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Post by southoftheborder on Mar 15, 2024 4:42:27 GMT -5
Only centres I heard that could potentially look at 2025 are the 2 Alberta teams. Would be great to get the tournament out West again Also, I am curious if AA teams will be allowed to enter in their regions. I am thinking they would need to meet certain criteria- ie financial commitment, elevated roster talent that can compete at the AAA level, etc Unless it's changed all they have to do is declare Senior AAA with their provincial/regional governing body within Hockey Canada. Under the six team format teams would declare if the Allan Cup was held in their region as they would likely have an easier time qualifying and not having to raise too much money to travel. If Alberta is hosting next year and they are going back the six team format expect at least one team from BC to declare because if any region is not filled (usually Quebec (Eastern Region) and possibly the Atlantic region due to travel distance/expense) the host branch gets an extra bid which would mean three of the teams would be the host, the winner of Alberta (or runner up if the host wins provincials), and the Pacific region qualifier would not be held as the Alberta champ would not have to compete for a spot and the BC champion would qualify for the Allan Cup. Also with it being in the west I would not be suprised if Saskatchewan and Manitoba had a team or two each attempting to qualify as a bus trip would be feasible timewise to Alberta cutting down on costs. Quebec has not participated in Senior AAA in years but there had been rumblings prior to the pandemic that any of several teams could declare Senior AAA one year and then apply to host the event the following year. As a team has to be at the AAA level the prior year to host the event.
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Post by southoftheborder on Mar 11, 2024 11:02:37 GMT -5
Don't know if anyone has been following anything in the US but the league that was known as the Union Hockey League has been renamed the American Premier Hockey League and has said it is Senior AAA hockey. They have 11 teams from Massachusetts to Wisconsin. They were hoping to be up to 30 to 48 teams next year.
If it works it might be a model for how to get more teams at Senior AAA in Canada.
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Post by southoftheborder on Mar 5, 2024 5:13:11 GMT -5
Allowing the previous year's winner is such a bad policy...those teams from NFLd then end up bringing an all star team of guys they 'pick up' for the AC. Newfoundland has a total population of about 510,000, and Atlantic Canada has a total population of 2.5 million; while the Golden Horseshoe has a population of about 7.75 million. Give them a break. Any way, traditionally with in the various national championships pick up players added from defeated opponents have been used at every level. The travel expense to get off of Newfoundland is ridiculous so giving a team a year of fundraising is needed as to not break the bank. Another thank you to Hockey Canada for completely ignoring senior hockey on that one.
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Post by southoftheborder on Sept 20, 2023 18:05:42 GMT -5
the Central/West Senior Hockey League is starting back up in Newfoundland. Deer Lake withdrew from the West Coast Senior Hockey League and is re-starting the CWSHL with Grand Falls-Windsor and Stephenville (and hopefully one additional team (someone mentioned possibly Gander)). Corner Brook apparently had their ownership not want to jump to the new league and Port-aux-Basques was not wanted in the new league by Grand Falls/Windsor due to travel distance. The WCSHL may try to get an additional team to join.
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Post by southoftheborder on Aug 28, 2023 15:06:49 GMT -5
There is a new senior league in Saskatchewan named the Cross Roads Hockey League. The Dodsland Stars, who were originally planning on rejoining the Sask West Hockey League for this year after not playing since 2008, along with the Kerrobert Tigers and Luseland Mallards, who are returning to play after sitting out the past three seasons, from the Sask West Hockey League and a newly formed team from Kindersley (not the Klippers) will form at least a four team league for 2023-24 with a few more teams possibly added over the next month or so.
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Post by southoftheborder on Aug 21, 2023 14:37:34 GMT -5
I don't think lack of ice was a problem with that team. Hockey in the GTA, particularly Brampton, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and some other areas where multiculturalism is deep/strong...hockey has been dying a slow death for a long time. There is no really good option for hockey once kids age out. Midget AAA u18 helps the first year of it but if kids don't get drafted in the u18 OHL supplemental draft, enrolment drops for 2nd year of u18, life happens for most, leave to go to Univ, career starts, travel... etc The GMHL is a bit of a shit show because I hear some teams charge $5-10K and talent level is not strong (although if has improved). I As for the Caledon owner, I put my two cents on the fact he could not run an ACH without it being a pay to play scenario like his jr a, b and c teams. Mens Sr AAA will not fly if guys have to pay big dollars like jr hockey. Most have young families, etc ACH posted about adding two teams this season but it had been crickets. Maybe next year??? The ACH website had been crickets the last several years during the summer, it doesn't seem like the league does anything until September most years (that's made public anyway), or maybe the webmaster just takes summers off.
