Are The Falcons Redeemable?

I've been pretty busy lately, but I have been keeping my eye on a few things. Most notably the Springfield Falcons because, well, they're local. (#yourtownyourteam) They have won their last 3 after an overtime loss got them over the .000% hump. They have moved up over Portland  and have only played eight games. Granted its a shorter season and eight games is a lot more than what its worth in the NHL, but its still less than most on the leader board. If they maintain the momentum, they could end their first 10 above .500, something entirely possible given that they face the bottom seeded Portland Pirates followed by the Soundtigers whom they already beat the next night.

What is impressive is the shift in momentum. Following that over time loss to the Baby Pens, Springfield has out scored opponents 16-4. Its becoming an outright domination spree the past three games. Granted the opponents they have won against were a .500 Rochester team, a (barely) sub .500 team, and the Bridgeport Dark Horses. While they don't seem to be topping the front-runners per-say, they are pretty good middle of the pack teams. They are showing there is a lot to be optimistic about, but need to demonstrate more. If they can hand Bridgeport another loss in their building on a back to back night, Then it should be a good sign they are going to claw their way out of it.

Falcons will be an interesting story. They have a first year coach and looked abysmal in their first few games, getting absolutely dominated at home. Part of me thinks the organization is working on damage control to try to get the fans back in it. Mass Mutual was nuts opening day. The Falcons only scored two goals in their first three games at home and that does have an effect on a fan base, and in this league, it seems like a team doing poorly can be easily forgotten. The games are over AM radio in a city where AM stations don't carry. If the Falcons sustain this, will the fans come back? If the fans don't come back will the Falcons sustain their excellence?

The Falcons are close to redeeming the season, but what they need might not come soon enough. What they need is a statement game. They have some tomato cans lined up, and some above .500 teams they will be facing too, but nothing more impressive than Bridgeport. If they beat down the Soundtigers, I'll be watching, however, if they beat down the Wolfpack, in Hartford, in dominant fashion? That might get the whole city's interest.

#YourTownYourTeam

Unrelated: The Importance of Gender in Horror

I am a HUGE movie buff, and particularly am a fan of horror. Part of the reason I'm not blogging every day right now is because of how much time I'm contributing to my annual horror fest. (Really, with local Frank Vatrano, the Moose and Falcons winless, you would think I would be talking more about that, but no...)

One of the big things in modern horror has been the gender politics. Really, its one of the more interesting things about the genre. That and the fact that the heroes are often the villains, and that often horror is just dark comedy in disguise, but that can be different discussions. 

Early on, monster movies were predominantly male driven, often science fiction with damsels in distress, then as we all know the story, Halloween came on to the scene (Though more accurately, Black Christmas and Texas Chainsaw Massacre,) and the Slasher genre was born. Halloween did a lot right, and it set the pace for a formula that would be come the standard about two years later when the Slasher boom was on with Friday the 13th and Prom Night honing in on that formula. More surprising, it became the genre standard even beyond slashers. See: Alien

If we start breaking down a lot of the hit horror movies post Halloween, there is no doubt a huge trend towards the "Final Girl" trope. The Final Girl trope is the trope horror has built its name on now, but it is the house bad horror is built upon. Let's take a look at some of the more successful modern horror titles since and see if the trend can hold.:

Nightmare on Elm Street: 2 Male, 2 Female, Female hero

Evil Dead: 3 Female, 2 Male, Male hero

Faculty: 3 female, 3 male, male hero

Alien: 2 female, 5 male, female hero, male top-billed

Hellraiser: 2 female, 2 male, female hero

The Thing: All male cast

Final Destination: Male hero in one, female in two.

Scream: 3 female, 4 male, female hero

Am I cherry picking a bit? Probably, but the point is good horror isn't necessarily built on the trope. When it is a female lead, it isn't usually a ditz either. Nancy in Nightmare reads up on self defense and home built traps. Ripley is a tough, often by the books co-captain who almost prevents the Xenomorph from ever getting on the ship.

Again, all well known, why is this important?

