Friday's stories

I hope the future goes very well for Torch. I remember him talking about his cab driving days, even sleeping in it at times IIRC. Also remember Dudley's tantrums behind the bench as the Komets swept him in the finals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6A6pMO_WKM

lol

Isn't it great to see they read these blogs? LOL....hilarious!!

After further review.....I think you do know. LOL

I am confused, the article says 19 teams? 15 CHl and 4 IHL....the press release clearly read 17 teams...13 CHL and 4 IHL......where are the 2 new CHL teams at?

Why am I getting the impression the Frankes are trying to blow smoke up our arse again? (3 or 4 teams more?)

2 divisions....obviously that means IHL and CHL....winner of each "league" playoff plays a Super Cup series....or game?

Why are they leaking that there are ECHL teams mad that they weren't involved in this great "affiliation"? It is misleading to me....if there are such teams, name them, or if it is not wise to name them for calling them out in the league they are in, then don't say anything. I think it only muddies the waters and trys to play into their own PR of this "affiliation" that helps further their case that they are 100% right with this move. Very political move in nature, and I think it is a slight stretch to do this sort of thing.

This 2 year trial agreement sounds like the IHL is a leech trying to suck blood from the CHL until they are healthy enough to move on their own to throw another 6 or 7 team league down our throats where the IHL brass can continue to call the shots and dominate the scene as always.
Maybe I am wrong about this....but they throw in a big maybe all the time about all the leagues getting together and organizing a Super AA league. I think it is the smoke being blown up my butt again. I wish it would happen, but you know the old saying about wishing in one hand and....LOL

I apologize for sounding this way, but I don't buy this thing as being rosy and great so far from the info we currently have.

I still have to say, wait and see before we get too excited or too unhappy overall.

I am seeing more and more that makes me believe this is a family trying everything they can to save their league and team and nothing really more than that.

We'll see though.

The 90 new season tickets are they net.....or are they just 90 people that didn't have season tickets last season?

No where does it mention how many people have or have not renewed tickets for next season.

I think it is simply how the Frankes and Hextall want to paint the picture to us.

Not saying they aren't smart, just saying.

1. I would hope by now you know I only tell you what I know to be true.

2. I'm not perfect and could have screwed up on the 19 or 17. It certainly was not intentional. I wasn't in the best of moods last night, and if you read the paper tonight you'll see I had quite a few other things to work on at the same time.

3. If you look for a conspiracy theory long enough, you'll more than likely find it no matter what the facts are or what anyone else says. As I've said before, people don't necessarily want to know what I think, they want me to validate what they think.

Tan is starting to fade, rain rain go away, I don't want my tan to fade away.

I am a poet and didn't know it.

I need a foo foo.

Well Blake, you know the opinion everyone thinks the most highly of is their own. But you're lucky. At least people care what you think on some level.

Can you explain what this means Blake?

The leagues are developing a two-year working agreement that would not be a merger but would include some interleague play and a final series between playoff champions.

1. The thing from last night about teams in what divisions....IHL vs. CHL teams.....I was joking tonight. I know you don't know for sure.

2. 19 vs. 17......I just thought maybe Hextall might have said 19 in the reporting and interviewing to you thinking maybe Flint and E-Ville were in or maybe they were counting 2 new CHL cities or 2 old cities or something.....wasn't questioning you personally on it, just wondering if it was "news" on the subject.

3. Maybe I am guilty of thinking there is more to this thing. Conspiracy....not really. I do trust and rely on what you report and think, to the point over on FYC I have and continue to defend you and your reporting and point of view. Not that you need me to do so, but I think that much of you and your work to stand up for it. What is great about your work is, is that you care about it and do an outstanding job of getting the facts straight, and you have an exceptional point of view and are "the" Komet Historian if there ever was one before you, you are the man.

Please don't take my questioning of what is or isn't going on with this "affiliation" as an attack on you or your work. It isn't an attack at all. I just think sometimes the IHL brass like to throw out diversions, whether it is real or not, they like to say one thing and do another as it seems.