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Post by southoftheborder on Aug 20, 2023 20:01:24 GMT -5
Not sure about a Caledon team. I heard it was to be Richmond Hill, but the owner has a Jr teams based in Caledon already, so that may be the connection. Richmond Hill had a U18AAA team (Richmond Hill Coyotes) that stopped withdrew for this year. Lack of ice time due to a new team? Just speculation. But then again, they were already using two arenas for the U18AAA team (Tom Graham Arena & Ed Sackfield Arena).
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Post by southoftheborder on Aug 20, 2023 19:56:11 GMT -5
It appears that the league is just a reorganizing of the WOAA league under the OHA sanctioning. The description on the league's twitter page reads:
Where big time talent meets small town Ontario. Proud member of OHA. Formerly WOAA Sr. "AA" Hockey League.
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Post by southoftheborder on May 23, 2023 17:29:42 GMT -5
It was a season of rebuilding the game at this level. You have to start somewhere. Hopefully it will be a continuing process.
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Post by southoftheborder on May 1, 2023 15:04:56 GMT -5
Times change...adapt and move on or die.
If this is what they had to do for this year so be it.
With some of the complaints that have come up over this I am surprised that no one is complaining that it still isn't a challenge cup.
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Post by southoftheborder on Apr 17, 2023 19:15:17 GMT -5
just found this on youtube.
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Post by southoftheborder on Apr 11, 2023 17:33:15 GMT -5
Maybe I missed it, but does any one know where to find the stream or if this will be televised at all? From what Don Robertson said on the Dundas Real McCoys facebook page no.
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Post by southoftheborder on Mar 31, 2023 4:19:40 GMT -5
Is Clarenville confirmed? From looking at this article on the Allan Cup Hockey league website it is not a definite yet. Look at the section at the end of the article
Yes like I said a few days ago. Clarenville is confirmed. Extremely happy they are back. Hearing next year will be open to all AA and AAA teams. If approved, this will bring Allan Cup back to the forefront of Senior hockey. Will open it up to every province again. The AESHL also finally confirmed it on Thursday.
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Post by southoftheborder on Mar 29, 2023 3:17:52 GMT -5
Is Clarenville confirmed? From looking at this article on the Allan Cup Hockey league website it is not a definite yet.
Look at the section at the end of the article
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Post by southoftheborder on Mar 23, 2023 6:23:17 GMT -5
maybe add some strict rules like AA hockey This would definitely open up the number of teams eligible to compete Eligibility is not the question, money is.
There is also a major difference between a guy leaving work at noon on Friday for a road game and taking a week off (likely a vacation week) and not really being able to spend time with his family as he would be tied up for a good portion of the tournament.
Unless the employer is a sponsor of the team and writing the guy's pay for the week as a donation, I don't think many bosses would be so willing to let a guy take a week off especially going into the spring where most business tend to get much busier.
U18 AAA, Junior, and university level hockey is made up of students playing hockey that can do school work online and are usually dealing with an education coordinator with the team. Senior level are guys with jobs and if they are losing a weeks pay they would have to be compensated for lost work time. About 20 to 25 people including staff that adds up to a lot of money. Not to mention travel (usually a plane ride, due to distance) and hotel rooms. That's a lot of fund raising.
I would love it if a solution to help restore the Allan Cup to the level it used to be but something has to change. The return to an East-West format like in the old days would seem to be a decent solution which would only involve three teams potentially making a road trip with teams travelling more than one province away in the East Final, West Final and the Allan Cup Final.
West Semifinal (all four provinces have provincial playoffs already, SK could have their four champions play off for Allan Cup spot)
BC champ vs Alberta champ Sask champ vs Manitoba champ
West Final BC/Alberta vs Sask/Man
East playdown (NL already has provincial tourament, NB have several leagues that could play down, PEI has one league, and Nova Scotia has one team playing in an NB based league)
Have an Atlantic tournament to cut down on time and travel All four provinces four days with one representative.
Ontario Have a playdown with ACH, WOAA, EOSHL and WOSHL with the winner advancing to East Final
Quebec Province has six leagues playing this year with 2 not playing this year that had played last year Have a region based playdown with the provincial champion advancing to the East Final
East Final
Three team round robin with championship game
Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic
Allan Cup Final Best of three or five in one location on consecutive days.
This is fairly close to the old way it used to be done. The Atlantic and East Final would be a change in format but would cut down on the number of rounds used.
This format would actually be somewhat similar to the current six team format in terms of regions and would eliminate a guaranteed spot in the tournament and have the present Atlantic, East, and Central regions playing off for one spot and West and Pacific regions playing off for the other spot.
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