We are out of the slasher era and moving into an era dictated by remakes (and a huge influx of found footage films). Two films on that list above, The Thing and Evil Dead have shifted the gender of their heroes and cast from male heroes to female heroes and its sexist. Let me revise that, the final girl trope is sexist as a whole. Ok, digging myself deeper. Why don't I just let Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard explain for me:

"The virgin's death is optional, as long as it's last. The main thing is that she suffers."

-Cabin in the Woods

The way Hollywood utilizes the Final Girl trope isn't about empowering female, or writing smart women in general. It's about victimizing women for our entertainment. On top of it, its usually a sign of lazy writing. The Thing reboot was exhibit A. They threw a female lead in there because of genre expectations. Male characters can also be poorly written, but aren't usually subjected to the same psycho-sexual torture female characters are subjected to. (Alien being a great exception and example of this since John Hurt is more or less a rape victim in it, plus phallic Alien. It's kinda a movie about a rape victim beating rape, but not a la I Spit on Your Grave.) 

Furthermore, in order to defeat a monster in a horror movie, characters have to over come their flaws and weaknesses. That is what makes a good character in any movie, and by extension a good movie. Male characters often are put in their situation because of transgressions. See: Saw. Female characters are in their situation usually because they're female. Usually an initial encounter is escaped through luck. The flaw they have to overcome is being female. (Halloween was a little guilty of this too.) That isn't good writing, it isn't good horror. 

Again, I don't want all male led horror movies. I want horror to take off the training wheels and understand that it can utilize gender better for the messages in its movies, and be real horror. Good horror as gender balance and when it does it right it is perhaps the most progressive genre. It is frustrating to see how all the examples listed above could get it correct, and then they feed it it into the money machine, it changes around  and remove that balance, or not see that it has to exist. 

Is it really something that is all too important? Not really, silly movies usually. But hey, it's tropes, trends, and something worth noticing and thinking about. The more the audience thinks, the better our movies can get. 

Sound Tigers: The Dark Horse Emerges

Bridgeport Sound Tigers haven't really been competitive the past few years. They've posted a fair amount of last place finishes in their division and so this year they have a lot to prove. A lot. To be honest, it makes this a little bit harder for me to determine what rivalries will be fun, what team prospects would you like to see and to be honest, I don't really know?When you are at rock bottom, you have to make it through everybody, so everyone is your biggest rival.

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That was from my Games to Gun For post for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. I don't know if they read it, but if they did, they certainly took it to heart. The Sound Tigers are off to a great start. They are on top of the Eastern Conference with the most games played. They got five wins to the one start, and save for Ontario and San Diego who only have played five games between the two of them, the Sound Tigers have the best win percentage in the entire AHL. They have a goal differential of +6, beating high seeded teams like the Penguins, the Ice Caps, and the Providence Bruins twice, back to back. Their only loss was to the Atlantic divisions number 2 seed.

The Sound Tigers trying out their new look.

This is a team that is starting everything off on the right foot, and while its still really early in the season, I'm buying stock now. The Falcons look kinda like crap. Ok, a lot like crap. so my initial dark horse candidate? Yeah. Shame because I buy a lot into the history and want Springfield to have something to cheer for. But the perennial losers fighting to win a championship? I can buy that tripe and have. Many, many times.

This is the story I want to sell this season. A feel good story the AHL can promote and use to draw attention. Ice caps, Hartford? Penguins? Potential villains from villainous organizations with curly mustaches and greedy sneers as they look down on the common fold of Bridgeport Connecticut, a troubled town with the noisy neighbors of Gun Wavin' New Haven who always stops by to mess up the place. Its a town that needs hope. That hope is a hockey team that captures the heart of not just the locals but of the nation as well... Where were you in the Bridgeport miracle championship run of 2015? Right there with them... And then the next year, right back to last place with them. Can't screw up too much of a good thing.