I think the way this "affiliation" looks on the surface is an all-out effort to save the IHL for now and for the future. They will not let this thing die at all costs, and is that their perogative....yes, they have every right to do what they want with the IHL and the Komets.

So I find it a bit crazy and power hungry....not for me to decide I suppose, but some would say yes.

Thanks Wendy for putting words in my mouth about not caring about anyone's opinion. I don't think Blake was writing an opinion piece in this instance, he was reporting the information that Hextall and the IHL brass were giving him. It is up to us, the readers to form an opinion.

What is yours?

3.

Hit, everyone on here knows your a passionate K's fan so I dont think you need to be appologizing for your opinions...

Some come to these blogs with an opinion or to form one from the information gathered and others come to these blogs to have an opinion formed for them... There's no right or wrong, they're opinions...

IMO, the lack of any real information they are supplying to the media is just thier way of putting up their "Men Working" road construction signs. With Global being a publicly traded company they really cant come out with the main course until its finalized, so we'll just have to make our appetizers last a lil longer... There is alot of media and fan scrutiny out there on this move with alot of pressure to get something final and moving especially when they are trumpeting the move as one that could begin to change the landscape of all AA minor league hockey. I have read alot of comments from fans in the IHL/CHL/ECHL wondering how this is gonna work out. Alot of people are interested and I think thats a good thing...

all remember that the frankes all along have said their goal is to try to reorganize aa hockey so all franchises can make money and the fans can be entertained. if you follow their plan then you have to be patient as things are put together. blowing smoke? i dont think so. they are relaeasing only a little info at a time and if you chose to think they are blowing smoke thats your perogitive but why would they release negative info when they still have about a month of planning yet ahead of them?? the frankes are gonna make money no matter where they play so i think its a plus for them thatthey are trying to share the wealth with other franchises. they have told us this is an affiliation and not a merger at this time but lots of you keep arguing about the merger and how its gonna work, what a waste of energy. we will have an ihl division and maybe evansville flint and port urine will be part of it and maybe some chl teams will be put in this division if they dont come along. like baseball we will play most games against our division and then some interleague games against a select few others. possibly an all star game ihl vs chl and posiibley a two league champion meeting at the end for an overall league trophy named after me the chuckitt trophy! everything else is still up in the air. i wish we would all stop complaining about things we dont know about and for once lets have some fun and why doesnt everybody put in their two cents worth and tell us how you would have this association set up?? how would you play it? set up divisions? salary cap? vet limit? ect ect. lets all set up a league and see who comes close to what will actually happen????

Hit: Uh... If I was critisizing you, it wasn't my intention at all. I was just commenting on Blake's comment. He's said the same sort of thing in the past regarding how people don't really want to know what he thinks so much as they want him to back up what they think. I really wasn't even thinking about what inspired the remark this time. I was just noting that I know what he's talking about, but that's just how people in general are. My point was that he, at least, is someone people respect enough that they do look to him to validate what they think. The rest of us just get written off.

What do I think about the story? I'm trying not to until there are more details. Yes the IHL/CHL move stabalizes things for now, but as I've written elsewhere, I think it is a bit of a smokescreen as I understand it currently. And I do wonder about the chances of a super-league actually forming. The only reason it could happen is that the economy has been bad. So what happens if the economy improves? Will everyone suddenly go back to thinking the status quo is good enough?

I think its really difficult to even speculate what this merger/association/absorbtion/working agreement is gonna look like because no two cities involved in the CHL/IHL landscape seem to know what to call it... LOL

I will just say this, about the time that pigs fly and I'm able to rope the moon I would like to see minor league hockey in a 30-30-30 (AAA-AA-A) set up somewhat akin to minor league baseball and all affiliated in someway with a NHL parent club. East/West/South/North(Midwest) divisions that each have 4 teams qualify for the post season with divisional winners playing for the cup...

Make it happen!!! LOL

Received my Schrock poster in the mail today, it's nice.

Hershey won last night in OT and lead the series 3-2. Go Bears....

