2015-2016 CHL season

[dash]

Keep fighting the good fight, Peter.

 

[puckhead]

Vancouver/Langley Giants new GM

 

[puckhead]

though he kind of looks like Willem Defoe nowadays

 

[dash]

CHL franchises, worth millions, can afford to pay players: study

 

[juliansteed]

CHL franchises, worth millions, can afford to pay players: study

Interesting that the QMJHL isn't part of that study. I'm pretty sure less than half of the teams in the QMJHL can afford to pay players minimum wage under current conditions. The only problem is that without those teams, the conditions change for the would be survivors. The road trips get longer and more costly in the not so densely populated Maritimes and parts of Quebec.

The only way the Q might be able to survive with a dozen or so teams would be with revenue sharing. Otherwise it would most likely fold and Quebec (for as long as there's no NHL team), and maybe a few other western Quebec teams like Gatineau could play in the OHL. Halifax is by far the 2nd biggest market in the Q and is always 2nd in attendance, but if their closest opponent is Quebec, their expenses would go up big time, not to mention they'd attract so many fewer visiting fans. The novelty of playing against mostly OHL teams would probably boost attendance enough to offset the extra costs for a season or 2. My Saint John Sea Dogs and the Moncton Wildcats are usually 2 of the top 5 in attendance but I have my doubts that they'd be able to survive with the additional operating costs.

 

[juliansteed]

Also there's this happening in Nova Scotia.

Sports teams exempt from minimum wage rules