That or they just start strong and blow it in the stretch. Either way, its a fun story. Their next two games are going to be games to watch, with back to back match ups against the Ice Caps. St. Johns is a tough opponent whom they already played once, and now they will have them on the road, back to back, in the middle nowhere in a town with nothing but its minor league hockey team. This will be a good chance to continue with their statement and show that they are the team to beat this year and that they won't settle for last in the division this year.

PS. This doesn't change anything in regards to the River Rats (Albany Devils) or what I said about Bridgeport needing to make everyone a rival. There's still plenty of time to finish last, and they still need to play hungry. They still are a team with 4 joke banners until they get their first real one.

SOS: Schedule - Fan Support

We as fans need to step up if we want the AHL to get better. Let me explain.

This needs to happen more often. And this was in Bridgeport!
Creative Commons: Andrew Gardecki

People need to buy into the AHL so they can get a better product. Think of it as pumping energy into a machine. The more you pump in, the more you get. The more sugar in your system, the bigger the sugar rush.

The Utica Comets in this instance are the ideal franchise. They have a legitimate fan base. The result is they have seemingly worked out a fairly well balanced schedule. They have a better travel budget, they can have better variety of opponents and can diversify their product while still building up rivalries without saturating an opponent. How are they able to do this? Fan support.

The fans bought in, showing it through 17 sell out home games. Utica is on rise and its because of what the fans can do to help galvanize the team, pump money back into the system and demand attention be paid to the way the team is managed and run. And because of that, the organization seems to be listening, and in a year where I am prepared to declare Utica a heavy favorite to win the East, it makes it more important.

And Utica's situation is a perfect example of things I've already been saying. They have rivalries. They have history, to a point. They are in a market that isn't saturated by an NHL team. The home town can call them their own. And it all works perfectly. Utica is so important to that community that it will help drive the success of the community and ultimately help make Vancouver a contender, if the Comets aren't made the more valuable piece of the franchise through whatever championships they win.

But, those factors also worked because of the X-Factor they couldn't control which is the fan support. Fans bought it. If you are an AHL fan, and want your team to succeed, you need to be a maniac about these things. You need to bring friends to games, you need to talk the team up, build up hatred for other teams. Get others to drink the Kool-Aid.

The AHL will be a better product if the fans show that they want one. Just take the leap of faith and let's hope that the AHL reads all the right cues.

S.O.S. AHL Schedule: Marketing

With cable tv, the internet, social media, you would think it would be easy to boost interest and awareness of a product, but part of me doubts that. I think the AHL has a difficult task ahead of itself. The games aren't nationally televised, there is a lot on the internet about the NHL to sufficiently drown out whatever goes on about the AHL, and the same goes for social media. So, how can the AHL garner more attention, increase revenue to better its product? I have a few theories on that:

• NFL strategy: This is the weakest, and most likely to fail, but the NFLs strategy lately. Generate a scandal to draw attention to the league when you aren't watching. Given the off the ice incidents with Patrick Kane and how the media typically receives hockey anyway, I doubt this will work.
  
  
• Get games on tv: Few ways of doing this. Most involve flexing some games to earlier time spots. They all involve giving viewing time of teams away for free because that is exposure, and that is what the AHL wants.

• 

  Wikimedia Commons

   Local stations, cut a deal, as long as they don't interrupt prime time they would be happy to oblige. Better than the mid-day Saturday reruns they typically have. Plus on local television, it could help amp up interest in the community aspect, which is where love for an AHL team comes from.
  
  
• National TV: Cut a deal with big brother. Broadcast an AHL game of the week on NHL Network, cut it up with the fancy cameras and your prospects get national coverage. It draws attention to the NHL, attention to the prospects and with the big lights and cameras, it helps prospects get used to those big lights.
  
  
• Internet Streaming: I know the AHL does this already with audio and video casts, but you have to pay the premium. I'm saying, don't make it pay per view, but partner with YouTube, Twitch or some other high end streaming service that will do a good job of plugging your games and then you don't ever have to worry about flexing games to earlier times. You get an AHL game of the week that everyone can see, you can hit all 30 teams so everyone can feel that sense of local pride, treat it like an NHL broadcast and give a game or two a week to the people. 
  