I think the problem right now with hockey doing a true minor/farm system is that they all ready like the current feeder system that is mainly just high juniors, drafted, and then placed in AAA or straight to the NHL. That is it 90% or more of the time. It isn't a true development system as is Minor League baseball where the top draft picks are sent to rookie ball, "A" ball, and then so on as they learn the team's system and they bring them along slowly to develop them.

Hockey does it different, and they prefer their way of doing things in the OHL and such as opposed to the way we do it with our Midwest League in baseball and so on.

"AA" hockey is pretty much entertainment based. There may be a few "AA" players that get a sniff in the AHL, but how many actually go to the show? Not that many.

I don't fault the Frankes for putting together an entertainment based league that thinks outside of the NHL development system.....why be involved in developing "AA" players to be robbed by AAA teams, that will only end up sending them back after they are done "using" them, and basically screwing the "AA" team's chances of success in some cases.

What is the benefit of calling your AA team developmental? My one example would be for players like Luciano Aquino or Matt Syrocynski that fall thru the political cracks of the NHL system and land in our entertainment laps.

So my opinion.....6-8 veterans, at least 4 rookies, and a salary cap no less than what we had this season. Why not just go out and sign the best combination of young, tweener, and established old and put together a league that offers talented hockey players that compete to win hockey games, provide entertainment, with cities that are fairly close in proximity that sparks fans interest. If that involves trips within the CHL or ECHL markets at some point....so be it, I don't see it breaking the bank if it is limited and under control.

Bottomline, give me a good entertaining product, a mix of young and veteran, I like to recognize players on my team, as well as the hated familiar players on the other teams. That is what makes it fun for me. And as the younger guys establish themselves, they become the familiar players that take the place of the tweeners and tweeners take the plave of veterans as they move out of the game.

Give me product.

Blake, can posters still be ordered, I printed my form, and forgot to send it in with being busy with coaching. I hope it is not too late, I want to order all 3 posters to add to my collection.

Thanks.

I agree. I'd rather keep the salary cap and vet limit as high as possible. I'm not a fan of the constantly changing rosters they have in the ECHL.

Interesting ideas on the league, Hit....it sounds vaguely like the IHL that we just had, but maybe that's what you intended it to sound like?

I know, kinda funny isn't it.

The IHL concept is a very good one, just too bad the financial part of it went to heck in a handbasket.

I personally could care less at this level if we are developing a player or 2 that might get to play 10 games in the AHL this year.

Know what I mean.

Maybe it is just me, or the humidity, the heat?....I know...the barametric pressure and severe thunderstorms have gotten to me.

Product, rivalry, hatred between players, hatred between teams, hustle, fast paced, hard hittin', rootin tootin hockey.....

My taste for hockey does not change.

I don't think anyone on here can argue with that.

We just need the avenue to make all this happen....is it the CHL/IHL affiliation?

Would love to see a us play some games against the CHL teams on our ice, and pound them silly.

Pipe dreamer.

I really like the "developmental" player minimum in the CHL versus the rookie rule in the IHL... Guys like Schrock, Phillips, Roger, Deangelis would all still be at that level since I believe its 120 games or fewer for the developmental status... This could mean more quality "tweeners" that could be signed and the possibility for a stronger team when you find some good young players to stick around for a couple seasons...

As far as affiliations, its always been a trickle down effect... Like you mentioned Hit, the true NHL developmental players and the guys just one step from the show are in the AAA level. The K's could easily get away with a couple informal affiliations like they've had in the IHL with Norfolk while playing in the CHL. Now that they would be in a developmental league they could sign the younger guys with asspirations of making it to the AHL instead of those guys signing in the CHL or ECHL like in years past...

You're not a pipe dreamer, Hit....it sounds good. I just want them to be here, playing hockey. I don't care what level or league, just play. OK, I would care if it was a no-contact league....that could get boring quick. Other than that....bring it. I agree with your post.

And I"m in air-conditioning now, so I should be ok. But we all know I'm a little unbalanced all the time, so there you go....