there is money to be made rest assured someone will make it.
One other thing in response to the statement "Philly is not a hockey hotbed" Who ever said it was???
Posts: 526 | Location: Delco | Registered: 18 September 2006
Someone needs to draw up a business plan (of sorts) to show rink owners that a split season won't result in lost revenue and i'm sure that if that can be done then they will buy into it.
There is no other reason for rink owners to be opposed, so if someone can show them that they wont lose money.....problem solved! I'm not the man for the job, however.
PS: I'm not even sure why rink owners should have a say in this, but we all know that several rink owners and GM's wear many different hats in the hockey community.
Posts: 959 | Location: Philly | Registered: 11 September 2006
One of the problems with the rink owners would be that 2 of the most powerful have 4 sheet facilities and probably need both High School and Travel to run simultaneously. I also think a split season might make hockey a 10 month sport - which is part of the problem attracting new, young talent today.
The Mission statement directly addresses many of the issues we've been discussing on this thread. Contrast its commitment to local hockey development, "broadening the base of the pyramid" (his phrase, not mine), developing coaches AND players, with how we do things around here. Contrast the results--there and here. Food for thought...
Split season is a great idea, New York State at the Midget level has had split season for years. And the ice arenas are still packed. New Jersey runs a split season. You don't need a split season for Pee Wee or Bantams. It will not hurt in the attracting new players, you might even attract more. Since allot of players make the decision to either play club or school. Also you won't have the issues with the club team being away at a hockey tournament during the high school season. Someone has already said that Henderson is going to have some major issues this season since some of their players play for the JR. Flyers and it seems they will miss more than few high school games.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: hockey99,
Originally posted by wfan: I think the Hockey World is starting to take notice of the Mid Atlantic area. There is a new Semi-Pro league forming, The Mid Atlantic Hockey League, for this season there will be 5 teams 2 out near Pittsburgh, 1 in Valley Forge, 1 in Jamestown, NY. and 1 in Wooster, OH., with more to follow next seasopn. This will be an excellent opportuniy for the local kids to stay in the area and play at a high quality level where there talents will be noticed. The NHL is adding this league to it's NHL Network and will brodcasting their games over it. The initial season will consist of a 50 game schedule.
Yea, and the NHL network includes roller hockey as well.
The hockey world has been noticing the area for the past few years. I guess teams in Trenton, Reading and Philadelphia don't account for much.
Why would anyone pay to watch a mens league team when you have five professional teams within an hour and a half of Philadelphia?
As far as their talents being noticed, you'd be hard pressed to find a major minor league team bringing on anyone from that league.
This is not a mens league, the rosters are of players who have finished their college hockey mainly Dll and Dlll and some OHL players. The league is a "A" level professional league.
I'm so excited the hockey season is about to start. That means I won't have to listen to baseball much longer. While I was surfing the internet, I came across the NTDP web site. I noticed that there were no players from the Philadelphia area, yet there were several players from non-traditional hockey areas such as Virginia, Georgia, California, Florida and Texas. What the hell are the coaches doing in Georgia, Florida and Texas doing that the coaches in the Philadelphia aren't? I'm not criticizing any coaches, but if our area is trying to give kids the best coaching/hockey experience possible then I think we need to look at what we are doing wrong and figure out how to improve. What does everyone else think?
I don't give much creedence to the NTDP program. It's nice to play for them, but they are not the ultimate in judging talent. Case in point I don't think any of the 3 kids (Tangradi, Brennan, and Cohen) who were drafted by the NHL ever played for the NTDP team. If the talent is there it will be noticed.
Cohen played for u-17 team for the entire season and than left the u-18 team left after a few games. Keep in mind they hold their tryouts when the kids are 16 so its hard to judge who will be good when they are going to be 18 and drafted. But look at the number 1 and 2 pick in the draft Kane and JVR, they both played NTDP. I think the program does a great job.
Posts: 526 | Location: Delco | Registered: 18 September 2006
Really? Youth hockey just started in Texas about 10 years ago. The same time the Stars moved into town. Just from a statistics standpoint, there are close to 6 million people living in the Philadelphia area which is about the same as the Dallas area. However, there are more rinks in the Philadelphia area than in Dallas. Are the kids in Dallas that much more talented than in Philadelphia?
While I was surfing the internet, I came across the NTDP web site. I noticed that there were no players from the Philadelphia area, yet there were several players from non-traditional hockey areas such as Virginia, Georgia, California, Florida and Texas. What the hell are the coaches doing in Georgia, Florida and Texas doing that the coaches in the Philadelphia aren't? I'm not criticizing any coaches, but if our area is trying to give kids the best coaching/hockey experience possible then I think we need to look at what we are doing wrong and figure out how to improve. What does everyone else think?