  
• Rivalries: Develop them. Hammer home on them. Say how much this team hates that team even if it isn't true and have social media chirping at each other. People buy into dichotomies, Good, bad, winners, losers, heroes, villains.  That is what sells. If you're the Springfield Falcons, I see the fact that the Providence Bruins games are what's selling as a bad sign because it means that they aren't coming to see the Falcons. Build up Hartford with your news paper ads, local station ads, and so forth. Every team, pick two to three and drive up the hate. Social media is perfect for this and its something that occasionally happens, but should happen more often.
  
  

  
• Local Coverage: Work with your local news papers to become a larger part of the news. Develop in the local section, the sports section, opinion and maybe even the front page. Local news websites should be working with you to talk about your brand, secretly promoting it with actual news stories. Be part of the community in highly visible ways and you'll drive interest in hockey. If they present it all in simple ways that make the game easy to understand, you can draw in a more casual audience and convert them along the way as well.
  
  
• Differentiate yourself from the NHL: Sell yourself as a separate product. If NHL is name brand, and you're generic, you can't compete for attention. You have to build yourself as something different, something more relaxed and fun, and take the NHL out of it otherwise the fan bases overlap and local teams in towns under a different the umbrella of an NHL team of a different affiliation will suffer. You're NOT the NHL and that could even be your slogan. You provide hard-hitting, raucous, family friendly, but not too-family-friendly hockey like your grandad always talked about. It's a fan experience unlike what you get in the NHL, its more base, more raw, more intense for less money. The NHL is still the elite experience, but the AHL can be the every day working man experience communities should love.

S.O.S. AHL Schedule: Support

I have four think pieces lined up for basically the things that need to happen for the AHL to save its scheduling issues and help. The first I'm going to tackle is the Support the NHL offers the AHL teams. Admittedly, I am not an insider, I am working on a lot of assumptions here so I will gladly be wrong about these opinions, but its just thoughts I'm throwing out in the little free time I have.

The biggest of my assumptions is how controlled the AHL teams are by big brother. I feel like there are aspects of control, but its clear, to a point, they are left to their own. They deal with their schedule, have to figure out how to make the money, and have to work within the restrictions of the NHL to do so. So that's fine.

Where I am more hazy is the financial support the NHL provides, particularly in regards to supplemental  budget. Do the AHL teams have their own budget? Certain players are signed to 1-way contracts that only leave them attached to an AHL team, I think? The relationship as a whole is an easy one to understand, but as a business strategy, the video I talked about in this blog makes it seem more complicated than, maybe a pool of funds.

So, there are two scenarios to consider. The first is that its all one pool, in which case, the NHL affiliate can offer more to help alleviate costs related to travel. This is ideal in the sense that then, the restrictions that the affiliate team can better mimic the professional hockey season, and also send teams further with the expectation that greater competition at one level will increase revenue at that level, and then increase revenue at the other levels.

However, the AHL is considered a separate entity. They have their own league offices and restrictions. That makes me think, part of the AHL teams success might be driven by the teams themselves. If that's the case then the AHL would be all by itself and that might make it more difficult.

I don't get that is entirely the sense, but if it were, than the NHL should be providing a level of financial assistance that would help offset travel costs. Whatever the case can be, it could be more. While the AHL may not be as bankable (and certainly could sell itself better), further financial assistance, and saturation of hockey beyond the national TV level, could go a long, long way in Hockey's success for the future, not just because of the monetary value.

The final point that I think needs to be made, and I've already have half-way made it is that the NHL should be taking a greater hand helping to plan and and organize this schedule. It should be balanced, it should be driving competition, and should be driving rivalries. That is something the NHL in particular has excelled at. I laugh when I look at rivalries in other sports. I may hate another team, but those teams are limited to those I hate in the NHL as a Bruins fan, and also to the extent of how much I hate them. Granted, that has a lot to do with how the teams play each other, but the fervor can only carry so far, and balancing that can help sustain a rivalry.

