2014 CHL Season Thread

[Judge Fudge]

There you go puck

I'm gonna start with a interesting fact

Hope and the Royals are also looking to bid on the 2016 Memorial Cup

 

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A little Vancouver - Victoria battle for hosting the 2016 Memorial Cup eh? - I wouldn't mind seeing Victoria win this one.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

A little Vancouver - Victoria battle for hosting the 2016 Memorial Cup eh? - I wouldn't mind seeing Victoria win this one.

Kelowna bidding for it too

 

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If construction stays on schedule, the new arena for the Tigers should be ready for the start of the 2015-16 season. I don't know if they'll be submitting a Memorial Cup bid, but the arena will have a seating capacity of over 7,000 (i.e. big enough to host the tourney).

 

[Judge Fudge]

A little Vancouver - Victoria battle for hosting the 2016 Memorial Cup eh? - I wouldn't mind seeing Victoria win this one.

Same because(and guys i'm a season ticket holder since another league invaded that arena) that would be the only way the Royals would be in the Memorial Cup

 

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Lee Jones @LeeJonesCTV · 8m Moose Jaw Warriors hire Tim Hunter as head coach. Spent 14 seasons as assistant in Wash., San Jose and Toronto. Played 815 NHL games #WHL

He certainly has a good nose for coaching...

 

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Maybe Destroy can chime in on Jason Fram (Spokane Chiefs defenseman) who will be in Penticton playing in the prospects tourney with the Flames starting this weekend - He's been through the NHL Draft twice and wasn't picked (put up 51 assists for the Chiefs last season).

Edit - He's from South Delta BC and played in the WHL, no surprise that Gillis ignored him.

 

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In other CHL news...

Over the past few months, the debate over whether major junior hockey players should receive more money for playing has become a polarizing one.

On one side, team owners say players receive modest reimbursements for their expenses, as well as a lucrative scholarship package that can be exercised so long as they don't go on to a career as a pro hockey player.

Moreover, many teams in small markets are struggling to get by, the owners say.

"Our teams in Washington and Michigan have been in contact with government officials and have explained that our players are student athletes and are participating in and contribute to their sport the same way as other amateur athletes," Canadian Hockey League commissioner David Branch told TSN.

But officials with Unifor, Canada's largest private-sector union, paint a different picture. They say major junior hockey teams have become cash machines and that any problems that small market teams might have can easily be solved with revenue sharing. Unifor is pressing the Ontario provincial government to form task forces to scrutinize the working conditions in the Canadian Hockey League. Unifor president Jerry Dias hopes other governments follow suit.

To that end, Dias met Tuesday with B.C. Premier Christy Clark, making his case for government action.

"She was shocked," Dias said. "We explained that in the Western Hockey League, players are still making $50 a week, same as they did in the 1980s. It's just not right. These clubs are being run as for-profit businesses, and so little of the money finds its way to the players. It's basically slave labour."

State of Washington investigates WHL teams' work conditions

 

[puckhead]

The Q started tonight.

/fall approaches

 

[jstewismybastardson]

The cash cow might be getting slaughtered

[ame="[MEDIA=twitter]510219670532943873[/MEDIA]"][/ame]

 

[Destroydacre]

Maybe Destroy can chime in on Jason Fram (Spokane Chiefs defenseman) who will be in Penticton playing in the prospects tourney with the Flames starting this weekend - He's been through the NHL Draft twice and wasn't picked (put up 51 assists for the Chiefs last season).

Edit - He's from South Delta BC and played in the WHL, no surprise that Gillis ignored him.

Fram's best attribute is his skating. He moves very well for a defenseman. Decent passing/shooting ability, but not great, he'll put up points, but the 51 assists are probably a little inflated because the Chiefs top PP line was extremely dominant last year. He doesn't have a particularly large frame for a defenseman 6', 195lbs, both of which I would say are a little generous, and he doesn't play much of a physical game, which is likely why he's been passed up the last couple drafts. Could be a sleeper though, hope he does well.

 

[Destroydacre]

The cash cow might be getting slaughtered

I'm very interested to see how this turns out. Will be following closely.

 

[dash]

Tigers open up the season wih back-to-back wins over Lethbridge - It would be interesting to discover what their lifetime winning percentage is over the Hurricanes (off the top of my head it has to be close to .700).

 

[Destroydacre]

Good stuff Dash! As you well know, beating your rival never gets old regardless of how much they suck. The Chiefs opened their season with a 4-2 win in Kennewick yesterday, giving them a 3 game winning steak in Tri-City's home openers. Just about every prognostication has Spokane finishing 9-10th and out of the playoffs. But the last time they were predicted to do that poorly, they finished with over 100 points and lost in the conference finals. I don't expect them to do that well this year, and the Chiefs are very young, so they will have growing pains, but I think they will fare better that a lot of people predict. Sometimes the years with no expectations are the most fun.

 

[dash]

Sometimes the years with no expectations are the most fun.

Yeah, I think this could be a tough year for the Tigers, as they lost some veteran guys from last year's squad that surprised everyone by making it to the Eastern Conference finals. It never gets old watching them beat the sad sack bunch from Lethbridge, though.

 

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Well, the Tigers split a home-and-home series with the Memorial Cup Champions Oil Kings (lost 2-1 at home and then go up to Edmonton and win 4-2). They got a couple of guys back from NHL training camps as well, so that will help.

 

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In other news, the Lethbridge Hurricanes are in deep financial trouble...

Two more players demand out, Canes trade them to Brandon for a paltry return. On the same day, the team's AGM reveals that they ran a deficit of nearly $400,000 last season and has lost $1.65 million over the last five years. The only good news is that the board resolved to hold a vote next year on whether to sell the team.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/owners...ough-for-lethbridge-hurricanes-190945213.html

 

[puckhead]

Giants start off 3-0 on the season (after something like 1-11 last year).
Biggest test so far, on the road against the also undefeated Kelowna Rockets.

Giants up 3-0, 8 minutes in.
But Tyler Benson just for 5 and a game for destroying some poor schlub.
I thought it was a good hit, but I'm a bit biased. ref didn't raise his arm until he saw the guy didn't get up



/it's on Shaw, btw

 

[puckhead]

and back down to earth as kelowna get the next six.
powerplay trouble from the Benson hit at the end of the first and *poof*

Kelowna has averaged 7 goals a game this year.
small sample size, but whoa.

 

[dash]

Just checked the box score, G-men were outshot 23 to 9 over the final 40 minutes...