To a certain extent, the AHL should be free to dictate how it runs its business, but at a certain point the NHL should want to help guide the AHL through financial support and direction to help make its products better.

Schedule Dissection Part 2: The Traveling.

As I am trying to dig deeper into the AHL, I'm finally getting into the media aspect, This is more along the lines of the things I would like to get into, especially once the heavy lifting get out of the way, but more or less, about a week ago, Falcons TV posted this video:






This relates back to my schedule blog way back when, The video is pretty dry, and goes over a lot of the technicalities of how the schedule comes together. It sounds like a logistical nightmare. I mean, did you see this board?

Look at that thing. Its all yellow squares and black stars and orange circles, maroon hexagons, green hexagons, blue trapezoids scattershot over magnets and squares. John Nash himself would walk up to that thing and go, "Oh, screw this." I mean, don't they have an app for this yet?

But aside from that, there are a few key issues I think its worth touching upon really quick.

1. Scheduling is important for competition and marketing of the team. I think there are ways the AHL could market itself better, and hey, different blog for a different day, but this goes right back to what I said before: The schedule needs more balance. The limitations for travel expenses put a huge hit on this but if the schedule is more balanced, it gives those divisional rivals more meaning and make the games more important. Yes, more people will want to see the Providence Bruins if they live in Springfield because they are probably Boston Bruins fans, and so forth, but too many games against one opponent and there's less urgency to go to it. For thirteen bucks, you can catch them the next time they're in town.

2. Dove tailing off of that, AHL might be spreading itself too thin. With less teams local, that means travel expenses go up, and that makes it hard to fit in the rest time, get greater opponent diversity, and build that culture of rivalries that get people to the games.

3. The NHL puts on tough restrictions. Here is what I don't get about that, they have to regulate the rest and the games per week, which is good for a player but what about player development? Wouldn't a schedule more similar to the NHL, though perhaps less intense, be infinitely more beneficial  in the long run?

4. The AHL probably needs a little more oversight. I may be reading into this too much, but the impression I got was the teams draft their opponents and then the pieces get tied together. What could probably help with this is some better regulation. I get budget constraints but if the product is suffering because of the schedule, those budget constraints will only get tighter.

But, this is all leading to the four things that need to go better to fix the scheduling problem:

1. NHL needs to better support their affiliate.
2. AHL needs to do a better job at selling itself.
3. AHL fans, NHL fans, hockey fans and general public need to do a better job of buying in.
4. AHL has to take some risks to get a better product so #3 is more sustainable and successful.

There will be more on those points soon. Trust me on that one. 

AHL original Six

I keep talking about the AHL "original six," but in reality, there are no historic teams in the AHL anymore with the exception of the Bears, whom are the oldest standing franchise in AHL history. Springfield was moved and another team took its spot, so the Falcons aren't historical, at least as much as they should be. Providence, teams moved all around and they didn't have an AHL team for a while. Trying to follow it all is a nightmare, so I'm going to try to do my best to identify the six most historical teams in the AHL.

Wikemedia Commons

1. Hershey Bears
Most calder cups, no major moves or re-brandings, pretty consistently there. They are the oldest operating team in the league.

2. Springfield Falcons
Springfield is the home of AHL headquarters. They have pretty consistently had a team, and the city played host to one of the original teams as well. That team was moved to Worcester and was dissolved but in its stead, the Falcons formed and kept hockey in Springfield MA.

3. Hartford Wolfpack
The Wolfpack is not as new you think they are. And I'm not just talking about the year the spent as the Whale. They have historically been one of Springfield's biggest rivals since day 1, when they weren't even in Hartford, but were AHL founding member, the Providence Reds. They moved from place to place, Re-branding after re-branding, until they wound up where they are, living out the history they started with Springfield as a major market rival.

4. Utica Comets
While Springfield is home to the AHL for its founding and growth, Utica is home to one of those founding Springfield teams. Early on they were the Springfield Indians, before moving around from city to city and landing in Utica.

5. Rochester Americans
Founded in 1956, they're currently one of the oldest operating teams in the AHL, were founded to be a Canadiens affiliate, and Rochester is also home to an old IHL (International Hockey League) team, which the IHL was an early predecessor for the AHL.

6. Syracuse Crunch
The team might be as old as the Falcons, but the city is rich with AHL history, with teams coming and going for years. Syracuse is just another place that is just a good AHL market and some team always finds a home there.

Also worth consideration are the Senators, whom have been around since 1972, though just not in New York, and the St. Johns Ice Caps whom were founded in the 60s. But I don't consider these locations as important to the AHL history, nor have a historical team history to them. So, there we have it, your AHL hockey tradition as defined by me: The guy who started blogging about this last week.

Market Saturation

Move the Marlies.

Move the Barracudda too.

Move any team that operates in an NHL city. Doesn't have to be too far. Just far enough. Let another township have a claim on a team and foster a sense of community pride. Let that team help foster an economy and mean more to that community than it could do in a place where everyone is all glossy eyed for the NHL stars.

Chicago has won the cup 3 times since 2012. Do you think anyone would there would care if the Wolves won the Calder Cup? Do you know who would? Peoria. Davenport. Naperville. Smaller cities that would love to see some hockey. While San Jose, Toronto, and Chicago all might be very large markets, with a huge appetite for hockey, the teams there will always play the second fiddle to the big team. They won't be stars but supporting actors. They are affordable alternatives to

I may not get the economics of it, but there are plenty of states and cities whom could do well for both the AHL and NHL to have access to hockey. Sixty teams across the United States and Canada, with plenty of states getting double or triple duty for hosting means those sports markets have to choose a team to cheer for. But a state like Idaho? North Dakota? Montana? Delaware? They have 0 sports teams to cheer for, so why not have teams there to make heroes of your players rather than stand in the shadows? Why not have your team be a marquee event rather than the "affordable" discount option? Wouldn't having fans that actually care about the team do better to train the players for the pressure of the big league more so? Drive them to be better so they can bring pride to the smaller cities they represent?

The AHL does a great job with this in general, but there are a few teams with serious over lap that could do better to be be somewhere else. At least its something worth considering for the inevitable expansion...

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are no markets suitable to foster better growth. Maybe the teams are most profitable where they are right now. I just have a hard time buying into that form of market saturation for teams within the same sport.

Comptetitive Disadvantage

I figured I would try to get in depth to a point I made earlier in regards to why the AHL is important, or should be worth your consideration and I figured it merited a longer think piece. But the point was something along the lines of everyone is on the level so the games in a way aren't that different from an NHL game.

So, what this blog is, is me emphasizing that in a bunch of different ways. It will probably be redundant. It will probably be boring. Just stay with me on this though as I try to ramble my way to what will probably amount to an insanely idiotic conclusion.

The only difference between the NHL and the AHL is the stage the games are set at. And the skills of the players, yeah, but it isn't like high school or college where some teams are really, really good, and other teams kinda suck and the good teams pick on the bad teams. They're professionals all the same, waiting to get called up. you won't encounter Olympians competing against the Bad News Bears Go to Japan. Even compared to the NHL, a greater parity can be achieved because if a player was skilled enough to be NHL ready, they would be playing there.

I'm digging a hole here, but here is where the game gets comparable. Scoring occurs due to capitalizing on weaknesses and the mistakes of the other players. It is just as hard for an AHL player to score a goal on an AHL goalie as it is for an NHL player to score a goal on an NHL goalie because their ability to assess and target weaknesses and capitalize mistakes is the same as the players on the other team. So, at each level competitive advantages and disadvantages are assessed the same. 

While NHL has the tv contract, it makes more sense to go to an AHL game because its cheaper for the ticket, cheaper for the beers, cheaper for the snacks. Unless you're a hockey scout or pro, you probably won't have the eye to discern the differences in the play because of how hockey is. Most people think they're trained to  recognize a superior product but that's because TV tells you whats going on to make you think that. At speed, it gets harder and while you can tell at times, it isn't a game like football  where there is less passing and more running at the lower levels. In an AHL game you get maybe a little bit less puck control, so its a little bit more like a national game with bad ice.

In either situation, the threat of scoring is always just as real, just as the threats of fights and hits, breakaways and saves. Is it the same as an NHL game? No, but it can be pretty close and you might not always be able tell.

I know its a hard argument to sell, and I don't know if I made it well. I probably lost some people out there. Hell, I lost myself I think. But the easier sell is, just stop thinking the results can be terribly different. They game can play out similarly and either can be just as fun if you put the same amount of heart and emotion into it.

Hall of Fame

Recently the AHL announced their own Hall of Fame nominations I am neither old enough nor have I been knowledgeable enough to be able to talk at length about any of the nominations. But it is an interesting piece of history.

Credit: AHL website

My knee jerk reaction was to think this was a really cool way to honor players and coaches and build upon the AHL's history. Second knee jerk reaction was why are people from the NHL hall of fame also being inducted? Then third knee jerk reaction was well, its whoever made the AHL special, though I'm still a bit confused at what exactly the criteria is that separates an NHL nomination from the AHL nomination. I've discussed the volatility of the league before and this was a smart way to ground the AHL a bit with names.

It seems like teams change their names, change locations, affiliations, lose players to moving up or trades. It's nice to keep track of the players who are good enough to make the AHL special, though perhaps more likely those players are probably owners, coaches or managers of AHL teams. Right now I'm trying to dig through it all to get a good glimpse of that history, though its pretty dry. They also seem to have a lot of ground to cover before they will get to the players and coaches of recent years that seem to make the Hall of Fame situation special for fans who might grow up watching the AHL. (It might even behoove them to add on a more contemporary inductee to their list to compliment more historical inductees while they get caught up.)

I would say, since its all online, pay it a visit. I'll be trying to get caught up before the season, and maybe look into doing some blogs on the history of the AHL teams / players. Ra-Ra.

AHL divisions and NHL expansion

Lately in the NHL there has been a lot of talk about expansion. Adding potentially two teams to fill out 32 teams, making it closer to the NHL format and there's a question on if its necessary, where they would go, so forth.

If the AHL is any indication, it seems like not only do we know where the AHL, and potentially NHL stand on the topic of expansion, but we might have a general idea of where the expansion affilliate teams might be located. 

So, that image can be found here on the AHL website. What is notable right off the bat is the divisions are uneven... Atlantic and Central each have eight teams, North and Pacific have seven. This is part of the reason why the schedule is so flawed in my opinion, though this doesn't explain some of the inconsistencies. It feels more like the division system is just aesthetic right now and they are using the old scheduling system in the mean time.

I'll do a blog on the playoff setup with the new division system when I can look more in depth to it, but right now I'm going to focus on those missing two spots. I think the AHL has tipped its hand as to what it wants and where it thinks expansion teams might go. North, so Canada or upstate New York might get a new AHL team, which will probably mean that one expansion team might be in Canada as well. This might be good since Canada's interest in hockey has been on the decline in recent years so the more hockey thrown there is a good way to help Canada's chief export of hockey players. Though part of me wants to shout "Bring back the whalers!" If to be nothing but obnoxious. 

The other spot is in the pacific division, where there has been a lot of talk about Vegas being an expansion spot. I was never really a fan of having Vegas as an expansion spot, but it would appear as though the AHL thinks a team might go there, whether it be an AHL team, or an NHL team in Vegas, and maybe an AHL team in Reno. Or maybe California, but if we're being honest, there is no better spot for little affiliate brother to go to than Vegas's little brother. 

2015-16 schedule

On August 27th, the new schedule was released.

First impressions: yeah, its a schedule.

Some things to be aware of is the new divisions and how they seem to work out. They do have games every day of the week with the lions share will be on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. No Monday games until December, so if that's your day off for the week, it might be harder to get to a game. Also, the new divisions don't seem like as much of a factor. I did an in depth look at the Falcons schedule and see that they face Hershey four times vs Providence fourteen times vs non-divisional rival the Albany Devils six times, and Hartford Eight times, and some eastern conference team no times.

I don't think its in the best interest of the league to have a team playing a non-divisional opponent more than a divisional one. I understand that there's travel times and expenses that have to be moderated, but the beauty of divisions is the rivalry that builds in the hunt for play-off spots. I want to be able to see those teams go at it more because I want to believe that they have to hate each other more. They're competing for the same glory and are in larger competition for the same spots in the play-offs.

Some that is probably coming from the understanding of how NFL scheduling works, and not necessarily AHL scheduling, but fanaticism is driven by common enemies. In the NFL you know the teams you have to hate. The AHL, I have an idea of whom they may want me to hate, but are Falcons fans really supposed to hate Providence six game more than Hartford? Or Syracuse as much as Hershey? Divisions would be a great idea if the AHL just used them properly.

In later blogs I'll get more in depth with teams and dates a casual fan might want to target for the best or at least most interesting action. They will all be rendered moot probably by mid season when the thugs and contenders are more clear. I know I'll be going to the first game for the Falcons on Oct. 10. Probably the only time I'll get to see Hershey in action.

Why should the AHL matter to you...

...and more importantly me.

There are a few big things on why these teams are important I want to touch on before I start handling news aspects in depth. These are the reasons I think the AHL could be interesting to me, and potentially others.

1. Local economy.
This one is regional specific. I live in the Hartford-Springfield area where a good majority of people love the Bruins while mourning the loss of the Whalers, I am a 20 minute drive rivalry drive away from the Falcons and the Wolfpack. Most interesting aspect of this to me is that AHL headquarters is located in Springfield, so now that the AHL is doing their own hall of fame inductees (Since 2006, More on that in a later blog) means that Springfield is the historical epicenter for guns and sports. (Take that Canton!) Make no mistake, if you live in Western Mass, or Connecticut, the AHL should matter to you because it does bring in a certain level of business and the best way to help it is to encourage its growth.

Even if you don't live in Western Mass, or CT, local teams can help grow local economy. Even at a third of the draw, that is tax money that is going to help the state and the region with better access to resources. By getting people more interested in local teams, you are helping assisting regional growth and...

2. Local Pride
What really is more galvanizing than sports?

Nothing.

This point is simple enough. With a strong enough interest in local minor league teams, then there is a chance for a source of local pride and unity that you may not be as accessible for NHL or other teams. While some AHL teams may be competing with NHL teams (another blog, another day) the ones that don't deserve your attention to help unify the community towards a greater competitive cause. Also, if you live that close to a local team, consider yourself lucky because its at least a level of professional sports. Some areas of the country only have high school football to look forward to.

3. Farm System
If you're a fan of the NHL, you should be keeping a very close eye on your AHL affiliate. They have your prospects that may get you a big name player in a trade or get called up to your team to fill in for an injured player. Its a chance to get an eye on the people who may make up your team in the future and their success in the AHL can help determine your NHL teams future. I've seen beat writers cover Pawtucket with immense scrutiny out of love of the Red Sox; the AHL is a fantastic gauge for talent. Expect a lot of these blogs, particularly as it pertains to the the Providence/Boston Bruins.

4. Beats Netflix
It's getting easier and easier to be a vegetable these days. Going to the games is good fun. It's a good chance to get kids into sports, or sports spectating. And even then, last AHL game I went to, they served beers, so if you get your heart into it, it can be similar to watching an NHL game. But how? Similar skill levels mean that while the playing style isn't elite, teams are comparable to each other. More depth, another blog, but long story short, the players know enough of what they're doing that a minor error that might be noticed at the NHL level won't be be noticed at the AHL level because it won't lead to the same consequences.

That is a brief summary of the 4 main points. There are more arguments I'm sure but this is still an introductory phase and I want to get out of these blogs and to the real meat of the blog soon enough. Not these Ra-Ra novels. I'll sprinkle in think pieces throughout for sure, but for now, I want to get to analysis and commentary. I'm gonna try to go full out for Monday. Watch out AHL, I'm coming for you...